As the official support publication of Whatcom Business Alliance, we report on business and commerce issues and features throughout Whatcom County.
06/05/2025
FEATURE STORY! In the current issue of Business Pulse magazine, read about Oyster Creek Canvas Company and how an entrepreneur turned a love for boats into a thriving marine canvas company: businesspulse.com/oyster-creek-canvas-company/. Story by Matt Benoit. Photo credit: Sattva Photo.
Published by the Whatcom Business Alliance, Business Pulse has been covering the entrepreneurial spirit and economic influence of business talents in Whatcom County for 50 years. Join the WBA (whatcombusinessalliance.com/join-us), receive a complimentary subscription, and stay connected!
06/04/2025
Save the date or get your tickets now for this signature WBA event: the Leaders of Industry forum on Thursday, October 16: whatcombusinessalliance.com/events! Exceptional panelists include local and state policy and industry experts discussing major issues affecting Whatcom County businesses.
Pictured: left to right, WBA Executive Director Barbara Chase and City of Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund at the 2024 Leaders of Industry Forum.
06/03/2025
LAST CHANCE! Is your company among the Top 100 Private Companies in Whatcom County? Take the quick survey (surveymonkey.com/r/JXN38BZ) or scan the QR code by Friday, June 6, 2025.
Businesses with revenue of $1M+ in 2024 will be considered. If you qualify, your company will appear in the upcoming Jul|Aug 2025 issue of Business Pulse magazine, published by Whatcom Business Alliance.
05/30/2025
In May, the Whatcom Business Alliance presented another successful, sold-out event — the WBA Business Conference! Don’t miss the next WBA event.
Join the WBA to boost your company’s visibility, support pro-business policies, receive a complimentary subscription to Business Pulse magazine, get our regular e-newsletter, and be part of exciting events and networking opportunities: whatcombusinessalliance.com/join-us.
Photo credit: Sattva Photo.
05/29/2025
FEATURE STORY: lights, camera, Whatcom! In the current issue of Business Pulse magazine, read about how the county’s film industry finds opportunities to attract productions to Whatcom: businesspulse.com/washington-pushes-for-rural-film-opportunities/. Story by Elisa Claassen. Photo courtesy of Rocket Soul Studios.
Published by the Whatcom Business Alliance, Business Pulse has been covering the entrepreneurial spirit and economic influence of business talents in Whatcom County for 50 years. Join the WBA (whatcombusinessalliance.com/join-us), receive a complimentary subscription, and stay connected!
05/23/2025
FEATURE STORY! In the current issue of Business Pulse magazine, read about how the new jail project may exclude local contractors if union-only hiring rules are adopted: businesspulse.com/local-labor-lasting-impact/. Story by Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy.
Published by the Whatcom Business Alliance, Business Pulse has been covering the entrepreneurial spirit and economic influence of business talents in Whatcom County for 50 years. Join the WBA (whatcombusinessalliance.com/join-us), receive a complimentary subscription, and stay connected!
05/20/2025
Final countdown! Is your company among the Top 100 Private Companies in Whatcom County? Take the quick survey (surveymonkey.com/r/JXN38BZ) or scan the QR code by Friday, June 6, 2025.
Businesses with revenue of $1M+ in 2024 will be considered. If you qualify, your company will appear in the upcoming Jul|Aug 2025 issue of Business Pulse magazine, published by Whatcom Business Alliance.
05/16/2025
This week, the Whatcom Business Alliance presented another successful, sold-out event — the WBA Business Conference — thanks to members, attendees, generous sponsors, and presenters! Title sponsor Washington Trust Bank Chief Economist Steve Scranton delivered an insightful economic forecast; Project 42 Co-founder and Co-leader Dann Mead Smith prepared a legislative update; and Nova Consulting AI founder Dana Rozier summarized how every business can benefit from artificial intelligence. With a 7 a.m. start, business leaders and their teams enjoyed content-rich and cutting-edge presentations, a delicious breakfast buffet, and lots of networking — all before the start of their work days!
Don’t miss out on the next WBA event. Join the WBA to boost your company’s visibility, support pro-business policies, receive a complimentary subscription to Business Pulse magazine, get our regular e-newsletter, and be part of exciting events and networking opportunities: whatcombusinessalliance.com/join-us.
Photo credit: Sattva Photo.
05/16/2025
Only weeks left to qualify: is your company among the Top 100 Private Companies in Whatcom County? Take the quick survey (surveymonkey.com/r/JXN38BZ) or scan the QR code by Friday, June 6, 2025.
Businesses with revenue of $1M+ in 2024 will be considered. If you qualify, your company will appear in the upcoming Jul|Aug 2025 issue of Business Pulse magazine, published by Whatcom Business Alliance.
05/15/2025
COVER STORY! In the current issue of Business Pulse magazine, read about Ferndale’s Leader Block Trattoria and Bar, a culinary gem owned by Roberto Trendel (pictured) and Robert Pinkley that brings northern Italian cuisine, fine wine, and rich ambiance to life with friendly, rustic charm: page 31 at businesspulse.com/may-jun-2025. Story by Tamara Loucks. Photo credit: Sattva Photo.
Published by the Whatcom Business Alliance, Business Pulse has been covering the entrepreneurial spirit and economic influence of business talents in Whatcom County for 50 years. Join the WBA (whatcombusinessalliance.com/join-us), receive a complimentary subscription, and stay connected!
05/13/2025
On Wednesday, May 14, the Whatcom Business Alliance is excited to present the WBA Business Conference. We are grateful to these generous sponsors who make Whatcom a better place to do business.
05/08/2025
Only days left to register! Washington Trust Bank’s Chief Economist Steve Scranton will deliver an ecomonic forecast to the WBA Business Conference on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, 7 – 9:30 am at the Bellingham Golf & Country Club. Tickets ($80 individual | $600/table of eight) include a breakfast buffet and are available here: whatcombusinessalliance.com/events.
Bonus content! Project 42 Co-founder and Co-leader Dann Mead Smith will present a legislative update, emphasizing how recently imposed laws may affect your business. Dana Rozier, who leads Nova Consulting AI, will deliver easy-to-implement takeaways for how every business can utilize artificial intelligence.
The WBA is grateful to these sponsors who make Whatcom a better place to do business: title sponsor Washington Trust Bank; co-sponsors Saturna Capital and Mills Electric; corporate sponsors WRS, bp, Larson Gross, and Peoples Bank.
Photos courtesy of Steve Scranton, Dann Mead Smith and Dana Rozier.
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Are You
Optimistic
About 2018?
Join the Club.
Optimism Skyrockets
in Business Community
TONY LARSON, President, Whatcom Business Alliance
At the end of 2017, we reached out to our readers via an online business survey to determine how local businesses are performing and how business leaders are feeling about 2018. The results, along with comments from key industry leaders, are published in this issue and reflect a level of optimism I haven’t seen in at least the last 10 years.
A majority of local businesses experienced growth in 2017 vs. 2016 and expect further growth in sales and profits in 2018. They also expect an increase in capital expenditures. It is worth noting that our polling was conducted prior to the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The passage prompted immediate responses from companies like Boeing, AT&T, Washington Federal, Comcast, and Wells Fargo, just to name a few, who announced measures ranging from handing out bonuses, raising wages, and increasing spending.
That optimism is shared at Business Pulse and the Whatcom Business Alliance. In 2018, we’re improving and expanding Business Pulse in a series of moves designed to bring more value to our advertisers, to expand our readership, and to bring current readers and members more information about the people, news, issues, businesses, and trends that shape our local economy and bring success to business and prosperity to our community.
Leading the charge with the new-look Business Pulse are Associate Publisher Melissa Vail Coffman and Art Director Scott Book. The husband and wife team is a prime example of the trend cited by Dan Washburn of Windermere Real Estate in his article on Page 41. They sold their home in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood in late 2015 and used the equity to buy a home here in the Geneva neighborhood.
Melissa brings the experience of nearly 30 years in publishing, including more than a de-cade with Tiger Oak Publications, where she was group publisher of myriad titles, including the flagship Seattle magazine and Seattle Bride, and helped launch Seattle Business.
Scott is an accomplished graphic designer who has designed print publications, advertising, and business collateral for more than 25 years.
One of the most important changes in the new year is moving from four to six issues annually to provide more timely and com-prehensive coverage of the vibrant Whatcom County business community. This is coupled with a tie-in between the magazine and redesiged businesspulse.com, with the introduction of Pulse+—denoted with a “P+” at the end of articles with additional content we moved to the website.
We also are introducing lifestyle content with “After Hours” to suggest ways that busy executives might enjoy life beyond the workday.
These shifts are all driven by the growing support of our readers and advertisers who share our understanding that when busi-nesses are successful and strong, our com-munity is stronger. If you’d like to learn ways to grow your business in 2018 by promoting your company through Business Pulse, our events, or WBA membership, please call me at 360.746.0411.
We all have reason to be excited about 2018. Enjoy the issue.
