Feb 21, 2024

Electric Era Technologies

Electric Era Technologies announced new grant funding to bring its proprietary PowerNode EV fast charging stations to three additional locations in Washington state. The three grant awards, which Electric Era helped secure with its partners and customers, will leverage Electric Era as the supplier for new fast charging installations in rural and Tribal communities in Snohomish, Kitsap, and Yakima counties. The Washington State Department of Commerce awarded more than $1M to fuel installation of the three PowerNode fast charging stations. These new installations, two of which are on Tribal lands in Wapato and Kingston, will connect EV drivers with Electric Era's battery-backed fast charging technology in grid-constrained locations. A PowerNode charging station can deliver a 100-mile charge for a typical EV in less than 10 minutes, with the power to service more than 100 vehicles per day per charging station. Grants were secured on behalf of convenience store and gas station location owners. Other project partners include a local nonprofit and area utilities. Locations for the new PowerNode charging stations are: A1 Gas, located in Snohomish County at 2216 WA-530, Arlington; Gliding Eagle Market, located in Kitsap County at 8000 NE Little Boston Rd, Kingston; and Wolf Den, located in Yakima County at 61 W Wapato Rd, Wapato. The grants are a part of the Washington State Department of Commerce effort to install 5,000 EV chargers in Washington, more than half of which are planned for communities experiencing disproportionate health risks from fossil fuel pollution. Electric Era currently has more than 10 EV fast charger sites either active or under construction in seven states, with additional installations and grant awards expected. Electric Era Technologies was founded by former SpaceX engineers in 2019.

Vimly Benefit Solutions

Seattle-based Vimly Benefit Solutions has secured a strategic majority investment from Rubicon Technology Partners, a private equity firm based in Boulder, Colo. that is focused exclusively on investing in and growing software companies. The investment will accelerate growth through go-to-market expansion, product innovation, and the pursuit of acquisition opportunities. Founded in 1993, Vimly is a benefits technology company, serving third-party administrators, general agents, brokers, employers and employees. Ziegler, a specialty investment bank, served as exclusive financial advisor to Vimly on the transaction.

Verasonics

Verasonics, an ultrasound research firm, announced the expansion of its management team with the appointments of Christian Coviello, Ph.D. as director of ultrasound science, and Andrew Lundberg as director of hardware engineering and operations. Coviello holds a Ph. D from Pennsylvania State University and a bachelor's degree from Bucknell University, both in electrical engineering. Most recently, Coviello served as chief technology officer at OxSonics Therapeutics, a spin-out company he co-founded focused on ultrasound-enhanced drug delivery. Prior to OxSonics, he was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Oxford and a senior scientist with SAIC (Leidos) in the Advanced Systems and Technology Division working on image and signal processing algorithm development. He currently serves on the board of the International Society for Therapeutic Ultrasound and is a member of the International Electrotechnical Commission Cavitation Standard Project Team. Lundberg holds a master's degree in medical engineering and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Washington. He has over 26 years' experience in the design of medical ultrasound systems. Prior to Verasonics, Lundberg was director of hardware engineering at FUJIFILM SonoSite. Verasonics is a privately held company founded in 2001, headquartered in Kirkland. Verasonics is focused on providing researchers and developers with the tools to enable them to develop new algorithms and products used in biomedical ultrasound, materials science, earth sciences, and the physics of acoustics and ultrasonics. Verasonics also licenses its technology to companies for use in their commercial products.

Feb 16, 2024

StanCorp Financial Group

Turner

StanCorp Financial Group, and its primary operating subsidiary, Standard Insurance Company, have appointed Barbara A. Turner to the board of directors. Turner is the chief executive officer and founder of BT RISE, an organization committed to the economic empowerment and education of women and underserved communities. Prior to that, she was president and CEO of Ohio National Financial Services. Portland-based StanCorp Financial Group, through its subsidiaries, offer group and individual disability insurance, group life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance, group dental and group vision insurance, absence management and paid family leave services, retirement plans products and services, individual annuities, origination and servicing of fixed-rate commercial mortgage loans and investment advice.

Seattle Schools Scholarship Fund

The Seattle Schools Scholarship Fund (SSSF) has received a high-impact gift of $5 million from the estate of the late C. David Hughbanks, a Ballard High School alumnus from the class of 1954. The gift is the largest donation to the Seattle Public Schools student post-secondary scholarship fund and the largest private donation of any kind to Seattle Public Schools. Every year, SSSF provides $5,000 scholarships to students from each of Seattle's 17 public high schools to attend any institution of higher learning. In the 2022-23 school year, the fund provided 51 scholarships to Seattle Public Schools scholars. Thanks to this gift, SSSF will be able to increase the number of scholarships awarded to 68 and increase the amount of each scholarship to $7500. The gift along with other donations, will allow SSSF to continue offering half a million dollars in opportunities for the next ten years. The gift will be celebrated at the 50th Anniversary Awards Ceremony of SSSF on May 9, 2024. Hughbanks volunteered his service to over 50 boards in his lifetime. He played a major role in coordinating several Seattle cultural events including the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, the first Bumbershoot, the first NW Folklife Festival, and the 1976 Bicentennial 4th of July celebration.

Opanga Networks

Seattle-based Opanga Networks, a global provider of AI/ML-powered network performance and efficiency technology, named Cole Brodman CEO, following the retirement of founder and CEO Dave Gibbons, who remains on the board of directors. In his position, Brodman will oversee Opanga's expansion with operators in new regions and lead the launch of the company's machine learning and artificial intelligence platform, Opanga RAIN. Brodman brings more than 30 years of experience in the wireless and telecommunications industry, including having previously served as CTO and CMO for T-Mobile USA, where he played a key role in the company's IPO and subsequent growth. Brodman has served as a member on Opanga's Board of Directors for the past eight years.

Feb 15, 2024

Washington State Broadband Office

Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Aaron Wheeler to serve as director of the Washington State Broadband Office within the Department of Commerce. Wheeler is an information technology professional with 18 years of experience working with the Suquamish Tribe's government. Wheeler's first day on the job is March 1. He'll lead the WSBO as it works with other state agencies and private partners to develop and implement a five-year action plan and digital equity plan to create universal, reliable high-speed internet across Washington. Wheeler has a degree in information technology and administrative management from Central Washington University, and an executive master of business administration from Washington State University. Previously, Wheeler led a team deploying 135 free public wireless access locations and a cooperative project with the Kitsap Public Utilities District, and he collaborated with state legislative leaders to pass public retail broadband legislation, which allowed an array of local governments to offer retail and wholesale broadband services to residents in Tribal and rural areas. He also co-authored a National Telecommunications and Information Administration grant application for broadband equity and digital education on behalf of the Suquamish Tribe. The Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program is working to get all Americans online by funding partnerships between states or territories, tribal nations, communities, internet providers and other stakeholders to build infrastructure where needed and increase high-speed internet adoption. The federal program provides over $42 billion for infrastructure planning and implementation nationwide. Washington will receive more than $1.2 billion in funding.

Embrace Whidbey and Camano Islands

Loercher

Morascini

Embrace Whidbey and Camano Islands added two new members to its creative team. Inge Morascini will lead marketing efforts in the position of public relations and marketing director, overseeing implementation of the county's new approach to regenerative tourism. She will act as spokesperson for the destination marketing organization, representing tourism in Island County at the county, state, and national level. Krista Loercher was named Embrace program manager, and will engage the community, businesses, non-profits and government in the principles of regenerative tourism. Building on the Regenerative Places program conceptualized in partnership with the Transformational Travel Council, this approach to tourism supports and builds healthy relationships with local communities. It promotes care the islands' environment and culture from visitors. Morascini comes from both corporate and agency marketing backgrounds, having held executive level vice president positions in both marketing and creative direction, and most recently served as executive director at the Langley Chamber of Commerce. Morascini has been on the board of Island County Tourism since 2016. She will take the position previously held by Sherrye Wyatt. Loercher is the owner and operator of Whidbey Island Kayaking. She was recently re-elected to her second term as a South Whidbey Park and Recreation District Commissioner. Other members of the creative team are Laura Hilton, film liaison; Jack and Diane Penland with Computerpix digital marketing, Osborne Northwest Public Relations, media and influencer relations; and Rosencranz Productions, graphic design.

Economic Alliance Snohomish County

Tappana

Economic Alliance Snohomish County named Daniel Tappana as its new business retention and expansion coordinator. His appointment is effective March 4. Tappana was most recently a business development manager within the Aerospace Division at the state of Washington's Department of Commerce. There, he played a role in deploying over $2 million in state grant funding to support economic development, facilitating the creation of more than 3,000 jobs and nearly $1 billion in capital investment across the state. Before his tenure with the state of Washington, Tappana served as a project manager for the Sstate of Missouri's Department of Economic Development. Tappana also served as a Government Affairs Fellow with the Organization for International Investment in Washington, D.C. In his new role, Tappana will lead a coordinated employer outreach process and advocate for solutions to the business climate and regional growth issues in advanced manufacturing and clean energy. Additionally, Tappana will play a role in recruitment, facilitating attraction projects, overseeing proposal processes and participating in trade shows to generate leads. The Economic Alliance Snohomish County is the largest regional economic development organization in Snohomish County, and supports a globally competitive regional economy in which all businesses can thrive and participate equally.