Aug 28, 2025

Department of Commerce

Zavala

Daniel Narvaez Zavala is the state Department of Commerce's new chief operating officer. Zavala was appointed by Commerce Director Joe Nguyen and began state service earlier this summer. Zavala has nearly 20 years of experience working in education, housing, law and nonprofits. Most recently, he served as executive director of Building Changes, a statewide organization dedicated to advancing equitable solutions to prevent and end homelessness for youth and families. Under his leadership, the organization grew new partnerships, expanded its footprint and impact, and secured more funding for housing stability. Zavala also held senior leadership roles in education advocacy, leading efforts to improve school funding, transparency, and accountability across multiple states. He began his career as a special education teacher in New York City and Washington, D.C. He also worked at the state Attorney General's Office, as well as at Boeing and Amazon. Zavala holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law, and a master's in psychology and a bachelor's in international relations from Stanford University. He is a member of the Washington State Bar, and his executive education includes programs at the University of Washington Foster School of Business and Harvard Business School.

Pacific Crest Bank

Pacific Crest Savings Bank, a Lynnwood-based local and independently owned financial institution, has changed its name to Pacific Crest Bank, as part of a refresh that updates the bank's brand to better align with the financial services it provides. “Though subtle, this update to our name reflects a meaningful step forward,” said Sheryl Nilson, CEO of Pacific Crest Bank. “It allows us to better represent who we are today, while staying true to the values and relationships that have defined us for years. This new identity gives us the flexibility to expand our offerings, serve new community members and organizations, and continue delivering the high level of service our clients expect.” The bank was originally established in 1984 by John Fairchild, Harry Sankey and current President and CEO Sheryl Nilson as Phoenix Mortgage and Escrow. In 1998, Phoenix Mortgage converted to a Washington state-chartered, federally insured savings bank, known as Phoenix Savings Bank until it rebranded to Pacific Crest Savings Bank in 2005. Today, the bank offers specialized loans for commercial, multifamily, floating homes and residential properties along with construction loans for local builders. Its savings and deposit services for personal and business banking are designed to meet each client's needs and goals. The bank's local ownership remains the same.

Aug 27, 2025

Vigor Marine Group

Vigor Marine Group has announced a strategic partnership with South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI). The collaboration will expand maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capacity to the Indo-Pacific region, offering the U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command (MSC) a new option to keep vessels mission-ready. In addition, the two companies may explore opportunities to support a U.S. shipbuilding renaissance, including a return to Vigor's shipbuilding roots in the Pacific Northwest.

The U.S. Navy has been actively seeking partners capable of executing forward repair to increase the availability of its fleet. Together, this partnership will combine Vigor's customer relationships and ability to deliver complex projects on time and on budget with SHI's world-class Korean shipyard facilities, skilled workforce and advanced technology leadership. The result is a new forward repair solution designed to add high-quality repair capacity and operational agility, with Vigor Marine Group as the lead U.S.-based prime contractor.

“At Vigor Marine Group, our primary focus is on providing solutions to our customers,” said Francesco Valente, president and CEO of Vigor Marine Group. “We understand the Navy's evolving needs and have built a track record of delivering results in support of our national defense. Partnering with Samsung allows us to extend that same capability to forward-deployed operations in the Indo-Pacific and potential shipbuilding opportunities here in the U.S. — helping the Navy increase its operational tempo while maintaining the highest quality standards.”

With operations in five locations, Vigor's family of companies employs 2,500 people in the Pacific Northwest, California and Virginia.

Aug 26, 2025

City of Marysville

Kaylor

Jim Kaylor is joining the city of Marysville as its first director of utilities and maintenance services. In this role, he will oversee the department that includes the city's water, stormwater, surface water, solid waste and maintenance services divisions. He will begin working full-time in Marysville after Labor Day. Kaylor comes to Marysville with experience leading local government utilities, most recently in Cave Creek, Arizona, and with the cities of Glendale, Arizona, and San Clemente, California, and the Coos Bay North Bend Water Board in Coos Bay, Oregon. Kaylor has a bachelor's degree in environmental health from Arizona State University.

Tutta Bella

Fugere

Hardy

Tutta Bella named Cate Hardy as its new chief executive officer. Hardy, a seasoned food and beverage CEO, joins the Seattle-based Neapolitan pizza company as it continues its expansion into the national consumer packaged goods (CPG) market. Founder Joe Fugere will transition to a new role focusing on stewarding the brand's culture and supporting long-term strategic growth in retail partnerships. Hardy has over 20 years of experience in senior executive roles and national board positions spanning CPG, grocery and casual dining. Most recently, she served as president and chief operating officer of Seattle Hospitality Group, overseeing a portfolio of Pacific Northwest food, beverage, and transportation businesses. Previously, Hardy served as CEO of The Wine Group, CEO of PCC Community Markets, and spent nearly a decade in senior roles at Starbucks across retail operations, store development, supply chain, and product development. Her early career was spent at McKinsey & Company and Deloitte. Hardy currently serves on the boards of WX Brands and Kitchen & Market, and formerly served on the boards of Suja Life, Crunch Fitness, and Ballast Point Brewing. Tutta Bella owns and operates five neighborhood restaurants, two grocerants, plus a cafe, bar and food truck. Tutta Bella's CPG pizzas are made by hand in a 15,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Seattle's SoDo district, then distributed to retail locations nationwide. Tutta Bella recently launched its ready-to-heat pizzas in over 1,000 Kroger stores and Costco warehouses nationwide.

Aug 22, 2025

Comcast RISE

Comcast RISE, an initiative that fuels the growth of American small businesses and helps to strengthen local communities, is awarding 100 King County entrepreneurs comprehensive grant packages. Each awardee will receive a technology makeover powered by Comcast Business, creative production and media strategy from Comcast Advertising, educational resources, a $5,000 monetary grant, and business consultation services. The grants will be awarded in September 2025. Now in its fifth year, Comcast RISE is part of Project UP, Comcast's $1 billion initiative to connect people to the internet, provide digital opportunity, and build a future of unlimited possibilities. To date, RISE has provided a total of $160 million in monetary, marketing, and technology resources to 14,500 small businesses nationwide. In addition to King County, grant recipients were announced in four other regions: Boston, MA; Grand Rapids, MI; Nashville, TN; and South Valley, UT, for a total of 500 recipients this year.

Washington Roundtable

Washington Roundtable named Rachel Smith as the organization's next president, effective Oct. 1. Smith will transition out of her current role as president and CEO of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. The Seattle Metro Chamber has appointed Gabriella Buono, the Chamber's current chief impact officer, to serve as interim president and CEO and the board of trustees will launch a search for its next permanent top executive. Smith has served as president and CEO of the Seattle Metro Chamber since 2021, where she grew the organization's membership, collaborated with local governments on major initiatives focused on regional recovery, transportation, housing, and championed small and minority-owned businesses. Smith also launched The Index, a survey measuring voters' priorities, a resource to understand where business and voters' views align. Smith brings more than two decades of experience in government affairs, policy, operations, and advocacy, including 13 years serving in local and regional government. She's held leadership roles in local and regional government, as deputy county executive and chief of staff to King County Executive Dow Constantine, as well as government and community relations roles at Sound Transit and in the administration of former Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. Washington Roundtable is a nonprofit organization comprised of senior executives of major private sector employers in Washington state. Founded in 1882, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is an independent organization representing a regional workforce of approximately 750,000.

Aug 21, 2025

Compensation Advisory Partners

Compensation Advisory Partners has promoted Roman Beleuta and Kyle Eastman to partner in its Seattle office. Beleuta serves as Northwest Market co-lead. With over a decade of experience, he works with boards and management at public and private companies on a broad range of executive compensation issues. His expertise includes developing compensation strategy and competitive pay programs, annual and long-term incentive plan design, director compensation, pay for performance analyses and IPO related issues. Beleuta has worked with clients across various industries, including insurance, financial services, manufacturing, retail, and consumer brands. Eastman also serves as Northwest Market co-lead. With more than a decade of experience, he advises board compensation committees and senior management teams on a wide range of executive and non-employee director compensation matters. He has worked with a wide range of companies across the insurance, retail, materials and technology sectors. His areas of expertise include compensation strategy development, executive compensation benchmarking, detailed financial analysis, pay vs. performance evaluation, annual and long-term incentive plan design, and compensation-related regulatory compliance. Compensation Advisory Partners is an independent executive compensation consulting firm with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle.

Compensation Advisory Partners

Eastman

Beleuta

Compensation Advisory Partners has promoted Roman Beleuta and Kyle Eastman to partner in its Seattle office. Beleuta serves as Northwest Market co-lead. With over a decade of experience, he works with boards and management at public and private companies on a broad range of executive compensation issues. His expertise includes developing compensation strategy and competitive pay programs, annual and long-term incentive plan design, director compensation, pay for performance analyses and IPO related issues. Beleuta has worked with clients across various industries, including insurance, financial services, manufacturing, retail, and consumer brands. Eastman also serves as Northwest Market co-lead. With more than a decade of experience, he advises board compensation committees and senior management teams on a wide range of executive and non-employee director compensation matters. He has worked with a wide range of companies across the insurance, retail, materials and technology sectors. His areas of expertise include compensation strategy development, executive compensation benchmarking, detailed financial analysis, pay vs. performance evaluation, annual and long-term incentive plan design, and compensation-related regulatory compliance. Compensation Advisory Partners is an independent executive compensation consulting firm with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle.

Harts

Harts Plumbers, Electricians & HVAC Technicians, a Western Washington home services provider founded in 2013, secured the No. 3681 spot on the 2025 Inc. 5000, an annual list of the fastest-growing private companies in America. “Earning a spot on the Inc. 5000 is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team and the unwavering support of our customers,” said Dan Hartsough, co-owner of Harts Plumbers, Electricians & HVAC Technicians. This year is Hart's sixth year to earn a spot on the prestigious list; Harts first appeared on the list in 2019. Harts Plumbers, Electricians & HVAC Technicians was founded in Tacoma in 2013 by co-owners Richard Hart and Dan Hartsough.

HomeStreet Bank

Mechanics Bank and HomeStreet, Inc., the holding company of HomeStreet Bank, jointly announced the receipt of all required regulatory approvals for the previously announced all-stock strategic merger in which HomeStreet Bank will merge with and into Mechanics Bank. Regulatory approvals have been granted by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation and the Washington Department of Financial Institutions. The Merger is expected to be completed on or around Sept. 2, 2025, pending approval by shareholders of HomeStreet, along with the satisfaction or waiver of the remaining customary closing conditions in the definitive merger agreement. In the merger, HomeStreet Bank will merge with and into Mechanics Bank, with Mechanics Bank surviving as a banking corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of California and as a wholly owned subsidiary of HomeStreet. In connection with the merger, HomeStreet will remain a Washington corporation, be renamed Mechanics Bancorp and remain a publicly traded company. HomeStreet, Inc. is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Seattle. Mechanics Bank is an independent, full-service bank based in Walnut Creek, California.