Jul 29, 2009

Foster Pepper

Law firm Foster Pepper has launched a new employment and labor service targeted toward the health care industry. Your Employment Services or YES!, provides a guaranteed number of employment and/or labor-related hours of legal services per quarter at a fixed price. Each YES! client also receives access to a secure, individualized extranet. Julie Kebler, a member in the firm's Employment and Labor Group, developed the concept.

The Coast Guard

The Coast Guard presented Melissa Montgomery, program manager for Washington State Department of Natural Resources' Derelict Vessel Removal Program, with the Coast Guard Meritorious Public Service Award for her environmental accomplishments. Montgomery is credited with creating a system to remove derelict and abandoned vessels that pose a safety risk to navigations and often contain harmful pollutants.

State Highway and Transportation Officials

Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond was unanimously elected by transportation directors from 18 states to serve as president of the Western Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials during the organization's annual meeting. Her term will run through July of 2010.

KPFF Consulting Engineers

Mike Anderson has been promoted to associate in the civil/structural group at KPFF’s Washington division. Since joining KPFF in early 2008, the former CEO of the Washington State Ferries has led new marine transportation projects for King County Marine Division, the Seattle Office of Emergency Management, the city of Seabrook, Texas, and the New York City Department of Transportation.

AHBL

Urban planner, landscape designer and economic strategist Tom Reese joined AHBL’s Spokane team as an associate principal. He previously had his own firm, The Reese Group, and also was project manager for Black Rock Development on the Spokane Kendall Yards project. That project included master planning, community strategy and approval for nearly 1 million square feet of commercial space and 2,600 residential units. He also worked as an urban designer for Spokane and later was the city’s economic development adviser. He is a director on the boards of the Washington State University SU President’s Advisory Council, the Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, Friends of the Falls and Mount Spokane Ski Patrol.

Integrus Architecture

Integrus promoted one staff member and named three new team members. Marketing coordinator Marcine Herron, who joined the firm in 2005, has been promoted to associate. Kathryn Gannon joined the Seattle office as a senior interior designer/project manager. She has worked on health care, mixed-use, church, hospitality and housing. Bookkeeper Alicia Morganti joined the Spokane office. Nicole Ramirez, a Washington State University student, joined the Spokane office as an intern.

Otak

Urban design, architecture, planning and engineering company Otak has named five principals to new leadership roles. Don Hanson of the Lake Oswego, Ore., office is the new urban design, architecture, planning and landscape architecture team leader. Nico Vanderhorst and Mike Peebles of the Kirkland and Lake Oswego offices, respectively, are the new transportation infrastructure services leaders. Russ Gaston of the Kirkland office is leading the water and natural resources team. Fares Kekhia, Abu Dhabi, is the Otak International lead. The Abu Dhabi office has more than 100 employees who are working on hotel, residential and mixed-use communities, urban planning and transportation projects in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Brown and Caldwell

Environmental planning, design and construction services firm Brown and Caldwell hired four new staff members in its Seattle office. Angela Dwyer is a water resources engineer. Electrical engineer Lulu Zhau has joined the Electrical, Process and Automation Services Group. Nich Van Buecken joined the firm as an infrastructure engineer.