Feb 25, 2021

Symetra

Bellevue-based Symetra Life Insurance was recognized as the 2020 Corporate Leader of the Year by the Greater Seattle Business Association during the organization's 40th annual Business & Humanitarian Awards. The annual event honors Puget Sound businesses, nonprofit organizations and community leaders who demonstrate leadership and success in their business or profession, promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visibly support the LGBTQ community, and invest time and resources in community-wide causes. Established in 1981, GSBA is Washington state's LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce and is the largest of its kind in North America, representing over 1,400 members. In 2020, Symetra launched its Symetra Empowers Communities program focused on reducing barriers for women and at-risk youth and partnered with struggling locally owned restaurants throughout the pandemic to deliver nearly 20,000 meals to homeless shelters and frontline workers.

Standard Insurance

Standard Insurance (The Standard) has promoted Camille Tourje to second vice president, compliance officer. In her new role, Tourje will lead the company's corporate and product compliance functions. Tourje joined The Standard's legal department in 2011. Her most recent role was director of compliance where she managed a team to ensure the company's businesses complied with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The Standard is headquartered in Portland.

JND Legal Administration

JND Legal Administration (JND), a legal management and administration services provider serving plaintiff and defendant firms, corporations and government entities, announced the promotion of Gina Intrepido-Bowden from senior director to vice president. She has been at the firm for three years and has been directly involved in legal notice programs on several of JND's highest-profile cases. Intrepido-Bowden has designed and implemented hundreds of multi-media legal notice programs, reaching claimants and class members in state, national and international markets. Founded in 2016 by Jennifer Keough, Neil Zola and David Isaac, JND has offices in Washington, California, Minnesota, New York and Washington, D.C.

Phase Genomics

Seattle-based Phase Genomics, a biotech firm providing proximity-ligation solutions for the genomics community, announced the receipt of a $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. This funding will assist in the development of a commercial platform for the discovery of new viruses. To date, Phase Genomics has earned $5.2 million in grant funding from the NIH, Department of Energy, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Phase Genomics is also funded by revenue from sales of its proximity ligation (Hi-C) kits, scientific services, and computational analysis. The company was founded in 2015 by a team of genome scientists, software engineers, and entrepreneurs with the mission to empower scientists with genomic tools that accelerate breakthrough discoveries.

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.