Jul 02, 2021

KING TV

Moreno

Media company TEGNA has named Christy Moreno president and general manager at KING 5, the NBC affiliate in Seattle, effective August 2, 2021. Moreno will be responsible for overseeing the station's operations across all platforms as well as defining and ensuring the station's organizational goals are met. Moreno joins KING 5 from WHAS11, TEGNA's ABC affiliate in Louisville, Ky., where she served as president and general manager since 2018. TEGNA operates 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets.

Employee Voice Award

Quantum Workplace, a provider of employee engagement and performance software, as well as a data collector for nearly 50 Best Places to Work programs across North America, announced the winners of its annual Employee Voice Award. The award honors organizations that excel in the employee engagement arena by elevating employee, team and business success. The companies are selected for their efforts in making a difference in workplace culture while positioning themselves as employers of choice. The winner in the DE&I Pioneer category, which recognizes entities that have prioritized a diversity, equity and inclusion strategy, and embedded their efforts throughout the entire workplace culture, was Seattle-based Brighton Jones. Brighton Jones is a wealth management firm, specializing in investment advisory, financial planning, tax and estate planning, and retirement plan services. The firm developed a comprehensive diversity, equity and inclusion strategy that included defining the company's program message, building a business case, outlining employee involvement, and setting objectives and key results. The firm also launched a racial justice community impact circle, where clients provided donations to participate in a year-long forum.

Eight Bells Winery

Eight Bells Winery has named Pete Zachara winery manager. Zachara spent the last four years at Purple Cafe & Wine Bar, working his way up from server to lead sommelier at Purple Bellevue. He is currently studying how to make wine through the enology program at Washington State University. Zachara is a Court of Masters Sommeliers Certified Sommelier, and has a degree in marketing from Washington State University.

Jul 01, 2021

Columbia Pacific secures $27M for LA hotel

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Columbia Pacific Advisors announced the recent provision of a $27 million bridge loan to complete the construction of a 64-room Hyatt Hotel Nue in Los Angeles. The borrower was the Kumar family's S3D Partners LLC. The lender was Campaign Capital, whose Jaz Pirvani worked with Columbia Pacific's Eric Jordan on the deal. The funding was arranged via Columbia Pacific's bridge lending platform. Jordan said in a statement, “Luxury boutique hotels that focus primarily on leisure-driven markets have generally fared better and are expected to recover sooner than properties that are more reliant on convention or group revenue. With cities returning to normal and travelers planning for life back on the road, the Hyatt Hotel Nue should benefit from these trends due to its focus on tourists and locals and its well-timed opening targeted for the end of the year.” The seven-story development is right between Hollywood Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard, in the heart of Hollywood. The architect is nKlosures.

Pilot merges into Portland firm

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Local multifamily specialist Pilot Ventures has folded most of its operations into Capital Pacific Northwest, of Portland, which is a general commercial broker. The merged entity will now be known as CPX. The latter's Tiffany Wright said in a statement, “What attracted us to Pilot Ventures was its culture, which is very compatible with ours. In an industry that's highly transactional by nature, we differ in that we prioritize people and relationships over sales, and Pilot's team enhances our existing culture.” Pilot has been known as a multifamily brokerage and advisor. Its Sean Tufts said, “Now more than ever, owners have diversified into multiple asset classes, whether through acquisitions or repositioning of their own portfolios.” He, Jason Kono and Casey Zejdlik will remain in Seattle. They'll continue to operate the separate Pilot Ventures property management and syndication divisions.

NAIOP Night of the Stars nominations open

Live, in-person events are back, and NAIOP's annual Night of the Stars gala will be held on Nov. 5 at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue. Nominations for your favorite new buildings, deals, developers, etc. are due by July 19. Owing to the pandemic, the past year will be defined as projects completed between July 1, 2020, and Aug. 1, 2021. Finalists will be announced at the Sept. 22 breakfast (yes, live and in-person), with that location still TBD. View all the categories and submit your nominations at naiopwa.org.

Estate Planning Council

Cox

The Estate Planning Council of Seattle appointed a slate of new officers for 2021-2022, with Jolene Cox of Deloitte Tax, as president. Joining Cox is immediate past president Steven Schindler, Perkins Coie; president-elect J. Kim Cacace, BNY Mellon Wealth Management; treasurer Dan Halos, The Bailey Group; and secretary Teresa Byers, Ogden Murphy Wallace. The executive committee includes Anna Cashman, KHBB Law; Allison Kollack, King & Oliason; Chris Downing, Greene Wealth Management; and Debra Smiley, Laird Norton Wealth Management. The Estate Planning Council of Seattle, originally founded in the early 1940s, is comprised of King County estate planning lawyers, certified public accountants, trust officers, insurance agents and financial planners. The council promotes the highest quality estate planning services in the Pacific Northwest by developing and improving the capabilities of its members, fostering cooperation among professionals, and by educating the public about estate planning matters.

Avalara

Avalara, a provider of tax compliance automation software for businesses of all sizes, appointed global technology leader and innovator Srinivas Tallapragada and retired Lt. Gen. Bruce Crawford to its board of directors. Tallapragada is president and chief engineering officer of Salesforce, where he leads a global team responsible for building and managing the company's products and platform. Prior to Salesforce, he held multiple leadership roles at Oracle and SAP, where he led enterprise software development and was responsible for the integration of numerous acquisitions. Crawford is senior vice president for strategic development, growth and sales at Jacobs, a technology-enabled solutions provider. Prior to joining Jacobs, Crawford served in the Army for 34 years, including his final position as the army's chief information officer. Headquartered in Seattle, Avalara has offices across the U.S. and around the world.

PRR

PRR, an integrated communications agency, announced Lynnette Bradbury is the new chief financial officer. Bradbury has more than 20 years of experience in professional services firms, including seven years of experience working for Seattle-based EnviroIssues. She has led all aspects of finance and accounting, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, analysis, and contract management and compliance. Bradbury is an advisor to PRR's board of directors and a member of PRR's management team. Established in 1981, PRR is a certified women-owned business specializing in the transportation, health care and environmental sectors. PRR is a bicoastal agency with offices in Seattle; Washington, D.C.; Norfolk, Virginia; and Baltimore.