Dec 08, 2020

Comcast RISE Awards

Comcast Business announced that five black-owned small businesses in Western Washington received Comcast RISE program awards. The awards will allow these businesses to receive consulting, media and creative production services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, or technology upgrades from Comcast Business. The local businesses receiving awards from the first phase of the Comcast Rise program include F-Rock Printing (Seattle), Idman Childcare (Tukwila), Sphere Solar Energy (Seattle), TaxBunny (Burien), ValMed (Tacoma) and Your Money Matters (Auburn). The first phase of Comcast RISE, which stands for “Representation, Investment, Strength and Empowerment,” focused on U.S. Black-owned, small businesses, which were hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. The next phase opens eligibility to include Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-owned, small businesses. They can apply at http://www.ComcastRISE.com.

Seattle Public Schools

The Seattle Public School Board has elected a new slate of officers: Chandra Hampson, president; Brandon Hersey, vice president; and Lisa Rivera-Smith, member-at-large. The board officers will serve for a one-year term.

Impinj

Seattle-based Impinj named Umesh Padval to its board of directors. Padval is a venture partner at Thomvest Ventures and serves as a board member at multiple growth-stage technology companies. Prior to joining Thomvest, Padval worked for over eight years at Bessemer Venture Partners. Padval joins Tom Alberg, Clinton Bybee, Chris Diorio, Dan Gibson, Cathal Phelan, Gregory Sessler, Peter van Oppen, and Theresa Wise on the Impinj board of directors. Impinj is a manufacturer of radio-frequency identification devices and software.

Infectious Disease Research Institute

Seattle's Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI) appointed Candice Decaire to the role of general counsel. Decaire previously held the title of director of legal affairs for IDRI, and prior to that held positions with CACD Consulting, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton and Sutherland Asbill & Brennan. IDRI is a nonprofit global health organization. Founded in 1993, IDRI has 55 employees with more than 100 partners/collaborators around the world.

Guerdon LLC

Merle

Idaho-based Guerdon LLC announced that Michael Merle is returning to Boise as its vice president of business development. Merle has worked for over 30 years in construction, building products and strategic business development. Guerdon runs a modular building factory in Boise and Merle was instrumental in almost every modular hotel built by the company. During his brief hiatus from Guerdon, Merle was vice president of business development for Skender Manufacturing, a construction and manufacturing firm based in Chicago. Guerdon has been focusing on large-scale apartment buildings.

ABC of Western Washington

BrandSafway, Cabinets Northwest and Inland Steel Erectors joined the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington. BrandSafway sells and rents scaffolds and provides forming and shoring solutions. Cabinets Northwest specializes in cabinets for multifamily buildings. Inland Steel Erectors provides commercial structural steel erection.

Dec 04, 2020

King County Metro

White

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the appointment of Terry White as general manager of King County Metro, the region's largest public transportation agency. White was interim general manager and previously served as deputy general manager, where he oversaw all Metro operations. He also has served at Metro as a transportation planner, customer service administrator, communications superintendent and managing director of bus operations.

Slalom

Berry

Seattle-based consulting firm Slalom hired Iesha Berry as its first chief inclusion and diversity officer. Berry brings over 20 years of global experience in diversity and inclusion across various companies and industries including Pfizer, Microsoft and Prudential Financial. Most recently, Berry was the senior vice president of market and site human resources at Bank of America. She will be responsible for leading Slalom's global inclusion and diversity strategy. She will be based out of Slalom's Dallas office.

Beneficial State Bank

Beneficial State Bank, a community bank with locations in Washington, Oregon and California, added two members to its board of directors: Antoinette Malveaux and Reggie Brown. Malveaux was president and CEO of the National Black MBA Association and is currently the managing director of strategic engagement and initiatives for Casey Family Programs. Brown was the first senior financial executive of Microsoft's digital media group and is now board chair of Rainier Scholars, a Seattle-based educational enrichment organization. These board additions come amid new proposed rules from Nasdaq, requiring public companies to have at least one woman on their boards and one individual who is either a person of color or who self-identifies as LGBTQ+. In addition, Rocky Fried, who was a founding board member of Beneficial State Bank, is retiring from his position.

Avalara

Avalara, a provider of tax compliance automation software for businesses, acquired Impendulo, a London-based provider of insurance tax compliance solutions. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Impendulo gives Avalara access to the global insurance compliance business. Headquartered in Seattle, Avalara has offices across the United States, as well as in Brazil, Europe and India.