2010 September luncheon - Coach Sarkisian

         Coach Sarkisian       Working around his special schedule to prepare the team for Nebraska, SARK came early, spoke before the food service, and headed directly back to a special team prep meeting.   He made brief intro comments and then he fielded questions from the crowd.  He was impressively frank about the youth of the team, and he also talked about the promise in the many young players.  He addressed sets played by Nebraska, and he talked of the adjustments being made by the Husky offense.  He talked rebuilding, but his tone was quite promising.  Overall, he said the team needed to play faster, and since you can’t teach “fast”, they are focused on recruiting “fast”.   Sark’s website is:  http://coachsark.com/

Craig Undem '85 knows bikes

Craig Undem tells us a bit about his business.  Please click on the PLAY arrow to hear his description of his business.  It is always a good practice to support fellow graduates, and our goal is to introduce others to the services and products offered.....and to introduce you to the person behind the products and services.

2010 August Luncheon - Bob Sternoff '78

Bob Sternoff '78

Bob's presentation covered local government and the budget challenges faced by the Kirkland city council.  As Bob explained many other local governments are facing similar budgetary challenges.  Bob’s business background was an obvious asset as he offered his comments.  It appears that Bob is spending most of his time on his elected position rather than managing his day to day business challenges.  This is a tough role to balance, but it became evident that we need more Bob Sternoff's running and being elected to public office. 

Bob can be reached @  BOB@SternoffInc.com

2010 July Luncheon - Dale Sowell '75

      Dale Sowell ’75      Everyone has an opinion or theory on the housing market, but Dale shared knowledge and experience in abundance.  Dale is a numbers kind of guy who started in accounting, but today he is a numbers-oriented member of the management at Weyerhaeuser Real Estate, and he talked about his role with the “4^th largest homebuilder in the USA that no one has ever heard of”.   Dale really brought the nuts and bolts to the luncheon, because he talked strategy for his company, and he covered industry trends that reflected our current economy as well as our near-term prospects for the housing market.  It was good information coming from a solid guy.  Our thanks to Dale for being the speaker for the luncheon – he did a fine job delivering good info on a very relevant topic.   If you’d like to connect with Dale, his email is:  dale.sowell@wreco1.com 

2010 June luncheon - Kevin Clark '77

Kevin Clark ’77    

Kevin traveled an interesting path through accounting to become the CEO/Owner of Argosy Cruises.  If you are not familiar, Argosy Cruises is a family-owned and Seattle-operated company that has become the Northwest's premier cruise company operating from the historic downtown Seattle waterfront, South Lake Union and Kirkland City Dock.  Kevin shared the stories of this path to becoming commander of a fleet of boats, head caterer for the food operations, and a leader in the tourism community.  Last year Kevin became the operator of the Tillicum Village concession on Blake Island, which made Kevin the impresario for the dinner show presented to boat loads of visitors to the long popular Tillicum Village.  As the new operator of the Village, Kevin is working to modernize the operations as well as the show.  The insider info was interesting, and Kevin invited all Fijis to visit the new Tillicum Village by saying “Just contact me”.  Here is Kevin’s e-mail to contact him J   KevinC@ARGOSYCRUISES.COM   

Aaron Schulte '03 remembered by members of Class of 2003 -- Form Memorial Foundation

Aaron Schulte '03

Aaron's passion for international travel exemplified his desire to live life to its fullest.

Through an annual study abroad scholarship at the University of Washington, the Foundation encourages and supports those students who have a similar passion for life.

In April 2007, Aaron Schulte (Washington 2003) lost his year-long battle with colon cancer. Although only 26 years old, Aaron lived a rich and full life and left an amazing legacy. He was a member of Fiji Sires & Sons with his dad, Steve (Washington 1973).

 Since the time of Aaron’s passing, Kris Lindquist '03, Hamilton Gardiner '03, Ben Adams '03, Jeremy Kuhlmann '03, and Sean Newell '03 have dedicated much of their time and emotions to celebrating Aaron’s life by creating a scholarship fund in his name. On June 5, 2007, the Aaron Schulte Memorial Foundation (ASMF) was incorporated

The goal of the foundation is to grant an annual educational scholarship to one Fiji student at the University of Washington.  The scholarship funds are to be used by the recipients for tuition in study-abroad programs. During their time abroad, the recipients will experience an adventure similar to the one that changed Aaron’s life forever, when he studied abroad in Florence, Italy, during the summer of 2001.

You will find more information about the Foundation at this link.   If you would like to contribute to the Foundation, you can also use this link for more info.  http://www.aaronschulte.org/

2010 May Luncheon - Eric Campbell '87

Eric Campbell '87

Eric Campbell ’87   

 Eric heads CamWest Development which is one of the five largest home builders in Puget Sound.  He gave us a good analysis of the shifts in home development from when he started in 1989 by founding his company upon his graduation from the UW.  With a few fellow Fijis, Eric has been an aggressive innovator over the past 20 years.  As a result, CamWest has built a reputation as a premier home building in King and Snohomish counties.  CamWest has continued their home building pace – even in this soft economy.  Eric shared statistics as well as strategies that took us inside the development business.  And he shared his projections for the future for housing in this area.  A large number of contractors and sub contractors have fallen in this downturn – Eric observed that probably 75% of the subs have gone out of business.  CamWest has encountered success even it this economy with its focus on the customer experience and walkable communities.  Eric’s developed a very Nordstrom-like approach to housing development.  It was a superb presentation.  And the attendance at the luncheon (40+) boosted him to "rockstar" rating for being an audience magnet.  You can reach Eric at ECampbell@CamWest.com