The Biz Buzz

The News Tribune Business Team will keep you updated on what's happening in the South Sound and beyond. Check here for news about economic development, aerospace, shopping and much more.

Talk to us
Got something to say? Here's the place to say it. We welcome your comments on what's going on in business in the South Sound that we should be discussing, reporting or analyzing here on our blog or in the pages of The News Tribune.

Contributors

Marce Edwards is the business editor. She has been at The News Tribune for seven years and has written about technology and big businesses in the South Sound including Weyerhaeuser and Russell. Before moving to Tacoma, she worked at The Idaho Statesman in Boise. She is a Northwest native who likes to garden and refuses to use an umbrella. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and two kids.

C.R. Roberts is a Tacoma native. Before joining The News Tribune, he worked as a freelance writer and part-time cowhand on a cattle ranch in Northern Idaho. He writes about small business, personal finance and other business issues.

John Gillie writes about the aerospace and airline industries, commercial development and consumer issues. During his 30-year-tenure at The News Tribune he has covered issues as diverse as the Native American fishing rights disputes, crime and the courts, the wood products industry and energy. He lived in Tacoma with his family for 25 years, but now lives in Kent because his wife heads a five-state non-profit foundation headquartered in Ballard, and it only seemed a sensible compromise to make considering their workplaces are 40 miles apart.

Kelly Kearsley has been a business reporter at The News Tribune since 2005. She covers the Port of Tacoma and international trade. Being born and raised in Spokane she’s used to living in cities with inferiority complexes and, in fact, prefers it. Prior to working at The News Tribune, she spent three years as a reporter for The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon and another year working stints for The Associated Press and Seattle Times. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and miniature schnauzer.

Calendar
July 2009
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
 << < Current> >>
      1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8 9 10 11
12 13 14 15 16 17 18
19 20 21 22 23 24 25
26 27 28 29 30 31  
Archives
XML Feeds
What is RSS?
Misc
Who's Online?
  • MrSinister Email
  • Guest Users: 439
Get the most up-to-date news, insights and analysis of Tacoma, Pierce County and South Puget Sound business.
Friday, July 17th, 2009
Posted by C.R. Roberts @ 04:28:48 pm

Here's some good news: Prices are down.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is out this week with its inflation numbers. In the Tacoma-Bremerton-Seattle area, overall numbers in the Consumer Price Index were down 0.4 percent between June of 2008 and 2009.

Among the greatest declines: household energy was down 0.2 percent in the area over the year; furniture and household operations were down 3.5 percent, and gasoline was down 33.6 percent.

For the past two months, however, prices have been drifting upward. In May and June, alcoholic beverages were up 2.3 percent and gasoline rose 22.7 percent, the BLS said.

In May alone, gasoline rose 12.9 percent.

The cost of groceries was up 2.9 percent over the entire year, but fell 0.5 percent in May and June, and 0.3 percent in June.

Categories: General
Posted by Kathleen Cooper @ 03:30:05 pm

During DaVita's initial search for new office space two years ago, the company examined 30 different sites in the Puget Sound Region and found no viable spots in downtown Tacoma.

Company vice president and controller Jim Hilger shared that detail among others Friday during the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber's City Center Luncheon at the Pacific Grill Events Center. He was among several presenters during the luncheon, which was themed "Experience Life Locally."

Hilger, who grew up and lives in Tacoma, used his time to explain how and why the Denver-based DaVita made its decision to keep its largest business offices downtown.

=> Read more!