Feb 24, 2021

Lane Powell

Pearson

Patterson

Molinoff

Fung

Perka

Lane Powell has added five new attorneys to the firm's Portland and Seattle offices. Ellie Perka joins as a shareholder and Alexander Fung, Sarah Molinoff, Kellen Patterson and Carlisle Pearson join as associates. Fung (Seattle) joins Lane Powell on the Corporate, Securities and M&A Team. Molinoff (Portland) joins the Commercial Litigation Team. Patterson (Seattle) comes to Lane Powell from Groff Murphy and joins the Commercial Litigation and Construction Teams. Pearson (Portland) joins Lane Powell on the Commercial Litigation Team. During law school, Pearson worked as a Summer Associate at the firm. Perka (Seattle) comes to the firm from Ahlers Cressman & Sleight and joins Lane Powell's Construction and Commercial Litigation Teams as a shareholder. Her experience includes handling multimillion-dollar complex disputes, including the SR 99 Tunnel, the Seattle Seawall, the Washington State Convention Center expansion and the I-90 reconstruction.

Mercer

Mercer, a professional services firm, has appointed Angela Barrie as West Health Market business leader. Based in Seattle, her responsibilities will include building brand and market awareness, driving revenue growth, and providing strategic direction in Mercer's health business across the West coast. Barrie has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare consulting industry. Most recently, she served as vice president of Employer Solutions at ConsumerMedical, a Massachusetts-based clinical advocacy firm that targets large to jumbo employers. Mercer is a business of Marsh & McLennan.

Resilient Infrastructure Group

Portland-based Resilient Infrastructure Group announced its acquisition by Partners Group. Concurrently with Resilient's acquisition by Partners Group, Resilient announced the closing of its investment in a wastewater-to-renewable natural gas plant at Threemile Canyon Farms in Boardman, Oregon. Resilient acquires, develops and manages a portfolio of wastewater, water and related infrastructure assets in the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 2019, Resilient's investment-stage focus ranges from greenfield development to existing asset acquisition. Partners Group is a global private markets firm. Since 1996, the firm has invested over USD 145 billion in private equity, private real estate, private debt and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. The firm employs more than 1,500 professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland, Denver, CO., and Singapore.

Feb 23, 2021

Office of Equity

Johnson

Gov. Jay Inslee named Karen Johnson director of the newly created state Office of Equity. The Office of Equity, established by the Legislature, was signed into law by Inslee in April of 2020. The office will work with agencies to increase access to equitable opportunities in order to bridge opportunity gaps and reduce disparities. The office will also work with communities to develop the state's five-year equity plan. Johnson is currently the equity and inclusion administrator for the Washington State Department of Corrections. She also represents DOC on the statewide Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council.

Symetra

Symetra Life Insurance, a national provider of employee benefits, has promoted Lisa Marecki to senior vice president of its Group Life and Disability (LAD) and Select Benefits voluntary benefits product lines. Marecki most recently was vice president of underwriting for LAD and Select Benefits. She will continue to be based out of Symetra's Enfield, Connecticut office. Marecki joined Symetra in January 2018 from AIG, where she was vice president and head of Group Life and Disability Product and Underwriting. Her career in group benefits includes nearly 25 years with The Hartford in a number of individual contributor and leadership roles.

TrueBlue

TrueBlue announced that Taryn Owen and Carl Schweihs have been named to Staffing Industry Analysts' 2021 North America Staffing 100 list. The list recognizes the most influential people in the staffing industry and workforce ecosystem. Owen is the president of TrueBlue's PeopleReady, which specializes in on-demand labor, including providing highly skilled tradespeople. Schweihs is the president of PeopleManagement, TrueBlue's workforce management division, which specializes in on-site and contingent workforces. PeopleManagement connects companies with hundreds of thousands of workers, whether they are looking for part-time, temporary or full-time positions. This is the second consecutive year Schweihs has been named to the SIA Staffing 100 list.

Feb 19, 2021

State Librarian

Secretary of State Kim Wyman has appointed Sara Jones as the new Washington State librarian. Jones will oversee the Washington State Library, a division of the office of the Secretary of State. Among her responsibilities are developing and leading strategies that enhance public access to library materials, collections, and services; safeguarding the state library's role as a historical asset and repository for government documents and publications; and working with the Institute of Museum and Library Services to meet the needs of the state's libraries. Jones comes to Washington from Marin County, Calif., where she served as director of the Marin County Free Library since 2013. Previously, she held positions in Nevada libraries for 25 years.

People's Bank of Commerce

People's Bank of Commerce and Willamette Community Bank announced that all shareholder and regulatory approvals for the merger have been received and that the effective date for the merger will be March 1, 2021. Founded in 1998, People's Bank of Commerce is a locally owned and managed community bank headquartered in Medford. Willamette Community Bank was founded in 2003.

Puget Sound Partnership

Governor Jay Inslee has appointed Will Hall to the Puget Sound Partnership's Leadership Council, the governing body of the Puget Sound Partnership. Hall has been protecting and restoring Puget Sound in many roles over the years. He wrote one of the first salmon recovery plans in the state, for the Snohomish River Basin. He established a marine resources committee that engages hundreds of volunteers in Puget Sound recovery. Hall has served on the Shoreline City Council for 11 years, including three as mayor. He has been active on many boards, including The Coastal Society, the Society for Ecological Restoration, the Association of Washington Cities, the Southern Resident Orca Task Force, and the Puget Sound Partnership Ecosystem Coordination Board.

Hagens Berman

Hagens Berman as filed a securities class action lawsuit against Keith Gill, MML Investors Services and Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance over the price manipulation of GameStop stock. The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, is brought on behalf of individuals and entities who during the period of January 22, 2021 through February 2, 2021, (i) either (a) purchased GameStop shares (b) purchased back an option on GameStop shares, (c) had an option for GameStop shares called away from them, (d) purchased GameStop shares to cover a short position, or (e) had their options expire, and (ii) suffered losses as a result of these transactions. The case seeks to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws. Additional information may be obtained at http://www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/gme.