Bottom Line Blog Office of Economic Development

Bottom Line

News from Seattle's Office of Economic Development

Mayor declares Seattle Sounders FC Day

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Mayor Greg Nickels today declared Oct. 29, 2009, to be Seattle Sounders FC Day. The proclamation urges residents to raise their scarves in support of the expansion team’s first-ever playoff game this evening at Qwest Field.

“Sounders FC is now the franchise by which all others will be judged, and whose supporters are the envy of clubs everywhere,” said Nickels.

The popularity of Seattle Sounders FC, together with Seattle’s world-class athletic facilities and location, are driving factors behind the city’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022. The USA Bid Committee announced this summer that Seattle was one of 27 finalists; the field of cities will be winnowed again in May 2010.

Read more about Seattle’s bid to host the World Cup.

Seattle is No. 1 post-recession mecca for young skilled workers

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It’s been awhile since the Wall Street Journal debuted this story, but the news bears repeating: Seattle and Washington, D.C., are the nation’s hottest youth-magnet cities as the country emerges from recession. The flood of “highly mobile, educated workers in their 20s” to these cities is no accident, the WSJ reports. In particular, this important demographic is attracted to Seattle’s strong university presence, abundance of high-tech jobs, thriving arts and culture scene, and proximity to rugged natural terrain.

The article also points out that mobile young workers can determine the future of a city: “Where young adults settle is no small thing. People 18 to 29 are the most mobile age group, and their past migration patterns have defined the future of regions, from the long rural exodus of the 1900s to the Silicon Valley boom of the 1990s. Youth-magnet cities gain an enviable cultural allure and a labor-market edge.”

Read the full coverage at the Wall Street Journal.

Export Live! event tutors small businesses in international exporting

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Is your business looking to augment growth beyond its current U.S. clients? Export Live!, a unique upcoming trade event, can help small- and medium-sized Seattle businesses interested in starting or growing their international sales.

This day-long event, to be held on November 17, 2009, will focus on helping Seattle businesses navigate the international sales process and avoid pitfalls such as non-payment and intellectual property misappropriation.

Part of a national eight-city tour, Export Live! in Seattle will be hosted and attended by the heads of all of the major Federal agencies involved in export support, including the U.S. Dept of Commerce (Gary Locke); the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Fred Hochberg); the Small Business Administration (Karen Mills); the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (Leocadia Zak); Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (Ron Kirk); and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (Larry Spinelli).

Visit Export-Import Bank’s website for additional details and registration information.

Seattle Chamber launches campaign for regional economic recovery

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The Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce has launched “It’s Time for Business,” a new regional campaign to promote business and economic activity. Participation is free and open to any business, regardless of membership in the Chamber.

How can your business benefit? “It’s Time for Business” provides a website and a forum to post information about your company, products and services; promote an important event; feature photos of your business at work; or even go viral, by using the Chamber’s Twitter hash tag. The Chamber’s business-driven audience makes the site a great place to learn, make connections and test out new ideas.

As you peruse the campaign website, make sure to watch the Chamber’s hilarious “It’s Time for Business” video featuring Governor Christine Gregoire, Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, Phyllis Campbell of JPMorgan Chase, Bill Ayer of Alaska Airlines, and restaurateur Tom Douglas, among others.

Learn more about the campaign or sign up to participate at itstimeforbusiness.com.

Farmers market ordinance passed unanimously by City Council

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Farmers market permitting costs will be dramatically reduced under a new farmers market ordinance recently approved by the Seattle City Council. The ordinance, spearheaded by the Office of Economic Development with collaboration from other city departments, will reduce fees for street closures and used of parks as well as streamline the permit application process.

Under the new rules, permit fees for a year-round market utilizing a street closure will drop from $8,312 to $251 per year. In 2008, Seattleites spent more than $10 million at neighborhood farmers markets. With the addition of two new farmers markets in 2009, Seattle shoppers now support 14 markets all over the city, ensuring that fresh, local, and seasonal produce is never far away.

• View OED’s presentation to the Seattle City Council on the farmers market ordinance (Council Bill 116612 on Seattle Channel)
• Learn how the ordinance helped the Queen Anne Farmers Market
• Check the end of season date for your neighborhood farmers market

In an age of social media, businesses must cultivate “netiquette”

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The latest Seattle Department of Information Technology (DoIT) newsletter Brainstorm asks: How’s your tech etiquette, or “netiquette”? It’s an important question for businesses and individuals alike. In an age when businesses operate official company websites as well as several social media pages—and employ workers who use social media for personal as well as professional reasons—the possibilities for breaching business netiquette expand exponentially.

Fortunately, Seattle radio station KUOW recently interviewed Wired magazine’s senior editor Nancy Miller to discuss the topic, following the publication in Wired of the feature story “How to Behave: New Rules for Highly Evolved Humans.” They discuss many aspects of tech etiquette and field questions from the public. In the end, Miller emphasizes the need to balance the technological world with the social environment—because both play by very different rules.

Click here to listen to Miller’s interview. For more tips, check out this AP article on social networking etiquette.

Officials: King County flooding will have big effect on homes, businesses

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Is your business or residence located in Auburn, Kent, Renton, or another area of Southwest King County? You may be vulnerable to serious flooding in the coming months, says King County Executive Kurt Triplett. Triplett has already declared a pre-emptive flooding emergency to aid the county’s preparations for potentially severe flooding in the Green River area this fall, the Seattle P-I reported yesterday.

“To every business and every resident in the Green River Valley, I am saying you must prepare for this flood. You must make an emergency plan and you must buy flood insurance now before the rain starts,” Triplett said.

In anticipation of the flood’s major economic impact on businesses as well as personal residences, King County has released a list of nine flood-related emergency preparedness suggestions. The suggestions include assembling an emergency kit, buying flood insurance, purchasing an AM radio, and more. Click here to read the full list.

Need more information to prepare your business for flooding? An Emergency Preparedness Symposium for businesses is being hosted by the Auburn, Kent, Renton and Southwest King County Chambers of Commerce on Wednesday, September 23rd from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the ShoWare Center in Kent. Presentations from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Puget Sound Energy , FEMA and WA State Business Continuity Planning will be followed by breakout sessions with local city representatives.

If you have any questions or would like additional information on the symposium, please contact Nancy Wyatt, President of the Auburn Area Chamber of Commerce at 253-833-0700, or nancy@auburnareawa.org.

Three upcoming business events provide recession-proof resources

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Three business events coming up in September provide economical and recession-proof resources. If you are an entrepreneur with a great idea, a business personan with disabilities, or an established company seeking overseas contracts, these opportunities could be great outlets to think and grow.

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China Stimulus Package: Opportunities for U.S. Companies
Wednesday, September 16, 2009 – 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Presented by Stoel Rives LLP, Noble Pacific Holdings LLC, and the Washington Department of Commerce

There are plenty of opportunities for U.S. companies in China, but how does one actually access and develop the business? Join Stoel Rives LLP for an event on identifying, accessing and successfully developing China Stimulus Plan Opportunities. Manny C. Menendez, co-founder of Noble Pacific Holdings LLC, will discuss a real life success story, plus strategies, techniques and knowledge on how to successfully do business in China.

For more information or to register, visit Stoel Rives’ event page.

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Startup Day 2009: The Conference for Pre-Entrepreneurs
Saturday, September 26, 2009 – 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Presented by Seattle 2.0 and partners

StartupDay is a conference organized by Seattle 2.0, a resource for technology entrepreneurs in Seattle. This is an annual conference focused on pre-entrepreneurs – those who have an idea but haven’t made the jump yet and are unsure of all the elements, potential traps and needs involved in a startup. The conference focuses exclusively on the high-tech industry, including software, web applications and services, games, mobile applications and computer and mobile devices.

For more information or to register, visit Seattle 2.0’s event page.

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Washington Assistive Technology Foundation
Free Business Planning Webinar Series for People with Disabilities
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 – 10:00 a.m.

Thinking about starting or growing a small business or looking for extra income from self-employment and a chance to share your talents? The Washington Assistive Technology Foundation’s small business planning webinar will help you build a business plan from start to finish! Join us online and/or by phone for this eight week course starting September 30th at 10:00 a.m.

For more information or to register, visit watf.org or contact Kathy Gilman, Program Director, at: kathy@watf.org or 206-328-5116 or 1-888-808-8942.

As fall begins, get ready for a high-impact flu season

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wash hands fluEvery year, up to 20 percent of Americans become ill with regular seasonal flu. This year, in addition to seasonal flu, health experts expect there will be a second wave of the H1N1 flu. Because few people have immunity to this new virus, it is likely that more people will become ill.

Businesses and schools should take the following actions to prepare for the upcoming flu season:

–If you have children, have a plan for emergencies and in case someone gets sick. If your child is sick, keep your child home.

–Prevent the spread of the disease. Stay home if you’re sick, cover your coughs and sneezes, wash your hands frequently with soap for 20 seconds, and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer.

–Get vaccinated for seasonal flu and for H1N1 flu. H1N1 vaccine will likely become widely available later this fall, and will be given first to the most high-risk individuals.

–Download King County Public Health’s 8-page information packet “Get Ready for Flu” (PDF) to keep in your business or home.

For more information on the H1N1 flu, Public Health of Seattle and King County has a hotline: (877) 903-5464. You can also get the latest information online at King County’s flu information page.

Together we can protect ourselves, our families, and our workplace.

Free webinar helps business owners to prepare for unexpected events

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Businesses often think of earthquakes, fires, hurricanes, and flooding when they plan for unexpected events. These events are important to consider, but the economic downturn has made businesses vulnerable to much smaller changes, like a key vendor going out of business or several employees falling ill at once.

Want to prepare your business for large or small impacts? The upcoming webinar “A Roadmap to Business Resiliency,” held on Sept. 23 by the IRS and key partners, will provide a roadmap for businesses on how to anticipate and recover from a variety of unexpected events. The session will include tips on recognizing and reducing risk, writing a business continuity plan, buying business interruption insurance, preparing and assisting employees, and making helpful community partnerships.

Speakers from the Washington State Emergency Management Division, IRS, U.S. Small Business Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner will participate in the webinar and answer questions.

The webinar is free to all participating businesses. For more information or to register for the webinar, visit the event page.