Oct 06, 2022

ULI offers Everett tour and Emerging Trends

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The Urban Land Institute has two notable events on the horizon. First is an Oct. 13 tour up in Everett at HopeWorks Station North, which earlier this year received a ULI Americas Award for Excellence. Beacon Development Group developed the LEED Platinum-certified, 65-unit affordable housing project for Housing Hope. It was completed circa 2019. Dykeman Architects and GGLO designed the project, which was built by Kirtley-Cole. Second is the annual Emerging Trends confab on Nov. 10 at Stadium Place's Embassy Suites by Hilton. In addition to a summary of that must-have report, there will be a panel discussion. Those experts will be Brian Surrat of Greater Seattle Partners, Rachel Smith of the Seattle Metro Chamber, Andrea Reay of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, Joe Fain of the Bellevue Chamber and A-P Hurd of SkipStone, who'll also serve as moderator. Registration and info: northwest.uli.org.

Newmark

Mealy

In its valuation and advisory group, Newmark announced that Chris Mealy has been promoted to senior managing director and market leader for our region. The firm's Helene Jacobson said in a statement, “Chris has consistently provided best-in-class service and expertise to our clients. He is a leader and mentor among his colleagues and a trusted advisor to our clients.” Said Mealy, “Newmark V&A has made significant, recent investments in technology, an enhanced in-house execution platform and augmented business services. I am excited for our team to leverage these V&A resources.”

Thayer Manca lands Big Trout

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Thayer Manca Residential announced its recent purchase of the 297-unit Big Trout in Liberty Lake. That's a small community a little east of Spokane. Terms weren't disclosed, but TMR says it plans to invest about $10 million in upgrades. The deal brings TMR's Washington state multifamily portfolio to five properties with 808 units. Big Trout is the investor's third state deal in the past four months. (Other properties are in Tumwater and Seattle.) The firm's Joe Manca said in a statement, “It's been quite a year so far. Our conservative and patient approach to deploying investor capital has paid off.” Over five states, TMR has about 3,425 units, which it values at $850 million.

Hotel Ändra

Condé Nast Traveler announced the results of its annual Readers’ Choice Awards with Hotel Ändra in downtown Seattle named a Top 10 Hotel in the Pacific Northwest market. More than 240,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers submitted responses rating their travel experiences across the globe to provide a full snapshot of the top places they enjoyed this year and can’t wait to return to next. The Readers’ Choice Awards are among the longest-running recognition of excellence in the travel industry. Hotel Ändra is located at 2000 4th Ave. in Belltown, Seattle. Ändra, which means ‘change’ in Swedish, has transformed a historic 1926 building into a luxury hotel with 123 rooms and suites. Thanks to its partnership with Chef Tom Douglas restaurants, Hotel Ändra is home to his recreational cooking school Hot Stove Society, and Greek-inspired restaurant Lola. Also on property is Assaggio Ristorante, featuring the cuisine of central and northern Italy.

Neighbors

Neighbors, an enterprise-focused computing devices protection plan company, announced the launch of twelve new program offerings for laptops and tablets designed to increase workforce productivity and lower technology costs. The company has partnered with Fortegra, a global specialty insurer, to help design, support and back its products. Neighbors' products are currently available in 48 U.S. states. Founded by a team of consumer electronics, software and insurance experts, Neighbors, headquartered in Seattle, is an AI-powered digital-first platform. Fortegra and its subsidiaries underwrite and administer insurance products and protection plan solutions across the U.S. and around the world.

Itron

Itron, headquartered in Liberty Lake, has joined forces with Severn Trent Water to digitally transform Warwickshire, England into a smart water region. The collaboration is part of Severn Trent Water's Green Recovery Program and includes the deployment of Itron's advanced metering infrastructure solution, including Itron smart water meters equipped with Cyble multi-connectivity communication modules connected through Itron's partner, Connexin. Deployment of the solution is currently underway and will allow Severn Trent Water to gain a better understanding of water consumption on its network. Severn Trent Water is also taking advantage of Itron's Temetra, the next-generation mobile meter data collection and management solution, as a single meter data management platform to collect and manage meter data, whether via mobile meter reading or communication network. Itron enables utilities and cities to deliver critical infrastructure solutions to communities in more than 100 countries.

Oct 05, 2022

BCRA

Hull

McElroy

Isaiah McElroy has joined BCRA from BLRB Architects and brings nearly five years of construction administration and architectural design experience to the firm. He is a Washington State University graduate where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Architecture Studies. He previously worked in the education market and will be supporting BCRA's multifamily residential and retail markets at the firm's Tacoma office.

Jessica Hull also joined BCRA, from Thomas Architecture Studios, where she primarily worked on multifamily residential projects following the completion of a Master of Architecture program at Washington State University. She is a current member of the Olympia Heritage Commission. Though her previous experience is in architectural design, she is interested in exploring interior design concepts and will have the opportunity to support the interiors department through BCRA's retail market. She is also based in the Tacoma office.

DLR Group

Vander Ploeg

DLR Group has promoted Michael Vander Ploeg to regional workplace leader, focusing on the Northwest region. In his new role, Vander Ploeg will advance the growth of DLR Group's workplace market sector across Oregon and Washington, guiding a team of integrated design and engineering professionals. He will continue innovating the future of the workplace with existing client partners while sparking new partnerships in DLR Group's focus areas, including science+technology, mass timber, and sustainable design and development.

Vander Ploeg is currently researching new ways to collect sensor data from built environments to make them more sustainable, enjoyable, and healthier. In addition to this research, he is working on methods for fabricating new prototype spaces and interactive design installations that engage technology clients with the communities in which they live and work.

FSi

Kelly

FSi announced the addition of Rex Kelly to its engineering office in Spokane. Kelly brings an EIT and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Boise State University. Kelly will focus on energy modeling and supporting Inland Northwest client projects with plumbing and HVAC design.

MG2

Unzelman

MG2 recently announced the promotion of Wendy Unzelman to chief financial officer. Unzelman has more than 35 years in finance and accounting, serving most recently as the firm's vice president of finance. In her new role, she will be responsible for the financial strategies that support the firm's short and long-term business growth.

In her fourteen years at MG2, she has strengthened accounting processes to improve the quality of data and reporting her team provides. Unzelman joined MG2 in 2008 as controller, taking on greater and greater responsibility, including financial planning and analysis, budgeting and forecasting, and succession planning. She was promoted to vice president of finance in 2018. Earlier in her career, she was a CPA in the public accounting firm Yergen & Meyer (now Moss Adams) with a specialty in audits. Unzelman is a graduate of Southern Oregon University and earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She is a past president of the Seattle/Bellevue area chapter of the Washington State CPA Society and is Lean certified.

In addition to elevating Unzelman, MG2 promoted eighteen employees in the firm's Seattle office. Tracy Schneider was promoted to associate director, public relations, Dallas Dyer, was promoted to program manager, Bonnie James is now BIM account manager, Emily Walker is now marketing manager, Katie Bartman is now HR generalist, Lauren Muller has been promoted to marketing coordinator, Colleen Hannah has been promoted to studio administrator 2 and Angelique Brown to contract specialist.

Brittany Hazzard has also been promoted to contract specialist. Sarah Simchuk, in now associate 5, Crystal Fairley is associate 4, Alina Pinchuk is associate 4, Elise Braun is associate 3, Savannah Moller is associate 3, Tehilla Ben Gershom is associate 2, Jessica Bone is associate 2, Katie Fenn is associate 2 and Sruthi Sundaresan is associate 2.

Parametrix

Baker

John Baker has joined Parametrix as a senior construction manager based in Puyallup. He has over 30 years of experience in construction management working with government, petroleum, aerospace, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical clients.

Baker comes to Parametrix from Akana. He specializes in field project supervision, project management, regulatory compliance, and quality control for construction, environmental, and health and safety projects. His project experience includes serving as construction inspector for Metro's Central Waste Transfer Facility Stormwater Treatment System project.

The Riley Group

Angel

Chou

Charlie Chou has joined The Riley Group's geotechnical engineering department as a licensed project geologist. He began his career in 2016 working in the environmental and storm water pollution sectors after earning his Bachelor of Science in Geology from California State University, Fullerton. Chou later expanded his hands-on field experience by working on a variety of complex geology projects which included exploration and collection of data for tidal and infiltration studies.

During this time, he also performed site-specific historical research for Phase I ESAs and aided in environmental report preparation and documentation. In 2020, he received a Master's in Applied Geosciences from the University of Washington, after which he dedicated himself to the geotechnical engineering sector.

Currently his work includes performing geotechnical construction monitoring services on large scale residential plats and infill projects. This work generally consists of performing compaction testing, monitoring of pile installation soil nails/tiebacks, and completing foundation/footing observations. Chou is a certified erosion and sediment control lead. In this role and generally during construction activities, he directs temporary erosion control measures and best management practicesto retain sediment and water onsite. He works directly with the site owner, contractor, and subcontractors to coordinate these efforts. Lastly, he is adept in performing sieve, moisture, proctor, and Atterberg Limit tests in the RGI soil laboratory.

Sam Angel has also joined RGI, as a senior staff geologist, within the company's geotechnical department. He has over three years of experience providing geotechnical, environmental, and hydrogeologic consulting services in the Pacific Northwest and is actively pursuing professional licensure. Originally from Missoula, Montana, Angel began his career working on Phase I and Phase II environmental site assessments in his hometown. Currently, his expertise is in construction, involving exploration geology during design phases and construction monitoring. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Geosciences while attending Pacific Lutheran University, and his Master's in Applied Geosciences from the University of Washington.

During his graduate program, Angel focused in slope stability and drafted a landslide inventory and shallow/deep landslide susceptibility models for the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe. He uses his strong academic background in exploration work and in making recommendations during construction earthwork.

Moda Health

Moda Health, founded in Portland in 1955, will begin offering medical plans in the state of Idaho. Moda Health currently serves communities in Oregon, Alaska, and Texas. In Idaho, the company will offer individual, family, medicare supplement and group medical plans. Moda Health is partnering with the Saint Alphonsus Health Alliance network; the Patient Quality Alliance network, a comprehensive network of hospitals and physicians throughout Southeast Idaho; and Minidoka Memorial Hospital, along with other local providers. Open enrollment for Moda's individual/family medical plans begins Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 15.

Avalara

Avalara, a provider of tax compliance automation for businesses of all sizes, announced that independent proxy advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services has recommended that shareholders vote “For” the pending transaction with Vista Equity Partners at the company's upcoming Special Meeting of Shareholders scheduled for October 14, 2022. The recommendation supports the Avalara board's unanimous recommendation that shareholders vote “For” the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Avalara shareholders. Goldman Sachs is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Avalara, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Perkins Coie are acting as legal counsel. Headquartered in Seattle, Avalara has offices across the U.S. and around the world in Brazil, Europe, and India.

DexCare

Seattle-based DexCare has been selected to participate in Amazon Web Services' Health Equity Initiative, a $40 million, three-year commitment, supporting organizations in developing solutions to advance health equity. Through the initiative, AWS offers AWS credits and customized technical expertise to selected organizations around the world that want to use AWS services to improve health outcomes and health equity in any of the following areas: 1) increasing access to health services for underserved communities; 2) addressing social determinants of health; and 3) leveraging data to promote more equitable and inclusive systems of care. DexCare will use the grant from AWS to build customized dashboards for use by health systems across the country to measure, track, and trend progress towards increased access for medically underserved communities. The initiative is occurring in tandem with the rollout of DexCare's new Localization for Equitable Access feature. The new feature provides language translation to non-English speaking patients while booking a telehealth appointment. Incubated at Providence, DexCare is a data-driven intelligence company focused on making access to healthcare better for everyone. DexCare's core offering is a software platform, provided exclusively to health systems, that orchestrates digital demand and health system capacity across all lines of care.