Mar 22, 2022

Delta Dental

Robinson

Delta Dental of Washington selected Monty Robinson as its new chief revenue officer. Robinson will oversee the sales, account management, product development and customer implementation teams and is responsible for the vision and strategies to increase value to customers, retaining existing accounts, drive new growth and develop innovative products and services. With more than 24 years of healthcare and financial services experience, Robinson comes to Delta Dental with success in leading enterprise business, talent management, strategic planning, and organizational readiness strategies. Prior to this, Robinson held key senior leadership positions for sales at Aetna and at Nationwide Financial. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Management & Finance from the University of South Carolina, and an MBA in Marketing from Troy University in Alabama. Delta Dental of Washington is the state’s leading dental benefit provider, covering over 3 million people in Washington state and nationally.

HDC of Seattle-King County

Malaba

The Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County (HDC) announced that Patience Malaba has been selected as HDC’s next executive director. For almost four years at HDC, and in increasing levels of responsibility, Malaba has served as HDC’s director of government relations and policy. Prior to that, she managed Seattle for Everyone, a broad coalition that was central to the success of Seattle’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda. Previous positions also include work with Futurewise and the Services Employees International Union Local 6. Malaba was the 2020 Bullitt Foundation Environmental Fellowship awardee. An advocate for affordable homes and equitable communities, her efforts have advanced cross-sector partnerships that resulted in equitable access to affordable housing. The Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County was founded in 1988 by 10 non-profit housing providers. HDC’s mission is to build, sustain, and inspire a diverse network committed to producing, preserving, and increasing equitable access to affordable homes.

Kymeta

Kymeta, a communications company making mobile global, has introduced three new product brands for the u8 terminal including the Hawk TM u8, Goshawk TM u8, and Osprey TM u8. Along with new Kymeta branding, the company announced the Osprey u8 product for the military is now shipping. In addition, the company introduced significantly lower pricing for the Hawk u8 . This follows last week’s news of $84 million in new financing to further evolve the company’s growth as it prepares to expand offerings for LEO and defense customers. Kymeta was recently named one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies and listed as No. 5 on the 10 Most Innovative Space Companies of 2022 by Fast Company. Kymeta’s satellite connectivity solutions offer turnkey bundled solutions to the market based on best-in-class technologies and tailored customer-centric services. Kymeta is a privately held company based in Redmond.

UMC

Portello

Munly

Bray

In its Special Projects group, Mukilteo-based UMC promoted Joe Bray and Jag Singh to account managers; and Kyle Munly, Ray Portello and John Shine to project managers. UMC says both Bray and Singh rose through the ranks through their dedication to a consultative approach with customers and their leadership. Bray joined the company in 2016 and Singh came on the following year. Singh is also the life sciences sector lead for the Special Projects group. Munly is an experienced estimator with three years at UMC. His recent projects include Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and a high-tech office client in Redmond. Portello joined the company three years ago and is now working on project management support for Fred Hutch and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Shine has four years at UMC and focuses on life sciences, health care and high-tech commercial office projects.

Proform Builds

McMullen

Doan

Robertson

Fentress

Sherman

Seattle-based general contractor Proform Builds promoted Jasun Sherman from superintendent to general manager, and Kristi Fentress from marketing director to operations manager; and hired Joshua Robertson as superintendent, and Jimmy Doan and Jake McMullen as lead carpenters. Sherman is a LEED AP. Joey Fentress founded Proform in 2007 and added a Special Projects Division last spring for smaller projects. The company specializes in luxury residential construction, including full-scale remodels and new construction.

Olympus Technical Services

Olympus Technical Services, a provider of environmental drilling and subsurface sampling services in Montana, bought another combination drill rig and will have a geologist-led drilling crew based in Boise beginning in May. Olympus says it has recently received a lot inquiries about environmental drilling services in Idaho, but it didn't pencil out to bring in the company's rig from Billings. It says the drilling crew in Boise will make the logistics a lot easier and reduce costs for clients. Both of Olympus' drill rigs are Geoprobe 78 Series models.

Mar 18, 2022

CougsFirst!

CougsFirst! hired Tony Poston as its new executive director. CougsFirst! was launched in 2010 by Washington State University alumni in various businesses across the state who wanted to encourage WSU graduates and friends to “Think Cougs First” for products and services. Annual trade shows in Seattle and Spokane featuring businesses owned, managed or affiliated with WSU alumni are among its most visible undertakings but the organization has grown to encompass a mentoring program, business education, virtual events and a golf tournament, with 350 plus business members that span across all industries. Poston, a WSU graduate who has served on the CougsFirst! board of directors since 2019, stepped down as CEO of College Hill on Jan. 1 in order to focus more on community-building endeavors. Poston launched College Hill in 2011 after five years managing artists and band merchandise in the music industry. In 10 years, College Hill grew from a one-room operation in an apartment to a member of Inc. magazine's 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies in America in 2016.

Artist Trust

Artist Trust, a nonprofit that supports working artists of all disciplines in Washington State, announced the recipients of the 2022 Artist Trust Fellowship Awards: visual artists Crista Ann Ames, David Chatt, and Tamela Laclair; performing artists Alfonso Cervera, Nia-Amina Minor, and Jovino Santos Neto; multidisciplinary artists Kamari Bright (Fellowship Award for Black Artists), Camas Logue, Darrell McKinney (Greg Kucera & Larry Yocom Fellowship Award), d.k. pan, and D.A. Navoti; media artist Neely Goniodsky; and literary artists Shin Yu Pai, Olivia Stephens, and Arianne True. Each artist received a cash award of $10,000. 2022 marks the largest Fellowship cycle in Artist Trust's history, with $150,000 in funding awarded to fifteen Washington state artists, compared to $90,000 the prior year. In October 2021, long-time donors Greg Kucera and Larry Yocom contributed $500,000 to create two new permanent Fellowship Awards: the Greg Kucera & Larry Yocom Fellowship Award, and the Artist Trust Fellowship Award for Black Artists, both awarded for the first time this year. This gift, combined with renewed support from the Vadon Foundation and increased support from individual donors, allowed Artist Trust to provide fifteen awards this year. Arianne True was selected as the recipient of the Vadon Foundation Fellowship Award for Native Artists.

Symetra

Symetra is the recipient of a 2022 Celent Model Insurer Award, winning in the Innovation Execution category for its Symetra SwiftTerm digital term life insurance platform. Celent, a global research and advisory firm for the financial services industry, announced the awards at their annual Innovation & Insight Week. Launched in June 2021, Symetra SwiftTerm offers term life insurance coverage through a streamlined application process. Qualified applicants can apply, pay and get their policy online — from whatever device they choose — in as little as 25 minutes. Celent Model Insurer Award nominations undergo a rigorous evaluation process by Celent analysts, who assess insurer submissions on three core criteria: demonstrable business benefits of live initiatives; the degree of innovation relative to the industry; and the technology or implementation excellence. Symetra Life Insurance is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue.