Some 25 business leaders from Snohomish County traveled to Olympia on Wednesday to share information with their counterparts around the state and to talk with local legislators. Louise Stanton-Masten, president and CEO of the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce, said her group teamed with the South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce to spread the business message at the state capitol. Chambers from around the state met in the morning to talk about local and statewide issues. Then the business group met with members of the Association of Washington Business to hear the governor talk about her business plan. In the afternoon the local group met with 17 out of the area’s 21 lawmakers to talk about the importance of projects such as developing a four-year university in Snohomish County, extending excise tax credits for the development of aerospace products and improving the Puget Sound area’s transportation system.
Zumiez sales soared in January
Zumiez Inc., the Everett-based seller of action sports-related clothing and accessories, said sales during January rose a whopping 43 percent to $23.4 million compared with the same five weeks in 2006. The critical same-store sales figure rose by 13 percent in the period, exceeding most analysts’ estimates. Brenda Morris, the chief financial officer who led Zumiez through its first couple years as a publicly held company, will be leaving, the retailer also announced Wednesday.
Alderwood mall adds Coach outlet
Coach, a seller of accessories and gifts for women and men, will open the doors at its new Alderwood mall store Friday. The store is in The Village area of the mall, across from Gene Juarez. Coach Inc. and General Growth Properties, which owns Alderwood, have formed an alliance to open or expand Coach stores in General Growth’s malls and lifestyle centers over the next two years.
Productivity rose in late 2006
Workers stepped up their efficiency in the final three months of 2006, yet productivity still turned in the weakest yearly performance in almost a decade. The Labor Department reported Wednesday that productivity, the amount of output per hour of work, rose at a 3 percent annual rate for October through December. That compares with a 0.1 percent decline in three previous months. For the entire year, productivity edged up by 2.1 percent, the weakest performance since 1997.
Judge OKs Delta reorganization
Delta Air Lines moved a giant step closer to emerging from bankruptcy Wednesday when a judge approved a disclosure statement that will be sent to creditors along with its reorganization plan. The judge also ruled to block any strike action by pilots of Delta subsidiary Comair, if it imposes wage cuts and other concessions on them. The decisions were a strong boost of confidence in Delta’s plan.
From Herald staff and wire services
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