International News

The 2010 International Cosmos Prize was awarded to botanist Dr. Estella Leopold of the University of Washington.  The contents of the prize included a medallion and a monetary prize of approximately $500,000.

For more than 35 years, Dr. Leopold has been researching and teaching at the University of Washington’s biology department. As a palynologist and wilderness advocate, her most notable accomplishment is the advancing of her father’s (Aldo Leopold) work on the notion of Land Ethic.  Land Ethic refers to the belief that individuals are responsible for the health surrounding environment. The execution of the Land Ethic in the United States as well as the universal implication to the environment led to her award.

The annual award was announced by the Japan’s Expo’ 90 Foundation in Osaka. The foundation seeks to promote the “harmonious coexistence between nature and mankind”.

Pacific International Bank first opened its doors in November 2001 catering predominantly to Korean Americans. This fall, Pacific International Bank will expand PI Bank 2.0 to the Pacific Northwest with the help of a newly hired team. Steve Faust was hired as the new Chairman; Paul Sabado, will step in as the Executive Vice President and Chief Credit Officer and Kevin Hogan will be the Senior Vice President of Operations. Chairman Faust declared, “these new hires demonstrate our bank’s commitment to serving a broader market and attracting a multi-cultural business clientele.”  The new team all have considorable experience in the banking industry and will help initiate the most extensive marketing and branding campaign for the bank this year.

Presently located in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, the bank plans to expand to the broader mainstream small business market throughout the northwest region.  The bank will continue to maintain their strong relationship with the Korean American community.

While the Starbucks brand is clearly an international powerhouse, their global reach continues to grow. Beyond opening another one of their impressive 16,700+ coffeehouse locations in over 50 countries, Starbucks Corporation has announced two new international ventures. These new projects will focus on introducing Starbucks products to select international grocery stores.

Starbucks VIA, a ready brewed coffee product, first launched in Starbucks retail stores will make its debut in more than 2,000 Tesco stores throughout the United Kingdom.

The VIA product line took nearly 20 years to develop and will target coffee lovers who want convenience but feel the taste of conventional instant coffee falls short of their exceptional palate.

Likewise, Starbucks will be launching ORIGAMI Personal Drip, a single-use personal brewing system in grocery stores around Japan’s Kanto area.  Requiring no special equipment, ORIGAMI can be brewed over a mug using hot water.

Renton, Washington will be hosting their first annual Renton International Festival and Night Market from August 13-15. The international festival will encompass 50 booths, selling items ranging from food to merchandise to handicraft items. There will be a children’s corner for the little ones and an automobile exhibit for those interested in the latest car trends.

Kicking off the festival will be a traditional Chinese lion dance. Also scheduled to perform are the Northwest Sinfonietta, a Japanese Taiko group and other live bands and multicultural performances.

The festival will also pay tribute to Michael Jackson by having a “Michael Jackson Talent Search.”  Auditions for the “next king of pop” will be on August 14^th while finals will be announced on August 15^th.

Head to www.rentonfeset.com to find more details on the festival.

Amazon Fresh, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, was initially launched in August 2007 as a pilot program serving Mercer Island. The online grocer gradually gained momentum expanding its reach to suburbs of Kirkland, Bellevue and most Seattle zip codes. The convenience of at home shopping with same-day or next-day delivery is hard to deny. No wonder more and more lime green delivery trucks have been spotted on our local streets.

Amazon Fresh has announced an international expansion, opening their second branch in Britain. This hub will offer local residents access to 22,000 products via their mobile phone or home computer. Additionally, members paying 49 euros annually will receive free next-day delivery.

Although online supermarkets are a novelty in Seattle, this is not a new market in Britain. Amazon Fresh will have to compete against other online grocery retailers like Tesco and Ocado.

A hot Seattle’s Best Coffee drink in one hand and a sausage biscuit sandwich in the other? Coffee and breakfast go hand in hand which is why Seattle’s Best Coffee has inked a deal with Burger King to be the sole provider of coffee at all of their Canadian establishments this fall.

Canadians will enjoy freshly brewed premium coffee made from 100-percent arabica beans. The new breakfast menu will hopefully boost sales for the no. 2 burger chain in America.

Seattle’s Best Coffee was founded in 1970 and in 2003, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Starbucks Corporation. The coffee company has more than 550 cafes and kiosks in the U.S. and Canada.

The Seattle Symphony has been lead by Maestro Gerard Schwarz for 26 years. During his tenor as conductor, Schwarz helped weave the symphony into the threads of Seattle’s culture while improving the caliber of musicality. Under his rein, the symphony has achieved many accolades including numerous Grammy nominations, as well as winning two Emmy Awards.  Schwarz will leave his current position as Music Director at the end of the year and assume his new role as the Seattle Symphony’s Conductor Laureate.

To find Schwarz’s successor a 13-member search committee was compiled, chaired by former Washington State First Lady Nancy B. Evans. After meeting many talented candidates the year long hunt was over when the group unanimously voted for 36-year-old French conductor Ludovic Morlot. According to Evans, Morlot encapsulated three essential characteristics: a “passion for artistic excellence, an appreciation for the importance of community and audience, and the ability to represent Seattle Symphony internationally.” Morlot currently resides in Lyon, France with his family but will relocate to Seattle shortly. His strong international ties will certainly help garner more worldwide attention.

The Panama Canal’s expansion project is underway and Seattle-based company, North Star Equipment Inc. has been commissioned to make a dozen ice making machines and support equipment.  The ice will be “mixed with water for large concrete pours in hotter climates to keep the temperature within specified ranges so the concrete cures properly.” In total, approximately one hundred and seventy-seven million cubic feet of the concrete will be used. The widening of the Panama Canal is expected to be finished in 2014. The new locks will be 180 feet wide, 70 feet wider than it is currently.

North Star Equipment Inc., located in Georgetown, generates large volumes of ice globally. With 35 employees and $15 million in sales annually, this is North Star’s biggest contract.

The first Japanese diplomatic mission to the United States was exactly 150 years ago this year. To commemorate the 150^th anniversary, Seattle’s own cherry blossoms were chosen to be the first flower sent to the International Space Station.

The cherry blossoms were selected from three parks around the Seattle area: Seward Park, University of Washington and the Seattle Center. The collected cherry blossoms were preserved through the method of brining and on April 15^th, the flowers made the trip on the Space Shuttle “Discovery” STS-131 flight.

The flower viewing was done by method of “micro-gravity condition”  where “a golf-ball sized sphere of water is sustained in space with cherry blossoms inserted by the astronauts.”

Click here to see the journey of Seattle’s own cherry blossoms.

Last week, Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire announced a new state export initiative to complement the National Export Initiative (NEI) announced by President Obama earlier this year.  The NEI’s goal is to double U.S. exports by 2015. Washington state, already the nation’s fourth largest exporter and first per capita, will need to continue to play a leading role to achieve that ambitious goal.  Governor Gregoire’s initiative aims to increase the number of state companies exporting by 30 percent.  The Washington state initiative six point plan includes:

• serving as a pilot state for the NEI by testing new tools and programs of the federal government
• providing additional resources for counseling assistance to companies seeking to export for the first time
• implement a “farm-to-market initiative” to enhance the competitiveness of the state’s agricultural enterprises in the international marketplace
• enhancing the state’s standing as a destination for foreign students (Washington currently ranks 14th among states for attracting international students)
• strengthening and expanding relationships with overseas trading partners

Of course, the Trade Alliance and other international organizations in the region, are playing their part to help our state and nation increase exports, whether it is through organizing outbound business missions or working with overseas businesses coming to our region.