Feb 29, 2024

Travis Hale gets top spot

Hale

Panattoni Development's Travis Hale was recently named President of the Year by NAIOP. The honor was bestowed earlier this month at a NAIOP gathering in Washington, D.C. Hale leads our state chapter of NAIOP and has, since the beginning of his tenure, grown its membership to over 1,130 people. He also launched a University of Washington scholarship program for its commercial real estate certification program. The organization said in a press release, “NAIOP Washington State congratulates Travis Hale on this achievement and extends its deepest appreciation for his leadership of the association.”

Kidder Mathews

Chaney

Kidder Mathews announced that its veteran broker Jeff Chaney was recently awarded SIOR designation. (That's the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors.) Chaney has been with the firm since 1996, focusing mostly on the Eastside market. KM said of the credential, “The prestigious SIOR designation recognizes the most knowledgeable, experienced, and successful professionals in today's commercial real estate industry.” Some 44 brokers at KM also have SIOR status, the most in our region.

Amenity Wars!

That's the topic to be discussed at NAIOP Washington State's next monthly breakfast, to be held at 8 a.m. March 13 at the Four Seasons. The range of tenant perks and enticements, in both office and multifamily properties, is only growing broader, more posh and — some might say — frivolous. Addressing the amenity arms race will be Bernadette Kelly of Weber Thompson, Raymond Connell from Holland Partner Group, Megan Murphy of Vulcan Real Estate and Hudson Pacific Properties' Tony Toppenberg. Details and registration: naiopwa.org.

Kidder Mathews

Renshaw

Kidder Mathews announced the recent hiring of a new broker: Matthew Renshaw, who makes the move from CBRE. His new post will be senior vice president, with an emphasis on tenant advisory services. He said in a statement, “My clients require and demand the best service, and it's my job to deliver that. As the premier commercial real estate firm on the West Coast, Kidder Mathews is well-positioned to support me in delivering excellent results, both now and in the future.”

Gantry arranges over $6M refi deal

Gantry recently secured a $6.2 million refinancing package for Lake Union Center in Wallingford. The building is fully occupied by Lumen Bioscience. The lender was an unnamed life insurance company. The owner and borrower was Seattle Investment Partners, led by George Neffner, which developed the 65,000-square-foot building two dozen years ago. Gantry's Mike Wood and Colin Ceithaml led the recent funding effort. The 10-year loan features a fixed rate and 25-year amortization period. Said Wood, “While office remains the most challenging asset class to underwrite, as market forces and cycle shifts impact both occupancy and values, this asset checked all the boxes for a qualifying loan, including its lakefront location, Class A status, stable occupancy and conservative leverage.”

Kidder Mathews

Chelico

After many years at JSH Properties, retail leasing specialist John Chelico is joining Kidder Mathews, that firm recently announced. He'll be based in the Seattle office, with the new title of senior vice president. He said in a statement, “I'm very happy to be here, and look forward to sharing in the firm's ongoing success.”

Infobip

Infobip, a global cloud omnichannel communications platform, appointed Ethan Gustav as its new group president of North America. Based in Seattle, Gustav is a senior executive with over 20 years of experience. The company said he has a track record of contributing to, building and leading high-performance teams that drive revenue in high-growth technology companies. Prior to joining Infobip in 2021, Gustav was chief revenue officer at OpenMarket, a U.S.-based messaging provider, where under his leadership, the company more than doubled its revenue and approached market share of nearly 50%.

Inland Forest Management

F&W Forestry Services, a Georgia-based forest resource management and sustainability company, revealed a “major expansion” of its U.S. operations that includes the acquisition of Sandpoint, Idaho-based Inland Forest Management. F&W said it has several external growth operations planned, as well as development of new business lines. Its first expansion is the Inland Forest Management deal. Inland Forest Management was founded in 1984 and has expertise in forest management services, wildfire suppression and fire mitigation. F&W provides timber sales, property management, field support services, forest inventory and mapping, forestland accounting, technical and analytical services, real estate and natural capital.