Apr 22, 2011

Pedini

Vulcan Real Estate said Pedini has opened a new store in Rollin Street in South Lake Union. The 1,800-square foot store is the only Pedini location in Washington. Pedini is an Italian kitchen manufacturer and also provides customized bath, closet and interior sliding doors. Paul Nadolny owns Pedini Seattle.

Symetra Life Insurance

Symetra Life Insurance Co. hired Mike Tinsley as senior vice president, life product development and client solutions. Tinsley joins Symetra from Pacific Life Insurance, where he was vice president, Life Product Development and Strategic Marketing.

Department of Veterans Affairs

The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs hired Gina Ryan as superintendent of the Washington Soldiers Home in Orting. Ryan served in the U.S. Army for five years as a radio communications operator and supply sergeant. She is a licensed nursing home administrator and has experience working with nursing facilities.

Apr 21, 2011

Westlake Associates, Capital Financial

Hunter

Gary Hunter joined Westlake Associates as managing broker. He previously was with Colliers International. Hunter also operates Capital Financial LLC, a hard money brokerage firm and commercial mortgage company that matches developers and private lenders.

Bentall Kennedy

Bentall Kennedy says it has created the largest single-owner LEED office portfolio. The firm is a North American institutional real estate investment adviser with U.S. headquarters in Seattle. It recently received LEED certification for 17 more office buildings owned by Multi-Employer Property Trust in eight markets. This is the second portfolio of buildings certified by Bentall Kennedy for MEPT through the volume LEED pilot program for existing buildings. Bentall Kennedy's portfolio of certified buildings has 44 office buildings with nearly 7.5 million square feet. Buildings in the program use 30 percent less water and 32 percent less energy than the national average.

The Cascade Team

The Cascade Team, which brokers residential real estate at a 1 percent listing commission, is opening an office at 1718 N.W. 56th St. in Ballard. With the lower commission, Seattle sellers can save about $8,000 in brokerage fees on the sale of a median-priced home, said Krista Mehr, branch manager. Cascade has about 100 agents with offices in Bellevue, Issaquah and San Diego.

Keller Williams Realty

Broker Maggie Valle joined the Keller Williams Realty Seattle Metro West Market Center. She worked at RealEstate.com until its recent closing.

Colliers International

Colliers International hired Mark Keschl as national director of retail, CoStar reports. He will be based in Boca Raton, Fla., and in charge of adding clients and recruiting brokers to expand the Seattle-based company's retail group.

Seattle Convention and Visitors Bureau

Frank K. Finneran won the inaugural Tourism Leadership Award. He has served on the Washington State Convention Center's board of directors since 1988. His hotel experience includes management of the Olympic and Westin Hotels in Seattle and the Plaza in New York, and development of the Sheraton Seattle Hotel.

UW Tacoma

Debra Friedman will become chancellor of the University of Washington Tacoma, effective July 1, subject to approval of the UW Board of Regents. Friedman has been dean of the College of Public Programs and professor of public affairs at Arizona State University since 2005. Since 2008, she has also been ASU university vice president, responsible for its downtown Phoenix campus.

Umpqua Bank

Umpqua Bank, a subsidiary of Umpqua Holdings Corp., hired Steve Puryear as senior vice president to lead the Seattle-based team of the newly formed business banking division. Puryear was the senior vice president for Umpqua's Seattle-based Commercial Banking Center.

Bracewell & Giuliani

The Seattle office of law firm Bracewell & Giuliani hired Curt Roy Hineline as a partner. Hineline was co-chair of Dorsey & Whitney's Securities Litigation & Enforcement Practice. He will head the Seattle litigation practice.