Oct 22, 2025

Summit Bank

Gabbert

Louie-Smith

Summit Bank named Jamie Louie-Smith as senior vice president, business client advisor, and Heather Gabbert as vice president, market development officer. They will be based in the Eugene/Springfield office in Oregon. Louie-Smith has expertise in banking for healthcare, nonprofit, and affordable housing. Her prior experience includes serving as a commercial banking officer at a regional bank and as chief financial officer at a regional healthcare nonprofit. Louie-Smith is a University of Oregon graduate and a Western Banking School alumna. Gabbert has more than a decade of experience in relationship banking, branch leadership, and operations. Gabbert was named a 2025 Women Business Leader Finalist and a 2022 “20 Under 40” Rising Business Star by the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. Summit Bank Group, through its wholly owned subsidiary Summit Bank, has offices in Eugene/Springfield, Central Oregon, and the Portland metro area.

Oct 21, 2025

Banner Bank

Oxford

Banner Bank has promoted Dan Oxford to executive vice president and chief risk officer. In his expanded role, Oxford will oversee enterprise-wide risk management, including enterprise risk, compliance, financial crimes, fraud, vendor risk, and credit review teams. Oxford, who joined Banner in 2010, will now chair the bank's Risk Management Oversight Committee. He previously served as senior vice president, risk services director & chief appraiser, and has held several leadership positions with increasing responsibilities during his 15-year tenure at the bank. Before joining Banner, Oxford worked in the real estate industry. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Northwest University and an MBA from Gonzaga University. Oxford is also a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School and holds professional designations including Member of the Appraisal Institute and certified appraisal specialist. Banner Bank, headquartered in Walla Walla, operates in Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho. The bank is part of Banner Corporation, a $16.56 billion bank holding company.

Olalla Recovery Centers

Olalla Recovery Centers, a nonprofit substance abuse treatment provider serving the Puget Sound area, has announced Derek Murphy as its new executive director. Murphy steps into the role following the leadership of Christine Lynch, who guided the organization after the retirement of longtime chief executive Kevin Merrick. Murphy first joined Olalla Recovery Centers in 2017 as director of outpatient services at Gig Harbor Counseling, where he oversaw client care and programming for adults and adolescents. In 2020, he advanced to director of clinical services, overseeing treatment quality and program development across the organization. With a degree in psychology/counseling from Johnson State College, Murphy brings an extensive background that bridges both law enforcement and addiction recovery. A former law enforcement officer, he transitioned into social work and community-based advocacy, aligning his career with social justice and recovery-focused services. He is a federally qualified substance abuse professional and an active member of the Pierce County Opioid Task Force, helping shape regional responses to the opioid crisis. Founded in 1969, Olalla Recovery Centers provides inpatient and outpatient treatment programs through two programs: the Olalla Guest Lodge, a residential facility offering inpatient treatment and sub-acute detoxification services for adults, and the Gig Harbor Counseling program, which provides outpatient services for both adults and adolescents.

Oct 17, 2025

XCharge North America

XCharge North America, the North American subsidiary of XCHG Limited and a provider of high-power EV charging and battery-integrated solutions designed to strengthen the North American electrical grid, has formed a new partnership with Wildhorse Resort & Casino's Arrowhead Travel Plaza to deploy four, dual-dispenser GridLink chargers. This new deployment in Pendleton, Oregon, which brings XCharge NA's total U.S. footprint to 18 states, will provide Arrowhead Travel Plaza's growing EV customer base with a fast, efficient, and reliable charging experience and will also serve as the first solar-plus-storage DC fast-charging station in the state. This installation was strategically enabled by NetZero Energy which identified the initial opportunity for collaboration and provided essential services, including due diligence, system design, and comprehensive project management, acting as a pivotal partner in bringing this state-first deployment online. As part of the Wildhorse Resort & Casino enterprises on tribal lands of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Arrowhead Travel Plaza serves over 1.7 million vehicles on Interstate 84.

“This project supports the Tribe's dedication to sustainable practices and our mission to deliver a forward-thinking experience for all guests and travelers,” said Gary E. George, chief executive officer at Wildhorse Resort & Casino.

XCharge, founded in 2015, offers comprehensive EV charging solutions, which primarily include the DC fast chargers and the advanced battery-integrated DC fast chargers as well as its accompanying services. Founded in 2014, NetZero Energy is a Pacific Northwest–based company focused on advancing the EV charging market, providing turnkey solutions that bring projects from concept to completion.

City of Tacoma

The city of Tacoma's Community & Economic Development Department is offering a free workshop to help local entrepreneurs select, design, and permit physical business spaces that foster community and drive growth. The workshop — Space, Place, and People: Designing Business Spaces That Thrive — will take place on Nov. 5, from 3–5 p.m. at the Downtown Tacoma Public Library's Cascade Room (1102 Tacoma Ave. S). The workshop will feature practical insights from members of Tacoma's business community, including Kevin Lee of Third Space Cafe and Sonia Abenojar and Sergio Legon-Talamoni of the design firm La Union Studio. The workshop also provides direct access to subject matter experts who can help entrepreneurs navigate common challenges, from permitting to design. Additional information is available by contacting Dierdre Patterson at dpatterson3@tacoma.gov.

Oct 16, 2025

Plainsight

Seattle-based Plainsight has appointed Venky Renganathan as its new chief technology officer. Renganathan is an enterprise technology leader with more than two decades of experience in retail and technology companies worldwide. In his new role at Plainsight, Renganathan will use this expertise to expand the company's infrastructure capabilities, enabling organizations to operationalize Vision AI. His focus will be on advancing Plainsight's ability to deliver enterprise scalable, end-to-end solutions that integrate into customers' existing ecosystems. Renganathan's career has been defined by building platforms at scale — ranging from Amazon's global marketplace systems to Amazon Web Services' infrastructure automation platforms. At AWS, he spearheaded the development of data center automation platforms, integrating hardware, software, and workflows to drive efficiency and reliability at global scale. At Quiet Platforms, he led the technical direction of programs aimed at consolidating numerous assets into a single, sharable logistics network. Most recently, at Fullbay, he helped deliver a complete, end-to-end shop management system that serves as the backbone of the commercial vehicle maintenance ecosystem.

Optimum Energy

Optimum Energy added two senior executives to its leadership team: Jeffrey Cepler, Sr. director, project development; and German W. Krug, vice president, financial analytics and modeling. Cepler, with nearly three decades in finance at firms including UBS and Citigroup, has structured complex transactions for investment-grade health systems nationwide. Krug joins Optimum with over 20 years of experience managing risk for structured energy and infrastructure deals, having recently led a modeling team that closed more than $1.5 billion in EaaS projects. Optimum Energy, headquartered in Seattle, offers holistic energy infrastructure optimization, providing comprehensive and integrated solutions to mission-critical facilities. It offers a full spectrum of services, from initial engineering and construction to ongoing maintenance, asset management, and Energy-as-a-Service offerings, to clients in the healthcare, higher education, and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Oct 14, 2025

Wilson Elser

Building on recent growth in the Pacific Northwest, national law firm Wilson Elser has added 17 attorneys to its Seattle office, including eight new partners. “The Pacific Northwest is the fastest-growing region for the firm,” said Daniel J. McMahon, chair of Wilson Elser. “Since 2023, Wilson Elser has steadily added headcount and expanded the defense services for clients with work in Washington and Oregon. In fact, including this new team, we have hired 31 lateral attorneys in our Seattle and Portland offices in 2025.” Mary Butler, Lorianne Hanson, Nicole Jackson, Dan Mooney, Daniel Park, John Versnel, Evelyn Winters, and Steven Wraith join as partners. Penn Gheen joins as of counsel, and Fatima Al-Rikabi, Alec Anderson, Natasha Fingar, Maryam Nayibova, Rachel O'Hanlon, Corinna Pilat, Tim Rosewell, and Sara Shapland as associates. The new attorneys specialize in litigating matters across various practice areas, including toxic tort, construction, aviation, medical malpractice, product liability, and admiralty and marine law, and were previously with litigation firms in the region.

Trefethen & Co Bader & Olson

Cadogan Tate, a specialist in high-value storage and logistics for interiors and art handling, has acquired Trefethen & Co Bader & Olson, a Seattle-based firm specializing in furniture receiving, warehousing, delivery and installation. This is Cadogan Tate's seventh acquisition since being acquired by TSG Consumer, a private equity firm specializing in consumer brands. This strategic acquisition aligns with Cadogan Tate's commitment to delivering integrated, end-to-end services across art, furniture and interiors, and strengthens Cadogan Tate's position as a global provider with a physical presence in the Pacific Northwest. The combined entity will offer clients a streamlined, unified experience underpinned by domain expertise, and the operational scale to support complex, multidisciplinary projects. Whether for private residences, architectural fit-outs, galleries or corporate environments, this union allows clients to partner with a single provider spanning art handling, interiors and furniture logistics and installation services. Perkins Coie provided legal counsel to Cadogan Tate. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. With almost half a century of experience, Cadogan Tate specializes in fine-asset logistics: art handling, packing, transport, storage and installation services for museums, galleries, private collections, designers and high net worth clients. In addition to Seattle, the company maintains operations in global markets, including London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Aspen, Miami and Paris.