Apr 02, 2024

Leafly Holdings

Seattle-based Leafly Holdings, an online cannabis discovery marketplace and resource for cannabis consumers, appointed Jeffrey Monat and Andres Nannetti to its board of directors. Monat has been an investor in cannabis companies since 2013, funding both cultivation and ancillary businesses. He has served as an independent director of Lowell Farms since January 2022, and has extensive capital markets experience. Nannetti brings more than 25 years of domestic and international business leadership. He also has experience as both a CEO and private equity principal investor for organizations that span the entire cannabis sector from cultivation to manufacturing. Leafly also announced that board chair Michael Blue resigned from the board, and Alan Pickerill was appointed to replace him as chair.

Idaho Power

Prevalon Energy, a Mitsubishi Power Americas company, has contracted with Idaho Power for a complete Battery Energy Storage System (BESS), along with a long-term service agreement. The project will provide grid resiliency as a net peak solution, helping the utility continue providing reliable power during peak demand periods. The service agreement includes maintenance as well as remote monitoring. The four-hour battery storage project will align with Idaho Power's plan to integrate more than 5,000 megawatts of energy from wind and solar projects over the next 20 years. The BESS will ensure energy produced by those intermittent sources can be stored for future dispatch. The project is expected to be fully operational in 2025. Idaho Power is headquartered in Boise, and has been a locally operated energy company since 1916.

ATREG

ATREG, a global firm in the semiconductor industry for brokering and executing the exchange of advanced technology cleanroom manufacturing assets, announced that the acquisition of Japan Display's (JDI) large operational LCD panel manufacturing facility located in Higashiura, Japan by Sony Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. has officially closed. In May 2022, JDI announced that the company would end production at the Higashiura facility by March 2023 to increase JDI's cost competitiveness and profitability. JDI plans to lease and convert part of the plant into an engineering center. “Our work with ATREG has allowed us to find the best solution for Higashiura,” explains Yasushi Shimogaichi, chief strategy officer for JDI. “This acquisition will preserve jobs and allow for ongoing engineering innovation at the site.” ATREG brought multiple interested parties to the table and through a competitive process allowed JDI to select the best buyer, according to Stephen Rothrock, president and CEO of ATREG. ATREG is based in Seattle, and has been in the semiconductor industry for nearly 25 years.

Mar 29, 2024

Northwest Kidney Centers

Hudson

Northwest Kidney Centers has hired Patricia Hudson as vice president of people and culture to support the non-profit dialysis provider's human resources efforts. In her new role, Hudson will provide strategic direction and leadership to align people initiatives and programs with Northwest Kidney Centers' overall business goals and vision. Hudson most recently directed human resources and operations at SEIU 775. She brings a wealth of experience in equity, diversity and inclusion, employee relations, labor relations, training and development, organizational strategy and design, succession planning, and performance management. Northwest Kidney Centers was founded in Seattle in 1962, and currently serves nearly 2,000 patients a year in 20 dialysis centers and eight hospitals in the Puget Sound region.

Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson

Teresa Tallarita and Patrick Carter have joined Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson' s Estate Planning Practice Group. Tallarita's practice focuses on comprehensive estate planning as well as estate/probate administration. She is also experienced in commercial/residential real estate and business transactions. In addition, Teresa works closely with the firm's Family Law Practice Group and its clients to ensure their assets are distributed as intended and to protect parties involved through pre- and post-nuptial planning. Carter's primary practice areas are estate planning (including advanced gift and tax planning matters), trusts, estates/probate, guardianship, and tax law. He also works extensively with private family companies and their owners including related business and tax issues. Carter earned his LLM in taxation from the University of Washington. Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson was founded in Seattle over 50 years ago.

Starlux Airlines

Taiwan-based luxury carrier Starlux Airlines announced that it will expand its U.S. presence with the launch of nonstop flights from Seattle to Taipei, starting August 16, and reservations are now open for booking. This new route marks the airline's third U.S. gateway after Los Angeles and San Francisco, offering U.S. travelers direct flights to Taipei and connectivity to 21 Asian destinations. In addition, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is also the hub of Starlux's partner Alaska Airlines, enabling travelers bound for Asia to transfer upon arrival at the Seattle airport. The Seattle–Taipei flights will operate on Starlux's next generation Airbus A350. Starlux serves a total of 23 routes from Taiwan to the US, Japan, Macau, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Mar 28, 2024

The Standard

Canfield

Manafi

Portland-based Standard Insurance Co. (The Standard) announced that Lauren Canfield, assistant vice president and actuary in Actuarial Transformation, will become vice president, corporate actuary and chief risk officer effective April 1. Canfield will also become a member of the company's management committee. Canfield will succeed Sally Manafi, vice president, corporate actuary and chief risk officer, who previously announced her decision to retire. Manafi, who retires March 31, joined The Standard in 1992. She led the development of the company's Asset Liability Management function and Enterprise Risk Management practice and served as the architect for The Standard's ongoing Actuarial Transformation. Manafi is also a member of the board of directors of Trillium Family Services. As vice president, corporate actuary and chief risk officer for StanCorp Financial Group, Standard Insurance Co. and The Standard Life Insurance Co. of New York, Canfield will be responsible for enterprise risk management, asset liability management and economic capital management. She will also hold responsibility for the integrity of the actuarial aspects of company financial statements and product pricing. Canfield joined The Standard in 2006, holding various actuarial roles at both Standard Insurance Co. and StanCorp Mortgage Investors. She subsequently held leadership roles of increasing responsibility in Employee Benefits and Corporate Actuarial, where, since 2020, as assistant vice president and actuary in Actuarial Transformation, she has been focused on the strategic process and technology decisions that will transform the actuarial function across The Standard. Canfield serves on the board of directors for Portland Piano International. Canfield graduated from the University of Portland with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and music and a minor in French. She is a fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. The Standard is the marketing name for StanCorp Financial Group and its subsidiaries.

K&L Gates

Global law firm K&L Gates added Christine Jochim as a partner in its Environment, Land, and Natural Resources practice. An associate with K&L Gates from 2011-2015, Jochim rejoins the firm in its Seattle office from Suncor Energy (U.S.A.), where she served as senior legal counsel. With two decades of legal and public policy experience, Jochim focuses her practice primarily on the defense of complex enforcement actions involving alleged violations of state and federal environmental, health, and safety regulations. While serving in both in-house and private practice roles, Jochim has resolved environmental and other enforcement actions taken by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department of Interior, and the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, among other regulatory agencies at both the state and federal levels. Throughout her career, she has represented clients in a range of legal forums, including state and federal courts, administrative tribunals, regulatory hearings, and alternative dispute resolution proceedings. Jochim also advises clients in environmental compliance, public policy, transactional due diligence, and permitting actions involving the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, as well as other federal and state environmental statutes and regulations.