Dec 11, 2020

Rite Aid

Rite Aid says it exceeded $2.2 million in overall giving to Seattle Children's Hospital for life-saving treatment, medical supplies, research and charitable care. For over a quarter of a century, Rite Aid and The Rite Aid Foundation have supported Seattle Children's as part of their relationship with 53 Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Combined, Rite Aid and its charitable arm will support CMN Hospitals within Rite Aid's 18-state footprint with over $5.6 million in support this year. The Rite Aid Foundation works with a network of nearly 500 nonprofits, with a focus on underserved and disadvantaged populations and locations.

Amazon

Amazon announced 26 new utility-scale wind and solar energy projects, bringing its total investment in renewable energy in 2020 to 35 projects with over 4 gigawatts of capacity. These new projects are in Australia, France, Germany, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. Amazon has a total of 127 renewable energy projects globally, including 59 utility-scale wind and solar renewable energy projects and 68 solar rooftops on fulfillment centers and sort centers. Last year, Amazon and Global Optimism co-founded The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach the Paris Agreement 10 years early and be net-zero carbon by 2040.

Vouched

Seattle-based Vouched announced a $3 million funding round. Led by Flying Fish Partners, the round will accelerate growth of Vouched's identity proofing platform across the banking, fintech and health care industries. Flying Fish is an early stage venture firm providing capital and value-added support to technology companies in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. Bankers Healthcare Group, a provider of financial solutions for licensed health care practitioners and other professionals, also participated. Vouched is a secure, real-time identity verification AI software. This funding round is expected to allow Vouched to move into the European market.

Dec 10, 2020

Emerald Heights

Emerald Heights, a senior Life Plan Community in Redmond, has created and donated more than 350 wooden toys to charities in Western Washington. A group of 13 Emerald Heights residents created wooden puzzles, airplanes, dinosaurs, cars, blocks and tugboats. Bill Dumar, a former resident at Emerald Heights began the Wooden Toys for Charity group in 2014. Since the group began they have donated more than 2,500 toys to children through various charities.

AAA Washington

Kirk Nelson, president & CEO of AAA Washington, provider of emergency road service in Washington and North Idaho, announced plans to retire next summer. Nelson has served as president and CEO since April 2011 after a career at Qwest Communications where he was Washington president. Nelson currently serves on the boards of the Benaroya Research Institute, American Commerce Insurance and Forterra, The AAA Washington Board of Trustees has retained Russell Reynolds to execute the CEO search. The search committee will be led by incoming board chair Greg Bever (retired publisher of Spokane Journal of Business), and Sheila Edwards Lange (president of Seattle Central College). Interested candidates can email Russell Reynolds at AAAWashington@russellreynolds.com.

Panopto

Panopto, a video management system provider for enterprise and higher education, has won the 2020 Training Magazine Network Choice Award for Best Authoring Tools. This is the second year in a row that Panopto has won this award. Headquartered in Seattle, Panopto was founded by technology entrepreneurs and software experts at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science.

DeLille Cellars

DeLille Cellars, one of Woodinville's founding wineries, has announced the hiring of Janna Rinker as director of national sales. Rinker joins DeLille from Copper Cane Wines and Provisions, where she most recently held the role of national account manager. Prior to Copper Cane, Rinker was a founding team member of Washington's Latta Wines. With the addition of Rinker, DeLille will no longer be represented by Vintage Point Partners, a Sonoma-based sales and marketing company. The move follows DeLille's recent remodel of the former Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, including the construction of a new three-story tasting room.

Dec 09, 2020

Washington State Senate

Republican Sen. John Braun has been elected by his caucus to be the new Senate minority leader. Braun, of Centralia, replaces Sen. Mark Schoesler, who announced he was stepping down from his leadership role after eight years but would remain in the chamber as a senator. Braun, first elected to the Senate in 2012, has served as ranking member of the Senate Ways & Means Committee since 2017. He was unanimously elected to the leadership post during the Republican caucus vote, as were other caucus leaders. Sen. Ann Rivers was elected as caucus chair and Sen. Shelly Short was re-elected as floor leader. Sen. Keith Wagoner will step into Rivers' place as floor whip.

Association for Learning Environments

The Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) has recognized Edward Peters with its 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is designed to honor a member who has distinguished themselves by making significant lasting contributions to the educational facility planning industry throughout their career. Peters is the director of capital projects in the Edmonds School District and a long-time member of the Association. His role with the Edmonds School District has been heavily involved in master-planning and bond proposals, focused on the replacement of many dilapidated schools. He has served as Washington State chapter president, as an ALEP commissioner, as chapter governor, and is a multiple recipient of the Pacific Northwest region Lifetime Achievement Award. With approximately 5,300 members, the Association's goal is to build healthy, safe, resilient and sustainable 21st Century learning places.

Fortive

Fortive announced that Rejji Hayes has been appointed to its board of directors, as well as to the audit committee. Since 2017, Hayes has served as executive vice president and chief financial officer of CMS Energy, a publicly traded electric and natural gas company. Hayes also currently serves as chairman of the board of EnerBank USA, a CMS Energy subsidiary and nationwide provider of home improvement loans. Fortive is a provider of technologies for connected workflow solutions, and is headquartered in Everett.

Olson Kundig

Grim

Yuan

Conklin

Seattle-based Olson Kundig promoted Elizabeth Bianchi Conklin, Ming-Lee Yuan and Steve Grim to principal for their contributions to the firm's portfolio and design leadership across market sectors, and their impact on Olson Kundig's internal initiatives and workplace culture. Conklin has worked on regional and international project types, including private residential, cultural and mixed-use. She leads design, production and management, often facilitating collaboration between designers, craftspeople, builders and technical consultants. Yuan has experience on projects that include residential, cultural, hospitality, commercial, institutional, spiritual and educational. She is active with the AIA Seattle Committee on Homelessness and a coordinator of Olson Kundig's International Internship Program and internal staff mentorship program. Grim has worked on project types that include single-family homes and wineries and distilleries, from Hawaii to Wyoming. Olson Kundig provides architecture, landscape architecture and interior design.

Blueline

Dargan

Blueline hired Tom Dargan as a senior project engineer on public works and commercial projects. Dargan has been a project engineer and project manager on education, commercial, industrial, military and data center projects. Recently he was a project manager at Metro Parks Tacoma managing capital parks projects. Blueline provides civil engineering, land use planning and landscape architecture.