the weekly seattle

We talk to the General Manager & the Director of Business Operations for the Seattle Torrent, the newest team added to the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL). In this episode, we discuss why the PWHL ownership is unique, why they are playing the first season without the new jerseys, why the head coach was chosen, and how they plan to collaborate with the other major sports teams here. A...

We talk to the Founder & CEO of a company that pioneered human composting as an alternative to burial or cremation. Katrina shares how she went from architecture school to creating this company that ultimately allowed Washington to be the FIRST state to legalize this practice in 2019. Today 14 states have legalized this new option. In this episode we also talk about how the death industry is c...

As the GM of The Spring District, Linda brings us the inside scoop on the commercial real estate industry as well as interesting details like how the retail shops were chosen for this neighborhood and how she partnered with the city of Bellevue for success. All this and your top stories! Top Stories: 1. Update on The Spring District 2. Amazon (and Meta ) layoffs 3. Heritage Distilling closes tasti...

Washington's music sector directly contributes $6.4 billion annually to the state's GDP, six times more than spectator sports. We sit down with longtime music industry businessman and current CEO of Sonic Guild Ben London to discuss everything from ticket prices, why we can't go back to the 90's, what the city needs to do to help musicians thrive. Top Stories 1. Census results about the music indu...

Rachel plays the audio from her panel discussion with prominent AI professionals in Seattle discussing our assumption in this space and the race to innovate. This event was held on October 3rd at World Trade Center by Emily Parkhurst of Formidable. It featured multiple panels during this half-day event. Your weekly business news roundup is still at the beginning of the episode! The Race to Innovat...

The Founder & CEO of Hot Tub Boats explains how he came up with this unique idea to create the first hot tub boat ever in Seattle, WA. Adam talks about how he funded the project, the lessons he learned along the way, and his recent expansion into California. We also talk about production challenges with the new tariffs, who he will sell his boats to, and so much more! All this and your top bus...

We're on the hockey rink with the SVP of Social Impact & Civic Affairs for Seattle Kraken and Executive Director of the Kraken's nonprofit One Roof Foundation Mari Horita. This episode covers the behind-the-scenes of the Memorial Stadium renovation project, how one meeting changed her career from President of ArtsFund to her current position, and what conversations are being had in the boardro...

Eliza recently took over as CEO of this historic 1908 Capitol Hill venue from the former owner of Century Ballroom. In this episode we'll talk about how to balance executing your own vision, while still paying tribute to what made the venue successful before. We learn from her remodeling hiccups and why there were construction delays, we discuss the different business models for arts venue spaces,...

In this special episode, Rachel visits her alma mater and interviews her former media professor to talk all things media. This episode will feel like you're right back in a college classroom trying to make sense of the world. They talk about how media consumption has changed over the years, why we are so divided and the role media plays, and when we stopped trusting media. They also discuss topics...

This week Michelle, CEO of ULMS and Co-Founder of BFCF dives into the nonprofit world. She discusses how her organizations collaborate with Washington state government, the story behind BFCF’s Reign jersey sponsorship, and the evolution of workforce development. And as always, your top news of the week. Top Stories: 1. How Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle impacts the city 2. Rough & Tumble...

It's just Rachel this week recapping the Seattle business news. She also gives a personal life update (hello Mayoral debate?!) and a teaser for upcoming guests. Top Stories: 1. Restaurant closures continue (plus Mamnoon and Outer Planet ) 2. Climate Pledge Arena switches to reusable cups 3. HomeStreet Bank merges with Mechanics Bank 4. Former AWS CEO goes to private equity 5. Waymo is coming to Se...

Longtime journalist Rob Smith is back in the studio! He was the Executive Editor for Seattle Magazine/Seattle Business Magazine when we recorded our 3rd ever episode. And now he returns to talk about his career shift to Formidable, his take on billionaires owning media companies, and why Seattle has the most expensive Ubers. In honor of Bumbershoot happening, we also recap the business history of...

The CEO of Whitepages enlightens us about the importance of sharing information in order to have a source of truth, the rise and fall of ReachNow, and we connect over our shared passion for a Ponzi scheme story. Top Stories: 1. Allen Institute for AI lands $152M from Nvidia and NSF 2. More tech layoffs: Oracle , F5 , T-Mobile 3. Everett man indicted for Ponzi scheme (and this article ) 4 Washingto...

The President & CEO shares with us how she chooses locations for new stores, why there's not a veggie burger on the menu, and if we will see seating back in the Queen Anne store. We also cover the unique challenges of leading a family business as a member of the third generation, how the minimum wage increase impacted the business, and how she feels it is not the right time for the proposed B&...

The General & Artistic Director of the Seattle Opera shares how the business model of the opera, and arts organizations as a whole, have changed over the years. We talk about why producing an opera is expensive, how leaders should approach funding as an investment rather than a charity gift, and lastly he dispels the myth that the opera is just for the elite. All of this along with breaking do...

As the Principal of a construction company, Tess shares with us why construction projects can get behind schedule, how building in Seattle compares to other cities, and why she's diversified her company portfolio in recent years. All of this along with breaking down the lawsuit over the Microsoft project, opening of pier 58, and the second sale of Convoy. Top Stories 1. Construction industry updat...

It's Yonder's 5 year anniversary so we brought the Founder & CEO Caitlin back to the studio to share what's changed since we last talked, how the tariffs are affecting her business, the sometimes tricky relationship between small businesses and the city, and lastly, how we feel about virtual reality. Top Stories 1. Trader Joe's coming to Northgate Seattle Times article 2. Impact of tariffs PSB...

As the CEO of the largest shelter in Washington state serving families experiencing homelessness, Dominique shares what Mary's Place is doing to serve our community and how things have dramatically changed since 2019. She talks about their strategic three pronged approach to help those in need, the impact of decreased federal funding, and why a housing first model has been successful. She also bus...

The CEO of Fire & Vine Hospitality joins us to talk about the restaurant industry and especially the impact of the minimum wage change that took effect in January. Should all restaurants implement a mandatory service charge? Is there a place for dive bars in Seattle anymore? As the Founder of Brigado, a tech hospitality company, Chad also explains why he's declared war on credit card fees and...

As the Founder & President of a tech consulting/data analytics company AND a former lawyer, Ryan has a lot of interesting perspectives on the news of this week. We debate the controversial B&O taxes and what it really means to pay your "fair share". Ryan shares why going public used to be his dream and why it no longer is. He also makes some bold predictions on the future of Salesforce. La...

Rachel's older sister joins the NY hotel "studio" to break down the top news stories and share some of her own about what it was like growing up with Rachel and what it's like being a high school teacher. Top Stories: 1. Leadership changes: USAFacts, Rover, Perkins Coie, Kaiser Permanente USA Facts Rover Perkins Coie Kaiser Permanente 2. Live Nation eyes new venue PSBJ article 3. Compass sues Zill...

The former Chief Economist for Windermere helps us understand how the economy is doing amongst the tariff and immigration changes at a federal level. He also shares interesting data on the job market and housing in Washington state. We ask him what people looking to buy a house should know, if he sees us heading towards a recession, and so much more in this special mid-year economic outlook episod...

This week we're talking the business of sports! Co-founder Chris Ackerley shares his insights about owning the Sonics, trying to buy a rugby team, and much more! Top Stories: 1. Ackerley Sports Group bids on rugby team Sportcal article 2. Hockey updates in Seattle Seattle Times article  (PWHL) PSBJ article  (Kraken coach) 3. Memorial Stadium updates PSBJ article  &  MSN art...

It's Pride Month! We talk to the Executive Director of Seattle Pride about the change in corporate sponsorships since the new administration, her decision to publicly announce the budget shortfall, and what she sees for the future of Seattle Pride. She also helps break down the news of a new Molly Moon's location, colleges merging, and a private equity acquisition. Top Stories: 1. Seattle Pride up...

As the Executive Director, Lisa gives us an update on the state of Pioneer Square, how the org is preparing for FIFA, and the unique way they are helping small businesses. Top Stories: 1. State of Pioneer Square Seattle magazine article and KNKX article 2. Sound Transit testing light rail on I-90 PSBJ article  or  The Urbanist article 3. New taxes on businesses GeekWire article 4. Glass...