Jun 15, 2023

JLL Capital Markets

Heikkila

JLL Capital Markets announced this month that veteran multifamily specialist Seth Heikkila was returning to the fold. He makes the move from Institutional Property Advisors. his new role, says JLL, will emphasize debt advisory in the multifamily market. JLL's Tom Wilson said in a statement, “We are thrilled to welcome Seth to our team. His exceptional reputation in the market and proven track record of success makes him a valuable addition to our organization. We are confident that his expertise and dedication will help us continue to provide the highest level of service to our clients.”

MainStreet opens new Redmond apartments

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The DJC reported in March that Porch + Park was leasing its apartments and appeared to be done. And it was reported in April that Ethan Stowell would open Tavolata Redmond in the new building. Now developer MainStreet Property Group is making it official. Today marks the ceremonial opening, with a ribbon-snipping ceremony and tours of the six-story, 106-unit building. The location, at 16050 Cleveland St., is a short walk to the future downtown light rail station. And the building, designed by GGLO and built by GenCap Construction, is also now home to Rubinstein Bagels.

Corliss starts on 120 Pierce County units

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Last month the DJC reported on several active and planned developments at Sunrise, south of Puyallup, where Corliss Management has been developing and selling sites for decades, both in the single-family and multifamily sectors. Latest to break ground, the family-run company just announced, is a 120-unit garden apartment project with the interim name Area 33. Eric Corliss said in a statement, “Affordable housing is critical to fostering inclusive and vibrant neighborhoods. By offering quality and affordable living options, we are committed to enhancing the lives of individuals and families, ensuring everyone has access to comfortable homes with all the amenities our neighborhood development offers.” The builder and partner is Schuur Brothers Construction. Completion is expected by next spring, with a new address likely to emerge next to Sunrise Park, also developed by Corliss.

Seneca Group

Elliott

Linn

Cooney

Seneca Group recently promoted three of its staff to the rank of principal. With that company, Jacob Cooney has helped Amazon develop 4 million square feet of offices. Architect Ann Linn has aided projects for clients including Amazon, the Wright family's Space Needle Corp. and Chihuly Garden and Glass. And Reeve Elliott has worked on projects for both Amazon and Expedia.

Carney Badley Spellman

Weston

Blass

Liberman

Seattle law firm Carney Badley Spellman elected Eric Liberman, Ceslie Blass and Amy Weston as a shareholders. Liberman represents and advises clients in disputes related to commercial construction projects and government contracts. Liberman has represented large general contractors and sureties, as well as subcontractors, property managers and insurance companies on public and private projects. Liberman has represented clients in federal and state court cases and arbitrations, GAO bid protests, and appeals before state and federal boards of contract appeals. He also has experience managing large scale e-discovery projects. Blass focuses her legal practice on working with and representing general contractors, subcontractors, developers, design professionals, and suppliers in navigating the legal aspects of the construction industry, including resolving contract disputes, bid protests, CPARS disputes and appeals, lien and bond claims, L&I appeals, and contract drafting and review. Weston advises early stage and emerging technology companies in three main areas: Commercial Contracts, Privacy, and General Corporate Counsel. She advises clients on privacy and other regulatory compliance and best practices, and helps clients safeguard proprietary inventions, systems, and processes, and supports start-up and emerging companies at all stages of their corporate lifecycle.

Allklean

Water damage restoration company HighGround Restoration Group, a portfolio company of Trivest Partners, announced the expansion of its family of brands with the successful acquisition of Allklean. Headquartered in Post Falls, Idaho, Allklean offers a services including water damage restoration and carpet cleaning to residential customers. Allkleen has served the greater Spokane and Coeur d'Alene region for 22 years. Allkleen is led by founders Kevin and Lisa Bunce. Founded in 1981, Trivest Partners, with offices in Miami, Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Toronto, is a private investment firm that focuses exclusively on the support and growth of founder-led and family owned businesses in the U.S. and Canada, in both control and non-control transactions.

Climate Vault Solutions

Seattle-based Climate Vault Solutions launched after closing its Series A funding round for $9.4 million. The funding will be used to further drive carbon measurement, reduction, removal, and reporting as Climate Vault Solutions amplifies the mission started at non-profit Climate Vault, Inc. to provide organizations with an all-inclusive climate partner. The round was led by the Inclusive Capital Partners Foundation, a private foundation based in San Francisco, with additional investment from King Philanthropies, Valor Siren Ventures, and ThirdStream Partners. Climate Vault Solutions is the all-inclusive alternative to traditional voluntary carbon market solutions. Its data-centric solutions will enable organizations to measure, reduce, remove, and report their operational carbon footprints, plus the impacts from their products, employees, portfolios, and events. The Inclusive Capital Partners Foundation is a private foundation dedicated to supporting organizations that address pressing environmental and social challenges.

Jun 14, 2023

FSi

Gaballah

FSi has hired Faheem Gaballah, as an electrical engineer. FSi's newest electrical designer, Gaballah, brings a degree from Benha University (2014), LEED Green Associate credentials, and nine years of practical experience designing complex electrical systems for corporate clients.

Graphite Design Group

DiRaimo

Berg

Alice

Ochs

Oplinger

Sundstad

Matt Marek

Joe Marek

Graphite Design Group has expanded its leadership group with the promotion of two new principals and six directors.

Marc Oplinger has been promoted to principal. With 33 years in the design profession, Oplinger is a seasoned project manager serving both institutional and commercial markets. His portfolio includes life sciences, healthcare, corporate offices, mixed-use and educational facilities. Since joining Graphite in 2014, he has led the design of projects for a range of clients, including RED Development, Vulcan Real Estate, and Northwest Administrators.

Brian Ochs has also been promoted to principal. Ochs is an experienced design leader with projects found throughout the country. Ochs is Graphite's residential market lead. His projects in the Pacific Northwest include Clise's 40-story McKenzie tower and the Parque Kirkland with Henbart Development.

Nancy Alice is now director, building technology. Alice has decades of experience as a senior project architect, manager, and specification writer. Her expertise ensures that design teams may balance innovation, performance, and risk throughout the life of a project. She is currently overseeing the Graphite team delivering the three-tower West Main project in Bellevue, Washington for Vulcan Real Estate.

Bryan Berg is now director, experience design. Berg thinks deeply about design decisions and the depth of meaning that goes into making them. Curiosity tends to drive his process and spark questions aimed to unveil significance to his client's brands. His creativity and curiosity are leading him to explore ever more responsive environments at the intersection of architecture, art, and technology.

Ryan DiRaimo is now director, sustainability. DiRaimo has both domestic and international design experience and has worked on both small and large-scale mixed-use projects, with an eye towards integrated, sustainable solutions. As director of sustainability he finds opportunities in projects across the broad spectrum of markets Graphite serves, integrating the needs of the client, user experience, and the surrounding environment.

Joe Marek is now director, project delivery. Marek is a veteran project architect with over three decades of national and international experience. As director of project delivery, he leverages real-world experience to ensure Graphite's design and documentation process is efficient and complete. Recent projects include Lakefront Blocks and Bellevue Plaza.

Matt Marek is now director, retail. Since joining Graphite in 2014, Marek has continued to leverage his skills in multi-project delivery programs to aid retail brands such as, Amazon Retail and Starbucks reach their aggressive growth goals. He specializes in prototyping, standards, team building and innovating to improve project delivery processes. Marek has managed and grown numerous retail accounts, helping his Graphite team successfully complete over 400 projects across 44 states.

James Sundstad is now director, brand strategy. Sundstad is an award-winning creative director, brand strategist and store designer. For over 35 years his expertise has set the course for some of today's most successful brands. Sundstad's focus on branding and telling the brand's story through environmental experience is informing current Graphite design efforts with clients such as Starbucks Coffee and MiraWorld. His experience spans hospitality, fashion retail, convenience stores, grocery, drug stores and restaurant projects spanning the globe.

Herrera

McKernan

Herrera has welcomed environmental data scientist, Shannon McKernan to the firm. McKernan is based out of Herrera's Seattle office and has a diverse background ranging from lab quality control to environmental geology data management and field work. She comes to Herrera from PES Environmental, Inc. where she worked as a senior staff geologist. McKernan has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology, Geologic Sciences from the University of Florida and a Master of Science in Groundwater Geochemistry and Geomicrobiology from the University of Oregon.

Appen

Dolan

Kirkland-based Appen appointed Fab Dolan as chief marketing officer. Dolan joins Appen with over 15 years of experience building global brands such as Android, Google, YouTube, and Cheerios. In his most recent role, he served as global marketing director for Android at Google, where he built a go-to-market function for the mobile platform while overseeing investments across the US, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Prior to Android, Dolan was the marketing director at Google Canada. He has been recognized by Marketing Magazine, Adweek and Communication Arts for his accomplishments in the field of marketing. He also served on the board of the Marketing Association and was a founding member of the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism. Appen provides data services for deep learning and artificial intelligence systems. Dolan will be based out of Appen's offices in North America. Founded in 1996, Appen has customers and offices globally.

Halterman's RV

Camping World announced that it is set to acquire Halterman's RV in the greater Seattle market. It is anticipated to close in the third quarter of 2023. Camping World is headquartered in Lincolnshire, IL, and (together with its subsidiaries) is one of America's largest retailers of RVs and related products and services, with RV sales and service locations in 42 states.

Banner Bank

Forbes recently named Banner Bank one of the World's Best Banks for the fourth consecutive year. To create its 2023 list, Forbes partnered with Statista to survey more than 48,000 banking clients in 14 languages and 32 countries, asking for their opinions on their current and former banking relationships. Banks were rated on general satisfaction (30% of final score) and whether the customer would recommend the bank (30%). The final 40% came from customer ratings in five key areas: trust, financial advice, digital services, customer services and terms and conditions. This recognition from Forbes comes on the heels of Newsweek naming Banner Bank one of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America, S&P Global Market Intelligence naming Banner one of the 50 top performing U.S. public banks, and earlier this year Forbes named Banner as one of the 100 Best Banks in America for the seventh consecutive year. Banner Bank is based in Walla Walla.