Feb 17, 2022

ExtraHop

​​ExtraHop, a cloud-native network detection and response firm, announced that Patrick Dennis has been named the company's chief executive officer. Dennis' appointment follows outgoing CEO Arif Kareem's decision to retire. Dennis has nearly 25 years of experience leading high-growth public and private companies in the security and information technology markets including CEO roles at Guidance Software and Alvaria, and leadership positions at EMC and Oracle. As ExtraHop CEO, Dennis will work closely with company leadership, including co-founders Jesse Rothstein and Raja Mukerji, as well as the board of directors to accelerate key strategic priorities for the business. These priorities include growth in the enterprise segment and expanding ExtraHop's international impact. The company also plans to expand cloud security innovation to provide universal visibility and advanced threat defense for cloud workloads.

bttn

Steve Nielsen, a healthcare industry veteran and former CEO of McKesson Medical and LABSCO, has joined heathtech startup bttn as president. Nielsen was a member of bttn's advisory board before being named the company's first president. In its first year of business, bttn has established itself as a resource for medical practitioners, emergency responders and businesses looking for quality medical supplies. With 5500 customers, 30 partnerships and a growing catalog, bttn was recently listed on BuiltIn Seattle's Top 22 companies to watch in 2022 list. bttn is headquartered in Seattle.

Barnum West

Barnum Financial Group West Division, formerly InPlan Financial, has opened a new office in Seattle. “We are very excited about becoming a member of the Barnum Financial Group and opening this new office to expand their presence to the West Coast,” said Judah Piano, co-founder of the firm. Barnum is based in Connecticut with expertise in investment management, retirement planning, asset protection, and financial wellness. The new Barnum — West Division office is located at 600 University Street, Suite 2300, Seattle.

Patterson Cellars

Woodinville winery pioneer John Patterson, founder of Patterson Cellars, along with his partners, have acquired the Tertulia winery facility and adjacent Whistling Hills Vineyard in Walla Walla's Southside winery district. The Tertulia wine brand and inventory were not included in the sale. METIS, one of the Northwest's leading wine industry Mergers & Acquisitions firms, served as the exclusive transaction advisor. This acquisition enables Patterson Cellars to bring a significant portion of their wine production much closer to the growers and vineyards, while also adding an estate vineyard to their portfolio. Patterson (who sells over 80% of their wine direct to consumers) will additionally gain a key retail location in one of the highest traffic areas of Walla Walla. Tertulia Cellars, founded by Jim O'Connell in 2005, closed in late 2021 after over a decade as a popular destination for estate grown wines. The former Tertulia facility will be re-branded as Patterson Cellars, Walla Walla and become Patterson's fifth tasting room location and 2nd winemaking facility. Patterson founded Woodinville's Patterson Cellars in 2000, after 13 years at Quilceda Creek. This year will be his 36th harvest in Washington.

Feb 16, 2022

NuScale Power

NuScale Power and Poland's KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. (KGHM) will announce an agreement to initiate the deployment of NuScale's small modular reactor (SMR) technology. The definitive agreement between NuScale Power, whose SMR is the first and only small modular reactor to receive design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and KGHM, a Poland-based leader in copper and silver production and large industrial energy user, will position KGHM as a clean energy implementation leader with the first deployment of SMRs in Poland. Under the agreement, NuScale will work with KGHM to support the deployment of SMR technology, and together, the organizations will take steps toward deploying a first NuScale VOYGR power plant in Poland as early as 2029, which would help Poland avoid up to 8M tons of CO2 emissions per year. The first task under the agreement will identify and assess potential project sites and develop project planning milestones and cost estimates. KGHM and NuScale first began their collaboration in September 2021, after the two parties signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate in the development, licensing and construction of a NuScale VOYGR plant in Poland. NuScale is headquartered in Portland and has offices in Corvallis, OR; Rockville, MD; Charlotte, NC; Richland, WA and London, UK.

Impinj

Seattle-based Impinj, a leading RAIN RFID provider, announced the company has joined the DoseID Consortium to expand its focus on RAIN radio-frequency identification (RAIN RFID) applications in healthcare, and to participate in developing standards for RAIN RFID healthcare use. DoseID is a member-driven industry consortium with representatives from leading pharmaceutical companies, healthcare providers and hospitals. Impinj partners with healthcare providers that use its RAIN RFID products to deliver solutions that improve patient care, reduce costs, and increase efficiencies by better managing assets and inventory and by automating systems that keep patients and staff safe. Solutions built by Impinj partners are designed to work within an existing healthcare setting, supporting compliance with procedures and regulations and making the work of caring for patients easier.

Feb 15, 2022

Kevala

Seattle-based Kevala announced that it raised $12.1 million in Series A funding to modernize the healthcare industry through scheduling and compliance software. Cercano Management led the round, with participation from existing investors Costanoa Ventures, High Alpha, and PSL Ventures. Kevala spun out of Pioneer Square Labs in April 2020. Kevala is an intelligent workforce management and engagement platform built to solve the staffing problems in healthcare facilities. Kevala is first addressing the needs of long-term care organizations, including senior living, skilled nursing and rehabilitation and hospice. By building an integrated and intelligent SaaS solution, Kevala is able to maximize employee productivity and engagement, while improving quality of care and the bottom line. Clients are able to curate and float pools of talent within their organizations or opt to fill open shifts from the Kevala Care Network, a fully credentialed pool of per diem and contract healthcare professionals. Kevala has also automated how healthcare facilities track and maintain caregiver credentials. Kevala currently offers solutions to hundreds of organizations across five states, and plans to continue to expand its reach into new states with its software platform and the Kevala Care Network of caregivers this coming year.

nLIGHT

nLIGHT, a provider of high-power semiconductor and fiber lasers used in the industrial, microfabrication, aerospace, and defense markets, announced that it has acquired the assets of plasmo Industrietechnik GmbH (“Plasmo”), an Austrian-based provider of automated quality assurance and diagnostic solutions. Plasmo's products are driven by proprietary machine vision and analysis software that monitor and help automate a wide range of industrial welding and additive manufacturing processes. Complementing nLIGHT's expanding laser portfolio, the acquisition of the Plasmo assets strengthens nLIGHT's position as a critical enabler of next generation manufacturing solutions in these growth markets. Headquartered in Camas, Washington, nLIGHT employs over 1,275 people with operations in the U.S., China and Finland.

Inland Northwest Partners

Inland Northwest Partners appointed KayDee Gilkey as its new executive director. Gilkey comes to INP with more than 30 years of service to nonprofit boards on a local, regional, and state level, and is former two-term mayor of the town of Fairfield, Washington. Gilkey is the economic development organization's second director and assumed her position earlier this month. She succeeds Sharon Matthews, who held the position for 25 years. Matthews retired at the end of 2021. Gilkey will concurrently remain as director of industry relations for the Washington State Beef Commission. She currently serves on the Liberty Community Education Foundation Board of Directors and serves as chapter advisor to WSU's Alpha-Gamma-Delta chapter. Inland Northwest Partners originated in 1986 as an in-house Avista economic development program and became an official non-profit corporation in 1996. In 2004, the organization developed the Inland Northwest Economic Alliance to better support community and economic development professionals from across the Inland Northwest. INP members meet quarterly to share common economic challenges and solutions within the eastern Washington and northern Idaho region. Topics include technology, financing community initiatives, forging regional partnerships, civic capacity-building, business expansion and retention strategies, and talent attraction. INP often partners with local chambers or state organizations for value-added training.