Keli attended Highline and Green River Community Colleges. She received her AA Degree from Green River Community College in 1988 and later studied digital design at the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle. Keli founded Poggi Bonsi in late 2001 after an inspiring trip to Tuscany. Keli invited friend and fellow entrepreneur, Michelle Codd, to travel to Italy in order to import and sell products at various wineries and wine shops. In 2003, they opened the first Poggi Bonsi retail store in the Olde Burien Shopping District. Selling "Gourmet Gifts with European Flavor" was a hit in Burien and the following year they opened a larger space just up the block. The duo's online store, PoggiBonsiGifts.com, was launched in 2005 and now ships products throughout the United States and Canada and as far away as Dubai. Poggi Bonsi Cucina opened in 2006. In 2009, despite the down economy, they took the opportunity to grow and moved their corner store to a beautiful new space at the Landing in Renton. Poggi Bonsi Cucina is still thriving in Burien and Keli & Michelle are working on updating PoggiBonsiGifts.com to incorporate more gourmet cookware and kitchen décor.

For more information, visit www.poggibonsigifts.com.

The Center of Excellence for International Trade, Transportation and Logistics was established at Highline Community College in March 2007. Supported by funding from the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, it is one of 11 such centers around the state focused on different industry sectors which have been identified as strategic to the economic growth of our state. The Center works to:

• Maintain an institutional reputation for innovation and responsive education and training delivery to the International Trade, Transportation & Logistics industry.
• Act as a broker of information and resources related to the industry for industry representatives, community-based organizations, economic development organizations, community and technical colleges, secondary education institutions, and four-year colleges and universities.
• Translate industry research into best practices.
• Explore and develop pathways through better educational system coordination, to assist in building seamless educational and work-related systems.
• Design training that is industry relevant, timely and that can be delivered using various methods in order to build a competitive workforce for this driving industry in Washington State.
• Visit www.ittlwa.com for more information about the Center of Excellence.

Michael Allan began investing in and developing real estate in the early 1960s. His projects have mostly been small multi-family residential buildings located in Everett, Burien, SeaTac, West Seattle and Des Moines. These have all been for his family account. In addition, Michael has partnered with others on commercial buildings, including a multi-block office development in downtown Seattle and on a historic low-rise office building rehab in the Denny Regrade. Currently he is a major partner in the re-development and re-positioning of the Washington Building, a historic 18-story office tower in the downtown Tacoma central business district. Michael has lived in the Des Moines area for 33 years. He and his wife, Joan, reside at BeachStone, a condominium they built at the Des Moines Marina. He is a member of the Des Moines Rotary Club. He recently completed a five-year term as a member of the Board of Trustees, Highline Community College.

Ric & Dianne Jacobson both have many years of experience in the retail sector. They made the move from the "big companies" to become small business owners, which has been very rewarding for them. Their love of wine came about through sharing wine with friends. As their tastes expanded, they added a small wine room onto their house. From there, a natural next step involved learning more about different wines. Finding their location in Des Moines was a natural fit for opening a shop. Now Dianne and Ric have the opportunity to share some of what they have learned through their Saturday tastings and visits with their wonderful clientele. The learning never stops and they enjoy the challenge of researching a question if they don't know the answer.

Visit www.corkycellars.com for more information about their wine store.

Tim has been with First Western Properties - Tacoma, Inc. since 1993. He exclusively represents twenty-two local, regional, and national tenants in Washington State with his two partners: Don Whittles and Jeremiah Durr. A short list of tenants represented includes Panda Express, Emerald City Smoothie, Dave & Busters, Sonic Drive-In, Subway, The UPS Store, Kool Smiles Dental, and the Rock Wood Fired Pizza. In addition to tenant representation, Tim has pre-leased four 100,000 square feet shopping centers for local and national developers. Tim has been a top producer for the company six out of the last eight years. Away from work Tim enjoys playing basketball, coaching, and spending time with his wife of 18 years and their three children.

For more information, visit www.fwp-inc.com.

Janel was born and raised in the Highline School district area. She worked in grocery retail on all levels and as a broker in both retail and wholesale. In 2000, Janel and her partner, Dan Tamburelli, opened their first store in the Burien Safeway Plaza. They loved the product and felt like they could be successful in Burien. In 2008 and 2009, they opened in two more locations and have plans to open another location at Starfire Sports in Des Moines in 2010. Janel is currently an executive board member for the Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence. She also serves on the Discover Burien Board, helped establish the Normandy Park Merchants Group, and is a Program Director for the Rotary Club of Des Moines. Janel and her husband currently live in Des Moines with their two dogs.

Visit www.emeraldcitysmoothie.com for more information about the store and franchise locations.

Joyce Jackson received a bachelor of science in speech pathology and audiology from Pennsylvania State University and a master of science in audiology from Vanderbilt University. She worked as a screening coordinator and training advisor for Nashville's Bureau of Education and later as a clinical audiologist for the children and youth program at Hubbard Hospital/Meharry Medical Center. Joyce went on to receive a second graduate degree, a master's in health administration, from the University of Washington. She then worked in a variety of administrative roles at Virginia Mason Medical Center, served as interim executive director of the Virginia Mason Foundation, and later became an associate administrator. She completed 15 years of service at Virginia Mason in 1997. In 1998 Joyce became president and CEO of Northwest Kidney Centers (NKC), the position she still holds.

NKC serves 75 percent of people in the Puget Sound region who need kidney dialysis services. The nonprofit, founded in 1962, was the world's first out-of-hospital dialysis program. NKC is a model for saving and sustaining the lives of people with chronic kidney disease and it focuses on improving the quality of patients' lives. Staffed by a skilled, knowledgeable team of 550, NKC provides personalized care for kidney patients in King County and Port Angeles and is the central community resource for kidney disease prevention, treatment and education. A world pioneer in home dialysis, NKC is dedicated to developing innovative treatment options and promoting research to find a cure for chronic kidney disease.

For more information, visit www.nwkidney.org.

Express Northwest International is a full service refrigerated logistics company. Express Northwest International opened its doors in 1991 as a freight forwarder of perishable goods specializing in produce and floral products, with customs brokerage and distribution services. They offer refrigerated distribution services to all wholesalers and chain store distribution centers in Western Washington and Oregon, have daily Seattle-Portland-Seattle truck runs, and can pick up or deliver temperature sensitive cargo from Eugene to Bellingham. With their specialized focus, facilities, knowledge and scientific approach to handling, Express Northwest International provides superior services at very competitive pricing for the import, export or distribution of temperature sensitive products in the Pacific Northwest.

For more information about the company, visit www.expressnw.com.

In Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, Dave is perhaps best known for his entrepreneurial insight and success. From a modest beginning in wood roof structure systems in 1971, Dave has built an impressive $600 million real estate and construction company. His proven track record is attributable to his uncanny vision and competence in project execution. Throughout his career, Dave has looked to form long, mutually beneficial business relationships that coincide with his long-term investment strategy. A Washington state native, Dave invests in businesses based in the Northwest - a testament to his commitment and confidence in the region. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy Prep School in 1966 and attended the University of Washington as well as Eastern Washington University, receiving a BA in Education. David holds an Honorary Doctorate of Law from Gonzaga University.

Visit www.sabey.com for more information about the Sabey Corporation.

Westfield Southcenter is owned by the Westfield Group, an Australian-based company with interests in 118 shopping centers in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the U.S., the Group has a portfolio of 55 shopping centers that are home to more than 9,000 specialty stores and comprise approximately 63 million square feet of leasable space in California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Washington. Westfield Southcenter Mall in Tukwila is one of the largest malls in Washington State.

For more information, visit the website at www.westfield.com.