Sea-Tac Airport’s Booming Passenger Volume Makes It 9th Busiest in U.S.

Seattle Times | Dominic Gates | January 26

http://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-aerospace/sea-tac-airports-booming-passenger-volume-makes-it-9th-busiest-in-us/

“Record passenger travel through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in 2016 vaulted the airport ahead of Houston, Phoenix, Miami and Charlotte to rank as the ninth busiest in the U.S., the Port of Seattle said Thursday. Sea-Tac previously ranked as the 13th busiest airport in the country. In 2016, Sea-Tac passenger traffic hit a record level for the sixth year in a row. The airport served 45.7 million passengers, 3.4 million more than in 2015.”

 

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Pledges $279M for UW’s Largest-Ever Private Donation

Puget Sound Business Journal | Coral Garnick | January 25

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/health-care-inc/2017/01/uw-ihme-bill-melinda-gates-foundation-279m.html

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $279 million over 10 years to the University of Washington Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. This grant is the largest private donation in the university’s history and allows the institute to build on its research to improve the health of people and communities around the world. The IHME launched at UW in 2007 with a $105 million grant from the Gates Foundation and $20 million from UW. Its provides impartial, evidenced-based data on health trends and makes freely available to help inform the work of policymakers, researchers and the public.”

 

How Seattle’s Office Market Became a “Modern Day Gold Rush” Thanks to Amazon and Other Tech Giants

GeekWire | Nat Levy | January 23

http://www.geekwire.com/2017/how-seattles-office-market-became-a-modern-day-gold-rush-thanks-to-amazon-and-a-deep-roster-of-out-of-town-tech-companies/

“Amazon, with its more than 300,000 global employees, has emerged as one of the world’s corporate powerhouses. But the company’s impact is especially evident in its hometown of Seattle, where its growth has ignited a construction boom unlike any in the city’s history…But it’s not just Amazon. In recent years, more than 80 of the biggest and fastest-growing tech companies have set up shop in Seattle, creating a deep roster of tenants for real estate developers to pursue and giving the area some economic diversity, something it has lacked in past booms.”

 

Seattle’s “Thriving” Indie Game Community Gets Creative at the Global Game Jam

GeekWire | Clare McGrane | January 23

http://www.geekwire.com/2017/seattles-thriving-indie-game-community-gets-creative-global-game-jam/

“Seattle’s SoDo industrial district might not be the place you would expect to find a den of game developers. But just a few blocks south of the city’s pro sports stadiums, through two unassuming front rooms, you’ll find the headquarters of the Seattle Indies non-profit organization. The large, open room is packed with comfortable couches and coworking spaces for Seattle-based indie developers. And this weekend, it was also home to hundreds of power cords, quickly improvised working spaces, and 52 devs taking part in the Global Game Jam, an annual game development hackathon that drew 35,000 participants this year.”

 

Seattle’s Nation-Leading Crane Count Is Growing Again

Puget Sound Business Journal | Jim Hammerand | January 20

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/01/20/seattle-construction-crane-count-growing.html

“Seattle’s skyline again leads the nation in the latest survey of construction cranes in the central business district. Seattle’s tower crane count grew to 62 in the last half of 2016, up from 58 tallied by the Rider Levett Bucknall North American Crane Index earlier in the year and up from 60 at the end of 2015. Most cities across the country have seen a decline in tower cranes as projects wrap up and construction slows. Chicago ranked second on the index, with 56 cranes at work.”