Considering a short sale? Why now may be the time
Filed on 08. Jun, 2012 in Contributors
By Kira Bravo Tax Manager, Moss Adams LLP With housing prices still depressed, many people are considering doing something they never thought they would: Sell their home for less than what they still owe on their mortgage. This is what’s known as a short sale, and while it can get you out from under an unwanted mortgage, it [...]
Freedom At Any Cost: Local hair stylist makes most of opportunity
Filed on 31. May, 2012 in Contributors
By Justin Berg Contributing Writer Imagine growing up in war-torn Vietnam, surrounded by violence and uncertainty. One day, you bid your family farewell, squeeze onto an old wooden boat with a faulty engine and 186 other people, and set sail to God knows where. That was the reality for local businesswoman Quynh Nguyen (pronounced “Kwenn Gwinn”), then [...]
Would you want your child to be a whistle-blower?
Filed on 29. May, 2012 in Contributors
By Mike Cook Management Developer “A little integrity is better than any career.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist (1803-1882) We’d probably all like to think that those classes we have our employees attend on business ethics truly reflect our senior leadership’s commitment to ethics and doing business in an ethical, not just legal fashion. Here’s [...]
What “The Dude” can teach us about employee engagement
Filed on 15. May, 2012 in Contributors
By Mike Cook Management Developer What with springtime clearly upon us here in the Northwest the time feels right for a visit from an old friend—“The Dude”, “El Duderino”, “His Dudeness.” Of course, there is only one man who answers to all these titles and he is Jeffrey Lebowski, the central character of the [...]
Why the Lorax loves forestry
Filed on 25. Apr, 2012 in Contributors
.jpg&h=220&w=200&zc=1&q=90)
By Todd Myers Washington Policy Center “From outside in the fields came a sickening smack of an axe on a tree. Then we heard the tree fall. The very last Truffula tree of them all.” –From The Lorax, Dr. Seuss This spring, a motion picture version of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax hit the big screen with a [...]
Managing in the middle: The truths of trust
Filed on 24. Apr, 2012 in Contributors
By Mike Cook Management Developer Can you imagine being a manager and not trusting people? I don’t necessarily mean specific people, I mean people in general. Unfortunately, I think many managers are unconscious of their biases inthis regard, having “handy stories” justifying behavior that might otherwise be considered paranoid. I think you know the stories I [...]
Viewpoint: Now biomass is the environment’s enemy?
Filed on 16. Apr, 2012 in Contributors
By Don C. Brunell, President Association of Washington Business When environmental organizations pushed Washington voters to approve their renewable energy Initiative 937, they touted biomass energy — incinerated wood waste — as one of their preferred alternatives to fossil fuel. They reasoned that biomass energy plants would help clear forests of flammable wood debris from dead [...]
Viewpoint: Six lines your boss should never cross
Filed on 10. Apr, 2012 in Contributors
By Allison & Taylor, professional reference checkers Special contribution to the Bellingham Business Journal Most working adults have experienced an uncomfortable situation at work; that’s the reality of interpersonal relationships in a professional setting. However, while no work situation is perfect in every respect, your workplace should be more positive than negative, and never [...]
OPINION – Oppose legislation lifting government public notice requirements
Filed on 26. Feb, 2012 in Contributors
Washington citizens should be aware of – and opposed to – House Bill 2801 and the provisions that would allow local governments to cease publishing public notices in their local newspapers. The presumed cost savings to local government is in fact false economy – there is a hidden and very dangerous cost. In trying to [...]
Reader’s Choice Awards 2012
Filed on 09. Feb, 2012 in Contributors
Vote in the Bellingham Business Journal Reader’s Choice Awards 2012. You can’t vote for yourself; one ballot per person. Votes must be received by Friday, Feb. 17. Results will be published in the March 2012 edition of The Bellingham Business Journal. Follow the links below, and remember to fill out both Part 1 and Part [...]
