Nov 05, 2025

Alaska Partnership

Mosaic Media and MSI Communications have announced their intent to form a strategic partnership — the largest of its kind in Alaska — uniting two agencies with complementary strengths to deliver greater value to clients. Mosaic Media is an Alaska-owned media strategy and buying agency with expertise in programmatic advertising, digital strategy, and data-driven campaign management, serving both regional and national brands. Established in 1995, MSI Communications is an Alaska-based full-service communication firm, serving clients in the tourism, oil and gas, mining, and transportation industries and Alaska Native corporations. The partnership, anticipated to be finalized later this year, expands Mosaic's history of supporting national brands while staying deeply connected to Alaska. It will also give local Alaska businesses access to sophisticated, national-level media strategies and fully integrated campaigns. “It's a perfect match of skills and culture. This ensures the agency, which is built on long-term relationships with the state's leading industries, is poised for even greater success,” says Laurie Fagnani, founder and CEO of MSI Communications.

Dorsey & Whitney

International law firm Dorsey & Whitney has added two partners to its Boise, Idaho office. Deborah Dunn began her career in Chicago, practicing for 16 years at one of the city's largest law firms. Dunn advises high-net-worth families, family offices, and owners of closely held businesses. She drafts sophisticated estate plans, often centered around complex trust structures, represents clients in complex estate and gift tax audits, and advises executors in will contests and disputes with beneficiaries. She also counsels trustees on trust and estate administration, as well as beneficiaries on rights and claims. Bruce Pinegar is experienced in the preparation of all manner of estate planning documents, including wills, revocable trusts, and powers of attorney. He regularly drafts and implements wealth transfer transactions, such as grantor-retained annuity trusts, sales to intentionally defective grantor trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, and gifts to generation-skipping dynasty trusts. He advises and assists trustees with respect to administering trusts and, when necessary, modifying trust terms through judicial and nonjudicial processes. Additionally, Pinegar advises executors in the estate administration process, prepares and files estate and gift tax returns, and assists with estate and gift tax audits. Pinegar was named “Best-in-State, Idaho – Trust & Estate” by Forbes in 2025. Dorsey has locations across the United States and in Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Ankrom Moisan

Heater

Ankrom Moisan, an architecture, interior design, brand, and planning firm, announces a new chapter in its leadership: former President Dave Heater has stepped into the role of vice president of business development, as well as chairman of the board of directors. Heater has served for decades in leadership for the firm, including as president since 2015. He now leads efforts to expand the firm in both existing and new markets, and long-term growth across the West Coast and beyond.

Heater is the first design professional at Ankrom Moisan dedicated solely to business development across all studios. Heater opened the Seattle office in 2006, and helped the firm establish a strong foothold with national and international developers and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). He was also instrumental in launching a second office in San Francisco in 2016.

Nov 04, 2025

BECU

Costa-Perales

BECU named Carla Costa-Perales as executive vice president and chief impact officer. In this role, Costa-Perales will lead the teams driving BECU's social impact, equity, inclusion and belonging, communications and government relations work. “The Chief Impact Officer is a critical role at BECU, and Carla brings over 20 years of experience across all functions that make up this division,” said BECU CEO Beverly Anderson. “Given her prior roles with healthcare and public health organizations, Carla also brings a deep understanding of the connection between physical and financial health. She will be instrumental in driving the impact team's strategic approach toward serving and uplifting our members and communities, while partnering closely with elected officials and industry partners.” Before joining BECU, Costa-Perales served as vice president of communications, marketing, consumer experience and community health at Kaiser Permanente Washington. Prior to Kaiser Permanente, she held leadership roles at PATH, a global public health organization, and the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian crisis response organization. She also founded Highway Twenty, a strategy and communications agency and served as president. Additionally, Costa-Perales is an affiliate instructor at the University of Washington. BECU is the largest not-for-profit credit union in Washington, and currently operates more than 60 financial centers, including two in South Carolina.

Tech Soft 3D

Payne

Tech Soft 3D, a global provider of engineering software toolkits and 3D data conversion and visualization solutions, has appointed Robbie Payne as chief executive officer. He succeeds founder Ron Fritz, who will transition to executive chairman where he will help guide strategic direction and continue to leverage his industry relationships to further accelerate Tech Soft 3D's growth and acquisition strategy. Payne, previously an executive-in-residence at Battery Ventures, brings over two decades of leadership in scaling SaaS and industrial technology businesses. Before joining Tech Soft 3D, he served as CEO of Battery-backed manufacturing software provider CAMBRIO and kitchen automation company QSR Automations. Founded in 1996, Tech Soft 3D is headquartered in Bend, Oregon, and operates offices in the United States, France, England, Japan, Germany, and Norway, and is backed by Battery Ventures.

Oct 30, 2025

A bit more about that Runberg-Mio deal

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HB Management developed the 40-unit Mio apartments back in 2016, before Roosevelt Station opened nearby. Weinstein A+U designed the four-story project, which was built by Constantine Builders. This month came a partial change in ownership at 1319 N.E. 65th St., which was incorrectly reported by others. Via an LLC, HB sold a 50% stake in the project — not the entire building — to Selkirk Ridge LLC, in a deal the county recorded at just under $6.2 million. Selkirk Ridge is an investment vehicle for the Runberg family, separate from Runberg Architecture Group, which is of course led by Brian Runberg. Brokering both sides of the deal were Tanner Fogle and Will Douglas at Paragon Real Estate Advisors. Public records indicate a loan from JPMorgan Chase. Excluding the retail, the deal was worth about $310,000 per unit.

Northmarq

Vara

Northmarq announced last week that it has hired a five-member sales team from Marcus & Millichap. The squad is led by RJ Vara, and also includes Matt Herman, John Marks, Mike Babicz, Jack Hinchcliffe and McKinnon Smith. Their focus will be primarily on the office and industrial sectors. Northmarq's Sean Tufts said in a statement, “We're excited to welcome RJ and his team as we continue to build a best-in-class investment sales platform nationwide.” Vara added, “Northmarq's privately held structure and national platform give us the freedom to focus entirely on clients, and the leadership is committed our success.”

Gantry delivers $6M refi for Bothell retail

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On the north end of Bothell, next to a Fred Meyer, is the six-building Canyon Park Commons, at 21105-21129 Bothell Everett Hwy. There, Gantry recently announced, it has arranged a $6 million refinancing package to the original owner and developer of the retail complex, Business Property Development LLC, which is also based in Bothell. Minnesota Life Insurance was the lender, per Snohomish County records. Developed during the past dozen-plus years, six buildings have 31,000 square feet, and they're fully leased to tenants including Verizon, Red Robin, Panera Bread, Chipotle and KeyBank. Gantry's Stefan Malmlund, Peter Welsh, and Claire Jones led the effort. The fixed-rate note has a five-year term. Malmlund said in a statement, “The subject property has experienced strong historical operating history and was identified as a perfect candidate to secure a conservative loan for the sponsor's business plan.”

Gurobi Optimization

Bastert

Gurobi Optimization, a provider of decision intelligence technology, has appointed Oliver Bastert to the role of chief technology officer, leading the company's Research and Development team. Bastert joined Gurobi in February and brings over 20 years of experience in B2B software, SaaS, and AI technologies. Prior to joining Gurobi, he served as vice president of product management at FICO, where he led product management for analytics, machine learning, generative AI, and optimization. He also served as a member of the Research & Development team at Dash Optimization, where he contributed to the development of advanced mixed-integer programming algorithms. Founded in 2008, Gurobi is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, and has operations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. It serves customers in nearly all industries, including organizations like SAP, Air France, and the National Football League.

Milliman

Seattle-based Milliman, a global actuarial, consulting, and risk management firm, has been named as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion on the Disability Index. The recognition highlights Milliman's commitment to advancing disability inclusion and building a workplace where all employees can contribute to long-term success. “We're honored to be recognized as a disability-friendly employer,” said Christal Morris, Milliman's chief sustainability and inclusion officer. “Creating an inclusive workplace where people of all abilities can thrive isn't just the right thing to do — it strengthens our culture, fuels innovation, and ensures we reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. We remain committed to accessibility, equity, and removing barriers so every colleague has opportunities to succeed.” The Disability Index measures performance across six key areas, including culture and leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices, community engagement, supplier inclusion, and responsible procurement. Companies earning a top score are recognized as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion.” The Disability Index is an independent, third-party resource for the annual, confidential benchmarking of disability inclusion policies and programs in business. Founded in 1947, Milliman is an independent firm with offices in major cities around the globe.