, 42, CEO, Starbucks Corp. The man who turned your cup of coffee into a lifestyle accessory.
, 40, CEO, Microsoft Corp. The boy billionaire is looking beyond his virtual stranglehold on PC operating systems as he gears up to take on Netscape in a battle of the Web-browsers. At stake: the ability to shape the Inter- net’s future.
, 59, pastor, Overlake Christian Church. Moorehead presides over one of the largest evangelical Christian congregations in Washington, making the pastor an influential political player.
, 48, philanthropist. Since retiring with her Microsoft millions in 1990, former marketing guru Cole has plowed wealth and energy into Seattle’s arts com- munity. Among her projects: buying and refurbishing the Paramount Theatre.
, 54, artist. Chihuly’s translucent, multihued, blown-glass abstractions have earned him a worldwide following among collectors and artisans, ““many of whom migrate to work at his Pilchuck Glassworks.
, 72, and B_Virginia Wright_b, 67, philanthropists. Over the years the Wrights have used their timber fortune and old-money influence to help get the Space Needle built, erect the Bagley Wright Theater, expand the Seattle Art Museum – and so on and on.
, 64, chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. A leader of the Nisqualli Tribe, Frank secured a landmark 1974 decision on Indian fishing rights; he now preaches cooperation with landowners.
, 36, pundit. A kinder, slimmer Rush Limbaugh, the ubiquitous conservative commentator dishes out the right side in newspaper columns and over KVI talk radio. Started one of the first of a flood of local conservative think tanks.
, 64, chairman, Boeing Co. Though he’ll retire soon, about 100,000 Seattle- area workers still count on him to keep the paychecks coming.
, 31, singer. Between tours with her band Hole and stints in L.A. pursuing her nascent big-screen career, Kurt Cobain’s widow isn’t around as much as she used to be – but when she is, she’s part of the scene. Or making one.
, 56, city council member. Yet another retired Microsoft millionaire, Podlodowski is an out lesbian, a fund raiser par excellence and apparently, in her council seat, an emerging civic leader.
, 48, writer. The University of Washington creative-writing professor rose to prominence when ““Middle Passage,’’ his tale of a freed slave who stows away on a slave ship back to Africa, won a National Book Award in 1990.
, 69 , pastor, Mt. Zion Baptist Church. As the head of Seattle’s largest black church, McKinney is an enduring power in the African-American community.
, 29, lead singer, Pearl Jam. The death of Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain left Pearl Jam’s reclusive Vedder the reigning grunge icon. If he pops up at all, it’s often in disguise.
, 43, investor. The other Microsoft billionaire, Allen is plowing money into interactive entertainment ventures, backing start-ups like Starwave and sinking $500 million into DreamWorks SKG. His pet project: a $60 million museum devoted to late Seattle rocker Jimi Hendrix.
, 31, advice columnist. The far-out drag queen’s unabashed sex-advice column in the free weekly The Stranger propelled that paper to must-read status. He’s now syndicated, but he’s not for every taste.
, 59 , businessman. As the owner of Uwajimya, the state’s premier Asian supermarket chain, Moriguchi keeps Seattle well fed. As a player in Asian-American politics, he helped beef up the city’s International District.
, 39, writer. Guterson’s best-selling murder yarn, ““Snow Falling on Cedars,’’ set in a locale recalling his own Bainbridge Island community, has brought yet more attention to the Pacific Northwest.
, 26, outfielder, Seattle Mariners. Seattle’s franchise player became pro ball’s best-paid in January, when the Mariners signed him to a record four-year, $34 million contract.
, 76, retired county councilwoman. The former bartender worked her contacts to become Chinatown’s top power broker and blazed the trail for an Asian political presence in Seattle. Though not universally popular during her 13 years in office, she’s established the city’s first incipient political dynasty: her daughter Cheryl, 49, holds a seat on the Seattle city council.
, 36, and B_Bruce Pavitt_b, 33, founders, Sub Pop Records. Poneman and Pavitt’s indie label launched Nirvana, unleashing a tidal wave of flannel across the land. The local music scene isn’t what it used to be, but they are still plugging away, having recently sold a 49 percent stake in Sub Pop to Time Warner.
, 56, school superintendent. After commanding U.S. troops for 30 years, the retired general assumed the mission of improving Seattle’s public- school system, shaking up the bureaucracy with a no-nonsense leadership style.
, 41, city councilwoman. The daughter of Korean immigrants, Choe is a big player on macro issues like trade and planning but doesn’t shy from more parochial concerns, either. After pleas from dry cleaners, she got rules changed to allow them to take licensing tests in Korean.
, 75, and_B_ Harriet Stimson Bullitt_b_, 71, environmental benefactors. After presiding over their family’s King Broadcasting empire, the sisters sold their holdings to fund the Bullitt Foundation, the largest backer of environmental activism in the state.
, 46, CEO, Teledesic Corp. The communications baron sold McCaw Cellular, the largest cellular-phone network in the country, to AT&T in 1994 for almost $12 billion. Now he and Bill Gates are partners in a venture to encircle the globe with hundreds of communications satellites.
, 26, forward, Seattle Supersonics. Booed by Sonics fans when he was drafted in the first round in 1989, the power-dunking forward has – become a three-time all-star and Reebok icon.But childish on-court antics have led to a suspension early in this year’s playoff and a Dream Team snubbing.
, 46, King County executive. Locke, the son of Chinese immigrants, defeated a Republican incumbent three years ago and remains popular despite a rash of budget woes. He’s now leading the fight to keep the Seahawks in Seattle.
