May 11, 2018

Seattle Symphony

Geller

Seattle Symphony appointed Noah Geller as David & Amy Fulton Concertmaster. Geller will join music director Ludovic Morlot and the orchestra at the start of the 2018–19 season in September. Geller is concertmaster at Kansas City Symphony, and was a first violin section member and acting assistant concertmaster at The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Alaska Air Group

Li

Susan Li, vice president of finance at Facebook, was elected to the board of Alaska Air Group. Li previously focused on technology IPOs at Morgan Stanley in New York, Menlo Park and Hong Kong. She will serve a one-year term.

STEM Next Opportunity Fund

San Diego-based STEM Next Opportunity Fund is establishing the Ellen Lettvin STEM Education Fund in honor of national STEM policy expert Ellen Elisabeth Lettvin, who died last month at her home in Bellevue. The fund will support children engaged in science, technology, engineering and math. For more information, visit https://tinyurl.com/LettvinFund.

Cairncross & Hempelmann

In Seattle, Cairncross & Hempelmann was recognized in the 2018 edition of Chambers USA for excellence in bankruptcy/restructuring, corporate/commercial, real estate and zoning/land use. Chambers also ranked six of the firm's partners as leading lawyers in their practices: Matt B. Hanna, John W. Hempelmann, Donald E. Marcy, John R. Rizzardi, Nancy Bainbridge Rogers and Robert C. Seidel.

Orion Industries

Auburn-based Orion Industries received Seattle Business Magazine's 2018 Washington Manufacturing Nonprofit of the Year Award. Orion has operations in its aerospace manufacturing and contact center services divisions that teach job skills to people who face barriers to employment.

May 10, 2018

King County Metro

Obeso

White

Terry White was named deputy general manager for Metro Operations, overseeing bus, rail and marine service, as well as facilities and maintenance. White joined King County Metro in 1987 as a part-time customer service representative, and later became transportation planner, customer service administrator, communications superintendent and managing director of bus operations. He succeeds Victor Obeso, who retired in March after 30 years with Metro.

Phytelligence

Cobb

Seattle-based agricultural biotech company Phytelligence hired Lee Cobb as global vice president of sales for its berry segment. Cobb has sales and business development experience, including a stint as blueberry commodity manager at BlazerWilkinson. He also was a berry farmer.

Auth0

Bellevue-based Auth0, a provider of identity-as-a-service authentication infrastructure, hired Vittorio Bertocci as principal architect. Bertocci spent most of his 20-year career at Microsoft, where he worked on the Azure Active Directory team.

Gray Media

Lisa House joined Gray Media, a privately held company in Seattle, as account executive. House worked for Oregon Media Publishing, Multnomah Athletic Club's Winged M magazine and Skies America Publishing. She is based in Portland.

Department of Revenue

The state Department of Revenue is forming a 16-member business advisory council to provide feedback on tax policy and administration. Applications will be accepted until June 15 at dor.wa.gov/about/business-advisory-council.

New hires at Mt. Baker Housing

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2914 S. McClellan St.

The nonprofit Mt. Baker Housing has two new staffers: Kelly Fan is an accountant, and Jevon Washington will do community outreach. MBH now has about 350 units in seven communities, the largest being Mt. Baker Village, and is planning 31 units at 2914 S. McClellan St. Mt. Baker Gateway will be built nearby, with 160 units and offices for MBH, as well as a new home for Rainier Valley Food Bank.

Lennar homes to add Amazon hubs

Amazon says it will add high-tech hubs called Amazon Experience Centers in single-family homes built by Lennar. The two companies joined forces last year with Alexa-enabled home features. Amazon said in a press release that people who buy the Alexa-enabled homes can control TVs, lights, thermostats, shades and more through the device, and reorder household products with Amazon Dash Buttons. Amazon will roll out the technology in Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. Learn more at Lennar's North Creek Ridge in Bothell, or visit amazon.com/experience.

Land Advisors promotes Jessen

Jessen

Phoenix-based Land Advisors Organization has promoted Mathis Jessen to a full-time broker in its Bellevue office. Land Advisors was founded in Phoenix in 1987, and now has offices in nine states. The company's website says it is looking at new markets to create a coast-to-coast network.

The Danforth aids nonprofits

The Danforth, which is scheduled to open in July at Broadway and Madison Street, started a campaign called “Live Well, Do Good, Have Fun” to attract renters and benefit local nonprofits. This month Seattle Humane will receive $2,500 as part of that effort. The other beneficiaries are Artist Trust and Country Doctor. The 16-story, 265-unit Danforth was developed by Columbia Pacific Advisors. Tiscareno Associates is the architect and Balfour Beatty is the contractor. It will have a two-level Whole Foods grocery store.