Jan 29, 2026

NWCCA

Sumsion

Knutson

Henricksen

Kahler

Orlosky

Mehrer

Reichenbach

The Northwest Wall and Ceiling Contractors Association has elected its officers for 2026, including Robert Orlosky of Olympic Interiors as board president. Other officers are vice-president James Kahler of Northwest Partitions, and Don Henricksen of D.L. Henricksen as secretary-treasurer. Directors are Greg Knutson of G.K. Knutson, Nathan Sumsion of Western Partitions, Shawn Reichenbach of Performance Contracting, and immediate past-president Kurt Mehrer of Mehrer Drywall. The NWCCA mission is to provide exceptional member services, harmonious labor relations through unified employer representation, and the advancement of industry standards to empower and strengthen signatory wall and ceiling contractors' businesses.

Unexpected Productions

Beeman

Seattle improv company Unexpected Productions has named Tony Beeman as its new artistic director. Beeman steps into the role after serving as assistant artistic director and as a longtime company member. Over the past 25 years, Beeman he has performed, directed and taught improvisational theater locally and internationally, and is known for work that emphasizes ensemble storytelling, poetic language, and genre-driven theatricality. Seattle audiences may recognize him from his long-running portrayal of the Three Ghosts of Christmas in A(n Improvised) Christmas Carol, a role he has performed for more than 15 years, or from his annual turn as Edgar Allan Poe in Poe Unexpected. Behind the scenes, Beeman has created, directed or co-directed more than 30 full-length productions for Unexpected Productions. As artistic director, Beeman aims to build on the foundation laid by his predecessors while expanding whose stories are centered on stage. For 43 years, Unexpected Productions has focused on the art of storytelling, incorporating audience suggestions and weaving them into compelling stories. Unexpected Productions performs 10 shows a week at the Market Theater in Pike Place Market, and has a growing presence in Georgetown and Issaquah.

Dorsey & Whitney

Busacker

Bret Busacker has joined Dorsey & Whitney as a partner in the Benefits & Compensation group in Boise. Busacker represents private and public businesses in addressing corporate, governance, and benefits issues. He has significant experience addressing complex employee benefits issues for many types of businesses in a variety of industries. His subject matter expertise includes health and welfare plans; qualified and nonqualified plans; cash and equity-based compensation arrangements; and benefits issues in mergers and acquisitions. Busacker joins Dorsey from Holland & Hart, where he was a partner. He received his J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, his M.B.A. from Washington State University, and his B.A. from Brigham Young University. Dorsey & Whitney has locations across the United States and in Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Jan 28, 2026

G3 builders

Downing

G3 builders named Bret Downing as its new president. With more than three decades of construction industry experience, Downing specializes in partnering with owners during preconstruction to develop efficient and goal-oriented solutions. His career includes notable projects for The Museum of Flight, Seattle Preparatory School and Northwest University, as well as large-scale commercial projects for Amazon and Microsoft, In his new role, Downing will continue to strengthen client relationships and expand the G3 team. Founded in 2017, G3 builders is a commercial general contractor specializing in complex and challenging projects and tenant improvements in the greater Seattle area.

Ballard Spahr

Anderson

Kimberly M. Anderson, a tax attorney who worked for the state Department of Revenue for over a decade, has joined Ballard Spahr's Business and Transactions Department and Tax Group as counsel in the firm's Seattle office. Anderson joins a national tax practice of more than 30 attorneys. Members of the Tax Group help clients plan to minimize their tax burden and to maximize the benefits of tax credits, deductions and exemptions. In her capacity as a member of the State and Local Tax Team, Anderson will work alongside team co-leaders Brett Durbin and Aaron C. Johnson, both also based in Seattle. In January 2025, Ballard Spahr combined with Lane Powell, adding more than 150 new attorneys to the firm, as well as offices in Anchorage, Portland and Seattle.

Dept. of Commerce

Clifthorne

Gov. Bob Ferguson has appointed Sarah Clifthorne as interim director of the state Department of Commerce following the departure of Director Joe Nguyen. Nguyen was one of Gov. Ferguson's first appointments to his executive cabinet, and served as director for one year. Prior to joining the department, Nguyen was elected to two terms as a state senator, and worked in the finance and tech sectors. He departs the agency to join the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce as president and chief executive officer.

Clifthorne has served as deputy director at Commerce since February 2025. Over the past year, she provided strategic leadership across more than 400 programs within the department. In her new role, Clifthorne will work closely with the agency's chief operating officer, chief of staff and the executive leadership team to help with the transition process. Clifthorne comes with nearly two decades of public service experience, including a staff leadership role in the Washington state Senate.

Jan 27, 2026

Andersen Construction

Knudsen

Sherman

Gengler

Horton

Burkett

Kowalewski

Andersen Construction recently announced several promotions. Ike Burkett has moved into the role of president of the Seattle office. Burkett has over 18 years of construction experience in the Seattle market. Mark Horton was named president of the Portland office. He has been a leader at Andersen for nearly 20 years. Ben Gengler was promoted to vice president of operations at the Portland office. He brings deep operational knowledge to his role, gained from small and large scale projects, spanning nearly 30 years of construction experience. Matt Sherman was named vice president of the Mid-Willamette Valley office. Sherman has been with Andersen for over 17 years. Brian Knudsen was named senior vice president of preconstruction. With over 35 years of industry experience, Knudsen has served as president of the Portland office for the last eight years. Jerrod Kowalewski was named vice president of healthcare construction, focusing on the healthcare market. This represents a culmination of his 25 years of building in healthcare campuses across the Pacific Northwest. Andersen Construction began three generations ago with H.A. “Andy” Andersen’s first project, and has become an employee-owned multi-state enterprise responsible for hundreds of projects built every year across the Pacific Northwest.

Jan 23, 2026

UMC

Owen

Underwood

Hoggatt

Eppler

Damitio

UMC has promoted Pat Damitio, Bryan Eppler, Ryan Hoggatt, Ryan Underwood and Tim Owen.

Damitio has been promoted to chief operations officer. He will continue to lead UMC's Safety, Special Projects, Major Projects, and Industrial groups, focusing on operational excellence, leadership development, and reinforcing UMC's philosophy of sustained success.

Eppler has been promoted to vice president, owner direct services. Eppler, who has been with UMC since 1997, will continue his leadership of UMC's owner-direct services, including Energy & Environment, Facility Service, Building Performance Services, and Building Automation.

Hoggatt has been promoted to vice president, construction operations, overseeing UMC's field operations. Known for developing UMC's fabrication program and expanding the company's manufacturing capabilities, Hoggatt has introduced systems and processes that reduce waste, increase productivity, and enhance project outcomes.

Underwood has been promoted to manufacturing director. With six years of experience at UMC, he will lead UMC's integrated manufacturing operations, including Virtual Construction Services, Reality Capture, Fabrication and Offsite Manufacturing, as well as the operations of the 95,000-square-foot Everett fabrication facility.

Owen has been promoted to industrial group director. With more than 12 years as a senior project manager in UMC's Major Projects group, he has been a key member of the management team on several high-profile projects, including multiple towers in the Amazon Denny Regrade, 450 Alaskan Way, the Overlake NET Project, and additional office and lab projects for tech companies.

UMC is a mechanical contractor founded in 1920 to serve the Pacific Northwest, offering comprehensive, integrated services in facility performance and maintenance, energy and environment, building automation, and manufacturing.

Grant County Superior Court

Richardson

Gov .Bob Ferguson has appointed Jennifer Richardson to the Grant County Superior Court. Richardson's appointment fills the position vacated by Judge Tyson Hill, who Ferguson recently appointed to the Court of Appeals, Division III. Richardson is a career litigator with more than two decades of legal experience. She has served four years in her current role as a managing assistant attorney general at the state Office of the Attorney General, where she advises and represents state agencies in Grant, Douglas, Chelan and Okanogan counties. She has been with the Attorney General's Office for 12 years in total. Richardson previously worked as a public defender at the Law Offices of Scot D. Stuart, where she represented criminal defendants in a variety of proceedings. Richardson earned her bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University and her law degree from Syracuse University.