Apr 15, 2021

Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken announced their youth hockey and skating academy coaching staff. Chad Goodwin was named director of skating, Martin Hlinka director of youth hockey, and David Min and Katelyn Parker player development coaches. The programs will begin in Fall 2021 when the Kraken Training Center opens to the public. Goodwin comes from the Vegas Golden Knights where he established their skating program, while Hlinka joins from the Canisius College's Men's Hockey Program in Buffalo, New York where he was an assistant coach. Min was most recently a coach for Sno-King Amateur Hockey Association in Kirkland, Renton and Snoqualmie, and Parker was an assistant coach for the Division I NCAA University of Connecticut Women's Hockey team. The Kraken Training Center will consist of three NHL-sized ice rinks, the Kraken Bar & Grill, and a team store. In addition to skating and hockey lessons, fans will be able to participate in activities, including watching Kraken team practice and attending public skate sessions. The Seattle Kraken are set to play their inaugural season in 2021-2022 at Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center, developed by Oak View Group.

Rainier Partners

Rainier Partners has acquired Calpine Containers and its subsidiaries in partnership with members of the Calpine's management team. Headquartered in Clovis, California, Calpine is one of the largest West Coast packaging distributors serving the agriculture industry. Calpine's employees have retained an ownership interest in the company alongside Rainier, and it will continue to be managed by Walt Tindell, Ken Sommers (CFO), and Eva Hammond (CAO). Founded in 2020 and based in Seattle, Rainier Partners is a private equity firm that invests in lower middle-market businesses, primarily in the Western United States and Canada.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile US announced that finance executive Bavan Holloway has been nominated to join its board of directors. If elected by stockholders, Holloway is expected to join the board and its Audit Committee after T-Mobile's annual stockholders meeting on June 3. The company's other 12 board members will also stand for re-election at that annual meeting. Holloway previously was vice president of corporate audit for Boeing, among other senior finance roles. She was also a Partner at KPMG. She currently serves on the board for TPI Composites and the YWCA Seattle/King/Snohomish. T-Mobile also announced that board member Lawrence Guffey will not seek re-election at the annual meeting and that board member Stephen Kappes has resigned from the board.

SeaLevel leasing new Everett waterfront units

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A fire last summer hindered the construction of the Waterfront Place Apartments in Everett, which is part of the Port of Everett's broader 65-acre Waterfront Place redevelopment. However, SeaLevel Properties announced that the phased, two-building project is well on track, and that pre-leasing has begun for the 135-unit north building. That should open later this spring, and the 131-unit south building is slated for completion next year. Gracorp is the builder, and Tiscareno Associates is the architect. SeaLevel's John Shaw said in a statement, “This will no doubt build momentum for the Port's broader waterfront vision and will build energy for the Port's next office and residential phase.”

Seattle Housing Authority

Brandon

Seattle Housing Authority's present executive director, Andrew Lofton, will retire next month after 17 years with the agency. Into his shoes, the agency announced, will step Rod Brandon, its current director of housing operations. He's been with SHA for a dozen years. SHA board chairman Paul Purcell said in a statement, “While we saw some excellent candidates from around the country, we selected Rod not because he is already a senior leader with SHA but because he is.” Said Brandon, “The need for affordable housing and services is far from met in Seattle, and I'm excited to build on our progress and valuable partnerships as we pursue a vision to expand housing opportunities, promote quality communities and improve more lives.”

JLL

Garces

JLL recently announced the hiring of industry veteran Marcelo Garces. He makes the move from Kinzer Partners. His new position is senior VP, with a focus on tenant representation. He has ample experience with life science and data center clients, both of which are now in high demand. JLL's Joe Gowan said in a statement, “His strong analytical and technical skills combined with his commitment to quality will fit right in to the JLL culture.” Garces added, “JLL has grown into a leader in the data center space in particular, and I'm eager to apply my experience in that field alongside this amazing team.”

NAI promotes trio

NAI Puget Sound Properties announced the recent promotion of three brokers to partner. They are Taylor Okada, who focuses on office and industrial properties north of Seattle and on the Eastside; Connor Powell, who specializes in the South King County industrial market; and Kyle Sterling, who handles office, retail and industrial properties, also south of Seattle.

Apr 14, 2021

Quantum Consulting Engineers

Wiggins

Jack Wiggins retired from Seattle-based Quantum Consulting Engineers at the end of 2020. Wiggins was one of four people who founded the structural engineering company in 2002. He has worked on a variety of project types, including structural design of The Perkins School in Seattle, Everett Community College Health and Fitness Center in Everett, Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, Federal Way Public Schools Service Center in Federal Way and the University of Washington Horticultural Center, Merrill Hall in Seattle. In a statement Wiggins said “Along with my partners past and present, we have built a remarkable company that has focused on high-quality structural engineering for our wonderful clients and design colleagues.”

Cushing Terrell

Herzberg

In Seattle, Cushing Terrell promoted Amanda Herzberg to associate. Herzberg is the communication and brand strategy manager at the firm. She is a strategic communicator with experience building brands and executing marketing campaigns. She helps shape content strategies and digital marketing to create branded experiences. Additionally, she's led efforts to communicate more effectively internally and better utilize the firm's communications platforms. Cushing Terrell is an architecture, engineering and interior design firm.

Olson Kundig

Roberts

Rogers

Seattle-based Olson Kundig hired Greg Rogers as director of visualization and Shari Roberts as director of human resources, a newly created role. Rogers will lead firmwide implementation of visualization techniques, strategies and processes, shaping internal and external representation of Olson Kundig's work. He was head of visualization for WeWork and founded Reo Creative, where he helped businesses optimize and automate visualization processes, improve output and manage assets. He has over 11 years of visualization experience, including for architecture and design firms. Roberts will work with firm leaders and the existing human resources team to develop HR strategies and processes. She will focus on staff talent, and supporting and finding efficiencies across processes, spanning compensation, benefits, recruiting, staffing, employee relations, performance reviews, coaching and development. She has over 20 years of experience in human resources programming. Most recently, she was the director of people and culture for an asset management firm. Olson Kundig provides architecture, landscape architecture and interior design.

Cone Architecture

Shamah

Shea

Li

LaLonde

Morgan

Jordan

Gontarz

Cook

Van Duzen

Clayton

Seattle-based Cone Architecture promoted Emily Morgan to associate, Michelle LaLonde and Weicheng Li to project manager and John Shea to project captain. Also, Cone hired Najela Shamah as marketing manager, Myesha Clayton as office administrator and Angela Van Duzen, Brittney Cook, Ray Gontarz and Jacob Jordan as project designers. Morgan has six years of multifamily, mixed use and tenant improvement experience. She is leading work on mixed use apartment projects, a 16-unit townhome project and the Green Lake SPUD tenant improvement. Lalonde has over five years of multifamily and commercial project experience and is leading work on 10 low- to mid-rise projects in the Seattle area. Li has over four years of multifamily experience and continues work on the Dockside Apartments in Green Lake. Shea has five years of multifamily experience and is working on several Seattle and Tacoma mid-rise apartment projects. Cone provides architecture and planning.

Western Governors University

Sharify

Western Governors University (WGU) announced the hiring of John Sharify as communications manager for the university's Northwest region. Sharify has nearly 40 years of experience as a journalist and leader in higher education. In his role, he will lead the external storytelling efforts – identifying and securing platforms on which to share the important impact WGU, its students, and its graduates make in communities regionwide. Sharify will develop and execute multimedia strategies for audiences across a nine-state territory, which includes Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Sharify worked as a broadcast journalist in New York City at WPIX-TV and in Seattle at KOMO-TV and KING-TV. In 2021, he earned the Alfred I. duPont Columbia award for his King 5 documentary “Bob's Choice.” He is also a nine-time National Edward R. Murrow Award winning journalist. From 2008 to 2020, Sharify was the general manager at Seattle Colleges Cable Television. He also oversaw the city of Seattle's public access television station, Seattle Community Media. WGU Washington is an online, competency-based university designed to expand access to higher education for Washington residents.

Seattle Art Museum

The Seattle Art Museum has reopened and the Asian Art Museum is reopening to members May 7 and the public on May 28. Member tickets will be available starting April 15 and the public can get tickets starting April 29. Both the Asian Art Museum and Seattle Art Museum are open at limited capacity, Fridays through Sundays, 10 am–5 pm. Outdoor spaces at the Olympic Sculpture Park remain open to the public with the PACCAR Pavilion closed for the time being. Visitors are asked to continue to comply with all COVID-19 directives and guidance issued by the Governor and relevant public health authorities.

Ellensburg Senior Program

The Ellensburg Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) faces the possibility of closing down permanently in the fall. The program has been a part of the Ellensburg community for 47 years, providing volunteer workers to organizations in need. The program needs a sponsor in order to exist, one that can apply for a federal grant which will fund the RSVP. For the last 25 years, that sponsor has been Central Washington University. To remain as a sponsor, CWU has needed to reapply for the grant every three years, and has recently decided not to renew. To keep the program active, another nonprofit will have to apply for the federal grant through Americorps Seniors, when it becomes available at the end of the summer. The program has worked to provide senior volunteers, older than 55, to any nonprofit who needs them. RSVP would train and interview the volunteers so they had the knowledge needed to make an impact wherever they worked.