Aug 24, 2021

Critical Insight

Inc. magazine revealed that Seattle-based Critical Insight is on its annual Inc. 5000 list for the first time. The list is a ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies and Critical Insight is debuting at number 1,264. Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc. Critical Insight delivers cyber security with a personalized blend of MDR, managed, and professional services, to assess, test, and monitor 24 hours a day. Inc. Media has produced the Inc. 5000 every year since 1982.

Luvera Law Firm

Luvera Law Firm announced that partners Patricia Anderson, David Beninger and Robert Gellatly have been named to the 2022 Best Lawyers in America attorney ratings guide for their expertise in personal injury litigation and medical malpractice law. Gellatly received the “Lawyer of the Year” award from Best Lawyers in America for his excellence in personal injury litigation. Additionally, he was awarded the 2022 rating for Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. This is the fourth time Gellatly has received a “Lawyer of the Year” award, also earning the distinction in 2020, 2017 and 2015. For the fifth consecutive year, Beninger was recognized with a top rating for Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs. Anderson also was honored in the Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs category. Luvera Law Firm is Seattle-based personal injury firm.

Kulshan Community Land Trust

Kulshan Community Land Trust (KulshanCLT) has received a $20,000 housing affordability grant from Wells Fargo to support its HomeBuyer Education program. Wells Fargo has been one of KulshanCLT's largest grant funders, according to KulshanCLT executive director Dean Fearing. KulshanCLT holds land in trust for permanently affordable homeownership and other community needs, and by offering financial and educational services to people of limited means. Since the trust began in 1999, it has assisted more than 190 moderate-income households purchase affordable homes in Whatcom County. The HomeBuyer Education program is one of three KulshanCLT core programs—HomeBuyer Education, HomeOwnership Opportunities and HomeOwner Services. Together these programs provide financial education, counseling, foreclosure prevention and expertise to modest-income households. KulshanCLT also offers free pre-purchase counseling to anyone in the community.

Aug 20, 2021

Marchex

Seattle-based Marchex's artificial intelligence-fueled products were recognized with two industry awards: Marketing Edge won the Best Marketing Attribution Solution award in the fourth annual MarTech Breakthrough Awards; and Engage for Automotive won a Product of the Year award in the 2021 Sales and Marketing Technology Awards program by Business Intelligence Group. Marketing Edge enables marketers to improve their digital marketing performance through data-driven decisions. Engage for Automotive is a sales tool for automotive dealers. Marchex also announced the promotion of Ryan Polley from chief product and strategy officer to chief operating officer.

Page Ahead

Seattle's Page Ahead is a finalist in the national State Farm Neighborhood Assist grant competition. Page Ahead was chosen as one of 200 finalists from charities across the U.S., and was the only Seattle charity to make the list. The top 40 charities will win $25,000 apiece, and winners will be determined by votes cast at bit.ly/pageaheadstatefarm through Aug. 27. Winners will be announced Sept. 29. Page Ahead builds and maintains dozens of Book Oasis little free libraries in Seattle neighborhoods where there are currently few or no affordable or free book-access options. Founded in 1990, Page Ahead Children's Literacy Program has given more than 3.5 million new books to more than 950,000 children through collaborations with schools, social service agencies and early childhood programs across Washington.

Cielo WiGle

Inc. Magazine ranked Redmond-based Cielo WiGle at No. 358 on the 2021 Inc. 5000 list, a ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. In addition, Cielo was 33rd in the category of Consumer Products and Services Industry, sixth in metro rank and seventh in state rank in Washington. Cielo will be featured in Inc. Magazine's September issue, along with other top companies. Cielo makes smart AC controllers for intelligent and integrated climate management systems. The 2021 Inc. 5000 list has been published every year since 1982, and the companies are ranked according to percentage revenue growth.

BioLife Plasma Services

BioLife Plasma Services, part of the global company Takeda Pharmaceutical, on Saturday will open an all-electric plasma donation center in Tukwila. The new center is the first in a sustainability initiative to build all-electric plasma donation centers in the U.S. As the demand for medicine developed from plasma increases, BioLife is expanding to help meet the need for plasma donations. BioLife has over 150 plasma donation centers in the U.S. Plasma donations received at BioLife centers are used by Takeda to make established therapies that treat a range of rare and complex conditions, such as immunodeficiency disorders, for which there are often no alternative treatments.

Aug 18, 2021

Convera

Patrick Gauthier, who most recently served as head of Amazon Pay, was announced as the future CEO of Convera, a new business-to-business cross-border payments and foreign exchange solutions provider. Upon closing of the recently announced acquisition of Western Union Business Solutions (WUBS) by Goldfinch Partners and The Baupost Group for $910 million, the business will be renamed Convera. Gauthier and a team of executives filling new roles in the independent company will join WUBS's executive team. Prior to Amazon, Gauthier held senior leadership roles at PayPal and Visa. In addition to the existing leadership team at WUBS, including Andrew Summerill who is expected to serve as chief financial officer following the close, Gauthier will be joined by the following executives taking up roles in the independent company, including: Dharmesh Syal, chief technology officer; Jody Visser, chief transformation officer; and Drew Weinstein, chief commercial officer. Goldfinch Partners' Sean Collins and Bill McNichols and The Baupost Group's Ryan Duffy will join Convera's board of directors. The transaction is expected to close in two stages. In the first closing, expected to be completed in early 2022, the WUBS business, excluding the business that is operated through Western Union International Bank in the European Union and United Kingdom, will transfer to Convera. In the second closing, expected to complete by mid-to-late 2022, the remaining business operated through Western Union International Bank in the European Union and United Kingdom will transfer.

Vouched

John Cao, co-founder and chief product and technology officer of Seattle-based Vouched, has left the company after five years to pursue other interests. The company is conducting a global search to finds its new chief technology officer. Vouched is proprietary artificial intelligence and computer vision that powers end-to-end visual identity verification and fraud detection online in real-time. An expert on more than 700 government-issued identity documents, including driver's licenses, passports, and permanent resident cards, Vouched helps banks, fintechs, cryptocurrency, gig and sharing companies, and hospital and healthcare providers verify users to provide access to critical services instantly.

NuScale Power

NuScale Power has signed a memorandum of understanding with Xcel Energy, a leading energy utility provider, to explore the feasibility of Xcel Energy serving as a plant operator at NuScale Plants. NuScale is a leader in developing advanced small modular reactors that are considered the next generation of carbon-free nuclear plants. NuScale is seeking an experienced nuclear plant operator to provide potential customers with the operational support needed to generate carbon-free energy using advanced reactor technology. Under the MOU, the two parties will examine the potential for Xcel Energy to become NuScale's preferred partner to provide a suite of operational power plant services to NuScale customers based on Xcel Energy's nuclear operational management systems. The MOU does not include a formal operating agreement, but it creates a framework for negotiating definitive agreements for Xcel Energy and NuScale to work together. NuScale is headquartered in Portland, and has offices in Corvallis, Oregon; Rockville, Maryland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Richland, Washington; and London. Xcel Energy is headquartered in Minneapolis.