Dec 17, 2024

Floor & Decor

Floor & Decor, a high-growth retailer specializing in hard-surface flooring, announced the grand opening of its fifth warehouse location in Seattle at 13200 Aurora Ave. N. The warehouse store and design center has a team of about 50 full-time and part-time associates led by Melissa Graham, the store chief executive merchant. Founded in 2000, Atlanta-based Floor & Decor operates more than 240 warehouse-format stores and five design studios across 38 states. The stores offer homeowners and professionals a broad selection of in-stock tile, wood, natural stone, and laminate and luxury vinyl plank.

Dutch Bros

Venki Krishnababu has joined Dutch Bros Coffee as the drive-thru beverage company's new chief technology and information officer. Krishnababu brings nearly 30 years of experience leading transformational, enterprise-shaping strategies, and a proven track record of creating business value through technology, innovation, and partnerships. Prior to joining Dutch Bros, Krishnababu capped a seven-year career with lululemon athletica as chief technology officer. Prior to lululemon, Krishnababu was chief technology officer at Premera Blue Cross and in various leadership roles over 16 years at Nordstrom. Founded in 1992 by brothers Dane and Travis Boersma, Dutch Bros is headquartered in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Dec 13, 2024

City of Redmond

Lowe

Attorney General-Elect Nick Brown has announced the advisors who will serve on his transition committee. The 30-person team will assist Brown as he prepares to take office. The team will include Redmond Police Chief Darrell Lowe, who is also president of the WA Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs. “I'm honored to be part of Attorney General-Elect Brown's transition team and to provide law enforcement and leadership insights and perspectives he might find useful in setting up his new administration,” said Chief Lowe. Comprised of civic leaders from every part of the state, transition committee members will lend expertise from law enforcement, state government, business, non-profits, labor, and tribal affairs. The committee will be tasked with establishing Brown's office and sharpening his agenda and key priorities.

Statsig

Bellevue-based Statsig, a platform for analytics and experimentation, named William da Cunha as the company's new chief revenue officer. With more than 20 years of experience in enterprise software, SaaS sales, and global partnerships, da Cunha will lead Statsig's global revenue strategy. He has a proven track record of driving enterprise adoption, scaling go-to-market strategies, and building high-performing teams. He joins Statsig from Cloudflare, where he served as vice president and general manager of the Americas sales organization, playing a critical role in expanding enterprise adoption and driving revenue growth. Prior to that, da Cunha led global sales at Seagate's Cloud Division, focusing on cloud data protection and storage solutions. His career also includes senior leadership roles at EVault, and iAsiaWorks, where he built and scaled global alliances, developed successful go-to-market strategies, and entered new international markets.

Responsive

Responsive announced that Shipra Kamra, its vice president of human resources, has won the 2024 Aragon Research Women in Technology Award for Human Resources. This award reflects the achievements of women who exemplify personal and professional growth, while making significant contributions to the technology industry. Kamra was celebrated for her innovative and collaborative approach to redefining organizational and human resource strategies, with a focus on key areas like talent management and building leadership capabilities. In addition to her proven track record scaling people functions at organizations from hyper growth SaaS startups to large enterprises, she has a commitment to fostering equal opportunities for all individuals further underscoring her impactful leadership in the field. Kamra has played a pivotal leadership role overseeing employee growth and expanding the team from 150 to 500 members worldwide. She has been instrumental in ensuring new hires reflect diversity across underrepresented groups including genders, races, and the LGBTQ community. Under Kamra's leadership the company has reduced turnover and garnered numerous awards for its culture, most recently being included in Forbes' 2024 list of America's Best Startup Employers. In addition to the Aragon Research WIT award, Kamra was also recognized this year as one of the Top 50 women leaders of Oregon and received an HR leadership award from Portland Business Journal in 2022. Responsive (formerly RFPIO) is a Strategic Response Management (SRM) software company, headquartered in Portland, with additional offices in Kansas City, MO and Coimbatore, India.

Dec 12, 2024

Unico benefits from $35M refi deal in Tacoma

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Back in 1997, Unico Properties acquired what was then called Wells Fargo Plaza in downtown Tacoma, then paying over $28 million for the 25-story office tower. The bank eventually left, and today we know the 54-year-old building as 1201 Pacific. Kidder Mathews has been recently adding tenants including WSP, Alston Construction and Panattoni Development. Now Gantry has announced a recent $35 million refinancing deal for the property. Leading the effort were Jeff Ballaine and Mike Taylor. The latter said in a statement, “While underwriting any office asset is challenging in the current climate, and many lenders have completely pulled back from lending on any office properties, by working closely with both borrower and lender we were able to underwrite this signature tower and arrange financing with an attractive long-term fixed-rate loan.” The note carries a 10-year term, and came from Genworth Life Insurance. With 307,643 square feet, 1201 Pacific remains Tacoma's largest office tower; it's also LEED Gold certified.

Vacant Bartell finds new tenant

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Since the bankruptcy of Rite Aid, its corporate parent, Bartell stores have been steadily closing around the region. One example is in East Bellevue, at 11919 N.E. Eighth St., near Wilburton Station and Lake Bellevue. Khorram Family Investments has owned the 12,023-square-foot building for over a decade, and began seeking a new tenant earlier this year. Over the summer, the sign appeared for furniture retailer Bassett, which is part of the Seldens furniture chain. The Selden family, now in its fourth generation of management, announced the new Bellevue showroom will open this month, with a formal celebration on Jan. 11. Jake Cross, part of the family, said in a statement, “By expanding our presence in Bellevue, we're giving families here the chance to experience Seldens' renowned service and Bassett's commitment to quality.” Seldens has other stores carrying its own brand in Bellevue, Olympia and Tacoma, plus two Summer House outdoor furniture showrooms in Bellevue and Tacoma. In Redmond, the old Seldens location closed to make way for Mill Creek Residential's 418-unit Modera Bel-Red, which should start soon. (Some may recall that Seldens acquired Masins furniture in 2015, not long after the latter store shuttered in Pioneer Square.) Seldens was founded in Tacoma in 1940, and has its headquarters today in Bellevue.

Gantry finds $12M for Everett refi

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Just north of Everett, on the north side of the Snohomish River, the recently renamed Dogwood Enterprises Industrial Park sold last year for over $14.7 million to a Kirkland family investor group. Developed on some 31 acres, the four-building complex dates to the late 1960s. It was previously home to Builders FirstSource, but was vacant at the time of last year's sale. Gantry now says the property is fully leased, and that it recently arranged a nearly $11.9 million refinancing for the owner. (Public records indicate First Technology Federal Credit Union as the lender.) Leading the effort were Mike Wood, Tim Brown and Demetri Koston. The latter said in a statement, “This was a challenging assignment that resulted in a great loan outcome for a legacy hold.” The fixed-rate loan carries a 10-year term. Dogwood Industries, based in Woodinville, now appears to be the new tenant, and is actively hiring for the Everett plant, which also makes prefabricated metal buildings and building materials. Gantry also notes that the property has 12 acres for possible expansion.

Woodland Park Zoo

Neves

Following a national and international search, Woodland Park Zoo named Dr. Luis Neves as its new senior director of animal care. He will oversee animal management and veterinary care for the zoo's nearly 800 animal residents with a team of more than 100 professional animal care and commissary staff. Neves holds a degree in veterinary medicine from Universidade Técnica de Lisboa in his native Portugal. He has built his international career in Europe and Asia in roles spanning veterinary and animal care, zoological operations and executive leadership. Most recently he served as vice president for life sciences at Singapore-based S.E.A. Aquarium. Neves spent 14 years working with Mandai Wildlife Group (formerly Wildlife Reserves Singapore) where he held various positions, ultimately becoming the vice president of animal care across all four of their zoological parks (Singapore Zoo, Singapore Zoo Night Safari, River Safari and Jurong Bird Park/Bird Paradise Park). Neves oversaw capital and wellbeing improvement projects with Mandai over the past 10 years, including the design, construction management and animal relocation of the $280 million transformation of the former Jurong Bird Park to the new Bird Paradise Park. Internationally, Neves is a recognized authority on animal welfare and zoological management. He has served as co-vice chair for conservation breeding and reintroduction for the Asian Songbird Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and as a program coordinator for both hornbill and pigeon and dove Taxon Advisory Groups for the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Following a relocation to the Seattle area from Singapore, Neves will begin his role at Woodland Park Zoo in February 2025.

Zeevo Group

Seattle-based Zeevo Group named Stacey Larsen as a senior advisor. In addition to overseeing project management initiatives for wide-ranging clients, with a focus on providing bespoke support for their systems selection and data migration efforts, Larsen is set to refine Zeevo's approach to client service strategies and spearhead critical internal process enhancements. Larsen brings more than two decades of experience in her commercial and public sector professional services career. Her technical expertise spans such areas as board governance, management reporting, forecasting, budgeting, and financial system implementations. Before joining Zeevo, Larsen was managing director at Deloitte. Zeevo Group provides business, finance and information technology consulting services and products to a range of clients representing industries including aircraft leasing, technology and consumer products.

Pacific Crest Savings Bank

This month, Pacific Crest Savings Bank marks its 40th anniversary. The organization was founded in 1984 as Phoenix Mortgage and Escrow by John Fairchild, Harry Sankey, and current Pacific Crest President and CEO Sheryl Nilson. In 1998 Phoenix Mortgage converted to a Washington state-chartered, federally insured savings bank, becoming Phoenix Savings Bank until it rebranded to Pacific Crest Savings Bank in 2005.?Today, the Lynnwood-based bank continues its legacy as a local, independently owned community bank. “So much of who we are, and our 40-year longevity as an organization, is a testament to the people who have been a central part of our history.?Our board members, dedicated employees, and valued clients have all played important roles in shaping Pacific Crest and contributing to our collective success. As we reflect on our past four decades, I’m looking forward to continuing to evolve to meet our clients’ needs and planning for our next chapters,” said Nilson.