Bellingham-based inventor group hosting former Starbucks president in Everett on Nov. 3

Everett Herald Business Journal staff

EVERETT — A former Starbucks president who was raised in Everett will be speaking on leadership next week at a fundraiser for the NW Innovation Resource Center.

Howard Behar, who joined Starbucks in 1989 and saw the chain grow from 28 stores to more than 400, will talk from 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Weyerhauser Room at the Everett Transit Station, 3201 Smith Ave., Everett. Cost is a $50 donation to the NW Innovation Resource Center’s Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.

“It’s clear Snohomish County thrives when we take the time to develop leadership in our community. The chance to learn from Howard Behar absolutely should not be missed,” said Bob Drewel, who is a senior adviser to the president at Washington State University North Puget Sound Everett, in a statement.

Several companies, including business attorneys Adams & Duncan in Everett, are paying the entrance fee to send local college students to the event. The City of Everett is donating the use of the Weyerhauser room.

“I’m delighted that the business community has stepped up to enable our young adults to take part in that experience, as well as the broader community. It’s especially gratifying to know that a group like the (NW Innovation Center) will also benefit,” Drewel said.

Behar, who lives on Mercer Island, retired from Starbucks in 2003 and served on the board of directors from 1996 to 2008. He’s written a book on leadership, “It’s Not About the Coffee: Lessons on Putting People First from a Life at Starbucks.”

The NW Innovation Resource Center is a nonprofit that supports economic opportunities through entrepreneurial innovation in northwest Washington. The organization is based in Bellingham and works with clients in five northwest Washington counties: Whatcom, Skagit, Snohomish, Island and San Juan.

For more information — or for inventors looking for support — go to www.nwirc.com.

To donate to the campaign for admission, go to http://tinyurl.com/pdx9t8l.

 

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