Jun 02, 2020

Vesta

Lake Oswego, Oregon-based Vesta secured $125 million in growth capital from private equity firm Goldfinch Partners of Seattle. The funds will enable Vesta to invest in growth and continue the global deployment of its fraud protection and e-commerce payment solutions. Goldfinch launched in 2018 and is led by Sean Collins, formerly of BCG, and Bill McNichols, formerly of Starbucks and Vulcan Capital.

POSaBIT

Seattle-based POSaBIT sold its subsidiary DoubleBeam to financial tech company OLB Group. POSaBIT bought DoubleBeam in early 2018 to support its entry into the cannabis point-of-sale market using DoubleBeam's hardware and software capabilities. The sale to OLB was an all-cash deal. Other details were not disclosed. POSaBIT is a financial tech company focused on point-of-sale systems for cash-only businesses, especially those in the cannabis industry.

Henningsen Cold Storage Co.

Lineage Logistics of Novi, Michigan, signed a deal to acquire Henningsen Cold Storage Co. of Hillsboro, Oregon. Financial terms were not disclosed. Henningsen operates 14 temperature-controlled warehouses across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Pennsylvania, North Dakota and Oklahoma. It was founded in 1923 under the name Northwestern Ice & Cold Storage. The deal is expected to close in the coming months.

Gurobi Optimization

SAP and Beaverton, Oregon-based Gurobi Optimization signed a 10-year agreement to collaborate on innovations that will improve mathematical optimization within SAP's software. Gurobi develops mathematical optimization software used by over 40 industries to solve their complex problems and make automated decisions that optimize their efficiency and profitability. SAP develops enterprise application software.

Bayley Construction

Mercer Island-based Bayley Construction is holding its 39th annual charity golf tournament July 31 at The Home Course in DuPont. The event has raised over $1.2 million for charity since its inception. This year’s tournament benefits Pacific Northwest Golf Association, Virginia Mason and Fred Hutch. Registration of $200 per player includes breakfast, lunch, drinks, golf cart and prizes. Sponsorships are also available. More information is at bayley.net/golf-tournament.html.

May 29, 2020

ABC Legal Services

Seattle-based ABC Legal Services hired Sascha Mehlhase as vice president of product and innovation. Mehlhase has nearly 20 years of product and marketing experience in the software and technology industries. He was senior director of product management at Intrado and director of product management at Motorola Solutions. ABC Legal is a process server for law firms and corporate legal departments.

Expeditors International

In Seattle, Expeditors International of Washington promoted Kelly Blacker to senior vice president of global air operations. Blacker has held several leadership positions over her 25-year career at Expeditors, most recently regional vice president of the mid-Atlantic. She will relocate to Seattle from Atlanta. She replaces Jose Ubeda, who was appointed senior vice president of digital solutions. Expeditors is a global logistics company.

Nike

Beaverton, Oregon-based Nike announced that board director John Thompson Jr. is retiring on Sunday. Thompson has been a director since 1991 and will remain as a director emeritus after leaving the board. He was head coach of the Georgetown University men's basketball team, winning a national championship in 1984.

Nautilus Biotechnology

Nautilus Biotechnology raised $76 million in Series B financing in a round led by Vulcan Capital, the investment arm of the late Paul Allen's Vulcan Inc. Other investors were Perceptive Advisors, Bezos Expeditions, Defy Partners, AME Cloud Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Bolt, and Madrona Venture Group. The money will be used to hire scientific and engineering staff across a variety of levels and disciplines. Nautilus is working to quantify the human proteome with higher precision and lower cost to speed development of therapeutic medicines. It is based in Seattle and San Carlos, California.

Port of Kalama

Anchorage Launch Services is leasing space on the Port of Kalama's new commercial dock to operate its maritime transportation services on the Columbia River. The port modified and refurbished components of a barge to develop the dock last year, and prepared for a maritime client by installing bulkheads, bull rails, fenders, ladders, spud piles and a gangway landing platform. Anchorage Launch Services supplies and assists ships between Astoria and Portland to keep their operations moving efficiently.