Aug 19, 2022

WSP USA

Gray

Steven Gray has been named a national maritime senior project manager at WSP USA, serving as the national maritime civil leader for one of the largest waterfront/marine design groups in the U.S.

“We are excited to have Steven join our nationally recognized maritime engineering team,” said Kosal Krishnan, the national maritime market leader for WSP. “Our maritime group has been a leader in waterfront design for more than 50 years, and Steven brings extensive project management and upland design experience that will help our dynamic group improve critical waterfront facilities for our clients.”

As a vice president and national maritime civil leader, Gray will manage, oversee and review projects across all geographies in the U.S. for a wide range of different clients, such as port authorities, terminal operators, the U.S. Navy and the Coast Guard. He will also oversee the maritime civil group and work towards expanding the group and the practice.

Gray has 26 years of civil engineering experience and has worked on numerous container, bulk and break bulk terminal projects, as well as waterfront facilities for the U.S. Navy.

Gray is a graduate of the University of Washington with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

The WSP maritime group is comprised of analysts, planners, and engineers with a variety of technical backgrounds including economists, operations analysts, civil, environmental, ocean and structural engineering, and port planning, all working in several key locations across the U.S. and internationally.

Aug 18, 2022

Verus Associates

Verus Associates Inc. announced the acquisition of Go-Tek Automation, an industrial automation firm based in the Seattle.Verus is an automation, engineering and consulting firm specializing in industrial automation, control systems, electrical engineering and digital manufacturing. With the addition of Go-Tek, Verus will have offices across the Northwest. The company is headquartered in Concord, California.

Platinum Parking

Platinum Parking, a garage management and parking consultation company, announced the hiring of industry veteran, Vladi Sevoyan, as the company's new general manager in Seattle. In his role, Sevoyan will lead the organization's operations in the Pacific Northwest region and Greater Seattle area and help build the operations team in an effort to prepare them and the organization for future market growth.

“We are thrilled to have Vladi join our organization,” said Ed Danyluk, Regional Vice President at Platinum Parking. “Vladi's experience, attention to detail, and positive attitude align perfectly with our organization and goals for the Seattle market. Our success has always been based on hiring great people and great leadership, and I am confident that Vladi's expertise will help us build upon the growth and success we continue to see in the Pacific Northwest Market.”

Sevoyan brings to Platinum Parking more than 25 years of management experience in the parking industry. Most recently, Sevoyan served as vice president, Washington Operations at International Parking Management where he was responsible for the daily operations of more than 40 parking facilities as well as managing major sporting event traffic and parking operations.

Aug 17, 2022

University of Oregon

The University of Oregon's Board of Trustees has appointed an interim president in the wake of President Michael Schill announcing his departure. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the university's Provost and Senior Vice President Patrick Phillips will serve as president. Schill is leaving the university after seven years to become president at Northwestern University. Phillips will officially step into the interim presidency Saturday and Schill will serve as an advisor to Phillips until Sept. 11. The board will discuss the search process and timeline to hire the next permanent president at its September meeting.

Sound Transit

Beginning Friday, August 19 through Thursday, September 1, Link passengers should allow more time for trips while Sound Transit undertakes two weeks of work at the Columbia City Station as the agency prepares to more than double the length of the light rail system in the next few years.

To enable platform work at Columbia City Station, the southbound track will close at the station for two weeks. The work includes removing the existing platform tiles and replacing them after establishing a new surface they will reliably adhere to, eliminating tripping hazards and safety risks from cracking tiles.

From 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., every other 1-Line train headed south will terminate at Stadium Station rather than continuing southward on the single open track, which will need to alternate between serving southbound and northbound trains. During this time, Sound Transit personnel will be available at Stadium Station to assist passengers.

Passengers on the trains that terminate at Stadium Station will have to wait approximately 10 minutes before boarding the next train south. Early morning and late evening trains will run at 20-minute frequencies between Northgate and Angle Lake stations.

To avoid having to transfer at Stadium Station, southbound passengers are encouraged to read the head signs on trains and board those whose destination is Angle Lake.

The southbound platform at Columbia City Station will be closed during this two-week period. Passengers traveling in either direction will board on the northbound platform. Passengers should be aware of the direction of the trains arriving at the station, as that will be the direction in which the trains will continue.

Aug 16, 2022

Lane Powell

Zarelli

Parisa Zarelli joined Lane Powell as an associate on the Corporate, Securities and M&A team. Zarelli is a business attorney with experience in sales and technology transactions. She assists individuals and businesses throughout the Pacific Northwest with wide-ranging corporate matters, including entity structuring and formation, governance, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial contracts. Zarelli also assists nonprofit organizations in attaining tax-exempt status and establishing approved governance. Zarelli received her J.D. from the Seattle University School of Law and her B.A. in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences; Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from the University of Washington.

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente recently provided a $2.5 million grant to Change Machine, an organization that helps build financial security for people in low-income communities. These funds will be used to help people gain financial stability and security over the long term through Change Machine's coaching platform and training. Grant recipients will receive support in managing loans and debt, taxes, budgeting, saving, and credit building. The social service organizations receiving the Change Machine technology are located in all the areas in which they operate: California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington. The Washington nonprofits that will be receiving grant funds include: Workforce Snohomish, El Centro De La Raza, Ventures, Financial Empowerment Network, Your Money Matters Mentoring, and HopeLink.

City of Tacoma

Frank Boykin has joined the city of Tacoma to oversee the Washington Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business Center, which provides technical assistance and business consulting to established minority-owned businesses in Washington state. Embedded within the city of Tacoma's Community and Economic Development Department since September 2016, the Washington MBDA Business Center was established as part of a cooperative agreement between the city of Tacoma and the U.S. Department of Commerce. It is one of 35 MBDA Business Centers across the country. Boykin has more than three decades of professional, leadership, relationship-building and community experience. Most recently he served as director of the Manufacturing Industrial Council at the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce. During his time there, Boykin also served as head of the Pierce County Business Accelerator (PCBA), a cohort-based program established in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide resources to entrepreneurs and business owners in Pierce County including training, coaching and technical assistance. PCBA focuses on underserved and BIPOC communities. Prior to that, Boykin worked for 25 years as a United Parcel Service executive.