Jun 06, 2023

King County Superior Court

Gov. Jay Inslee appointed William L. Dixon V to the King County Superior Court. He will replace Judge Judith Ramseyer, who is retiring July 1. Dixon is an experienced civil litigator, beginning his legal career in 1996. Since 2007, he has owned and managed Dixon Law Firm, a plaintiff's personal injury firm in Seattle. Dixon has prosecuted clients' claims of medical malpractice, employment discrimination, products liability, and motor vehicle injury. Dixon has served in various leadership roles with the Washington State Bar Association, the King County Bar Association, and the Washington State Association for Justice. In 2019, the Washington State Association for Justice honored Dixon with the Carl Maxey Award for his sustained commitment to diversity in the legal profession. He has also volunteered as a youth football coach. Dixon earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Arizona, and his law degree at the University of Washington School of Law.

LeoStella

LeoStella, a U.S.-based satellite design and manufacturing company, delivered its third satellite to Loft Orbital Solutions. The spacecraft is the 20th satellite manufactured by LeoStella since its formation in 2019. This latest satellite was modeled on LeoStella's LS-100 bus platform. Loft Orbital extended its production agreement with LeoStella to secure additional satellites in support of Loft's mission to provide a reliable path to orbit for any payload for its customers. The standardization of LeoStella's small satellite bus enables the company to reduce production costs and timelines. Based in Tukwila, LeoStella is a joint venture between Thales Alenia Space and BlackSky. Loft Orbital has offices in San Francisco,; Golden, Colorado; and Toulouse, France.

Columbia Sportswear

Columbia Sportswear announced that Mark Nenow, president of the SOREL brand, has resigned in order to focus on his health. Nenow joined the company in 2007 to lead footwear. He became president of the SOREL brand in 2015 and focused his attention on growth through a drive towards function-led style applied to boots, sandals, sneakers and more. SOREL has established itself as the second largest of the Columbia family of brands. Craig Zanon, senior vice president, emerging brands, will lead SOREL while the company searches for a replacement. Founded in 1938 in Portland, Columbia's brands are sold in approximately 90 countries. In addition to the Columbia brand, Columbia Sportswear also owns the Mountain Hardwear, SOREL and prAna brands.

Jun 02, 2023

Department of Veterans Affairs

Gilbert

Solomon Gilbert is the new deputy director of the state Department of Veterans Affairs. Gilbert has over 22 years of leadership and management experience, including enterprise-level supervision of staff across a large geographic region. His background includes service in the nonprofit sector as the senior vice president and HR director for the YMCA of Greater Seattle. Before that, he was HR administrator within the state Department of Children Youth and Families. Gilbert also served 21 years in the United States Army, where he performed a myriad of high-impact functions, including working at the Pentagon.

UFCW 3000

United Food and Commercial Workers 3000 has created the Essential Workers Organizing Academy, an initiative to develop the next generation of worker-leaders. The union says it is dedicating resources to train new worker-organizers, assist in organizing their workplaces, and collaboratively develop new organizing campaigns. The program combines formal training, readings and instruction with hands-on organizing experience. UFCW 3000 is targeting five to 10 new worker-organizers for its pilot year of the academy.

Jun 01, 2023

Seattle Veterinary Outreach

Raj

Rachele Raj is the new executive director for Seattle Veterinary Outreach, a provider of free and reduced-cost veterinary care for pets of people experiencing homelessness and low-income families. Raj is one of the founding members of SVO, and was the organization's program and operations manager until 2021. Since 2002, she has been involved in both animal welfare and social services organizations, most recently as a volunteer and foster care programs manager for Everett Animal Shelter. Raj will start her new role on June 12. SVO also connects pet owners to vital health, housing and social service resources.

Seagen

In Bothell, biotechnology company Seagen announced that its stockholders have approved Pfizer's acquisition of the company for $229 per share in cash. More than 99% of the shares voted at a special meeting were in favor of the deal. Pending regulatory approvals, the acquisition is expected to close late this year or in early 2024. Seagen develops cancer medicines.

May 31, 2023

Johnston Training Group

Consulting firm Johnston Training Group changed its name to Johnston Framework. The company was founded in 1979 by Karen Johnston, who transformed the company in 2000 to focus on communication skills in the AEC industry, and developed a methodology based on accelerated learning. This training enabled technical professionals to “learn by doing” quickly and to communicate effectively in project interviews. Karen's son, Scott Johnston, joined the company in 2015 and took over operations in 2020 when she retired. According to Scott, the new name communicates that the process he uses is more than a one-time effort — it's the foundation for building permanent change that sticks with clients for life. The company also changed its logo, website and email. Its three core offerings are interview skills, interview coaching and business development. Scott says he also has a new offering on how to navigate difficult communications.

Data I/O

Redmond-based Data I/O says its stock will become part of the Russell Microcap Index at the conclusion of the 2023 Russell indexes annual reconstitution, effective after the market closes on June 23. Membership in the index, which remains in place for one year, results in automatic inclusion in any growth and value style funds or other portfolios modeled after the index. Data I/O provides security and data deployment solutions for microcontrollers, security ICs and memory devices.