Oct 02, 2020

Washington Reentry Council

The Washington Statewide Reentry Council unanimously reappointed Christopher Poulos to serve a second three-year term as executive director. Since Poulos' appointment to this position in October 2017, he has worked with council members, legislators and advocacy groups to help secure the passage of 19 council-priority bills into law. Poulos and the council have focused on six major categories of work: racial equity, housing, centering community, education, employment and improving communication. Poulos has recently served as an adjunct professor of political science at Seattle Central Community College and an adjunct law professor at Seattle University. The Washington Statewide Reentry Council was established in 2016.

Amazon

Amazon announced that the company has donated more than $215 million globally to charitable organizations through the AmazonSmile program since its launch in 2013. AmazonSmile provides a way for customers to support charities they care about every time they shop with Amazon. Since 2013, charities that focus on animals, education, health, and disaster relief were most favored by AmazonSmile customers in the U.S. When shopping at AmazonSmile, customers will find eligible items offered at the same prices as Amazon.com,, and the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to charitable organizations customers choose, at no extra cost to them.

Kymeta

Redmond-based communications company Kymeta announced that the FCC has granted authorization for the operation of its next-generation electronically steered, flat-panel ESIM (earth station in motion) platform, the Kymeta u8 terminal. The u8 is an electronically steered, flat-panel ESIM platform with no moving parts, built for mobility and designed for the needs of government, first responder, and commercial customers. To date, Kymeta has deployed 25 beta units globally to facilitate real-world testing of the u8 terminal and Kymeta Connect connectivity services. The beta trial program kicked off last month with select partners and customers across the globe. Additionally, Kymeta recently announced securing an approximate $85 million financing round, led by Bill Gates, to accelerate new product development and commercialization of the Kymeta u8, and Kymeta Connect.

Oct 01, 2020

Hatchback Cottages

Kovalcik

Todaro

Hickey

Hatchback Cottages announced the hiring of three new employees: Nate Hickey, director of accounts; Lindsay Todaro, junior account manager; and Jennie Kovalcik, marketing manager. Hickey started his career in architecture and planning, and transitioned to development and construction project management. He was a development project manager on the Weyerhaeuser Headquarters in Pioneer Square. Todaro worked for Massachusetts-based architecture firm Cube 3 Studio, and later joined Kidder Mathews' transit-oriented development consulting team. Kovalcik worked for Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., Downtown Seattle, and the Alliance for Pioneer Square, most recently as the director of communications for Pioneer Square.

King County

For the first time, all residents of King County are the recipients of the Executive's Award for Community Resilience. The award is given each fall in recognition of outstanding efforts made by organizations to prepare for and respond to emergencies. This year, instead of recognizing one organization, the award honors the efforts that every resident, organization and community group is doing to support each other during 2020. “This award is usually intended to recognize the commitment, planning and response a single organization demonstrates in an emergency. But this year there are just too many people doing extraordinary things,” said Executive Dow Constantine.

UBS Private Wealth Management

UBS Private Wealth Management announced that Michael S. Matthews, a managing director and senior portfolio manager in the firm's Bellevue office, has been named to the 2020 Forbes/SHOOK List of Top Wealth Advisors. This is the fifth straight year that he has been named to the list. Matthews has over 25 years of experience in the industry, and is the founder of The Matthews Group, a team within the Private Wealth Management division of UBS. Earlier this year, Matthew was also ranked as the number one advisor in the state of Washington, on the Forbes/SHOOK Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list.

Sep 30, 2020

Skagit County

Skagit County announced it received a $400,000 grant from the Department of Justice to support the Skagit County Community Court program. Skagit County will match the grant funds at 25 percent over the next two years for program operation. Community Court is an alternative court program focused on low-level non-violent misdemeanor crimes. The grant funding will specifically target offenders where substance abuse is an underlying factor, with a particular emphasis on veterans, those from Skagit's rural communities and those residing in one of Skagit's Qualified Opportunity Zones.

Puget Sound Energy

Puget Sound Energy announced the launch of its Small Business Energy Makeover contest. PSE will invest a total of $180,000 and provide four local small businesses a makeover that will help them save energy and trim operating costs. Each makeover will include $30,000 in energy efficiency upgrades and an additional $15,000 for needed cosmetic improvements. Winning business owners will work with a PSE energy expert. PSE is encouraging customers to nominate their favorite local small business or business owners can enter themselves into the contest. Contest entrants must be small businesses operating within Puget Sound Energy's service area. Additional information is available at http://www.king5.com/PSE.

Rite Aid Foundation

The Rite Aid Foundation has committed $250,000 to the American Red Cross to support wildfire relief efforts in California, Oregon and Washington. The funding will help the Red Cross provide basic needs such as food, water and shelter to evacuees and support recovery efforts. Rite Aid has more than 700 stores and three distribution centers in California, Oregon and Washington.