Dec 16, 2015

NW Environmental Business Council

The Northwest Environmental Business Council said Executive Director Robert Grott will step down in 2016 after a decade leading the organization. The NEBC board will hire a consultant to help find a replacement. He will continue to work on organizing 2016 conferences in Seattle, Portland and Tacoma.

Washington Lodging Association

The Washington Lodging Association recognized eight people and five hotels with awards. General manager of the year (limited service) is Keith Coleman of Springhill Suites and TownePlace Suites Bellingham. General manager of the year (full service) is Tonya De La Cruz of Coast Gateway Hotel, SeaTac. Megan Greenawalt of Springhill Suites Bellingham won Rising Star of the Year (limited service) and Chloe Lee, a cook at Fairmont Olympic Hotel, won Rising Star (full service). Outstanding employee awards went to Dzenana Prozorac of Holiday Inn Express Downtown Spokane and Bert Hayward of Embassy Suites by Hilton Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Outstanding Manager awards went to Magdalena Correa of SpringHill Suites by Marriott- Kennewick/Tri-Cities and Kim Peterson of Sheraton Seattle Hotel.

Dec 15, 2015

Washington State University

The Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine hired three administrators for the Washington State University Spokane campus. Two — James Zimmerman and Mary Ann Clemens — follow Founding Dean John Tomkowiak from Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University. One — Yvette Roubideaux — is from Washington, D.C. Roubideaux is associate dean for diversity, inclusion and leadership, and worked in the Obama Administration as director of the Indian Health Service. Zimmerman is vice dean of administration, accreditation and finance. Clemens is an advisor on curriculum.

Bank of the Cascades

Bank of the Cascades, an Oregon-based community bank and SBA lenders, has named its Seattle-based commercial banking team to serve mid-market businesses. The team is led by Brandon Elieff, a 15-year Seattle banking industry veteran, who worked at U.S. Bank, Sterling Savings Bank and Northern Trust. Nathan Terrill is senior vice president and has worked at J.P. Morgan Chase and Key Bank. Mike Ralph is relationship manager, with 25 years of experience in commercial banking. Eleanor Rasmussen is relationship manager and has worked at Northwest Bank and Capital Pacific Bank. Gil Alvarez is senior vice president-CRE lending, and has 30 years of experience in commercial banking and real estate. Bank of the Cascades has a deal with Bank of America to buy 15 bank locations in 2016.

Dec 11, 2015

City of Kirkland

Kirkland Director of Parks & Community Services Jennifer Schroder will retire Jan. 15. She was named director in 2004 and was instrumental in forming the Green Kirkland Partnership in 2005. Since then, more than 15,700 GKP volunteers have contributed over 60,000 hours to the city. She has been in the field for 35 years, and active in state and national organizations, and won Washington Recreation and Park Association's Honor Fellow Award. Deputy Director Michael Cogle will be acting director.

Oregon State Bar

Jordan Ramis PC shareholder John R. Bachofner was elected to Oregon State Bar's Board of Governors and chair of the Litigation Section. The board is the regulating body for lawyers in Oregon, with 14 lawyers and four public members.

Cambia Grove

Overlake Medical Center is the seventh partner in Cambia Grove. The partners work with entrepreneurs, innovators, businesses and investors to solve health care industry challenges. Overlake joins UW Medicine, Regence BlueShield, EvergreenHealth Partners, MultiCare, CHI Franciscan and Qliance in the Seattle innovation hub.

Command Center

Command Center, an on-demand and temporary staffing firm, is opening three new branch offices including one in Kent. The others are in Aurora, Colorado, and Lubbock, Texas. Command Center now has eight branches in the state — four of them in the Seattle-Tacoma area.