Seattle Named Top City in Nation for Most Profitable Businesses, Alaska Airlines Upgrades at Sea-Tac Airport, Microsoft Veterans Lead Nearly 25% of Seattle Region’s Top Tech Startups, and more in this week’s Seattle in the Spotlight.

Cha-Ching! Seattle Named Top City in Nation for Most Profitable Businesses

KOMO | KOMO News Staff | July 11

“If you own a business in Seattle, odds are the best in the nation that it’s making money. A new study by LendingTree finds Seattle has the highest rate of profitable businesses in the country. Of the 51,661 total businesses in Seattle surveyed by the U.S. Census Bureau, 36,643 reported making a profit — a whopping 70.93% success rate and the only city in the nation that topped 70%.”

New Gates, Posh Lounge at Sea-Tac Airport Give Alaska Airlines an Upgrade

Seattle Times | Keerthi Vedantam | July 11

“Seattle-Tacoma International Airport unveiled eight new gates and a 15,800-square-foot lounge for Alaska Airlines flyers on Thursday. The expansion marks the end of the first phase of the North Satellite Modernization project, a two-year effort by the Port of Seattle to upgrade and expand that part of the fast-growing airport, which saw almost 50 million travelers last year. The new gates for Alaska Airlines will have slimmer chairs in the waiting areas, fitted with charging stations, and the space will include a nursing room with alcoves to accommodate multiple users.”

Microsoft Veterans Lead Nearly 25% of Seattle Region’s Top Tech Startups, GeekWire Analysis Shows

GeekWire | James Thorne | July 11

“Investor Kirby Winfield felt like Microsoft was far more important to the startup scene of the Pacific Northwest than most people realized. So he dashed off a few names — from Rover CEO Aaron Easterly to Zulily co-founder Darrell Cavens — who once worked for the software giant…So we analyzed the GeekWire 200, our index of top privately held tech startups in the Pacific Northwest, to see how many companies on the list are run by CEOs with experience at Microsoft. As an entrepreneur, I had the opportunity to run four different businesses in Microsoft. The answer: 46 of the current GeekWire 200 companies, nearly a quarter of the index, are led by CEOs who worked at Microsoft at some point in their careers, representing a combined 349 years worth of experience at the company. No other organization or company comes close to having that kind of influence on startup leadership in the Seattle region.”

Washington Tech Industry Works to Influence Critical Seattle Election as Top Trade Group Endorses Candidate for the First Time

GeekWire | Monica Nickelsburg | July 10

“In tech hubs across the country, the technology industry is taking a more active role in politics…There’s been a particularly dramatic shift around the upcoming Seattle City Council election, in which seven of the nine seats are up for grabs. The region’s tech industry hasn’t always made a point of civic engagement but that has changed over the past year. The latest signal of a shift comes from the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA), the biggest tech trade group in the state.”