Feb 28, 2024

The Standard

Maixner

Portland-based Standard Insurance Co. (The Standard) hired Albert Maixner as national accounts sales director for retirement plans. Maixner has over 15 years of experience in the retirement plan and financial services industry. Prior to joining The Standard, he worked in retirement plan sales roles at Principal Financial Group and Prime Pensions. Maixner is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary and Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist. The Standard says there is a significant increase in demand for innovative retirement solutions, including pooled employer plans and managed accounts.

MOD Pizza

Seattle-based MOD Super Fast Pizza Holdings yesterday opened its first store on a military base — at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. The new store is run by franchise operator ONE Enterprise Group. The company says the new location reflects its ongoing initiative to expand into unique and non-traditional settings, such as military bases, airports and universities.

Architects West

Olberding

Johnson

Bravo

Architects West has promoted Debbie Bravo, Ryan Johnson, and Bryce Olberding to associates.

Bravo is an interior designer with more than 30 years of experience. She began working at Architects West two years ago to establish the firm's interior design studio.

Johnson is an architect and has been with the firm for seven years. He worked in construction and drafting before attending architecture school, forming the foundation for his 25-year career.

Olberding is a landscape architect and has been with Architects West for 11 years. His 15 years of professional experience are diverse, including work at a civil engineering firm and as a landscape contractor before joining Architects West.

Wittman Estes

Wesely

Ashton Wesely is a new principal and owner at integrated design studio Wittman Estes.

Wesely has been with the firm since 2015 and in addition to design work, provides operational leadership and mentorship to staff. Her work on Othello Gardens townhomes was recognized at the 2021 AIA Seattle Honor awards. Other notable projects completed at the firm include Aldo Beach House, Yo-Ju Courtyard House, and Seven Gardens — which have been published in various magazines including Dwell, Portrait, Dezeen, Sunset and Luxe.

Wesley is a Nebraska native. She was awarded a Regents Scholarship at the University of Nebraska, then obtained her master of architecture at the University of Oregon, where she focused on ecological design and received an AIA Northwest and Pacific Honor award for exploring the material capabilities of cross-laminated timber.

Parametrix

El-Hage

Samir El-Hage has joined Parametrix as a senior intelligent traffic systems consultant. He brings over 30 years of experience in transportation planning and traffic engineering, including road and highway design, intelligent transportation systems, and smart mobility advancements.

El-Hage comes to Parametrix from TEC Engineering, where he served as a project director, managing a team of engineers and developing road safety initiatives and training. He has international experience in Canada, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. His expertise includes pedestrian and bicycle facilities, mass transit and bus rapid transit systems, urban and transportation planning, parking studies and management, and data collection and analytics.

At Parametrix, El-Hage joins the firm's Smart & Livable Communities team, supporting transportation technology projects and grant applications for clients across the western United States such as the city of Seattle, Tahoe Transportation District, Washington and Oregon departments of transportation, and others.

WJA Design Collaborative

Smith

White

Treat

WJA Design Collaborative has recognized a new associate principal and two new associates. All three have been with WJA since 2014.

Clint Treat is now an associate principal. Treat is a senior architect with over 16 years' experience in a range of project types including private residences, dormitories, hospitality, and administrative and training facilities for a variety of clients including the Department of Defense, state and local agencies, and the private sector.

Ryan White is now an associate. White is an architect who has been with WJA for nine years. His experience includes Department of Defense work, public safety, and schooling. This experience includes new construction and tenant improvements of all scales.

Shane Smith is now an associate. Smith is a designer with nine years' experience in the industry. He has a broad base of knowledge over a wide range of types and scales of buildings, with experience ranging from military and government facilities and renovations, civic task order projects as well as higher education, multifamily and residential projects.

Feb 27, 2024

Powin

Powin announced an agreement with Pulse Clean Energy, an investor, developer and operator of flexibility and stability assets in the United Kingdom, to deploy a 50 megawatt/110 megawatt-hour battery energy storage system at the Overhill Project in Scotland. Powin will provide its Stack750 energy storage system with integrated StackOS software, while Pulse will oversee asset delivery and manage operations across the project lifecycle. The Overhill Project is scheduled to enter full commercial operations by mid-2025. It will be capable of storing surplus renewable generation during periods of high production for release back into the grid during periods of lower production or high system demand. Powin is a global energy storage platform provider, offering fully integrated battery solutions, software and services to optimize grid performance and enable the transition to cleaner energy sources. It is headquartered in the greater Portland area.

Tacoma Human Services Commission

The Tacoma City Council is seeking applicants to fill nine positions on the Human Services Commission. There are eight member positions and one youth position for those between the ages of 16 and 18. The commission reviews funding applications, rates project applications, and makes human services funding recommendations. It also serves as a resource to the City Council and city staff for issues related to human services and community wellness. The commission has 15 members serving three-year terms, with the exception of the youth position, which has a one-year term. The youth position will be effective Sept. 1. Applications are due March 24 at http://www.cityoftacoma.org/cbcapplication. Questions may be directed to Elizabeth Wing at servetacoma@cityoftacoma.org or (253) 591-5178. Additional information is at http://www.cityoftacoma.org.

UMC

Hoggatt

The Mechanical Contractors Association of America named Ryan Hoggatt as 2024 MEP Innovator of the Year. Hoggatt is director of manufacturing for local mechanical contractor UMC. Hoggatt was cited for his contributions to revolutionizing construction practices, emphasizing efficiency, productivity and innovation. UMC said Hoggatt's commitment to streamlining processes, reducing waste and maintaining rigorous standards of quality and safety have driven positive change and improvement within the company, and have had a far-reaching impact on the construction industry. Lynnwood-based UMC also provides a range of integrated services in facility performance and maintenance, energy and environment, building energy modeling, building automation and controls, manufacturing, and reality capture scanning.

Building Transparency

Seattle-based Building Transparency, a nonprofit that provides open access data and tools to foster a better building future, announced several new partners. They are: Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association, Fortis Construction, GCP Applied Technologies, One Click LCA, Lamar Johnson Collaborative/Clayco, Lendlease, and Tangible Materials. Additionally, several organizations renewed their partnerships: Amazon, American Wood Council, Clark Construction, cove.tool, Google, Heidelberg Materials, HITT Contracting, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Perkins&Will, Skanska, Softwood Lumber Board, Turner Construction Co., and WoodWorks. Building Transparency said the partners are dedicated to improving material transparency and fostering low-carbon procurement decisions in the AEC industry.