Oct 02, 2020

Washington Reentry Council

The Washington Statewide Reentry Council unanimously reappointed Christopher Poulos to serve a second three-year term as executive director. Since Poulos' appointment to this position in October 2017, he has worked with council members, legislators and advocacy groups to help secure the passage of 19 council-priority bills into law. Poulos and the council have focused on six major categories of work: racial equity, housing, centering community, education, employment and improving communication. Poulos has recently served as an adjunct professor of political science at Seattle Central Community College and an adjunct law professor at Seattle University. The Washington Statewide Reentry Council was established in 2016.

Amazon

Amazon announced that the company has donated more than $215 million globally to charitable organizations through the AmazonSmile program since its launch in 2013. AmazonSmile provides a way for customers to support charities they care about every time they shop with Amazon. Since 2013, charities that focus on animals, education, health, and disaster relief were most favored by AmazonSmile customers in the U.S. When shopping at AmazonSmile, customers will find eligible items offered at the same prices as Amazon.com,, and the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to charitable organizations customers choose, at no extra cost to them.

Kymeta

Redmond-based communications company Kymeta announced that the FCC has granted authorization for the operation of its next-generation electronically steered, flat-panel ESIM (earth station in motion) platform, the Kymeta u8 terminal. The u8 is an electronically steered, flat-panel ESIM platform with no moving parts, built for mobility and designed for the needs of government, first responder, and commercial customers. To date, Kymeta has deployed 25 beta units globally to facilitate real-world testing of the u8 terminal and Kymeta Connect connectivity services. The beta trial program kicked off last month with select partners and customers across the globe. Additionally, Kymeta recently announced securing an approximate $85 million financing round, led by Bill Gates, to accelerate new product development and commercialization of the Kymeta u8, and Kymeta Connect.

Oct 01, 2020

Hatchback Cottages

Kovalcik

Todaro

Hickey

Hatchback Cottages announced the hiring of three new employees: Nate Hickey, director of accounts; Lindsay Todaro, junior account manager; and Jennie Kovalcik, marketing manager. Hickey started his career in architecture and planning, and transitioned to development and construction project management. He was a development project manager on the Weyerhaeuser Headquarters in Pioneer Square. Todaro worked for Massachusetts-based architecture firm Cube 3 Studio, and later joined Kidder Mathews' transit-oriented development consulting team. Kovalcik worked for Downtown Grand Rapids Inc., Downtown Seattle, and the Alliance for Pioneer Square, most recently as the director of communications for Pioneer Square.

King County

For the first time, all residents of King County are the recipients of the Executive's Award for Community Resilience. The award is given each fall in recognition of outstanding efforts made by organizations to prepare for and respond to emergencies. This year, instead of recognizing one organization, the award honors the efforts that every resident, organization and community group is doing to support each other during 2020. “This award is usually intended to recognize the commitment, planning and response a single organization demonstrates in an emergency. But this year there are just too many people doing extraordinary things,” said Executive Dow Constantine.

UBS Private Wealth Management

UBS Private Wealth Management announced that Michael S. Matthews, a managing director and senior portfolio manager in the firm's Bellevue office, has been named to the 2020 Forbes/SHOOK List of Top Wealth Advisors. This is the fifth straight year that he has been named to the list. Matthews has over 25 years of experience in the industry, and is the founder of The Matthews Group, a team within the Private Wealth Management division of UBS. Earlier this year, Matthew was also ranked as the number one advisor in the state of Washington, on the Forbes/SHOOK Best-in-State Wealth Advisors list.

CBRE

Magee

Dave Magee has joined CBRE as a first vice president, the company has announced. He makes the move from Cushman & Wakefield. CBRE's John R. Miller said in a statement, “Dave is a seasoned professional who has built one of our industry's strongest networks on a foundation of friendship, experience and patience. He is a respected veteran in the Puget Sound region and will have an immediate positive impact on our service offering and culture.” Magee added, “While the pandemic has left no region untouched, I can't think of a better place to be right now than the Pacific Northwest.”

Selig breaks ground (again) on 400 Westlake

[enlarge]

Martin Selig Real Estate broke ground in March on the new office building to rise within the landmarked terra-cotta facade of the former Firestone building at 400 Westlake Ave. N. Lease Crutcher Lewis is building the 15-story tower, which will have about 230,000 square feet of offices. Perkins and Will is the architect. However, construction was paused this June due to the pandemic and economic uncertainty. But Selig officially relaunched construction with a fresh groundbreaking yesterday. (The facade has been dramatically suspended by steel braces during the interim.) Jordan Selig calls 400 Westlake “the most sustainable commercial office building of its size in the world.” The project is participating in the city's Living Building Pilot Program, which encourages various green features in exchange for greater size. Completion was originally projected for next summer, with occupancy in the second quarter of 2022; that schedule will likely be adjusted.

Forterra snags $2.5M CLT grant

[enlarge]

Forterra was recently awarded $2.5 million in cash and assistance to further develop its prototype for affordable modular housing made out of cross-laminated timber (CLT). The local nonprofit has been working on the idea for over two years. The $2 million in direct funding, plus two years of future technical assistance, came from Enterprise Community Partners and Wells Fargo. The grant came of out their $12 million Housing Affordability Breakthrough Challenge, which received over 900 applications. (The other five recipients ranged from Texas to New York.) Forterra CEO Michelle Connor said in a statement, “This award enables our region to connect the well-being of rural and urban communities, jobs and the health of our environment.” The hope is that CLT for affordable housing can be sourced from rural timber towns such as Hamilton and Roslyn, and create new jobs in communities of color in Tacoma and Tukwila. (Related: Forterra just announced a plan to buy 30 acres in Roslyn.) Forterra's partners in the CLT effort include Mithun and Aspect Structural Engineers.

Colliers

Halvorsen

Colliers recently announced that industry veteran Beth Halvorsen has joined the firm as executive managing director. She makes the move from CBRE. In her new post, she’ll lead the firm’s Puget Sound brokerage business, including Seattle and Bellevue. She said in a statement, “Colliers’ sterling reputation and entrepreneurial spirit drew me to this incredible opportunity to lead a well-known and respected business in such an exciting region.” Bill Condon and Derek Heed , who previously managed the Seattle and Bellevue offices, respectively, will turn their focus to deals. Collies regional president Kevin Morgan said in a statement, “Under her leadership and with a strong team already in place, I am confident Colliers will continue to solidify itself as the commercial real estate services firm of choice in Puget Sound.”