Apr 16, 2021

Oregon Pacific Bank

Robert Edstrom, executive vice president and chief credit officer, will be retiring from Oregon Pacific Bank on June 25th, 2021. Edstrom joined Oregon Pacific Bank in 2014, leading the loan approval process between 2016 and 2020, Edstrom also revitalized the bank's credit risk practices and implemented underwriting standardization procedures. In the wake of Edstrom's retirement, the position of executive vice president and chief credit officer will be filled internally by James Atwood. Atwood joined Oregon Pacific Bank in 2020 as senior vice president, senior credit administrator. He brings with him over eighteen years of experience in various facets of credit administration.

Auth0

Auth0 has appointed Lucy McGrath as the company's first vice president of privacy. McGrath has 20 years of diverse data privacy experience working with Fortune 500 brands, including Thermo Fisher Scientific, Promontory Financial Group, NBCUniversal, Salesforce, and TJX Europe. As Auth0's VP of privacy, she will lead global data privacy programs, further embed privacy-by-design principles into Auth0's products and processes, and continue to shape a culture of privacy for the company and its customers. McGrath holds degrees in science and law, and is based in London. Auth0, whose North American headquarters is located in Seattle, provides a platform to authenticate, authorize, and secure access for applications, devices, and users.

Washington Trust Bank

Washington Trust Bank announced that it will open a new branch in Central Oregon. The new financial center, located at 1203 NE 3rd Street in Bend, will be completed in September 2021 and will include approximately 12 team members offering commercial, mortgage, private and retail banking and wealth management services. The current team is now serving clients at a temporary office space until the financial center opens in the fall. Senior vice president Cory Allen heads the Central Oregon team which includes assistant vice president credit analyst Audrey Belden, alongside relationship managers Mike Groza, Paul MacMillan and Ashley Mears. The bank has been a growing presence in Oregon since it first entered the Portland market in 2005. Headquartered in Spokane, Washington Trust Bank currently has 42 branches and offices in Washington, Idaho and Oregon.

NW Natural Water

NW Natural Water Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest Natural Holding, completed two acquisitions and signed three additional agreements to acquire utilities near its existing service territories, furthering the company's growth strategy in the water utility sector. Closed acquisitions include Morning View Water in the Idaho Falls area and Del Bay Association in Freeland, Washington. In addition, NW Natural Water subsidiaries have executed the following acquisition agreements: Troy Hoffman Water in northern Idaho; Belle Oaks Water & Sewer in southeast Texas; and Pelican Point Water in Washington. Northwest Natural Holding Company is headquartered in Portland and has been doing business for over 160 years in the Pacific Northwest. It owns NW Natural Gas, NW Natural Water, and other business interests.

Apr 15, 2021

Seattle Kraken

The Seattle Kraken announced their youth hockey and skating academy coaching staff. Chad Goodwin was named director of skating, Martin Hlinka director of youth hockey, and David Min and Katelyn Parker player development coaches. The programs will begin in Fall 2021 when the Kraken Training Center opens to the public. Goodwin comes from the Vegas Golden Knights where he established their skating program, while Hlinka joins from the Canisius College's Men's Hockey Program in Buffalo, New York where he was an assistant coach. Min was most recently a coach for Sno-King Amateur Hockey Association in Kirkland, Renton and Snoqualmie, and Parker was an assistant coach for the Division I NCAA University of Connecticut Women's Hockey team. The Kraken Training Center will consist of three NHL-sized ice rinks, the Kraken Bar & Grill, and a team store. In addition to skating and hockey lessons, fans will be able to participate in activities, including watching Kraken team practice and attending public skate sessions. The Seattle Kraken are set to play their inaugural season in 2021-2022 at Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center, developed by Oak View Group.

Rainier Partners

Rainier Partners has acquired Calpine Containers and its subsidiaries in partnership with members of the Calpine's management team. Headquartered in Clovis, California, Calpine is one of the largest West Coast packaging distributors serving the agriculture industry. Calpine's employees have retained an ownership interest in the company alongside Rainier, and it will continue to be managed by Walt Tindell, Ken Sommers (CFO), and Eva Hammond (CAO). Founded in 2020 and based in Seattle, Rainier Partners is a private equity firm that invests in lower middle-market businesses, primarily in the Western United States and Canada.

T-Mobile

T-Mobile US announced that finance executive Bavan Holloway has been nominated to join its board of directors. If elected by stockholders, Holloway is expected to join the board and its Audit Committee after T-Mobile's annual stockholders meeting on June 3. The company's other 12 board members will also stand for re-election at that annual meeting. Holloway previously was vice president of corporate audit for Boeing, among other senior finance roles. She was also a Partner at KPMG. She currently serves on the board for TPI Composites and the YWCA Seattle/King/Snohomish. T-Mobile also announced that board member Lawrence Guffey will not seek re-election at the annual meeting and that board member Stephen Kappes has resigned from the board.

SeaLevel leasing new Everett waterfront units

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A fire last summer hindered the construction of the Waterfront Place Apartments in Everett, which is part of the Port of Everett's broader 65-acre Waterfront Place redevelopment. However, SeaLevel Properties announced that the phased, two-building project is well on track, and that pre-leasing has begun for the 135-unit north building. That should open later this spring, and the 131-unit south building is slated for completion next year. Gracorp is the builder, and Tiscareno Associates is the architect. SeaLevel's John Shaw said in a statement, “This will no doubt build momentum for the Port's broader waterfront vision and will build energy for the Port's next office and residential phase.”

Seattle Housing Authority

Brandon

Seattle Housing Authority's present executive director, Andrew Lofton, will retire next month after 17 years with the agency. Into his shoes, the agency announced, will step Rod Brandon, its current director of housing operations. He's been with SHA for a dozen years. SHA board chairman Paul Purcell said in a statement, “While we saw some excellent candidates from around the country, we selected Rod not because he is already a senior leader with SHA but because he is.” Said Brandon, “The need for affordable housing and services is far from met in Seattle, and I'm excited to build on our progress and valuable partnerships as we pursue a vision to expand housing opportunities, promote quality communities and improve more lives.”

JLL

Garces

JLL recently announced the hiring of industry veteran Marcelo Garces. He makes the move from Kinzer Partners. His new position is senior VP, with a focus on tenant representation. He has ample experience with life science and data center clients, both of which are now in high demand. JLL's Joe Gowan said in a statement, “His strong analytical and technical skills combined with his commitment to quality will fit right in to the JLL culture.” Garces added, “JLL has grown into a leader in the data center space in particular, and I'm eager to apply my experience in that field alongside this amazing team.”

NAI promotes trio

NAI Puget Sound Properties announced the recent promotion of three brokers to partner. They are Taylor Okada, who focuses on office and industrial properties north of Seattle and on the Eastside; Connor Powell, who specializes in the South King County industrial market; and Kyle Sterling, who handles office, retail and industrial properties, also south of Seattle.