Nov 04, 2005

Banner Bank

Skye Belline joined Banner Bank's Alderwood Commercial Lending Center in Lynnwood. She was a consultant for Balance Capital, which funds small to mid-sized companies. Banner Bank is based in Walla Walla.

Energy Industries

Hawaii-based company Energy Industries is opening a sales office in Seattle. Darren T. Kimura founded the company to advise people in the commercial, hospitality and industrial markets on ways to save energy. The Seattle office will have an energy-efficiency training center. Energy Industries also has offices in Guam, Spokane, Portland and Boise.

Port of Seattle

The Port of Seattle named Gale Richard Evans deputy chief of the Port of Seattle Police Department. Evans, a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, was chief of police for the Salt Lake City Airport Authority. At the Port of Seattle, he replaces John R. Batiste. Gov. Christine Gregoire appointed Batiste head of Washington State Patrol.

Costco

The Costco Scholarship Breakfast at the University of Washington raised more than $2.4 million, according to Costco officials. Funds help minority students pay tuition to go to Seattle University and the University of Washington.

Nov 03, 2005

MILA Inc.

Frost

Mark J. Frost is MILA's new corporate treasurer. He has more than 30 years of finance experience and has worked for Boeing and Getty Images. Frost is the most senior of what has been a wave of new hires at the company as the mortgage lender has added nearly 100 employees this year. Mountlake Terrace-based MILA is an e-commerce mortgage provider that serves the wholesale residential market in 26 states with alternative mortgage lending products.

Grubb & Ellis

Katie Paul has joined Grubb & Ellis as an associate for the Seattle Investment Services Groups, and Tyler Springer has joined as an associate for the Seattle Retail Services Group. Paul worked as an intern for the company, which she rejoins after working in the insurance industry. Springer was a database researcher for Pierce Eislen, which provides information on the muli-family housing market to investors, and a financial analyst with Peacock, Hislop, Staley and Given.

Unicorn Mortgage

Seven Hobbs has joined Unicorn Mortgage in Burien as a loan officer. He works with individuals looking to purchase or refinance investment property. Tanya Hunnell joined the company as a transaction coordinator.

Windermere Real Estate

Leslie Ota has joined Windermere Real Estate's Sand Point office as a sales associate. He was vice president of Bellevue Downtown Association.

City of Tacoma

Developers in Tacoma have one week to apply for $12 million worth of federal tax deductions that will be distributed among projects in the city's renewal community zone. The area covers most of the downtown core, port area, Upper Tacoma and part of the city's East side. Projects must be new construction or substantially rehabilitated and create space for new jobs. Tacoma receives the allocation annually from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Among projects that have won allocations are Thea's Landing, Albers Mill and the Shuffleboard Building. Applications, which are due at 5 p.m. Nov. 10, can be obtained by writing shart@cityoftacoma.org or calling (253) 591-5208.

CREW lunch

Tom Parsons, senior vice president and general manager of Opus Northwest, will lead a panel of Opus colleagues who will analyze their company's projects at the 11:30 a.m. Nov. 10 CREW lunch at the Washington Athletic Club, 1325 Sixth Ave., Seattle. It's $35 for members of Commercial Real Estate Women and $50 for others. Reservations are due by noon Monday and can be made by telephoning (206) 417-5580.

Institute of Real Estate Management Breakfast

The Western Washington Chapter of the Institute of Real Estate Management will host its 20th-annual Forecast Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Dec. 1 at the Meydenbauer Center in downtown Bellevue. Lynn Michaelis of Weyerhaeuser will give the keynote. Other speakers are Mike Scott of Dupre + Scott Apartment Advisors, Vanessa Herzog of GVA Kidder Mathews, Lisa Rowe of Bentall and Richard Muhlebach of Kennedy Wilson. It's $55 for advance tickets and $65 at the door. Pre-register by writing irem@commercialmls.com.