Mike Richards
Mike Richards grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. He graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA with a degree in Multiplatform Journalism and a minor in Public Relations. He wrote and published articles at Pittsburgh’s NPR station covering a variety of topics.
Lens Video: Dick’s Drive In- Growing alongside Seattle
Lens met with Jasmine Donovan, Executive Vice President and CFO of Dick's Drive-In, to learn about how the restaurant got its start and has...
Business Profile: Dick’s Drive-In, then and now
When looking for a burger in the Seattle area, the spinning Dick’s Drive-In (DDI) sign may be hard to pass up for many Washingtonians....
The “Amazon Effect” on Spokane’s business community
Although Spokane was not chosen as the location for Amazon’s HQ2, the city’s efforts were not in vain. The company has announced it would...
Lens Video: Apprenticeships- The path to a stable career
Lens visited the Puget Sound Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (PSEJATC) school in Renton and interviewed Kevin Trinh, a fifth year apprentice, and...
Local trade school offers secure career path
Over 2,000 Washingtonians are choosing to pursue trade-related careers in the electrical field through registered apprenticeships, a choice which often leaves them with a...
Housing inventory woes may ease
It’s no surprise that Seattle and King County have problems with expensive housing prices and inventory shortages, Seattle was ranked 2nd on Forbes’ list...
Tariffs prove costly for construction sector, consumers
Trade negotiations between the U.S. and countries including China, Canada and Mexico continue, leaving many sectors, including construction, to absorb the increased costs to...
Washington’s stake in farm bills’ trade provisions
Both the U.S. House and Senate and have passed their respective versions of the farm bill which would make changes to major U.S. Department...
Seattle goes strawless: no more plastic pointy things…
Seattle has become the largest metropolitan city to forbid the use of plastic straws and utensils as part of the plastic utensil and straw...
A look into Woodinville’s thriving wine industry
When planning a trip to taste Washington wine you don’t have to travel five hours east of Seattle. Woodinville is only 30 minutes from...
Lens Video: Woodinville- An unexpected hub for wine
Lens sat down with two Woodinville winemakers to discuss what the city has to offer for starting winemakers, and why it became a hub...
Washington’s stake in trade negotiations
Another day, another…tariff? That seems to be the reality for the U.S. and its trade partners as trade wars continue to escalate, leaving American...
Lens Video: Head tax- Sending the right message to business
"It's not as if they (the Seattle City Council) had a change of mind, so I worry that we will see some other form of anti-growth, anti-jobs tax that will replace this one" -State Sen. Steve O'Ban (R-28)
Paving the way to postsecondary success
“The credential is essential in Washington state.”
That is what a recently published Washington Roundtable report states in its analysis of what the state needs...
Trade war bites Washington apple industry
Washington state may be losing its largest market for apples given Mexico’s new retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports. Agricultural stakeholders say they are disappointed...
Giving local farms a boost
One of the hardest challenges for a small, local farm is spreading awareness of its products and pushing its goods into market. In Woodinville,...
Grocers embrace new tech to stay afloat
Grocery stores across Washington are stepping up their efforts to modernize and reformat their stores to better highlight what online shopping can never quite...
Lens Video: Connecting farm products to local communities
Lens met with Liesl McWhorter, Farm & Market Manager for 21 Acres, to discuss how the farmers market and educational outreach programs are helping...
What’s up with retail downsizing?
Several large retailers are thinking small when it comes to expanding their businesses and promoting sales efficiency, especially within urban neighborhoods.
Target has announced that...
Head tax opposition continues
Several opponents of the head tax have been out gathering signatures needed to qualify the referendum on the tax for the fall ballot…
Head tax shows Seattle is “hostile” to business
The Seattle City Council’s unanimous passage of a business head tax sent ripples throughout the business community and economic development organizations who are sounding...
Lens Video: Challenges for Washington’s small, local farmers
Lens traveled to Kent-based Windy Acre Farm to ask owner Chris Sechrist about any obstacles to his farm's success while operating within King County...
Lens Video: Seattle head tax-not just an Amazon tax
Lens asked Jan Gee, President and CEO of the Washington Food Industry Association (WFIA), her opinion of the Seattle City Council voting unanimously to...
BNSF Railway proposes bridge project to ease congestion
BNSF Railway has proposed to build a second rail line that would run over Lake Pend Oreille in Sandpoint, Idaho to help prevent congestion...
Washington introduces a new apple: The Cosmic Crisp
Enter stage left, Washington state unveils the “Cosmic Crisp” apple variety thanks to a former Washington State University professor of apple breeding.
Head tax passes despite business outcry
The Seattle City Council has unanimously approved its head tax proposal that will impose a significant penalty on Seattle’s largest businesses in the name...
Lens Video: Labor weighs in on proposed head tax
Lens attended the Seattle City Council's Finance and Neighborhoods public hearing and asked Chris McClain, Business Manager for Iron Workers Local Union 86, his...
National associations join MBT lawsuit
National trade and resource associations and several states are joining Millennium Bulk Terminals’ (MBT) lawsuit against Governor Jay Inslee and his administration for obstructing...
Head tax “last nail in the coffin”
In the latest development in the controversy surrounding the Seattle City Council’s proposed business tax plan, or “head tax,” Amazon has stopped development in...
U.S. wheat industry: No Chinese tariffs
While China still negotiates potential tariffs on American imports, the U.S. wheat industry hopes the country will abandon the plan. If the tariffs are...
Seattle business leaders: tax scheme punishing to employment sector
On Apr. 21, the Seattle City Council unveiled its proposed business tax plan to raise $75 million for additional affordable housing options and addressing...
Lens Video: Washington’s trade future
Lens sat down with Lori Otto Punke, President of the Washington Council on International Trade, to discuss what Washington state industries reliant on global...
Lens Video: Promoting Washington’s port competitiveness
Lens sat down with Port of Seattle Commissioner Ryan Calkins to discuss how Washington is responding to the current international trade landscape.
Development picks up with Hirst fix
Three months since Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 6091, commonly referred to as the Hirst fix, into law, representatives from the Legislature, the...
Washington’s ties to cleaner coal solution
As Millennium Bulk Terminals (MBT) continues to weather six years of permit applications to create an export terminal in Longview, Washington, President and CEO...
Organic milk farmers surviving, not thriving
Although market indicators in the 1990s pointed to organic dairy as the next fad, those farmers today are determining how to stay afloat in...
Washington agriculture and the Chinese trade war
Washington agricultural businesses and producers need to find a new trade partner, and quick. That is what industry stakeholders are saying in response to...
Lens Video: Promoting free trade for agriculture
Darigold President and CEO Stan Ryan discusses the importance of free trade for the agricultural industry during the 2018 Washington Council on International Trade...
Securing Washington’s trade future
During the Washington Council on International Trade (WCIT)’s annual Trade Summit, U.S. lawmakers weighed in on how Washington state could maintain its position in...
Lens Video: Washington’s skilled worker gap
Lens sat down with State Sen. Guy Palumbo (D-1) to discuss how Washington can better prepare for the projected skilled worker gap.
The ‘Silver Tsunami’ and Washington’s skilled worker gap
As the older generation of workers is aging out of skilled jobs, what some refer to as the “Silver Tsunami”, many open positions are...
Trump tariffs would harm small business
Following President Donald Trump’s announcement of new tariffs on aluminum and steel imports, U.S. lawmakers and business stakeholders are saying that the levies would...
Addressing Washington’s skilled worker gap
With an aging workforce and new jobs appearing weekly across the state, one thing is clear: Washington needs to double down on preparing to...
Longview: Tenant would feed city’s tech appetite
A company with a focus on powering supercomputers has set its sights on Longview, Washington as its potential location for operations. Both the company...
Charting a course to private health care coverage
Lawmakers have approved a measure which would guarantee individual market health care coverage in all counties in Washington, regardless of whether or not a...
Lens Video: Revitalizing Washington’s tourism program
Lens sat down with State Rep. Cary Condotta (R-12) to discuss the future of tourism in Washington state. Lawmakers are pushing to reopen a...
Modernizing the state’s fishing fleet
Lawmakers and stakeholders are praising a proposal which would help encourage competitiveness of the state’s fishing and seafood processing sectors by establishing a preferential...
Lawmakers: Future of work proposal “redundant”
State lawmakers disagreed over the need for a bill which would predict changes in Washington industries and work by creating the future of work...
House divided over individual provider bill
Lawmakers proved unwavering while discussing the passage of SB 6199 during House floor debate. There was a clear divide between Republicans and Democrats, with...
Drones on the rise in agriculture
Agriculture’s most helpful tool may be flying over farmers’ heads. The use of drone technology is on the rise in agriculture, which assists the...
Revitalizing statewide tourism efforts
Two state lawmakers from central Washington are expressing the need for statewide tourism marketing, as they say Washington is overshadowed by other states’ efforts....
