Starbucks Seattle, Washington, USA Starbucks, which started as a retailer of coffee beans in 1971 in Seattle, shifted to a coffeehouse chain in the latter part of the 1980s and since then its logo, the longhaired goddess Siren, has become ubiquitous around the world. As of January 2003, it runs 6,241 coffeehouses (including licensed shops) in 29 countries. Allied with T-Mobile, the largest wireless communication network, Starbucks started offering wireless LAN in their shops, a service called HotSpot in August 2002. For a mobile worker, Starbucks coffeehouses have now become satellite offices around town. The company's headquarters, located in the SODO district of Seattle, is called "Support Center" because "the main player in business is each coffeehouse and the headquarters' role is to support it." Every employee is given a stock option and made a partner. The corporation's attitude to care for its employees is clear from the ample public spaces throughout the building. Paying similar cares and attention to customers' voices, HotSpot was launched in response to a strong demand. Anyone who registers with T-Mobile's HotSpot can start using this service. With HotSpot's Wi-Fi(802.11b) wireless broadband service, a user can access the Internet 50 times faster than the dial up connection. The service became possible through collaboration with two other companies: T-Mobile, a telecommunication company with the world's largest wireless network, and Hewlett Packard which provides with technological services. Starbucks now offers this service at 2000 locations, 50% of the 4,000 stores operating in North America and plans to expand the service to 70% of the total domestic locations. Use the Starbucks chain wisely, and you will not need to return to your office just to check emails and access the company intranet. Satellite offices will no longer be necessary to many companies.           Location: Seattle, Washington, USA (Headquarters)     Move-In Date: ?     Floor Area: ?     Workforce: ?     Building Design: ?     Interior Design: ?     Interview Date: 2002.11