Bottom Line Blog Office of Economic Development

Bottom Line

News from Seattle's Office of Economic Development

Outreach committee ensures that Washingtonians will be counted in 2010

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As Seattle prepares for the 2010 census, it’s important that each and every person in our community is counted. The newly-formed Seattle Complete Count Committee, launched officially by Mayor Greg Nickels in July, will help make this goal a reality by reaching out to the community and raising awareness about 2010 Census.

Accurate census data is extremely important on a national and a local level, determining how more than $300 billion in federal funding is distributed to states, cities and tribal areas. Furthermore, the Washington State Office of Financial Management estimates that Washington State loses about $800 each year in federal funding for each person that is not counted. That is federal funding that is not coming to our communities to provide vital services.

The Seattle Complete Count Committee will soon begin reaching out to local ethnic communities, distributing promotional materials in 18 languages and informative guides in more than 50 languages. The 2010 Census also will be available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Russian, and will have one of the shortest census questionnaires in its history: 10 questions that will take about 10 minutes on average to complete.

Working together, we can ensure that our diverse community is properly counted and recognized.

Public library and staff can be vital business resource

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Central Branch of the Seattle Public LibraryWant to expand your business, learn more about your customers, or analyze the competition? The Seattle Public Library provides many tools that can help you advance these business objectives. The 7th floor reference desk at the Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library (1000 4th Ave.) is a great place to expand or alter your business strategy.

Reference librarians at the 7th floor desk provide instruction on how to use library resources in the library and from home, including guidance on how to access the Library’s databases, which include more than 500 trade journals with trends and statistics on business products and services. The Seattle Public Library also offers access to many local business directories and news sources, including Washington CEO, the Puget Sound Business Journal, and the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.

Books in the Seattle Public Library’s reference collection have information on buying habits, consumer expenditures, expense ratios for businesses of various sizes, legal issues for businesses, start-up help, demographic information, industry trends, popular business software, and management issues. All of these books can be placed on hold via the website or in consultation with a librarian.

Also, be sure to check out the popular library database ReferenceUSA, which lists over 13 million businesses that can be searched by size, location, product, age, etc., in any combination.

For more information on growing your business through the library, call 206-386-4636 and ask for a business research specialist, or email the library via the “Ask a Question” feature on Seattle Public Library’s home page.

New legislation provides tax relief for 3,000 small businesses

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Small businesses are a vital part of Seattle’s economy – and this week, many will receive tax relief from new business and occupation (B&O) tax legislation. Mayor Greg Nickels has signed legislation raising the threshold for the amount of gross income a business earns before paying B&O taxes in Seattle to $100,000, from the current $80,000. The legislation was passed by the City Council last week.

“This is the right action at the right time to help more of our small businesses weather the current economic downturn. I applaud the Council for taking this step to help our local businesses and economy,” said Nickels.

The current legislation will affect about 3,000 small businesses, saving them about $500,000 in 2010.

“We are a local family-owned restaurant located close to the Mt. Baker Station with three employees, and this tax break will help our business,” said Yilikal Ademe, owner of Café Ibex.

For more information, read the Mayor’s full press release.

It’s not trash anymore! Seattle hits 50% recycling rate

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recyclingRecyclables aren’t trash anymore – and Seattleites know it more than ever! Last week Mayor Greg Nickels announced that Seattle set a new city record for recycling in 2008, with 50 percent of the city’s residential, commercial and self-haul waste being recycled instead of going to the landfill.

2008 marks the fifth straight year of increased recycling in Seattle. In 2008, Seattle’s single-family residents diverted 65.4 percent of their waste through recycling and composting, up from 64.8 percent in 2007. All in all, in 2008 Seattle reduced the amount of garbage shipped to a landfill in Arlington, Ore., by 40,000 tons.

Want to test your recycling and composting know-how? Try out Seattle Public Utilities’ new Where Does it Go? Recycling Game. See how fast you can correctly sort items like yard clippings, juice boxes, and plastic lids into Seattle’s food and yard waste, recycling and garbage containers.

For more information on recycling procedures, residential or commercial collection services, and other utility questions, visit Seattle Public Utilities’ services page.

Read the Mayor’s blog or press release on the Seattle recycling rate.

Seattle ranks as number one green city

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Seattle is the No. 1 large city in the country for environmental stewardship and sustainability, says a new “Smarter Cities” survey released by the Smarter Cities Project of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

“This ‘Smarter Cities’ ranking reflects our city’s values and the commitment we have made to protect our climate,” said Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. “Climate action takes each of us changing our individual habits and our entire community working together.”

Categories for evaluation were air quality, green space, recycling, transportation, water quality and conservation, green building, energy production and conservation, environmental standards and participation, and standard of living. Seattle ranked number one in three of these individual categories: green building, air quality, and energy production and consumption.

“Seattle’s smart strategies promote green space and buildings, clean air and water, and renewable energy use, making it a standout among large cities in the U.S,” said Paul McRandle, senior editor of NRDC’s Smarter Cities project.

Learn more about the Smarter Cities rankings.

View the Mayor’s full press release.

Keep technology cool this summer, with a few simple tips

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Businesses of all sizes rely on technology to manage operations. As summer in the Pacific Northwest kicks into gear, the need to keep technology equipment cool is paramount.

How can a small organization without sophisticated infrastructure keep technology equipment cool? Here are a few tips from the City of Seattle’s Technology eZine Brainstorm:

• Get a thermometer. This is helpful to watch your network closet. Most Netgear, Linksys, D-link and other products can’t function over 104 degrees.
• Make sure the equipment is in a well-ventilated area.
• Do not stack your equipment.
• Turn off the equipment if not used. Most equipment generates heat 24/7 when on, and things overheat if left on in a hot room.
• Open the closet door if your equipment gets too hot.

Even though the outside temperature may be 80 or 90 degrees, equipment may already be over 100 degrees. A portable air-conditioning system or even a standard fan can help bring temperatures down. Don’t let the work that resides in your technology – and the business that your technology serves – get lost in the summer heat!

For more technology news and tips, look through the current issue of Brainstorm, or browse its archives.

Now accepting nominations for the 2009 Mayor’s Small Business Awards

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Small businesses are vital to Seattle’s diverse economy. They create jobs, add character to our neighborhoods, and provide unique local products and services. Here’s a great way to recognize a small business that contributes to the economic vitality and quality of life in Seattle.

Beginning today, the Office of Economic Development is accepting nominations for the 2009 Mayor’s Small Business Awards, presented by Wells Fargo. The Mayor’s Small Business Awards have honored the diversity and excellence of small businesses in Seattle for more than 20 years.

Over the last two decades, the awards program has recognized more than 240 small businesses, including Starbucks Coffee Company (1984), Uwajimaya (1984), Ezell’s Fried Chicken (1989), the Dilettante (1990) and City People’s Mercantile (1993).

The deadline to submit nomination forms is Wednesday, September 2, 2009. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at Town Hall on October 13, 2009.

Read more about the award nomination process or download the nomination form.

Read the call for nominations press release.

Streamlined sidewalk café permits make life easier for businesses, neighborhoods

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sidewalk cafe smallInterested in having a sidewalk café outside of your business? If so, the process of applying and paying for a sidewalk café permit just got easier. This week, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) announced that it has streamlined the sidewalk café permit process by reducing review time and permit cost. The review time for a sidewalk café application has been reduced to two weeks, and the review fee has dropped significantly from $1,700 to $450.

Reduced fees and review time were achieved by consolidating the permitting process into one department – SDOT. Department of Planning and Development (DPD) fees are no longer required for standard sidewalk café applications.

Well-managed sidewalk cafés increase positive street activity, encourage walking, enhance neighborhood safety, and support the local economy. Sidewalk cafés are an important component of many vibrant Seattle neighborhoods and business districts.

More details about the application and review process, and all newly reduced fees, are available at SDOT’s sidewalk café page.

City of Seattle, OED champion aerospace industry through Washington Aerospace Partnership

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aerospace partnership 2The aerospace industry is vital to Washington’s economy. Some 650 aerospace companies are operating in 28 counties in Washington, supporting more than 200,000 jobs and paying $5 billion in wages – five percent of all wages paid in the state. The Seattle metropolitan area has the highest concentration of aerospace industry jobs in the world.

That’s why the Office of Economic Development is a proud partner of the Washington Aerospace Partnership, a coalition of business, labor, non-profit, and local government leaders working to grow aerospace jobs in Washington State. To date, more than 100 organizations, including the City of Seattle, have joined the Partnership.

The Partnership is working to improve our region’s competitiveness as an aerospace manufacturing center, supporting and advocating for initiatives to help the state become more competitive. In Washington universities and vocational schools, efforts are already underway to create responsive and focused training programs for aerospace workers.

The Partnership welcomes the support of businesses and organizations as well as individuals. Visit the Washington Aerospace Partnership’s website for more information on how to get involved.

Seattle, King County receive $500,000 to preserve nonprofit arts jobs

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Federal stimulus dollars are coming to the aid of local arts organizations struggling in the recession. The City of Seattle and 4Culture, King County’s cultural services agency, announced this week that they will receive $500,000 in federal stimulus funds to preserve nonprofit arts jobs in jeopardy or recently cut due to the economic downturn.

In addition, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) made public direct allocations totaling $450,000 in federal stimulus funds to support jobs at 12 Seattle nonprofit arts organizations. A complete list of funded local arts organizations can be found on the NEA’s website.

“We are focused on creating and saving jobs in all areas of our local economy. The arts are essential to the health and vitality of our city,” said Mayor Greg Nickels. “I want to thank Congress and the Obama Administration for helping nonprofit arts organizations preserve jobs and keep our economy moving.”

The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs and 4Culture will each distribute the federal job preservation dollars through a competitive application process. An estimated 215 organizations currently funded through the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs’ or 4Culture’s organizational support programs are eligible to apply.

The deadline to apply to the city and county is Monday, August 10th. Applications and guidelines for the stimulus grants from the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs are available here; 4Culture’s application and guidelines are available here.