Takeoff!

While the Northwest is well-known for its iconic technology, retail, and consumer companies, it is also home to the world's leading manufacturer of heavy-duty trucks! Join Marc and Dan as they go for a drive with PACCAR, maker of Kenworth, Peterbilt, and DAF Trucks.

Just Do It. Easier said than done. Marc and Dan explore the early years of the world's most iconic sportswear company and debate whether they would have invested in a not-quite world-class middle distance runner from Oregon with a "crazy idea" to import Japanese track shoes and sell them out of the back of his Plymouth Valiant in 1964.

Costco changed shopping with its massive scale and deeply curated approach to retailing. Marc and Dan discuss how the company quietly became one of the biggest retailers in the world, selling 137 million hotdogs at $1.50 a piece and an astounding quantity of pretty much everything else.

Starbucks redefined coffee. What was once a cheap and simple way to start the day at home morphed into a sophisticated (and expensive) ritual in highly stylized environment thanks to the vision and execution of entrepreneur Howard Schultz and his team. Marc and Dan debate the cultural impact of Starbucks, Howard, and the $3.50 cup of fine arabica joe. How did Starbucks convince the world to drink better coffee and what does the future hold for this icon of daily consumption?

In our inaugural episode, we discuss Boeing, the first Pacific Northwest company that took off globally. From its incongruous start as a timber company, the Boeing Company developed into the world's largest aerospace company and brought the world closer together through its remarkable feats of engineering and launched the Pacific Northwest as an industrial and technological hub.