Nov 08, 2023

CollinsWoerman

In Seattle, CollinsWoerman hired Kiley Brennan as architectural designer. Brennan is an emerging professional and recent graduate from California Poly, San Luis Obispo. She has worked on net-zero residential and commercial designs in addition to several nonprofit projects. Brennan is passionate about sustainability in the built environment and is an active member of the firm's Committee of Responsible Design as well as the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity initiative groups.

SHKS Architects

Jette

Curran

Kelly

Zimmerman

Westen

Housley

Gaddis

Kraus

LeCompte

Pia Westen has been promoted to principal at SHKS Architects. Westen leads the practice focusing on architecture's role in responsible social and environmental design.

Cassidy Zimmerman, Sean Kelly, and David Curran have been promoted to senior associate.

Zimmerman works with residential and institutional projects where resource efficiency combines with inventive design. Kelly focuses on the spatial and construction opportunities presented by technically challenging projects. Curran leads the practice in design technology, digital design, and representing construction clearly.

Levi Jette, Carolyn LeCompte, Suzanne Kraus, Anastasia Gaddis, and Michael Housley have been promoted to associate.

Jette guides a range of public projects focusing on collaboration and communication as foundations for equitable design. LeCompte's design communication insights contribute to a range of public and community projects. Kraus focuses on institutional and residential projects that advance the unique characters of places while improving living and working spaces. Gaddis organizes SHKS's day-to-day operations, employee relationships, and strategic financial management. Housley focuses on historic building adaptations where alterations strengthen forward-looking uses.

King County Fire Marshal

Ricketts

Chris Ricketts retired last month after serving as the King County Building Official for 25 years and as the King County Fire Marshal for the past decade. Ricketts wore several management hats for the King County Permitting Division's Building Department, from reviewer to supervisor to manager. He worked on many unique and challenging projects, including ski lodges in the Cascades, large circus tents for the Cirque du Soleil show, amphitheaters, treehouses, straw-bale structures, and more than 50 public school structures. Ricketts has been the department representative for county emergency operations. He responded and investigated damages across unincorporated King County from fire, seismic activity, slides and snow. He has also represented King County and served on several boards and professional organizations concerning building and fire codes, sustainable construction and disaster response.

BECU

BECU, the country's fourth-largest credit union, appointed Jason Rudman as executive vice president and chief member and digital experience officer. In his role, Rudman will oversee BECU's member journey across all channels, including its Neighborhood Financial Centers, Contact Centers, ATMs and digital, working to deliver a cohesive experience across all member touchpoints. He will also lead marketing and communications. Rudman joins BECU with more than 20 years of financial services experience, including senior roles at USAA, KeyBank and American Express. Most recently, he served as chief customer officer at Finance of America, where he led the strategy and teams focused on digital experience, marketing, brand, product development, and strategic transformation. He earned his bachelor of arts degree from Middlesex University of London and an MBA from Baylor University.

State of Washington Tourism

State of Washington Tourism (SWT) announced the winners of its tourism awards at the recent State of Washington Tourism Conference. The awards recognize excellence in tourism work from around the state. Awards were presented for Outstanding Marketing Campaign, Rising Star in Tourism, Destination Stewardship and Tourism Hall of Leadership. The award for Outstanding Marketing Campaign was presented to Visit Walla Walla for its video series, "As Artists." The campaign, created in partnership with a local filmmaker, showcased the variety of artists living throughout the community and sharing why they chose to make Walla Walla their home.

The award for Rising Star in Tourism was presented to Shara Howard, communications manager at Visit Vancouver WA. The award is presented to a new industry professional or volunteer who has made outstanding contributions to the tourism efforts of a business, nonprofit organization, community, or tourism business segment. Nominees must have tenures in tourism of 5 years or less. The Destination Stewardship Award was presented to Embrace Whidbey and Camano Islands for Regenerative Places, a Community-Based Tourism Model. State of Washington Tourism also inducted two industry veterans into the Tourism Hall of Leadership. Mary Kay Nelson was recognized for her work with the Lewis County Visitors Bureau, Visit Rainier and the White Pass Scenic Byway. Marcus Yearout, retired owner of the ScenicWA guides, was recognized for his work to promote Washington state through guides at both the state and local level. State of Washington Tourism (the recently rebranded Washington Tourism Alliance) is an organization established by industry stakeholders with the mission of developing and sustaining Washington state destination tourism marketing. SWT procures and administers funds for state destination tourism marketing activities and creates and implements the strategic statewide destination marketing plan.

Nov 07, 2023

DAT Freight & Analytics

Portland-based DAT Freight & Analytics appointed Brian Gill as its chief technology officer. Gill joins DAT from Nordstrom, where he served as senior vice president of technology and chief product officer. He drove technology product development at the company, including website and native apps, omni technology, services for search, order management, payments and credit, product catalog, inventory management and supply chain. Before Nordstrom, Gill was CTO and chief scientist at Hotwire and vice president of technology at Expedia. Founded in 1978, DAT operates a truckload freight marketplace, providing shippers, transportation brokers, carriers, news organizations and industry analysts information on market trends and data insights based on more than 400 million freight matches and a database of $150 billion in annual market transactions. DAT is a business unit of Roper Technologies.

BECU

BECU named Raquel Karls as executive vice president and chief people officer. In her new role, Karls is responsible for leading teams focused on talent, human resources and equity and inclusion. Karls will also develop and implement people and diversity, equity and inclusion strategies. Karls joins BECU with nearly 30 years of global HR experience, including senior roles at Outerwall, Expedia, Pepsi Bottling Company, and Starbucks. Most recently, she served as chief people officer for REI, where she was responsible for all facets of people and culture across the organization, including talent acquisition, compensation, employee events and people operations. BECU is the largest not-for-profit credit union in Washington and one of the top four financial cooperatives in the country.

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross Northwest Region appointed Will Willis, Chief Master Sergeant, U.S. Air Force (Retired) as its new director of service to the Armed Forces/International Services, which serves Washington and the five northern counties in Idaho. Willis will lead the region's Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces and International Services departments in providing Red Cross assistance to service members, veterans, and their families as well as families seeking reunification assistance and more through Red Cross International Services. Each year, the Red Cross Northwest Region provides thousands of services to the military community. From their first day of enlistment, service members are eligible for Red Cross assistance, including 24/7 emergency communications and access to financial support during emergencies, information and referral services, confidential reconnection, mind-body and resiliency workshops, military hospital and clinic programs, and veteran services.

Willis will also lead the region's International Services efforts. Will enlisted in 1986. He held numerous positions at the 715th Air Mobility Operations Group in Hawaii, and Headquarters Air Mobility Passenger Policy and Air Mobility Command's Inspector General's Office at Scott Air Force Base. Lastly, he served as the noncommissioned Officer in Charge of Operations for the J4 Directorate and as senior Air Force enlisted leader with the Special Operations Unit in Qatar. In 2016, Will joined the office of U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell as her Military/Veterans Constituency Services Representative. He also advises Senator Cantwell on legislative issues as it pertains to military and veteran issues. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and donations from the American public to deliver its mission.

Swinerton

In Bellevue, Swinerton unveiled its newly appointed leadership team: Thomas Stearns, operations manager and mass timber lead; Kelly Chalmers, senior project manager and health care market lead; Bret Downing, director of special projects; Ryan Weeger, director of preconstruction; Rob Mcgarry, field operations manager; and Greg Evans, Native American market lead. The company in June announced that Nick Vovakes will lead the new team as vice president and division manager. Stearns previously was a project executive. He has over 18 years of construction experience, including project and design development management, and pioneered Swinerton's move into the local mass timber construction market. Chalmers has spent 35 years in the construction industry, with 15 years focused on health care. She is on the education committee at Washington State Society for Healthcare Engineering. Downing is focusing on tenant improvements. He has a 30‐year background in construction management, and at Swinerton is responsible for risk management, safety and quality oversight, preconstruction planning and schedule assurance. Weeger has over 19 years of leadership and management experience in public and private general contracting. He also leads the estimating team. Mcgarry is backed by 43 years in the construction industry, with knowledge in the field and administrative side of the industry. He is working with the Swinerton leadership team on strategic workforce planning. Evans has a career spanning over 35 years in construction, and includes close relationships with local tribes.

General Sheet Metal

Carol Duncan, CEO and owner of Clackamas, Oregon-based General Sheet Metal, is the new board president of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association. Duncan began her career in the sheet metal industry in 1982 at General Sheet Metal, and her leadership and expertise in the industry allowed her to rise through the ranks, becoming the company's CEO in 2000. Since then, she has helped grow the company from 25 employees to more than 180. The company specializes in mechanical, architectural and HVAC fabrication, installation and repair services for commercial and industrial markets. Phoenix-based SMACNA is an international trade association that promotes excellence in the sheet metal and air-conditioning industry.

Patrick Lumber Manufacturing

Patrick Lumber Manufacturing has begun work to add a sawmill at its manufacturing facility in Philomath, Oregon. The mill is being funded in part by a $1 million Community Wood Grant provided by the USDA Forest Service. It is one of nine projects in Oregon to receive funding totaling more than $4 million during fiscal year 2023 through the Forest Service's Wood Innovations and Community Wood grants programs. Logs for the mill will come from private, tribal, state and federal lands in Oregon and northern California. It is expected to produce about 150,000 board feet of hardwood lumber per month, a fourfold increase over the smaller mill that was contemplated before the federal grant was announced. The mill will create four new full-time jobs when it reaches full capacity by June 2025.

AGC of America

Stephen Sandherr, CEO of the Associated General Contractors of America, recently announced that he will retire at the end of March next year. Sandherr has been with the AGC for 37 years, serving 27 years as CEO. He will be replaced by Jeffrey Shoaf, the association's current COO. Shoaf began his career with the AGC in 1994 as its lobbyist on infrastructure issues. In 1997, he was promoted to manage the government relations program, and was named COO in 2017. Prior to joining the AGC, Shoaf was a staff member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.