Oct 30, 2020

City of Kenmore

Kenmore City Councilmember Corina Pfeil received an Advanced Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities. AWC's program recognizes city and town elected officials for accomplishing training in four areas: roles, responsibilities and legal requirements; public sector resource management; community planning and development; and effective local leadership. To earn the certificate, Pfeil completed more than 60 hours of training credits and demonstrated community service. She has served on the Kenmore City Council since the start of the year. Founded in 1933, AWC is a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan corporation that represents Washington's 281 cities and towns before state lawmakers and regulatory agencies.

Teleion

Seattle-based Teleion has been recognized as one of Washington's 100 Best Places to Work for 2020 by Seattle Business Magazine. The company has been listed as the 20th best place to work in the mid-sized company category. Teleion, a strategic and professional services company founded in 2008, provides digital marketing operations, analytics and insight; and cybersecurity and compliance.

Novus Coffee Imports

Seattle-based Novus Coffee Imports, a division of The Mercon Group, is changing its name to Mercon Specialty. Mercon Coffee Group is a vertically integrated green coffee supplier committed to farmers' sustainability. With a global reach of more than 60 countries and over 65 years of experience, Mercon is involved in the supply chain, from farming and production to trading, logistics and risk management.

Shepherd's Grain

Shepherd's Grain growers donated $50,000 to feed communities across the Pacific Northwest during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a focus on contributing to organizations providing hunger relief, helping families in need, and preparing meals for seniors, schoolchildren and homeless communities, the company's cash and flour donations are benefiting local food banks, nonprofits and restaurants. Included are Seattle-based FareStart, Food Lifeline, Second Harvest and the Restaurant Workers Relief Program. More than 38 Shepherd's Grain farmers agreed to contribute funds directly from their profits of selling wheat to create Shepherd's Grain flour. Founded in 2003 by farmers Fred Fleming and Karl Kupers in eastern Washington, Shepherd's Grain promotes no-till, direct-seed farming.

Oct 29, 2020

City of Kenmore

The city of Kenmore is seeking volunteers to serve on the Planning Commission. Candidates must be Kenmore residents and could be selected to start a three-year term starting in January 2021, or could fill a future vacancy. The application deadline is Nov. 16. The Planning Commission serves as a policy advisory body to the City Council providing guidance and recommendations on the city's comprehensive plan and related land use documents. All commission members are unpaid volunteers. Applications should be submitted to Debbie Bent, community development director, at Kenmore City Hall, 18120 68th Ave. N.E., Kenmore, WA 98028 or via email at dbent@kenmorewa.gov.

Installed Building Products

Installed Building Products announced the acquisition of Norkote. Founded in 1952, Norkote is headquartered in Everett, and installs specialty coatings for fire protection, insulation and acoustics in commercial and industrial applications. Installed Building Products is a installer of insulation and complementary building products, including waterproofing, fire-stopping, fireproofing, and other products for residential and commercial builders in the continental United States.

Ste. Michelle

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates announced the retirement of Jim Mortensen, president and CEO. David Dearie has been appointed to succeed Mortensen. Dearie's career includes positions at Treasury Wine Estates where he served as CEO and managing director for Fosters Wine Group. Prior to this, he spent more than a decade in leadership positions at Brown-Forman, including managing director of Brown-Forman Beverages for Western Europe and Africa, and as president and COO of Brown-Forman Wine Group. Currently Dearie is founder and managing director of East Wind Consulting. He is also chairman of Lark Distillery. The Ste. Michelle label was first introduced in 1967. Today, SMWE owns more than 3,700 vineyard acres across Washington, Oregon and California.

Western Washington University

Ellucian, a provider of software and services built to power higher education, announced that the Western Washington University Foundation and the WWU Alumni Association have launched Ellucian CRM Advance to support its fundraising, alumni engagement and advancement efforts. CRM Advance will integrate with the university's enterprise resource planning software to create more targeted and personalized campaigns to encourage increased engagement and donor activity.

$96M refi deal for 9th & Thomas

[enlarge]

Website Commercial Observer recently reported, citing analyst Fitch Ratings, that the Amazon-leased 9th & Thomas building has received a $96 million refinancing loan from Bank of California. The owner of the office building at 234 Ninth Ave. N. is the Redman family (separate from Sellen Construction). Fitch says the 10-year, interest-only loan carries a rate of 3.6%. The new commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) loan retires the old construction loan taken out circa 2016, when the nine-story office project broke ground. Olson Kundig designed the building, which Sellen built. Fitch says the lease for Amazon Fulfillment Services runs through July 2033, with two seven-year options to extend.

Madison Marquette

Almond

Two new hires were recently announced by Madison Marquette, one in Seattle. Heather Almond joins the firm's retail practice as an executive VP. She makes the move from CBRE, and will focus on property management and marketing strategy. Madison Marquette CEO Vince Costantini said in a statement, “These strategic hires augment the firm's growth and scale by adding additional talented resources to an exceptional team of professionals across the country.” Said Almond, “My passion for creating engaging consumer environments and experiences aligns well with Madison Marquette's legacy as an innovative placemaker and vision for its properties.” The firm's local portfolio includes Pacific Place and Bellevue Connection.