Crown Hill Business Association

A proposed development at 8022 15th Ave NW proposes a four-story building with 48 residential units and three live-work units. Parking for 39 vehicles to be located at grade. Public meeting is Monday, March 14th 2011 8pm at Ballard High School.

More information here.

Mayor Mike McGinn’s 2011 State of the City Speech

Tuesday, February 22, 2011
2:00-3:00 p.m.
City Council Chambers
600 Fourth Avenue, 2nd Floor
Seattle, WA 98124

(Overflow seating will be available, if needed, in the Bertha Knight Landes Room on the1st Floor of City Hall.)

Please RSVP to Thao Tran thao.tran at seattle.gov if you are able to attend and let us know the number of people who be joining you from your organization.

From an article by Stacy Mitchell: The U. S. Economic Census is conducted every five years. The data are released two to four years later. Because the 2007 Census preceded the current recession, the downturn’s impact on both independents and chains will not be evident until the 2012 Census.

According to newly released data from the U. S. Economic Census, overall sales at independent retailers grew by about 4 percent, after adjusting for inflation, between 2002 and 2007.

The bad news is that chains grew faster and independents still lost market share, falling from 31 to 28 percent of consumer retail spending.

Read more here.

With Ballard and Crown Hill being a hub of Seattle’s manufacturing infrastructure, this article from the Huffington Post offers an interesting analysis of the relationship between offshoring, wages, unemployment, environmental destruction, and loss of intellectual capital.

In a related New York Times article for which you will need a subscription, Louis Uchitelle discusses the decline of manufacturing and its affects on innovation in the United States.

Christopher Heine reports 55% of businesses that have tried group-buying platforms like Groupon do not plan to use them again. Read other interesting tidbits about small businesses and marketing, including some insights into Facebook usage here.

The first of its kind in the region, the Employer Medical Assistance Program is designed to expedite medical attention for all your employees in dangerous or time-pressured occupations such as heavy manufacturing, construction, mari- time services, fishing, transportation, firefighting, aviation, etc. Employers have recognized the benefits of having EMA assist management and employees in obtaining medical services from Swedish.

Remember, it’s not only employees and employers in the dangerous professions who can benefit from this service. Workplace injuries can happen in any workplace.

Learn more: Next CHBA Lunch Meeting Feb 16th at noon at Luisa’s, at www.swedish.org/ballard, or www.swedish.org/employerassistance

Excel, Word and Outlook dominate many of our work lives. In the end, these applications are tools, and quick tips lists are frequently the only way we can make time learn to use these applications more efficiently. PC Magazine has some helpful tips in their most recent issue.
Read more here.

Join Bruce Harrell, Phil Bussey, and Bill Schrier at City Business Casual t the Polar Bear Club – 700 3rd Avenue

An interesting opportunity to mingle with members of various city departments.

Waterfront Seattle
Seattle’s Waterfront is changing. James Corner and the project team will present an analysis and aspirations for the waterfront and provide opportunities for the public to engage in design priorities. Join community leaders and business organizations to show enthusiasm for the project at the Seattle Aquarium on February 17.

Remember that the new tunnel will carry on 60% of today’s viaduct volume. The additional traffic needs to be handled on the waterfront corridor. This volume includes a great deal of the port freight traffic.

from the Wall Street Journal
Top U.S. trade officials plan to spread out across the country this year to recruit small-business owners in the administration’s effort to double exports by 2015. “For America to win the future, more small and medium-size businesses must export, because the more small businesses export, the more they produce; the more they produce, the more workers they need, and that means good-paying jobs here at home,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke.