Sep 24, 2026

First Interstate Bank

Rafuse

First Interstate Bank announced that Greg Rafuse has joined the organization as commercial market president. In this role, Rafuse will focus on expanding commercial banking relationships, supporting local businesses, and helping drive First Interstate's continued growth across Western Washington.

Rafuse brings more than 20 years of banking experience to First Interstate, with a career focused on commercial lending, relationship management, business development, and market leadership.

A native of the Pacific Northwest, Rafuse studied Business at Bellevue College and is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington Foster School of Business. He has extensive expertise in commercial credit and risk analysis and is committed to bridging the gap between bank credit administration and commercial client needs, always keeping client success at the center of his work.

First Interstate is a community bank headquartered in Billings, Montana, delivering banking and wealth management services across Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington and Wyoming.

Sep 23, 2026

Starbucks

Starbucks is building a global technology hub in Chennai, in southern India, according to a letter sent earlier this year to employees from Starbucks technology chief Anand Varadarajan, and shared Monday on the company blog.

“This is an important milestone in how we continue to build a more flexible and globally connected Technology organization,” Varadarajan said in the letter. “Our teams already work closely with technology vendors in India and other countries. Establishing a Starbucks Technology hub in India gives us the opportunity to build a more partner-centric organization which will be created by bringing capability inside Starbucks over time and creating stronger connections to the work, priorities and culture of our business,” he said in the letter.

Varadarajan said Chennai was selected because of its access to and retention of strong talent retention, its ability to support the company's long-term business needs, and alignment with the ways Starbucks teams work across Seattle, Nashville, London and Hong Kong.

The hub is expected to be operational in fiscal year 2027, and could employ as many as 800 tech workers. Chennai, once known as Madras, is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu on the Bay of Bengal.

Sep 22, 2026

Mutual of Enumclaw

Mutual of Enumclaw has unveiled a new brand identity aimed at strengthening its market position and supporting long-term growth as it builds on 128 years of service across the Pacific Northwest.

The Washington-based mutual insurance company said the refreshed brand shows its evolution into a modern regional insurer while maintaining its longstanding commitment to members, agents and communities.

“Our new brand reflects the strength of the company we have built and our growth plans for the future,” said CEO Bob Otis. “We are proud to show up as the powerful, modern insurance brand we have become.” Otis added that the rebranding effort is intended to create a clearer expression of the company's strategy while reinforcing its position as a trusted insurer with deep roots in the Northwest.

Mutual of Enumclaw continues to invest in new capabilities and expand partnerships with independent agents. Company officials said the brand refresh supports key priorities that include strengthening its presence across the Pacific Northwest, growing agent relationships and enhancing the experience it delivers to policyholders.

“Our history gives us a strong foundation, but our focus is on what comes next,” Otis said. “We have the financial strength, relationships, people, and ambition to grow. This brand represents our confidence in Mutual of Enumclaw and the opportunity ahead.”

Founded in Enumclaw in 1898, Mutual of Enumclaw has spent more than a century providing personal, business, farm and ranch insurance coverage. The new branding began appearing across the company's digital channels, communications, workplaces and community presence on Sept. 21.

Sep 18, 2026

Costco

(AP) — Costco said it's partnering with DoorDash to offer delivery from its U.S. warehouse stores.

DoorDash already offers Costco delivery in a few markets, including Australia, Sweden and Puerto Rico. But the nationwide partnership is a first for the San Francisco-based delivery company, which said Costco was among the most-searched retailers not yet on its U.S. platform.

DoorDash said it will deliver groceries, household items and electronics from all of Costco's U.S. stores. Delivery will only be available to Costco members, who can link their membership information to their DoorDash account.

Issaquah-based Costco has 81 million members worldwide. Most are in the U.S., where the company has 639 stores in 47 states.

Costco has offered delivery through Instacart for nearly a decade. In 2024, it announced a partnership with San Francisco-based Uber Eats, but under that agreement, Uber Eats only provided delivery in 17 states.

On Tuesday, Uber Eats said it was expanding Costco delivery nationwide. Like DoorDash, Uber Eats already provides delivery from Costco in other countries, including Japan, France, Spain, Canada and Mexico.

DoorDash and Uber Eats have been expanding their U.S. grocery offerings in recent years. Last fall, both companies announced partnerships with Kroger, the nation's largest supermarket chain.

Sep 17, 2026

SEI

Beherndt

SEI, an employee-owned management consulting firm, has appointed Joel Beherndt as managing director of its Seattle office.

Beherndt succeeds Bonnie Cote, who has led the Seattle market since its launch in 2023 and will remain with SEI as a principal consultant following parental leave.

“Building this market over the past three years has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career, and I couldn't be more confident in Joel as the person to lead us forward,” said Cote, in a news release. “Joel has already made a tremendous impact on our team and our business. He cares deeply about our people, builds genuine relationships with clients, and has the ownership mentality and ambition to continue expanding what we've built. I'm incredibly excited to see him take the helm and lead SEI Seattle through its next stage of growth.”

Beherndt brings extensive consulting and business development experience, with particular depth in large-scale strategy, technology, and operations transformations. He will focus on expanding SEI's presence across the West while preserving the entrepreneurial culture and client-first model that have shaped the Seattle business from the beginning.

“I'm excited to lead SEI's continued growth in the Puget Sound and across the West,” said Beherndt. “There's a real opportunity here to build something distinctive: a consulting business where experienced people stay close to the work, relationships are built on trust rather than transactions, and everyone thinks like an owner because we are owners. We want to bring that model to more clients across the region by helping leaders tackle their hardest problems with teams that are pragmatic, accountable, and focused on outcomes that last.”

Since launching three years ago, SEI Seattle has established a strong presence in the Pacific Northwest while increasingly serving clients across the broader West. The Seattle team works with organizations spanning healthcare, aerospace, retail and consumer goods, financial services, life sciences, and transportation.

Sep 16, 2026

REI Co-op

This National Public Lands Day on Sept. 26, REI Co-op is donating $1 million to support the trails that connect America. Until Oct. 2, members, customers and employees can vote online or in REI stores to help decide how a portion of the donation is directed to eligible nonprofit organizations that care for America's National Scenic and Historic Trails.

Every participating trail organization will receive funding, with a portion of the funding guided by the vote. Together, these organizations support projects and partners across more than 60,600 miles of National Scenic and Historic Trails, from iconic routes like the Pacific Crest Trail and Appalachian Trail to local trail segments that connect communities to the outdoors.

“Our national trails give us room to breathe and help us feel connected to nature, to one another and to ourselves, so on National Public Lands Day, we're giving back to them,” said Mary Beth Laughton, president and CEO of REI Co-op. “Through this effort, the co-op is turning appreciation into care, and we're inviting our members, customers and employees to join us. Together, we can help protect and support these trails and strengthen the organizations that steward them.”

The effort is being launched with the Partnership for the National Trails System (PNTS), whose network includes organizations working across America's National Scenic and Historic Trails. Funding will support trail stewardship, volunteer engagement, youth leadership development, conservation advocacy and other efforts that help trails remain accessible, welcoming and maintained for future generations.

Throughout September, more than 130 REI stores will host local trail organizations and community groups, helping people discover places to explore, connect with partners in their communities and find new opportunities to volunteer, advocate and care for public lands close to home.

PNTS partner organizations will host hikes, stewardship projects, rides and outdoor events around the country, giving people opportunities to get outside and experience firsthand the trails and public lands they are helping support.

Sep 15, 2026

Panther Life Sciences

Hanana

Mounir Hanana, who most recently served as CFO of Amazon Business in Seattle, has been named CEO of New York's Panther Life Sciences, a company building a needle-free alternative to injections.

Panther Life Sciences founder Carlos Bhola will continue as executive chairman, partnering closely with Hanana as Panther commercializes its SmartPatch platform across high-growth health, wellness and therapeutic markets, including dermatology and aesthetic applications.

“We were intentional in our search for a partner with a track record of deploying global technology platforms, scaling manufacturing, and commercializing innovation — and we found that in Mounir,” said Bhola in a release. “I am excited by what Panther will accomplish under Mounir's direction and am looking forward to closely partnering with him.”

Hanana brings 25 years of global leadership experience across Procter & Gamble and Amazon. During his career, he has led initiatives ranging from several hundred million dollars in revenue to large global multibillion-dollar businesses, combining expertise in manufacturing, commercialization, technology platforms and operational scale.

At Procter & Gamble, he helped bring consumer products from development to market through world-class manufacturing, supply chains and commercial organizations. At Amazon, he led large global technology businesses. Together, these experiences span consumer products, advanced manufacturing, global technology platforms and operational excellence—capabilities critical for Panther's next phase of commercialization.

“Having spent much of my career building and scaling global businesses, I know a category-defining opportunity when I see one,” said Hanana. “That is why I joined Panther. Our team has built a unique, powerful technology capable of transforming both consumer and medical markets.”

Sep 11, 2026

Yakima County Superior Court

Black Horse

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Bree Black Horse to the position of Yakima County Superior Court Judge. Black Horse's appointment fills the new position created by a law signed by Ferguson earlier this year. This is the first new position added to the Yakima County Superior Court since 1998.

Black Horse is a career litigator with more than 12 years of experience handling criminal and civil cases in federal, state and Tribal courts. She currently practices at the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, where she represents Tribal governments and enterprises in complex civil litigation and governmental matters. She also serves as director and adjunct professor of law for the Seattle University School of Law Central Washington Hybrid Hub and leads its Pipeline Initiative, a regional partnership between Seattle University School of Law, Heritage University in Toppenish and the AccessLex Institute focused on expanding access to legal education and addressing the shortage of attorneys in Central Washington.

Black Horse previously served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, where she became the first regional prosecutor in the Northwest dedicated to addressing cases involving Missing or Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP). Based in Yakima, she served the U.S. Justice Department's Northwest Region, covering Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and California.

Black Horse also served as a public defender and legal aid attorney for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, where she represented Tribal members in criminal proceedings and a broad range of civil matters, including family law, probate, housing and public benefits. Earlier in her career, Black Horse served as a law clerk to U.S. District Court Chief Judge Brian Morris in the District of Montana.

Black Horse earned her bachelor's degree from Seattle Pacific University and received her law degree from Seattle University School of Law, where she co-founded and served as editor-in-chief of the American Indian Law Journal.