Oct 16, 2024

Bellevue College

Heu-Weller

After serving more than 10 years on the Bellevue College Board of Trustees, Merisa Heu-Weller and her husband Daniel bequeathed a $50,000 donation that led to a total of $125,000 donated to establish the Bellevue College Trustee Legacy Endowment. The endowment will fund scholarships for students in perpetuity through the Bellevue College Foundation, reducing barriers for students as they pursue their higher educational goals. Merisa Heu-Weller, a Bellevue resident who works at Microsoft, began as a trustee at Bellevue College in 2013 and served until June 2024. During her tenure, she was board chair twice and received a commendation from its accreditation body, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Having worked with three college presidents, Heu-Weller has helped lead the college toward significant milestones, including but not limited to the college becoming the first community college to offer a four-year bachelor's degree in computer science in 2016, adopting a resolution in support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals students in 2017, launching the Rise Learning Institute in 2018, and opening student housing in 2019. The Heu-Wellers' legacy gift inspired approximately 25 community members to give, including a $25,000 gift from Perry and Kim Clarke.

Harborstone Credit Union

Broeske

Harborstone Credit Union named Dolores Broeske as its new senior vice president and chief people officer. She joins Harborstone to create focus on workplace engagement, enhance talent development opportunities, and guide culture initiatives. Serving the credit union movement for more than 30 years, most recently as the president and CEO of HAPO Community Credit Union in Richland, Broeske led a variety of teams across the credit union, from lending and special projects to strategic management and human resources. As part of the CUES CEO Institute Program, she attended the Cornell Johnson School of Management, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia Darden School of Business where she studied organizational effectiveness, strategic planning and strategic leadership development. In 2022, Broeske was honored by making the American Banker top 25 women leaders list as one of The Most Powerful Women in Credit Unions through her work to encourage employee loyalty and deepen the connection to company culture while supporting safety, wellness, and mental health. In September 2023, she received the ATHENA Leadership Award, presented by the Tri-City Regional Chamber, recognizing women of professional excellence who are dedicated to community service and proactively seeking assistance for women in their pursuance and attainment of leadership skills. Since 1955, Harborstone Credit Union has served Washington communities as a member-owned, not-for-profit financial organization, and has branch locations in King, Pierce and Thurston counties.

Lattice Semiconductor

Lattice Semiconductor announced the resignation of its chief financial officer Sherri Luther effective immediately, to pursue a new opportunity. Lattice corporate vice president, corporate controller Tonya Stevens was appointed interim CFO while the board conducts a search to identify a new CFO.

Stevens has more than 30 years of corporate finance experience, including over five years at Lattice. Prior to Lattice, Stevens held finance leadership roles at a variety of companies, including Intel, and PwC. She is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and business management from the University of Oregon. Lattice Semiconductor is based in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Oct 15, 2024

Compass ConstructionCompass

Holmes

Landis

Moshinsky

Nichols

Compass Construction recently hired two new team members and announced the promotion of two others. Elizabeth Nichols has joined as a senior project engineer and is part of the Simon Northgate project team. She brings several years of experience as a senior project engineer and development manager. Nichols graduated from Oregon State University with a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a minor in Business and Entrepreneurship. Yuri Moshinsky has joined the estimating team as a senior estimator, bringing 35 years of experience in estimating and project management across all stages of development. He holds a B.S. in Building Construction from the University of Washington. Justin Landis has been promoted from assistant superintendent to field superintendent. He is currently working on the Bryant Manor project, Compass’ first affordable housing project. Landis joined Compass in 2015 as a punch read and was promoted to assistant superintendent in 2016. KJ Holmes has been promoted from project engineer to senior project engineer, and is currently working on the 21 Boston project in Queen Anne. Holmes started at Compass in 2016 as a project engineer intern and was hired as a full-time project engineer in 2019. He graduated from Boise State University in 2018 with a B.S. in Construction Management.

Oct 11, 2024

Auburn Mechanical

Myers

Auburn Mechanical, a woman-owned, full-service mechanical contractor, appointed Liane Myers as the new director of human resources. Myers has over 25 years of experience a variety of industries. In her new role, she will develop and execute a comprehensive HR strategy supporting Auburn Mechanical's overall goals and direction. Her responsibilities include overseeing the administration of policies and programs, enhancing company morale, and serving as the primary HR contact for the executive leadership team and management staff. Myers will provide guidance and expertise in talent planning, culture building, HR processes, performance management, labor relations, recruiting, training, and talent development. Since 1975, Auburn Mechanical has provided mechanical design, HVAC, plumbing, fitting, refrigeration, and maintenance services.

Oregon Pacific Bank

Rudge

Oregon Pacific Bank named Lance Rudge as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Rudge brings over two decades of leadership and operational expertise in the banking industry. Rudge will oversee bank operations with a focus on optimizing efficiency, enhancing customer experience, and driving business transformation. Prior to joining Oregon Pacific Bank, Rudge held several senior leadership positions at a major national bank, where he managed $11 billion in deposits and loans, led 86 branches and multiple business-banking teams, and oversaw 600 employees. Outside of his career in banking Ridge has also served as an executive consultant, working with businesses to streamline operations and increase revenue. Oregon Pacific Bank is a community-focused financial institution providing personalized service and financial solutions to businesses and nonprofits.

Laird Norton Wetherby

Lazar

Laird Norton Wetherby (LNW) has named Ed Lazar, a nationally known family office expert and long-time wealth management executive, to its board of directors. Lazar brings more than three decades of tax, management and family office experience to the LNW Board. He is currently executive director and responsible for strategic leadership at Milburn Services, a single-family office in Charlotte, NC. Previously, he was president of Threshold Group in the Seattle area, overseeing the firm's growth from a single-family office into a national provider of multi-family office services, and served as a tax practice partner at Arthur Andersen & Co. Lazar has a B.S. in Business Administration from Valparaiso University and is a Certified Public Accountant and Personal Financial Specialist. The LNW Board of Directors provides strategic oversight and policy guidance drawing on decades of business and financial experience as well as best practices in corporate governance and wealth planning. Each of the firm's directors stands for re-election annually. LNW is a comprehensive wealth management firm, and is both a registered investment advisor and trust company, offering specialized wealth planning, investment management and trust services. LNW has offices in Seattle, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Oct 10, 2024

Perkins Coie reduces footprint again ... in Portland

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Law firm Perkins Coie made news last fall by announcing a downtown Seattle move from its longtime home at 1201 Third Ave. to the nearby Russell Investments Center. With some 800 attorneys and staff, Perkins then said it would take about half the space, dropping from about 297,000 to 150,000 square feet. Now there's a sequel of sorts to that movie. Perkins said last week that it would keep its Portland home at Brewery Block 2 (pictured), but will reduce its office footprint to 29,239 square feet. That's about half its old total, on three full floors. The firm has about 115 lawyers and staff in Portland. Its Chris Rich said in a statement, “We're thrilled to reaffirm our deep commitment to Portland's business community, and to our many clients in the city and across the greater region.” In the Pearl District, Gerding Edlen began developing the mixed-use Brewery Blocks project circa 2007. It has seven buildings on five contiguous city blocks, and encompasses the historic old armory and Blitz-Weinhard Brewery. Various portions have since been sold to several parties.

Emerging Trends is back, baby!

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It's not too late to register for the annual Emerging Trends gathering from the Urban Land Institute. This year's confab will be held on Nov. 20 at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center (pictured). An elect panel of locals will discuss the concurrently published ULI Emerging Trends report, always a must-read. Panelists have yet to be announced. Quoth the ULI, “During this event, you will gain valuable insights from industry experts who have successfully weathered the storms of economic cycles.” The event begins at 2:30 p.m. Details and registration: northwest.uli.org

TAPCO Credit Union

Stirgus

TAPCO Credit Union promoted Richard Stirgus to vice president of community relations. In this role, he will lead TAPCO's efforts to deepen its community engagement, strengthen partnerships with local organizations, and enhance its impact on the Tacoma region. Stirgus started his career with TAPCO as assistant vice president of community relations. After graduating from the University of Nevada, Reno, Stirgus entered the banking industry through a branch manager training program, advancing through a variety of roles, including teller, banker, service manager, business banker, and branch manager. He later worked in the mortgage sector, helping clients navigate home financing. Now, as VP of community relations, Stirgus continues to champion financial empowerment, fostering meaningful connections and advocating for underserved communities. TAPCO Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative serving individuals and businesses in Washingtonstate since 1934.

Finch, Thornton & Baird

The construction industry law firm of Finch, Thornton & Baird has opened an office on the 18th floor of the Skyline Tower in Bellevue to service clients with projects in Washington and the surrounding area. Partner Daniel Scholz and associate Matthew Seeley have been admitted to the Washington bar to provide service to clients in Washington. Finch, Thornton & Baird provides representation to construction, business and individual clients in all aspects of construction law. Other areas of practice include labor and employment; general business and commercial litigation and transactions; and wealth preservation. Based in San Diego, the firm's lawyers are licensed in California, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington.