this is around 15 minutes. >> i like the red tie and redshirt ensemble. [laughter] two years in a row they one.

my entire presidency l.a. hear about is the georgia bulldogs. [laughter] as mayors and business leaders gather this morning one thing that brings us together are the common challenges in common opportunities that we share covid-19 has changed downtown and how and where people work and in many instances mayor and business leaders are working together to adopt thedo new reality we will invite two great people to the stage for this discussion please welcome our new chair standing committee seattle mayor and starbucks executive vice president communications officer. [applause] >> how long it is an on the

job? >> one year, 20 some odd days i've been elected four times i can do this in my sleep. no big deal. >> great to see you. so businesses are coping with so many challenges with the weight of the pandemic and are still recovering in so many different ways for both of you came into the current leadership roles mayor, please share insights why you decided to run for mayor of seattle in 2021. >> thank you i will give you art heartfelt important to answer. [laughter]r] my journey always starts on my

knees my wife says are you begging or praying? a little bit of both. but in all seriousness is some is happening in seattle and in our country things were act on —- radioactive and toxic and volatile i said those would find a way to sincerely authenticallyly reach everyone in the far left and far right. so we have to be bold enough to create new ideas we are planning the cities i started on myn knees and stronger when i get up even stronger when i stand and we all have this opportunity to redefine our cities and redefined the country. i just had enough support to

do it and having fun every day. >> we are fortunate to have you with the mayor of your extreme part of the country that focusing on technology and the ecosystem we look forward. >> what has the adjuster on you to leadership and starbucks is such a critical time of business quick. >> it's a wonderful to be with you today. let's have a round of applause for the mayor for hosting us here and allowing us to be here and having this conversation. than a long time that we are able to get back together again. so why should you contribute your ideas and assets to the world of business there is no more time to be authentic and once leadership taking a platform impact in the radius in which we control your company of connections what better way can i contribute

knowledge in my talents to move the country forward? i do think in many respects the rules of corporate america and a company like starbucks is to be a haven and a protector of those seeking opportunity and change and the latter to equity and equality i cannot think of a better time and place. >> have to check not running for mayor anytime soon? [laughter] he looks good he sounds good. [laughter] all of a sudden he shows up on the ballot. [laughter] >> very wise in your part. so obviously we are living in a dynamic world of how you see

public-private partnerships to find collaboration and innovation going forward. >> it is critical to our success. i do not take starbucks for granted and all the work they do. and they are important projects whether we're in the homeless strategies for helping with those made ambassadors. we have microsoft and amazon putting hundreds of millions of dollars into housing. we are the home of many successful companies but they take that corporate social responsibility goals very seriously. people forget when they start bashing this they have crimes

of individuals with hearts and souls and they realize the decay in i the city was from when we are extracting resources as a finite resource. im blessed to have partnerships when i needed it is small things many of you had to figure how to regulate or not regulate the rideshare industry talking to her and left as a policy leader do you care about the community one wrote $10000 on heret check to a small athletic team that was like $1 million of new equipment and while not a lot of money in the big scheme of things of microsoft putting $500 million that they have it was huge for the lives of these kids that mattered so these partnerships will be critical. i don't go begging.

but with the charge of all boats rise and in a consumer business using products and services so they understand the importance and public safety and climate change we have a great opportunity in front of us and we have to be louder and that people who talk about antibusiness or anti- jobs rhetoric we have to be louder and more organized. >> and i will tell you one of the most important things is you don't take starbucks for granted and that is incredibly important component and as the

cochairs mention this putting w an emphasis on this we value this and we value the input for the agenda based on creating value for them to be aat collaborative process we don't want it to be just about us but how we can create a collaboration so that rise all tides which is our constituents so share how starbucks is transforming its business in seattle and across the country. >> you mentioned it before the importance around having partnerships in the mayor is intuitive enough to say i have a problem ideade who can allow me to unlock a number of different things one would be a predevelopment financialgs institution program for us to

use our resources but actually be a part of the city and the financing and improvement across the various landscapes trying to develop so by doing that we recognize we come in on the block other resources, thus other people see this and i want to give a shout out we have an incredible partnership and that we can t work together across the country the second piece we have a program called the escap program which is for individuals who want to go to college while being a barista or working at her school while anchored at arizona state university that is available for everybody wherever theyhe are. so being able to drive

opportunities that talent pool in your city this is a way to do that and to drive that as well. theai other dynamic is we have spent $8 billion within the diversity supplier program. it is important when you think about the small and medium and tertiary business day at some point have to have that first and second and third contract and then theypl can come into have the resources with the company like ours not only with the authenticity and reputation but it also has assets for them to grow as well and then the last piece thank you for your partnership to be thoughtful of the community attributes we are so

happy we just recently opened a new store in november and little havana thank you for making that possible that has allowed for us to not only be a haven b for those but also the latter in neighborhoods where people may have said we will go there. thank you again. >> cubans love their coffee. [laughter] mayor harold is concerned you are the only person i have that i can match your shirt with your tie and the handkerchief and the flower thing at the same time. i don't know how you do that. [laughter] >> he has high expectations. >> your vision for one seattle has guided your work what guided you with your guiding principles what were the successes you want to tackle in the upcoming year? >> so in seattle we have an

interesting dilemma as a victim of success when the most affluent per capita but alsota created a subclass of poverty and when i took office we hadel a lot of homeless camps everywhere. that we had over 80 parts completely unusable. and just the signs of poverty and mental illness so i came up with the idea of one seattle we lead with listening and understanding to look at everything through the lens ofro the person affected by the policy or executive decision i have seven.5 billion-dollar budget and we will demonstrate

listening. so i went to every police precinct sometimes with a 3:00 a.m. call and everybody is talking about the funding but if we don't starve them from resources but we want them to know what my expectation is as their mayor. would advise mayors to do and it was an incredible experience. we also have a world-class zoo and we have camps everywhere we had to offer housing and shelter with 89 referrals come out and then to have the unified care team has a strong presence of social workers we

tried to tap into people of faith communities and we approach the any i unified way to do it we have to do. one seattle gives us the framework to realize as precious asset are my people and i had to build entry points you know you are blamed for k everything as the mayor and i say i own wide i must do. that is the one seattle concept to payay dividends of everything that we do. >> it is a tremendous challenge i cannot even wrap my hand on —- my head around it so something off-topic there are a lot of americans who use their success it is their weakness certainly miami falls and that category for

sure on the housing side to be so successful to attract capital and businesses to her city with housing prices and commercial mental places that makes it harder so that the conversation we need to have as a nation. take us home. thirty seconds. who is your team? [laughter] >> we have to get it out of you. >> i appreciate that but i will go old-school growing up in the church structure without visionn people perish in the reality of what you have heard today is that the partnership exists to make sure people don't perish and i would say the country is dealing withh the question who

is the authentic voice for the people who are t the authentic leaders where the authentic spaces it is incumbent upon us to create vision because without that it is that i am grateful and look forward. [applause]