Jul 30, 2026

The Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce

The Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce has launched Meet Everett, a new marketing campaign designed to reframe the conversation about Everett by introducing the people who manufacture, innovate, create, serve and invest there.

The campaign features business owners, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, innovators and community builders telling their own Everett stories. Through video, photography, outdoor advertising and digital content, Meet Everett highlights the people behind the businesses and ideas helping shape the city.

“Meet Everett is about changing the way people see our city by introducing them to the people who are already building remarkable businesses, products and experiences here,” said Wendy Poischbeg, president and CEO of the Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce. “Everett has an incredible legacy of making, but that story is still being written in our manufacturing facilities, laboratories, restaurants, shops and gathering places every day.”

The first Meet Everett bus-side advertisements are set to go live this week, featuring Katherine Hillmann of South Fork Baking and John Carswell of APEX Everett.

The campaign website, MeetEverett.com, includes the first three video stories, featuring Vince Rossetti and Sean Drought of Tapped as well as Hillmann of South Fork Baking and Carswell of APEX Everett.

Additional videos featuring Parker Burke of Fluke, Savanna Thompson of Helion and Sotirios Rebelos of Apollo Exos Records are set to join them this week.

Jul 29, 2026

Anchor QEA

Bridges

Anchor QEA has brought on Todd Bridges, whose leadership roles span government, academia and the private sector. Bridges has more than three decades of experience in research, engineering and environmental science. This includes 30 years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he most recently served as the Army's senior research scientist for environmental science. While with the Corps, he founded the internationally recognized Engineering With Nature initiative, which promotes infrastructure solutions that work with natural systems. He has also led a five-year international effort that produced the International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management.

Bridges has authored or coauthored more than 100 publications and has received numerous professional honors, including the Distinguished Presidential Rank Award in 2021. He is a member of the Western Dredging Association and serves on its Board of Directors. He is also a professor of practice in resilient and sustainable systems at the University of Georgia College of Engineering.

Ware Malcomb

Kurasaki

Henry Kurasaki has joined the Ware Malcomb Seattle office as director of architecture. In this role, he will serve as a key member of the firm's office leadership team, help shape its local architectural practice and lead business development efforts across the Pacific Northwest region.

Kurasaki brings more than 25 years of experience to Ware Malcomb as both a licensed architect and a commercial real estate leader. His career spans architecture firm leadership and owner-side real estate strategy, guiding multi-state portfolios, leading high-performing design teams, and overseeing complex real estate programs for corporate, retail, industrial, financial and operational environments.

Kurasaki has guided large-scale planning, design and construction initiatives through all phases of development, providing leadership, client engagement and strategic planning. Kurasaki helps clients navigate evolving business, sustainability, and facility challenges and brings practical insight into emerging energy and building technologies for greater operational efficiency and sustainability goals.

SMR Architects

Sauter

Froehlich

SMR Architects has promoted Alexander Froehlich and Nate Sauter to associates. Froehlich began studying architecture in high school. While at the University of Oregon, he led several community-based design-build projects, which solidified his commitment to socially responsible architecture. He has worked in both architecture and construction. A Washington licensed architect, Froehlich has served as a former Co-Chair on Seattle AIA's Committee on Homelessness, applying his advocacy-driven mindset to his professional associations as he does to his design work.

Sauter is an 18-year veteran of the construction industry. After 10 years in the field, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Architecture from Penn State's Schreyer Honors College. His work at SMR has combined his technical expertise with his commitment to creating enriching spaces for disadvantaged populations. At SMR, he has worked on the implementation of unit standardization with the goal of maximizing efficiency and streamlining the design process. He is a licensed architect in Washington and recently achieved his TiD-B certification, reflecting his commitment to designing spaces that are sensitive to the needs of trauma-affected populations.

PLS Engineering

Hankins

PLS has hired Alec Hankins as a civil engineer. Hankins has a strong foundation of local engineering experience, having contributed to pump station access improvements, roadway design and stormwater infrastructure projects. His hands-on experience includes developing site layouts and grading plans for a local park project, performing site inspections, and reviewing as-built plans, plot plans, and maps to ensure compliance. He has also built valuable field and construction knowledge through a local surveying internship, and as an estimator and intern with a concrete specialty contractor.

Hankins is a recent Oregon State University graduate with a degree in civil engineering, a 4.0 GPA and consistent recognition on the Dean's List. His commitment extends beyond the classroom through a strong record of community service.

Jul 28, 2026

KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM

Michaels

KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM, a Bonneville station, announced the addition of Inside Out with Tami Michaels to its weekend programming lineup. The one-hour show will premiere on Saturday, August 8 and air weekly from 2:00 to 3:00 PM PT.

Hosted by Tami Michaels — a Pacific Northwest's lifestyle and home improvement expert — Inside Out will bring listeners an entertaining and informative mix of interior design trends, practical how-to advice, innovative home and lifestyle products and services, pet topics, and more. Michaels, a licensed General Contractor with more than 25 years of diverse interior design experience, brings a designer's eye and a contractor's know-how to every conversation.

“I am incredibly honored to join the legendary team at KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM and to start this new chapter in a city that truly lives and breathes local radio,” said Michaels. “My goal has always been to spark entertaining and helpful conversations on home improvement from an interior designer's perspective. There simply is no better way to do that than right here on KIRO Newsradio. I can't wait to get behind the mic for the debut of Inside Out and start connecting with our listeners every Saturday from 2–3 PM. We're going to have some fun and tackle home improvement topics that matter, creating spaces — and lives — where happy people truly live.”

Jul 24, 2026

Gesa Credit Union

Gesa Credit Union and Willamette Valley Bank, together with the bank's parent company, Oregon Bancorp Inc., have announced a definitive agreement for Gesa to acquire the Salem-based community bank, bringing two community-first institutions.

Under the agreement, Gesa would acquire substantially all of Willamette Valley Bank's assets and assume substantially all of its liabilities, in an all-cash transaction. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Gesa Credit Union, Willamette Valley Bank, and Oregon Bancorp.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and approval of the Oregon Bancorp shareholders. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027. Following the completion of the transaction, Willamette Valley Bank and Oregon Bancorp will dissolve and the remaining assets will be distributed to the stockholders of Oregon Bancorp.

Willamette Valley Bank opened in Salem in 2000. Gesa has operated since 1953.

The most immediate change for customers after closing would be the name on the door. Willamette Valley Bank's four branches in Linn and Marion counties and its loan office in Washington County, in the Portland metro area, will stay open and staffed by the same teams. At that point, the people who bank there would become member-owners of Gesa.

Jul 23, 2026

Truebeck Construction

Sunde

Truebeck Construction announced that Aileen Sunde has joined the company in Client Development and Community Partnerships at its Seattle office. With 20+ years of experience in the AEC industry, Sunde brings a strong track record in community engagement, industry partnerships, and communications.

She has extensive experience leading outreach programs and developing apprenticeship pathways and was recognized with ANEW's Agent of Change award, which recognizes individuals who champion equity, cultural heritage, and inclusion in the construction industry. She works closely with local schools, nonprofits, and trade organizations to expand access to careers and growth opportunities in construction.

Sunde holds a B.S. in Interior Design from Bellevue College and is actively involved in several regional advisory boards and workforce development programs.

Truebeck Construction is an industry-leading full-service general contractor specializing in technical building, complex projects, and interiors.