Seattle Growth Podcast

King County Executive Dow Constantine discusses navigating the pandemic and the future of King County. Julia Nagele, Principal and Director of Design for the architecture studio at Hewitt, discusses the urbanization of Seattle and how the pandemic economy has affected her business.

Brian Robinson and Dale Kutzera close out this season. Robinson is on the Seattle Center Advisory Commission and well know for his efforts to have NBA basketball in Seattle. Dale Kutzera is the author of The Death of Seattle: How A Great Town Became a Lousy City.

Today’s episode features Mari Horita, Seattle Kraken’s VP of Community Engagement and Social Impact, who discusses how the pandemic has impacted her community work. Her interview gives insight into adapting the evolving needs. The episode also features Ben Petter, President of Avara Construction. His interview gives insight into the construction business and what we can expect for the future of Seattle.

NBA champion and former GM & CEO of the Seattle Supersonics, Wally Walker. Walker gives an update on his quest to bring an NBA franchise to a SODO arena and shares his perspective on whether the pandemic makes it more or less likely that Seattle gets an NBA franchise. You will also hear from longtime Seattle Growth Podcast listener and Seattle Supersonics super fan, Josh Shea. Shea shares the changes he is seeing in his South Lake Union neighborhood and has a plea for the listeners.

Stories from two industries hit hard by the pandemic: retail and restaurants. Interviews with Lisa Bridge, the president and CEO of Ben Bridge Jeweler, and restaurateur Bernie Garcia, the president of Moctezuma’s Restaurants. The interviews give lessons of resilience and offer distinct perspectives on the changes in Seattle

UW Foster professor Jeff Shulman interviews the entrepreneur Dhruv Agarwal and former Lt. Governor candidate Ann Davison. The interviews give insight into different ways the people and businesses of Seattle are adapting to the pandemic.

UW Foster professor Jeff Shulman interviews the executive director of the SODO Business Improvement Area, Erin Goodman. SODO is home to Starbucks headquarters, many industrial companies, and an active port. The episode also features an interview with musician Marco Antonio de Carvalho. The interviews give insight into different ways the people and businesses of Seattle are adapting to the pandemic.

UW Foster professor Jeff Shulman interviews UW Husky Football Hall of Fame Running Back Greg Lewis who is the executive director of the Meredith Mathews East Madison YMCA. The episode also features an interview with musician Tekla Waterfield. The interviews give insight into how non-profits and musicians are navigating the pandemic.

UW Foster School of Business professor Jeff Shulman interviews the president/CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association, Jon Scholes, and a long-time Central District entrepreneur and advocate Jesdarnel “Squirt” Henton. Scholes and Henton share how they are navigating the changes in Seattle and their outlook for the future of the city.

UW Foster School of Business professor Jeff Shulman interviews Pete Nordstrom and noted musician Robbie Hill to learn how they are navigating the changes in Seattle and their outlook for the future of the city.

UW Foster School of Business professor Jeff Shulman interviews the managing partner at Din Tai Fung Restaurants and the co-founder of the Weaver Byrne Group to learn how they are navigating the changes in Seattle and their outlook for the future of the city.

On today's episode: Zan Fiskum, a Seattle singer-songwriter who burst onto the national music scene as a finalist on the recent season of The Voice. Alec Shaw, an emerging artist in Seattle's music community. Both talk about Seattle's music scene, adapting to COVID-19, and their upcoming performance in the St. Jude Songwriters Showcase.

Today’s extra episode of Seattle Growth Podcast features an interview with a small business owner, an artist, and someone who wants to see a positive shared future for the people of Seattle as the city transforms. The episode tells a story of a community-led effort to make the Rainier Farmer Market a desirable place to visit and buy fresh produce. Gavin Amos, associate strategic coordinator for the Central Area Collaborative, shares how he connected Kevin Nguyen, owner of the Rainier Farmer Market, with artist Henry Luke to utilize the power of art to engender a sense of belonging for South End restaurants. Together, they have raised thousands of dollars and come together as a community to demonstrate an appreciation of the shared space. The interviews share perspectives on what changes in Seattle are most striking. The story also highlights challenges small businesses face and how the community can come together to address them.

Today’s extra episode of Seattle Growth Podcast features an interview with Husky Basketball legend Donald Watts. Watts, owner and player development specialist at Watts Basketball, contributes to this season’s theme of finding community in a dynamic city. Watts shares the work being done to foster a community of children and parents who are interested in basketball as a means to build life skills. Watts also offers valuable lessons from building the Watts Basketball community that can be applied in a variety of contexts.

Vivian Hua, Executive Director of the Northwest Film Forum, shares the work she is doing to build community in the dynamic city of Seattle. She shares insights for other arts & culture leaders and previous some exciting events available to filmmakers and film lovers alike.

Jeff Shulman continues his look at finding community in a dynamic city. In today’s episode, UW football Hall of Famer Greg Lewis shares his community work at the Meredith Mathews YMCA, where he serves as executive director. Lewis was the first Doak Walker Award winner for the nation’s top running back in college football and was an important piece of the Rose Bowl winning Husky team. Lewis shares why he has chosen to lead a non-profit and the initiatives he hopes will foster a sense of community in the Central District. In the interview, Lewis connects how the experience of stepping onto the field at the Rose Bowl compares to the work he is doing with the YMCA. Today’s episode also features author Cecile Andrews who talks about her circle of simplicity and the work she is doing to bring small groups together for conversation. Andrews has lived in Seattle for decades and is working to build a sense of community in the Phinneywood area. The interviews offer some interesting tidbits of history and give perspectives on where Seattle has been and where it is going. Both guests offer perspectives from different neighborhoods about growth, change, and community.

Seattle has an abundance of professional opportunities. Today’s episode shares stories from communities being formed to facilitate connections among professionals who are willing to support and help one another. With an increasing number of innovative products being developed in Seattle, there are opportunities for Foster graduates and others to lead the development of products as product managers. Lewis Lin, author of Be the Greatest Product Manager Ever, describes the community he has built to help people prepare for product management interviews. He shares valuable lessons about how he built the 9,000 member community that can be applied to other people or organizations hoping to bring people together for a common purpose. As people are moving to Seattle from around the country, there is an opportunity to guide newcomers to social and professional events. In today’s episode, Ahmad Corner shares why he founded Young Professionals of Seattle based on the principle that people are at the heart of what makes businesses and communities work well. He and Jamie Shindler describe lessons they learned in bringing over 13,000 young professionals together in Seattle. If you are looking for a community that’s right for you, you just might find it in today’s episode of Seattle Growth Podcast. If you are looking to build your own community, you will hear lessons of how to start and nurture a group that can be applied to a variety of contexts.

State Representative Eric Pettigrew and Orlando Morales of 5th Avenue Theatre discuss their efforts to nurture community, empower youth, and empower underserved communities to play a role in building a shared future. The interviews give insight that businesses and non-profits can utilize as they seek to give back and cultivate relationships with previously underserved communities.

Laura Elfline shares how a community of home builders is coming together to share information about sustainable building practices. Elfline, co-owner of Mighty House Construction and Mighty Energy Solutions, discusses her work with the NW EcoBuilding Guild. The interview some lessons about how to bring together a community and the benefits of doing so. Elfline also offers some interesting facts about the environmental impact of materials in building homes. Wool as insulation and cork for flooring? Find out more in this episode. The episode also features an interview with Gabrielle Gerhard. Gerhard shares her motivation for volunteering in her community and highlights some exciting events happening at SPACE, Sand Point Arts and Cultural Exchange. The interview highlights how you can find and get involved in the community that is right for you.

Today’s episode may be the first Seattle Growth Podcast episode that can save your life. Cindi Barker talks about the Seattle Emergency Hubs. She’s not only bringing Seattleites together, she is preparing them for when disaster strikes. In this interview, you will learn the surprising amount of time you should be prepared to survive in case of an emergency and how you can find the people who can help you through such an event. The episode then gives an inside look at Seattle’s dance community through an interview with Connie Villines. Villines is the managing director of the Seattle International Dance Festival, the artistic director of Converge Dance Festival, and assistant producer of the Full Tilt Dance Festival. She shares what makes Seattle unique in the dance world and offers lessons for what Seattle residents can learn from the local dance community.