Jan 07, 2011

Northwest Kidney Center

Dr. Suhail Ahmad has been named chief medical officer of Northwest Kidney Centers, succeeding John Stivelman, who becomes emeritus chief medical officer and senior medical director. Ahmad has 30 years of experience as a physician, teacher and researcher. He was medical director of Northwest Kidney Centers' Scribner Kidney Center and will retain that role. He is also a professor of medicine at the University of Washington and has served as director of inpatient dialysis at UW Medical Center for 20 years.

Avalon

Avalon restaurant and lounge has opened in West Seattle. The restaurant is located at 2940 S.W. Avalon Way in the Luna Park neighborhood. It will feature Northwest fare with a menu created by Chef Deborah Breuler.

Jan 06, 2011

Lane Powell

Lisa Findlay has joined Lane Powell as an attorney in the Taxation Practice Group, where she will concentrate on cross-border tax and business planning for U.S. and foreign entities. Findlay worked for KPMG where she advised clients on international tax issues.

Oregon Zoo

The Oregon Zoo promoted Chris Pfefferkorn to deputy director. Pfefferkorn has worked at the zoo for 13 years and has been animal collection manager, zoological curator and general curator. The zoo's former deputy director, Mike Keele, vacated the position earlier this year to concentrate on managing the zoo's new elephant habitat.

Kennedy Wilson

The real estate investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson refinanced Onyx Apartments, a 400-unit property in Redmond owned in partnership with the LeFrak Organization. The 50/50 partnership owns a total of 2,912 apartments, all of which were purchased in 2010. The $42.5 million Onyx financing has a seven-year term and carries a fixed interest rate of 4.67 percent. Wells Fargo Multifamily Capital, through its Fannie Mae DUS lending program, is the lender.

NAIOP developers' panel Jan. 19

Some of the Seattle area's most active commercial real estate investors and developers will share what their companies did in 2010 and what they're planning for 2011 at the Jan. 19 NAIOP breakfast meeting. Marc Stiles of the DJC will moderate a panel of Patrick Hollister, Swedish Hospital, Brian Fritz, AvalonBay Communities, John Pietromonaco, Hill-Raaum-Pietromonaco, and A-P Hurd, Touchstone Corp. The 7:30 a.m. program is at the Sheraton Seattle, 1400 Sixth Ave. Register at naiopwa.org.

CREW topic: Seattle, Bellevue

Kate Joncas of the Seattle Downtown Association and Leslie Lloyd of the Bellevue Downtown Association will be the speakers at the Jan. 13 meeting of Crew Seattle & Sound Commercial Real Estate Women at the Washington Athletic Club, 1325 Sixth Ave., Seattle. They will review 2010 and look at the growth prospects for both cities in 2011 and beyond. The event starts at 11:30 a.m. with registration and networking. For more information and registration go to crewseattle.org.

ICSC: Consumers still cautious

A recent survey by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs found consumers don't know whether they will spend, save or pay down debt with the tax windfall they are getting this year. The survey of 1,000 households found 27 percent of consumers were unsure what they would do with the money, while 26 percent would likely pay down debt. Twenty-two percent expected to save most of the money while 16 percent said they would likely spend some of it and 9 percent most of it. By year-end 2011, ICSC predicts, the extra take-home pay will provide an aggregate incremental lift in consumer spending of approximately one-half to three-quarters of a percentage point.