Aug 17, 2023

New roles at Security Properties

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Multifamily firm Security Properties recently announced some changes in the executive suite. Bob Krokower leaves his seat as CFO and CEO to become vice chairman of the board of directors. Board chairman Paul Pfleger said in a statement, “Bob has done an outstanding job recruiting and developing the talent within our company as CEO.” Taking that latter position is Dan Byrnes, who added, “I am enormously grateful to Bob for laying a solid foundation for our future.” Both have been with the company for some two decades. Lastly, Jason McKinley has been promoted to chief operating officer. The firm is active nationally, with its most prominent local project now under construction being the 29-story Confidential (pictured), in Belltown.

Corliss starts on another 64 Pierce County units

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In its ongoing partnership with Schuur Brothers Construction, Corliss Management Group announced the start of another phase at Sunrise, south of Puyallup and east of Frederickson, which has the working title of Area 26. That's to add another 64 apartments to the much larger and continuing Sunrise effort, which spans about 1,467 acres. (Planning began there in the 1980s.) Completion for Area 26 is expected next year. Eric Corliss said in a statement, “As we witness the changing landscape of the housing market, we recognize the importance of diversifying the types of homes we offer within our community. We aim to develop and provide housing that supports the various stages of life that people experience.” Pierce County long ago approved the creation of over 4,000 units at Sunrise; some completed portions have since been sold.

Greystar's Accolade lands $74M in refinancing

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Up in the U District, Greystar completed its 21-story Accolade student housing tower last autumn, and its 597 beds have been filling up ever since. And earlier this month, Affinius Capital announced that it secured new loans for that and a similar new development near the University of Oregon. Accolade's $74 million came from GIM Commercial Mortgage Loan Fund LP, which is associated with JPMorgan Asset Management. The same lender supported the 582-bed Oregon project, for a total of $162 million, said Affinius. Its Harris Neuberg said in a statement, “Higher education has historically fared well during times of economic uncertainty, and the purpose-built student housing sector continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience in today's market.” Affinius also disclosed that Greystar's partner in both projects was Tikehau Star Infra. (There was no recorded construction loan for Accolade, which was designed by Weber Thompson and built by Exxel Pacific.) Affinius is, as of March, the new moniker for the merged USAA Real Estate and Square Mile Capital.

Fourth Avenue Capital sets up shop

A trio of experienced developers has launched a new investment and development firm, Fourth Avenue Capital, which instantly has a portfolio resulting from the recent combination. Brian Betts, Davis Vaughn and Chris Rossman come from Wolff and Security Properties, and they said in an early-August press release that they now own or manage 17 properties with over 1,000 units (or beds). They value those assets at over $225 million. Looking ahead, they value future developments or investments at $125 million, working in what they term the middle market. Vaughn said in a statement, “We will continue to take advantage of the pricing inefficiencies in the middle market and build a durable portfolio of high-quality real estate.” The company website lists multifamily properties reaching from Arizona to Oregon to our market. One example is the 20-unit Calabria at Talus in Issaquah (pictured), acquired two years ago for almost $9 million.

Renton Downtown Partnership

Shulkind

Renton Downtown Partnership (RDP) named Joshua Shulkind as executive director. Shulkind will take over leadership of the partnership on Aug. 28. Shulkind joins RDP from Clover Park Technical College, where he worked as its grant development manager. Shulkind also served as the founder and executive director of Thrive Cities in Edgewood, where he recruited and led a four-person board of directors producing events. He spent two years at the Puyallup Food Bank, where he implemented the Navigation and Partnerships Program. The Renton Downtown Partnership is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and enhancing the downtown district's economic vitality, cultural vibrancy, and fostering collaboration between businesses, residents, and local government.

TrueBlue

Owen

Tacoma-based TrueBlue, a provider of specialized workforce solutions, announced that Taryn Owen has been promoted to president and chief executive officer and a member of the TrueBlue Board of Directors, effective Sept. 12. Owen will succeed current CEO Steven Cooper. Owen has served as TrueBlue president and COO since September 2022. Over her 13-year tenure with TrueBlue, she has led the company through significant periods of growth, was instrumental in its pandemic response and recovery, spearheaded its digital transformation strategies and successfully led several acquisitions and substantial international expansion. Owen has been recognized for her industry leadership, including annual appearances on the Staffing Industry Analysts' Staffing 100 and Global Power 150. Cooper initially retired as TrueBlue CEO in 2018 and went on to serve as chairman of the board. Over his 25 years of service, Cooper led TrueBlue's transformation from a general labor staffing business to a specialized workforce solutions provider. In June 2022, he stepped back into the CEO role and will now serve in an advisory capacity through December, when he will retire from the company. Additionally, Paul Reitz recently joined the TrueBlue Board of Directors. Reitz is the CEO of Titan International and a member of its board of directors. Reitz joined Titan as chief financial Officer in 2010 and was later promoted to president in 2014, and then CEO in 2017.

Eclypsium

Portland-based Eclypsium, a supply chain security company protecting hardware, firmware, and software products and technologies, appointed John Ewert as chief financial and operating officer, and Chris Radosh as vice president of business development and global channels. Ewert has over 25 years of experience in enterprise technology. Prior to joining Eclypsium, Ewert held chief financial and operating officer positions at SheerID, Corpay, and AWS Elemental. Ewert earned his MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. Radosh will be responsible for managing Eclypsium's partnerships and alliances, as well as the company's Global Partner Strategy. Radosh brings over 30 years of experience managing and growing global technology businesses. Prior to joining Eclypsium, he held several executive roles at Trend Micro, most recently as president & COO of Trend Micro Federal. He previously served as COO at TippingPoint, a network security business within Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Radosh has also held various executive roles at Borland Software, FIS Global, Motorola Semiconductor, and Sun Microsystems. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors.

Aug 16, 2023

Ahtna

Robbins

Brian Robbins has joined Ahtna as the new vice president of information technology. He will be responsible for overseeing the IT needs for the entire Ahtna family of companies. Robbins began his career in IT as a member of the Armed Forces, and has a diverse background in multiple technology and leadership roles. He holds a double major bachelor of applied science in business administration and cyber security. Ahtna is an Alaska Native Regional Corporation formed under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971, and is based out of Glennallen, Alaska. The company currently has over 2,200 shareholders, the majority of whom are of Ahtna Athabascan descent, and employs more than 1,100 people worldwide.

Curator

Geller

Curator, a Seattle-based public relations agency specializing in lifestyle and consumer brands, announced the expansion of its team with the hiring of a new strategic communication specialist. Madeline Geller has joined the agency as a Seattle-based assistant account executive after completing an internship with Curator in Fall of 2022.

In her new role, Geller will be responsible for the ideation and implementation of communication strategies for clients including Chef Ann Foundation, Washington's Lottery, Skanska and more. Geller is a recent graduate from Central Washington University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and Sports Business. Previously, she interned at 88.1 The Burg, Central Washington University's college radio station as the social media & promotions coordinator. Curator was founded in 2009.

Barghausen Consulting Engineers

Lazaga

Rutikanga

McEwen

Nazarchuk

Piburn

Barghausen Consulting Engineers, Inc. has recently expanded its team by welcoming five new employees as of July 2023, and promoting one employee. The firm has welcomed one architectural project manager, two design engineers, an assistant planner and a senior project manager to its Kent team. One member of the firm's Long Beach, CA team was recently promoted.

Logan Piburn started with Barghausen on July 5 as an architectural project manager. He previously worked as a project manager for Dyron Murphy Architects, P.C., for 16 years in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Before that, he spent three years as a CAD Technician for Arch Pac Aquatics.

Nazariy Nazarchuk joined Barghausen on July 10 as a design engineer. He recently obtained his EIT (Engineer in Training) certification after graduating from Seattle University with a B.S. in civil engineering in June 2023. He previously interned with Coughlin Porter Lundeen last summer and fall.

Leilani McEwen started on July 17 as a senior project manager. McEwen worked as a project manager for Dry Utility Consultants for the last six years, where she focused on multifamily residential and building commercial projects. Before that, she was a special project manager with a Mergers and Acquisition firm, specializing in presenting mid-market business to European buyers.

Irene Rutikanga joined Barghausen on July 17 as an assistant planner. He graduated in 2022 from Eastern Washington University with a B.A. in urban and regional planning. During school he did an internship with Nexus Planning Services. After graduation he worked at the city of Auburn as a planning assistant.

Lucas Lazaga returned to Barghausen on July 26 as a design engineer. Lazaga interned with Barghausen in the summer of 2022, while he was attending Seattle University where he recently graduated in June 2023 with his B.S. in civil engineering. Shortly after graduation, Lazaga passed the FE exam.

Sherise Parker was recently promoted to senior project manager, after being an essential member of Long Beach's fueling team since May 2012. Parker serves as a liaison between customers and the fueling department. She coordinates tasks such as kick-offs, plan releases, permitting, and project tracking. Sherise is also a point of contact for new and existing customers and helps with tracking and summarizing project changes and project billing for fueling customers.

Dark Light Design

Salzmanhas

Lighting designer Ben Salzmanhas has joined Dark Light Design as project manager in the firm's Seattle office. Salzmanhas brings six years of experience with Revit and lighting design for corporate, technology, commercial, and hospitality projects to the Dark Light team.

As a project manager, he will provide in-depth design, delivery for project milestones, and interdisciplinary coordination from concept through construction. Salzmanhas is an associate professional member of the International Association of Lighting Designers and received his Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering from the University of Minnesota.

Travis Fitzmaurice Wartelle Balangue Engineers

Balangue

Travis Fitzmaurice Wartelle Balangue Engineers (TFWB) has promoted Aprille Balangue, L.C., LEED AP BD+C, to the position of president, ushering in a new era of leadership for the small engineering firm.

Balangue's contributions to the firm's success include distinguished projects such as Seattle Public Schools' Wing Luke Elementary School, Orenda at Othello Square, and Mount Vernon Library Commons. Balangue leads a multitude of projects in the education, multi-use, civic, and commercial sectors. With over 15 years of experience in electrical design, she brings her expertise to diverse areas of a project, including power distribution, communications systems, audio-visual systems, fire alarm systems, security and access control systems, and architectural lighting design. She thrives on close collaboration with clients and design teams, striving to deliver holistic and sustainable solutions that integrate seamlessly.

As president, her focus is on nurturing relationships and driving continuous improvement for the 77-year-old firm.