My entire life, I’ve lived by the principle that building a community is one of life’s greatest rewards. To me, building community means working together, understanding each other, and creating opportunities that are mutually beneficial for everyone.

Giving back to the community we live and do business in has always been a part of our family and company culture. I personally believe in focusing one third of my awake time not on my own company, but on community building.

Supporting the arts is just one of many initiatives that makes the quality of life on the Eastside so high and enriching for our families. I am fortunate enough to live and raise my family here in Bellevue and exposure to art, whether it is in a museum or in a public street or building, is so important to building our community and culture.

We need a measurable reduction in traffic congestion to improve regional transportation. Traffic congestion in the Central Puget Sound region has been worsening for decades, damaging the State’s economy with attendant loss of time, wasted fuel, cost for the traveling public, and the cost for freight movements.