"Atlas Assistance Dogs: Creating Partnerships, Changing Lives"
2025-08-01 07:15 - 08:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | The Bellevue Hilton, 300 112th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Jennifer “Jen” Kolar – President
Atlas Service Dogs
Atlas Assistance Dogs is a non-profit organization whose mission is to support people with disabilities to train their own service dogs, educate ethical trainers, strengthen the human-canine bond, and promote a more inclusive society.
One in four Americans lives with a disability, yet fewer than 1% benefits from a service dog. High costs, long waitlists, and a lack of qualified and ethical trainers are all barriers for people to access the service dog that could change their life. Learn how Atlas is breaking down these barriers, creating partnerships, and changing lives.
About the Speaker
Jennifer Kolar is a founding board member and President of Atlas Assistance Dogs. In her nine-year tenure at Atlas, she has played a pivotal role, developing programs that cater to individuals with disabilities and their canine companions while also spearheading the creation of professional training offerings for service dog trainers.
Prior to her involvement with Atlas, Jennifer co-founded and nurtured a for-profit business specializing in owner-based service dog training.

"Selling Windows - Life After Microsoft"
2025-08-08 07:15 - 08:30 | The Bellevue Hilton, 300 112th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Rick Locke – Owner / Entrepreneur
Windows, Doors and More and affiliated window businesses in the NorthwestRick will discuss his business journey after leaving Microsoft in 2009 to buy a small business, and share a few lessons learned in the corporate world that have informed and helped achieve my success as a business owner. He will compare and contrast his corporate experience with entrepreneurship and share some of his experiences with small business acquisition, ownership and management. Rick will also provide a bit of insight into the current economic conditions impacting commercial and residential construction in our market.
About the Speaker
Born nine months after the launch of Sputnik, Rick grew up in Eastern Washington in a time of rapid social, economic and technological change. He graduated from Washington State University (Go Cougs!) in 1981 and has been selling Windows ever since.
He and his wife Tammy raised two sons, first in Woodinville and then on Clyde Hill, where they lived for 20 years. They have since downsized to a “cottage in the woods” on the 9th tee of Overlake golf course in Medina, where they have been for the past 8 years. They also have homes in La Quinta, California, and Bozeman Montana. Those of you with sons that have played basketball in the Eastside Traveling League over the years (there are thousands), may recognize Rick as the organizer and coordinator of that program for fourteen years.
Rick has sold windows in many forms. First residential windows for your homes at a local company called Milgard, then commercial glass and windows for major commercial buildings up and down the west coast. The MGM Grand in Las Vegas was his biggest project. That was 650,000 square feet of glass! He had a manufacturer’s rep business that he ultimately sold, that still has the website “Glassguys.com”.
Then, with a dramatic career change, he followed in his wife’s footsteps and went to Microsoft. There he sold Microsoft Windows, ultimately managing the Worldwide Dell Account team, responsible for the overall corporate relationship and billions of dollars of annual revenue.
Upon turning 50 (old by Microsoft standards) Rick decided to leave and pursue business ownership. That is where John Martinka ran into Rick. He was part of his year long quest to find a small business that could satisfy his entrepreneurial itch and keep him busy for the next few years. That was in 2013.
Since then, Rick has leveraged that first acquisition in Seattle, to nine locations in five states and over $50m in annual revenues. Today Rick owns Windows, Doors & More in Seattle, Montana Sash & Door in Bozeman, Kalispell, Jackson Wyoming and Couer d’Alene Idaho, and Island Sash & Door in Anacortes, Freeland, Eugene and Bend, Oregon.
His companies specialize in high end residential fenestration products. Some of you likely have products from his company in your homes. A significant percentage of their products are imported, so he may have lots to say about Tariffs (though we don’t have time for that rat hole).
Rick has also served on the Board of Directors for the National Glass Association, the country’s largest and most comprehensive trade organization for the glass, glazing and fenestration industry, for the last eight years. He is currently the Chairman of the Board. In that role he has travelled around the country presenting to State Chapters of the NGA on the “State of the Industry” as well as tightening the relationship between he national and local chapters. I expect we will hear some of that presentation as well

“Living a Legacy that Matters …A Lifestyle of Generosity!” via Zoom
2025-08-15 07:15 - 08:30 | The Salvation Army Eastside Corps, 911 164th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA, 98008, United States
Alan Pratt – President, Northwest Region
The Signatry
Today’s program is truly stories displaying “Service Above Self!” Alan Pratt, a former long time (and missed) member of Bellevue Breakfast Rotary, will share wonderful stories of the generosity of his clients in providing legacy philanthropy. He will discuss both legacy gifts scheduled after his client’s passing as well as the newer trend to fulfill those legacy gifts while they are still alive and can see the benefits of their philanthropy.
About the Speaker
Alan Pratt, a Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy, serves as the President of The Signatry’s Northwest Region. With a passion for fostering transformative, biblical generosity, Alan partners with families to provide the creative tools, strategies, and insights needed to maximize their giving and create a lasting legacy. Rooted in trust, deep listening, and cultivating lifelong relationships, he draws on over three decades of personal and professional experience in guiding families to flourish across the generations. As a second-generation steward of family wealth, Alan brings unique personal understanding to his work, helping families model biblical generosity that aligns with their values and passions. In alignment with The Signatry’s mission to inspire and facilitate revolutionary generosity, Alan empowers families to leverage donor-advised funds, noncash asset giving and innovative financial tools, equipping them to make meaningful contributions to causes close to their hearts. His vision is to help families not only give generously, but also to live generously, impacting future generations and creating a ripple effect of lasting change.

“Handling customers who complain, as well as non-complainers, using AI”
2025-08-22 07:15 - 08:30 | The Bellevue Hilton, 300 112th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Bill Price – Founder and President
Driva Solutions LLC
. “AI is becoming an essential tool to handle customers who complain or have simple questions and will soon enable organizations to identify and delight customers who do not bother to complain. Since non-complainers outnumber complainers by 4 to 20 to 1, and they churn at a much higher rate, Bill Price will share use cases using AI to diagnose and repair customer experiences.”
About the Speaker
Bill Price started Driva Solutions in September 2001 to help companies achieve the delicate balance between cost containment and greater customer loyalty. Among his company’s 160 clients are American Express, Avalara, Costco, Expedia, Google, Hyatt, McDonald’s, Southern California Edison, Stanford University, T-Mobile, and Vodafone. His new DrivaAI division is building a family of GenAI/LLM-based products to improve customer experience.
Bill co-founded the 9-country LimeBridge Global Alliance in early 2002 and chairs the 30-company Global Operations Council. He served as Associate Editor for the Journal of Creating Value, has been for many years an Advisor and frequent contributor to CustomerThink, has lectured at four business schools, and is the co-author of four books: The Best Service is No Service (2008), Your Customer Rules! (2015), The Frictionless Organization (2022), and Zero Complaints (2025). He is working on “book 5” that will come out in Spring 2026.
Bill served as Amazon’s 1st WW VP of Customer Service, and before that was Vice President & General Manager of MCI Call Center Services, COO & CFO with a start-up software company in San Francisco, and a Senior Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company in San Francisco and Stockholm.
Bill received his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and his MBA from Stanford University and lives outside of Seattle in Bellevue, Washington.

“A Compassionate Approach to Biohazard Situations – Bio Clean Inc.”
2025-08-29 07:15 - 08:30 | The Bellevue Hilton, 300 112th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Rhea Toles – Vice President and Owner
Bio Clean Inc.Rhea’s discussion today will expand on the following – Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) is one of those interesting and unique programs we see on our TV screens — often sensationalized and founded in a “Whodunit?” storyline — but in real life, after evidence has been gathered, someone needs to clean up the aftermath. That’s where Bio Clean Inc. comes in.Well … sometimes.If not a crime scene, Bio Clean may also be called to help clean up in cases of unattended or self-inflicted deaths, hoarding situations, evictions, drug use, or any otherwise biohazardous (and often unpleasant or traumatic) environments.“It’s more than just cleaning — it’s therapy,” said Bio Clean owner, Rhea Toles. “We can clean out a whole house in a day, but what puts us back [timing-wise] is really dealing with a client. People think, ‘Oh, you’re just a cleaning company,’ but we are actually suicide-training certified, we’re first aid certified … It’s a lot more than that.”
About the Speaker
Rhea Toles is Vice President of Bio Clean Inc. headquartered in Marysville. Rhea and her husband acquired Bio Clean in 2022 from the founder, a first responder, who had started the business in 1998. Bio Clean is a woman- and minority-owned disaster response, biohazard and meth lab cleanup, and crime scene cleaner serving Washington.

The "Yes, and..." Manager: Fostering Creativity in Organizations!
2025-09-05 07:15 - 08:30 | The Bellevue Hilton, 300 112th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA, 98004, United States
Bridget Quigg – Speaker, event host and author
BQ Productions
How do you bring out the best in others? Treat them like a genius! Coming from a background in both improvisational theater and Seattle tech startups, speaker Bridget Quigg will guide us through a session of games and lessons on creativity and collaborating with others. We’ll discuss the concept of being a “Yes, and…” manager and how that can transform an organization.
About the Speaker
Bridget Quigg is a 15-year tech veteran and founder of the “You’re a Genius” workshop series. After a successful career as a marketing director at some of Seattle’s hottest startups, Bridget decided to take her long history in comedy and teach corporate teams about creativity, collaboration, and the power of having fun together. She’s written and toured five, one-woman comedy shows, including her most recent one “Techlandia” which was featured in Geekwire and on NPR. She’s also the author of three books on intuition and creativity, including, “You’re Intuitive: A Guidebook for Hearing Your Inner Wisdom.” Consistently ranked as a favorite presenter at Microsoft events, Bridget likes to keep her sessions uplifting and fast-paced so that everyone goes home with a fresh perspective and ideas to take back to their team. Bridget is a graduate of Stanford University

"Intertwined Roots: Healing Communities and The Ecosystems after Conflict in the Colombian Caribbean" via Zoom
2025-09-19 07:15 - 08:30 | The Salvation Army Eastside Corps, 911 164th Ave NE, Bellevue, WA, 98008, United States
Sindy J. Martínez Callejas & Dr. Felipe Roa-Clavijo – Researchers in Columbia S.A.
See bios below
This talk presents research conducted by Sindy Martinez and Dr. Felipe Roa-Clavijo, two Colombian researchers working in the region of Montes de María, in the Colombian Caribbean. Armed conflict caused deforestation and the displacement of rural communities in the year 2000. After residents returned, led by a resilient group of women who drew attention to the recovery of their territory and the endangered dry forest ecosystem, they now run a yam-producing association and a plant nursery to support restoration efforts. This case shows the strong link between conflict recovery, environmental restoration, grassroots leadership, as well as the importance of interdisciplinary research with high impact in their territory.
About the Speaker
Sindy J. Martínez Callejas is a researcher at the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute. She holds a degree in Ecology from Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Colombia) and a Master’s, Interdisciplinary Development Studies from Universidad de los Andes (Colombia). With over 13 years of experience in participatory research, her work primarily focuses on the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity. She is particularly interested in understanding the relationships between society and nature and seeks to bridge the gap between these two spheres through participatory science approaches.
Dr. Felipe Roa-Clavijo holds a PhD in International Development from the University of Oxford and a Master’s, Public Administration from Seattle University. He is an expert in food security, agriculture, and rural development. He is the author of the books The Politics of Food Provisioning in Colombia (Routledge, 2022) and Política en el Plato (Ediciones Uniandes, 2024) and several documents in specialized publications. He is currently a professor at the School of Government at Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia, and Associate Researcher at the University of Oxford.
