May 03, 2013

thenewBlank

Leonard

A Seattle-based company called thenewBlank hired Tom Leonard as director of business development. Leonard was in business development for Digital Kitchen and will work out of the Chicago office. ThenewBlank specializes in conceptual design, from television commercials and film title sequences to interactive projects, large scale environmental displays and interactive media.

Sustainable Floors

The U.S. Small Business Administration honored Dana Pittman as the 2013 Washington state Minority Small Business Champion of the Year. Pittman is president of Sustainable Floors, headquartered in Fife. Sustainable Floors does business as Sustainable Interiors, and is a commercial interiors contractor specializing in federal and state government and commercial contracting. It is a member of SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program, and Pittman is on the state Capital Projects Advisory Review Board Small Business Task Force, which looks at ways that capital projects and construction industries can increase opportunities for minority and African American-owned small businesses.

May 02, 2013

Sesame Communications

Sesame Communications, which helps dental and orthodontic offices expand their online presence, doubled its office space in Seattle's Reedo building at 542 First Ave. S. The company has occupied the third floor since 2010, and will now take the second floor as well. Sesame said it has expanded its workforce by 189 percent, and increased revenues by 261 percent since 2010. The Reedo building was renovated in 2005 to add energy-efficient systems and utilities.

HomeStreet Bank

HomeStreet Bank — Commercial Real Estate, formerly HomeStreet Capital, provided $5.6 million for refinancing the North Auburn Business Park, owned by Cinderella Properties LLC. Katie Plett, HomeStreet Bank relationship manager, facilitated the agreement. The 143,000-square-foot, six-building industrial complex is near state Route 167 and 37th Street Northwest.

Contaminated land conference June 6

NAIOP, Northwest Environmental Business Council and the Washington Department of Ecology will hold a conference June 6 on the challenges involved in cleaning and redeveloping contaminated property. The all-day event begins at 8 a.m. in the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. Speakers will examine the risks, cleanup techniques, and how to manage legal and regulatory issues. Information and registration is at http://bit.ly/12W3m7Y

ULI event on cool businesses

Restaurant and retail experts will speak at the Urban Land Institute's May 8 meeting on “Purveyors of Cool: How Creative Business Owners Bring Life to a Neighborhood.” The event begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Washington Shoe building, 410 Occidental Ave. S. Kelly Kost, retail strategist with Downtown Works, will moderate the discussion. Panelists will show how creative businesses benefit a neighborhood. Panelists are: Ethan Stowell of Ethan Stowell Restaurants, Bryce Phillips of Evolution Projects, Jim Graham of Graham Baba Architects and Anne Marie Koehler of CBRE. For more information, contact ULI at Northwest@uli.org or (206) 224-4500.

June 14 real estate law event, golf

John A. Bender of Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland will lead a discussion about legal issues in the real estate industry at 9 a.m. June 14 at the Vashon Golf and Swim Club, 24615 75th Ave. S.W. The event is sponsored by The Seminar Group. Topics include renewable energy projects, purchase option issues, real estate ethics and permitting. Lunch will follow, and there will be a golf game at 1:15 p.m. For more information, visit: http://bit.ly/YmNQDH

Cairncross & Hempelmann

LeVeque

Seattle law firm Cairncross & Hempelmann appointed Krystal LeVeque director of business development. LeVeque was with Perkins Coie and previously worked as marketing director for Core Health Care.

Seattle Office of Arts and Culture

The Seattle City Council confirmed Randy Engstrom as permanent director of Seattle's Office of Arts and Culture. Engstrom had been interim director since October 2012. Engstrom was founding director of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, co-chaired the Cultural Overlay District Advisory Committee and was chair of the Seattle Arts Commission.