Dec 21, 2007

Department of Parks and Recreation

Timothy A. Gallagher has been confirmed by the Seattle City Council as superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation. Gallagher formerly directed Los Angeles County's Department of Parks and Recreation and has been an editor for Pioneer Press and a naturalist for California State Parks and the National Parks Service. Gallagher replaces Ken Bounds, who retired earlier this year.

American Board of Trial Advocates

Tim Blue, a trial lawyer at the Seattle office of law firm Williams Kastner, has been named president of the Washington Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates. ABOTA is an invitation-only organization, with 6,500 members nationally and 100 in Washington state. Blue has practiced for 28 years.

Shuttle Express

Shuttle Express, a Puget Sound ride share transportation company, will start a daily scheduled share ride service between Seattle and Portland beginning Jan. 15. Six rides are scheduled each day beginning at 5 a.m. The trip will be made in “luxury limo vans.” The six-passenger vans have leather seats, DVD monitors, WiFi and workspace.

DocuSign

DocuSign of Seattle, a Web-based electronic signature service, hired Grant Peterson as vice president of engineering and technical operations. Peterson has 22 years of product development experience and recently worked with LexisNexis.

Symetra Financial

Bellevue-based Symetra Financial promoted David Manning to vice president of underwriting for the company's group division. Manning has 23 years experience in the industry and began working at Symetra in 2004. Symetra provides retirement plants, benefits, insurance and annuities through independent advisors and agents.

Dec 20, 2007

GVA Kidder Mathews

Philip Assouad and Giovanni Napoli, multi-family investment sales specialists, joined GVA Kidder Mathews' Seattle office. They were with Marcus & Millichap and completed more than $130 million in transactions since 2006.

Guardian Management

Portland-based Guardian Management, a real estate management and investment company, added Jon Spencer as chief financial officer and Russell Schaadt as vice president of property management. Spencer has a background in accounting, and was vice president and chief financial officer at Prudential Northwest Properties in Portland. Schaadt has been in property management since 1990 and worked for Mid-Peninsula Housing Management in Foster City, Calif.

Panattoni Development

Panattoni Development was named Top Industrial Developer by the Puget Sound chapter of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. Panattoni expects to complete about 2 million square feet of industrial development in the area this year.

Intrawest

Intrawest named Kirby Brown president and COO for Panorama Mountain Village in British Columbia. He will be in charge of all resort operations, including real estate development and sales. Brown began his career with Intrawest in 1993 at Whistler Mountain.

Grubb & Ellis

Grubb & Ellis has completed its merger with NNN Realty Advisors, which will help it compete in an increasingly global industry. The company retains the Grubb & Ellis name. Scott Peters is the new president and CEO.

Cohen Financial

San Francisco-based Cohen Financial, a national real estate capital services firm, has secured a $14 million permanent, full recourse loan to recapitalize construction of the Valley View apartments in Vancouver. The 146-unit complex is midway thrugh construction at 7601 N.E. 18th St. The financing will allow an upgrade to condo specifications so the project could be sold later as condos.

Davis Wright Tremaine

The Seattle office of law firm Davis Wright Tremaine has promoted two attorneys to partner. They are Charles A. Maduell and Amy H. Pannoni. Maduell practices real estate, land use and litigation law. Pannoni practices employment law.

King County Family Law CASA

King County's Family Law Court Appointed Special Advocate Program needs volunteers who want to advocate for children's needs when parents separate or divorce. The next four-day training begins on Feb. 7, 2008. For more information, call (206) 748-9700 or apply online at http://www.familylawcasa.com.

Seattle Department of Transportation

The Seattle Department of Transportation hired Rick Sheridan as communications manager. Sheridan has 10 years of experience as a communications executive for organizations in Washington, D.C., and has worked for the Department of Defense, the American Health Care Association and the Building Owners and Managers Association.

Daphne's Greek Cafe

Daphne's Greek Cafe, a Greek restaurant chain, plans to expand into Oregon with three new locations. The first two restaurants will open in January in Beaverton and Tanasbourne. The third restaurant should open in March in downtown Portland. Daphne's Greek Cafe was founded in 1991 and has restaurants in Arizona, California and Colorado.