Aug 07, 2024

Barghausen Consulting Engineers

Pilburn

Dickler

Bond

Ibarra

Shirkey

Escobar

Shyshpanov

Barghausen announced the following new hires and promotions in June.

In the firm's Kent office:

Christopher Shirkey started as a survey chainperson on June 17. He attended the College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University from 2016-2019.

Evan Ibarra started as an administrative assistant on June 24. He graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. degree in Business Administration. Previously, Ibarra worked at A Place for Mom, Inc. for six years where he held numerous positions. He is skilled in data entry, consumer privacy, contract management, state compliance, project management, and DocuSign.

Jared Waldo started as a land surveyor in training on June 18. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a B.S. in economics in December 2009. He has 10 years of field experience and 12 years of office experience. Waldo has lined out field crews for boundary, topographic, and construction surveying needs. He previously worked in several surveying roles including a survey department manager at Cascade Surveying and Engineering.

JP Bond joined as an architectural CAD technician on June 2. He graduated from the University of Idaho with a B.S. in Architecture in May 2024. Previously, Bond worked as an architectural drafter/designer at Selkirk Design Co. He is highly experienced with architectural design software and has five years of experience in residential design and site development.

Mollie Dickler started as a design engineer on June 17. Dickler graduated from Virginia Tech in May 2024 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. She previously held several internships at AE2S, HNTB, Robert B Balter Company, and Coastal Resources. She has experience in Rhino 6, and AutoCAD Civil 3D.

Logan Piburn has been promoted to senior project architect. Piburn joined Barghausen in 2023. He's taken on leadership roles, mentored staff, and led initiatives including setting Revit standards for the firm.

In the Roseville, Ca. office:

Eugene Shyshpanov started on June 26 as a design engineer. He graduated from Sacramento University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering in May 2023. He recently worked as a civil project designer at Cartright Nor Cal.

In the Long Beach, Calif. office:

Rafael Escobar started as an electric designer - energy on June 10. He graduated as a general electrician from Southern California Institute of Technology. Escobar recently worked as an electrical/mechanical designer for SPEC Services, Inc. He is skilled in reading blueprints, AutoCAD, mechanical design, drafting, MicroStation, Aveva, and Bluebeam.

MLA Engineering

Palekha

Avellandeda

Bearden

MLA Engineering, a structural engineering firm based in Seattle, recently hired three professionals.

Joining MLA as a senior associate is John Bearden. Bearden brings structural engineering leadership to community-based projects. His advanced knowledge and experience gained over the past 25 years include a list of high-profile clients: NBC/Universal, National Gallery of Art, Boeing, Microsoft, Lockheed Martin, Chevron, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Air force, Seattle Mariners (T-Mobile Park), Sound Transit, and Port of Seattle.

Bearden specializes in constructability reviews and cost estimating. He is a member of the Structural Engineers Association of Washington (SEAW) and American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin.

Raul Avellandeda has joined as a project designer. Avellandeda is a recent graduate of Virginia Tech where he earned a master's degree in civil engineering with a structural engineering focus. His research involved testing flooring systems for seismic loading —updating equations in code to account for more capacity with less material. His investigations are continuing remotely and will culminate in a PhD while he also gains valuable hands-on experience at MLA.

Sophia Palekha has joined as a revit technician. Palekha comes to MLA with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from Washington State University. She has expertise in Revit, combined with a background in CAD and SketchUp.

Parametrix

McDonald

Wildt

Parametrix has added two cultural resources specialists.

Jenny Wildt joins as a senior cultural resources specialist with 23 years of experience specializing in historical archaeology, public interpretation, landscape archaeology, archaeological research design, and project management. Wildt comes to Parametrix from ICF where she worked as a senior archaeologist. At Parametrix, she will expand the firm's range of cultural resources service offerings and support clients across the Pacific Northwest and California.

Reed McDonald joins as a senior cultural resources specialist with 15 years of experience specializing in archaeological fieldwork, including supervising crews and facilitating conversations between stakeholders on complex cultural and environmental issues. McDonald has previously worked with the Salmon-Challis National Forest and the Bureau of Reclamation's Pacific Northwest Regional Office where he managed the Columbia-Snake Salmon Recovery Office cultural program.

Parametrix's cultural resources practice includes professionals in Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, and New Mexico providing archaeological inventory, historic built resource surveys, geoarchaeological studies, Indigenous relations, ethnographic studies, preservation planning and public interpretation.

Aug 02, 2024

Harts

Harts Plumbers, Electricians and HVAC Technicians has opened a new location in Tukwila. The Tukwila branch will offer comprehensive coverage along the Maple Valley Highway corridor. This is the company's fourth location, and will offer complete plumbing and sewer service as well as electrical. “We're excited to announce this new branch, which will allow us to serve more communities in our area,” said Jason Fournier, president of Harts. “Expanding east helps us connect our existing service areas to ensure more efficient delivery of the essential services we provide, including our new hydronic heating service.” Harts' technicians and support staff provide environmentally friendly service on a full range of plumbing, electrical and HVAC solutions. The company has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States four times. Harts Plumbers, Electricians and HVAC Technicians provides plumbing services, electrical services, and heating and cooling services throughout the greater Seattle, Tacoma and now Tukwila areas. The company was founded in Tacoma in 2013 by co-owners Richard Hart and Dan Hartsough.

Sinclair Broadcast Group

Sinclair Broadcast Group named Dean Ditmer vice president/general manager of KATU and KUNP in Portland. Ditmer was previously president/general manager at KPNX, KMSB and KTTU in Tucson. He has held several executive leadership positions across the broadcast industry, including director of sales at KUSA in Denver, general manager of Sinclair's WKEF and WRGT in Dayton, Ohio, general manager at Metro Networks in Minneapolis, director of sales at WCCO in Minneapolis, local sales manager at KPIX in San Francisco, and sales manager at WNCN in Raleigh. Ditmer has recently served on several public and non-profit boards, including the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University, the Arizona Broadcasters Association, and the Arizona Interscholastic Association Advisory Board. He holds a bachelor's degree in communications from Bowling Green State University. Sinclair owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 86 markets.

Lighthouse

Seattle-based Lighthouse, a provider of technology-enabled eDiscovery, compliance, and information governance services, announced that Fernando Delgado has been promoted to senior director of AI & Analytics. As the company's AI product portfolio grows, Delgado, who has 19 years of experience developing analytics- & AI-based alternatives and accelerators for document review, will take a leadership role in developing products that leverage predictive and generative AI. Delgado has nearly 20 years of experience in the legal tech field and recently earned a Ph.D. in Information Science from Cornell University, where his dissertation studied what participatory design processes look like and how they can be structured for meaningful engagement with domain experts.

Aug 01, 2024

Northmarq finds nearly $18M for SLU units

[enlarge]

In South Lake Union, Tarragon completed its 145-unit Boxcar apartments about a decade ago. Ankrom Moisan was the architect, and Rushforth Construction the builder. Now Northmarq has announced that its Bob Spiro recently arranged an over $17.8 million refinancing package via Fannie Mae. Spiro said in a statement, “Fannie Mae continues to provide best in class apartment financing products that meet our client's needs.” The new fixed-rate loan is structured with a five-year, interest-only term with a 5.36% interest rate. Boxcar, at 975 John St. (on the corner of Terry Avenue North), is surrounded by its taller SLU brethren. It was notable for employing some modular components, including steel framing instead of the usual wood-frame method for such midrise projects.

Emerald Communities

Cook

Emerald Communities has announced that its longtime head of marketing and public relations, Kay Wallen, is retiring after three decades with the nonprofit senior housing organization. Stepping into her role is new hire Sandra Cook. She makes the move from Aegis. CEO Lisa Hardy said in a statement, “After more than three decades of dedication to the organization, it is difficult to see Kay go, but we are confident Sandra will lead the two communities into great new chapters. With expansion projects underway in both Heron's Key and Emerald Heights, Sandra's expertise in opening new communities and sales will be incredibly valuable.”

Avatar places NoCal loan

[enlarge]

Based here in Seattle, Avatar Financial Group makes loans all around the country. And in a recently announced $6.4 million deal, it has aided in the future renovation of a 44-room hotel in the Sonoma region of Northern California, near Bodega Bay. The new bridge loan carries a 2.5-year term. Avatar has worked with the owner of the nearly four-decade-old Bodega Coast Inn & Suites before. Avatar's T.R. Hazelrigg IV said in a statement, “Our borrower is an experienced investor that's recently wrapped up a similar overhaul on a San Diego boutique hotel. We look forward to seeing a repeat of that success with this property.”

Heartland

Choi

Policar

It's hiring season at Heartland. The firm announced a pair of new staff additions last week. First is Dave Policar, who makes the move from BentallGreenOak. He becomes senior asset manager. Second, Celina Choi joins the outfit as associate project manager.

Security Properties strikes deal with Funnel

[enlarge]

What is Funnel Leasing? Based in Tampa, it's a CRM software platform, as in customer relationship management, that specializes in multifamily property management. And, Funnel announced last week, it now counts our own Security Properties Residential as a new client. Funnel will begin providing services to Security Properties apartment communities all across the U.S., serving about 26,075 units in total. Funnel CEO Tyler Christiansen said in a statement, “The SPR team is on a quest to overhaul the status quo and put renter experience at the forefront of their new operating model. We are proud to be the platform to enable that change through the Entrata integration that makes Funnel PMS agnostic.” What is PMS? The acronym for property management system. Security Properties, now building the 29-story Confidential high rise in Belltown (pictured), manages beyond its own portfolio of some 19,000 units.

Visit Seattle

Byington

Following a nationwide search, Visit Seattle announced that veteran Seattle marketing executive Stephanie Byington will be its next senior vice president and chief marketing officer. For over two decades, Byington has led marketing for several Seattle area brands including Slalom, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, TCS World Travel, Nordstrom, and Starbucks. At Visit Seattle, Byington will oversee all marketing and brand development initiatives to promote tourism to the city across travel segments, including meetings and conventions, leisure, transient, and international markets. Byington has extensive experience in the travel and tourism space, having served as vice president of marketing and product development at tour operator TCS World Travel, as well as director of global advertising and sponsorships for Continental Airlines. At TCS World Travel, she won the Global Leadership Award from Travelopia (its parent company) in 2019. Byington also has broad expertise in the brand and experiential marketing spaces. In her previous role as senior director of marketing at consulting firm Slalom, she developed Slalom's first-ever global brand marketing campaign. Before Slalom, she was director of product innovation at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Byington replaces Visit Seattle's former CMO and SVP Ali Daniels, who was with the organization for over 12 years and now serves as SVP marketing for Seattle Kraken.

Northwest Kidney Centers

Marker

Dorsch

Northwest Kidney Centers, the nation's oldest nonprofit dialysis provider with 20 clinics in King, Pierce, Snohomish and Clallam counties, has named Anthony Dorsch and Karissa Marker to its board of trustees. Dorsch has 30 years of experience as a healthcare administrator with a strong background in leadership, strategic planning, and healthcare management. He has worked in various roles including executive director at UW Physicians and VP of operational finance at Providence Health & Services. Dorsch has served on Northwest Kidney Centers' Finance, Audit & Investment Committee for nearly 10 years. Marker is a retired audit partner of KPMG, with more than 23 years of experience specializing in providing audit and accounting services to a variety of industries, including healthcare, education, and the public sector. Marker currently serves on several non-profit boards, including the Audit Advisory Committee of the University of Washington and the Audit, Finance, and Compliance Committee of EvergreenHealth. She is the treasurer of the Seattle Aquarium Board. They join 10 others on the volunteer board, made up of medical, business, civic and patient leaders who help govern the 62-year-old non-profit. Northwest Kidney Centers was founded in Seattle in 1962.