Mar 19, 2021

University Place

Smith

Former University Place Mayor Lorna Smith passed away on March 13. Smith spent more than 15 years in service to the University Place, both as an advocate for its incorporation and later as a city council member, mayor pro tem and mayor from 2000 to 2002. Smith also represented the city on several regional organizations, including the Pierce County Regional Council, Pierce County Cities and Towns, the State Route 16 Corridor Study and the Association of Washington Cities. Smith was a native of Eugene. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Elmer Smith, three daughters, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 23 at New Tacoma Cemetery, 9212 Chambers Creek Road W., University Place.

Washington Wine

Washington's wine grape crop was smaller in 2020, but according to farmers and winemakers, quality is high. The Washington State Wine Commission's annual Grape Production Report, compiled with information provided by all Washington state wineries, showed 178,500 tons of wine grapes were harvested in 2020, an 11% decrease compared to 2019. All across the state, farmers reported smaller berry size and extended hang time in 2020, which is traditionally a recipe for high quality wines in Washington. Cabernet Sauvignon again rose to the top at 52,000 tons or 29% of the total. Chardonnay was second at 28,100 tons or 16% of the total. Riesling, Merlot and Syrah rounded out the top five. The Washington State Wine Commission (WSWC) represents every licensed winery and wine grape grower in Washington State. Funded almost entirely by the industry through assessments based on grape and wine sales, WSWC is a state government agency, established by the legislature in 1987.

Intrepid

Seattle-based Intrepid by VitalSource, a collaborative learning platform for global enterprises and training providers, announced a series of enhanced integrations and features that will allow administrators more ways to integrate other technologies like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, already in use at an organization, into the Intrepid platform. The newest enhanced features include an interactive video functionality that increases both the opportunity to apply skills, get real-time feedback and increase engagement between both learners and course facilitators. VitalSource Technologies has a 20-plus-year history of powering digital learning globally.

Tacoma Car Museum

LeMay-America's Car Museum, located at 2702 East D Street in Tacoma will reopen to the public on April 2, 2021. It has been closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. The ACM collection consists of automotive artifacts and 250 automobiles spanning over 100 years of automotive history, plus approximately another 100 vehicles on exhibit loan from private collections. Unique to ACM are open storage galleries for collection vehicles not on active display, giving visitors the opportunity to see the majority of the collection. The museum also features school, youth and adult programs and offers rental space for various functions, including meetings and weddings. Additional information is available at http://www.americascarmuseum.org/.

Mar 18, 2021

CWU College of Business

The Central Washington University College of Business has received continuing accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AASCB), joining about five percent of business schools globally that have earned the designation. CWU was among 73 business schools that received continuing accreditation this year by AACSB, a global nonprofit association that connects educational institutions and businesses in more than 100 countries and territories worldwide. Following a virtual campus visit in November, the AASCB review team identified the College of Business Career Advising and Tutoring Center as a best practice, and further commended the college for its Industry Leadership Board, peer and alumni mentorship programs, and initiatives to support diversity and inclusivity. CWU first achieved AASCB accreditation in 2010. Schools undergo comprehensive “continuous-improvement” peer reviews every five years to reaffirm accreditation.

Tacoma Arts Commission

The Tacoma Arts Commission recently awarded $72,000 in Tacoma Artists Initiative Program funding to 24 Tacoma-based artists working in artistic disciplines including visual, literary, film, music, digital, and interdisciplinary arts. The 2021-2022 Tacoma Artists Initiative Program funded artists are: Curtis Ashby, Marit Berg, Katie Dean, Priscilla Dobler, Lance Griffith, Maria Jost, Kareem Kandi, Rian Kelly, Gene Kemper, Rico Lastrapes, David Long, Miriam McBride, Adrian Milanio, Mark Monlux, Gloria Muhammad, Tamiko Nimura, Chandler O'Leary, Gerardo Peña, Kellie Richardson, Mauricio Robalino, Suzanne Skaar, Cydney Stephens, Jacob Sunday and Chuck Taylor. The Tacoma Artists Initiative Program was established in 1999 to encourage the contributions made by individual artists within the city of Tacoma.

Zipwhip

Zipwhip and the National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) announced a scholarship for Black students pursuing a college degree. The selected student will receive $2,000 from Zipwhip for college expenses and an annual NBMBAA student membership, which includes access to its career success network, entry-level professional development and local chapter virtual events. Zipwhip will announce the recipient, as well as publish the winner's writing submission, on the company's blog on July 19. For eligibility information and instructions on how to apply, visit Zipwhip.com/scholarship. The deadline is June 14. Seattle-based Zipwhip is a business-texting platform helping organizations engage their customers and drive growth through texting. NBMBAA is a member-based professional organization which leads in the creation of educational, wealth building and growth opportunities for Black students, professionals, and entrepreneurs.

Mar 17, 2021

Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance

The Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance (PNAA), the region's largest and longest running aerospace trade organization, presented four aerospace industry awards, including Aerospace Company of the Year, Aerospace Executive of the Year, the Inspire Award, and the Chairwoman's Award during its 20th Annual Aerospace Conference. PNAA awarded Blue Origin its 2020 Company of the Year Award for its outstanding commitment to aerospace excellence. Headquartered in Kent, Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos and is currently guided by CEO Bob Smith. Frank Nichols was awarded the 2020 Executive of the Year Award for his leadership of Silicon Forest Electronics and the significant contributions he has made to the advancement of the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Industry. Silicon Forest Electronics is headquartered in Vancouver. Orion Industries was awarded PNAA's 2020 Inspire Award for its dedication to its employees by creating an on-premises learning pod for children of Orion employees when schools were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Bothell-based Impact Washington was awarded PNAA's 2020 Chairwoman's Award to honor its outstanding accomplishments which have significantly contributed to the support, growth, and future of the aerospace industry in the Pacific Northwest. Impact Washington is led by president/center director Deloit Wolfe Jr.

SeekOut

Redmond-based SeekOut, an AI-powered Talent 360 platform, raised $65 million in Series B funding led by Tiger Global Management, with participation from existing investors Madrona Venture Group and Mayfield. This capital raise brings SeekOut's total funding to $73 million. With this funding, SeekOut will expand its Talent 360 platform, and invest in sales, marketing, and customer success to reach new customers. Anoop Gupta is co-founder and CEO at SeekOut. The founders collectively hold over 200 issued US patents. Tiger Global Management was founded in 2001 and is based in New York with affiliate offices in Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangalore and Melbourne. Madrona is a venture capital firm based in Seattle.

FashWire

Seattle-based FashWire Announced GlossPitch, a $10,000 competition for female founders on its newly launched beauty platform, GlossWire. GlossWire, a two-sided global beauty marketplace, invited its beauty brands to submit an application to pitch in front of some of the most influential leaders in the beauty and media industries, while competing for the chance to claim a grand prize of $10,000 to assist in supporting their businesses. GlossWire received applicants worldwide, including Canada, France, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States. The ten finalists will have the chance to share their stories, the inspiration behind their brands, how these unprecedented times have impacted their businesses and how they would use the prize money at a virtual event on Thursday, March 18th.