Jul 08, 2020

State of Washington

Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Kelly Fukai to serve on the state Transportation Commission. Fukai is manager of public and external affairs at Spokane International Airport, and has over 20 years of experience developing plans and policies that grow infrastructure, enhance economic and workforce development, and support community interests. She is serving a six-year term on the commission and replaces Joe Tortorelli, who served two terms.

Smarsh

In Portland, Smarsh hired Barry Allen as CFO and promoted Suzanne Rudnitzki to COO. Allen previously was CFO of Jama Software in Portland, where he helped shift that company to a software-as-a-service enterprise. Prior to that, he held roles of CFO, COO and president at advertising and licensing company Corbis. Rudnitzki joined Smarsh in 2018 as the company's first chief people officer. In her new role, she leads the legal and information security, human resources, management information systems, diversity and inclusion, and facilities teams. Prior to joining Smarsh, she was senior vice president of human resources at Telecare. Smarsh archives electronic communications for regulated organizations, including banks and government agencies.

Nautilus

Vancouver fitness equipment manufacturer Nautilus plans to sell its Octane Fitness line so it can focus solely on the home fitness equipment market. Octane Fitness customers are primarily health clubs, professional sports teams, colleges and universities, municipalities and corporations. Nautilus has retained investment banker William Blair as its adviser for the potential transaction.

Imagine Housing

In Kirkland, Imagine Housing is sponsoring an emergency rental assistance fund to help its residents who are unable to pay rent due to financial hardship related to the pandemic. The nonprofit provider of affordable rental homes and social services in east King County allocated $100,000 to start the fund, with the aim of seeking additional outside donations. Eastside Legal Assistance Program is administering the fund.

Darigold

Seattle-based Darigold and the Northwest Dairy Association announced a goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. They plan to reach that goal by investing in renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency, promoting farm-level carbon sequestration projects, and modernizing the processing and transportation network. They had previously announced a goal to reduce carbon emissions 20%-30% by 2030. Darigold is the marketing and processing subsidiary of Northwest Dairy Association, which is a co-op owned by over 430 dairy farms.

Molina Healthcare

Bothell-based Molina Healthcare of Washington is committing $15 million to support its primary care and substance use disorder providers across the state. The support comes of the heels of Molina's recently announced $1 million COVID-19 community response plan, which helps local communities and organizations affected by the pandemic. Molina provides government-funded care for low-income individuals through Medicaid, Medicare and the Health Benefit Exchange programs.

Jul 07, 2020

The Standard

Portland-based Standard Insurance Co. (The Standard) promoted Dan McMillan from vice president of the Insurance Services Group to executive vice president. McMillan joined The Standard in 1989 and has held a succession of leadership positions with increasing responsibilities. In his new role, he is responsible for the Asset Management Group and is still overseeing the Insurance Services Group.

Avalara

Seattle-based business tax software developer Avalara hired Kathleen Weslock as chief human resources officer. Weslock has over two decades of leadership experience in human resources. She comes from startup lithium technology company Livent, where she was chief human resources officer. Prior to that, she oversaw human resources at Cisco, Deloitte and FIS (formerly SunGard Data Systems).

IOTAS

Laura Lang, former CEO of Time and Digitas, joined the board of Portland startup IOTAS. Lang also is the founder and managing director of Narragansett Ventures and an adviser to private equity firm L Catterton. IOTAS helps landlords install and manage smart home devices.

ArbiterSports

Utah-based ArbiterSports signed an agreement with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association and the Washington Officials Association to provide all 800 member schools with its scheduling and payment platform for games and events starting in the fall. The platform will standardize schedules and expedite daily electronic payments to officials. Additionally, WIAA member schools will use Arbiter to share calendars, schedule events and facilities, and issue electronic payments and 1099s to event workers.

Smartsheet

A 451 Research survey commissioned by Bellevue-based Smartsheet found that 82% of workers feel less productive since working remotely. The survey also found that 68% of workers feel distracted by too many voice, video, messaging and email conversations; followed by 64% who feel they don't have the correct tools to build or adapt new business processes, workflows or project designs; 62% who are hindered by the lack of face-to-face conversations; and 46% who say they can't find the information they need to do their job. Smartsheet is a cloud-based platform for work execution.