Jan 25, 2024

Small Business Administration

Yarce

The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Beto Yarce as the new Regional Administrator for Region 10, serving the Pacific Northwest. Yarce will oversee the agency's programs, offices, and operations in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Originally from Mexico, Yarce moved to Seattle in 2003, where he launched a business and became involved in the local entrepreneurial and immigrant services communities. He went on to lead Ventures, a nonprofit organization working to alleviate poverty through small business ownership. Yarce has leveraged his 20 years of experience to help others realize their dreams of small business ownership as well as advancing economic equity and justice. He has served on the boards of directors and as a trustee of numerous organizations, including the Greater Seattle Business Association, Evergreen Business Capital and Cedarmere Foundation. He also served on Washington State's LGBTQ+ Commission and collaborated with the Mexican Consulate in Seattle and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs for the federal government in Mexico. In 2016, he earned the District Excellence Award from the SBA's Seattle District Office. The U.S. Small Business Administration empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations.

F5

F5 appointed Samir Sherif as senior vice president and chief information security officer. In this role, Sherif will lead F5's enterprise cybersecurity strategy and security culture, evolve F5's security capabilities and resilience, and oversee cybersecurity standards and programs for F5's products. Sherif previously served as CISO at Absolute Software and Imperva. He also had an extensive career at Citigroup, including serving as the global head of application security. Sherif takes over F5's CISO role for Gail Coury, who is retiring on March 1 after leading the company's enterprise security efforts for the past three years.

WellSaid Labs

Seattle-based WellSaid Labs appointed Brian Cook to assume the CEO role, effective later this month. Current CEO and co-founder Matthew Hocking will assume the role of executive chairman while assisting Cook in his transition. In Cook's new role, he will guide WellSaid Labs into the next growth phase focused on enterprise teams to produce at scale and build their brands with ethical and authentic voice experiences. Hocking will provide strategic direction and support both Cook and WellSaid Labs' stakeholders in driving the company forward. Michael Petrochuk is the co-founder and CTO of the company. Hocking has led WellSaid Labs' growth since its inception in 2018, acquiring over 15,000 corporate and enterprise customers across entertainment, software, manufacturing, advertising, and financial markets. Prior to joining WellSaid Labs, Cook oversaw Nintex, a workflow software company, and OBS, an IT services organization. Most recently, he founded Incredible Capital, an investment fund focused on software companies.

CCIM

Baker

Clark

Ma

Butler

Mecham

Our state's Certified Commercial Investment Member organization has a new board, it recently announced, which is to be led by Devin Mecham of NAI Black. He said in a statement, “I am humbled and honored to work with such an outstanding group of individuals who are dedicated to the growth and prosperity of our local chapter and its members. We move forward best when we do it together.” Joining him on the 2024 board are Andy Butler of WEB Properties; Lien Ma of 8 Street Group; Steve Clark of North by Northwest Realty; and Travis Baker of Lake Washington Partners, who led the board last year.

Rowell moves to Emerald Heights

[enlarge]

Over in Redmond, the senior housing community Emerald Heights has a new sales and marketing director, effective last month. That would be industry veteran Sue Rowell, who makes the move from Age Boldly Consulting. Emerald's Kay Wallin said in a statement, “We know Sue will be an asset to the Emerald Heights community. Sue has a passion for educating older adults and their families about senior living resources. She will be a tremendous resource not only for those considering Emerald Heights, but to the greater community of Redmond.”

Kidder Mathews

Fairchild

Linda Fairchild has been promoted to lead the asset services division for Kidder Mathews' Eastside market. An industry veteran, she's been with the firm for many years. KM's Erin French said in a statement, “Linda is well known in the industry as a consummate professional who consistently delivers the highest level of service. We are thrilled to have her in this leadership role.”

Sabey Data Centers

Wilson

Sabey Data Centers recently announced a new chief financial officer: John Wilson, an industry veteran, who makes the move from Fairway America. Sabey president Rob Rockwood said in a statement, “We are very happy to welcome John to our executive team. John has an extensive record of financial leadership, and he will undoubtedly play a key role in contributing to our long-term success.”

Jan 24, 2024

DCI Engineers

Holman

Pearson

DCI Engineers has promoted Erik Pearson and Kyle Holman to the role of principal in the firm's Seattle corporate office.

Pearson boasts a diverse portfolio of mixed-use, office, residential, commercial, hospitality and high-rise projects throughout the Puget Sound region. His projects have included The Avenue Bellevue, Providence Saint Mary Medical Center, the 303 Battery project in downtown Seattle and The Viejas Hotel and Casino Development east of San Diego.

In addition to his role on several internal technical committees, Pearson is a member of the American Institute of Steel Construction, The Washington State Society for Healthcare Engineering, ACI, the Structural Engineers Association of Washington and the Design Build Institute of America. He earned both his Master's and Bachelor's in Civil Engineering from Washington State University.

Holman is known for his expertise in high-rise residential, hotel, and office tower design and management. While he is based in the firm's corporate headquarters in Seattle, he has also spent a significant amount of his tenure at the DCI San Francisco office, contributing to projects that include Miro Towers, San Jose's first performance based high-rise to exceed prescriptive codes and Tidal House, the first high-rise development on San Francisco Bay's Treasure Island.

Holman earned both his Bachelor's and Master's in Civil Engineering from Washington State University.

Environmental Science Associates

Spano

Schlenger

Calantas

Environmental, consulting, and planning firm, Environmental Science Associates has promoted Barbra Calantas, Paul Schlenger, and Sarah Spano.

Calantas now leads the firm's national Biological Resources and Land Management (BRLM) practice. This group is the largest practice for the firm, accounting for over 30% of its professional consultants. Schlenger and Spano both take on new roles as regional business group directors; Schlenger is leading the Pacific Northwest BRLM group and Spano is leading the Southern California Water group.

Calantas previously led the BRLM group in Southern California and has more than two decades of experience as an environmental consultant and wildlife biologist. Her expertise includes preserve management guidance, Endangered Species Act consultation, wildlife field surveys, and the preparation of various environmental documents. In addition to her work in her subject matter expertise, Calantas is integrally involved in ESA's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives, including the firm's Internship Program that engages diverse students from underrepresented groups in the environmental field.

An experienced fisheries biologist and industry leader in restoration, Schlenger has spent his nearly 25-year career specializing in salmon biology, aquatic ecology, and habitat assessment. In addition to managing teams and leading the growth of the BRLM Practice in the Northwest, he will continue to apply his expertise in watersheds on projects involving restoration, fish passage, protection planning, and prioritizations, as well as habitat restoration design throughout the region. Schlenger also took a lead role in starting up a mentorship program in the Northwest region to help ESA's next generation realize their professional goals in partnership with seasoned consultants.

Spano has been with ESA for 12 years and specializes in preparing California Environmental Quality Act documentation and coordinating environmental reviews for complex water and wastewater projects. Currently serving as the contract manager for several major public water utilities, she is pivotal in managing ESA's technical and subconsultant teams. Spano also serves as a trustee for ESA's Employee Stock Ownership Plan.

Swenson Say Fagét Structural Engineers

Hamilton

McCoy

Kern

Vincent

Lieberman

Zapata

Sidhu

Swenson Say Fagét Structural Engineers announced three promotions and four new hires.

Aaron Lieberman and Taylor Vincent were promoted to project manager.

Lieberman joined SSF's Seattle office seven years ago as a staff engineer. He holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering from the University of Washington. Lieberman's current projects include multiple Bouldering Project locations and University Prep “U-Lab” with Mithun.

Vincent joined SSF's Tacoma office as a staff engineer five years ago. He holds an M.S. in Structural Engineering from Washington State University. Vincent is currently working on Tacoma Duke's Seafood and the Canon Beach Surfsand Resort.

Stephen Kern was promoted to senior CAD technician. Kern joined SSF's Seattle office as a CAD Technician four years ago. As a drafter, he works mostly on residential projects, new construction, remodels, and multi-family projects.

Joe McCoy joined SSF's Seattle office as a staff engineer in May. McCoy holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington. His current projects include a multifamily project in North Bend with The Messa Group, structural engineering for folding and relocatable buildings throughout the country with Dogwood Industries, and single-family home projects in Bellevue.

Macky Hamilton joined SSF's Seattle office as a staff engineer in June. Hamilton holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in Civil Engineering and a M.S. in Structural Engineering and Mechanics from the University of Washington. Current projects include the 4425 Fremont Ave. N. multifamily project with B9 Architects and single-family home projects in Marysville, Bainbridge Island, and Friday Harbor.

Sunny Sidhu joined SSF's Seattle office as a project engineer in September after working at another firm for four years. Sidhu holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Washington State University and an M.S. in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University and is currently working on new and remodeled single-family homes in Port Angeles, Seattle, and Spokane.

Gilbert Zapata joined SSF as a full-time office coordinator based in the Seattle office. His responsibilities include administrative, customer service and reception, and general office support for the Seattle, Tacoma, and Ellensburg offices.

DAT Freight & Analytics

Voss

Clementz

DAT Freight & Analytics named two new leaders for its product and security organizations. Jeff Clementz, who has 25 years of experience managing networks and marketplaces, fraud, payments and e-commerce platforms, joined DAT as chief product officer and a member of the executive team. He most recently was president and chief executive officer at Shift, an e-commerce platform for the auto industry. Before Shift, he was senior vice president and general manager of Walmart's Marketplace, where he was responsible for building the retailer's foundational commerce platforms. Clementz previously held product and operations positions in leadership at PayPal and Intel. Erika Voss joined DAT as vice president of information security. Voss previously was vice president of security and engineering at Capital One, where she led all facets of security and engineering, including policies, procedures and best practices for application security, access control, authentication, third-party risk management and intrusion detection. Previously, she held information security leadership positions at Salesforce and Oracle. DAT Freight & Analytics, based in Beaverton, Oregon, operates a truckload freight marketplace, and provides market trends and data insights to shippers, transportation brokers, carriers, news organizations and industry analysts.

Alliant Insurance Services

Brooke Walton has joined Alliant Insurance Services as vice president within its Employee Benefits Group. Based in Seattle, Walton will provide employee health and benefits consulting services to a client base across the Pacific Northwest. Walton joins Alliant with a background that spans business development, HR solutions, human capital, and employee health benefits. She specializes in working directly with senior management to develop strategies and solutions that attract and retain top talent while maximizing total investment in health benefits solutions. Prior to Alliant, Walton was a business consultant with a San Francisco-based employee benefits consulting firm. Previously, she spent more than a decade advising HR and finance leaders on human capital management strategies. Walton holds bachelor's degrees in communications and psychology from the University of Washington. Alliant Insurance Services is a distributor of diversified insurance products and services, operating through a network of specialized national platforms and local offices.

Cairncross & Hempelmann

Seattle law firm Cairncross & Hempelmann named Ana-Maria Popp as the firm's new managing partner. She succeeds Matt Hanna, who served as managing partner since 2015 and has completed his term. Popp's practice focuses on construction litigation, real estate litigation including real estate finance, corporate and partnership disputes, and insurance coverage litigation for policy holders. She represents clients in complex cases through all aspects of the litigation process, from risk evaluation to case and settlement strategy, discovery and trial. Popp was the chair of the firm's Litigation Group from 2017 to 2023. Popp is a senior fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, an invitation-only, peer-selected honorary society of top trial lawyers in America. She is also a fellow of the American Bar Foundation, an honorary society of judges, law faculty and legal scholars who have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of their communities. Popp was born in Romania and came to the United States in 1992. She earned her B.A. degree and J.D. from the University of Washington. Cairncross & Hempelmann provides legal counsel to clients in all aspects of real estate development, land use and zoning, business transactions, litigation, and bankruptcy and creditors' rights.