New quarters for world’s largest charity
Published 12:01 am Friday, June 3, 2011
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is celebrating its new headquarters this week as it moves from five scattered nondescript office buildings around Seattle to an architectural showcase in the center of its hometown. The move and the buildings are indicative of how far the family foundation has come in little more than a decade, from a small charity interested in bringing the Internet to public libraries to the world’s largest charitable foundation trying to end AIDS and polio and improve U.S. education. The two glass-clad, six-story, boomerang-shaped buildings are on an eight-acre campus filled with drought-tolerant plants and places to sit and think. The interior also is designed with thinking and collaboration in mind, with most workspaces grouped in open, atrium-like settings surrounded by small meeting places.
Continental, others order seven new jets
The Boeing Co. says it has orders for seven new planes, including one 777 to be made for American Airlines. The other orders include four more 777s and two 737s for unidentified customers. Boeing also identified Continental Airlines for the first time as the customer for 11 of its 737s. Boeing also said it lost an order for one 737. Boeing’s 777 is used on long-haul routes and list prices can run as high as $284 million. Boeing makes more of the smaller 737s, which are generally used on shorter flights and sell for around $80 million before discounts.
Boeing has booked orders for 101 of the 737s so far this year, and for 66 of the 777s.
Everett market to open this Sunday
The Everett Farmers Market at the Everett Marina will open this Sunday on the waterfront, organizers said. It will include fresh produce, baked goods, and other food, flowers, plants, art, and crafts. Plans call for it to be open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. each Sunday through Oct. 2. It will be located at 1600 W. Marine View Drive, three blocks north of Naval Station Everett.
Costco sales beat Wall Street estimates
Costco Wholesale Corp.’s revenue at stores open at least a year climbed 13 percent in May, surpassing Wall Street’s expectations. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters predicted an 11.2 percent rise in the figure. Revenue at stores open at least a year is a key indicator of a retailer’s health because excludes results from stores opened or closed during the year. Removing rising gas prices and strengthening foreign currencies,
Borders lawyer suggests sale soon
A judge granted Borders an extension to file its reorganization plan under bankruptcy protection, but a sale of some of its stores appears more likely. Borders now has until October to file a plan with the court, but Andrew K. Glenn said he expects to file a motion in two to four weeks about selling the company. The plan was originally due June 16.
From Herald news services
