Mar 18, 2014

State of Oregon

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber has hired two people to focus on regional priorities in the mid-Willamette Valley and a portion of the Columbia River Gorge. The governor's office announced the hires on Friday. Kitzhaber's regional solutions team works with local governments and community groups to get what they need from the state.

Kate Sinner, a federal lobbyist for Oregon State University, will work in Hood River, Wasco and Sherman counties. Greg Ellis, the city administrator in Canby, will be responsible for the mid-Willamette Valley.

Both start their new jobs later this month.

City of Milton

Mark Langford has accepted the Interim City Administrator position with the City of Milton.

Langford joined the City of Milton in December of 2013 as its Interim Police Chief after former Police Chief William Rhoads announced his retirement. Langford will serve the City of Milton in both capacities for an indeterminate period of time.

Milton Mayor Debra Perry said Langford brings a depth of management experience from his 32 years on the Tacoma Police Department.

BNBuilders

Bueno

Clayton

Peterson

Seattle-based BNBuilders hired Mark Peterson, Chris Clayton and Matt Bueno as project managers. Peterson has 25 years of construction experience in multifamily, hospitality, heath-care and civic projects. He holds a bachelor's degree in building construction from the University of Washington. Clayton is experienced in heath-care, aerospace and commercial construction. He is a board member of Central Washington University's Construction Management Advisory Counsel and holds a bachelor's degree in construction management from that school. Bueno has more than 20 years of industry experience and has completed several projects for airlines at Sea-Tac Airport, as well as K-12 schools.

Atlas Holdings

Atlas Holdings hired Don Schwabe as chief marketing and business development officer at its RedBuilt and Olympic Panel and Veneer Products subsidiaries. RedBuilt is a Boise, Idaho-based company specializing in engineered wood products and structural systems. Olympic Panel is a veneer business with operations in Shelton and Omak. Schwabe previously worked for 25 years in leadership roles for Trus Joist and Weyerhaeuser. He holds a master's degree in management from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a bachelor's degree in forest products marketing from the University of Minnesota. He is based in Boise.

Bayley Construction

Bayley Construction won an award from the state Department of Labor & Industries for exemplary safety and health prevention programs. Bayley says it is the first construction company in the state to achieve recognition through the Safety Through Achieving Recognition Together program, which is modeled on a federal program. Bayley was awarded START certification at its corporate office in Mercer Island and at its equipment yard in Bellevue. The program requires employers to have an injury rate below their industry's average for at least one year, and to allow safety and health experts to visit the jobsite and review workplace hazards, examine safety and health programs, and interview workers and managers.

Mar 14, 2014

Capitol Hill Housing

Capitol Hill Housing (CHH) announced new grant support from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.

This funding includes a $60,000 grant to expand Capitol Hill Housing's work of creating more affordable housing in rapidly gentrifying communities. In February 2013, Capitol Hill Housing broke ground on 12th Avenue Arts, which includes 88 affordable apartments, and recently completed funding to renovate Capitol Hill's Haines Apartments. The Haines has 30 very low-income apartments, which serve senior and disabled residents.

Chase funding will also support CHH's larger work of building vibrant and engaged communities in the central crescent neighborhoods around downtown Seattle (Pioneer Square, International District, Central District and Capitol Hill). “The

In addition, JPMorgan Chase will be a presenting sponsor at Top of the Town, CHH's signature spring event, on April 9 at the Sorrento Hotel. The special guest speaker will be Alan Berube, senior fellow and deputy director at the Brookings Institution.

Kohler Signature Store

This weekend marks opening of the Kohler Signature Store by Keller Supply in Bellevue. Only the third of its kind in the country, the showroom offers professional designers and consumers the opportunity to get hands-on with hundreds of Kohler's renowned products, including sinks, faucets, toilets, tubs, showers, and tile. Plus, fully designed bath suites in a range of styles allow visitors to immerse themselves in the products and begin to envision design elements in their homes. Designers and remodelers can send their clients to the showroom to select products, or homeowners can work with Keller Supply's in-house designers on everything from simple product selection to full bathroom renovations. The store is located at 1018 116th Ave. NE,

Founded in 1945, Keller Supply Company is a wholesaler of plumbing, HVAC, and pool and spa products. Keller Supply operates more than 70 branches and 25 product showrooms in eight western states, with inventory from hundreds of manufacturers.

Mar 13, 2014

Seattle City Light

Craig Smith has been hired as the next conservation resources director for Seattle City Light. Smith most recently served as CEO for Richard Health and Associates in Fresno, Calif., providing program management and consulting services for governments and utilities. The organization oversaw low-income weatherization programs that reached more than 350,000 homes. He also helped organize the California Energy Efficiency Industry Council and served as vice chair of the board

Prior to that, Smith spent 12 years at Snohomish County PUD in various roles, including assistant general manager overseeing a variety of areas, including energy efficiency. Smith is scheduled to start work at City Light April 1.

McKinley Irvin

McKinley Irvin, a family law firm, has hired Wayne Robinson as the new managing director. Robinson comes to McKinley Irvin with more than two decades of experience working with some of the largest law firms in the country as a chief financial officer.

McKinley Irvin lawyers have represented clients in all types of family law cases, from basic divorces, to complex property and financial cases, to cases on the leading edge of family law practice. The frim has offices in Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Vancouver, Puyallup and Portland.

Samuelson joins Zillow

Seattle-based Zillow hired Errol Samuelson to fill the new position of chief industry development officer. Samuelson will lead Zillow's real estate industry relations strategy and report directly to CEO Spencer Rascoff. Samuelson has more than 20 years of experience and last served as president of realtor.com and chief strategy officer at Move Inc. Zillow operates a web-based real estate marketplace for buyers and renters.

NAIOP to discuss recreational marijuana

The Washington chapter of NAIOP will hold a panel discussion on the real estate impacts of recreational marijuana legalization at 8 a.m. March 21 at Pacific Grill Events Center, 1530 Pacific Ave., Tacoma. Sean Durkin of The Andover Co. will moderate the discussion, which will cover topics like building requirements, legal compliance and licensing, security, tenant and property owner risk and leasing. Panelists for the event are Ryan Douglas, Wells Fargo Insurance; Dan Shin, Phillips Burgess; Doreen Bomar, Spotted Owl Organics; and Alex Cooley, Solstice. For more information, or to register, visit: http://bit.ly/1fupDlt

Houston firm buys Lynnwood apartments

An entity related to Apex Properties Group of Houston bought the Heather Ridge apartments, a 107-unit complex in Lynnwood, for $12.15 million. Weidner Apartment Homes was the seller. The complex is at 20427 68th Ave. W., across the street from Edmonds Community College. Heather Ridge is 99 percent leased and has a swimming pool, sauna and gym. Louis Weisman of Berkadia Commercial Mortgage arranged a $9.1 million loan for the purchase of the complex. Berkadia also recently arranged a $49.3 million loan for a 293-unit retirement community in Portland.