Nov 03, 2023

Washington Trust Bank

Latourelle

Washington Trust Bank added Jim Latourelle to its Small Business Banking team in Bellevue to serve as vice president and relationship manager. Latourelle has over 20 years of experience in banking and client service, and will serve as a financial partner for commercial clients throughout the Puget Sound region. Latourelle joins Washington Trust Bank from Chase Bank, where he served as business relationship manager, overseeing more than 100 small business portfolios. He has experience n business banking, commercial lending and operations management. Latourelle is a graduate of the International College of Broadcasting, where he earned an associate degree. He also studied communications at Cedarville College. Headquartered in Spokane, Washington Trust Bank currently has over 40 branches and offices in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

Northwest Kidney Centers

Thomasson

Eslava

Rivara

Northwest Kidney Centers has named Matthew Rivara chief medical officer, Jennifer Eslava chief financial officer, and Heather Thomasson, chief nursing officer. Rivara has served as medical director of Northwest Kidney Centers' Broadway clinic in Seattle since 2020. He is an assistant professor of nephrology at the University of Washington and an investigator at the Kidney Research Institute. A 2009 graduate of Harvard Medical School, Rivara has authored dozens of papers on renal health and has participated in numerous studies at the Kidney Research Institute. He is a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology and member of the International Society of Peritoneal Dialysis. In his role at Northwest Kidney Centers, Rivara provides medical oversight of in-center, home and acute dialysis programs. Eslava comes to Northwest Kidney Centers with 17 years of experience working in finance in the healthcare industry. Prior to joining Northwest Kidney Centers, she worked as regional controller, Washington, at Kaiser Permanente. She also worked for Proliance Surgeons, MultiCare Health Systems, and served the healthcare community while working for Moss Adams and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Eslava, who graduated from the University of Washington, Tacoma, with a bachelor's degree in business administration, and earned her master's degree in business administration from Seattle University, is on the board of Washington Global Health Alliance and the Institute of Internal Auditors, Puget Sound Chapter. In her role at Northwest Kidney Centers, she is responsible for managing the financial health and wellbeing of the Seattle-based non-profit. Thomasson most recently worked as South King County director of nursing services for MultiCare Health System, overseeing its Auburn and Covington medical centers. She previously worked in nursing management at Tacoma General Hospital. Thomasson earned her Bachelor of Nursing Science from Pacific Lutheran University, her Master of Science Nursing from Western Governors University, and is completing her Doctor Nursing Practice from Capella University. As chief nursing officer, Thomasson will oversee patient care supporting Northwest Kidneys Centers frontline caregivers including nurses, dialysis technicians, social workers and dietitians. Northwest Kidney Centers was founded in Seattle in 1962.

Space Needle & Chihuly Garden

Blundell

The Space Needle & Chihuly Garden and Glass named Ernest “Ernie” Blundell as chief people officer for the two Seattle venues. In his new role, Blundell will lead the human resources department and focus on developing people and processes to support strategic goals. This is his second stint with the organization, having served as vice president and general manager from 2011 to 2015, including the development and opening of Chihuly Garden and Glass in 2012. Previously, Blundell was a general manager at Standard Amusements where he organized staff and implemented operating policies during a $200 million parkwide renovation. Before that, he was the executive vice president of operations at the Empire State Realty Trust, and the deputy director for operations at the National September 11th Memorial and Museum. Built as the centerpiece and inspiration for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, the Space Needle recently underwent a $100 million renovation that added more than 176 tons of glass to the structure. Chihuly Garden and Glass brings together all elements of artist Dale Chihuly's work, including drawings, signature glass series, large architectural installations, and personal collections. This long-term exhibition features indoor galleries, the centerpiece Glasshouse, and an ever-changing Garden.

Nov 02, 2023

Rockefeller Group

Harlow

Rockefeller Group is, of course, the owner of Rockefeller Center in New York City. As an investor, its presence has mainly been felt here via its TA Realty arm, which makes periodic deals. But now Rockefeller says it wants to be more active in our market, and it announced the recent hiring of J.P. Harlow as managing director for the West Coast. Already based in Seattle, he makes the move from LPC West. Rockefeller's James V. Camp said in a statement, “After an extensive search, we've found an ideal team member to lead our expansion north. Given J.P.'s proven track record establishing a strong regional presence in these markets, his relationships in both the Seattle and the San Francisco Bay area markets, and his success sourcing development deals, I'm confident Rockefeller Group will continue to grow its presence in the Western Region across all property types.” No new developments were mentioned, but new construction is certainly part of Harlow's past portfolio.

Lee brokers office deal in Fife

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Lee & Associates recently announced that its Harrison Laird and John Bauder have landed a new tenant for an office/warehouse owner down in Fife. The healthcare services company Epic Government (previously FSR) is taking 27,400 square feet to use as a call center. Lee says it's one of the larger office leases signed in Pierce County since the pandemic. Laird added, “Leasing activity, specifically office relocations, has ticked up as pre-pandemic leases and mid-pandemic extensions expire. Tenants continue to reevaluate space utilization, and seek high-quality, amenity-rich spaces to attract their employees back into the office.” Lee's client, the building owner, was D&S Family LLC. Epic's broker was Andrea Maks at Commercial Advantage.

Get ready for West Main

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In downtown Bellevue, Vulcan Real Estate's handsome three-tower West Main project sure looks finished when you pass by. Its 1.1 million square feet should officially open in the first quarter of next year, and Amazon committed to all the space three years ago, when the project was under construction. But that was well before the permanent effects of work-from-home were fully understood. Amazon said last year that it would occupy only one of the three towers, designed by Graphite Design Group and Compton Design Office, effectively putting the other two on the sublease market. Those are to be finished to their shell and core, meaning no turnkey ease of relocating potential tenants from other buildings. As to who's representing the space for Amazon, that's not clear. (JLL has the job over at Rainier Square.) Curious about what's inside West Main? You can tour the trio next Thurs., Nov. 9, courtesy of our local chapter of the Urban Land Institute, and you don't have to be a ULI member to attend. The tour begins at 4 p.m. Details and registration: northwest.uli.org.

Paragon does $4M in deals

Paragon Real Estate Advisors announced two recent sales worth $4 million. First, up on Queen Anne Hill, its Brian Platt, Ben Douglas, Michael Urquhart and Ryan Iles represented the longtime owner of the nine-unit Greenbrier, in a deal worth $2.6 million. Cannon Commercial's Chris Giles represented the buyer. Then, down in Burien, the eight-unit Hazel Maes sold for about $1.4 million. Paragon's Iles represented the seller, and Fekade Tessema at Newberry Realty represented the buyer.

M&M brokers Aberdeen self-storage sale

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Over in Aberdeen, Marcus & Millichap's Chris Secreto recently brokered both sides of a self-storage sale, the company announced. ABC Mini Storage sold for over $2.2 million. The facility has 20,714 and 172 units. It was developed in 1997.

Seattle Credit Union

Ribbon cutting at new Tacoma branch.

Seattle Credit Union has expanded to Tacoma's Hilltop Neighborhood. The new Hilltop branch at 824 Martin Luther King Jr Way opened on Oct. 16, and marks the credit union's second Tacoma location in just over a year. Seattle Credit Union, established in 1933, has a long-standing commitment to empower communities through providing equitable and affordable financial services. The 90-year-old organization today has 55,000 members with assets of more than $1 billion. Seattle Credit Union's newest location features a financial branch as well as a financial suite. At the Hilltop branch, members and consumers can engage with branch experts to learn about the various products and services the credit union offers. The Hilltop financial suite offers broader lending services, and business teams can meet with clients. The layout and interior design of the Hilltop branch is by JPC Architects, and construction by DP Incorporated. Richard Romero is the CEO of Seattle Credit Union.

Marchex

Seattle-based Marchex hired Holly Aglio as chief financial officer. Aglio will lead Marchex's finance and accounting organizations. Most recently, from 2021 to 2023 Aglio was chief financial officer and a member of the board of directors of NetCentrics, a technology business supporting national security, and led its 2021 acquisition by Cerberus Capital Management. Her experience at previous companies, including Govplace, Artel, and Apptis (acquired by URS), has focused on leading and growing financial operations in dynamic growth companies and industries. Aglio's career began in public accounting as an auditor for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Marchex is an AI-powered conversation intelligence company.