Dinner with a view of the Acropolis

We were on one of those interminable travel days to Europe which by the time you actually arrive, you are so exhausted, so gritty and need a toothbrush so badly.  After switching planes three times and traveling for over 20 hours, the reward was checking into the beautiful Hotel Grand Bretagne in Athens which has been completely remodeled since we last stayed there around 10 years ago.

We decided that we needed to eat something before crashing so ventured to the roof-top garden restaurant where we were seated outside on the terrace with a stunning view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon.  There was a slight breeze and it was the perfect temperature.  We ordered two glasses of a Greek rose wine (which was very good) and sipped the wine while we drank in the beauty of the view.  As we shared a Greek salad (Why do Greek salads always taste so much better when actually in Greece??), the sky turned a pinkish, lavendar hue behind the Acropolis.  As the sun sank a bit lower, the spotlights on the Acropolis came on and it really was a magical view.  The photos didn't really capture the variations of light and color, but I can still see them clearly in my mind's eye.

Cathi & Reb

We enjoyed dinner there so much our first night, so we arranged to have dinner there again with Rebecka & Bruce Milne on our second evening in Athens and also ran into Nancy & Mark Pellegrino.  It really was a spectacular view! 




Nancy & Mark

 

Meet the Schei - Man!




The Schei-man, the Hatchman and the Panamera

One of our dear family friends is Kjell Schei.  Kjell is a family member and business partner with our other great family friend, Jimmy Barrier, and runs the Porsche dealership for Barrier Motors.  This of course gives Ken (aka "The Hatchman" as designated by Jimmy Barrier) a reason to visit the Porsche dealership rather frequently and drool over the gorgeous, hot cars.  Kjell and Ken are always negotiating options and prices on each new model.

Ken's current favorite is the sleek Porsche Panamera which actually carries four passengers very comfortably.  I have ridden in the back seat several times when Jimmy and Patty have picked us up to take us to events together, and the back seat is roomy and I didn't feel even the least bit crowded.  It is a hot, ufast car however, and I love to drive it myself.

Kjell is also known as "The Schei-man", also designated by Jimmy Barrier.  We have another friend who was in the meat business for years whom Jimmy still refers to as "The Meatman", but that is another story.  Kjell is also a great golfer.  I haven't had the chance to play golf with him this summer, but I still recall a fun game we played at Overlake Golf Club a couple of years ago or so when it had gotten so dark that we really couldn't even see the ball until we walked right on top of it after each of our hits.

Is it a done deal??

Schei-man does not mean "shy" however since Kjell knows just about everybody in the area.  A couple of weeks ago, Ken and I ran into Kjell at Cantinetta, the hot new restaurant on Old Main in Bellevue as I mentioned in my recent blog posting.  And of course, Kjell was connected to everyone there that evening including the restauranteur, Trevor Greenwood.

Now about that Porsche Panamera . . .

Molly & Marco - The Perfect Pair

Ken, Susan Neumann, CK Coles

It was a beautiful evening for a wedding shower dinner for Molly McEachron and Marco Salazar at the lakeside home of Joyce & Doug McCallum.  Molly is the daughter of our good friends, Carol & Spike Anderson.  She and Marco are planning an October wedding at the Edgewater Hotel and looked so happy together.  

Along with Joyce and Doug, the party was also co-hosted by Susan & Gary Neumann, Nancy & Van Strom, and Suzy & Moe Krabbe.  In addition to the delicious dinner and expected shower gifts, the guests got into the spirit of the evening by sharing advice for the soon-to-be-newlyweds.

Molly & Marco

Suzy & Moe shared their points rating system for determining how important a particular event or decision is to the other.  Ken and I talked about how important humor is in diffusing what could otherwise be an unpleasant situation.  We talked about him recently mixing up his pain pills and diuretic pills and popping additional pills (that he thought were for pain) when the pain in his knee just wouldn't go away and then wondering why he was getting so many leg cramps and having to go to the bathroom every few minutes.  I still can't help giggling over that one!  He was so cranky!

Jim & CK Coles

One of the better stories was one that CK Coles told while Jim Coles kept interrupting throughout her story to exclaim that "This is a true story!" about a time when they were hosting a dinner party at their home for Jim's business associates.  You will have to ask CK to share the story because I'm sure the "blog censors" would not approve of my sharing the language that she used.

Best wishes and happiness always, Molly & Marco!

Sparkle and Spice --- Bollywood in Bellevue

Cathi & Ahktar

Tonight Ken and I attended the Sparkle & Spice- Bollywood In Bellevue Gala co-chaired by Alka Badshah and Sita Vashee who led the "ICE Girls" to produce a beautiful partyto benefit Tateuchi Center.  The other ICE Girls include Manisha Chainani, Gillian Fernandes, Mona Nadkarni and Leena Porwal.  The ICE (Indian Community Eastside) Committee has committed to raising $1 million toward the capital campaign for a naming gift inside the new Tateuchi Center slated to break ground in Fall, 2011 and have raised $700k to date.

The invitations and programs were a gorgeous design, bejeweled on exquisite papers.  The female guests were encouraged to wear "glitter and glamour".  I was so glad that I chose to wear a Luly Yang design that is embellished with lots of sequins and bugle beads.  It seemed to fit in just fine with the incredible jeweled saris and formal Indian attire.  The female Indian guests arrived with bindis (the forehead jewels) attached already, but there were plenty of bindis to go around so soon all the women attending had bedecked themselves with bindis as well.  Thank you Cheryl Engstrom for sharing one of yours with me!  The men also wore long silk, tasseled scarves of varying hues and there were enough to go around so all the men had a scarf, even the Hatchman.


Jeff Doud & The Hatchman



The fantastic-looking food buffets included four separate themed buffets; From India with Love, Monsoon Grilling, Orient Express and Sleepless in Seattle.  Though we loved pretty much everything, the guests at our table were crazy about the fig jam and grilled ciabatta bread. 

We saw lots of people that we knew including Betty Freeman, Jane Hague & Ed Springman, Charles & Delphine Stevens, andof course Alka & Ahktar Badshah.  The Tateuchi Center Executive Team were there including CEO John Haynes and his wife Lori, and Director of Development, Linda Bonomi.

New people we met were a member of the Tateuchi Center ACT II Fundraising Guild, Lisbeth Morrow-Nold who had just the right bangles and bindis, and Jeff Doud and his wife, Sarah.  We also enjoyed seeing the dance group, Pratidhwani perform differnt forms of Indian dances ranging from regional folk dance to classical.

Lizabeth Morrow-Nold

The Hatchman and I left before we heard the total amount raised this evening, but I know it will be impressive!  Congratulations to the entire ICE Committee!





My Favorite Things from ZZIF

Today I just received the YouTube of Jon Doll's performance of his original song and lyrics, "On The Shoulders of Angel Investors" that we kicked off the ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum last week.  I may be biased, but I think it is fantastic and the lyrics are so appropriate for investors and entrepreneurs.  You can view it HERE.

Three of my other favorite things from ZZIF were our panels.  I thought that each panel was extremely interesting and that the audience was really enjoying their questions and input.

David Mackuen's Five-Minute presentation of BuiltBurger right before lunch.  It was a great presentation and he won the ZINO Zenith Award for Best Presenter.  But it also started stomachs growling and made everyone realize how famished we all were.

The ZINOpreneurs' presentations are always one of my favorite things and I love the Five-Minute pitches!  But this time, I was also hugely impressed with how much information the Two-Minute presenters were able to share in such a limited time.

The support of our ZINO Society sponsors is incredibly important, because we would not be able to produce ZZIF without their support.  What a great group of people!

Another BIG thank you to everyone who helped make ZZIF so successful this year.

Selections, Presentations, Projections, Entrepreneurs, Angel Investors

What a busy day!  I began the day at the judges' selection meeting for Puget Sound Business Journal's upcoming "Women of Influence" recognition awards.  Along with fellow judges Jeff Raikes, Phyllis Campbell, Constance Rice, and from Puget Sound Business Journal, Emory Thomas, Patti Payne and Becky Monk,, we selected 15 incredible women out of over 130 submissions (a stack of paper two inches tall!) to be featured at this year's big dinner event scheduled for November 18th in Bellevue.  I can't share with you who was selected since it is a surprise, but watch for the Puget Sound Business Journal insert announcing the winners soon.

After multiple meetings and getting ready for our ZINO Annual Angel Fund Investors' meeting tomorrow to begin due diligence on some of our ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum (ZZIF) Fund Finalists, I ended the day by attending the enterpriseSeattle quarterly Board meeting at the new PATH headquarters followed by the Atlas Accelerator Open House at Twist in Belltown.  I was impressed with some of the projected 2011 gains expected shared at the enterpriseSeattle Board meeting which included employment growth of 1.5% and retail sales increase of 4.4%.  It was also nice to catch up with other board members, David Allen, Arlan Collins, Casey Badger and Chris Rivera, and new President and CEO, Jeff Marcell.

At the Atlas Accelerator event, it was fascinating to hear three minute updates from 18 separate company CEOs.  I counted 10 out of the list that have also presented to ZINO Society investors and guests at some point during the past five years. What an impressive group!  I especially liked the program featuring three-minute pitches; just the right length of time to get enough information, but not too long.  In addition to saying hello to several of the entrepreneurs, it was also nice to catch up with Mike Crill, Gary Ritner, Dan Rosen, and Gregg and Lauren Bennett.

Tateuchi Center will be Gorgeous!

Betty Freeman, Delphine Stevens, Cathi Hatch,
 Karen Lytle, John Haynes, Joan Wallace

Yesterday, I attended a small ladies' luncheon at Karen Lytle's beautiful house on Hunts Point  to get an "insiders' peek" at the design of our future performing arts center on the Eastside - The Tateuchi Center.  Karen and I are both on the PACE Board (now renamed The Tateuchi Center Board) and along with fellow board member, Ann Gores, and a few other ladies from the neighborhood, had the opportunity to see the vision of what the performing arts center will look like both inside and out.  All the models were there for us to see which makes it so much easier to understand what the finished product will be.

Jan Sinegal, Dorothy Fluke, Ann Gores

Also attending the luncheon were Dorothy Fluke, Delphine Stevens, Jan Sinegal, Joan Wallace, and Betty Freeman.  Each of these women have great depth in the community so it was interesting to hear their perspectives and questions on the project.   

Linda Bonomi, Director of Development and John Haynes, President & CEO of The Tateuchi Center were there to answer questions and Gili Meerovitch, with Pfeifer Partners Architects (PPA) from Los Angeles did an amazing job as the outside expert and provided a woman’s point of view when discussing the architecture and interiors.  It was interesting to hear how much work she has done to research the history of Bellevue in order to bring those roots visually to the space.  And it was great fun to have the samples there to see and touch.  How exciting it will be to see The Tateuchi Center open and operating!


Gili Meerovitch, Pfeifer Partners Architects

 

Wanted! Dogs that are CRAZY about Balls.




Sally Behnke, Betty Boettler, Dottie Simpson

 

ARCS Scholar

Last night, Ken and I attended the ARCS September dinner meeting at the Sunset Club.  We sat with Patty & Jimmy Barrier and some of the founder doyennes of ARCS including Carol Wright, Dottie Simpson, Sally Behnke, Jan Bauermeister and Betty Boettler.  We heard a couple of our ARCS scholars speak about how important the ARCS funding has been to them as they pursue their advanced degrees.

"Casey"

The keynote speaker was Dr. Sam Wasser, Center Director, who oversees a comprehensive and non-invasive wildlife detection program of the University of Washington at the Center for Conservation Biology called Conservation Canines.  He brought "Casey," one of the dogs used to locate endangered species all over the world.  According to their brochure, "The ideal scat detection dog is intensely focused and has an insatiable urge to play.  their obsessive, high-energy personalities make them difficult to maintain as a family pet, so they often end up at the shelter with euthanasia the most likely outcome.  The single-minded drive of these dogs makes them perfect Conservation Canines.  They are happy to work all day traversing plains, climbing up mountains, clambering over rocks and fallen trees, and trekking through snow, all with the expectation of reward - playing with their ball - after successfully locating wildlife scat." 

It was fascinating to hear how the scientists find and select the dogs that they train.  They generally look in shelters and one of Sam's associates will walk among the dog cages bouncing a ball while the other associate will follow and try to engage the dogs by talking with them.  The dog that stays focused on the ball and ignores the second person that is trying to "make nice" is the dog that they want in the program.  They then train the dogs that they will get the ball once they locate the scent of the animal scat they are tracking.

This is valuable to porvide information to address conservation issues because the scientists have the ability to extract a wide variety of genetic and physiological information about species abundance, distribution, resource use, and health all in relation to the environmental pressures the species is encountering.

Fetch!

19 Years Later, JLS Unveils New Logo

Susan Evani, Diamond Tiara Award Winner

Tonight I had the opportunity to attend the Junior League of Seattle Fall Kick-Off meeting at beautiful Daniels Recital Hall in downtown Seattle.  There were around 300 women in attendance and in traditional Junior League fashion, there was food and wine to share before the meeting.  We were also greeted with an organ recital by Mark Anderson, artist-in-residence.

As Natalie Bowman, 2010-2011 Junior League of Seattle President, began the meeting, she recognized JLS member, Susan Evani, with the "Diamond Tiara" award for going above and beyond expectations.  A highlight of the evening was the unveiling of the new Junior League of Seattle logo.  Unveiling a new JLS logo, took me back to my JLS President-Elect year 19 years ago when I asked Terry Heckler of Heckler Associates, branding stategist of  Starbucks and Cinnabon fame, to design a new JLS logo pro bono.  I can still remember jumping through many hoops to seek membership input and support and know that Natalie and her team have had to do the same thing.



JLS President, Natalie Bowman

 An impressive factoid that Natalie shared is that there are 180 Provisional members in the JLS Provisional class this fall.  This is one of the largest if not the largest Provisional class in the entire United States.  It will be exciting to watch the leaders that will germinate from such a large group.

In addition to my remarks about volunteer leadership and accessing the skills that we learn through our volunteer activities in business later such as I have in ZINO Society, the other speaker was a first year Active JLS member, Bernadette Merikle, who received the "Provisional of the Year" award last year and now this year is representing Washington State in the AJLI Vision 2020 initiative.  Though Bernadette professed social ineptitude, she charmed the entire audience with her humor and her warm smile.

Bernadette Merikle

I was struck with the energy in the room and the enormous potential of each of these current and future leaders and remember having similar feelings of awe when I was President of the Junior League of Seattle all those years ago.

And the ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum Winners are . . .

After a full day of watching and interacting with presenting entrepreneurs and demo table entrepreneurs at ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum on Wednesday, we adjourned downstairs to the Bell Harbor Conference Center International Promenade for the "Spiels and Suds" segment of the ZZIF agenda featuring entrepreneur demo tables and beer from Pike Brewing Company and K & L Distributors followed by the Awards and Wine Reception featuring eight wineries.  Featured wineries included Woodward Canyon Winery, DeLille Cellars, Lachini Vineyards, Sparkman Cellars, San Juan Vineyards, 428 Wines, Cave B Winery and Pepper Bridge Winery.

Coaches Dave Watt, Skip Walter, Vin Ricci

At the Awards and Wine Reception, the first awards presented were to the ZZIF Coaches who worked with the entrepreneurs to ensure that their presentations would be concise and compelling.  Executive Vice President, Kristie Lanum, and I presented Coaches' Awards for "Winningest Coach" to Vin Ricci, "Special Teams Coach" to Dave Watts and Jackson Weaver (tie) and "Rookie of the Year Coach" to Skip Walter.

Craig Rominger, NanoICE for Best Investment
David Makuen for Best Presenter

The next awards presented were the ZINO Zenith Awards which were voted on by all the ZZIF attendees for Best Presentation to David Makuen of BuiltBurger and Best Investment Opportunity to Craig Rominger of NanoICE, Inc. 

ZZIF Fund Finalists Kevin Veon, Adam Stein, Keith McCall,
Ken Childress, Max Lyon, Craign Rominger

And the final ZZIF awards presented were the ZINO Zillionaire Fund Finalists Awards selected by the fund investors to Kevin Veon of Banshee Bungee, Max Lyon of FiatLux Imaging, Adam Stein of IMOS, Keith McCall of Enroute Systems, Ken Childress of Harbor Wing Technologies, and Craig Rominger of NanoIce, Inc.  The fund investors will now complete due diligence within the next month on the finalist companies with the goal of awarding the $100,000 fund split between the two best investment opportunities they select.

ZZIF - The Panelists Rocked!

Angel investors at ZZIF

On Wednesday, ZINO Society produced our biggest event of the year, ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum.  I was so proud of the ZINO Society Z-Team, each of the entrepreneurs who presented, and each panelist who spoke.  ZZIF Zillionaire sponsor, Bell Harbor Conference Center did a great job of hosting our event and the Bay Auditorium was the ideal location for the ZINOpreneur presentations to a roomful of investors and business professionals.  The International Promenade housed demo tables for the 20 5-minute featured entrepreneur presenters, the 10 2-minute back-of-the-napkin entrepreneur presenters, plus another 13 demo table only participating entrepreneurs.

David Allen, Troy Hartzell, John Otter, Petra Franklin,
Alan Smith, John Cook

I have already detailed the list of presenting ZINOpreneurs in previous blog posts here and here, but wanted to share the impressive list of panelists with you.  Our first panel was the Due Diligence LIVE! panel sponsored by Fenwick & West which included Alan Smith of Fenwick & West, David Allen of McKinstry, Troy Hartzell of Evolution Capital Advisors, Petra Franklin of Vault Capital, John Otter of Commerce Bridge Company and John Cook of TechFlash.  Their role was to ask quick follow-up questions after each ZINOpreneur presented and they did an excellent job of doing just that.



Gregg Bennett, Charles Finkelstein,

Brad Harlow, Byron McCann, Peter Ueberroth



Our second panel was the Angel Investor panel entitled "The Naked Truth - Getting the Skinny on Angel Investor Wins and Losses" which included panelists Gregg Bennett, angel investor currently running for Washington State Senate, Charles Finkelstein, previously of Microsoft, Brad Harlow of B. Harlow & Associates, Byron McCann of Ascent Partners Group, Dan Rosen of Dan Rosen & Associates and Peter Ueberroth of the Contrarian Group.  Peter Ueberroth was our featured angel panelist and we were so pleased to have him and two members of his Contrarian Group team join him to look at potential angel investments.

The responses from the angel investor panelists were fascinating as they discussed angel investment deals that went right and what was the tipping point for them to actually invest and investment deals that went wrong and what were the primary causes.  Several investors cited the biggest problem they faced with deals that went wrong was the CEO becoming uncommunicative once things were not going as well as hoped.  When Dan Rosen mentioned the company's name (Delve, previously known as Pluggd when it presented at ZZIF 2006) as a deal that went wrong, unfortunately he set off a firestorm of TechFlash blog posts and comments both attacking the company and attacking him personally.  You can read the postings here.

Bill Bryant, Andy Dale, Warren Gouk, Ron Howell,
Dan Kingston, Rick LeFaivre, Gregg Semler

Our final panel comprised of VCs who were to listen to two separate flights of "Back-of-the-Napkin Pitches" and select the company from each flight that they felt was most investable (at this stage with the limited information that they had after listening for only 2 minutes and looking at one powerpoint slide).  Panelists included Bill Bryant of Draper-Fisher Jurvetson, Andy Dale of Montlake Capital, Warren Gouk of Enclarity, Ron Howell of Washington Research Foundation, Daniel Kingston of Vulcan Capital, Rick LeFaivre of OVP Venture Partners and Gregg Semler of Pivotal Investments.  It was impressive to hear the individual choices and what the primary factors were in selecting which companies.  Each panelist sounded absolutely credible justifying his choices after only two minutes of information.

Hearing the insights that the prestigious ZZIF panelists shared throughout the day was worth the price of admission!



Ron Howell, Dan Kingston, Rick LeFaivre

Don't Miss the Dessert!

Last night Ken and I decided it was time to have dinner at the new neighborhood restaurant on old Main St. in Belleuve, Cantinetta.  We arrived in a downpour (this is Seattle after all) and with no valet parking available, I had to park quite a distance away in a space that was not really a legal parking space.  Valet parking would be a huge asset for diners since available public parking in this neighborhood is minimal.

As I dropped Ken off in front of the restaurant, he was greeted by Tiffany and Dan Sandal, who were just leaving and he followed Steve Ballmer into the restaurant.  The restaurant was full and it was quite a "who's who in Bellevue" scene.  Korynne and Jeff Wright along with Korynne's parents were seated shortly after we were seated.  They were celebrating the outcome selected by the Seattle Center's Century 21 Committee Review Panel as their sole recommendation for the vacated South Fun forest site. Dan McConnell has written a good blog post about this arduous process that you can read here and the Seattle Times did a detailed article which you can read here.

John Sabey and his family were seated at the table next to the Wrights.  Just a few more tables down the row, Susan and Jeff Brotman were dining.  And then a few minutes later, Kjell Schei accompanied by beautiful Keely walked in followed by Larissa Turville and a group of women friends.  We also waved to Columba McGlynn, Cantinetta Ambassador, as he breezed by into the bar.

The food was fantastic.  We shared their version of a tomato and mozzarella salad, which was exquisite with mizuna greens, house-made burrata cheese and Heirloom tomatoes in a perfectly balanced vinaigrette.  Ken ordered the Tagliatelle pasta with corn, shitake mushrooms and pancetta and I ordered the Papparadelle pasta with Bolognese sauce.  Each was extremely flavorful; though we both liked the Papparadelle the best.  We had seen a neighboring table share a dessert that looked like sugared donut holes, so after dinner we decided to do the same.  This was definitely the piece de resistance!  The Zeppole were served warm with large crystals of sugar coating them.  When we cut into them, a Nutella and mascarpone sauce came pouring out and these were truly plate-licking good.  We didn't actually lick the plate but wanted to.  Next time I go to Cantinetta, I plan to start with dessert and I don't plan to share!

Back-of-the-Napkin Presentations at ZZIF

This year at ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum (ZZIF), we are trying something new.  In addition to our traditional 5-minute presentations by entrepreneurs vying for the ZZIF $100,000 Angel Investment Fund, there will be an additional group of 2-minute "Back-of-the-Napkin" presentations by entrepreneurs who are also seeking funding but not eligible for the ZZIF Investment Fund.  A VC Panel including Bill Bryant, Andy Dale, Rick LeFaivre, Warren Gouk, Ron Howell, Daniel Kingston and Gregg Semler will provide immediate feedback to the presenting entrepreneurs about which of these early-stage companies appear to be most ready for investment and what the tipping point is for them in making their decisions.

Here is the list of the ZZIF "Back-of-the-Napkin" Presenters:

1. Bella Vista Software: Developer of digital photo software for use on iPhone, iPad and Apple computers.  Will be presented by Robert Zollo
2. Choopy Games:  A software company developing a free to play massively multi-player online game.  Will be presented by Don Le
3. Grape Quest: Mobile Wine App that optimizes the wine tasting experience by integrating the most current search, map, and GPS functions.  Will be presented by Shona Milne
4. InterviewStudio: Software vendor of online presentation tools, with first application (HR/Recruiting app) that displays everything about a job candidate on one very cool interactive screen.  Will be presented by Coleen Aylward
5. Maragas Winery:  Craft winery and event center pioneering viticulture in Central Oregon.  Will be presented by Doug Maragas
6. Moderation Technologies Inc.:  Moderation Technologies sells products which allow people to better manage and control some of their problematic or excessive behaviors.  Will be presented by Scott Walker
7. NADAC Systems LLC:  NADAC Systems LLC has developed a new control system and identification method that increases building security and allows energy distribution based on real occupancy.  Will be presented by Miodrag Ognjenovic
8. Pacific Equity Partners LLC:  Real estate investment firm that focus on acquisition of B & C class multi-family properties as well as deeds of trust securing such assets. Will be presented by Adam Gardulski
9. ProGyr:  Aural biofeedback providing a Kinesthetic Learning Platform.  Will be presented by Pete Handel
10. Wisemuv, Inc.:  We help people make smart decisions fast.  Will be presented by Chirag Pancholi

Jerry's 28th Opening Night Concert & Gala

Last night, Ken and I attended the Seattle Symphony Orchestra Opening Night Concert & Gala honoring Maestro Gerard Schwarz in his farewell season as SSO Music Director.  Ken and I both think so highly of Jerry and wife Jody, that we wanted to be there for a spectacular evening featuring mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves and cellist Julian Schwarz, as well as the Benaroya Hall debut of the Maestro's own composition, The Human Spirit.

Ruth Gerberding, Dave Davis, Bill Gerberding

The concert was truly spectacular as promised with two world premieres.  In addition to Jerry's, The Human Spirit, which featured the Northwest Boys' Choir, Seattle Girls' Choir and more, the orchestra also performed composer in residence, Samuel Jones' world premiere of "Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra" featuring Jerry & Jody's son, Julian Schwarz.  Julian, who is now taller than his father and critics say "is destined to rank among the major cellists of the 21st century" was extraordinary.  I was astonished watching his amazing artistic skill and thinking how quickly times passes, remembering that I attended his bris when he was only a few days old.

Jane Davis & Ken

Following the concert, we caught up with long-time friends, Jane & Dave Davis and Ruth & Bill Gerberding over cocktails and then joined SSO Board Chair, Leslie Chihuly, at her table for dinner with friends Patti Payne, Betty Tong, Tom Barstow, Leo van Dorp and Linda Stevens.  We both especially enjoyed the toasts and tributes to Jerry and the photo slides of various stages in his life.  Our lives are intertwined, but that is an opportunity for another blog post later.

Patti Payne & Betty Tong

Meanwhile, we look forward to enjoying his farewell season along with his vast number of supporters and friends.

Happy Birthday Omar!

Yesterday afternoon, on our way to the black tie Seattle Symphony Orchestra black tie Gala, (you can read about that here), Ken and I went to the Mercer Island home of Christine & Omar Lee to celebrate Omar's 60th birthday aboard their new boat, the Aqua Villa.  Since we knew the boat had taken four long years to build, we both looked forward to seeing it.

We were a little overdressed for the occasion and the beautiful 85' cruiser was out on a very long dock, which was problematic for Ken who is still planning his knee replacement surgery and for me as I had on very tall spikey heels which kept going between the slats on the dock, so had to walk on my tiptoes to avoid getting stuck while Ken leaned on me for support.  This is definitely a good exercise to challenge calf muscles!

Cathi, Omar, Randy & Sheila James, Ken

Once at the boat, it required some agility to actually board the boat because the aft step was a substantial step down and distance from the dock.  We decided that this was not a good idea for Ken to attempt to cross this chasm, so a chair was brought out on the dock for him to sit on, where he was served a glass of wine and proceeded to greet guests as they came and went.

Michael Ho, a good friend of the Lees served as a strong arm to assist people on and off the boat, so (sans spikey heels) I had the opportunity to tour the beautiful vessel and see the staterooms, galley and salons.  On the landing at the bottom of the stairs leading to the staterooms was a striking map of the world in intricate stonework on the floor and on the ceiling the celestial skies painted by Omar himself with tiny lights for constellations.

The Aqua Villa

There was a birthday dinner following which Ken and I had to miss this time, but most importantly we were so pleased to have the chance to wish Omar a very happy 60th birthday!

ZINOpreneur of the Week: Laurence Ranta

One of our ZINO Society featured ZINOpreneurs this week is Laurence Ranta, President/CEO of Vioguard. Laurence will be one of the 5 minute presenters at the upcoming ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum (ZZIF) on September 15th at Bell Harbor Conference Center. We asked him to share the answers to a few questions about his company.

What is your one-sentence elevator pitch? . . . Vioguard makes good profits by developing products using ultra-violet technology to save lives, reduce the spread of infectious disease and reducing absenteeism in the workplace.

How did you come up with the idea for your company? . . . The idea came from the National Health Service (the largest employer in the world) approached Microsoft about producing 800,000 self–sanitizing keyboards.

The word that best describes your company culture is . . . we are seasoned “type A” veterans that are committed to the company and its goal and all have a mutual respect for each other in our various fields of expertise.

In one sentence, how are you different from your competition? . . . Unlike any competitor, our keyboard cleans itself from all harmful bacteria and viruses after each and every use, therefore, eliminating the keyboard as a transmission point for the spread of disease.

What is the biggest challenge you face? . . . Leveraging marketing and sales opportunities within the bounds of fiscal prudence.

How much money have you raised to date? . . . $3M

If someone gave your company $3 million tomorrow, how would you use the money? . . . Mass produce cost reduced product aimed at customers beyond the medical market and tie up major distributors globally in both health care and non medical markets.

What is the oddest or most unusual thing about your company? . . . We see the light and it is purple.

What is one thing missing from your business? . . . Strategic partners with an established presence in the global medical market.

Why will your company be successful? . . . We are tenacious type “A” personalities and know that we have an major solution to a growing global problem.

ZINOpreneur of the Week: Burt Hamner

One of our ZINO Society featured ZINOpreneurs this week is Burt Hamner, Founder and CEO of Hydrovolts, Inc. and the winner of the ZINO Green 2009 Investment Fund.  Burt will be one of the 5 minute presenters at the upcoming ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum (ZZIF) on September 15th at Bell Harbor Conference Center. We asked him to respond to a few questions about his company.


What is your one-sentence elevator pitch? . . . New portable hydropower technology to tap an overlooked global energy resource of water currents in canals.

How did you come up with the idea for your company? . . . I directed a study of tidal energy generation for Tacoma Power and concluded that freshwater canals are a better energy resource than tidal currents, and I invented a new turbine that is ideal for canals.

The word that best describes your company culture is . . . Teamwork

In one sentence, how are you different from your competition? . . . Our unique turbine technology and award-winning business plan enables us to grow fast in thousands of locations, creating big economies of scale and significant barriers to future competitors.

What is the biggest challenge you face? . . . Creating the right technical team within company so we can reduce use of outside experts.

How much money have you raised to date? . . . $300k already, $500k in pipeline, $100k in various services.

If someone gave your company $3 million tomorrow, how would you use the money? . . . Salaries for new VP Engrg, VP Ops, VP Sales; R&D, patents, demonstration projects, global business development, first production run, contingency fund.

What is the oddest or most unusual thing about your company? . . . We are actually going to launch a new renewable energy resource, not just a business - turbines in canals around the world will be a totally new energy resource, and the world does not know it yet.

What is one thing missing from your business? . . . A great engineer who understands designing for conditions in third-world countries as well as US canal systems.

Why will your company be successful? . . . We will execute our award-winning business plan with help from a remarkable group of business partners and supporters , so we can punch way above our weight and hit our milestones quickly and confidently. For example, in August we signed up Harvard School of Engineering, MIT, and the Raytheon corporation in development agreements. All three are potential customers as well as developers. We have product inquiries from 18 countries so far because people see our technology (www.youtube.com/hydrovolts ) and they understand immediately that here is an honest-to-god new renewable energy source they can now tap with our products. If you got a canal, we got a turbine for you.

ZINOpreneur of the Week: Greg Stewart

One of our ZINO Society featured ZINOpreneurs this week is Greg Stewart, Managing Member of Orbiter LLC.  Greg will be one of the 5 minute presenters at the upcoming ZINO Zillionaire Investment Forum (ZZIF) on September 15th at Bell Harbor Conference Center. We asked him to respond to a few questions about his company.


What is your one-sentence elevator pitch? . . . Orbiter provides RFID product to the military, non-profits and schools.

How did you come up with the idea for your company? . . . The military required a solution for automating Fitness Assessment testing approximately 1.7 million active service people bi-annually.

The word that best describes your company culture is . . . “Crew”

In one sentence, how are you different from your competition? . . . Orbiter’s patented upright method is easier to use because it does not require the use of mats to read RFID chips.

What is the biggest challenge you face? . . . Building a world-wide channel to sell product.

How much money have you raised to date? . . . $850,000

If someone gave your company $3 million tomorrow, how would you use the money? . . . Execution: Marketing and sales, A/R finance on product with 65% margin. Lease finance to credit worthy / secured entities.

What is the oddest or most unusual thing about your company? . . . Lack of a sizeable burn rate as $850,000 has been invested. For this small investment denominator, working product is delivered, and world class customers have made repeat sales.

What is one thing missing from your business? . . . Employees. Orbiter uses independent contractors that sign IP agreements, and meet Department of Labor and IRS rules.

Why will your company be successful? . . . Patent that allows sole source contracts with the military. Focus on sustainable growth, profitability, and positive cash flow sales.