Oct 27, 2023

Symetra

Symetra Life Insurance Company announced that Fortune magazine and Great Place to Work have recognized Symetra on the 2023 Fortune Best Workplaces for Women List. This is Symetra's second consecutive appearance on the list, coming in at No. 41 among the Top 100 organizations in the large workplace category.

To determine the Best Workplaces for Women, Great Place To Work analyzed the survey responses of over 600,000 women who work for Great Place To Work Certified companies that were eligible for the list. Honorees were selected based on their ability to offer positive outcomes for women regardless of job role, race, sexual orientation, work status, or other demographic identifier. Great Place To Work analyzed the gender balance of each workplace compared with Bureau of Labor Statistics industry data. Companies are also assessed on how representation changes as women rise from front-line positions to the board of directors. Led by CEO Margaret Meister and a gender-balanced senior leadership team, Symetra was again Certified by Great Place to Work earlier this year, with 93 percent of surveyed employees saying it's a great place to work. Symetra Life Insurance Company is a subsidiary of Symetra Financial Corporation, a diversified financial services company based in Bellevue.

Teton Ridge

Teton Ridge, an omnichannel company comprised of a portfolio of brands focused on multiple facets of the American West, named Deirdre Lester as its chief executive officer. Previously, Lester was the chief executive officer of Outsider, a lifestyle and media company that celebrates the American outdoors. She joined Outsider from Barstools Sports where she served as chief revenue officer. Before joining Barstool Sports, Lester held senior leadership positions at Major League Baseball, ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. In 2016, she was named one of Forbes' 25 Most Powerful Women in Sports. Investors in Teton Ridge include Thomas Tull, Guggenheim Partners, Jim Breyer and the Lee Bass Family Office. Earlier this month, it was announced that Jillian Share, formerly president of production at eOne, had been named president of Teton Ridge Entertainment, a division of Teton Ridge. Teton Ridge's portfolio of brands is comprised of Western-focused properties in the sports, media, entertainment, lifestyle, and equine spaces. The company's primary office is in Tetonia, Idaho.

Oct 26, 2023

TrueBlue

Netolicky

TrueBlue hired Greg Netolicky as chief people officer. He will report directly to Taryn Owen, president and chief executive officer. Netolicky has more than 20 years of experience across all aspects of human resources, spanning Fortune 500 and privately held organizations. Most recently, he served as the chief human resources officer for Rite-Hite Holding Company, a global manufacturing company. Netolicky also served as vice president of human resources, components and integrated supply chain at Johnson Controls. Tacoma-based TrueBlue is provides specialized workforce solutions. Its PeopleReady segment offers on-demand, industrial, and highly skilled staffing; PeopleScout offers recruitment process outsourcing and managed service provider solutions; and PeopleManagement offers contingent, on-site industrial staffing and commercial driver services.

Dept. of Natural Resources and Parks

True

King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the retirement of Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director Christie True, the longest-serving department director on his Cabinet, after a 39-year career at the agency. Constantine credited True for reinforcing King County's reputation as a trusted environmental steward by producing climate solutions, protecting water quality, restoring habitat, conserving open space, and improving access to parks and trails. The Executive Office will conduct a nationwide recruitment for one of the largest metropolitan natural resource agencies in the country. True started her career at King County in 1984 as a water quality technician, advancing to become director of the Wastewater Treatment Division, the largest of the department's four divisions. Constantine appointed her as the department director in 2010.

Heron's Key

Heron's Key, a Life Plan community located in Gig Harbor, hired Angela Winks as the new wellness program manager. Winks comes to Heron's Key with more than 13 years of experience in the health and wellness industry. As wellness program manager, Winks will be working closely with residents in assisted living and independent living. She will manage the fitness department, life enrichment program and activities programs. Winks spent much of her career working as a personal trainer, fitness director, holistic health coach, and Next STEP program director at various locations throughout Washington. She earned a bachelor's degree in exercise science and kinesiology from Concordia University. Heron's Key, sponsored by Emerald Communities, is a Washington state-based, not-for-profit senior housing and service organization.

Oct 25, 2023

Fortive

Fortive has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire EA Elektro-Automatik Holding GmbH, a supplier of high-power electronic test solutions for energy storage, mobility, hydrogen, and renewable energy applications, for $1.45 billion in cash. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in early first quarter of 2024. Fortive expects to finance the acquisition with available cash and debt financing. Fortive will discuss the transaction in more detail on its previously announced third quarter 2023 earnings conference call, scheduled for Wednesday, October 25, 2023. Morgan Stanley & Co. and J.P. Morgan Securities served as financial advisors and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer served as legal counsel to Fortive. Fortive is a provider of essential technologies for connected workflow solutions across a range of end-markets. The company is headquartered in Everett, and employs a team of more than 18,000 research and development, manufacturing, sales, distribution, service and administrative employees in more than 50 countries around the world.

Wandke Accessibility

Bellingham-based Wandke Consulting has rebranded as Wandke Accessibility. The disability-owned agency specializes in helping companies create accessible services, platforms, and environments. Daman Wandke is the founder and CEO of Wandke Accessibility. Through web accessibility audits and disabled user testing, specially designed accessibility and disability inclusion training, and inclusive marketing strategies, Wandke Accessibility has served dozens of clients, ranging from small businesses and nonprofit organizations to large corporations. The company's revamped website offers increased accessibility and a blog featuring content from Wandke and other members of the Wandke Accessibility team. The company will also offer on-demand accessibility trainings.

Oct 24, 2023

Mox Boarding House

Olsen

Hsieh

Mox Boarding House in Bellevue hired a new restaurant general manager, Izzy Hsieh, and promoted Robin Olsen, formerly a server, to be the front of house supervisor. Hsieh has eight years of restaurant leadership experience. Prior to Mox Boarding House, she was the general manager at Meet Korean BBQ, the manager for Girin Steakhouse and Ssam Bar, and held assistant GM roles at Taylor Shellfish and mBar. Hsieh is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu Pastry School. Olsen has been part of the Mox Team since November 2014. Mox Boarding House also offers an extensive library of tabletop games, and has locations in Seattle, Bellevue, and Portland.

Nautilus

Nautilus announced plans to change its corporate name to BowFlex Inc., reflecting a focus on the company's strongest consumer brand, and continued execution of its growth transformation strategy, North Star. The corporate name change is expected to be effective Nov. 1. In tandem, the company also intends to change its ticker symbol on the New York Stock Exchange from “NLS” to “BFX” effective on Nov. 1. BowFlex will be led by the current management team. The corporate name and ticker symbol change follow the company's sale of the Nautilus brand trademark assets and related licenses earlier this year as part of its ongoing comprehensive strategic review. Headquartered in Vancouver, the company's products are sold direct to consumer on brand websites and through retail partners and are available throughout the U.S. and internationally.

Boise Cascade

Boise Cascade's Building Materials Distribution division announced that it has completed the purchase of a new 120,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility in West Palm Beach, Florida. The total property is 9.7 acres and will provide additional storage and service capacity for the Pompano Beach branch. Boise Cascade produces engineered wood products and plywood, and is a leading U.S. wholesale distributor of building products.