We believe a unique opportunity exists to generate long-term capital gains from private equity investments in the Northwest. The Northwest is a leading center of entrepreneurial and business activity. Companies such as Amazon, Boeing, Costco, Immunex, McCaw, Micron, Microsoft, Nike, Nordstrom and Starbucks were founded and became industry leaders in the region. The formation of an increasing number of rapidly growing businesses in the Northwest will be fueled by departing entrepreneurs from these and other leading companies headquartered in the region.

In addition, the Northwest is home to a renowned network of universities, research institutions and technology companies. These institutions train highly skilled workers, develop leading edge technologies and transfer significant amounts of technology to the private sector.