South Lake Union Chamber announces winners of the 2014 excellence in business awards

This year's recipients for Excellence in Business, Excellence in Sustainability, Retailer of the Year, Nonprofit of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year were announced on Wednesday, January 21 at the SLU Chamber’s annual awards breakfast.

Amazon.com is the recipient of 2014 Excellence in Business for a large business. Amazon is a renowned global organization committed to their presence in South Lake Union, which can be seen in many of their large-scale community efforts. They chose to invest in South Lake Union because an urban campus has many unique benefits – which is why they continue to expand here.

Caffé Torino is the recipient of 2014 Excellence in Business for a small business. Caffe Torino opened its doors in October 2012.  In close to three years, the cafe has become a destination for many workers and residents who go there daily for coffee or lunch. Caffe Torino has a great reputation of excelling in business and community support.

Zipcar is the 2014 Excellence in Sustainability recipient. Zipcar is a pioneer as the world’s leader in car sharing with nearly a million active members, for the past 15 years. In the coming year they look forward to bringing more Zip to more places across the globe and right here in South Lake Union.

Seattle Children's Research Institute (SCRI) received the award for 2014 Nonprofit of the Year. Located in downtown Seattle’s biotech corridor, SCRI is pushing the boundaries of medical research to find cures for pediatric diseases and improve outcomes for children all over the world.

Whole Foods Market – South Lake Union is the recipient for Retailer of the Year. Whole Foods is proud to be a corner stone in South Lake Union Community for the past 8 years. They are a place to gather and an anchor for the community. They have found it very exciting to see this area grow up around them and look forward to being part of the continued growth.

Dena Lee is the 2014 Volunteer of the Year recipient. Dena Lee is a resident of the Cascade neighborhood of SLU. She is a creative dance educator and a retired catering chef. She is an arts advocate and one of the founding co-chairs of the SLU Art Walk. Dena believes that the arts can be a catalyst for positive change resulting in stronger, healthier community.

The SLU Chamber hosted their 7^th Annual Awards breakfast at SpringHill Suites. Vulcan Real Estate and Recology were sponsors of the event. Athletic Awards Company provided awards for recipients.

There was also a panel discussion hosted by South Lake Union Community Council President, Mike McQuaid. Panel guests included Jon Scholes, President and CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association; Renee Klein, SLU Resident; Ron Johnson, Executive Director of Transportation Choices Coalition; and Robert S. Arron, Senior Director at Vulcan Real Estate.

The panel discussed issues to support the SLU Chambers theme of "SLU 20/20: The vision for today and 5 years from now. The panel was tasked to answer the question "Is South Lake Union relevant?" The conclusion by the panel and audience was a resounding yes.

Front row: Curt Archambault, SLU Chamber Board President; Megan Nelson, Director of Community Relations, Seattle Children's Research Institute; Tami Littlefield, Store Team Leader, Wholefoods Market-South Lake Union; Dena Lee, SLU Resident and Volunteer; Ben Grace, Marketing Specialist, Amazon

Back row: Brandon Bills, Marketing & Community Relations Team Leader, Wholefoods Market-South Lake Union; Andrea Florissi, Owner, Caffe Torino; Kaleb Miller, General Manger, Zipcar

Photo credit: Lifestring Photography

Happy New Year from our SLU Chamber Board President

On behalf of the SLU Chamber Board of Directors, I want to wish you a happy and prosperous New Year! If last year was any indication, we have much to look forward to in 2015. We continue to see unprecendented growth and innovation in our area, with new businesses, restaurants and residents moving into South Lake Union.

I have a friend who jokes that he only celebrates birthdays that end in 0's and 5's. 2015 is a pivotal year as we look back at the last five years of growth and then envision what the next five years will look like. The SLU Chamber will turn nine in September, and in anticipation of hitting the decade mark, we are looking to be an organization that truly reflects this world-class neighborhood. This year is all about 20/20 vision, seeing clearly, as we look forward towards the year 2020.

We'd like to thank the following members for their support and sponsorship in 2014:

American Lung Association of the Mountain Pacific

Athletic Awards

Car2Go 

Compass Housing Alliance

Holland Partner Group

PEMCO Insurance

King County Metro

Shine

SpringHill Suites

Vulcan, Inc.

Zipcar

We still have a limited number of sponsorship opportunities available in 2015, and these can be a terrific way to market your business. Chamber events and programs are highly publicized, and so are our sponsors!

Sponsorship benefits could include:

• Prominent logo visibility on event promotion materials and event webpage
• Public recognition and the opportunity to promote your brand during breakfast or lunch meetings
• Exclusive brand awareness building via marketing material placement at tables
• Complimentary registrations to events
• Recognition in SLU Review
• Recognition on the SLU Chamber's social media channels

If you're interested in learning more about how you can sponsor an upcoming 2015 SLU Chamber event, please contact Jodie King today.

Happy New Year!
Curt Archambault
President, SLU Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors
Business Partner, People and Performance Strategies

SLU 20/20: The Vision for Today and the Next 5 Years

On Wednesday, January 21, the SLU Chamber is proud to host our 7th Annual Awards Breakfast at SpringHill Suites. Join us by registering today!

We will honor outstanding achievement in the categories of Excellence in Business, Volunteer of the Year, Retailer of the Year, Non-Profit of the Year, and Sustainability.

Please join us for this community celebration. This is an excellent opportunity to network and learn about the future of SLU.

The South Lake Union Community Council President, Mike McQuaid, will moderate a panel of local experts to offer their thoughts on South Lake Union now, and how they see it being shaped over the next five years.

Panel guests:

 Jon Scholes, President and CEO
 Downtown Seattle Association

Renee Klein, SLU Resident
American Lung Association

 Rob Johnson, Executive Director
 Transportation Choices Coalition

Robert S. Arron, Senior Director
Vulcan Real Estate







We'd like to thank Vulcan, our presenting sponsor. Vulcan Real Estate continues to change the face of South Lake Union through their innovative development. Their Chairman, Paul Allen, was recently named Philanthropist of the Year. Vulcan Real Estate has several projects currently underway in South Lake Union, including the new home for the Allen Institute.

Our supporting sponsor is Recology CleanScapes. Recology sees a world without waste, where resources are used and re-used in a sustainable ecosystem that strives for their best and highest use. They service many buildings in South Lake Union.

Athletic Awards Company provides our awards for this event. They were also our 2013 recipient for Excellence in Small Business. Athletic Awards' owner, Monty Holmes, will be announcing this year's award recipients.

You can see all previous award winners on our website.

Do you have questions you'd like to ask our panel about the future of South Lake Union? Let us know in the comments, or send them to us at info@sluchamber.org.

Mercer Street Gets Better and Better: 3rd eastbound lane and Adaptive Signal Control

The opening of the third lane on eastbound Mercer Street Monday morning marks a significant milestone in the continuing Mercer corridor project, which is slated for completion in summer 2015. Already this afternoon’s commute is shaping up to be much better along Mercer than what was seen in the past several weeks.

At the same time, big news for the neighborhood is the securing of Adaptive Signal Control (ASC) funding in the City Council’s 2015 budget package.

What is Adaptive Signal Control?

It’s a traffic management strategy in which traffic signal timing changes, or adapts, based on actual traffic demand. Although the East and West Mercer projects included the in-pavement hardware for future implementation of such a system, the above ground management equipment and software was left for a future install, once traffic patterns become known in the corridor alignment.

That time is fast approaching and so a concerted effort took off in the last few weeks on the part of multiple neighborhood organizations and business groups.  Community requests resulted in meetings with City Council, Mayor’s Office and SDOT staff to push for the funding to implement this system. This past Friday, November 14^th, saw success as Council added $200K in 2015 and $800k in 2016 to the city budget for ASC implementation.  Final vote on the entire budget is scheduled for Monday, November 24^th, and should be an up or down vote with no more amendments.  A hearty ‘Thank You’ to all members of the SLU Chamber and other neighbor organizations who took the time to lobby for this much needed infrastructure improvement. When fully implemented, ASC will help to smooth traffic flow on both Mercer and Denny, as well as side streets that connect with these two major east-west arterials.

Welcome Taylor Bentcover, Administrative Assistant and Events Intern

Taylor is an Edmonds resident and the newest addition to the SLU Chamber team. She recently graduated from Gonzaga University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in public relations. In the past, Taylor served as the public relations intern and volunteered as a wish granter at the Spokane Make-A-Wish Foundation. She joined the South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce team as the administrative assistant and events intern in November 2014. Taylor has a passion for being active in her community and looks forward to meeting members when she is out and about in South Lake Union!

#2HoursinSLU - Shine, a department of the SCCA

Carrie Jacobsen and Eileen Hood are the managers of Shine, a retail department of the SCCA.

The name “Shine” is so appropriate for this wonderful SLU mercantile. Managers Eileen and Carrie are beaming as they talk about this gem that they created, where customers can get more than just gifts and retail therapy.  Eileen and Carrie “live, eat and breathe Shine,” with complete devotion to the store and the way it supports the SCCA and SLU communities.

Shine is not your typical general store. Shop proceeds support patient and family programs at the SCCA, and much of their inventory and services cater to the special needs of cancer patients and survivors. They carry a wide variety of inventory, from oncology products to apparel and gifts. The store also offers special services to help their customers beat cancer and take their life back. They offer mastectomy and compression fittings, complimentary head shaves and wig trims by high-end, licensed cosmetologists and a surprising, discrete section focused on sexual intimacy. Customers walk in overwhelmed and exhausted by their battle with cancer, and leave feeling self-confident and empowered.

Carrie and Eileen are self-proclaimed “Seattle girls” and love being part of the SLU community. The store is located at the corner of Pontius Ave. N. and John St., sitting at the very edge of the neighborhood, but right in the middle of where prosperous new developments meet vulnerable, underserved communities in need. Carrie and Eileen’s favorite spots in SLU highlight places near the store that contribute something special to the neighborhood.

Favorite Spots

For a “mean cup of coffee,” along with wonderful tea and pastries, the duo enjoys a quick trip to the nearby Carabiner Coffee Company food truck. Mary’s Kitchen at El Corazon is a fantastic spot to grab some lunch to-go – the fried chicken is to die for.

For serious dog- and people-watching they head to Cascade Playground, which offers many activities for all kinds of humans and canines. Immanuel Community Services at Immanuel Lutheran Church provides a food bank and community-based social services for those in need, bringing to light the disparity in the neighborhood in what Eileen and Carrie feel is a healthy way.

There is a special place in Carrie and Eileen’s hearts for Nollie’s Café, who takes amazing care of their customers, providing special attention to the SCCA patients from the SCCA House and the Pete Gross House. These are people in cancer treatment, often far from home and in an intimidating and unfamiliar place. Nollie’s gets to know them, serves them delicious food, and even offers blankets in their seating area for patients who might get chilled.

Make a Visit to Shine!

Eileen and Carrie are excited to spread the word about their store, and their favorite places. Visit Shine every Friday in December for Fa La La La Fridays, with 20% off for neighbors who come to shop. Please join us as well at the SLU Chamber Holiday Celebration & Shopathon @ Shine on 12/4 from 5-7 p.m. Guests can celebrate the season and shop with a 25% off discount.

#2HoursinSLU - Glazer's Camera

Here to answer this month’s installment is Debbie Porter, Marketing Specialist at Glazer’s Camera. Debbie has been at the long-standing institution for two and a half years. For those that don’t know about Glazer’s, it is THE place to go for all things cameras: digital, film and video. The store was founded in 1935 near Pioneer Square and business was done with handshakes. Fast-forward almost 80 years and they now offer classes, rentals, and host in-store events as well as feature work from various photographers. Glazer’s Camera will be moving in 2016 but not out of South Lake Union. You can follow their blog to get updates on the project as it progresses.

Debbie kindly shared her picks for #2HoursinSLU with us. It involves starting with a delicious cocktail at Re:Public – an Old Fashioned. Re:Public is a great spot to people watch from their patio in the summer. Up next is the buffalo mozzarella and basil wood-fired pizza just down the street at Tom Douglas’ Serious Pie. Debbie shared her favorite spot for snapping photos in SLU, Lake Union Park. With boats, birds, fountains and a view of Gas Works Park across the lake, you can’t go wrong. What is the camera for budding photographers to take those shots? Debbie recommends the Olympus OM-D E-M10 because it has a classic look with modern conveniences, like built-in WiFi and a screen that tilts to those “from the hip” shots.

SLU certainly has plenty of places to practice your photography skills. Thank you, Debbie! We’ll be watching the future Glazer’s Camera go up and can’t wait to see it inside and in action!