Apr 27, 2021

Korea Consulate General

Consul General Won-Jik Kwon, of the Republic of Korea in Seattle, donated 20,000 KF 94 Face Masks to the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) on behalf of the Republic of Korea Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. Receiving the donation on behalf of WDVA was director Lourdes Alvarado Ramos. This was the second donation of supplies to combat the spread of COVID-19 from the Consulate General's office to WDVA. In December 2020, 850 bottles of hand sanitizer were delivered to Washington's four state veterans homes, state veterans cemetery and other WDVA office locations. In addition to the donations of hand sanitizer and face masks, the Consulate General's office has recognized and presented Ambassador for Peace Medals to Korean War veterans or to a surviving family member at ceremonies throughout the state.

PeopleReady

According to staffing company PeopleReady, this year's construction season brings with it roughly 500,000 jobs across the United States, many of which include on-the-job training, creating immediate opportunities for those looking for work. Based on a PeopleReady analysis of hundreds of thousands of jobs, some of the most in-demand construction jobs hiring right now include: roofing helpers, general constructions workers, concrete workers, ground maintenance workers and flaggers. To connect job seekers with available construction-related jobs, PeopleReady is holding monthly hiring events and encouraging people to apply to jobs at jobs.peopleready.com.

Tacoma Dome Vaccination Site

Pierce County's Department of Emergency Management is opening a mass vaccination site at the Tacoma Dome for six weeks starting April 27. Pierce County plans to offer the Pfizer vaccine so that this clinic can serve everyone 16 and older, depending on the availability of the vaccine. A parent or guardian must be present with 16- and 17-year-olds wanting to get the vaccine. The site will operate from noon to 8 p.m. each day, seven days a week, except holidays. This is a drive-thru and walk-up site. Language assistance will be available on site. Pierce County will continue to operate vaccination sites, including second-dose events, in other parts of the county while at the Tacoma Dome. To register for these events, people can go to FindYourCovidShot.com and pick the day they want to get vaccinated. If people need assistance signing up, they can call 253-798-8900 for help. Pierce Transit is offering free bus rides to people traveling to or from their vaccine appointments. Pierce Transit's Route 42 runs in front of the Tacoma Dome. In addition, Tacoma Dome Station is just a five-minute walk from the Tacoma Dome. That location is served by Pierce Transit and Sound Transit buses, Sounder trains, and Link Light Rail.

Apr 23, 2021

Northwest Kidney Centers

Plancich

Northwest Kidney Centers named Danielle Plancich as vice president of information technology. Plancich brings more than 25 years of experience in project implementation and operational management in health care information technology to her role with Northwest Kidney Centers. She has worked for several health care organizations, including Catholic Health Initiatives, Franciscan Medical Group, and MultiCare. Prior to joining Northwest Kidney Centers, Plancich worked as a senior manager for Deloitte Consulting. Northwest Kidney Centers is a regional, not-for-profit, community-based provider of kidney dialysis, public health education and research into the causes and treatments of chronic kidney disease. Founded in Seattle in 1962, it was the world's first dialysis organization.

The Climate Pledge

Amazon and Global Optimism announced that more than 100 companies have now signed The Climate Pledge. Among the 52 new signatories joining The Climate Pledge include Alaska Airlines, Colgate-Palmolive, Heinken, PepsiCo, Telefónica, Visa, and Seattle-based digital freight network, Convoy. Pledge signatories in total generate more than $1.4 trillion in global annual sales and have more than 5 million employees across 25 industries in 16 countries — demonstrating the collective impact The Climate Pledge can have in addressing climate change. The Climate Pledge is a commitment co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement 10 years early and achieve net-zero carbon by 2040.

Avalara

Avalara, a provider of tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, announced it has acquired the operational assets of Davo Technologies, a company that helps emerging small businesses automate the daily and ongoing requirements for sales tax. Davo provides merchants, restaurants, and sole proprietors with an automated sales tax compliance solution that also ensures available funds for tax obligations to avoid unplanned or underfunded expenses. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Davo supports more than 4,000 small businesses in the United States. Integrated within point of sale systems such as Clover, Square, and more, Davo extends Avalara's strategy of integrated sales tax compliance processes to alleviate the burden of compliance as small businesses focus on their core operations and customer service. Headquartered in Seattle, Avalara has offices across the United States and around the world in Brazil, Europe and India.

Apr 22, 2021

POSaBIT

Kirkland-based POSaBIT appointed Don Tringali to its board of directors. Tringali is the founder and chief executive officer of Augusta Advisory Group, a U.S.-based boutique financial and business consulting firm providing a full range of advisory services to public and private companies in a wide array of industries. Tringali holds a BA in Economics from UCLA and a JD degree from Harvard Law School. Along with Tringali's addition to the board, Jeff Dossett will continue working with POSaBIT but will move from a POSaBIT board member to a non-voting board advisor. POSaBIT is a financial technology company that delivers blockchain-enabled payment processing and point-of-sale systems for cash-only businesses.

Tanium

Tanium, a provider of endpoint management and security for IT environments, announced that Ash Carter has joined the company's board of directors as an independent director. Carter is the director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School, and an Innovation Fellow at MIT. He served as the 25th United States Secretary of Defense from 2015 to 2017. Carter also serves on the board of Delta Air Lines, GE and The MIT Corporation, and advises the MITRE Corporation and Lincoln Laboratories on technology matters. In addition, Tanium recently appointed Mark Fields, former CEO of Ford, David Rowland, executive chairman of Accenture, and Matt Thompson, former executive vice president of worldwide field operations at Adobe, to its board of directors.

Albertsons

Albertsons Companies announced its commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and will set an emissions reduction target that supports the goals of the United Nations' Paris Agreement to reduce carbon emissions. Albertsons will evaluate energy use and procurement, refrigerants, transportation, and its supply chain to submit an emissions reduction goal to SBTi for approval. The initiative is a partnership between CDP, UN Global Compact, WRI, and WWF that helps companies take meaningful climate action through its science-based framework. Boise-based Albertsons operates stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia.

City of Tacoma

Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards will address the state of the city in a four-part series, focusing on economy, neighbors, community and the path forward. The 2021 State of the City Address will be delivered using an alternate format. A new installment will air and stream on TV Tacoma each of the first four Mondays in May, and also be cross-promoted on the city's official social media channels. Mayor Woodards' remarks can be viewed on TV Tacoma or tvtacoma.com, and on Facebook Live at facebook.com/cityoftacoma. Community members are invited to tune in and join the conversation on social media using #SOTC253.