May 14, 2019

Miller Nash Graham & Dunn

Swanson

Piper

Attorneys Josh Piper and Tristan Swanson joined Miller Nash Graham & Dunn as partners in the Seattle office. Piper focuses on franchising, licensing and distribution issues. He was co-head of Dorsey & Whitney's Franchise and Distribution and Hospitality groups. Swanson focuses on construction, real estate and insurance coverage disputes. He spent 10 years at Ashbaugh Beal.

Brightwork Consulting

Seattle-based Brightwork Consulting is moving from Ballard to Queen Anne Square, at 200 Mercer St. Brightwork is a risk management, change management and business strategy consultant. It says the new space will allow it to accommodate new hires, including a creative director and vice president of business development.

Banner Bank

The U.S. Small Business Administration named Banner Bank as Washington Regional Lender of the Year for the Seattle/Spokane District and Star Performer for the Portland District. The Walla Walla-based bank also won SBA's National Lender Recognition Award for the Sacramento District.

Graham Construction & Management

Trevor Graafstra is the new district manager of the Buildings Northwest sector of Graham Construction & Management. Graafstra has brought financial, operational and strategic guidance to Graham for over a decade. Graham builds residential, retail, healthcare, life science, education and office buildings throughout the state.

Toth Construction

In Seattle, Toth Construction hired Emily Giaquinta as CFO. Giaquinta was CEO and CFO at Grindline Skateparks for over 15 years. She has experience in the government contracting, action sport and construction industries.

Neil Kelly Co.

Jason Garrood will lead Neil Kelly Co.'s Seattle operations as its new general manager. Garrood has over 20 years of experience in new construction, home remodeling and design. Garrood was vice president of operations at Jacob Alexander Homes and Kendall Homes. Neil Kelly is a Portland-based design-build remodel and home improvement company.

Mission Support Alliance

In Richland, Mission Support Alliance won the Facility Management Contractor Small Business Achievement of the Year award from the U.S. Department of Energy. MSA was recognized for a number of its small business initiatives. Amber Bush is MSA's small business program manager and contract specialist. MSA, the team of Leidos and Centerra Group, is responsible for the mission support contract at the Hanford Site.

May 10, 2019

Port of Seattle

Gheisar

The Port of Seattle hired Bookda Gheisar as senior director for equity, diversity and inclusion. Gheisar was policy advisor for King County's Office of Equity and Social Justice. When she starts at the port on June 12, Gheisar also will lead the port's first ever Equity Department.

F5 Networks

In Seattle, F5 Networks completed its acquisition of San Francisco-based Nginx, an open source leader in application delivery. The combined companies will provide multi-cloud application services.

Builders Capital

Oakland-based 1Sharpe Capital closed a strategic partnership with Seattle-based Builders Capital to buy construction loans from Builders Capital. The multi-year deal brings together Builders Capital's regional construction lending expertise and 1Sharpe's assets and structured credit expertise.

Neu

Seattle-based Neu, a cleaning service for Airbnb hosts, won a bronze prize in the FedEx Small Business Grant Contest. Neu was one of 10 winners that received a $15,000 grant and $1,000 in FedEx Office services.