Jan 27, 2026

Andersen Construction

Knudsen

Sherman

Gengler

Horton

Burkett

Kowalewski

Andersen Construction recently announced several promotions. Ike Burkett has moved into the role of president of the Seattle office. Burkett has over 18 years of construction experience in the Seattle market. Mark Horton was named president of the Portland office. He has been a leader at Andersen for nearly 20 years. Ben Gengler was promoted to vice president of operations at the Portland office. He brings deep operational knowledge to his role, gained from small and large scale projects, spanning nearly 30 years of construction experience. Matt Sherman was named vice president of the Mid-Willamette Valley office. Sherman has been with Andersen for over 17 years. Brian Knudsen was named senior vice president of preconstruction. With over 35 years of industry experience, Knudsen has served as president of the Portland office for the last eight years. Jerrod Kowalewski was named vice president of healthcare construction, focusing on the healthcare market. This represents a culmination of his 25 years of building in healthcare campuses across the Pacific Northwest. Andersen Construction began three generations ago with H.A. “Andy” Andersen’s first project, and has become an employee-owned multi-state enterprise responsible for hundreds of projects built every year across the Pacific Northwest.

Jan 23, 2026

UMC

Owen

Underwood

Hoggatt

Eppler

Damitio

UMC has promoted Pat Damitio, Bryan Eppler, Ryan Hoggatt, Ryan Underwood and Tim Owen.

Damitio has been promoted to chief operations officer. He will continue to lead UMC's Safety, Special Projects, Major Projects, and Industrial groups, focusing on operational excellence, leadership development, and reinforcing UMC's philosophy of sustained success.

Eppler has been promoted to vice president, owner direct services. Eppler, who has been with UMC since 1997, will continue his leadership of UMC's owner-direct services, including Energy & Environment, Facility Service, Building Performance Services, and Building Automation.

Hoggatt has been promoted to vice president, construction operations, overseeing UMC's field operations. Known for developing UMC's fabrication program and expanding the company's manufacturing capabilities, Hoggatt has introduced systems and processes that reduce waste, increase productivity, and enhance project outcomes.

Underwood has been promoted to manufacturing director. With six years of experience at UMC, he will lead UMC's integrated manufacturing operations, including Virtual Construction Services, Reality Capture, Fabrication and Offsite Manufacturing, as well as the operations of the 95,000-square-foot Everett fabrication facility.

Owen has been promoted to industrial group director. With more than 12 years as a senior project manager in UMC's Major Projects group, he has been a key member of the management team on several high-profile projects, including multiple towers in the Amazon Denny Regrade, 450 Alaskan Way, the Overlake NET Project, and additional office and lab projects for tech companies.

UMC is a mechanical contractor founded in 1920 to serve the Pacific Northwest, offering comprehensive, integrated services in facility performance and maintenance, energy and environment, building automation, and manufacturing.

Grant County Superior Court

Richardson

Gov .Bob Ferguson has appointed Jennifer Richardson to the Grant County Superior Court. Richardson's appointment fills the position vacated by Judge Tyson Hill, who Ferguson recently appointed to the Court of Appeals, Division III. Richardson is a career litigator with more than two decades of legal experience. She has served four years in her current role as a managing assistant attorney general at the state Office of the Attorney General, where she advises and represents state agencies in Grant, Douglas, Chelan and Okanogan counties. She has been with the Attorney General's Office for 12 years in total. Richardson previously worked as a public defender at the Law Offices of Scot D. Stuart, where she represented criminal defendants in a variety of proceedings. Richardson earned her bachelor's degree from Gonzaga University and her law degree from Syracuse University.

Jan 22, 2026

Walsh Construction Co.

Katzen

Rinehart

Walsh Construction Co. has announced two recent promotions.

Elizabeth Rinehart has been promoted to president of the Washington region. Rinehart began her career as an AmeriCorps Team Leader with Habitat for Humanity before joining Walsh in 2005 as a project engineer. She has since served as project manager, senior project manager, and most recently, Washington's general manager.

As president, Rinehart will continue to lead the company's preconstruction efforts, oversee operations in the Seattle and Tacoma offices, and ensure project quality and client satisfaction. She will work closely with Walsh's Oregon region and Corporate President Matt Leeding.

Tyler Katzen has been promoted to operations manager for the Washington region. Katzen began at Walsh as an intern in 2007, before joining full time in 2008 as a project engineer. Since then, his roles have included workforce coordinator, assistant superintendent, superintendent, and operations manager for Walsh's self-perform team, RDF Builders.

In his new role, Katzen will support teams across the region by helping to ensure projects are executed safely, on budget, on schedule, and with the highest level of quality. He will collaborate closely with project managers, estimating, general superintendents, quality, and subcontractor partners to optimize project performance and proactively mitigate risk.

Jan 21, 2026

AHBL

Kaul

AHBL promoted Scott Kaul from associate principal to principal. Kaul is an accomplished civil engineer with 21 years of experience designing a wide range of projects, including residential, commercial, municipal, educational, military and industrial developments.

As principal, Kaul will continue managing his portfolio of work while playing a key role in shaping AHBL's strategic direction and business operations.

Kaul's technical expertise spans all aspects of site development, including entitlements, site utility design and calculations, site grading, storm drainage design and construction administration. He has successfully managed projects for developers and architects on single-family subdivisions, multifamily communities, commercial developments and mixed-use projects. In addition to project leadership, Kaul mentors civil engineers across the firm, supporting the growth of early-career professionals. His work extends from Western Washington to Central and Eastern Washington, and he serves as principal in the firm's Tri-Cities office, providing civil engineering services to local clients.

Corley

Jackie Corley joined AHBL as marketing manager. Corley brings over 10 years of experience leading complex, high-profile pursuits in the fast-paced commercial construction market of the Pacific Northwest. Throughout her career, Corley has partnered with teams to craft strategic, client-focused proposals across diverse market sectors. She is known for her ability to navigate high-pressure situations with a positive, solutions-oriented mindset, and for turning complex technical information into compelling, accessible content.

Corley holds a B.S. in Business Marketing with a minor in Communications from Mount St. Mary's University, and has served in multiple committee roles with SMPS. She is also a current member of SMPS, WSHEE and SAME.

Becker

John Becker, professional land surveyor (PLS) and AHBL principal, is retiring from day-to-day operations after a 36-year career in the land surveying industry — 29 of those with AHBL. While stepping back from his day-to-day role, Becker will continue to support AHBL through 2026 as an advisor and mentor, helping ensure a smooth leadership transition within the Land Survey Department.

A third-generation land surveyor originally from the Tri-Cities, Becker built much of his career in Tacoma, where he earned his degree from the University of Puget Sound before joining AHBL in 1996. He played a pivotal role in expanding the firm's reach by opening the Tri-Cities office in 2011. Over the years, he has held key roles including principal, chief of parties, and project surveyor, contributing both in the field and office.

His expertise spans a wide range of surveying disciplines, including topographic, boundary, construction staking, and ALTA/NSPS surveys. Becker has been instrumental in residential and commercial development projects throughout Eastern and Western Washington.

Earlier this year, Tyler Duncan, PLS was promoted to associate principal and will lead AHBL's Land Survey Department in the Tri-Cities. As both associate principal and AHBL's Tri-Cities chief of parties, Duncan brings nearly two decades of experience coordinating survey projects and supervising both office production staff and field crews. Since beginning his career at AHBL 18 years ago after graduating from Washington State University, Duncan has played a key role in producing survey maps for hundreds of projects across Washington and the broader Pacific Northwest. His expertise spans topographic surveys, boundary calculations, legal descriptions, and the creation of detailed survey maps and exhibits that support engineering, architectural and construction efforts. Duncan also leads on-call survey projects and has been instrumental in growing AHBL's Tri-Cities office while mentoring staff to serve clients throughout Eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Follansbee

Dave Follansbee, AHBL principal and land surveyor, is also retiring from day-to-day operations after 27 years with AHBL and a distinguished career in the land surveying industry. Follansbee will continue with AHBL through 2026 in an advisory role, supporting mentorship and a seamless leadership transition within the Survey Department.

Over nearly three decades, Follansbee has played a pivotal role in shaping AHBL's survey practice across the Pacific Northwest. His expertise includes AutoCAD drafting, topographic and A.L.T.A. surveys, boundary line adjustments, records of survey, short and long plats, and grant-funded projects. Follansbee's work spans both field and office operations, and he has overseen five survey crews serving public and private clients throughout Washington.

Christopher Dodos was promoted to associate principal at the beginning of the year and will lead the Survey Department. Dodos is a licensed professional land surveyor in Washington and Oregon, with over 11 years of experience. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he began his professional career as a high school teacher before transitioning into surveying. His technical expertise includes topographic, boundary and post-construction as-built surveys, construction staking, and right-of-way surveys.

Baird Private Wealth Management

Hawkins

Baird Private Wealth Management, an employee-owned, international wealth management, asset management, investment banking/capital markets and private equity firm, hired Janet Hawkins as an associate branch manager. She will help to oversee the firm's Seattle office.

Hawkins comes to Baird with more than three decades of industry experience. In the past, she has held leadership positions at Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Charles Schwab and Ameriprise Financial, where she partnered closely with advisors and leadership teams to drive growth, attract and develop talent, and strengthen culture. Hawkins holds Series 9 and 10 certifications and graduated from Allegheny College with a bachelor's degree in economics.

The Seattle office is a key part of Baird's ongoing private wealth management expansion in Washington. In August, Brian Petersdorf joined as an associate branch manager and Stacey Mulier recently joined as the branch administrative supervisor. Baird also has private wealth management offices in Bellevue, Mount Vernon, Spokane and Yakima. Baird's Private Wealth Management business encompasses nearly 1,400 financial advisors averaging 20 years of industry experience and serving clients coast-to-coast with client assets of more than $350 billion.

State Superior Court

Webster

Gov. Bob Ferguson has appointed Thomas Webster to the Superior Court for Stevens, Pend Oreille and Ferry Counties. Webster's appointment fills the position vacated by Judge Jessica Reeves, who retired from the bench Dec. 31. Webster is a career litigator with more than two decades of legal experience. In 2009, he founded the Webster Law Office in Colville, which handles a broad range of civil matters and where he currently serves as counsel following the offices' sale to GLP. Upon moving to Washington, Webster spent three years practicing at the law firm of McGrane & Schuerman in Colville.

Prior to coming to Washington, Webster spent five years as a partner at Tingle Knight Webster & Juckett in Des Moines, Iowa. Outside of the courtroom, Webster was a member of the Rotary Club of Colville from 2007 to 2025. He also taught a people's law course through his current law firm, where he presented seminars, facilitated legal workshops and authored course materials to help members of the public understand their legal rights and access the justice system. Webster earned his bachelor's degree from Cornell College and his law degree from Drake University.

Jan 16, 2026

King County Superior Court

York

Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Daniel York to the King County Superior Court. York's appointment fills the position vacated by Judge LeRoy McCullough, who retired from the bench at the end of 2025. York is a career litigator with more than 15 years of legal experience. He currently practices family law as a partner at the Seattle law firm of Wechsler Becker. He also serves as a Family Law Commissioner Pro Tem in King County and is the current chair of the King County Bar Association's Family Law Section. York is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq and Kuwait. Earlier in his career, York spent more than eight years providing reduced rate representation for survivors of domestic violence in Seattle. During that time, he also served four years as an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law, where he taught multiple family law focused courses, and four years as a volunteer attorney at New Beginnings Domestic Violence Clinic. York earned his bachelor's degree from Texas Tech University and his law degree from the University of Houston. He also completed master's level mental health counseling coursework at St. Mary's University prior to attending law school.

Clark Pacific

California-based Clark Pacific, a design-build manufacturer of prefabricate building systems, announced that it will open offices in Washington and Arizona that will allow the company to meet growing demand for prefabrication in these regions. Clark Pacific designs, engineers, fabricates and installs high-performance building envelope systems known for their versatility, owner value and durability. “This represents an exciting new chapter for Clark Pacific,” said Don Clark, CEO of Clark Pacific. “In the Pacific Northwest, we are committed to building on our success in facades, delivering high-performance, aesthetically pleasing and sustainable building envelope solutions.”

State of Alaska

Fifty years ago, Alaskan voters amended the state constitution to set aside a portion of the state's revenues from oil and minerals, establishing the Alaska Permanent Fund to benefit all generations of Alaskans. “The generations who established and built the Permanent Fund prioritized the future of Alaska over their ability to take more for themselves,” stated Deven Mitchell, executive director and CEO. “Fortunately for our state, they turned a time of short-term extraordinary wealth from nonrenewable resources into Alaska's greatest renewable resource. Fifty years later, it is our turn to lead to ensure that the fund continues to serve Alaskans for generations to come.” Per the 1976 amendment, a portion of all the state's oil and mineral revenues — along with special appropriations to grow the fund and inflation proofing to maintain the fund's purchasing power — is deposited into the fund's principal. These contributions are transformed into long-term, renewable financial revenues through global investment, generating income to support essential state services and the annual Permanent Fund Dividend, which is distributed directly to Alaska residents. The Alaska Permanent Fund has grown to become the largest sovereign wealth fund in the U.S., with a value exceeding $85 billion and a 9.35% rate of return in fiscal year 2025.