In a joint effort, King County, City of Bothell and 91探花Bothell are providing a unique opportunity to see what the transportation future holds when the Hydrogen Road Tour makes a stop in Bothell during its border-to-border, nine-day trek.

On Tuesday, June 2, UWB will be the 25th stop on the 28-city tour, which features a 12-vehicle caravan of clean, efficient hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The California Fuel Cell Partnership, California Air Resources Board, National Hydrogen Association, US Fuel Cell Council and Powertech Labs have organized the event.

Citizens are invited to take a free test drive from 7 to 10 a.m. on a one-mile loop course is contained entirely on campus. Sustainability vendors such as Washington State Department of Transportation and others will also be available to support the joint education effort to “green” the community.

“The 91探花 Bothell is pleased to have been chosen as a stop for this historic road tour, said UWB Chancellor Kenyon Chan. “As an institution greatly committed to sustainability and green initiatives, we, in conjunction with our city and county partners, extend this unique opportunity to ‘ride and drive the future’ to all members of the community.”

“The Hydrogen Road Tour showcases the progress of hydrogen programs in the U.S. and Canada,” said California Fuel Cell Partnership executive director Catherine Dunwoody. “These vehicles are comfortable, perform great, refuel in minutes and will travel the distance with zero tailpipe emissions, zero petroleum and greatly reduced greenhouse gases. Thousands of people will get

a chance to try these vehicles for themselves.”

Fuel cell vehicles from Daimler, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen will turn heads as they make the trek from Chula Vista, CA to Vancouver, BC. Air Products and Powertech Labs are providing mobile refueling stations and hydrogen fuel.

Visit for a complete list of stops.

The 91探花Bothell recently received approval from the Higher Education Coordinating Board to extend its MBA Program southward to Bellevue.

The new Leadership MBA in Bellevue will focus on developing business leaders through a mentorship and strategic leadership program. It will complement the successful MBA program offered at the Bothell campus geared towards managing technology-oriented businesses. The program in Bothell will be known as the Technology MBA and have a strong focus on technology and entrepreneurship. Both programs will emphasize analysis and problem solving, business theories, and communication skills.

By expanding to Bellevue, the MBA program will provide increased educational access to residents of the Eastside (including Bellevue, Issaquah, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish and surrounding communities) who will benefit from the UW-quality education, reduction of travel time, expense and impact on the environment.

Support from Eastside leaders has been great, as shown by their letters of support to the Higher Education Coordinating Board. Said Christine Hoffmann, head of the Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce, “We support the college’s efforts for outreach and their ability to provide top quality education regionally.”

Grant Degginger, mayor of Bellevue, echoed this sentiment, “In considering the strong demand for top quality education programs that will deliver the most current and successful business practices to the Eastside, the City of Bellevue supports and endorses bringing to Bellevue the 91探花 Bothell’s outstanding MBA program.”

Chris Boody, director of product management and consumer messaging for AT&T Mobility, adds, “The addition of an MBA program in the Bellevue/Redmond area would allow the large and small companies in this area to continue to invest in their leadership and staffing objectives by providing access to the outstanding 91探花 advanced degree programs in their own back yard.”

The new program strengthens 91探花Bothell’s overarching vision of becoming the regional center of academic excellence in higher education, providing increased access to citizens of the north Puget Sound region while also achieving campus priorities outlined in the newly released and is one of approximately 20 new programs projected to begin in 2009.

Applications are now being accepted for the fall 2009 MBA classes. An information session featuring a presentation on both the Bothell and Bellevue MBA offerings will be held at 91探花Bothell on Thursday, Nov. 6. For more information call 425-352-3277 or visit .

With an investment of $15,000, Snohomish County became a founding partner of the Business Development Center (BDC) at 91探花Bothell recently.

The center provides one-on-one counseling, student consulting teams from 91探花Bothell and Edmonds and Everett Community Colleges, events and seminars, and referrals to other resources and sources of assistance for the small business community.

“Our region benefits from the dynamic practical problem-solving business development experience BDC affords students,” said County Executive Aaron Reardon.

The center’s programs are a “win-win” for all involved, center leaders say. Students get practical, applied experience addressing business issues. Business owners access new knowledge and expertise that they can translate into increased effectiveness and revenues. And the region as a whole is stronger when the small business sector is well supported.

BDC leaders are grateful for the support and enthusiasm that has come from Snohomish County. Says center Director Walter Freytag, “Like the small companies we work with, the external resources and support we received as we launched our new enterprise were so important. Snohomish County and our other founding partners made it possible to turn our vision of a business assistance program into reality.”

The center is having a positive impact on local small business owners. Entrepreneur John Holmes, for example, worked with BDC counselor Kristen Spangler on a plan for his company, Final Take Productions in Mill Creek. “Working with Kristen and the BDC is like taking a business and marketing degree program over time,” he said. “She is particularly adept at helping me make business numbers manageable and visual, and the benefits from this are tremendous.”

In October, Holmes had already surpassed the annual revenue goals he and Spangler developed at the beginning of this year.

Debbie Gallego, an Everett Community College student, was part of a team that created a marketing plan for Summit Family Chiropractic in Lynnwood. Says Gallego, “It is always useful to be able to deal with real life situations 鈥攕 omething you don’t get to do very often as a student. I put more effort into this class because I was dealing with a situation where a difference could be made!”

For more information on the 91探花Bothell Business Development Center, please contact Duncan Milloy, 425-352-3664, or bdcinfo@uwb.edu.