Oct 07, 2005

The Frause Group

Seattle public relations firm The Frause Group has opened an office in Portland at 3931 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. David Rubin will lead the team as a senior account executive. He was an account manager with Cahill Consulting and also directed marketing for national radio network Air America.

Emerald City Moving & Storage

Kent's Emerald City Moving & Storage was recently acquired by Minneapolis-based furniture service company Omni Workspace Co. Emerald City will keep its name and management team, but will be able to offer more services. Greg Foster founded Emerald City in 1990 to offer commercial relocation, storage and other furniture services. Emerald City has a fleet of 30 trucks. Omni is a subsidiary of HNI Corp. of Muscatine, Iowa.

Metropolitan Improvement District

The Metropolitan Improvement District announced new officers for its Ratepayer Advisory Board: Mark Barbieri of Washington Holdings; Lynn Beck of Pacific Place; John Miller of Cushman & Wakefield. New board members include Dana Bollinger of The Vance Corp.; Vicki Clayton of Cornish School of the Arts; and Allison DeLong of Tishman Speyer. Metropolitan Improvement District is managed by the Downtown Seattle Association, which provides maintenance, safety, research and marketing services to 225 square blocks of downtown Seattle.

Oct 06, 2005

Banner Bank

Cheryl Bosh joined the Bothell branch of Banner Bank as the location's manager. She will monitor sales and oversee service and operations. Bosh has more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry, including work as manager of the Bothell branch of EverTrust Bank/Key Bank. Banner Corp. is the parent of Banner Bank, headquartered in Walla Walla.

Fisher Communications

Seattle's Fisher Communications appointed Colleen B. Brown president and chief executive officer. Brown has more than 26 years of industry experience and has led broadcasting operations with several media companies, including Belo Corp. and Gannett Co. Benjamin W. Tucker, Jr., who has been acting president and chief executive officer, will leave the company to pursue other interests. Tucker was president of Fisher Broadcasting Co. and has been in senior management since 1999.

Willis Group Holdings

New York insurance broker Willis Group Holdings appointed Rebecca Restrepo regional partner and executive vice president. Restrepo, based in San Francisco, will work on increasing market share and revenue in Northern California and Washington. She was managing director of the Sacramento region at ABD Insurance and Financial Services.

South Snohomish chamber

Gary Nelson recently won a community service award from the South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce. Nelson is the chair of Snohomish County Council. He was a member of the Washington State Senate from 1986 to 1994, serving as assistant floor leader for much of that time. He was also in the state House of Representatives from 1972 to 1986. Nelson will be presented with the award at a dinner event on Oct. 19 at Lynnwood Convention Center. For information, call (425) 774-0507 or see http://www.s2c3.com.

Goodman Real Estate Inc.

Goodman Real Estate has named George Petrie president. He'll be responsible for day-to-day operations of the Seattle-based real estate investment company that owns and manages commercial and residential properties throughout the United States and Canada. Former president and company founder John A. Goodman is now chairman and responsible for strategic growth. Goodman also will devote more time to The Goodman Foundation, which funds organizations that support children and their families. Petrie joined Goodman in 1999 as an asset manager, and has overseen more than $400 million in acquisitions and dispositions.

Guardian Management LLC

Portland-based Guardian Management, a real estate investment and management company that focuses on multi-family, opened an office in downtown Seattle's Nordstrom Tower, 1700 Seventh Ave. Guardian executive Bradley W. Cribbins leads the office. The Seattle group's focus is increasing the company's visibility in Washington, Montana, Idaho and Alaska — markets it has operated in for many years — and growing the company's portfolio. Guardian has more than 200 properties and 500 employees in seven states.

Aboda

Corporate housing provider Northwest Suites & Housing Services has changed its name to Aboda and acquired two Boston companies: Corporate Housing Options and Suite Housewares Inc. Aboda CEO Dave Caple says the acquisitions launch an aggressive pattern of expansion and service diversification and gives the company an East Coast foothold. Gary Ciabotti, the owner of both Corporate Housing Options and Suite Housewares, will join Aboda whose clients include Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and the Seattle Mariners.

Hendricks & Partners

Kenny Dudunakis of the brokerage Hendricks & Partners negotiated the $74 million sale of five Seattle-area apartment properties that total 1,057 units. The transaction includes three Everett properties: the Brentwood, Forest Park and Pacific Bay Club; the Kingsbrook in Lynnwood; and Jonathan's Landing in Kent. Dudunakis represented the seller, JL Washington Properties LLC of Los Angeles. The buyer was Holland Acquisitions Co. LLC of Vancouver, Wash.

S-J Management LLC

Seattle-based S-J Management, through its affiliate company, MonteViejo Associates LLC, bought the 480-unit MonteViejo Apartments in North Phoenix for $50.5 million. It's the sixth time since July 2003 that a limited liability company formed and managed by S-J has acquired a Class A, institutional core asset in Arizona. S-J forms LLCs that are made up of investors, pension plans, IRAs, profit sharing trusts and other mechanisms. The privately held company owns and manages 2,000 apartment units in Arizona and Washington.

Security Properties Inc.

Seattle-based Security Properties, in partnership with GMAC Institutional Advisors, paid $16 million for the 88-unit Ambassador Royal Apartments in Mountain View, Calif. It's close to Stanford University. Security Properties says it plans to immediately rehab the property that was built in 1968. Security owns 25,000 apartment units in 39 states.

Tour of Urban Living

Tacoma's annual Tour of Urban Living, which features condominiums, town homes and apartments, is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. There are 20 properties on the free, self-guided tour. Maps and other details are at downtowntacomaliving.info.

Allied Arts

Allied Arts will host a 7 p.m. Oct. 14 discussion of what could happen to the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the rest of Seattle's waterfront if voters approve Initiative 912 in November. David Dye of the state Department of Transportation, Cary Moon of the People's Waterfront Coalition, and David Spiker, chairman of the Seattle Design Commission, will participate. The event is at a private residence in Millennium Tower, 715 Second Ave. It's $15 for Allied Arts members, $25 to others and free for low-income people. RSVP by writing aarts@speakeasy.net or phoning (206) 624-0433.

Real Estate Investors Super Conference

REAPS is hosting the Real Estate Investors Super Conference Oct. 21-23 at the Doubletree Hotel in SeaTac. The Real Estate Association of Puget Sound says more than a dozen multimillionaires will share their strategies. Participants also can attend pre-conference workshops Oct. 20. Various packages ranging from $69 to $379 are available. Reservations are required; see reapsweb.com.