Oct 08, 2025

Otak

Kessler

Otak recently brought on Dan Kessler as its new director of architecture. With nearly three decades of design leadership, Kessler's career includes leadership roles at organizations ranging from DLR Group to Fentress Architects, as well as the founding of his own practice, Element Design Works. His portfolio includes many project types and scales, from LAX Airport to multifamily housing. In addition to his professional work, Kessler served for 11 years as an Honorarium Instructor at the University of Colorado, his alma mater.

Architects West

Jorgensen

McGilley

Architects West of Coeur d'Alene recently hired Amanda McGilley and Brennan Jorgensen.

Originally from Spokane, McGilley, joins as a billing and resource specialist, bringing more than 22 years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping and payroll for professional services firms.

Jorgensen was hired as an architectural designer. Born in north Idaho, Jorgensen, has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree from the University of Idaho and has more than five years of experience in both residential and commercial design projects. Jorgensen joins the design team working on modernization projects for Lakeland School District and a new AgWest Farm Credit office.

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates

O'Brien

Zhou

Murray

Smith

Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates (WJE) Seattle celebrates its first year at its new office in Pioneer Square and announces the additions of the following team members: Jenn Smith, Erik Murray, Vicky Zhou, and Danny O'Brien.

Smith joins the team as administrative associate III following nearly seven years with the San Antonio unit. She previously worked as a legal assistant/case manager for a law firm in San Antonio and was active with San Antonio's Women in Architecture and SMPS San Antonio. She continues her participation with SMPS in Seattle.

Principal Murray has been named unit manager of the Seattle office. He also comes from the San Antonio office but joined WJE in 2008 as a senior associate in the Austin office. He was promoted to associate principal in 2014, unit manager in 2017, and principal in 2021. A University of Texas at Austin graduate, with degrees in architecture and architectural engineering, Murray specializes in roof systems and building enclosures, building investigation and repair, and architectural peer review.

Zhou and O'Brien joined as associates, specializing in architectural and structural engineering, respectively. Zhou holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Architectural Engineering from the University of Waterloo and held internships with Morrison Hershfield (now Stantec) and RDH Building Science. O'Brien completed graduate studies at Oregon State University, following internships with WJE Seattle and WJE Portland.

Rock Project Management Services

Bryant

Rock Project Management Services has promoted Kristen Bryant to business manager. Previously, Bryant was Rock's grants administrator, where she helped public clients secure millions in funding over the past two years. In her new role, she will oversee Rock's business operations, including resource planning, contracts and financial coordination. Rock is a family-owned, certified MWBE firm based in Renton, providing capital program, project, and construction management services to K-12 school districts, municipalities, ports, transportation and utilities across the region.

APSCO

DXP Enterprises has completed its acquisition of APSCO. Founded in 1986, APSCO is headquartered in Redmond, servicing Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming and surrounding markets. APSCO is a manufacturer's representative of pumps, controls and process equipment focused on the water and wastewater industry. DXP funded the acquisition with cash from the balance sheet. Kent Yee, chief financial officer, stated, “We are very excited to have APSCO as a part of DXP. We are excited to welcome APSCO's talented and hardworking employees to the DXP team. We continue to execute on our strategy of making acquisitions in markets and business models where we can continue to enhance DXP. APSCO complements our recent focus on water and wastewater acquisitions and provides us with a meaningful presence in the Pacific Northwest and broader western U.S. region.” DXP Enterprises is a products and service distributor serving industrial customers throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Dubai, providing pumping solutions, supply chain services and maintenance, repair, operating and production services.

Oct 07, 2025

Foster Garvey

Sinan

Cris Sinan has joined Foster Garvey's Seattle office as counsel in the Tax & Benefits practice group. Sinan's legal career has spanned more than 14 years with a focus on employee benefits and executive compensation. He joins Foster Garvey after serving as counsel at a boutique tax and benefits law firm, where he counseled trustees and plan sponsors on the administration and termination of union and private employer benefit plans, as well as compliance with ERISA and federal tax requirements. Previously, Sinan was an associate in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation practice of an AMLaw 100 law firm, where he negotiated employee benefits and executive compensation terms in merger, acquisition and financial transaction documents and advised employers on compliance with a range of compensation plans, including tax-qualified and non-qualified retirement plans. He has also served as benefits counsel to a Fortune 50 financial services company, as a law clerk for the U.S. Department of Justice and as a legal extern for the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Before he became an attorney, Sinan was a Child Protective Services social worker for the Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families. Sinan obtained a LL.M. (taxation) from Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. from American University Washington College of Law, M.S.W. from the University of Washington and B.A from the University of North Texas. Foster Garvey has offices in Seattle, Spokane, Portland, New York, Tulsa and Washington, D.C.

Rock Project Management Services

LaVigne

Céline LaVigne has joined Rock Project Management Services as a project manager. She brings nine years of experience leading construction and capital projects in both the public and private sectors. Prior to Rock, she managed multimillion-dollar commercial, tenant improvement, and capital projects at CBRE, delivering work for financial services, technology, and other real estate clients across multiple markets. Her background also includes permitting with locally owned Waterfront Construction, and research consulting for the city of Seattle's Office of Planning and Community Development. At Rock, LaVigne will manage facility upgrades, capital improvement, and public works projects for local cities and government agencies. She holds a Project Management Certificate and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Washington.

Oct 03, 2025

Plainsight

Seattle-based Plainsight named Jonathan Simkins as its president and CFO. In this role, Simkins will help scale Plainsight's business operations and advance its mission to provide highly scaleable, enterprise-ready infrastructure software for computer vision. Simkins brings expertise across machine learning, infrastructure software, open source, cybersecurity and investment banking. He was most recently the founder and CEO of Kosai, an open-source supply chain security company acquired by Root.io in August 2025. Prior to Kosai, he held mostly CFO positions at Canonical, Appgate, CyberGRX and a number of other technology companies. Plainsight's computer vision AI software transforms images and video into structured, intelligible data.

Alaska Power & Telephone

Alaska Power & Telephone Company (AP&T) appointed Ryan Wopschall president and member of the board of directors of Sealink Networks (SNI), a majority-owned subsidiary co-founded by AP&T and Wopschall in 2024. Sealink Networks was established to expand digital infrastructure across North America, focusing on subsea fiber optic cable landing site infrastructure and dark fiber services. SNI is well along in completing a capital raise and the acquisition of permits for SNI's first diverse cable landing site in Westport, Washington. Wopschall will lead the company in the construction of this infrastructure and its next phase of growth. As part of this appointment, Sealink has also acquired Wopschall Consulting, bringing its specialized advisory services into the SNI portfolio. Wopschall brings more than 18 years of experience in the global subsea cable industry. Over the last nine years, he has provided consulting and advisory services worldwide, specializing in the siting, design, and implementation of subsea fiber optic cable projects. In partnership with AP&T, Wopschall led the development of a new 500-kilometer subsea and terrestrial fiber network in Southeast Alaska, creating six new landing sites and transforming regional connectivity. Since 2020, he has served as general manager of the International Cable Protection Committee, a global trade organization for the subsea cable industry. As President of SNI, Wopschall will guide the company's development of new subsea cable landing sites. AP&T is an employee-owned, community-minded telecom and power utility delivering advanced broadband, communications, and energy solutions across more than 40 rural and remote Alaskan communities. Sealink Networks provides critical connectivity between subsea and terrestrial fiber systems, enabling scalable, resilient data transport across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.