Meet our new business manager, Kenny Shelton. He’s a California native who just celebrated his second anniversary in the Seattle area. Before joining The Evergrey crew, Kenny headed up the business development team at Hack Nation, a Seattle-based org that mentors and advocates for entrepreneurs of color.

When he’s not forging connections with awesome Seattleites and local organizations, Kenny’s a fan of kicking back with a cocktail at Still Liquor or hanging out in the sun near one of Seattle’s lakes. Here’s a little more about him…

» Favorite neighborhood: “Beacon Hill because it’s eclectic and diverse.”

» Favorite café: “I’m not a big coffee drinker, but I like The Station or Uptown Espresso.”

» Favorite restaurant: “Chu Minh Tofu for their banh mi or Taste of the Caribbean.”

» Best show you’ve seen in the city? “Syd from The Internet at The Neptune Theatre.”

» Is the Seattle Freeze real? “Definitely.”

» Pro- or anti-umbrella? “No to umbrellas.”

» Your perfect Seattle weekend? “Brunch at Portage Bay Café with bottomless mimosas, hanging out at Seward Park, and people watching at Pike Place. Then I’d grab dinner at Taste of the Caribbean and end the night at a house party.”

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So what’ll Kenny be working on? Getting to know awesome companies and organizations who can help us help you live you live here.

You’ve sent us LOTS of ideas for stories and projects you’d like to see us tackle, and we’re on the hunt for sponsors who can help us bring them to life. Plus, our Creative Studio knows a thing or two about connecting organizations that love our city with the locals they want to reach.

Know a local company or organization who’d want to work with us? Help us fill up Kenny’s calendar on his first week! Reach out to him anytime at [email protected]. He can’t wait to meet you.

Have more general questions about how you or your organization can collaborate with us? Check out our brand new guide to partnering with The Evergrey and give a shout to director Mónica Guzmán at [email protected]. And of course, you can always reach us both at [email protected].

Hooked on hiking. The number of locals who’ve gone hiking in the last 12 months has doubled in the last decade. And before you think that’s just because we’ve grown by more than 100,000 people in that time, get this: our hiker hike is seven times greater than our area’s population growth. So what’s going on? Millennials, specifically 18- to 34-year-olds, like to hike twice as much now as they did in 2008. And then there’s the “Instagram effect.” It’s tough to scroll through jaw-dropping views from the trails without wanting to get out there yourself. Ready to put on those hiking boots? The Washington Trails Association’s got everything you need to know. And don’t forget to tag #theevergrey in those pics. 😉 (The Seattle Times)

Never the same. When a city grows and changes this fast, does it begin to lose its soul? That’s a question The Seattle Times’ Jayson Jenks asks in this tour of six different stories in six different neighborhoods. When people talk about Seattle’s soul, he writes, they talk about “a know-it-when-you-see-it combination of vibe, history, livability and attitude” that sets us apart from other places. But does it ever stay the same? “Seattle is losing its soul, and it is gaining one that I don’t want to be a part of anymore,” a woman named Meg Matthews wrote in a letter to the Times — in 2000. What represents Seattle’s “soul” to you? Check out the survey at the end. (The Seattle Times)

The one and only. Some cuisines are way more popular around here than others. But if you’re a fan of the unique, check out this quick tour of four restaurants that serve food you won’t find anywhere else in the city. 🍴 (The Stranger)

Safety first. Walk into the bathroom at the Seattle Public Library’s Ballard, University District, or Capitol Hill branches, and you might see something new: sharps containers for people to safely dispose of used needles. A worker who was taking out the trash at the Ballard branch got stuck by a needle wrapped in a sanitary pad last month. She was OK, but the library decided to take action. (Seattle Magazine)

THAT’S ALL FOR TODAY 👍

We’ll see you tomorrow. — The Evergrey