Jan 07, 2022

Darigold

Seattle-based Darigold announced that President and CEO Stan Ryan will retire on March 31, the end of the co-op's fiscal year. Ryan joined the company in 2016 after spending 25 years at Cargill, serving as president or general manager of seven businesses in five countries. Joe Coote, current president of Darigold's Global Ingredients Division, will take over as CEO under a succession plan. Coote has been with Darigold for about a year. He has 14 years of senior leadership experience in the global and domestic dairy sectors. Darigold is the marketing and processing subsidiary of Northwest Dairy Association, which is a co-op owned by nearly 350 dairy farms in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. Darigold says it's preparing to break ground on a new dairy processing facility in Pasco.

Funko

Everett-based Funko, a pop culture consumer products company, appointed Charles Denson as board chair. Denson is president and CEO of Anini Vista Advisors and has served on the Funko board since its formation in 2017. He replaces Ken Brotman of ACON Investments, who continues as a board member. The company also announced that newly appointed CEO Andrew Perlmutter has joined the board, replacing Gino Dellomo of ACON Investments. Former Funko CEO Brian Mariotti is now the company's chief creative officer.

T-Mobile

5G Americas, a wireless cellular industry trade association, selected Neville Ray as board chair. Ray is president of technology at Bellevue-based T-Mobile, where he oversees management and development of T-Mobile's wireless network, its information technology services, and technology operations. He has been a board member of 5G Americas for over 11 years, including two previous terms as chair. Bellevue-based 5G Americas advocates for the advancement and transformation of LTE and 5G cellular networks.

RedCloud Consulting

Bellevue business management and technology consulting firm RedCloud Consulting acquired Denny Mountain Media, a Seattle-based digital staffing agency specializing in digital content, design and marketing. RedCloud says the deal adds depth and expertise in marketing and digital design, and positions the firm for ongoing expansion in a tight labor market.

Jan 06, 2022

Southland Industries

Southland Industries completed a brand consolidation with its Portland-based subsidiaries TCM and Envise Northwest. This completes the first phase of the company's plan to consolidate all brands to Southland Industries by January 2023. As one of the nation's largest MEP building systems firms, this unification aligns with Southland's strategy to provide fully integrated building lifecycle solutions under one brand. Dan Heichelbech will continue as the Northwest Division leader for Oregon, Washington and surrounding markets. Founded in 1949, Southland specializes in the engineering, construction and service of mechanical, plumbing, fire protection, process piping, and automation and controls systems, as well as comprehensive energy services needs.

Coastal Farm & Ranch

Coastal Farm & Ranch has transitioned to a new ownership group with Nolan Capital as the majority partner. Buzz Wheeler, owner of Coastal since 1990, will maintain an ownership stake and continue as a board member. CEO Lori McKinnon, who has worked for the company since 1995, will continue in that role. Larry Hayward, CEO of Del Mar Ventures, will join Coastal's ownership group and serve as non-executive board chair. Hayward made an investment in Coastal alongside Nolan Capital and will play a strategic role in advising the company's growth. Ted Nark will also join Coastal's ownership group and serve on the board. Nark is a managing director of KRG Capital Partners. He was previously a partner at Leonard Green & Partners and, from 2002 to 2006, was CEO and board chair of White Cap Construction Supply. Coastal Farm & Ranch is a West Coast farm and ranch lifestyle retailer, with 20 locations across the Northwest.

Crystal Mountain

Crystal Mountain is offering free luxury coach shuttles to the ski area on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. Shuttles will pick up guests from the Enumclaw Expo Center at designated times for the one-hour trip to the base of Crystal. The move is expected to alleviate parking issues at the resort. Crystal also is holding Mountain Safety Fest Jan. 10-16. This event, in conjunction with National Ski Area Association's Safety Awareness Month, is a mountain-wide scavenger hunt designed to teach guests about staying safe on the mountain. It's open to all ages and skill levels.

Jan 05, 2022

Lyn Health

Marcotte

Seattle-based Lyn Health, a healthcare start-up focused on people with multiple chronic conditions, announced the addition of Brian Marcotte, former president and CEO of the Business Group on Health, to its board of advisors. At the Business Group, Marcotte established the Health Innovations Forum, which helped accelerate market traction for digital health startups, and the Executive Committee on Value Purchasing, a cross-industry council focused on shifting the market toward value-based pricing and provider accountability. Prior to the Business Group, he was the vice president of compensation and benefits for Honeywell International. Rick Abbott is the founder and CEO of Lyn Health.

Metrist

Apella Capital, a financial advisory and wealth management firm, announced Metrist Wealth Advisors, a registered investment advisor headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, has joined the firm. Metrist brings over $130 million in assets under management to Apella Capital. Metrist provides clients with financial planning, portfolio creation, asset management, and income management. Founded in 2004 by CEO Taylor Drake, the Metrist team brings more than 34 years of collective experience. Prior to becoming an advisor, Drake managed 401k bond portfolios and developed investment products as an investment banker. This is Apella's first transaction in 2022. Apella Capital, with over $2.5 billion in assets under management and administration, is headquartered in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and now has 12 offices around the country in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Colorado, and California. Apella was founded in 2014 by financial advisors Patrick Sweeny and David Connelly.

Library Piracy Lawsuit

The U.S. Court for the Western District of Washington awarded $7.8 million in statutory damages to 12 Authors Guild members, Amazon Publishing, and Penguin Random House for 52 acts of copyright infringement in a default judgment against Kiss Library, shutting down the Ukraine-based piracy ring. Judge Marsha Pechman, senior district judge for the Western District, decided all claims for the plaintiffs and awarded $150,000 per infringed book, the maximum penalty allowed under U.S. law. The plaintiffs filed suit against the book piracy entity and its operators on July 7, 2020.“We could not be happier with the decision,” said Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild. “Authors rarely have the necessary resources to fight commercial-scale piracy and take on protracted litigation, so we are extremely grateful to Amazon Publishing and Penguin Random House for their collaboration on this action.” Kiss Library did business through dozens of domain names that illegally sold pirated ebooks at discounted prices to unsuspecting readers. The Authors Guild is the nation's oldest and largest professional organization for writers. Its mission is to empower working writers by advocating for the rights of authors and journalists. The Guild protects free speech and authors' copyrights, fights for fair contracts and a living wage and provides a community for all published authors.