Apr 18, 2002

Unico Properties

Carol LaMotte has been named vice president at Seattle-based Unico Properties Inc. She has been controller at Unico since 2000. LaMotte, a Certified Public Accountant, has 10 years of experience in real estate and financial services accounting. She will remain in her position of controller, overseeing accounting functions, tax compliance and financial reporting for Unico. Unico owns and operates a portfolio of 6 million square feet of office space, including properties in Seattle, Bellevue and Renton, as well as San Francisco, Portland and Boise.

Bellevue Downtown Association

The April meeting of the Bellevue Downtown Association will focus on how design can help ensure the success of downtown Bellevue. Bill Pollard of Pacific Real Estate Partners, Walt Neihoff of LMN Architects, Anne Cunningham of NBBJ Architects and Bob Hunt of HOK will speak on the "Future of the Downtown Workplace," focusing on how design can increase competitiveness and worker productivity. The meeting will be held at the Harbor Club, 777 108th Ave. N.E., 25th floor, in Bellevue. Registration is $18 for members, $22 for non-members. The deadline for registration is today. Call (425) 453-1223 for more information.

WestCoast Hospitality

Spokane-based WestCoast Hotels has reflagged the former Doubletree Hotel Pasco. The 279-room hotel is now known as the WestCoast Hotel Pasco. The WestCoast Hotel Pasco is located near the Tri-Cities Airport. WestCoast operates two other hotels in the Tri-Cities area: the WestCoast Kennewick and the Richland Red Lion Hotel Hanford House. WestCoast acquired Red Lion in December of last year. The company now has a total of 93 hotels in 16 states.

Building Owners and Managers Association

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Seattle and King County has donated $10,000 to the Ryther Child Care Center. The donation was made at BOMA's monthly meeting at the Washington Athletic Club. Located in Northeast Seattle, Ryther is a residential and outpatient treatment center for abused children and children with chemical dependencies. BOMA raised the funds through its annual Mariners Game Day, held this year on Opening Day. The funds will go toward capital projects on the Ryther campus. In-kind contributions of heating equipment, painting, construction and labor will increase the overall donation. BOMA has set a goal of making $100,000 in cash and in-kind donations to charity for 2002.

Keller Williams Realty

Austin, Texas-based Keller Williams Realty has released its profit-sharing figures from 2001, showing $4,280,185 was shared with the firm's 12,000 agents last year. Keller Williams says the figure is a 25 percent increase over 2000 results. In the Northwest, Keller Williams has nine offices in Washington, Idaho and Oregon with over 400 agents.

Apr 11, 2002

Seminars on construction recycling

Mogens Smed, head of the commercial interiors company Smed International, will tell contractors and others about the virtues of recycling construction material during three two-hour sessions set for Monday, April 15, in downtown Seattle. Smed, whose Calgary, Alberta-based firm is owned by Haworth, describes himself as a "visionary, entrepreneur and fish lover who is making a stand for environmental sustainability in the businesses and corporations of North America." He contends that conventional construction means environmental destruction. The sessions will be held in the 40th floor conference center of the Bank of America Tower. The first runs from 8 to 10 a.m. The second from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The third from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. For more information, contact Jennifer Wathen at (206) 405-4252.

Insurance rates rise post-Sept. 11

Most commercial property owners will see their property and casualty insurance rates rise by at least 20 percent as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks, reports Marcus & Millichap in the brokerage's April Puget Sound market report. "Prior to Sept. 11, terrorism coverage was included in nearly all basic policies, but that is no longer the case," the report states. "Terrorism coverage is available, but the costs can be prohibitive, especially during a time when rents are falling and vacancy is rising." Early reports after Sept. 11 had said some insurers had doubled their commercial and industrial insurance rates. The Marcus & Millichap report says the increase isn't that steep, at least not now.

John L. Scott

John L. Scott Real Estate opened its 111th office, this one in Centralia. Gary Zuber converted his Realty World franchise in Centralia into a John L. Scott office. This marks the fourth new John L. Scott office in the past six weeks. The firm opened its 110th office, in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Pat O'Day operated the office for the past five years as Orca Properties. O'Day is a Hall of Fame disc jockey, and was on KJR Seattle in the 1960s and 1970s.

John L. Scott chairman J. Lennox Scott, published his first book, titled "Next Generation Real Estate." The firm described the book as geared toward real estate professionals. It goes through the evolution of real estate, the role of technology, client relationships and how agents can be successful while maintaining a balanced life.

How to avoid house foreclosure

To help homeowners avoid losing their home to foreclosure during the down economy, the Fremont Public Association will provide a class aimed at people who have been laid off or had their work hours reduced. The first class will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on May 15 at the North Seattle WorkSource, 12550 Aurora Ave. N. For information, call (206) 694-6869.

Hendricks & Partners

Dudunakis

Kenny Dudunakis and David Young of the Hendricks & Partners apartment brokerage put together two sizable apartment purchases by Commercial Ventures Inc. of Los Angeles from Amstar Group Ltd. of Denver. Commercial Ventures paid Amstar $10.38 million for the 180-unit The Colony apartments in Federal Way. The Colony is at 31912 Third Place S.W. Young and Dudunakis represented Amstar, too. Commercial Ventures paid Amstar $8.9 million for the 155-unit Mirror Woods apartments at 31700 Third Place S.W. The prices both equal $57,600 per unit.

Marcus & Millichap

Douglas Smith of Marcus & Millichap put together a sale of the 16-unit Mumper Apartments in Olympia. Mr. and Mrs. David Mumper sold to Mr. and Mrs. Larry Grisby for $475,000. The complex is at 2526 42nd Ave. S.E. M&M broker Dan Swanson arranged a $537,000 sale of a six-unit apartment building in Issaquah. Mr. and Mrs. Bob Beebe sold the property at 26-28 N.E. Dogwood St. to Mr. and Mrs.  Barton Hartzell.

Keller Williams

Craig Marshall serves as operating partner in charge of Keller Williams Realty's new Tacoma office in University Place. The office, at 7610 40th St. W., opened with 17 associates, including Katina and George Atz, Joe Luna and Deborah Townsend, the Texas-based residential agency said.

Windermere

Philip Farrar became a sales associate in Windermere Real Estate's Capitol Hill office. Farrar was previously president of Farrar Consulting Services in Seattle. Tashana Kolanowski joined the firm's Eastlake office. Kolanowski was a training manager with the Four Seasons Hotel in Seattle.