Gesa Credit Union

Gesa Credit Union and Willamette Valley Bank, together with the bank's parent company, Oregon Bancorp Inc., have announced a definitive agreement for Gesa to acquire the Salem-based community bank, bringing two community-first institutions.

Under the agreement, Gesa would acquire substantially all of Willamette Valley Bank's assets and assume substantially all of its liabilities, in an all-cash transaction. The transaction was unanimously approved by the boards of directors of Gesa Credit Union, Willamette Valley Bank, and Oregon Bancorp.

The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and approval of the Oregon Bancorp shareholders. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027. Following the completion of the transaction, Willamette Valley Bank and Oregon Bancorp will dissolve and the remaining assets will be distributed to the stockholders of Oregon Bancorp.

Willamette Valley Bank opened in Salem in 2000. Gesa has operated since 1953.

The most immediate change for customers after closing would be the name on the door. Willamette Valley Bank's four branches in Linn and Marion counties and its loan office in Washington County, in the Portland metro area, will stay open and staffed by the same teams. At that point, the people who bank there would become member-owners of Gesa.

Truebeck Construction

Sunde

Truebeck Construction announced that Aileen Sunde has joined the company in Client Development and Community Partnerships at its Seattle office. With 20+ years of experience in the AEC industry, Sunde brings a strong track record in community engagement, industry partnerships, and communications.

She has extensive experience leading outreach programs and developing apprenticeship pathways and was recognized with ANEW's Agent of Change award, which recognizes individuals who champion equity, cultural heritage, and inclusion in the construction industry. She works closely with local schools, nonprofits, and trade organizations to expand access to careers and growth opportunities in construction.

Sunde holds a B.S. in Interior Design from Bellevue College and is actively involved in several regional advisory boards and workforce development programs.

Truebeck Construction is an industry-leading full-service general contractor specializing in technical building, complex projects, and interiors.

Perkins&Will

Miller

Perkins&Will has hired Ken Miller for its Pacific Northwest aviation practice. Miller brings 15 years of experience leading complex airport projects, including major work at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Miller was brought on as associate principal to support major airport infrastructure projects across the region. Miller has led several of the largest recent projects at Sea-Tac, including Alaska Airlines' new Gateway Lobby and the Concourse D Annex, which is North America's first LEED-certified passenger terminal.

Rolluda Architects

Hale

Bernal

Juliana Bernal recently joined Rolluda Architects as a design intern, having graduated summa cum laude from California Polytechnic State University with a bachelor's degree in architecture. During her time at Cal Poly, she served as an academic advisor, mentored fellow students and volunteered with local community organizations.

Rolluda Architects also hired Preston Hale as a marketing associate. Hale graduated from the Creative Academy at Seattle Central College in 2024. As a freelance graphic designer, he has worked with local businesses designing logos, menus, billboards and more. He specializes in branding and visual storytelling.

Gensler

Kanoski

Howlett

Gensler hired Howard Howlett as project director in the Seattle office. Howlett leads planning, design, and delivery of complex architectural and construction projects. He brings 35 years of industry experience overseeing complex projects such as convention centers, higher education campuses, mixed-use developments and major infrastructure projects.

Also new to the Seattle office as a project director is Linda Kanoski. With 30-plus years of experience, she guides clients through planning, design, and implementation, building partnerships and mentoring teams. Her leadership experience includes architecture and real estate work that supports people, culture and business goals. Her past clients include Accenture, Ace Hardware, CBRE, Getty Images and AMD. She currently serves on the CREW Seattle Board as DEI Director.

Maul Foster & Alongi

Hoffman

Maul Foster & Alongi has promoted Matt Hoffman to principal planner in its Seattle office. For more than 20 years, Hoffman has helped communities, public agencies, and private organizations transform underutilized properties into productive assets through a blend of land use planning, development economics, and real estate strategy.

Throughout his career, Hoffman has guided projects that advance affordable housing, economic revitalization, workforce development, infrastructure planning and brownfield redevelopment across Washington. His work focuses on helping communities evaluate development opportunities, secure funding, and create actionable implementation strategies for projects that generate long-term community benefits.

Hoffman's expertise also extends to economic development and land use policy. He regularly advises ports, local governments, economic development organizations, and industries on business planning, market analysis, and grant-funded initiatives.

Economic Alliance Snohomish County

Duffy

Knoll

Pitre

Economic Alliance Snohomish County (EASC) announced that Dr. Paul Pitre is stepping down as EASC board chair. Current EASC Board Vice Chair Robert Knoll, from Puget Sound Energy, will serve out the current term as board chair and Mark Duffy of Mountain Pacific Bank will fill out the term as EASC board vice chair.

EASC would like to thank Pitre for his service to the EASC and his commitment to Washington State University Everett, the city of Everett and the larger Snohomish County community.

Pitre was a founding dean of the Everett branch of WSU — including 10 years as Chancellor. Pitre will be returning to faculty and teaching at WSU's main campus in Pullman.

Pitre was instrumental in growing WSU Everett's footprint including launching 11 new academic programs and developing the county's first LEED Gold academic building while overseeing construction of the college's new campus in 2017.

Knoll will begin his tenure as EASC board chair effective immediately. He works in Government Affairs at Puget Sound Energy, where he partners with local governments, community stakeholders and policymakers on energy policy and infrastructure issues across Washington state. He brings more than a decade of experience in government relations, public policy and community engagement.

Duffy is the president, CEO and founder of Mountain Pacific Bank and brings more than four decades of experience in the banking industry. He will replace Robert Knoll as EASC vice chair, effective immediately.

Wells Fargo & Company

Teichman

Wells Fargo & Company named Jim Teichman market executive for Commercial Banking in Washington and Alaska.

Based in Seattle, he reports to Eric Houser, Commercial Banking Northwest Division executive.

Teichman brings more than 25 years of commercial banking experience to the role. Most recently, he served as a managing director and Mid-Corporate Banking relationship manager. Since joining Wells Fargo in 2012, he has held leadership positions supporting middle market and commercial banking clients across Washington and Western Canada. He became Seattle Commercial Banking leader in 2019.

Before joining Wells Fargo, Teichman held commercial banking and credit leadership roles at Bank of America and KeyBank. He earned a bachelor's degree in finance from The Ohio State University and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame.

Seattle Sports

Washington State University Athletics and the Bonneville Seattle Media Group have announced a new multi-year partnership, allowing Cougar Athletics to expand its reach in the Puget Sound region. Seattle Sports (710-AM) will once again serve as the Seattle flagship station for Washington State Football and Men's Basketball broadcasts.

Seattle Sports also serves as the radio flagship station of the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Mariners.

The Cougar Sports Network is the official radio and digital broadcasting network for Washington State Athletics, managed by Playfly Sports.

Cougar Football and Men's Basketball radio broadcasts, along with pregame and postgame coverage, will primarily air on 710 KIRO-AM (Seattle Sports). In the event of scheduling conflicts with Seattle Mariners or Seattle Seahawks broadcasts, WSU game coverage will shift to 770 KTTH-AM. All games will air live on the Seattle Sports app.

The partnership also expands Cougar Football's presence across Seattle Sports digital platforms. Throughout the football season, Washington State Head Coach Kirby Moore will join former Cougar standout and Seattle Sports host Michael Bumpus for a weekly video interview on Bump & Stacy. The segment will air each Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. and will also be available across Seattle Sports' digital and social media channels.

For the first time, Cougar Women's Basketball game broadcasts will be available for streaming through the Seattle Sports app. And one Washington State Baseball game broadcast each season will air on Seattle Sports.

Commercial Brokers Association

Hull-Drury

The Commercial Brokers Association announced in late May that Mary Hull-Drury was appointed its new president and CEO. After many years with the CBA, she was elevated to the role after last fall's unexpected death of CEO Chris McDougall. (During the interim, industry veteran Rob Aigner filled the post.) “Mary brings a powerful combination of strategic vision, industry expertise and dedication to the clients, colleagues and communities she serves,” says the CBA.

Greater Seattle Partners

Braddock

Greater Seattle Partners is a public-private economic development organization that sometimes touches upon real estate projects. It announced this spring that Shannon Braddock was appointed CEO and president. She served last year as interim King County Executive. In a press release, she said, “GSP plays a critical role connecting our cities, counties, industries, and global partners around a shared vision of sustainable growth and opportunity. I look forward to building on the foundation that the entire GSP team and the Board have established, and to working alongside our public and private partners to ensure our region remains a destination for talent, innovation and investment.”

Ogletree Deakins

Bigos

Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, welcomed Brad Bigos to the firm's Seattle office as a shareholder. Bigos joins the firm from another firm in Seattle, where he was a partner.

Bigos has practiced employment litigation in private practice for nearly 10 years, defending companies against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, and related claims. He works closely with employers to investigate claims and identify priorities that align with business goals.

Bigos has jury trial experience and has handled matters ranging from single-plaintiff claims through class actions under Washington and federal law, guiding employers through every stage of litigation from prelitigation strategy to trial.

Bigos holds an LL.M. with highest honors from The George Washington University Law School, a J.D. from the University of San Diego School of Law, and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Seattle University.

Ogletree Deakins' Seattle office has doubled in size since early 2025, with further growth expected in the coming months.

Foushée & Associates

Green

Shull

Foushée & Associates has added two professionals to its construction team. Cooper Shull joins the company as project engineer, bringing a background in corporate logistics and experience coordinating complex operations. Sean Green has rejoined Foushée as superintendent. Green brings more than 20 years of construction experience leading projects in the field.

Since 1977, Foushée has built a reputation for tackling complex projects, building lasting relationships, and bringing together the right people to deliver exceptional results.

Ballard Spahr

Picone

Ballard Spahr has elevated Ethan Picone to Counsel in the Seattle office effective July 1, firm Chair Peter Michaud announced.

Picone advises employers in a wide range of industries on both traditional labor relations as well as employment matters. On the labor side, he has extensive experience handling unionization, collective bargaining and labor arbitrations. On the employment side, he counsels employers on regulatory and wage-and-hour compliance, including class action litigation. He also has extensive experience counseling employers on preventive labor law training, and designing overall strategy and compliance programs. Picone is a regular contributor to the firm's Best Practices for Best Employers Labor & Employment Seminar, which is now in its 44th year.

Ballard Spahr has more than 750 lawyers in 19 U.S. offices, serving clients across industries in litigation, transactions and regulatory compliance.

Swenson Say Fagét

Renouard

Rosman

Swenson Say Fagét Structural Engineers (SSF) has promoted two tenured staff members to principal. Karl Rosman was promoted in January, and Francesca Renouard was promoted in June.

Rosman joined SSF's Seattle office in March 2005. A graduate of Montana State University, he has provided structural engineering solutions and project management for more than 1,200 projects during his two-decade career with SSF. His project portfolio spans a wide range of building types, including more than 800 new and renovated single-family residences, as well as commercial, multi-family/mixed-use, hospitality, community, and religious projects. Prior to earning his engineering degree, Rosman's hands-on experience working as a carpenter gives him a unique insight into the construction process. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Washington, Idaho and Montana. Rosman has lent his structural expertise to some unusual project types, including more than 24 treehouse homes spanning locations from Orcas Island to Upperville, Virginia, and Trapper Creek, Alaska. Recent projects include the new Social Retail Shops at Suncadia Lodge in Cle Elum, new and renovated structures in the Pacific Northwest and Western Montana, and an extensive renovation to his own residence in Missoula.

After completing two SSF summer internships and her master's degree from UC Berkeley, Renouard joined SSF's Seattle office full-time in September of 2014. Renouard has been laser-focused on the renovation, historic preservation and adaptive reuse of community assets. She served on the city of Seattle's URM Task Force and helped co-author the URM Alternate Method, which is included in the 2021 Seattle Existing Building Code. She is a King County Landmarks Board Commissioner, serves on the Historic Seattle Real Estate Committee, and was recently nominated for the AIA Seattle Board. In 2023, she joined Building Design + Construction Magazine's 40 Under 40 Class of outstanding young professionals. Some of her completed projects include the Metropole Building, an adaptive reuse and addition to a historic drug store in Pioneer Square for the Satterberg Foundation; West Canal Yards, the adaptive reuse of two cold storage buildings on the ship canal for office and retail for Unico Properties; and the Green Lake and University Carnegie Library Full Seismic Retrofits for Seattle Public Library. Coming soon to Renouard's resume – the next phase of Pike Place Market renovations.

Washington State Department of Commerce

Buckler

Amy Buckler, a longtime public sector leader, will join the state Department of Commerce as its new Housing Division assistant director on Aug. 3.

Buckler comes to Commerce from the city of Centralia, where she was the assistant city manager and interim city manager helping oversee city operations, advising elected officials, and leading strategic initiatives that strengthened community well-being and positioned the city for future growth. Prior to that, she worked for the city of Olympia for 16 years in a variety of roles helping solve complex challenges.

At Commerce, Buckler will lead the Housing Division, which provides tools to local governments, nonprofits and community action agencies to ensure that everyone is housed in their communities, ranging from homelessness services to support for first-time homeowners. The Housing Division has eight units and leads 60 programs, advisory committees or councils, and has more than 200 employees.

Buckler holds a Master of Public Administration from The Evergreen State College and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Michigan State University. She lives in Thurston County.

BakerHostetler

Knowles

Sean Knowles has joined BakerHostetler's Seattle office as a partner in the firm's Litigation Practice Group and a member of the Securities and Governance Litigation team.

Knowles joins from an Am Law 100 firm, where he served as the firm-wide chair of the securities litigation practice. He has experience representing clients in securities class action litigation, shareholder derivative lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions litigation and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement proceedings and investigations.

With a career spanning nearly 30 years, and nationally recognized by Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America, Knowles is adept at defending securities class actions and shareholder derivative actions against public companies of all sizes in a wide range of industries.

Knowles helps public companies, officers and directors navigate high-stakes shareholder and regulatory matters. Clients turn to him to defend securities class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, merger and acquisition disputes, SEC enforcement actions and investigations and claims under the Washington State Securities Act, as well as to provide practical guidance on corporate governance issues.

Knowles began his career in New York. Since 2007, he has been based in Seattle. He received his A.B. from Brown University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School.

BakerHostetler has six core practice groups — Business, Digital Assets and Data Management, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Tax — and more than 1,000 lawyers coast to coast.

Snohomish County Superior Court

Nelson

Gov. Bob Ferguson announced the appointment of Lacie Nelson to the position of Snohomish County Superior Court Judge. Nelson's appointment fills the position that Judge Millie Judge's resignation will vacate.

Nelson is a career litigator with more than 18 years of experience in both criminal and civil cases. She currently practices at the law firm of Brewe Layman, P.S. in Everett, handling family law, personal injury and medical malpractice matters. She also serves as a judge pro tempore in Snohomish County District Court and as an arbitrator for King, Snohomish, and Skagit County motor vehicle tort claims.

Prior to joining Brewe Layman, P.S., Nelson spent three years as in-house counsel at GEICO. She also served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Snohomish County and a deputy district attorney in Jackson County, Oregon. She has extensive courtroom experience, having tried 70 cases to verdict, over 60 of which were jury trials. Nelson also volunteered with the Snohomish County Family Law Clinic, providing legal advice to clients who could not afford to hire an attorney.

Nelson earned her bachelor's degree from Columbia University and her law degree from University of Oregon School of Law.

CFRE Commercial Real Estate

Clark

CFRE Commercial Real Estate recently announced that Steve Clark has joined its Bellevue office. He makes the move from North by Northwest Realty. The firm's Gary Hunter said in a statement, “Steve's extensive background in land assemblage and his commitment to delivering strategic results align perfectly with our approach. We are thrilled to welcome him to our team, and look forward to the deep market expertise and client-first dedication he brings to our clients.”

Hensel Phelps

Moore

Swenson

Willey

Franssen

Hensel Phelps announced the following employees have earned new professional certification.

Operations Manager Richard Franssen earned his Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) certification. The credential is nationally recognized and is awarded to industry professionals who demonstrate hands-on design-build experience, including direct involvement in best-practice collaboration during procurement, design and construction.

Franssen brings 20 years of experience to this credential, with a track record rooted in large-scale, operationally complex aviation projects delivered through progressive design-build. His work spans some of the most demanding airport environments in the country including the Alaska Airlines-led SEA Gateway project (also known as the North Main Terminal Redevelopment project) at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Project Manager Connor Willey has earned his Associate DBIA certification.

Willey brings 10 years of industry experience, building a track record on complex, high-profile projects where collaborative delivery and stakeholder coordination are crucial. Across his projects, Willey has applied the communication, planning and problem-solving skills that define effective design-build delivery.

Senior Safety Manager Lars Swenson has earned his Certified Safety Professional (CSP) credential. Widely regarded as the gold standard in the safety profession, the CSP designation demonstrates advanced expertise in risk management, hazard mitigation and safety program implementation.

Swenson has been with Hensel Phelps for 11 years and supports multiple project teams and safety initiatives across a variety of market sectors, including aviation, data centers, ground transportation and hospitality. In support of the Pacific Northwest Director of Health and Safety, he participates in pre-job planning conferences to help establish safety plans for new contracts. He also conducts periodic safety inspections of jobsites, evaluating both trade partner operations and Hensel Phelps self-performed work using OSHA standards and Hensel Phelps safety program criteria.

Senior Safety Manager Caleb Moore has earned his Certified Industrial Hygienist (CIH) credential. The CIH is a globally recognized professional designation for health and safety experts, demonstrating expertise in anticipating, recognizing, evaluating and controlling workplace hazards to protect workers and the public.

At Hensel Phelps, Moore is responsible for on-site safety and security coordination, including implementation of project safety programs. His experience spans a diverse portfolio of heavily phased higher education, industrial, aviation, federal and wastewater projects.

Hensel Phelps is an employee-owned general contracting company founded in 1937, delivering planning, building and management services across a wide range of markets nationwide.