Eastside businesses earn awards for innovation

Hundreds of people in the Bellevue business community gathered last Wednesday, March 29 to honor the newest group of the Eastside’s best businesses. David Masin, chair of the Bellevue Chamber Board, spoke to the diverse nature of the four businesses honored. “It took an army of judges to select this year’s businesses,” he said. Masin, the brand ambassador for Selden’s Home Furnishings, applauded the many businesses nominated for the awards at The Westin Bellevue. The nominees were: Acute Pain Therapies, Alive & Shine Center, Allegro Pediatrics, Apptio, Asterride Limousine, ATLAS Workbase, Audian, Bala Yoga, Bensussen Deutsch & Associates (BDA), Blueprint Consulting Services, Burtelson Technology Group, CardTapp, CoBuy, LLC, Chiropractic Concept of Bellevue, Edifecs, Expedia CruiseShipCenters Bellevue, extraSlice, Guidant Financial, Hanson Consulting Group, HyGen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., iSpot.tv, Juetten Personal Financial Planning LLC, Limeade, Lochwood-Lozier Custom Homes, MZA Architecture, NewSky Security LLC, Northwest Cryotherapy Institute, Pacific Bag, Inc., Point Inside, Poke MIX, Premier Media Group, RedCloud Consulting, RBC Signals, Smartsheet, Splainers, Inc., Synergy Construction, Twelve Baskets Catering, Unify Square, Verity Consulting, Inc. and WiggleWorks Kids Bellevue. Bellevue City Councilmember Lynne Robinson helped introduced some of the speakers and pointed out the pro-business climate in the city. “By 2019 we hope to double the number of small businesses in the city,” she said. “We have four business incubators, including extraSlice in Eastgate.” ExtraSlice, along with WeWork, ImpactHUB and Orange Studios and any other startup and small business incubators helped foster the first award winner. Kris Wilson, managing partner of the Bellevue location of Perkins Coie, LLP announced the winner of the Entrepreneurial Spirit award. RBC Signals, a satellite transmission company, helped space-bound satellites communicate more effectively with the ground. The Innovative Product or Service of the Year award was presented by ARVR Studio CEO and founder Michael Nassirian. The company iSpot.tv, a real-time ad analytics company, walked away with the award after its five years in business. For the Small Business of the Year award, Senior Vice President of KeyBank John Roehm was able to hand the award off to a truly unique Eastside business. WiggleWorks Kids Bellevue provides an experience for children to grow and learn during the day. It wiggled its way to the award after starting with a smart business loan through the city of Bellevue. The centerpiece of the evening was the Eastside Business of the Year award, presented by Jim Hill, senior vice president of the Kemper Development Company. The companies in the category ranged from as young as four years to as old as 50. These businesses all employed more than 100 people and all made a significant impact on the Eastside and Bellevue’s economy. This year’s business of the year was Point Inside, a tech company which specializes in pinpointing where consumer goods can be found inside retail stores, thus saving time and effort while shopping. … Read More