Dec 12, 2024

Unico benefits from $35M refi deal in Tacoma

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Back in 1997, Unico Properties acquired what was then called Wells Fargo Plaza in downtown Tacoma, then paying over $28 million for the 25-story office tower. The bank eventually left, and today we know the 54-year-old building as 1201 Pacific. Kidder Mathews has been recently adding tenants including WSP, Alston Construction and Panattoni Development. Now Gantry has announced a recent $35 million refinancing deal for the property. Leading the effort were Jeff Ballaine and Mike Taylor. The latter said in a statement, “While underwriting any office asset is challenging in the current climate, and many lenders have completely pulled back from lending on any office properties, by working closely with both borrower and lender we were able to underwrite this signature tower and arrange financing with an attractive long-term fixed-rate loan.” The note carries a 10-year term, and came from Genworth Life Insurance. With 307,643 square feet, 1201 Pacific remains Tacoma's largest office tower; it's also LEED Gold certified.

Vacant Bartell finds new tenant

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Since the bankruptcy of Rite Aid, its corporate parent, Bartell stores have been steadily closing around the region. One example is in East Bellevue, at 11919 N.E. Eighth St., near Wilburton Station and Lake Bellevue. Khorram Family Investments has owned the 12,023-square-foot building for over a decade, and began seeking a new tenant earlier this year. Over the summer, the sign appeared for furniture retailer Bassett, which is part of the Seldens furniture chain. The Selden family, now in its fourth generation of management, announced the new Bellevue showroom will open this month, with a formal celebration on Jan. 11. Jake Cross, part of the family, said in a statement, “By expanding our presence in Bellevue, we're giving families here the chance to experience Seldens' renowned service and Bassett's commitment to quality.” Seldens has other stores carrying its own brand in Bellevue, Olympia and Tacoma, plus two Summer House outdoor furniture showrooms in Bellevue and Tacoma. In Redmond, the old Seldens location closed to make way for Mill Creek Residential's 418-unit Modera Bel-Red, which should start soon. (Some may recall that Seldens acquired Masins furniture in 2015, not long after the latter store shuttered in Pioneer Square.) Seldens was founded in Tacoma in 1940, and has its headquarters today in Bellevue.

Gantry finds $12M for Everett refi

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Just north of Everett, on the north side of the Snohomish River, the recently renamed Dogwood Enterprises Industrial Park sold last year for over $14.7 million to a Kirkland family investor group. Developed on some 31 acres, the four-building complex dates to the late 1960s. It was previously home to Builders FirstSource, but was vacant at the time of last year's sale. Gantry now says the property is fully leased, and that it recently arranged a nearly $11.9 million refinancing for the owner. (Public records indicate First Technology Federal Credit Union as the lender.) Leading the effort were Mike Wood, Tim Brown and Demetri Koston. The latter said in a statement, “This was a challenging assignment that resulted in a great loan outcome for a legacy hold.” The fixed-rate loan carries a 10-year term. Dogwood Industries, based in Woodinville, now appears to be the new tenant, and is actively hiring for the Everett plant, which also makes prefabricated metal buildings and building materials. Gantry also notes that the property has 12 acres for possible expansion.

Woodland Park Zoo

Neves

Following a national and international search, Woodland Park Zoo named Dr. Luis Neves as its new senior director of animal care. He will oversee animal management and veterinary care for the zoo's nearly 800 animal residents with a team of more than 100 professional animal care and commissary staff. Neves holds a degree in veterinary medicine from Universidade Técnica de Lisboa in his native Portugal. He has built his international career in Europe and Asia in roles spanning veterinary and animal care, zoological operations and executive leadership. Most recently he served as vice president for life sciences at Singapore-based S.E.A. Aquarium. Neves spent 14 years working with Mandai Wildlife Group (formerly Wildlife Reserves Singapore) where he held various positions, ultimately becoming the vice president of animal care across all four of their zoological parks (Singapore Zoo, Singapore Zoo Night Safari, River Safari and Jurong Bird Park/Bird Paradise Park). Neves oversaw capital and wellbeing improvement projects with Mandai over the past 10 years, including the design, construction management and animal relocation of the $280 million transformation of the former Jurong Bird Park to the new Bird Paradise Park. Internationally, Neves is a recognized authority on animal welfare and zoological management. He has served as co-vice chair for conservation breeding and reintroduction for the Asian Songbird Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and as a program coordinator for both hornbill and pigeon and dove Taxon Advisory Groups for the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Following a relocation to the Seattle area from Singapore, Neves will begin his role at Woodland Park Zoo in February 2025.

Zeevo Group

Seattle-based Zeevo Group named Stacey Larsen as a senior advisor. In addition to overseeing project management initiatives for wide-ranging clients, with a focus on providing bespoke support for their systems selection and data migration efforts, Larsen is set to refine Zeevo's approach to client service strategies and spearhead critical internal process enhancements. Larsen brings more than two decades of experience in her commercial and public sector professional services career. Her technical expertise spans such areas as board governance, management reporting, forecasting, budgeting, and financial system implementations. Before joining Zeevo, Larsen was managing director at Deloitte. Zeevo Group provides business, finance and information technology consulting services and products to a range of clients representing industries including aircraft leasing, technology and consumer products.

Pacific Crest Savings Bank

This month, Pacific Crest Savings Bank marks its 40th anniversary. The organization was founded in 1984 as Phoenix Mortgage and Escrow by John Fairchild, Harry Sankey, and current Pacific Crest President and CEO Sheryl Nilson. In 1998 Phoenix Mortgage converted to a Washington state-chartered, federally insured savings bank, becoming Phoenix Savings Bank until it rebranded to Pacific Crest Savings Bank in 2005.?Today, the Lynnwood-based bank continues its legacy as a local, independently owned community bank. “So much of who we are, and our 40-year longevity as an organization, is a testament to the people who have been a central part of our history.?Our board members, dedicated employees, and valued clients have all played important roles in shaping Pacific Crest and contributing to our collective success. As we reflect on our past four decades, I’m looking forward to continuing to evolve to meet our clients’ needs and planning for our next chapters,” said Nilson.

Dec 11, 2024

OpenEye

OpenEye, a cloud video security company, named Eric Moe as vice president for North American sales. Moe has experience working closely with video and cloud technologies, including Milestone Systems and Genea Access Control. Moe will manage the greater OpenEye sales team that supports OpenEye partners and customers in the US and Canada. With over one million active video subscriptions and nearly two million connected devices, OpenEye is experiencing growth both in North America and internationally. OpenEye is headquartered in Liberty Lake, Wash.

Amperity

Amperity, an AI-powered customer data cloud, appointed Rob Ferguson as its new chief revenue officer. With over 20 years of experience scaling go-to-market organizations, Ferguson will accelerate the company's market momentum and help enterprise brands transform customer data into business value.

A seasoned enterprise software executive, Ferguson brings over two decades of expertise in scaling high-growth technology companies. Before joining Amperity, he served as chief revenue officer at AI decision intelligence company Virtualitics and held the same position at Automation Anywhere. Prior to that, Ferguson spent 11 years at Salesforce in various executive leadership roles, ultimately as executive vice president, where he led national and global teams responsible for serving many of Salesforce's largest customers. Founded in 2016, Amperity operates globally with offices in Seattle, New York City, London, and Melbourne.