Nov 07, 2025

Stoel Rives

Stoel Rives has elected nine attorneys to the firm's partnership, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The new partners are located in five offices spanning the firm's geographic footprint — Anchorage, Boise, Minneapolis Seattle and Portland.

Stoel's new partners in Northwest offices are: Shannon Bleicher (Anchorage) – Bleicher is a natural resources attorney in the firm's Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources practice group. She represents natural resource developers and regulated utilities on land, mineral, and regulatory matters. She earned her J.D. from Creighton University School of Law.

David Brandon (Boise) – Brandon is a tax attorney in Stoel's Corporate practice with broad experience in domestic and international transactional tax matters. He earned his J.D. and LL.M, Taxation, from the University of Washington School of Law.

Whitney Brown (Anchorage) – Brown is an attorney in Stoel's Litigation practice and chairs the firm's Appellate Critical Motions Group. She returned to Stoel Rives after serving as a law clerk to Justice Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Supreme Court. Brown received her J.D. from UCLA School of Law.

Alex Pearson (Seattle) – Pearson is an attorney in Stoel's Corporate practice group and a member of the Energy Industry Group. He advises renewable energy sponsors and developers in project finance matters for the financing of renewable energy projects across the country. Pearson earned his J.D. from University of Washington School of Law, and served as editor-in chief of Washington Law Review.

Bradley Prowant (Minneapolis/Boise) – Prowant is a commercial litigator in the firm's litigation practice group, representing a range of clients in complex commercial litigation and appellate advocacy across the country. Prowant received his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Connor Smith (Anchorage) – Smith is a trial attorney in the firm's Litigation practice group. He represents clients in the commercial fishing, energy, mining, and oil and gas industries and works frequently with Alaska Native Corporations. Smith received his J.D. from Seattle University School of Law.

Ariel Stavitsky (Portland) – Stavitsky is an energy and environmental attorney in the Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources practice group. She represents clients across multiple industries, including energy development, natural resource production, and manufacturing, with focuses in environmental and natural resource-related litigation and energy facility permitting. Stavitsky received her J.D. from University of Oregon School of Law.

Michael Such (Portland) – Such is a tax attorney in the Corporate practice group. In his practice, he primarily represents renewable energy clients in all tax matters related to project development nationwide. Such received his J.D. from Lewis & Clark Law School.

Nov 06, 2025

NAIOP Washington looks to crystal ball

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Brokers will convene on Nov. 12 at the next monthly breakfast confab hosted by NAIOP Washington. The events begins at 8 a.m. at the Westin Seattle. Four brokers on the panel are charged with answering a weighty question: “How will borrowing costs, changing market dynamics, and global economic pressures continue to impact the CRE market into 2026 and beyond?” Reading the tea leaves will be CBRE's Tom Pehl, JLL's Lisa Stewart, Real Retail's Maria Royer and Jeff Forsberg from NAI Puget Sound Properties. Details and registration: naiopwa.org

Avatar Financial Group

Williams

Bridge lender Avatar Financial Group announced its recent hiring of Matt Williams, who joins the firm as a director of capital markets. Avatar is based here in Seattle; Williams will work out of the regional office in North Carolina. In addition to holding an MBA from Texas A&M University, Williams recently completed a 20-year stint in the U.S. Army, where he earned a Medal of Honor for his service in Afghanistan. Avatar's said TR Hazelrigg IV said of the hire, “Matt brings a rare combination of strategic focus, operational excellence, and personal integrity that aligns perfectly with our values at Avatar.”

Colliers

Wayne

Colliers says that veteran broker Sam Wayne has returned to the firm, now as senior VP in charge of its multifamily division, after several years at Cushman & Wakefield. Wayne explained the decision thusly: “I came back to Colliers because this is the right platform to build something big. Seattle multifamily is at an inflection point. Investors want more than brokerage. They want a partner who can anticipate shifts, source the right capital and unlock value others overlook. That's the platform we're creating here.” The firm said in the press release that “Wayne will assemble a high-performing team focused on investment sales, land development and joint-venture equity.”

CFRE Commercial Real Estate

Nakamura

Late last month, CFRE Commercial Real Estate announced that Ross Nakamura had newly joined the firm as a broker. Gary Hunter leads and founded the brokerage, and said of its new member, “Ross' broad experience and commitment to delivering results align perfectly with our approach.” Nakamura added, “I look forward to helping clients navigate complex real estate decisions and maximize the value of their investments.”

City of Redmond

The city of Redmond has announced the vacancy of City Council Position No. 1, following the resignation of Councilmember Osman Salahuddin.

“While Councilmember Salahuddin's enthusiasm and thoughtful contributions as a member of City Council will be missed, we sincerely thank him for his dedication to Redmond and wish him well in his next chapter,” said Mayor Angela Birney. “We also look forward to City Council filling this vacancy and ensuring that Council's service to the community continues uninterrupted.”

A Councilmember since 2023, Salahuddin's role concludes this week. His council position and remaining term through 2027 will be filled by an external candidate voted on by current council members. City Council will review vacancy-related materials at its Nov. 12 study session, followed by review of the recruitment process at its Nov. 18 Committee of the Whole meeting. At that time, the city will formally announce its timeline and process for filling the vacancy.

Nov 05, 2025

Alaska Partnership

Mosaic Media and MSI Communications have announced their intent to form a strategic partnership — the largest of its kind in Alaska — uniting two agencies with complementary strengths to deliver greater value to clients. Mosaic Media is an Alaska-owned media strategy and buying agency with expertise in programmatic advertising, digital strategy, and data-driven campaign management, serving both regional and national brands. Established in 1995, MSI Communications is an Alaska-based full-service communication firm, serving clients in the tourism, oil and gas, mining, and transportation industries and Alaska Native corporations. The partnership, anticipated to be finalized later this year, expands Mosaic's history of supporting national brands while staying deeply connected to Alaska. It will also give local Alaska businesses access to sophisticated, national-level media strategies and fully integrated campaigns. “It's a perfect match of skills and culture. This ensures the agency, which is built on long-term relationships with the state's leading industries, is poised for even greater success,” says Laurie Fagnani, founder and CEO of MSI Communications.

Dorsey & Whitney

International law firm Dorsey & Whitney has added two partners to its Boise, Idaho office. Deborah Dunn began her career in Chicago, practicing for 16 years at one of the city's largest law firms. Dunn advises high-net-worth families, family offices, and owners of closely held businesses. She drafts sophisticated estate plans, often centered around complex trust structures, represents clients in complex estate and gift tax audits, and advises executors in will contests and disputes with beneficiaries. She also counsels trustees on trust and estate administration, as well as beneficiaries on rights and claims. Bruce Pinegar is experienced in the preparation of all manner of estate planning documents, including wills, revocable trusts, and powers of attorney. He regularly drafts and implements wealth transfer transactions, such as grantor-retained annuity trusts, sales to intentionally defective grantor trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts, and gifts to generation-skipping dynasty trusts. He advises and assists trustees with respect to administering trusts and, when necessary, modifying trust terms through judicial and nonjudicial processes. Additionally, Pinegar advises executors in the estate administration process, prepares and files estate and gift tax returns, and assists with estate and gift tax audits. Pinegar was named “Best-in-State, Idaho – Trust & Estate” by Forbes in 2025. Dorsey has locations across the United States and in Canada, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Ankrom Moisan

Heater

Ankrom Moisan, an architecture, interior design, brand, and planning firm, announces a new chapter in its leadership: former President Dave Heater has stepped into the role of vice president of business development, as well as chairman of the board of directors. Heater has served for decades in leadership for the firm, including as president since 2015. He now leads efforts to expand the firm in both existing and new markets, and long-term growth across the West Coast and beyond.

Heater is the first design professional at Ankrom Moisan dedicated solely to business development across all studios. Heater opened the Seattle office in 2006, and helped the firm establish a strong foothold with national and international developers and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). He was also instrumental in launching a second office in San Francisco in 2016.