Jun 27, 2023

Seattle Center

Foster

Mayor Bruce Harrell selected Marshall Foster to serve as the next director of the Seattle Center. Foster has been serving as the interim director of Seattle Center since January, overseeing operations and management of the 74-acre Seattle Center campus. In the last six months, Foster has led efforts to help bring back summer programming and events on campus and has prepared the Seattle Center for its new role managing Waterfront Park. He has also worked with City leadership to advance a partnership with Seattle Public Schools to redevelop Memorial Stadium with a new multi-use sports stadium to serve students and the larger community. Prior to this year, Foster helped create the City's Waterfront Seattle Program, serving as director of the Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects since 2014. Prior to these roles, he served as the City's planning director where he oversaw plans for South Lake Union's expansion, along with community plans for the Rainier Valley, Capitol Hill, the University District, and Northgate. Foster will continue to serve as interim director until confirmed by the City Council.

Harborstone Credit Union

Hoefel

Harborstone Credit Union hired Tim Hoefel to serve as its new senior vice president & chief retail officer, overseeing the credit union's Retail Banking Division and Contact Center. He was placed by DDJ Myers, a leadership development firm that is now an ALM First Company. Hoefel began his career in finance more than 20 years ago, and has worked as a branch manager, district manager, area manager, retail regional director, and most recently as senior vice president and commercial & business banking director at Umpqua Bank. Hoefel holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Western Washington University. He also attended the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington. In operation since 1955, Harborstone Credit Union has branch locations in King, Pierce, and Thurston Counties.

Madrona Venture Labs

Madrona Venture Labs (MVL), a Seattle-based startup studio that co-builds and invests in AI companies, announced it raised $11 million in its fifth funding round. Since its inception in 2014, MVL has raised $40 million and co-created and invested in 32 companies. New investors joining the fund include Thomas Dohmke, CEO of GitHub; Joe Beda, co-founder & former CTO of Heptio; Brent Frei, co-founder of Smartsheet & CEO of TerraClear; Michael Hilton, former CPO of Accolade & co-founder of Concur; and several others. Returning investors from previous funds include Elissa Fink, former CMO of Tableau; Spencer Rascoff, co-founder & former CEO of Zillow; and Mike McSherry, co-founder & CEO of Xealth. Recent companies in its portfolio include Charmed, AI-assisted game development; Augmend, collective intelligence for developers; Storia, AI-powered video production; and Finpilot, AI copilot for finance. With this fund, MVL welcomed two new technology and AI partners to MVL, Larry Colagiovanni, most recently the CTO & CPO of Limeade, and Jay Bartot, most recently the CEO of MVL spinout Zeitworks. Madrona is a venture capital firm based in Seattle.

Jun 23, 2023

Gordon & Rees

Thielbahr

Meredith Thielbahr was named among Law360's 2023 Rising Stars, Top Attorneys Under 40. According to Law360, the Rising Star list is comprised of top litigators and deal makers who have demonstrated outstanding career accomplishments at a level usually seen from veteran attorneys. Thielbahr was recognized for her career accomplishments in Government Contracts law. The 183 honorees on the Law360 Rising Stars of 2023 list are selected by editors from over 1,300 submissions based on their career accomplishments in their respective practice areas. Thielbahr is co-managing partner of the Inland Northwest offices of Gordon & Rees, which currently consists of Idaho and the eastern half of Washington. She is licensed in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia. Thielbahr is the co-chair of the firm's Government Contracts practice group and represents clients across the United States in disputes involving the government at both the state and federal level. Thielbahr works closely with clients on internal compliance investigations and handles formal qui tam and government lawsuits. She has negotiated numerous Civil Investigative Demands on behalf of her clients with both the DOJ and State AG offices. Thielbahr handles government/contractor and prime/subcontractor – requests for equitable adjustments and formal claims and has a significant False Claims Act (FCA) litigation practice. She represents clients in bid protests before the COFC and GAO, along with various state and local procuring agencies, and represents clients in size and status protests before the Small Business Administration.

PayTrace

Spokane-based PayTrace, a provider of B2B payments technology, hired Tom Lizzio as director of ISV sales. Lizzio brings sales and strategic experience in the embedded payments industry, advancing PayTrace's efforts to expand its ISV partnerships. Prior to joining PayTrace, Lizzio worked in senior strategic partnership manager, business development, inside sales, account management, and global payments roles. PayTrace will formally launch its ISV Partnership Program in the summer of 2023.

King County

King County has been honored with a 2023 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award in recognition of its support of National Guard and Reserve members. Only 15 recipients were selected for the award, which is the highest recognition given by the U.S. government to small and large private and public sector employers for their exceptional support of employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve. Metro Transit Chief Lisa Dove was also presented with the Patriot Award, which is given to a supervisor or manager who has supported their national guard or reserve service member. Chris Cappalletti, Petty Officer II, U.S. Coast Guard Reserves, and a metro transit operator from the Ryerson base, nominated both King County and Lisa – his supervisor – for the awards. Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) received 1,863 nominations for this award for employers throughout the 50 states, Guam-CNMI, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.

Jun 22, 2023

Estate Planning Council of Seattle

Smiley

The Estate Planning Council of Seattle has appointed a new slate of officers to lead the council for 2023-2024, with Debra Smiley of Seattle-based Laird Norton Wealth Management as president. Joining Smiley is immediate past president Dan Halos, Dabyn Wealth Strategies, Bellevue; president-elect Teresa Byers, Ogden Murphy Wallace, Seattle; treasurer Allison Kollack, King & Oliason CPAs, Seattle; and secretary Sharon Perlin, Whittier Trust, Seattle. The executive committee includes Jeanne Goussev, Northern Trust, Seattle; Elizabeth McGrath, Key Private Bank, Seattle; Sara Berkenwald, Jeppesen Gray Sakai, Bellevue; and Nate Rothbauer, Ascent Private Capital Management, Seattle. Marianna Willey with Baker Tilly US, and Matt Tilghman-Havens with Washington Trust Bank will co-chair the 68th annual Estate Planning Seminar on Nov. 6-7. The new slate of officers will take office on July 1. The Estate Planning Council of Seattle was founded in the early 1940's, and is comprised of King County-based estate planning lawyers, Certified Public Accountants, trust officers, insurance agents, and financial planners. The council aims to promote estate planning services in the Pacific Northwest by developing and improving the capabilities of its members, fostering cooperation among professionals, and by educating the public about estate planning matters.

Ogden Murphy Wallace

Ogden Murphy Wallace added two new members, Janet Gray and Sara Kiviat Berkenwald, to its Trust and Estate Group. Formerly with Jeppesen Gray Sakai, their practices will focus on estate planning, trust administration, probate, taxation, and charitable giving. OMW is a multi-specialty regional law firm, operating in the Pacific Northwest for over 120 years, with offices in Bellevue, Seattle and Wenatchee. Gray has been a member of the Washington State Bar Association for over 40 years. She is a founding member of the Ripple Giving Fund, which supports at risk women and children in India with the goal of ending human trafficking, child marriage and forced labor. Kiviat Berkenwald also volunteers for city commissions, community foundations, and professional legal organizations.

Oregon Tool

Oregon Tool promoted current Chief Operating Officer Elliot Zimmer to CEO. Zimmer will succeed Paul Tonnesen, who is stepping down to care for his elderly parents. Tonnesen will serve as an advisor to the company's board going forward. Zimmer started as Oregon Tool's COO in 2022, and brings more than 20 years of experience working in a variety of leadership roles at Lennox International, Dr. Pepper Snapple, McKinsey & Company, and in the United States Army. He has a BS in Systems Engineering from West Point and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Headquartered in Portland, Oregon Tool manufactures precision cutting tools for the forestry, lawn and garden, farming, ranching and agriculture, and concrete cutting and finishing industries.