Jul 26, 2023

BECU

BECU, the country's fourth-largest credit union, hired Nathan Ramachandran as its executive vice president and chief technology officer. In his new role, Ramachandran is responsible for leading the organization's technology operations, architecture, engineering and business solutions teams. He joins BECU with 20 years of technology leadership and execution experience, including senior roles at Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo. Most recently, he led the Data & Applied Intelligence division for Accenture's Financial Services West Market. He holds a Master of Science in Mathematics from Annamalai University and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry from University of Madras. He also earned a Certified Cost and Management Accountant degree from Institute of Cost Accountants of India, an Advanced Software Engineering diploma from National Centre for Software Technology, and Amazon Web Services certification. Fumbi Chima, BECU's chief technology and transformation officer, will support Ramachandran's transition to BECU until she departs the credit union at the end of 2023.

Moda Health

Moda Health is now offering large group plans in Idaho. Moda Health entered the Idaho market in 2022. Moda Health continues to partner with the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance network; the Patient Quality Alliance network, a comprehensive network of hospitals and physicians throughout Southeast Idaho; and Minidoka Memorial Hospital, along with other local providers. Moda Health's Individual and Employer Group plans for 2023 are now available in Ada, Adams, Bannock, Bingham, Boise, Canyon, Caribou, Elmore, Gem, Minidoka, Oneida, Owyhee, Payette, Power and Washington counties. Medicare Supplement plans are available statewide. Founded in Portland in 1955, Moda Health also serves communities in Oregon, Alaska and Texas. In Idaho, the company offers Individual & Family, Group and Medicare Supplement medical plans.

Jul 25, 2023

T-Mobile

T-Mobile US appointed finance executive James Kavanaugh to its Board of Directors. He will also serve on the board's Audit Committee, effective August 1, 2023. Kavanaugh's career in technology and telecommunications industries spans almost four decades. He has served as chief financial officer of International Business Machines since January 2018, overseeing accounting and controllership, financial planning and analysis, tax, internal audit, investor relations, corporate strategy, corporate development, and treasury of the company's worldwide financial operations. Kavanaugh joined IBM from AT&T, where he was the chief financial officer for its Americas Global Services. He earned his MBA from Ohio State University. Based in Bellevue, T-Mobile provides services through its subsidiaries and operates its flagship brands, T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile.

PPM Technologies

Duravant, a global engineered equipment and automation solutions provider to the food processing, packaging, and material handling sectors, has acquired PPM Technologies from Stonehenge Partners. PPM is a manufacturer of conveying, coating, and thermal equipment that designs, engineers, and manufactures processing solutions for a wide range of end markets including snack foods, confectionery, cereals, nutraceuticals, nuts and seeds, vegetables, meats, poultry, and seafood. PPM is headquartered in headquartered in Newberg, Oregon. PPM serves national and multi-national customers in over 50 countries, and has two manufacturing sites in the U.S., a sales office in the UK, and direct sales support in Mexico. Duravant is headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois. Stonehenge Partners is an Ohio based private equity fund that focuses exclusively on middle market companies.

MacMillan-Piper

GSC, a nationwide third-party logistics provider, acquired Northwest specialty transloader MacMillan-Piper. MacMillan-Piper has provided services to importers and exporters for over 50 years. With the acquisition, GSC bolsters its portfolio with a network of proprietary rail transload facilities, additional warehousing capacity, and expanded transloading capabilities with expertise in agricultural, paper, lumber, steel and dry bulk commodities. The acquisition strengthens GSC's service offerings in the Pacific Northwest market by adding five warehouse facilities encompassing over 380,000 square feet with 80 railcar spots and more than 100 dock doors. The combined MacMillan-Piper and GSC Transport fleet will now exceed 100 trucks. Mark Miller, previously the owner, CEO and president of MacMillan-Piper, will continue to lead the MacMillan-Piper team as president and serve on GSC's executive leadership team. GSC provides fully integrated transportation, logistics and transloading solutions nationwide through a network of companies headquartered in Oakland.

Jul 21, 2023

Amazon Literary Partnership

Amazon Literary Partnership announced nearly $1 million in grant and sponsorship funding to 93 literary nonprofits across the United States. Amazon Literary Partnership's funding includes support for groups that are working to empower diverse, marginalized, and underrepresented voices, helping writers to create, publish, learn, teach, experiment, and thrive. For the fifth year, Amazon Literary Partnership is working with the Academy of American Poets on the Poetry Fund and with the Community of Literary Magazine and Presses on the Literary Magazine Fund, each awarding more than 15 grants to poetry organizations and literary magazines. Amazon Literary Partnership has provided more than $16 million in funding to 160 organizations since 2009. The 2023 grants represent recipients in more than 40 states, including Clarion West, Seattle; Hugo House, Seattle; Literary Arts, Portland; Seattle Arts & Lectures, Seattle; Alaska Quarterly Review, Anchorage; Humanities Washington, Seattle; Poetry Northwest, Seattle; and Pongo Poetry Project, Seattle.

Energy Northwest

Energy Northwest and X-Energy Reactor Company, a developer of advanced small modular nuclear reactors and fuel technology for clean energy generation, signed a joint development agreement for up to 12 Xe-100 advanced small modular reactors in central Washington capable of generating up to a total of 960 megawatts of carbon-free electricity. Energy Northwest expects to bring the first Xe-100 module online by 2030. Energy Northwest owns or operates numerous clean energy generating facilities throughout the Northwest region of the United States, including Columbia Generating Station in Richland. Under the JDA, the Xe-100 project is expected to be developed at a site controlled by Energy Northwest adjacent to Columbia Generating Station. Energy Northwest and X-energy have engaged extensively on plans for an Xe-100 facility in central Washington since 2020. The JDA defines and details the scope, location, and schedule under which the commercial development of the project will move forward. The companies will also work together to determine the best approaches to licensing and regulatory matters, as well as the project delivery model. Energy Northwest is a Washington state public power joint operating agency and a provider of carbon-free electricity. Energy Northwest comprises 28 public power member utilities, serving more than 1.5 million customers.

Tanium

Kirkland-based Tanium has been named by Great Place To Work and Fortune as one of the 2023 Best Workplaces for Millennials. This marks Tanium's fourth consecutive annual placement. To determine the Fortune Best Workplaces for Millennials List, Great Place To Work collected nearly 500,000 responses from millennials at eligible companies. Honorees are selected based on their ability to offer positive outcomes for employees regardless of job role, race, gender, sexual orientation, work status, or other demographic identifier. Tanium provides converged endpoint management (XEM), and is used to manage complex security and technology environments by integrating workflows across IT, Risk, Compliance, and Security into a single platform.