NINE THINGS THAT MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES MORE THAN MONEY 
INC.
The ability to motivate employees is one of the greatest skills an entrepreneur can possess. The thing is, you don’t need cash or bonuses to achieve it. In fact, these nine things are probably a better way, and they will help create a better work culture and environment. 

RAINIER VALLEY: A RETAIL DESERT?
CROSSCUT
In 2009, the city commissioned a study from the Virginia-based Community Land Use and Economics Group (CLUE) on retail resources, deficiencies, and opportunities in the Rainier Valley. It found that there was sales leakage in 11 out of 13 retail categories. The CLUE consultants concluded that “Rainier Valley represents one of the most overlooked opportunities for retail development in the Seattle metropolitan area.” If that’s the case: why, and what can be done about it? 

SEATTLE’S UNHEALTHIEST NEIGHBORHOODS DUBBED FOOD DESERTS
SEATTLE MAGAZINE
In all, more than 125,000 people in the greater Seattle area live in places where fresh, healthy food is difficult to find.  These places have been dubbed “food deserts.” However, there is one upside to the fed’s fixation on food deserts: the $25.6 million in federal money from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This money is funding the Healthy Foods Here program, a food-access program managed by Seattle’s Office of Economic Development. So far, the federal government is staying relatively hands-off regarding how the money is used, and not insisting on working the supermarket agenda. That’s good news for small, innovative local programs like Healthy Foods Here, which focuses on increasing low-income families’ access to healthy food.