Oct 16, 2025

Bay Vista lands new tenant

[enlarge]

International Workplace Group announced a bevy of new co-work locations this summer, as the DJC then reported. Among those half dozen-plus flexible office hubs, a few more were slated to open this fall. Belltown's Bay Vista office tower — separate from the condos upstairs! — is notable among them. The offices were foreclosed last fall by the lender, Värde Partners, which is working with Bayspring Real Estate Partners to repopulate the space. On their behalf, Cushman & Wakefield has been representing the five podium office levels at 2815 Second Ave. IWG will open at Bay Vista next month using its Regus brand (other brands include Spaces, HQ and Signature). It didn't specify the office footprint, but the vacant fourth floor seems likely, with 16,035 square feet. Since the pandemic, for IWG and its competitors, the co-work niche has proven valuable for companies that shed leases and staff, then find themselves in need of short-term space.

Colliers finds $33M for Ballard duo

[enlarge]

As the DJC reported in April, Saratoga Capital then started on two facing Ballard apartment projects, east (pictured) and west, totaling about 124 units. GGLO is the architect and W.G. Clark the builder. Last month Colliers announced that it had arranged a $33 million construction loan for what are now dubbed The Pacific and The Cascades. Banner Bank was the lender, with the note carrying an initial three-year term. Colliers' Mark Plenge led the financing effort, and said in a statement, “So many ground-up new construction developments in the past two years have just not penciled out, but in this case Colliers Mortgage was able to negotiate the most favorable and lowest-cost terms from Banner Bank to enable this project to sensibly move forward.” Completion is expected in 2027.

Somm day my prince will come

[enlarge]

Whether you're a member of NAIOP Washington or not, you can enjoy a ticketed tour and wine tasting at the new Somm hotel at Woodinville's ongoing mixed-use Harvest development. The event begins at 4 p.m. Oct. 29. Attending will be some of the hotel/spa's prime backers, including Kurt Jensen from Jensen Davenport Architects, Kent Halvorson of KTM Construction and Matt Hagerman from Columbia Hospitality. Details and info: naiopwa.org

Urban Land Institute hosts coffee gathering

Next Tuesday morning, at 8:30 a.m. sharp on Oct. 21, ULI Northwest member or not, you can join a ULI coffee klatsch at Rainier Square's two-year-old Fonte Bar. (That's on the second level, at 401 Union St.) The friendly networking event typically lasts about an hour. Registration and details: northwest.uli.org

A bit more about Koz Uptown

[enlarge]

The 169-unit Koz Uptown apartments opened late last month, as the DJC first reported. (The ribbon snip followed two days later.) Now comes a bit more info from Koz and its partners. Goldman Sachs was a lender, and its Dan Alger said in a press release, “This development was a powerful example of how strategic investment and collaboration can deliver high-quality, affordable housing in vibrant neighborhoods.” MSquared, also of New York, was also a financial backer. Its Alicia Glen added, “This investment falls right in line with our philosophy to build high-quality housing that offers access to transit, jobs and essential resources.” Cushman & Wakefield's Chris Moyer led the financing effort for the developer. Koz was the architect, and Kirtley-Cole the builder.

Plainsight

Seattle-based Plainsight has appointed Venky Renganathan as its new chief technology officer. Renganathan is an enterprise technology leader with more than two decades of experience in retail and technology companies worldwide. In his new role at Plainsight, Renganathan will use this expertise to expand the company's infrastructure capabilities, enabling organizations to operationalize Vision AI. His focus will be on advancing Plainsight's ability to deliver enterprise scalable, end-to-end solutions that integrate into customers' existing ecosystems. Renganathan's career has been defined by building platforms at scale — ranging from Amazon's global marketplace systems to Amazon Web Services' infrastructure automation platforms. At AWS, he spearheaded the development of data center automation platforms, integrating hardware, software, and workflows to drive efficiency and reliability at global scale. At Quiet Platforms, he led the technical direction of programs aimed at consolidating numerous assets into a single, sharable logistics network. Most recently, at Fullbay, he helped deliver a complete, end-to-end shop management system that serves as the backbone of the commercial vehicle maintenance ecosystem.

Optimum Energy

Optimum Energy added two senior executives to its leadership team: Jeffrey Cepler, Sr. director, project development; and German W. Krug, vice president, financial analytics and modeling. Cepler, with nearly three decades in finance at firms including UBS and Citigroup, has structured complex transactions for investment-grade health systems nationwide. Krug joins Optimum with over 20 years of experience managing risk for structured energy and infrastructure deals, having recently led a modeling team that closed more than $1.5 billion in EaaS projects. Optimum Energy, headquartered in Seattle, offers holistic energy infrastructure optimization, providing comprehensive and integrated solutions to mission-critical facilities. It offers a full spectrum of services, from initial engineering and construction to ongoing maintenance, asset management, and Energy-as-a-Service offerings, to clients in the healthcare, higher education, and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Oct 15, 2025

CAST Architecture

Tan

Bruce

CAST Architecture recently added two new employees, Mallisyn Bruce and Tory Tan.

Bruce has a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a Master of Architecture from the University of Washington's College of Built Environments, focusing on sustainable systems and design.

Tan was raised in the Pacific Northwest, having made his home in Vancouver, B.C., before earning his Bachelor of Architecture from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. At CAST, Tan focuses on residential and community projects.

APA – The Engineered Wood Association

Cullen

Beers

The Board of Trustees at APA – The Engineered Wood Association made two changes to its board. John Beers III of Georgia-Pacific has been elected board chair, and Brian Cullen of PWT has joined the board.

With over 25 years of industry experience, Beers is president of the structural panels business at Georgia-Pacific. He began his career in sales with Grant Forest Products in 2002, joining Georgia-Pacific in 2010 when the company acquired Grant. He became president in 2023. Beers succeeds Doug Asano of Roseburg Forest Products as APA board chair. Asano will continue to serve as a trustee.

Cullen is senior vice president of operations at PWT. He began his career at Weyerhaeuser in 2002, spending more than 13 years there in plant management, process improvement and industrial engineering. After a brief stint at Amazon, Cullen returned to the wood products industry, joining Boise Cascade in 2016 as production manager for the Eastern region. In 2023, he was hired by PWT as vice president of operations before being named to his current position in April 2025. Cullen will be replacing Jim Enright, who served on the APA board for more than 15 years.

NAC Architecture

Aliano

NAC Architecture has recently brought on Gio Aliano, AIA, as principal and affordable housing practice leader. Aliano has more than 35 years of experience working with supportive housing, mixed-use community developments, educational facilities, and health and wellness centers. Aliano has contributed to the city of Los Angeles HHH Housing Challenge, advancing modular prefabricated design strategies to address the homelessness crisis.

Gibbs & Olson

Krueger

Gibbs & Olson announced earlier this month they were adding Larry Krueger, PE, to their team as a senior-level engineer. Krueger has over 30 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, in civil engineering, project management and transportation infrastructure. Most recently, Kruger was branch manager for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, where he led a multidisciplinary team overseeing the planning, design, and execution of highway projects. Krueger holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington and is a registered Professional Engineer in Washington, Kentucky and Tennessee.