Jan 22, 2025

Public Facilities Group

Cooney

Public Facilities Group (PFG) hired Matt Cooney as vice president. With nearly 20 years of experience in municipal finance, first with Lehman Brothers and then with Barclays' Seattle office, Cooney brings to PFG a wealth of municipal market knowledge and experience, including working with prominent municipalities in the western United States across a variety of credit structures. PFG finances and delivers public facilities for government and not-for-profit entities using privately issued municipal lease revenue debt structures. Prior to joining PFG, Cooney had managed roughly 15 similar third-party lease revenue financings for a variety of end users, with an aggregate par amount of approximately $1.6 billion. Cooney's addition reinforces Public Facilities Group's mission to reduce the cost and risk to municipal partners while maintaining the quality of developing essential government facilities.

B+E Consulting Partners

Carlson

B+E Consulting Partners hired Sarah Carlson as a new senior associate. With extensive experience in design build and commercial construction tenant improvements, she will be responsible for overseeing key projects at Lumen Field. Carlson brings 25 years of expertise in managing high-impact projects across various commercial markets. Most recently, she served as a senior construction project manager managing construction of the Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance project. Carlson holds a B.A. in Architectural Studies and B.S. in Construction Management from the University of Washington and is DBIA Certified. Founded in 2022, B+E Consulting Partners is a Pacific Northwest Owner's Representation company known for providing development and construction management services.

Jan 17, 2025

CREW Seattle

CREW Seattle announced its 2025 Board of Directors, a group of leaders dedicated to advancing women in commercial real estate through initiatives, networking opportunities, and a commitment to fostering meaningful industry impact. With representation from a wide array of CRE sectors — law, development, construction, and more — their collective expertise and dedication ensure that CREW Seattle remains a resource for professional development and community support for members throughout the Puget Sound region.

New board members are: President Elect Treasurer Emily Kelly, Stoel Rives; President Christine Hadman, Auburn Mechanical; Past President Jeanette Flory-Sagan, Cereus Asset Services; CREW Network Liaison Amy Schroeder, KeyBank Commercial; Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion: Linda Kanoski, CBRE; Events: Maria Poyer, Microsoft; Foundation: Melissa Kroskie, Microsoft; MarCom:Anna Glidden, The Marketing Department US; Membership: Linda Hoffner, Wright Runstad & Company; Professional Development: Joan Walters, Skyline Construction; Programs: Mary Ellen Martin, Beam Reach Development; South Sound: Angie Kim, Prologis; and Sponsorship: Sara Bago, Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services.

Jan 16, 2025

Northwest Natural Gas

Rush

The Board of Directors of Northwest Natural Gas Company (NW Natural) has named longtime company executive Kim Rush to serve as president, effective April 1. NW Natural, the largest subsidiary of Northwest Natural Holding Company, is a 166-year-old, Portland-headquartered utility. Rush will assume full strategic, financial and operational responsibilities. The appointment coincides with Justin Palfreyman's expected appointment to the role of CEO of NW Natural Holdings and NW Natural, replacing the retiring David Anderson. Rush's career at NW Natural began in 1998 and includes numerous leadership roles covering communications, marketing and operations, leading to her being named senior vice president and chief operating officer of NW Natural in 2023. Rush has also served as chief marketing officer and chief corporate communications officer. Prior to joining NW Natural, Rush held management and senior communications positions at Alltel Corporation and Bank of America. Rush currently serves on the board of the Northwest Gas Association and is a member of the Operations and Sustainable Growth committees of the American Gas Association.

Smartsheet

Hahn

Schoenleitner

Bellevue-based Smartsheet, an AI-enhanced enterprise-grade work management platform, announced that Eva Schoenleitner has joined the company as vice president and partner. Schoenleitner brings expertise in the global technology industry. Previously, she was the chief executive officer of Crate.io, served as the group vice president of digital partnerships at ABB, and spent 11 years at Microsoft in global and regional sales, channel and product roles. In addition, Schoenleitner serves on the board of directors at Pratexo. Schoenleitner will lead the next iteration of Smartsheet's partner ecosystem, including solution providers, business partners and system integrators. In addition, Jim Hahn has joined the company as vice president of corporate communications. Hahn has more than two decades of experience leading integrated communications strategies for enterprise technology businesses at pivotal moments. Previously, he spent 15 years at Dell in various executive communication roles. Prior to Dell, he worked for Microsoft, Vignette, and Fleishman-Hillard. Hahn will support the organization in all aspects of communication, including executive communications, public relations, crisis communications, industry analyst relations, internal communications, and social media.

Sound Transit

Sound Transit named Nadia Anderson as its chief strategy officer, a new position created to guide the agency's approach to the technological, environmental, and economic future of the region. Anderson joins at a time of growing momentum for the agency, which is continuing to build on three recent light rail openings as part of the largest expansion of transit service in the United States. In her role, Anderson will oversee the Government and Community Relations; Communications, Marketing and Engagement; Board Administration; and ORCA ROOT teams. She will also oversee two new divisions: Innovation and Transformation; and Strategic Planning, Policy and Programs. Anderson previously served as the chief of staff and senior vice president of policy strategy and operations at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. Anderson holds a doctorate in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware and is also a graduate of Virginia State University (M.A.) and the University of Virginia (B.A). Sound Transit's next Link light rail extension is slated to open to downtown Redmond this spring, followed by connections across Lake Washington later this year and to Federal Way in 2026.

Jan 14, 2025

Badgley Phelps

Phelps

Thomas

Badgley Phelps Wealth Managers has appointed Tim Thomas as the firm's next chief investment officer, succeeding Steve Phelps. In January 2024, Phelps transitioned from his role as CEO after 25 years. He will remain a wealth manager and research analyst with the firm, focusing on building client relationships. Thomas joined Badgley Phelps in 2008 as an investment manager. His career spans more than 27 years in financial services and portfolio and investment management. Prior to his CIO appointment, Thomas served as the firm's director of research. He has taken on leadership responsibilities and specializes in security analysis and selection, portfolio construction, asset allocation, and alternative investments. “This smooth transition of leadership is a testament to our ability of empowering employees and placing them in the positions where they flourish the most,” said Badgley Phelps CEO and wealth manager Julie Parisio Roy. “Our roots at Badgley Phelps are in investments, and I'm confident this team will kick off the new year with the same dedicated service to our clients.” Based in the Pacific Northwest, Badgley Phelps has offices in Seattle, Idaho and Virginia, and serves clients nationwide. Badgley Phelps has been a Focus Financial partner firm since 2021.

DPR Construction

DPR Construction is making leadership transitions to support its growing operations in the northwest United States and California's Bay Area. Jack Poindexter will lead DPR's Northwest region, encompassing California's Bay Area, Sacramento, and Pacific Northwest business units, and will be a member of DPR's Leadership Team. Since joining DPR in 1999, Poindexter has worked across the United States on projects across core markets, including some of DPR's most significant Bay Area projects, such as UCSF Medical Center Mission Bay and the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. Since 2021, he has been integral in building DPR's self-perform work capabilities — including concrete, drywall and mass timber — while also building, expanding and scaling DPR's teams and services throughout the Northwest. DPR's Northwest Region is home to nearly 1,200 craft and admin employees. In 2025, DPR will open its new Silicon Valley office. This facility will house DPR's regional and corporate operations and a Prefabrication Assembly Facility, which will serve projects up and down the West Coast.