Rob, Steve and Tom have brought on seasoned eastside hospitality maven, Jean O’Neill, as General Manager of Grand Cru Mixologie Lounge.  O’Neill has created a cocktail program on the philosophy that Grand Cru will be a place where every guest can enjoy a well-made drink each and every time — from the classics to their wide selection of signature cocktails, careful thought has been put into each creation.  One of the highlights from Grand Cru’s Signature cocktails is the Rita B. Martini, a twist on the classic margarita which includes a splash of beer.

“We want to be the neighborhood lounge where each guest is not only wowed by the quality, but feel they paid a fair price.  If you are coming in to meet friends or want to make new ones, it is our goal that they have a memorable experience and leave with a smile,” says Jean.

Grand Cru Mixologie Lounge is offering a wide selection of happy hour dishes, such as the Dungeness Thai Crab Cakes with fresh orange slaw, thai chili sauce and a spicy mustard drizzle; or a Half-Pound Kobe Beef Burger served with fontina cheese, tarragon aioli, caramelized onions and french fries with spicy ketchup.  Along with the new food and beverage additions, Grand Cru has also made several decor changes throughout the lounge by adding four large flat screen TVs and cozy, comfortable lounge style furniture giving the bar a more relaxed feel.

The Lounge will be offering daily promotions that include; “$2 Tuesdays” on select microbrews; “Ladies Night” every Wednesday with cocktail specials; “Wine Lover’s Thursdays” with $3 off wines by-the-glass and half price bottles of wine; “$5 Friday’s” with an offering of cocktails, wine and food for $5 each; and “Jazz Festival Saturdays” with two live performances that start at 5 PM and 8 PM.  Each time offering will feature a different artist.  They are offering happy hour all night on Sundays (beginning September 12) and Mondays, and an early and late night happy hour every Tuesday thru Saturday  from 4 PM to 7 PM and 9 PM to Close.

Grand Cru is within walking distance to Bellevue Square and Bellevue’s financial district.  Street parking and a complimentary retail parking garage under the Ten20 Building is available and can be accessed from NE 11th Avenue on the North end of the Ten20 complex.

Hours of Operation: Monday-Thursday 4 PM-11 PM; Friday/Saturday 4PM-Midnight; Sunday: Noon – 10PM (beginning September 12)

Located at 3620 Factoria Blvd SE, just east of I-405 and south of I-90, the new 15,000 square-foot Bartell’s store was formerly the Loehmann’s clothing store.

The grand opening kicks off Monday, September 13, with a ribbon-cutting scheduled for September 14 at 10 a.m. as members of the Bartell family, employees, vendors and local dignitaries celebrate the store’s opening and Bartell’s 120^th anniversary.

“We have searched for several years for the right location in the Factoria neighborhood.  I am pleased that we will at last have a store there to serve the needs of those that asked for us. I’m excited to bring our brand of great service and value to a great neighborhood,” said George D. Bartell, Chairman and CEO of the Seattle-based chain.

The new Factoria-Bellevue store will feature a new full-service pharmacy, which will offer clinical care services and an international travel clinic in addition to traditional pharmacy services.  Product offerings will include many natural and organic health, beauty and cleaning products, nutritional supplements, a large selection of convenience foods, greeting cards and more. It will feature Bartell’s exclusive PixPlus™ department—offering digital print kiosks, a broad selection of camera and sound electronics, on-site one hour photo finishing and a passport photo center. The new store will also include a selection of beer and wine featuring many local Northwest wines.

Utilizing alternative energy technology, this will be the first Bartell’s location to have a solar energy system to supplement conventional power sources, with panels on the face of the building and on the roof.

The new store is expected to employ approximately 20 employee associates.

Founded in Seattle in 1890, Bartell Drugs owns and operates stores in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.  Family-owned and operated, it is the nation’s oldest drugstore chain.

Mike Smith was born in 1942 in Portland, Oregon, and spent his childhood growing up in Vancouver, Washington, and the Puget Sound area. He now resides in a small pulp and paper community located on the shores of the Columbia River. He graduated from the University of Portland with a degree in English Literature. Smith began drawing and sculpting at the age of two, after an interlude of baseball, he became a serious full-time artist at the age of twenty-five. He supported himself doing graphic design and other commercial art endeavors while pursuing his fine art career.

He has tried to abandon any “school” of painting and uses an autobiographical approach. His subjects are mostly found in his backyard or around the neighborhood in which he lives. His dogs, the cat, his rowboat, and ducks in his pond, are all included in the bright watercolors of his paintings. He also sculpts in bronze, paints in oils and does silk screen prints.

Smith says, “People always want to know the meaning of my work and where I get my ideas from.  My work is simply about the people and places and animals I love. Images, unlike the written word, do not dictate to you. After twenty-five years of painting almost every day, it has become my world.” It is fun-filled, colorful, and full of life.

Over the years, Smith has had more than 50 one-man shows. One of the most interesting was a double show in Leipzig, Germany – in a gallery at the American Consulate. The media he uses includes watercolor, pastel, bronze (cast and fabricated), oil, ceramic, wood, and several printmaking techniques.

Finding a job is the best substitute for an unemployment check, but as more and more Americans exhaust their jobless benefits, employment opportunities remain sparse.

In July, the state unemployment rate was 8.6 percent, down from 9.5 percent a year ago; however, in parts of Washington it is in double-digits.  The Portland-Vancouver metro area reports 13.3 percent unemployment, about the same as last year.  Economists worry that it may take years for our economy to return to its peak of a couple of years ago.

Ironically, the longer we experience high unemployment, the harder it will be for private employers to begin hiring.

That’s because Washington employers bear the entire burden for funding unemployment benefits.  Many small businesses in our state saw their unemployment insurance (UI) taxes jump 300 to 400 percent the beginning of this year, and preliminary indications are employers may have to brace for an average 27 percent increase in January.  In addition, state lawmakers returning to Olympia will face intense pressure to increase unemployment benefits further, which will increase the UI taxes even more.

Employers are caught in a vicious cycle.  Our unemployment system is experience rated, meaning that as layoffs increase, UI taxes increase as well, leaving employers with less money to keep people working and create new jobs.  In addition, there’s an additional socialized UI tax which requires all employers to share the burden of UI taxes on employers who went out of business or are in highly seasonable occupations.

Unfortunately, skyrocketing UI taxes are just part of the problem.

Some lawmakers want to hike general taxes as well to bail the state out of its projected $3 billion revenue shortfall, and next January, employers will face yet another round of increases in workers’ compensation taxes, which pay for workplace injuries.

In essence, private employers could be looking at a triple whammy next year: higher taxes and fees, higher unemployment taxes and higher workers’ compensation premiums.

None of the several initiatives on the ballot this fall addresses the vicious cycle of UI taxes.  But astoundingly, union leaders and some legislators plan to introduce legislation that will increase unemployment benefits, extend coverage to more people who quit their jobs, and add additional weeks of jobless benefits — all of which will push UI taxes even higher.

They need to understand that higher unemployment benefits are counterproductive if they cripple employers’ ability to hire or, worse yet, put them out of business.  Legislators should focus on increasing jobs, not jobless benefits.

As the listless economy shambles on, the state’s UI trust account, funded by employers, is being drained.  Hopefully, it won’t go bankrupt as it did in the 1980s, forcing us to borrow from the federal government to pay unemployment benefits.

Currently, 31 other states have exhausted their unemployment insurance trust accounts.  Since the recession began, those states have borrowed just under $40 billion from the feds, and the situation is expected to worsen by year’s end.

Borrowing money to pay jobless benefits creates a larger problem as employers — the job creators — will be hit with even higher taxes, because the loans must be repaid with interest.

The best solution to joblessness is jobs.  Instead of constantly expanding jobless benefits, legislators should help spur job creation by reducing regulatory costs for employers, cutting taxes, and providing economic incentives.  A reenergized economy will provide more tax revenue to the state, replenish the unemployment trust account and give working families the security of a job.

There really is no substitute for a paycheck.

About the Author

Don Brunell is the president of the Association of Washington Business. Formed in 1904, AWB is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 7,000 members representing 650,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit www.awb.org.

Awarded by the U.S. Department of Education, the grant funds the program for the next five years.

The TRiO program assists students who have limited income, are first in their families to attend college or are challenged with disabilities. It provides academic and personal support services including study skills development, tutoring and advising.

Bellevue College’s TRiO program has amassed a strong record of success. Participating students stay in school and graduate at significantly higher-than-average rates:  58 percent complete their programs within 3 years — more than twice the rate for community all college students nationally — and 93 percent continue in college from year to year.

Further information is available online at www.bellevuecollege.edu/trio/, by phone at 425) 564-5745 or in person at the TRiO program office in room 233 of the college’s B Building (Student Services center).

Agent Reboot is a hands-on training day for newer agents or seasoned professionals in Seattle. This one day, fast-paced program, will equip agents and REALTORS® with the latest in social media, business development, technology and marketing skills to help them be more successful in 2010 and beyond. Nicole Nicolay, Founder & CCO of Agent Evolution, will emcee the event.

Agent Reboot Seattle will be held August 18th at Meydenbauer Convention Center in Bellevue, WA. www.meydenbauer.com

Topics included in the program:

• Download: Must-Have Tools for the Agent with Mobile Mojo
• From Clicks to Closings: Turning Your Online Marketing Strategy into a Lead Machine
• Mastering Social Media to Expand Your Reach Online
• Life Style Branding: Why it Matters
• Case Study: Managing Reputation and Content on the Web
• Maximum Exposure: Publicizing Your Listings
• Going Local: What Does It Take to Win in Local Real Estate?

To view a complete list of all 12 Agent Reboot locations for 2010, go to www.agentreboot.com

Follow the Agent Reboot conversation on Twitter via @InmanNews, or follow the hashtag #agentrb. In addition, view additional details and comments from attendees and speakers on Facebook. National sponsors include Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate, Market Leader and Zillow.com.

Tickets are $99 and can be purchased online at www.agentreboot.com. The price is $149 for anyone who registers on site. Members of the media may qualify to receive a free press pass. Please contact Katie Lance, Marketing Manager: katie (at) inman (dot) com.

About Inman News | Inman News (www.inman.com) is the leading source of independent real estate news, information, advice, research, technology, opinion and commentary for industry professionals and consumers alike. Inman’s unbiased and hard-hitting stories are known throughout the real estate industry. Agents and brokers globally trust Inman News as their first source of accurate, innovative and timely daily real estate news.

In addition, for over 14 years, Inman News has been hosting Real Estate Connect – a semi-annual real estate conference for real estate brokers and top-level executives. Connect will be held January 12-14th 2011 in New York City.

For more information, visit www.inman.com.

Publisher’s note: to get a very special discount and register for only $79, use promo code “SEATTLEBROKER” when registering at www.AgentReboot.com

By Don C. Brunell, President, Association of Washington Business

With unemployment stubbornly stalled at 9.6 percent, the Obama administration is desperately looking for ways to get the economy moving again.

Recently, in a meeting with my manufacturing counterparts from around the country, President Obama’s representative read a speech about all the administration is doing to spur manufacturing in America. Specifically, she tried to enlist our help in convincing companies to invest the $1.8 trillion they’re holding in reserve in added production capacity and new products and services.

While we share the president’s goal, the fact is these are uncertain times in a fluid political environment. The one thing investors and companies need — from giants like Boeing to tiny Printcom Inc., in Burien — is certainty.  They have to know that if they take their money out of savings and buy a new machine or hire new employees, they have a reasonable chance of recouping their investment.

Currently, that’s not the case.

Uncertainty about higher taxes, increasing regulations, health reform costs, cap-and-trade and lopsided pro-union policies have many employers and investors sitting on the sidelines.  The Obama representative sincerely promised to take our concerns back to the White House. Did any of us believe it would make a dent in the president’s thinking?

Heck no! That’s the problem.

Employers fully expect Congress to come back in a lame duck session after the November elections and jam through anti-business legislation.

First on the agenda:  card check legislation, which eliminates the secret ballot and allows union organizers to look over workers’ shoulders as they “vote” whether to form a union.

The unions call it the Employee Free Choice Act, but it is anything but free choice.

Even former U.S. Senator George McGovern, a liberal pro-union icon who was the 1972 Democrat presidential candidate, called card check fundamentally wrong.  He wrote in The Wall Street Journal:  “I spent some time running a hotel. It was an eye-opening introduction to something most business operators are all-too familiar with — the difficulty of controlling costs and setting prices in a weak economy. Despite my trust in government, I would have been alarmed by an outsider taking control of basic management decisions that determine success or failure in a business where I had invested my life savings.”

Also on the agenda may be some form of cap-and-trade legislation. This legislation would set emission limits for carbon dioxide and then charge a fee to manufacturers, utilities and others who exceed those limits. In Europe, this scheme has crippled competitiveness without improving air quality, yet Congress seems intent on implementing it anyway.

It seems today that in the president’s haste to set historic political landmarks, such as Obamacare, the impacts of those policies on employers are disregarded, even in the midst of a severe recession.

We asked the president’s representative to go back to Washington and tell Congress and the president to start listening rather than telling employers what’s best for them. Stop bashing business and stop all these new costly programs that the American people don’t want and can’t afford.

Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes, said it best in his recent column, “The Forgotten Employer.” Wrote Karlgaard:  “In a national debate about jobs and job creation hardly anyone is talking to the job creators about jobs. The forgotten man in this crisis is the employer.  We forget him at our peril.”

About the Author
Don Brunell is the president of the Association of Washington Business. Formed in 1904, the Association of Washington Business is Washington’s oldest and largest statewide business association, and includes more than 7,000 members representing 650,000 employees. AWB serves as both the state’s chamber of commerce and the manufacturing and technology association. While its membership includes major employers like Boeing, Microsoft and Weyerhaeuser, 90 percent of AWB members employ fewer than 100 people. More than half of AWB’s members employ fewer than 10. For more about AWB, visit www.awb.org.

1-800-DryClean features FREE pickup and delivery of your laundry and dry cleaning from your home or office.  “We are excited, and quite proud, to offer our neighbors this valuable service,” exclaims Tyler. “It doesn’t cost any more to have us pick up and deliver your laundry and dry cleaning.  It affords more time and freedom for our customers.  Just leave your laundry in one of our signature bright blue 1-800-DryClean laundry bag on your front porch, and we’ll do the rest.”

1-800-DryClean has been servicing neighborhoods all across America for over 10 years.  As part of a nationwide network of high quality garment cleaning service; quality and customer satisfaction are guaranteed.  “We make your precious garments fresh, clean and bright,” states Tyler.

Being environmentally friendly and saving the customer money is the driving force behind the opening of 1-800-DryClean.  By carpooling your clothes, you reduce your carbon footprint as well as save gas, time, and money by not going to the store.

1-800-DryClean also offers a full line of services, including alterations and repair, leather and suede cleaning, shoe repair, and wedding dress preservation.

Pamper yourself with the convenience of constantly having fresh, clean clothes… without driving to the dry cleaners.  It’s one less chore and costs less than going to the store!  It’s as easy as calling 1-800-DryClean.  For more information on the service, obtain valuable discounts, or schedule a pickup, visit the website at www.1-800-DryClean.com or call 1-800-DryClean.

About 1-800-DryClean:

1-800-DryClean is a member of Service Brands International (SBI), a group of companies that provide a variety of timesaving services for today’s busy consumer and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  1-800-DryClean has enjoyed tremendous business growth since its establishment in 2000 and now includes over 100 franchise locations nationwide.  1-800-DryClean has been the recipient of numerous awards for entrepreneurialism, supports many local based charities, and is a proud supporter of Dress For Success (the not-for-profit organization committed to helping underprivileged women take charge of their lives).  For more information, please call 877-382-8987 or visit www.1-800-DryClean.com.

Skin and Soul owners Darcy Kovacs and Michelle Richmond Jackling, life-long friends and Bellevue natives share a passion for tattoos and creative expression, longed to find an outlet for their passion. More than a year ago a discussion over their weekly coffee turned their passion into a dream and now that dream has become a reality… Skin and Soul.

The demographics of the body art industry have dramatically shifted which gives Skin and Soul  the opportunity to address an entirely different market than most studios. The reasons to get a tattoo or piercing are endless and as varied as human nature, imagination and emotion. Some choose it in commemoration of an event or time, to mark friendship or love, or even to prove something to oneself. We are honored to provide our customers with a space in which all these things can be explored and nurtured.

Skin and Soul is located on the corner of Bellevue Way and Main Street at 102 Bellevue Way NE Suite C Bellevue, Wa. 98004. Phone number – 425-453-1155. Hours are Tuesday thru Saturday 10:00am – 8:00pm and Friday and Saturday 8:00pm – 11:00 by appointment only.  Retail includes fine art, photography and gifts. Services include tattoo, piercing, massage and twice monthly henna tattooing.

www.skinandsoulonline.com inkme@skinandsoulonline.com

All performances will be conducted by Michael Miropolsky, Music Director and all performances except for the Messiah will be held at the Theatre at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA.  Tickets are available through Brown Paper Tickets 1-800-838-3006 (www.brownpapertickets.com) and at the door.

The Bellevue Philharmonic’s mission is to excite, enrich and entertain, through live orchestral music, all generations and communities on the Greater Eastside.