AT&T to Invest Approximately US$3 Billion in Mexico to Extend Mobile Internet to 100 Million Consumers & Businesses by Year-End 2018

In a meeting today with Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto, AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson announced that AT&T plans to invest approximately US$3 billion to extend its high-speed, mobile Internet service to Mexico, covering 100 million people in Mexico by year-end 2018. This is in addition to the US$4.4 billion AT&T invested earlier this year to acquire Iusacell and NEXTEL Mexico.

“We are building a network in Mexico that is capable of bringing innovation and economic vitality to the country, just as we have done in the U.S.,” Stephenson said. “We plan to deliver high-quality, high-speed mobile Internet service to Mexico, creating the first-ever North American Mobile Service Area covering 400 million people and businesses in Mexico and the U.S.  This seamless network will link together our two countries’ economies, people and cultures like never before.

New Plans and Features for Customers

AT&T expects the first phase of its state-of-the-art, high-speed mobile network will be complete in the next six months and cover 40 million Mexicans, about one-third of the population. By the end of 2016, AT&T expects its mobile Internet service will reach 75 million people, nearly two-thirds of the population. AT&T plans to reach 100 million people by year-end 2018.

Next month, AT&T will introduce new plans for its Mexican customers that take advantage of the company’s North American Mobile Service Area. The new plans let Mexicans  use their individual plans — including voice, data and text messaging — while in the U.S. Customers on these new plans will also be able to use their available community minutes to call friends and family in the U.S. who are on the AT&T network. It’s one phone, one plan, covering two countries.

AT&T will also offer other features for its customers in Mexico, including Google Play billing, a first in Latin America. Customers with Google Android devices can download apps, books, movies, music and games with just one click — no credit cards needed — and have it added to their monthly wireless bills.

Commitment to Customers and the Community

AT&T is committed to delivering a great experience to its customers in Mexico. During the summer, the company will begin rolling out Nuestra Promesa (Our Promise). It encourages all employees to commit to a higher level of customer experience. AT&T based Nuestra Promesa on the service excellence standard it has in the U.S. That standard has earned the company multiple national awards for purchase experience and customer care.

In his talks with President Peña Nieto, Stephenson reiterated AT&T’s commitment to all Mexican citizens. “We believe in taking care of the people in the communities where we live and work,” he said. “As a start, we’ll launch our “It Can Wait” campaign in Mexico City in the months ahead to discourage people from texting while driving. No text is worth a life. That’s a message we’ll send to all wireless users across Mexico. The dangers of texting and driving are just as serious in Mexico as they are in the United States.”

AT&T will also be the first Mexican wireless carrier to collaborate with the Alerta Amber (Amber Alert) initiative at a national level. Iusacell, Nextel and Unefon users will receive text messages when a child is missing or abducted in their area.

And, AT&T will invest to help more students in Mexico succeed in school and prepare for the workforce. This commitment will include corporate contributions and work with outstanding non-profit organizations focused on education. AT&T will introduce new learning opportunities for high school students to develop job skills that prepare them for work and teach them about different careers.

Investing in AT&T’s People

Stephenson also recognized AT&T’s employees in Mexico for their contributions to the company’s success. “Everything that we’ve accomplished and our future plans for Mexico depend on one thing: Our people,” he said. “Our employees are critical to our success, and we’ll support them by making AT&T a great place to work in Mexico.”

Stephenson set a goal for AT&T to be one of the best employers in Mexico. To reach this goal, AT&T will introduce a number of programs to support its workforce. In 2016, AT&T will offer tuition support to help employees pursue educational opportunities to advance their careers.

The company is also committed to diversity, with a focus on women and people with disabilities. AT&T plans to launch a Mexico chapter of the Women of AT&T employee resource group later this year and to collaborate with colleges to recruit female students in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. AT&T has already moved quickly to expand opportunities for women: Today, women hold 25 percent of leadership positions in the company’s Mexico operations, up from 10 percent when the company entered the market earlier this year.

‘Six Degrees of Innovation’; the Six Business Model Features Companies Need To Innovate

Research supported by AT&T reveals predictive model for innovation

June 25, 2015 — AT&T commissioned a study to help companies innovate and make the most of technology. The results show that innovation happens where companies have one or more of six business model traits – “Six Degrees of Innovation”.

The University of Cambridge Judge Business School carried out the research. They studied how new technology and market demand have combined and led to business innovation.  The aim was to see if there were any common characteristics in the businesses that did succeed.

IKEA SECURES CONTRACTORS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF NEW, UPDATED STORE AT SWEDISH RETAILER’S CURRENT LOCATION IN RENTON

IKEA Hires Deacon Corp as General Contractor for New Renton Store

IKEA announced today that they have finally hired contractors for constructing a new, updated store in Renton. The new Ikea store will be built to replace its current store as the Swedish retailer’s Seattle-area presence.  The new IKEA store will be built in part of the current parking area, with the older store ultimately being demolished to allow for more parking.  Until the new, updated store opens in Spring 2017, customers can continue to shop at the existing Renton store.

IKEA has chosen Deacon Corp. to serve as Construction Manager and General Contractor both for site work and store development.  An industry leader throughout the Western U.S., Deacon specializes in construction of retail, multifamily housing, mixed-use buildings, hotels, restaurants and entertainment facilities, as well as healthcare and office buildings.  Other firms involved with this IKEA project include:  Barghausen, civil engineer; TENW, traffic consultants; and Atlanta-based GreenbergFarrow as the project architect. 

The Lions Den Seattle and Tom Douglas Launch Round Two for Start Up Submissions

The Lions Den Seattle by Tom Douglas and Jeri Andrews Announces 2nd Round

The Lions Den Seattle is a lot like the City of Seattle.  The Lions Den Seattle and the City of Seattle have always been at the precipice of innovation. A brainchild of Tom Douglas, of Tom Douglas Restaurants, and Jeri Andrews, entrepreneur and philanthropy master, The Lions Den Seattle has become an innovative and generative entrepreneurial think-tank turned investment opportunity. Think Shark Tank with a soul and start-up support done right – and this year, The Lions Den Seattle is approaching new heights, accepting a second round of startup submissions for the October 22^nd Lions Den Pitch Event.

Just four months after the inaugural The Lions Den Seattle event, Sara Johnson, owner of Grass & Root Juice Company, inked a deal with Hotel Ändra owner Craig Schafer.  Although the details of their agreement are not public, The Lions Den Seattle discloses that Sara was able to keep 100% ownership in her company. After purchasing a dilapidated truck, Sara is on her way to bringing juice to our streets.  She intends to open for business later this summer, and until then is working on the design and build out of her juice kitchen on wheels.

This year’s “Best in Show” winner, Stacy Flynn, presented her startup called Evrnu, a revolutionary, new technology that recycles cotton garment waste to create premium, renewable textiles. After The Lions Den Seattle, Stacy has successfully generated beautiful fabric and garnered great interest from current clothing labels to utilize the fabric for the manufacturing of upcoming fall collections.

The next big Lion’s Den Pitch Event will be held on October 22, 2015 at the Palace Ballroom in downtown Seattle. Six finalists will present to a panel of Seattle’s who’s who within the business community, including Tom Douglas and Jeri Andrews. The panel will listen, ask questions, and decide if they want to partner. Provided with capital and expertise, your late night garage project or genius idea might just turn into the next billion-dollar company.

Co-founders Tom Douglas and Jeri Andrews are now accepting applications for the second round of The Lions Den Seattle, seeking businesses that range in levels of fundraising stages. Ideal submissions are those that incorporate socially conscious elements, or in some way provide a benefit to our community.  All startups are welcome to apply, including (but not limited to) food, consumer products, technology, manufacturing, and retail.

Applications are due August 20, 2015; please visit www.thelionsdenseattle.com for more information on submissions and event details.

Fair Work Center launches to help workers navigate Seattle’s new labor laws

Fair Work Center Nonprofit will partner with new law clinic at University of Washington

SEATTLE—With new wage laws now in effect in Seattle, the nonprofit Fair Work Center has launched to help workers better understand their rights and the city’s labor standards.

“Seattle is fortunate to have a suite of newly adopted labor laws, including one of the highest minimum wages in the country,” said Director Nicole Vallestero Keenan. “Fair Work Center has been established to help workers make sense of their rights to paid sick leave, wage theft protections, minimum wage and more.”

Workers with questions about the phase-in of $15/hour minimum wage, securing paid sick leave, or other issues can connect with Fair Work Center online at fairworkcenter.org; by email at help@fairworkcenter.org. The center will provide services in Vietnamese, Spanish, Somali and English. The Fair Work Center offices are located at 5308 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South.

“It’s understandable that workers will have questions about their rights under the city’s laws,” said Kellye Testy, Dean of the UW School of Law. “The new UW program, in conjunction with Fair Work Center, will help them get the benefits they’ve earned.”

Fair Work Center’s Board includes:

• Rebecca Smith, National Employment Law Project


• Candace Inagi, Development Director, Asian Counseling and Referral Service


• Rebecca Saldana, Executive Director, Puget Sound Sage


• Rich Stolz, Executive Director, One America


• David Rolf, President, SEIU 775


• Marcus Courtney, Senior Field Representative, AFL-CIO

Vallestero Keenan brings 10 years of experience in research, advocacy campaigns, civic engagement, racial justice organizing, social services, and community and business outreach. Prior to joining the Fair Work Center, she served as the Policy Director at Puget Sound Sage – where she led the policy and analysis work on labor standards.

She began her career through community engagement and youth engagement roles at the Washington Environmental Council, El Centro de la Raza and the Washington Bus. Vallestero Keenan served as Board President of the Asian Community Leadership Foundation until 2015.

Fair Work Center is fiscally sponsored by a 501c3 nonprofit organization committed to helping workers navigate Seattle’s new labor laws.

Motion Picture and TV Industry is Responsible for more than 37,600 Jobs in Washington

Motion Picture and TV Industry Directly Employs More than 8,500 Local Workers and Paying $348.5 Million in Wages

Supporting TPA and Strong Trade Agreements Will Boost Washington’s Film and TV Economic Sector 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, as Congress continues to consider Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) is revealing new state economic data in Washington, showing that the state’s film and TV industry directly employs more than 8,500 workers, paying $348.5 million in wages. That economic activity is the foundation of a vibrant statewide industry that consists of more than 2,150 motion picture and television industry businesses and is responsible for more than 37,600 jobs.

Overall, the American motion picture and TV industry supports 1.9 million jobs nationwide.  Overseas markets are critical to the success of the US motion picture and TV industry, which registered $15.8 billion in exports and a positive services trade surplus of $13.4 billion in 2013.

To continue growing film and TV exports, it’s important that Congress pass trade promotion authority (TPA) legislation. This legislation is an important step towards finalizing strong trade agreements like TPP that will allow the motion picture and TV industry to create more jobs in the U.S. by reaching some of the world’s biggest and most important markets.

The motion picture and television industry’s economic impact touches every corner of the U.S., including Washington, which hosted the production of 7 movies and 3 TV series from 2013 to 2014. A few example productions include “Captain Fantastic,” “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” and “The Legend of Mick Dodge,” among others.

MPAA Chairman and CEO Senator Chris Dodd stated, “The motion picture and television industry is a major American exporter and driver of economic growth. Passage of TPA is a key step for completing trade agreements like TPP that will increase America’s global competiveness and promote the good-paying jobs that our industry supports in all 50 states.”

Click here for an INFOGRAPHIC that further outlines the link between trade, movies, and American jobs.  And visit TheCredits.org to find out more about the creativity, innovation, and workers behind-the-scenes of the American movie and television industry.

About the MPAA

The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) serves as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries from its offices in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Its members include: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLC; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

NFL HALL OF FAMERS GET ALL-STAR TECH DEMO IN “STARTUP NATION”

New England Patriot's Owner Robert Kraft Brings Delegation of 19 NFL Hall of Famers to Meet with Ten Leading Startups in Jerusalem with Mayor Nir Barkat

OurCrowd, equity crowdfunding platform and investor in Israeli startups, together with Jnext – the Jerusalem Development Authority program supporting and promoting tech-entrepreneurship in the city, hosted 19 members of the U.S. Pro Football Hall of Fame for an exhibit of the latest technologies coming out of the “Startup Nation.”

The goodwill trip to Israel, coined "Touchdown in Israel: Mission of Excellence,” was organized by New England Patriots Chairman and CEO Robert Kraft, in coordination with Israel's Ambassador  to the United States, Ron Dermer. The week-long visit kicked off with the technology expo in Jerusalem’s Old City. Members of the delegation received an up close look at the best of Israeli high-tech innovation via ten hand-picked companies, seven of which are funded on the OurCrowd equity crowdfunding platform.

"Jerusalem was recently voted by Time Magazine as one of the world's five emerging tech hubs and that can truly be seen today,” said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. "I think it's a combination of really understanding our past and the beauty and the power of Jerusalem and its history. I believe in a very strong connection between our past and our future. More and more high tech entrepreneurs see their future here."

Patriots owner Kraft said the visit was transformative for the entire delegation. "I don't think there's a better place that you can bring people no matter what their faith might be. They come here and their lives are changed,” he said.

The NFL legends were greeted with a demo of ReWalk, a wearable bionic skeleton that allows individuals with spinal cord injuries to walk again.

OurCrowd CEO Jon Medved introduced the football greats to a demonstration of OurCrowd portfolio company Elminda, the world’s first FDA-approved neural functional assessment tool to visualize serious brain trauma and illness. Elminda was recently named one of the 50 most innovative companies in the world by Fast Company.

“Elminda is a perfect example of the kind of breakthrough technology coming out of Israel which is close to the hearts of these football greats. It offers a potentially huge breakthrough for mitigating sports injuries, detecting sports based concussions, advancing brain research and changing the lives of the two billion people worldwide living with brain disorders," said Medved.

“Through crowdfunding, the investment world is being democratized and individual investors can now get a stake in Israeli technology meaning they have a stake in Israel,” said Ron Dermer, the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. 

Other companies on display included OrCam, an intuitive portable device with a smart camera designed to assist the visually impaired; Glide, the world’s first and only messaging application with streaming video technology; Inpris, technology that recognizes the individual movements of each fingertip anywhere on a touch-screen; MUV Interactive, a state-of-the-art solution for interacting with multiple screens and media sources through touch, remote and voice interaction; BriefCam, the video analysis software keeping our city streets safe; Consumer Physics, makers of SCiO, an advanced optical spectrometer that allows users to identify the chemical makeup of anything around them; Cimagine, the most visually advanced and user-friendly way for consumers to envision and interact with physical products in virtual reality and Highcon, which manufactures the Euclid, a machine that automates packaging production by bringing it into the digital age.

The response of the players to the technology on display was powerful and immediate.

“I think the exoskeleton’s ability to help a paraplegic walk is such an emotional thing to see," said NFL Hall of Famer David Baker. "[We were interested in] every one of these companies, from helping the consumers to helping blind people read, to helping process information better. For a lot of our players, [we appreciated] the ability to understand what’s happening in the brain with a concussion. It was all fantastic.”

“It's been very, very great and exceeded my expectations to a great extent," said NFL Hall of Famer, Curly Culp. "I'm just so glad to be here and learn about the history of Israel and how things are moving forward. I think the hospitality, the people, the history of this place, the holiness of this place you know it's a very spiritual and educational experience for me.”

About OurCrowd: OurCrowd is an equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors to invest in Israeli and global companies. Managed by a team of seasoned investment professionals and led by serial entrepreneur Jon Medved, OurCrowd vets and selects opportunities, invests its own capital and brings startups to its accredited membership. OurCrowd investors must meet stringent accreditation criteria and invest a minimum of $10,000 per deal of their choice. OurCrowd provides post-investment support to its portfolio companies, assigning industry experts as mentors and taking board seats.  OurCrowd has raised over $130M in equity crowdfunding for its 70 portfolio companies, which include leading companies, such as: Borro, BillGuard, Consumer Physics (SCiO), BioCatch, Abe’s Market, and ReWalk, OurCrowd’s first portfolio company to complete a successful IPO on the NASDAQ

Five Steps to Integrating Coaching into your Talent Management Strategy

by Renée Robertson

Coaching means many things to many people. Many times a certain technique that is referred to as “coaching,” isn’t really coaching at all; it’s actually counseling or feedback. For example, you may have heard or had this happen to you – a manager will say, “Let me give you some coaching around ABC,” and they proceed to explain to an employee why the employee failed to accomplish a task. The manager then explains the way ABC needs to be done. More times than not, the recipient of this so-called “coaching” walks away disillusioned by what they think was a coaching experience and perhaps, deflated and unmotivated. As a result, coaching can get a bad rap and employees may begin to disengage. So what does a real coaching conversation look like? Well, something like this: “So, how do you think your presentation on ABC went?” The employee is given time to reflect, respond and be an active participant in the conversation. The manager continues to ask thoughtful questions such as: “What would you have done differently?,” ”What actions will you take?,” or “How can I support you?” Do you notice the difference? This is a coaching conversation—the employee is empowered to act while being supported by their manager. The employee gains confidence knowing that they own the outcome while feeling acknowledged and supported by their manager.

Now more than ever, there is a great opportunity to bring coaching into organizations. According to Gallup’s study on the global workplace, only 13% of employees worldwide are engaged at work or are psychologically committed to their jobs and likely to be making positive contributions to their organizations. Therefore, 63% are "not engaged."  If this is the case, then why not integrate coaching into your talent management strategy, not only to increase employee engagement, but to achieve other talent development goals such as developing certain competencies like problem-solving, strategic thinking or filling your talent pipeline with ready-now talent for upward or lateral assignments?

In order to integrate coaching into your talent management strategy, the following five steps should be taken:

1. Educate Your Leaders: Start at the top and educate your executives on the differences and benefits of coaching versus counseling. Interview them on their perspectives on coaching and assess their willingness to participate and support a coaching initiative. Explain the benefits of coaching and ask them where they see applications for coaching inside their organizations.

2. Identify Coaches, Participants and Executive Sponsors: Look for individuals and managers that can become trained to be internal coaches inside your company. These individuals may be inside your talent management and organizational development areas or could exist inside the business itself. Consider having talent management or Human Resources executives trained and credentialed by the International Coach Federation as professional coaches. As a result, they will be in an excellent position to coach executives in the company. Alternatively, you may choose to utilize external coaches. If so, you can submit a request via the International Coach Federation Coach Referral Service website or ask colleagues for recommendations.

Simultaneously, you will want to identify candidates to participate in the coaching program. Therefore, review your succession planning and consider top talent managers, directors and executives. Participants should be excited to be part of the program and willing to make a commitment. Just as important as identifying the coaches and participants is to make certain that you have executive sponsorship. Determine which executives would like to sponsor the program and be a participant. Request that they support you in your coach and participant identification, marketing efforts, during participant enrollment and throughout the program’s life cycle.

3. Manage Expectations: Be sure to clearly set expectations with your internal coaches, individuals being coached, the executive sponsors and, of course, your managers and colleagues. It is best to run the initial program as a pilot and build upon its success. Make certain everyone is clear on the goals of the program, time commitment and their roles and responsibilities.

4. Train: Enroll your internal coach candidates in a coach-training program that is designed to train individuals that work inside companies as a coach. If you choose to enroll internal employees to become coaches, ensure they’re being coached by a coach with experience coaching internal coaches. In addition, be sure to train the individuals who are to be coached on the role and responsibilities of the participant. While training your coaches, be sure to establish a clear and consistent process for enrolling clients, coaching time and exiting clients. The key here is to ensure that everyone participating has a similar experience.

5. Measure Success: Prior to starting the program, determine how you will measure its success. It may be done simply by using a Net–Promoter score or setting up a simple impact study. It doesn’t have to be a rigorous measurement such as ROI. If your program is embraced and utilized (coaching clients show up and participate in the coaching), then that’s a great sign. Interviewing them or surveying them on the benefits they received is also an excellent idea. In addition, be sure to ask the managers of the program’s participants about the changes they may have noticed in their employee’s behaviors after being coached.

In a time where we’re surrounded by change and have so many demands on our personal and professional lives, the need for coaching is at an all time high. Coaching is a model for engagement, empowerment and accountability. It teaches those being coached to be responsible and to “own” their results. By engaging in coaching, you’re making a decision to replace mediocrity with high-performance. So let’s ask ourselves, who and what company doesn’t want full engagement and high-performance?

Renée Robertson is a two-time International Coach Federation Prism Award Winner for Internal Coaching, in addition to being the CEO of Trilogy Development. She shares her insights and first-hand experience in her new book, The Coaching Solution: How to Drive Talent Development, Organizational Change and Business Results. To learn more, visit www.trilogydevelopment.com.

First Choice Human Resources HR Firm Announces Rebrand and Relaunch

First Choice Human Resources, formerly Human Resource Works, relaunched May 2015.

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (June 18, 2015) – First Choice Human Resources, formerly Human Resource Works, recently announced its rebranding and relaunch.

The rebrand is part of the firm’s organization-wide restructure, designed to bring more efficiency and affordability to its clients.

“We evaluated the problem areas within the HR industry,” said owner Chris Spence. “We spoke to the market and determined that HR and its process are not something easily understood. Clients wanted simpler definitions, more transparency, and quicker turnaround on requests. We believe in listening to the consumer, so this rebrand indicates a clear new direction for our firm, which we believe will set a trend that other HR firms will follow.”

Founded in 2014 as Human Resource Works, Spence and his team moved quickly to establish a presence in the HR industry.

“Our relaunch focuses on providing simple and fast HR services and freeing business owners so they have time to focus on the business’ bottom line,” said owner Chris Spence, PHR, SHRM-CP. “Our rebranding asserts First Choice Human Resources as San Antonio’s quickest, most accessible firm, by assisting business owners and management.”

Spence, who is certified by the HR Certification Institute and Society for Human Resource Management, moved to San Antonio in 2004 to attend Trinity University, where he received a double major in Business and Speech Communication. He is one of the youngest business owners in the human resources industry, part of a growing trend of entrepreneurship among millennials. After Trinity, he then graduated from St. Mary's Law in 2011. He indicated core service offerings will not change. These include: Compliance, Hiring, Recruiting, Employee Relations and more.

ABOUT FIRST CHOICE HUMAN RESOURCES:

First Choice Human Resources is a full-service human resource firm serving San Antonio business owners since 2014. First Choice Human Resources’ mission is to deliver HR services for small businesses and provide a team of professionals able to assist with all human resource needs including, Employee Relations, Payroll, Recruiting, Workforce Reduction and more, at a fraction of the cost of hiring a single HR professional. For more information or to schedule a free consultation, please visit www.firstchoicehr.com or to speak with a team-member, please call 1.800.844.3694.

National “Small Business Revolution” documentary project features Seattle craft beer maker Reuben’s Brews

Reuben's Brews Owner Adam Robbings among 100 business builders featured in yearlong campaign celebrating the crucial role of small businesses in our communities

Seattle – June 9, 2015 – When the craft-brewing bug bites, it’s sometimes hard to think of anything else. With new recipes, beers and methods always developing, it’s no surprise that the craft-beer boom seized entrepreneur Adam Robbings.

After the birth of his son, Reuben, Robbings received a special gift that would change the course of his life – a home-brewing kit. After throwing himself into experimenting with new beers – and always focusing on the quality of its craft – Robbings’s business, called Reuben’s Brews, has become one of the most celebrated breweries in Seattle.

Now, Reuben’s Brews is getting national attention from Deluxe Corporation’s Small Business Revolution documentary project. The Small Business Revolution, which also features "Shark Tank" star Robert Herjavec, is a yearlong campaign that celebrates the vibrancy, variety and community impact of small businesses across the country. Its latest story is a photo essay profiling Reuben’s Brews, one of 100 profiles of inspiring small businesses that will debut throughout 2015 at SmallBusinessRevolution.org.

The trophy case at Reuben’s Brews is a testament to the company’s commitment to quality and focus on developing a strong business – which means paying attention to the reactions of customers and beer lovers who come through the doors of the brewery. Reuben’s Brews has been recognized as a top-ten brewery nationwide several times in the past few years, and though Robbings has plans to open a brand-new, much larger brewery, he says he’s not leaving Seattle – or even planning to distribute his beer nationally. His focus on perfecting his product and providing great service caught the eye of the Small Business Revolution.

Deluxe developed the Small Business Revolution to focus on the importance of personal touch and local involvement in an era when business is becoming increasingly impersonal. The campaign is capturing the stories of small businesses and their customers, families and friends – all of whom are a crucial part of what makes our communities whole.

“The hands-on customer service, the entrepreneurial spirit and the deep community involvement people find in the small businesses they frequent make all the difference,” said Amanda Brinkman, chief brand and communications officer for Deluxe Corp. “Telling these moving, inspirational stories and putting a spotlight on these owners is our way of celebrating the best parts of American business.”

The Small Business Revolution will unfold throughout 2015, as a part of Deluxe’s 100th anniversary celebration. Since 1915, Deluxe has helped small businesses and financial institutions grow and thrive by providing a range of business services, from websites and logos to social media and email marketing to checks and other financial services.

The Small Business Revolution will also award $25,000 to one small business later this year. Anyone can nominate their favorite small business at SmallBusinessRevolution.org, and Shark Tank's Herjavec will help Deluxe choose the winner who best exemplifies the Small Business Revolution spirit. The person who nominates the winning business can see how it feels to be a "shark" by personally delivering the $25,000 prize.

 About Deluxe Corporation

Deluxe Corp. is a growth engine for small businesses and financial institutions. Nearly 4.6 million small business customers access Deluxe's wide range of products and services, including customized checks and forms, as well as website development and hosting, email marketing, search engine optimization and logo design. For our approximately 5,600 financial institution customers, Deluxe offers industry-leading programs in checks, customer acquisition, fraud prevention and profitability. Deluxe is also a leading provider of checks and accessories sold directly to consumers. For more information, visit us at www.deluxe.com, https://www.facebook.com/deluxecorp or www.twitter.com/deluxecorp.

This press release was posted at no charge by the Eastside Business Press Release Service.

Eastside Business is Back

Eastside Business Returns to Help Promote Businesses in Bellevue and on the Eastside

Eastside Business and EastsideBusiness.com are back with a vengeance - and a new concept in self-publicity for businesses on the Eastside.  Eastside Business has always been about promoting business on the Eastside, but now we are going to help you promote your own business.  Send us a press release and we will post it here on Eastside Business for FREE!

More details to follow, but in the meantime, subscribe and look for more details to be revealed.

 

Microsoft 2015 Partner of the Year Awards Revealed

Winners and Finalists of Microsoft 2015 Partner of the Year Awards Announced

Redmond-based Microsoft recently announced the winners and finalists of the Microsoft 2015 Partner of the Year Awards. The annual awards celebrate top Microsoft partners that are demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. Award winners and finalists, chosen out of nominations from around the world, will be recognized at the 2015 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference taking place July 12–16, 2015, in Orlando, Fla.

This year, the Microsoft 2015 Partner of the Year Awards recognized partners in 43 categories that celebrate each of the core partner competencies, including cloud technology, public sector, citizenship, sales excellence and many more. More than 2,300 entries were collected from 108 different countries worldwide; the award finalists and winners were selected from a group of nominations based on their commitment to customers, their solution’s market impact and exemplary use of Microsoft technologies.

“The Microsoft 2015 Partner of the Year Award winners and finalists honor our top partners that demonstrate excellence in providing solutions and value to our mutual customers,” said Phil Sorgen, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft. “This year’s award winners and finalists are among the most innovative our partner ecosystem has to offer. Congratulations to each winner on this incredible achievement.”

Categories, winners and finalists for the Microsoft 2015 Partner of the Year Awards appear below. A complete list of the Microsoft 2015 Partner of the Year Awards, including the Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award winners for 2015, is available at https://mspartner.microsoft.com/en/us/Pages/WPC/awards.aspx.

Alliance Partner of the Year

• Winner: Accenture/Avanade

Global Commercial ISV Alliance Partner of the Year

• Winner: GE Healthcare

Application Development Partner of the Year

• Winner: Lieberman Software


• Finalist: Comping


• Finalist: Fino Consulting


• Finalist: Open Text Corporation

Application Integration Partner of the Year

• Winner: nVisionIT


• Finalist: Cognizant Technology Solutions


• Finalist: Fusionex


• Finalist: Mexia Consulting

Application Lifecycle Management Partner of the Year

• Winner: Readify


• Finalist: Centare


• Finalist: Commentor A/S


• Finalist: Sogeti Nederland B.V.

Big Data and Analytics Partner of the Year

• Winner: Neudesic


• Finalist: Artis Consulting


• Finalist: Neal Analytics


• Finalist: Sogeti

Business Intelligence Partner of the Year

• Winner: BizData


• Finalist: Allen


• Finalist: Bismart


• Finalist: Hitachi Solutions

Cloud Customer Relationship Management Partner of the Year

• Winner: PowerObjects


• Finalist: OnDemand4U GmbH


• Finalist: Sonoma Partners


• Finalist: Zero2Ten

Cloud Packaged Solutions Partner of the Year

• Winner: SADA Systems Inc.


• Finalist: Energy Time


• Finalist: Syvantis Technologies, Inc.


• Finalist: Technopolis

Cloud Platform: Application Innovation Partner of the Year

• Winner: VMob


• Finalist: Icertis Inc


• Finalist: Orckestra


• Finalist: SOLOMO Technology, Inc.

Cloud Platform: Customer Focus Partner of the Year

• Winner: bluesource


• Finalist: Beijing Youyun Tianxia Information & Technology Co., Ltd


• Finalist: Capax Global


• Finalist: Intergrupo

Cloud Productivity Partner of the Year

• Winner: Kloud


• Finalist: Quadrasystems.net (India) Private Limited


• Finalist: SADA Systems Inc.


• Finalist: Sulava Oy

Collaboration and Content Partner of the Year

• Winner: AvePoint, Inc.


• Finalist: BlueMetal


• Finalist: BrightStarr


• Finalist: Content and Code

Communications Partner of the Year

• Winner: Enabling Technologies Corp.


• Finalist: Accenture/Avanade


• Finalist: IComm Australia


• Finalist: Migesa S.A. de C.V.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Partner of the Year

• Winner: Accenture/Avanade


• Finalist: eBECS


• Finalist: Hitachi Solutions


• Finalist: mcaConnect, LLC

Data Platform Partner of the Year

• Winner: Scalability Experts


• Finalist: Accenture/Avanade


• Finalist: CommVault


• Finalist: Noxum GmbH

Devices and Deployment Partner of the Year

• Winner: Sogeti


• Finalist: CANCOM GmbH


• Finalist: Data#3 Limited


• Finalist: RealDolmen

Digital Advertising Partner of the Year

• Winner: Advance Digital


• Finalist: ResourceiT Consulting Ltd

Distributor Partner of the Year

• Winner: Tech Data Europe


• Finalist: ALSO Deutschland GmbH


• Finalist: Computer Gross


• Finalist: SYNNEX Corporation

Enterprise Mobility Partner of the Year

• Winner: Oxford Computer Group LLC


• Finalist: CDW


• Finalist: Kloud


• Finalist: Project Leadership Associates

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Partner of the Year

• Winner: mcaConnect, LLC


• Finalist: Azzure IT


• Finalist: Columbus


• Finalist: Tribridge

Hosting Partner of the Year

• Winner: Rackspace


• Finalist: Datapipe


• Finalist: GoDaddy


• Finalist: Extrinsica Global

Innovative Technology for Good Citizenship Partner of the Year

• Winner: alligatortek


• Finalist: Gap Consulting


• Finalist: Ignify


• Finalist: LiveArena

Intelligent Systems Partner of the Year

• Winner: Harman


• Finalist: BlueMetal


• Finalist: NEC Corporation


• Finalist: VMob

Learning Partner of the Year

• Winner: QA Limited


• Finalist: CTU Training Solutions


• Finalist: Global Knowledge

Messaging Partner of the Year

• Winner: Convergent Computing (CCO)


• Finalist: Dell


• Finalist: Wipro Technologies

Microsoft Dynamics Industry Partner of the Year

• Winner: UXC Eclipse


• Finalist: Edgewater Fullscope


• Finalist: Hitachi Solutions


• Finalist: VeriPark

Modern Datacenter: Customer Focus Partner of the Year

• Winner: Dimension Data


• Winner: Cisco


• Winner: NetApp


• Finalist: Hewlett Packard


• Finalist: Infront Consulting Group (M) Sdn Bhd


• Finalist: Technology Effect

Modern Datacenter: Hybrid Partner of the Year

• Winner: Convergent Computing (CCO)


• Finalist: CDW


• Finalist: CommVault


• Finalist: OCSL

OEM Device Partner of the Year

• Winner: TrekStor GmbH


• Finalist: Exertis


• Finalist: Yifang Digital Technology Co., LTD.

Office and SharePoint Application Development Partner of the Year

• Winner: Nintex


• Finalist: DocuSign, Inc


• Finalist: harmon.ie


• Finalist: K2

Open Source on Azure Partner of the Year

• Winner: Alter Way


• Finalist: Chef


• Finalist: Omega software


• Finalist: Sela group

Project and Portfolio Management Partner of the Year

• Winner: Projectum


• Finalist: Corporate Project Solutions


• Finalist: Sensei Project Solutions


• Finalist: TPG The Project Group

Public Sector: CityNext Partner of the Year

• Winner: LeapThought NZ Ltd


• Finalist: Atos


• Finalist: Intervate


• Finalist: Ireckon

Public Sector: Education Partner of the Year

• Winner: IAM Cloud


• Finalist: GeoGebra


• Finalist: Innofactor Plc


• Finalist: New Era IT Ltd

Public Sector: Government Partner of the Year

• Winner: Advanced Digital Systems, Inc. (d/b/a “Mi-Co”)


• Finalist: Data#3 Limited


• Finalist: OGD ict-diensten


• Finalist: Outsourcery

Public Sector: Health Partner of the Year

• Winner: Rapid Circle


• Finalist: Caase.com


• Finalist: Cloud2 Ltd


• Finalist: SELA Canada

Public Sector: Public Safety and National Security Partner of the Year

• Winner: Black Marble


• Finalist: Innofactor Plc


• Finalist: Intergraph Corporation


• Finalist: Softec International

Small & Midmarket Cloud Solutions Partner of the Year

• Winner: Adactit


• Finalist: Bitscape Infotech Pvt Ltd


• Finalist: Paradigm Systems Ltd


• Finalist: TINCORP

Software Asset Management (SAM) Partner of the Year

• Winner: COMPAREX


• Finalist: Fritz & Macziol GmbH


• Finalist: Infraware


• Finalist: Universal Management Solutions

Volume Licensing Partner of the Year

• Winner: COMPAREX


• Finalist: Crayon Group


• Finalist: SHI International Corp


• Finalist: Softwareone

Windows 8 Custom App Developer Partner of the Year

• Winner: Black Marble


• Finalist: Bluefragments


• Finalist: Connecting Software


• Finalist: Marker Metro Limited

YouthSpark Citizenship Partner of the Year

• Winner: Global Knowledge


• Finalist: MReady


• Finalist: InterSoftware


• Finalist: MReady

About Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference

Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference provides Microsoft’s partner community with access to key marketing and business strategies, leadership, and information regarding specific customer solutions designed to help partners succeed in the marketplace. Along with informative learning opportunities covering sales, marketing, services and technology, the Worldwide Partner Conference is an ideal setting for partners to garner valuable knowledge from their peers and from Microsoft. More information can be found at https://mspartner.microsoft.com/en/us/Pages/WPC/overview.aspx.

Related:  Microsoft Partners with Small Business Administration

 

Chris Barrow President and CEO of EagleView Technology Named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 for the Pacific Northwest

Chris Barrow Wins Entrepreneur of the Year for EagleView Technology

Bothell-based EagleView Technology Corporation, which provides the technology for aerial imagery, data analytics and GIS solutions, recently announced that EY has named EagleView President and CEO Chris Barrow as an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 in the Pacific Northwest Region.  The award recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.  Chris Barrow and other award winners were selected by a panel of independent judges.  The award was presented at a special gala event at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel on June 5th.

“It is such an honor to be chosen for this prestigious award recognizing the success of EagleView in the Big Data category,” said Chris Barrow. “I am truly passionate about this company and strive to be a disruptive innovator in the marketplace, particularly when it comes to data mining and delivering solutions derived from Big Data.” Chris Barrow has shaped EagleView from an aerial measurement company and guided it through a merger with Pictometry International Corp. in 2013 to become the industry leader in aerial imagery, data analytics and GIS solutions serving the commercial, government and public utility sectors.  The company’s massive image library covers 90 percent of the population in the U.S., with hundreds of millions of images dating back over the last decade.

Now in its 29th year, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year program has honored the inspirational leadership of such entrepreneurs as Howard Schultz of Starbucks Coffee Company, Pierre Omidyar of eBay, Inc., and Mindy Grossman of HSN. Recent US national winners include Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn; Hamdi Ulukaya, founder of Chobani; and 2014 winner Dr. David Hung, President and CEO and Chairman of Medivation.

As a Pacific Northwest award winner, Barrow is now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 14, 2015. The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.

About EagleView

EagleView Technology Corporation is based in Bothell Washington.  They are a provider of aerial imagery, data analytics and GIS solutions serving the commercial, government and public utility sectors.  The company’s patented image capture processes and 3D modeling algorithms coupled with property-centric analytic tools empower end-user workflows with scalable, efficient and highly accurate answer sets in support of property claims, risk management, construction, emergency response, assessment, corridor mapping and more.

Mark Mader of Bellevue's Smartsheet Among Award Recipients for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 Pacific Northwest

Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 PNW Awarded to Mark Mader, President and CEO of Bellevue-based Smartsheet, 6 Others

Entrepreneur of the Year 2015 PNW bestowed on Bellevue-based Online Project Management SAAS company Smartsheet CEO Mark Mader.  Congratulations Mark!  Great job on bringing the award to Bellevue!

EY (formerly known as Ernst & Young) have announced the winners of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 Award in the Pacific Northwest. These leading entrepreneurs were selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous winners of the award, leading CEOs, private capital investors and other regional business leaders.

The winners were revealed at a special gala on June 5, 2015 at Sheraton Seattle Hotel. “EY has honored outstanding entrepreneurs for the past 29 years,” said Greg Beams EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Program Director for the Pacific Northwest. “These winners are accomplished leaders who have contributed a tremendous amount to their communities.”

The other EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 Pacific Northwest Region winners are: Scott Allan, President and CEO, Hydro Flask, Bend, Oregon Chris Barrow, President and CEO, EagleView Technologies, Bothell, Washington Mark Britton, Founder and CEO, Avvo, Seattle, Washington Ryan Carson, Co-Founder and CEO, Treehouse, Portland, Oregon, Darryl Rawlings, CEO, Trupanion, Seattle, Washington Dave Sanders, M.D., Co-Founder and CEO, Zoom+, Hillsboro, Oregon.

Now in its 29th year, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 145 cities in 60 countries throughout the world.

Smartsheet's Mader and other regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall National Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 14, 2015.

The US Entrepreneur Of The Year Overall Award winner then moves on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Monaco, June 2016. Additionally, venture-backed companies that win an Entrepreneur Of The Year Award regionally are also eligible for the Venture Capital Award of Excellence at the national level.

The awards are the culminating event of the EY Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. Sponsors Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 Awards are nationally sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America. In the Pacific Northwest, sponsors also include Merrill Datasite, Union Bank and Scherzer International.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015:  Entrepreneur Of The Year 2015 is one of the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.

7th Annual Taste of Main on August 22nd to Benefit The Detlef Schrempf Foundation

7th Annual Taste of Main to Benefit The Detlef Schrempf Foundation

The 7th Annual Taste of Main, a one-day event on Bellevue’s celebrated historic Main Street, is slated for Saturday, August 22nd, from 12:00-5:00. This annual fundraising event has a strong reputation of bringing together the Eastside community and Old Bellevue, benefiting the Detlef Schrempf Foundation and Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue.

The 7th Annual Taste of Main event offers patrons a fixed price Passport, allowing them to “tasting their way down Main Street” featuring specially selected Northwest wineries, distilleries, gourmet food, snacks and desserts from the city’s most acclaimed restaurants. Also featured are free giveaways, live entertainment, wine sales, and a silent auction, featuring Main Street Retailers products and services.

The 7th Annual Taste of Main is open to the public, and children are free (with special kid-friendly bites!).  The Taste of Main has been a favorite event of locals since it's first year and has started to attract a lot of wine lovers and foodies from all over the Puget Sound area.  This is an event you won't want to miss!

100% of the proceeds benefit the Detlef Schrempf Foundation. The Foundation is a support organization founded by former UW Huskies and Seattle Super Sonics star, Detlef Schrempf that has raised over $15-million for Northwest children’s charities. This event’s proceeds will benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Bellevue, through the Detlef Schrempf Foundation.

Learn more about the event and purchase your passport at 7th Annual Taste of Main. Learn more about the benefitting charities at www.detlef.com and www.bgcbellevue.org .

The Passport includes food offerings from some of Main Street’s finest restaurants, including:

520 Bar & Grill
99 Park
Bake’s Place Bellevue
Bis on Main
Cantinetta
Fran’s Chocolates
Gilberts on Main
Ginza Japanese Restaurant
Hedge & Vine
La Cocina Del Puerco
Local Burger
Mercato Stellina
Monsoon East
Pagliacci Pizza
Vavako Fine Chocolates
Whole Foods

PicsArt Mobile Creative Image Community Raises $15M Led By Insight Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital

PicsArt Mobile Creative Image Community Scores $15 Million in New Funding

PicsArt mobile creative image community today announced $15M in new funding from Insight Venture Partners and Sequoia Capital. The new round follows a previous investment of $10M from Sequoia earlier this year. The new funding will enable the company to expand globally and develop new tools for users.

PicsArt mobile creative image community is for amateur and professional photographers, designers, artists and anyone who wants to use PicsArt’s extensive image creation and editing tools to beautify their world. PicsArt’s further enabled community collaboration with its latest feature update. Now #freetoedit images from PicsArt mobile creative image community can be shared on Facebook, inviting a new community to use PicsArt’s desktop-grade tools to edit their images.

Users can also share their creative process with others through automatically generated timelapse videos. Hit a button when you start working on an image and when you are done, share a video showcasing your technique so other users can learn from you. These are just the latest tools empowering PicsArt’s community of more than 65 million monthly active users that co-creates more than 250 million images per month.

“We want to continuously provide artists with the means to connect and collaborate,” said PicsArt CEO and founder, Hovhannes Avoyan. “With this round of funding, we can continue to do so with app updates that boost collaboration settings, such as video generation, increased sharing and the latest photo-enhancing tricks.”

“PicsArt’s rapid growth is a true testament to its unique creative platform,” said Jeff Horing, managing director at Insight Venture Partners. “We are pleased to partner with the PicsArt team as they continue to set themselves apart by solidifying a community of collaboration.”

Anyone with a smartphone can download the PicsArt Mobile Creative Image Community app from the App Store, Google Play, Amazon or Windows. To learn more, go to www.PicsArt.com.

About PicsArt
PicsArt Mobile Creative Image Community is the largest mobile community of creatives and creative images. The company’s U.S. office is based in San Francisco, California with a focus on enabling anyone to be creative, share, socialize, discover, learn and be inspired. The app has been installed over 230 million times and continues to expand and improve, so anyone can unleash their creativity and discover their inner artist.

About Insight Venture Partners
Insight Venture Partners is a global private equity and venture capital firm founded in 1995. They also invested heavily in Bellevue-based SmartSheet. They have raised more than $10 billion and invested in more than 200+ growth-stage software, internet, and data-services companies. Our Investment Team meets with thousands of companies each year, selecting a handful to invest in, supporting them with market insights and exposure to potential acquisitions and acquirers. Our Insight Onsite team provides hands-on resources and collaborative expertise to help companies scale.

About Sequoia Capital
The Sequoia team helps a small number of daring founders build legendary companies. We spur them to push the boundaries of what’s possible. In partnering with Sequoia, companies benefit from our unmatched community and the lessons we’ve learned over 40 years working with Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, John Morgridge, Jerry Yang, Elon Musk, Larry Page, Jan Koum, Brian Chesky, Drew Houston, Adi Tatarko and Jack Dorsey, among many others. In aggregate, Sequoia-backed companies account for more than 20% of NASDAQ’s total value. We’re proud that their success also fuels great causes: since 2000 alone we have returned more than $10 billion to non-profits like the Ford Foundation, Mayo Clinic and MIT.

Two Spaces Still Available for YouTube Marketing for Business Workshop on Tuesday

YouTube Marketing for Business Workshop Almost Full

There has been a lot of interest in Stacia Loo's free YouTube Marketing for Business workshop tomorrow night.  But the good news is that there are still a couple of seats left.  If you are interested in attending YouTube Marketing for Business you should RSVP asap.

If you are looking for better, less expensive marketing for your business, you cannot afford to miss the YouTube Marketing for Business workshop.  Don't let this opportunity slip to learn from an expert online marketer slip away.

 

Microsoft to Offer Windows 10 as Free Upgrade Starting July

Windows 10 to Be Offered As Free Upgrade

A media release from Microsoft this morning says that Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade to existing Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users starting July 29th.  The question is - who is going to be willing to be among the first to try it?  It is well noted that early adopters of previous Windows versions have often faced serious problems and frustrations with new versions of the operating system.

Here is the official media release from Microsoft:

Microsoft Corp. has announced that Windows 10 will be available July 29 in 190 countries. Windows 10 will help people be more productive and have more fun, with a personal and natural experience that works across all their devices. Familiar, yet better than ever, Windows 10 will deliver ongoing feature innovations and security updates. Windows 10 will be available as a free upgrade to people using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, enabling hundreds of millions of people around the world to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.

“Windows 10 is a new generation of Windows designed to empower you to do great things,” said Terry Myerson, executive vice president, Microsoft. “Windows 10 starts to deliver on our vision of more personal computing, defined by trust in how we protect and respect your personal information, mobility of the experience across your devices, and natural interactions with your Windows devices, including speech, touch, ink and holograms.”

Familiar and better than ever

Windows 10 brings back the Start menu people know and love while enabling them to easily find their files, pinned applications and favorites. Windows 10 starts fast, resumes fast and helps enable batteries to last longer. More secure than ever, Windows 10 includes Windows Hello, Microsoft Passport and Windows Defender for anti-malware protection, and a commitment to deliver free, ongoing security updates for the supported lifetime of the device. Optimized for both keyboard and touch, the Windows 10 upgrade is designed to be compatible with Windows devices and applications.

A more personal and natural experience

Windows 10 adapts to people for a more personal experience. Cortana, the world’s first truly personal digital assistant, helps people get things done across all their devices. Cortana learns individual preferences to provide relevant recommendations, fast access to information and important reminders via talking or typing. Windows Hello greets people by name and lets them log in to their PC without a password — providing instant, more secure access to their Windows 10 devices through biometric authentication. Windows 10 also lets people interact with their device via the traditional mouse and keyboard or through more natural ways such as voice, pen or gesture.

Be more productive

Windows 10 will help people get more done with less effort than ever before. Microsoft Edge, the all-new browser designed to get things done online in new ways, offers built-in inking, sharing and reading view. With Cortana integrated, Microsoft Edge offers quick results and content based on individual interests and preferences. Fast, streamlined and personal, Microsoft Edge empowers people to focus on just the content that matters to them and actively engage with the Web.

In addition to the Office 2016 full-featured desktop suite, new Universal Windows applications for Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook will offer a consistent, touch-first experience across a range of devices. Designed from the ground up to run on Windows 10 and perfect for staying productive on the go, people can easily create and edit Word documents and deliver PowerPoint presentations while annotating on the fly. With new touch-first controls in Excel, people can create or update spreadsheets without a keyboard or mouse.

Work and play the way you want across devices

Windows 10 offers a familiar and consistent experience across devices. Continuum enables devices to transform, enabling elegant transitions of a tablet into a PC, and back — and for a Windows phone to become like a PC.⁵ Xbox on Windows 10 brings the expansive Xbox Live gaming network to both Windows 10 PCs and tablets. People can communicate with their friends on Windows 10 PCs and Xbox One while playing any PC game and share content using Game DVR. People can also stream games directly from their Xbox One console to a Windows 10 tablet or PC in their homes. Games developed for DirectX 12 in Windows 10 will see improvements in speed, efficiency and graphics capability.⁶

Upgrade availability

On July 29, people can get Windows 10 for PCs and tablets by taking advantage of the free upgrade offer, or on new Windows 10 devices. New Windows 8.1 devices will also easily upgrade to Windows 10, and many retail stores will help upgrade new devices. Starting today, people can reserve their free upgrade if they choose. More information is available here and at Windows.com.

Related:

Winners and Finalists of Microsoft 2015 Partner of the Year Awards Announced

Symphony of Gardens Tour to Benefit Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra

Symphony of Gardens to Feature Five Eastside Gardens and Benefit Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra

Orchestra's Symphony of Gardens fundraiser features five exciting private gardens in Beaux Arts, Bellevue, Kirkland and Mercer Island

The Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra is planning its 2nd Annual Symphony of Gardens Tour. This event, which benefits the East Side's premier orchestra, will be Sunday, June 28th, from 11am to 4pm. The tour will offer garden enthusiasts a rare glimpse of gorgeous private gardens in Beaux Arts, Bellevue, Kirkland and Mercer Island. LWSO musicians will play chamber music in the gardens from 1 to 2pm, weather permitting.

The Lake Washington Symphony Orchestra's Symphony of Gardens Tour is Sunday, June 28th, from 11am-4pm. Tickets are $25. Tickets are available at Grape Choice, Bellevue Nursery, Sky Nursery and Wells Medina Nursery or through Brown Paper Tickets, http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/1586858. For information about the LWSO, see http://lwso.org. 

  

Bellevue Hotel Management Company Pineapple Hospitality Buys San Diego Hotel Z

Bellevue Hotel Management Company Buys 2nd CA Hotel Property.

Bellevue hotel management company Pineapple Hospitality Company, has announced their entrance into the San Diego hotel market.

Pineapple Hospitality Company has purchased a hotel property on 6^th Avenue, in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter.  The property is currently in the midst of conversion. The hotel will open under the name Hotel Z.  The hotel is now taking reservations for stays beginning August 1.  San Diego is absolutely beautiful all year round. August and September usually have the warmest weather and most comfortable water temperature at the beaches.

Hotel Z is Pineapple Hospitality's second property in California. The Bellevue Hotel Management Company's first property in CA is The Hotel California in San Francisco, they own and operate four hotels in Seattle and one in Portland, OR. "We chose San Diego because it complements our core values in that we offer properties in high-demand locations," said President Michelle Foreman Barnet. "All six of our properties are in strong markets, and this addition gives our Pineapple guests good coverage of the West Coast from the Pacific Northwest to Southern California.  We are delighted to offer our Pineapple hospitality in San Diego, and we know our guests will be excited by the amazing location.”

Hotel Z will open after a total redesign of the original property.  Upon opening, guests will enjoy the same amazing Pineapple Hospitality service and amenities as offered in other hotels.  This includes complimentary wireless internet and free bike check-outs, dog-friendly accommodations and a daily cupcake and coffee reception.

"We are so excited to have entered this market," stated Barnet. "The location between Island and Market on 6^th Avenue is superb." The four-story, 96-room property is located in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, is three blocks from Petco Park and four blocks from the San Diego Convention Center.

For more information about Hotel Z or to make reservations, visit www.HotelZSanDiego.com. They can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

About Pineapple Hospitality
Each Pineapple Hotel is owned and operated by Pineapple Hospitality Company, a Bellevue hotel management company. For centuries the pineapple has been a symbol of hospitality all over the world; Pineapple Hospitality Company strives to continue that tradition in each of its hotel locations. Pieces of the Pineapple include Hotel FIVE in downtown Seattle, The Maxwell Hotel in Queen Anne, Watertown Hotel and University Inn, both in the University District, Hotel Rose in downtown Portland, OR.; and The Hotel California in San Francisco, CA. For more information about Pineapple Hospitality Company, including reservations at any of its properties, visit www.StayPineapple.com or call 866-866-7977. Pineapple Hospitality can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Publisher's Note:  We would love to review all of these properties - and hope that Pineapple will soon be able to add a Bellevue Hotel to their portfolio.  I don't think there is currently a Bellevue Hotel that is not super successful and sold out much of the year.