Jul 03, 2025

Okanogan County Superior Court

Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Winthrop resident Rachel Hong to the Okanogan County Superior Court. Hong's appointment fills the position that Judge Robert Grim's resignation will vacate. Hong is a litigation attorney and longtime federal judicial law clerk with more than two decades of legal experience, including more than 10 years at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. As a career clerk to Judge Barbara Rothstein, Hong drafted hundreds of judicial rulings and supported courtroom proceedings from voir dire through jury instructions. In her legal practice, Hong has represented and guided individuals, corporations and public entities through criminal and civil cases in state and federal courts. She was a litigation attorney at Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo and Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe. Hong also volunteered as an attorney at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. Hong recently spent several years outside the courtroom as an organic farmer in Shelton, where she founded a small-scale organic vegetable farm. Hong has also served on the board of the TwispWorks Foundation, a nonprofit community development organization dedicated to supporting artists, small businesses and educational initiatives. Hong earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and her law degree from University of Michigan Law School.

Generational Group

Generational Group, a mergers and acquisitions advisory firm for privately held businesses, opened a new office in Spokane. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the firm now has 16 offices throughout North America. The Spokane office is led by Paul Hajek, managing director, M&A. Hajek has 20 years of experience helping business owners to grow and successfully exit their companies. He will be reporting to Lori Galloway, executive managing director, M&A who leads the firm's Western Region. “Spokane and the NW US represents a key growth market for us,” said Brenen Hofstadter, chief M&A officer of Generational. “We've built strong momentum in the region and are excited to deepen our presence by committing additional resources to support local business owners.”

Clise invests in O'Kelley

O'Kelley

Clise Properties announced a new hire at the end of last month. That would be Kathy O'Kelley, who joins the century-old local firm as senior VP of portfolio operations. She makes the move from Hines. A.M. Clise said in a statement, “Kathy was the clear choice to lead this next chapter of growth. Her extensive background and future-focused mentality will greatly help us as we forge our path forward.” With three decades in the industry, O'Kelley added, “Clise is a company unafraid to take thoughtful, strategic risks, supported by its deep-rooted ties to the community that help ensure those investments deliver meaningful and lasting impact.”

Hunter launches new advisory biz

Butler

Hunter

Get ready for a new acronym: CFRE. Yes, you read that correctly, with an F and not a B. CFRE Commercial Real Estate is a newly launched advisory shop with its office in Bellevue. Industry veteran Gary Hunter leads the new enterprise, and said in a press release, “We're here to empower our clients with the insights and personalized support they need to make informed decisions and achieve exceptional outcomes.” Hunter was previously associated with Westlake Associates, and continues to run his separate Capital Funding NW arm, which sources loans for construction and development. CFRE services will include client representation for buy/sell transactions, commercial asset management, commercial leasing and apartment property management. Also at Capital Funding, Chase Butler will likewise join Hunter at CFRE.

Transwestern puts its faith in Wentz

Wentz

In its Seattle office, Transwestern Real Estate Services recently announced, the firm has promoted Tyler Wentz to VP of asset services. He's been with the firm for over a decade, and will now oversee a team of more than 20, with a portfolio spanning 2 million square feet across the region. Transwestern's Blake Peterson said in a statement, “We are very pleased to have Tyler lead Transwestern's growing property management team. His deep knowledge of the portfolio, strong client relationships and leadership skills make him the ideal person for this role.” Transwestern is based in Houston.

Jul 02, 2025

NuScale Power Corp.

Ghasemian

Oregon-based NuScale Power Corp. has appointed Shahram Ghasemian as chief legal officer and corporate secretary. Ghasemian is an experienced legal executive with a long tenure working across the energy industry and is adept at shaping and advancing corporate strategic goals. He joins NuScale from Centrus Energy Corp., where he most recently served as senior vice president, general counsel, chief compliance officer, and corporate secretary. Before Centrus, Ghasemian held several leadership positions within the federal government from 2006 to 2020, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and serving as a senior legislative fellow on nuclear policy issues on Capitol Hill. He started his career in the nuclear energy sector in 1997 with Centrus' predecessor, holding legal positions of increasing responsibility and handling a wide range of issues, including litigation, employment, and compliance matters, as well as complex nuclear fuel sales and related agreements. Ghasemian holds a J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. Founded in 2007, NuScale Power provides proprietary small modular reactor nuclear technology.

Sinclair

Sinclair named Matt Hamilton vice president and general manager of KBOI/CBS, KNIN/FOX and KYUU/CW+, Sinclair's owned and/or operated television stations in Boise. Hamilton most recently served as market sales manager for the stations, where he successfully led multiplatform revenue generation and sales team development. Prior to joining Sinclair in 2024, Hamilton held senior sales leadership roles at KVVU and SSSEN/Las Vegas; WGBA and WACY/Green Bay; KIVI and KSAW/Boise and Twin Falls; iHeartMedia/Portland; KPTV and KPDX/Portland; KOIN/Portland and the Oregonian Media Group/Portland. Hamilton is a graduate of Western Washington University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Secondary Education. Sinclair is a diversified media company, and owns, operates and/or provides services to 185 television stations in 85 markets.

Parametrix

Deichl

Carrie Deichl has joined Parametrix as a program manager. She brings 20 years of experience leading public transportation projects and programs.

Deichl comes to Parametrix from Sound Transit, where she served as the director of activation. She has contributed to multiple light rail extensions, including the University Link, Hilltop Tacoma Link, Northgate Link, East Link Extension, Lynnwood Link, and Downtown Redmond Link.

She holds an Environmental Law and Regulation certificate from the University of Washington.

At Parametrix, Deichl joins the firm's Advisory Services practice, which provides program management, owner advisory, business process improvement, organization development, and strategic consulting services to public agencies across the United States.

PCS Structural Solutions

Shaffer

After 31 years managing the multitude of details it takes to run a busy and successful structural engineering firm, Debbie Shaffer has retired from her role as office manager at PCS Structural Solutions.

The firm has offices in Tacoma, Seattle, and Portland. Shaffer was based in the Tacoma office.

Shaffer first joined the company as a secretary in 1981 when it was known as Chalker Engineers. She left the firm for a while, first to embrace motherhood and later to seek a job opportunity with Puyallup developer, Gienger Development, before returning in 2009 as office manager.

During her time with PCS Structural Solutions, Shaffer has supported projects including the Tacoma Dome, which was the first and largest post-tensioned wood dome in the world and has seen the firm through three company name changes, a staff grown from 12 to sixty-one members, and massive changes in technology from mylar to AI. Weber Thompson

Weber Thompson has promoted three team members to associate: Alyssa M. Mitchell, Melissa Miranda, and Peter Tallar.

Mitchell joined Weber Thompson in 2022 after earning her degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Now a licensed architect in Washington, she focuses on affordable housing and cultural architecture that supports equity and uplifts communities. She participated in the first cohort of LeaderFlow, a nonprofit established to address the leadership gap in the AEC industry for mid-career professionals and currently serves as co-chair of the AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable. She is also active with NOMA NW's Project Pipeline and contributes internally to Weber Thompson's EDI group and Affordable Housing marketing team.

Miranda is a senior project architect with extensive experience in high-rise residential and hospitality towers. She brings a strong design sensibility and a detail-oriented, collaborative approach to every project. With a deep interest in both the conceptual and technical aspects of tower design, Miranda is known for proactively identifying challenges and guiding teams toward coordinated, efficient solutions. She is a Steering Committee Member for CTBUH's Future Leaders Committee and leads Weber Thompson's annual Food Lifeline volunteer day as part of the firm's broader involvement in the Food Frenzy campaign.

Since joining Weber Thompson two years ago, Tallar has shown strong leadership and adaptability across a variety of project types and jurisdictions. As a core member of the firm's Quality Management group, Tallar is known for his technical rigor, sharp redlining, and attention to detail. He recently completed the UW Commercial Real Estate Certificate, expanding his understanding of development and strengthening his value to clients and teams.

Weber Thompson

Tallar

Miranda

Mitchell

Weber Thompson has promoted three team members to associate: Alyssa M. Mitchell, Melissa Miranda, and Peter Tallar.

Mitchell joined Weber Thompson in 2022 after earning her degree from Carnegie Mellon University. Now a licensed architect in Washington, she focuses on affordable housing and cultural architecture that supports equity and uplifts communities. She participated in the first cohort of LeaderFlow, a nonprofit established to address the leadership gap in the AEC industry for mid-career professionals and currently serves as co-chair of the AIA Seattle Diversity Roundtable. She is also active with NOMA NW’s Project Pipeline and contributes internally to Weber Thompson’s EDI group and Affordable Housing marketing team.

Miranda is a senior project architect with extensive experience in high-rise residential and hospitality towers. She brings a strong design sensibility and a detail-oriented, collaborative approach to every project. With a deep interest in both the conceptual and technical aspects of tower design, Miranda is known for proactively identifying challenges and guiding teams toward coordinated, efficient solutions. She is a Steering Committee Member for CTBUH’s Future Leaders Committee and leads Weber Thompson’s annual Food Lifeline volunteer day as part of the firm’s broader involvement in the Food Frenzy campaign.

Since joining Weber Thompson two years ago, Tallar has shown strong leadership and adaptability across a variety of project types and jurisdictions. As a core member of the firm’s Quality Management group, Tallar is known for his technical rigor, sharp redlining, and attention to detail. He recently completed the UW Commercial Real Estate Certificate, expanding his understanding of development and strengthening his value to clients and teams.