In trying times, you need a better plan
Filed on 31. Mar, 2009 in Contributors
I knew I was in trouble by the middle of last year. Every approach I had tried to getting new customers was meeting with the same results: nada. There were clues all around me, but I was stubbornly hanging on to my belief that I could get customers without rethinking what I was offering [...]
Lessons learned from Mexico
Filed on 28. Feb, 2009 in Contributors
I just returned from eight days visiting my mother in Mexico, and it was interesting to get out of the country and “away from it all.” I forget, being in the media business, how much I am immersed in current events day in and day out. While out of the country, I made a [...]
Bellingham the best place to grow
Filed on 28. Feb, 2009 in Contributors
The subject of population growth is usually good for getting people hot under the collar in this town. There seems to be a general sentiment in places where the quality of life is high that now we are all here, we should close the borders and not let anyone else in. We like the [...]
Make sure to spruce up that stale Web site
Filed on 28. Feb, 2009 in Contributors
“Our Web site’s a waste of money,” the customer said. He was wondering why their business Web site, that used to pop up on page one when Googled, was now pages in and hard to find. “We’ve had it for years, I guess it’s time to update it.” Looking through it, I had to [...]
World Police and Fire Games an Olympics dress rehearsal
Filed on 31. Jan, 2009 in Contributors
While the Pacific Northwest prepares for the grandeur and commotion of the 2010 Olympics, the lesser known, yet significant, World Police and Fire Games (WPFG) are sneaking up on us with surprisingly little fanfare. For Whatcom County, the impact of these games, in terms of traffic and border lineups, will be significant. The WPFG, [...]
Interesting times in media
Filed on 31. Jan, 2009 in Contributors
On January 8, KING TV in Seattle broke a story that The Seattle Post-Intelligencer was up for sale, and in that few-minute story, the Seattle media scene erupted. Was it true? What would this mean? The following day, the P-I confirmed what the day before it had denied, and in a message to its [...]
Housing market optimist: 2009 a buyer’s market
Filed on 31. Jan, 2009 in Contributors
Although this past year had its ups and downs, I’m pretty hopeful for positive changes this year. Despite signs of slower sales, Realtors leaving the business, and the credit crunch, 2009 offers some relief in the homebuyers market: High-end home sales slow Those who bought during the “boom” years of ’04 through ’06, but now [...]
Nonprofits need all of our help
Filed on 31. Jan, 2009 in Contributors
Nonprofits need all of our help Nonprofit companies are having a hard time of it. Their endowments, which are largely based on investments, are shrinking as the stock market takes hit after hit. Their local, state and federal funding is getting slashed. And private donors, many of whom are businesses, are tightening up their [...]
Alternative lending in an uncertain economy
Filed on 31. Jan, 2009 in Contributors
On March 11, the Bellingham Whatcom Economic Development Council will partner with the Port of Bellingham to host the Second Annual Alternative Financing Seminar. The BWEDC and several other presenters will offer detailed explanations of lending programs designed to grow local businesses, create new jobs and expand economic opportunity throughout Whatcom County. Small-to mid-size [...]
Governor made the right decision
Filed on 31. Dec, 2008 in Contributors
Gov. Chris Gregoire had a tough call to make. With a budget shortfall of more than $5 billion and counting, it has to be tempting to tap into a tax base of businesses that can only whimper as the ax falls. But staying true to her word to not raise taxes, Gregoire instead took [...]
