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“It took seven years,” says Efrem Fesaha, founder and CEO of Boon Boona Coffee, recalling what it took to launch the company.

Growing up in an Eritrean family, Fesaha experienced firsthand how coffee can bring people together. The coffee ceremony, centered on roasting, grinding, brewing and conversation, helped inspire Boon Boona Coffee and its focus on East African coffee traditions and direct partnerships with African producers.

Join PSBJ Market President and Publisher Don Baker for a conversation with Fesaha about pausing his finance career, the trip to Eritrea that sparked the idea for Boon Boona, the challenge of securing funding early on and the mentors, lenders and support network that helped him along the way. He also discusses growing the company's retail and wholesale businesses, opening its newest brick-and-mortar location on Seattle's waterfront and the opportunities surrounding the World Cup.

Growth doesn't happen by itself. It takes vision, commitment and the right financial partner. Columbia Bank brings more resources and more reach, so you can transform your workspace, expand your business or make room for your growing family. With Columbia Bank, every step forward comes with more behind it, so you can grow what matters.

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“People tell me I should write a book,” said John Howie, founder, chef and CEO of the John Howie Restaurant Group. Considering the career he's had, it's easy to understand why.

Howie got his start in the restaurant business at age 15 and has spent decades turning ideas into businesses across the Greater Seattle area, from fine dining to customized catering, brewing and distilling.

Join PSBJ Market President and Publisher Don Baker for a conversation with Howie as he discusses expanding beyond restaurants, the hospitality trends he's watching and how changing customer habits and razor-thin profit margins are creating challenges for restaurant operators.

Howie reflects on life as a restaurateur, celebrity chef and Seahawks fan, and explains why giving back to the community remains a priority. He also shares why long-time employees have been critical to his success. The conversation touches on the businesses he's built, including SeaStar Restaurant & Raw Bar, John Howie Steak, Wildwood Spirits Co., Beardslee Public House and Whiskey by John Howie.

Growth doesn't happen by itself. It takes vision, commitment and the right financial partner. Columbia Bank brings more resources and more reach, so you can transform your workspace, expand your business or make room for your growing family. With Columbia Bank, every step forward comes with more behind it, so you can grow what matters.

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“As it takes a village to raise a kid, it takes a community to raise a business,” says Lewis Rudd, co-founder and CEO of Ezell's Famous Chicken.

In the premiere episode of Behind the Business by PSBJ, Don Baker, market president and publisher, talks with Rudd about the journey from a single Seattle restaurant in 1984 to an iconic Pacific Northwest brand with 17 locations. Listen as Rudd reflects on the challenges of securing capital, the impact of an unexpected Oprah Winfrey endorsement and the decisions behind the company's franchising strategy.

He also shares how Ezell’s is navigating today’s economic uncertainty, what the company is focused on right now and what being “semi-retired” means after more than four decades in business. Along the way, Rudd shares candid insights on leadership, trusting the people around you and staying true to a company’s values during challenging times.

Growth doesn't happen by itself. It takes vision, commitment and the right financial partner. Columbia Bank brings more resources and more reach, so you can transform your workspace, expand your business or make room for your growing family. With Columbia Bank, every step forward comes with more behind it, so you can grow what matters.