Xconomy Seattle just added a heavy hitter to our lineup.
I’m thrilled to announce that Benjamin Romano is the newest member of our editorial team, starting today as a senior editor in Seattle focused on the tech and cleantech industries. Ben brings a load of relevant experience to this job. He spent four years at The Seattle Times, where he produced some distinguished coverage of Microsoft (NASDAQ: [[ticker:MSFT]]). Since 2009, Ben has worked in a media startup called Recharge, a trade publication focused on clean energy.
Ben brings an unusual blend of expertise to this job, as someone with a track record of covering tech, cleantech, and even some biotech. He’ll coordinate his coverage with me as the Seattle editor, and with Curt Woodward, our colleague who recently moved to the Xconomy Boston office but left his brain in Seattle for a while. Curt will continue to deliver his insightful posts on Amazon, Microsoft and other local tech companies, as he ramps up more of his coverage on the East Coast tech scene.
Like Curt, Ben is a terrific journalist, and someone with deep roots in the Northwest. He’s a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, and spent the early part of his career covering business at the Daily Astorian and at the Yakima Herald-Republic. He and I have a personal connection, too, as he moved to the Seattle Times in 2005 to replace me while I took a leave of absence for a science journalism fellowship at MIT. Once he got his shot at the Times, Ben hit the ground running, showing he could cover quick-turnaround breaking news while also delivering insightful, contextual features.
As I’m sure readers will notice right away, Ben is also a great guy and a class act. Even though his Oregon Ducks beat my Wisconsin Badgers in the Rose Bowl last season, he’s resisted any impulse he might have to rub it in (at least during the job interview process).
I know Ben is eager to dig into the local tech scene, and get to know the companies and people with potential to make a big impact. Watch these pages for Ben’s byline in coming weeks, and for an announcement of a Friday afternoon happy hour where you can come meet him in person. Please join me in welcoming Ben to the Xconomy Seattle team! You can send him a note at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @bromano.
