Seattle City Makers

It may seem like a cliche, but it’s true: picking up golf can be beneficial for one’s career. But for far too long this powerful networking tool has been wielded predominantly by men in the business world. As Dana Kimble started to love the game, she saw an opportunity to level out the gender imbalance and the Skanska Senior Director of Business Development founded The Pro Shop. Jon and Dana discuss her competitive roots and the motivation behind starting The Pro Shop, golf as a networking tool, her views on the future of work/office space and more. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest Dana Kimble..

It’s election season! As you prepare to dig into your ballot, we thought the time was right talk politics with local political and public affairs consultant Sandeep Kaushik. A former journalist, Sandeep has worked on numerous campaigns and ballot measures in the Northwest. Jon and Sandeep dig into local and national races, Seattle’s political landscape, the pivotal 2023 City Council races and more. If a lively conversation and political analysis are for you, you’ve come to the right place. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest Sandeep Kaushik.

If you’ve spent any appreciable time in downtown Seattle over the past 17 years then you’ve likely seen Harold Danley. A longtime member of the DSA/Metropolitan Improvement District’s Clean Team, the last few years have seen Harold behind the wheel of the ATLV, the All-Terrain Litter Vacuum. For nearly two decades Harold has made quick work of keeping the heart of downtown clean. He’s retiring at the end of the year and all of downtown will miss his consistent presence, attention to detail and his laugh. Harold and Jon sit down and reminisce over his many years of keeping downtown clean, the work of the Clean Team and you’ll learn a little more about Harold. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest Harold Danley.

Jon Scholes takes a seat in the guest spot for episode 18 of the Seattle City Makers podcast. Producer James Sido and Jon discuss a business trip to D.C. focused on urban recovery, common issues facing cities across the country, DSA’s vision for Third Avenue and positioning downtown Seattle as a Central Connection District and more. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest host James Sido.

We’re 17 episodes in and we have our first former candidate for Mayor of Seattle. As you’ll hear from this conversation, Colleen Echohawk has a much deeper and diverse background than her candidacy. The CEO of Eighth Generation, Echohawk has long been an influential voice in the community and previously led the Chief Seattle Club, a Native-led housing and human services agency. Jon and Colleen talk about her perspective on housing and homelessness, the work of Eighth Generation, what she learned from running for mayor and more. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest Colleen Echohawk.

Who and what do you trust? It seems like a straightforward question, but as we’ve seen time and again, events and circumstances can shift confidence and beliefs. Each year, Edelman produces the Trust Barometer, a detailed trust and credibility survey about confidence in a few different groups: business, government, media and nonprofits. Jon and Edelman Pacific Northwest General Manager Ryan Cudney discuss the 2022 Trust Barometer’s findings, its implications for Seattle and Ryan’s perspective on the Emerald City. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest Ryan Cudney.

The word “transformational” is perhaps overused when it comes to public and private development projects. But there are few undertakings in Seattle’s history as transformative as the Waterfront Park redevelopment. As construction kicks into gear on the Overlook Walk and other signature elements of this major makeover, we sit down with the City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects Director Marshall Foster. The City’s former Planning Director, Foster has led the Office of the Waterfront since 2014. He’s had a front row seat to Seattle’s biggest project for more than a decade and takes us behind the scenes on a project that is redefining how downtown, and the city, connect with the waterfront to produce what should be an unrivaled urban experience. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest Marshall Foster.

GardnerGlobal, Inc. founder and CEO Jaebadiah Gardner is in the business of building wealth, with a focus on those who have been traditionally excluded. A developer, fund manager, author and speaker, Gardner’s start in building began with coordinating the installation of a sculpture at the University of Washington. Blocked Out, the first monument to diversity on the campus, was completed in 2005 and a career of creating with a purpose was born. Earlier this year, Gardner received a grant from Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund that will help produce a seven-story mixed use apartment building in the Central District. Gardner takes us on a journey of perseverance and passion. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest Jaebadiah Gardner.

The beautiful game runs deep in Maya Mendoza-Exstrom’s family. The Seattle Sounders FC’s Chief Operating Officer was an All-American player in college, coached at the college level and her father helped pitch Seattle’s bid for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. It was a natural fit for Maya to help lead our city’s 2026 FIFA World Cup bid. She takes us through that process, details soccer’s growth in Seattle and paints the picture for what we’ll experience when the world’s game comes to downtown Seattle in 2026. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest Maya Mendoza-Exstrom.

There are few people who have had a more direct impact on the built environment in downtown Seattle than Matt Griffin. The managing partner of Pine Street Group LLC, Matt has led the development of some of downtown’s biggest office, retail, residential and convention spaces, and he’s done so during difficult economic times over the last 40 years. Jon and Matt take a chronological journey through some of Matt’s notable downtown projects, talk about the deals behind the deals, downtown’s recovery, the future of Pacific Place and more. Join us for Seattle City Makers with Jon Scholes and guest Matt Griffin.