Dec 14, 2021

Standard Insurance

Ijaz

Beaulieu

Hibbs

Portland-based Standard Insurance (The Standard) announced that Scott Hibbs, vice president and chief investment officer, will retire at the end of December. The company also announced additional leadership team and organizational changes. Hibbs joined The Standard in 2000 as assistant vice president of Investor Relations and Financial Planning. He has served as vice president of the company's asset management businesses since 2009 and became chief investment officer in 2013. Chris Beaulieu, currently vice president of Individual Annuities and Investments, will join The Standard's senior leadership team and has been promoted to vice president and chief investment officer. Beaulieu will lead enterprise Investment Management, Fixed Income, the Commercial Mortgage Division and Real Estate. AJ Ijaz, currently vice president of Retirement Plans, has been promoted to vice president of the Asset Management Group. His new role will include responsibility for Retirement Plans, Institutional Products and Individual Annuities.

Taiyo Pacific Partners

Taiyo Pacific Partners announced that it has accumulated in excess of 9% in Raccoon Holdings. Raccoon has built an online ecosystem for Japanese small and medium enterprises with their e-commerce platform and fintech business. Michael King, chief investment officer and managing partner of Taiyo Pacific Partners, said, “We are excited to see Raccoon has been able to continuously grow their EC business user base with both repeat purchasers and sellers on the Super Delivery platform consistently increasing over the past 4 years. With recent success expanding sales rapidly in Taiwan and North America, we are also looking forward to strong growth as Raccoon helps Japanese manufacturers reach overseas markets efficiently.” Taiyo Pacific Partners, located in Kirkland, was founded in 2003, and firm currently manages over $3.7 billion in Japan-focused funds.

Valkyrie Entertainment

Sony Interactive Entertainment has entered into an agreement to acquire Seattle-based videogame developer, Valkyrie Entertainment. Best known for providing content and co-development services for several studios, Valkyrie Entertainment will join PlayStation Studios as the 17th studio and will aid in the development of key PlayStation Studios franchises. The day-to-day operations post-acquisition will continue to be run by Valkyrie Entertainment's current management team. Terms were not disclosed. Valkyrie Entertainment has been providing the video games industry with art production services and co-development since 2002.

UMC

Clinton

Shdo

Anthony Shdo joined UMC as controls sales manager for the Building Automation and Controls group. The company also announced that Martin Clinton passed all requirements and examinations to become a Certified Energy Auditor. Shdo has over 12 years of experience in the HVAC industry, holding positions as an HVAC technician, energy engineer, building controls project manager, and building controls sales manager. He grew up in a family-owned and operated mechanical contracting business. Clinton, building performance services manager at UMC, is now one of about 15 CEAs in Washington, according to the company. He specializes in building operations and is an expert in the Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard. CEAs undertake energy-efficiency assessments that cover building systems, occupancy, operations, maintenance and code compliance. Mukilteo-based UMC is a mechanical engineering, facilities maintenance and construction company.

Structurlam

Potter

Penticton, British Columbia-based Structurlam Mass Timber hired Jon Potter as mass timber specialist for the Pacific Northwest region. Potter has a master's degree in civil engineering, and a background in structural analysis and design with a focus on wood design projects. He is based in Seattle. Structurlam's structural mass timber products include CrossLam cross-laminated timber panels and GlulamPLUS glue-laminated columns and beams.

Joseph McKinstry Construction

Billy Stauffer and Wes Yang have become partners and co-owners of Joseph McKinstry Construction Co., and as a result the company changed its name to McKinstry Stauffer Yang Construction. Stauffer joined the company in 2014. He began his career as a residential architect, and holds a bachelor's degree in ornamental horticulture and landscape design from the University of Tennessee and a master's degree in architecture from the University of Washington. Yang has been with the company for 22 years and holds a bachelor's degree in construction management from the UW. Joseph McKinstry started the company in 1977 and remains a co-owner. The company specializes in high-end residential and commercial construction.

Dec 10, 2021

Urbanova

Urbanova announced that Mason Burley has been appointed CEO of the organization. He will succeed current CEO and co-founder Kim Zentz on December 16, 2021. Zentz transitions to principal consultant to continue Urbanova work in progress. Burley most recently served as director of research at Innovia Foundation, where he led efforts to evaluate the impact of foundation investments in large-scale community initiatives. He also currently serves as an adjunct professor in Eastern Washington University's College of Professional Programs and is the 2021 chairperson for Priority Spokane. Burley spent over 20 years as a senior research associate at the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, a non-partisan legislative research organization. Headquartered in Spokane and incorporated in 2016, Urbanova is an urban innovation partnership focused on driving equitable solutions for midsize cities.

Perkins Coie

Perkins Coie announced that James (Jim) Go has joined the firm's Intellectual Property practice as a partner in its Seattle office. Go focuses his practice on patent preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patents in the related fields of electrical and computer engineering. He provides counsel on patent reexaminations, preparation and prosecution, opinion of patent infringement and validity, strategic intellectual property planning, patent portfolio management, due diligence, litigation support and general intellectual property matters. He counsels clients across range of technology industry sectors, including computer software and hardware, Internet and electronic commerce technology, digital and analog circuits, photonics, semiconductor processes, networking, communications and related technologies. Go joins Perkins Coie from Christenson O'Connor Johnson Kindness, where he was an intellectual property member. Previously, he was the managing partner of the Seattle office of Blakely Sokoloff Taylor and Zafman, where he also served on the firmwide management committee.

City of Tacoma

The Tacoma City Council voted to adopt Ordinance 28793 approving Phase 1 of the Home in Tacoma Project during its December 7 meeting. The council action changes Tacoma's housing growth strategy from an emphasis on detached single-family houses to instead support a range of missing middle housing types in most Tacoma neighborhoods. The new policies call for strong design standards, limitations on the size and height of new buildings, steps to ensure that infrastructure needs are met, affordability and anti-displacement programs, and other actions to ensure that housing development meets multiple goals. In addition, the action on Home in Tacoma Phase 1 adopts several changes to current housing rules to promote affordability and infill, as well as a Housing Action Plan to guide implementation efforts. The action also initiates the second phase of policy work and community engagement to develop zoning and standards to implement Tacoma's new housing growth strategy. The city is now preparing a schedule an engagement strategy for Home in Tacoma Phase 2, which will begin in early 2022.