The Biz Buzz

Small Business: KeyBank named top lender in U.S.

C.R. Roberts — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:08:11 +0000

The U.S. Small Business Administration on Monday named Cleveland-based KeyBank as the top Large (7(a) Lender of the Year.

As part of National Small Business Week, the SBA recognized 23 lenders, investors and entrepreneur-assistance groups. Among the 23, only KeyBank operates in the South Sound.

According to an agency release Monday, KeyBank was recognized for “its dramatic growth of almost 31 percent in the number of SBA-backed loans and more than 90 percent increase in SBA gross dollars approved in 2011.”

“The honor reflects our strong partnership with the SBA, our relationship approach to to our business and our …

Teen Safety Month: Tips for young workers

C.R. Roberts — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:04:42 +0000

Five men under the age of 25 were killed on the job in 2011. One was 18. Annually an average of 79 young men and women between 16 and 24 are hurt on the job in Washington. Young workers are hurt at a rate higher than older workers.

So comes the warning, and with May being Teen Safety Month, the state Department of Labor and Industries is offering some safety tips to young people are about to enter the world of adult employment for the first time.

• Always get proper training on how to complete a job or properly …

Port of Tacoma cargoes up in April

John Gillie — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:48:27 +0000

The Port of Tacoma’s container shipment volume was up for the second month in a row in April, new statistics from the port show.

The port’s terminals handled a total of 117,793 20-foot-equivalent containers last month compared with 112,908 for the same month a year ago. That’s a 4.3 percent improvement.

That higher volume, however, was not quite enough to wipe out the year-to-date deficiency through the end of last month. Thanks to a nearly 12 percent decline in container business in February, the port’s four-month totals are down 0.4 percent from 2011.

Other port cargoes through April were …

Tacoma home decor business plans move to downtown ‘Triangle’ district

Kathleen Cooper — Fri, 18 May 2012 21:30:22 +0000

Another local retailer is making the move to downtown Tacoma.

Dwell Home Decor, which has operated for six years on North 21st Street, announced today it will move to the “Triangle District” — the area around Broadway and St. Helens, north of City Hall and up the hill from the soon-to-be renovated McMenamins Elks. They hope to open July 1.

Dwell, owned by Suzanne Molt and Pamela Weeks, will be neighbors to businesses whose names are a nod to Tacoma’s gritty history. Stink – Cheese & Meat, whose name is a repurposing of the “aroma of Tacoma.” …

Update on Tacoma’s planned McMenamins: Project still a go, consultant says

Kathleen Cooper — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:20:08 +0000

The McMenamins Elks Temple project is cooking along.

That’s the word from Michael Sullivan, owner of Artifacts Consulting, which is working with the Portland-based brewpub operator to renovate the historic Beaux Arts building downtown.

“Things are rolling along fine,” he told me this morning. “We’ve been waiting on the permits to be issued. The latest drawings have been submitted. All the bids are in. The contractors are contracted.”

After my colleague Lewis Kamb’s report on improvements to Stadium Way, I did my standard check-ins on the project’s progress. I’ve been having a hard time getting Mike McMenamin on …

Boeing bumps up engine size on 737 Max

John Gillie — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:18:51 +0000

Boeing says it’s bumping up the engine diameter on its new 737 Max aircraft.

The increase in diameter, reported by the Wall Street Journal, is just an inch to 69.4 inches.

Boeing two months ago reported it had settled on a new CFM engine just a little over 68 inches in diameter.

The diameter of the engine is a big talking point for Boeing and its rival, Airbus. Airbus claims its new single-aisle plane, the A320neo, will be more fuel efficient than Boeing’s new 737 Max single aisle because it can accommodate a larger diameter engine.

The A320neo’s CFM engines …

Alaska Airlines adds yet another Hawaiian connection

John Gillie — Fri, 18 May 2012 17:50:33 +0000

At the rate SeaTac’s Alaska Airlines is adding routes from the mainland to Hawaii, it might consider changing its name to honor the 50th state instead of the 49th.

Alaska announced this week it will begin a new route Nov. 5 from Portland to Kauai. Alaska already connects Portland to Honolulu, Maui and Kona in Hawaii with non-stop flights.

The new flight is scheduled to be seasonal, November through April, but in the past Alaska has converted seasonal flights to year-round connections if they prove profitable.

The flights will leave Portland at 10:40 a.m., arriving in Kauai at 3:05 p.m. …

Alliance of Women Owned Businesses inaugurates annual recognition awards

C.R. Roberts — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:27:25 +0000

At its inaugural awards banquet Thursday evening, the Alliance of Women Owned Businesses recognized two South Sound business owners for their inspiration and achievement.

• Terese Garrett-Miller of Gig Harbor, founder of Bella Kitchen and Home, received the Rising Star Award – given to a woman who has owned a business less than five years and has shown early growth and success. Garrett-Miller opened the kitchen boutique in 2010 and later added a culinary school. The selection panel recognized her customer service, integrity and community service.

• Lisa Chissus is a third-generation owner of CFM Consolidated, the parent company of …

State closing 11 additional liquor stores Tuesday

John Gillie — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:20:31 +0000

The state will close 11 additional liquor sales outlets Tuesday as staffing shortages cut the workforce able to operate the state’s network of liquor stores.

The closures, including two in Seattle and one in Bremerton, don’t affect any stores in Tacoma or Olympia. The closest to close prematurely is in Burien.

The state’s liquor control board said it will reshuffle its available workforce to provide full staffing at the remaining stores until May 31 when the state will close all of its stores for good.

Voters’ approval of Initiative 1183 last year ended the state’s monopoly in liquor sales. Under …

Boeing will boost Dreamliner production rates to five monthly in the fall

John Gillie — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:06:34 +0000

The head of Boeing’s commercial airplane division says the company will speed up production of its new 787 Dreamliner to five monthly beginning this fall.

Jim Albaugh said the aerospace company will make the move to the higher production rate once its supply chain is stabilized.

Boeing has orders for more than 800 of the composite-bodied twin-engine, long-range jets. It produces the planes at its plant in Everett and in a new factory in North Charleston, N.C.

The production step increase will be the latest speed-up on its way toward Boeing’s goal of producing 10 of the planes monthly by …