Mar 23, 2023

NAI Puget Sound Properties

Milton

NAI Puget Sound Properties announced that Edward Milton recently joined its national self-storage team. He'll be based in Seattle, where he's been in the brokerage trade for over two decades. He makes the move from Marcus & Millichap. NAI's Denise Nunez said in a statement, “Bringing Edward Milton on is a great expansion for the national self-storage investment group, as the Pacific Northwest has increasingly become a very active region in the self-storage industry.”

BLRB Architects

McCarthy-Smith

Vohs

Fischer

Radon

BLRB Architects announced the following 2023 staff promotions across the firm's regional offices.

Nicholas Radon, Sarah Fischer, and Amy Vohs have all been promoted to associate principal; and Amy McCarthy-Smith has been promoted to associate.

Radon, AIA, LEED Green Associate, is located in the firm's Bend office and helps lead the firm's commercial and housing projects in Oregon. With 20 years of experience, Radon has worked on a variety of mixed-use and multi-family projects along the West Coast ranging from $50,000 to over $200 million in construction costs. He has expertise in all phases of the design process from master planning and feasibility through construction and project close-out. His recent projects include The Hixon at Westside Yard (Bend), HiLine Homes Office (Redmond), Modera Century West Apartments (Bend), NW Wall Street Multifamily (Bend), and Reserves at Pilot Butte (Bend).

Fischer, AIA, LEED AP, has 20 years of experience on a variety of public projects and is located in the firm's Tacoma office. Fischer has been recognized as an inclusive and collaborative project leader with a unique background in education, industrial, and parks sectors, serving both civic and commercial clients. Recently managed projects include the Fawcett Elementary School Replacement for Tacoma Public Schools, Steilacoom DuPont Elementary School, the Negus Transfer Station for Deschutes County, Oregon, and the Spencer Creek Industrial Park for the Port of Kalama.

Vohs, AIA, NCARB, recently joined BLRB's Portland's office and helps lead K-12 and public projects for the firm. Vohs brings 25 years of experience with master planning, long range facility planning, sustainable facility design and a detailed approach to project documentation and delivery. Her recent projects include the expansion of Trinity Lutheran School in Bend, the Veneta District Headquarters and Crew House for the Oregon Department of Forestry and a variety of K-12 planning and design projects.

McCarthy-Smith, AIA, NCARB, has been elevated to associate of the firm. Located in BLRB's Bend office, she is an organized, detail-driven architect and designer with experience in K-12, commercial and housing projects. Her recent projects include the expansion of Trinity Lutheran School in Bend, The Linden at Brookfield Senior Living (Connecticut), The Vero at Newark Senior Living (Delaware), The Vero at Bethlehem Senior Living (Pennsylvania), and The Vero at Chesapeake Senior Living (Virginia).

Jackson Main Architecture

Quist-Therson

Jackson Main Architecture, P.S., has hired Patricia Quist-Therson as a project manager. Quist-Therson attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology where she received her BA in Architecture and her MBA in Project Management from Strayer University. She has over 15 years' experience in the field of Architecture along with a passion for interior design and space planning.

Her expertise is in all phases of the design process, including federal, commercial, civil, residential, interior and ADA improvement projects.

Buffington Mohr McNeal

Dang

Buffington Mohr McNeal, an Idaho-based wealth management firm, added Ali Dang as their newest portfolio manager and wealth management advisor. Dang has more than 8 years of experience in the financial services industry. Prior to joining Buffington Mohr McNeal, Dang was a portfolio manager and vice president at J.P. Morgan's Treasury and Chief Investment Office in New York City. In this role, she was responsible for credit research, trading, security selection, and risk management for the firm's municipal fixed income portfolio. Prior to her time in New York City, Ali spent 4 years at J.P. Morgan's London office, where she worked as a FX trader and portfolio manager for the branch's European government bond portfolio. Dang has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from The College of Idaho. Dang will be responsible for portfolio analysis and management, developing new client relationships, and helping current clients of the firm define and implement their wealth management strategy.

Seattle Opera

Christina Scheppelmann, Seattle Opera general director, appointed Marissa Betz-Zall chief financial officer, and Angela Gist chief operations officer. Betz-Zall and Gist succeed Jane Repensek, who had served as COO/CFO since 2017. As CFO, Betz-Zall will manage the financial health of the company, seeking new funding strategies and overseeing the $25 million budget. Betz-Zall began with Seattle Opera in 2013 as a senior accountant and later as a controller, before serving as associate director of finance from 2019–2021. In her most recent position as CFO client consultant for RADAR Nonprofit Solutions, Betz-Zall oversaw the onboarding of multiple new organizations, including Seattle Opera, to the remote finance platform. As COO, Gist will oversee the company's facilities, IT, and human resources departments, and will work closely with the board to chart the company's future. Gist joined Seattle Opera in 2021 as director of human resources. Previously, Gist served as artistic director of Vashon Center for the Arts and as managing director of Freehold Theatre. Seattle Opera was established in 1963.

Alaska Pacific University

Ameresco, a cleantech integrator specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy, announced its partnership with Alaska Pacific University (APU) to design and upgrade existing infrastructure at the institution's Thomas Training Center on Eagle Glacier, a training ground for APU Nordic Ski Center's winter Olympic athletes and world championship cross country skiing hopefuls. In partnership with Olgoonik Construction Services, an Alaska-based Native Corporation, Ameresco will work to install a new boiler, baseboard heaters, convection heaters, water heaters and retrofit the facilities' existing 750-gallon water tank with a new 500-gallon water tank. Implemented upgrades will help reduce Thomas Nordic Training Center's energy consumption, which will work to advance and improve the facility's wastewater treatment and water conservation efforts. The majority of Ameresco's work will be performed during the summer and fall of 2023. Upon completion, the Thomas Training Center will have the capacity to house 16 residents, including athletes and coaches. Ameresco is based in Framingham, Massachusetts. APU Nordic Ski Center is located on the campus of Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage. It was established in the 1960's as a new model for creating international success in American Nordic skiing.

Tenants announced at Everett Mall

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As the DJC first reported last year, Brixton Capital of California is working with MG2 and Bayley Construction on a makeover of its Everett Mall, which is actually getting smaller. A new At Home store is going into the vacant former Sears space, with about 85,000 square feet. And, Brixton now says, Ulta Beauty will relocate into new digs, also in the former Sears building, with some 10,000 square feet. Brixton's Eric Li said in a statement, “We're excited to showcase such popular stores as part of the first phase of our redevelopment of Everett Mall. We are in active lease negotiations with additional anchor and junior anchor tenants which will further enhance the overall shopping experience for the Everett community.” Ulta is moving in part for the demolition, begun early this year, for Phase II. That'll first remove about 215,000 square feet in the center of the mall, then replace it with smaller retail bays with some 97,200 square feet. That renovation, says Brixton's Justin Long, “will make the property more relevant to the tastes of today's shopper. In addition to replacing the former department store anchors of Sears and Macy's, we will be adding additional uses and tenants that respond to the community's needs.” Future tenant announcements are expected. Matis Partners is Brixton's broker. Real Retail represented At Home, and Northwest Retail Partners represented Ulta.

NAIOP asks, Offices to apartments?

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Photo by Steve Keating [enlarge]

Adaptive reuse is all the rage, in theory, as some office building owners contemplate flipping them to apartments. That'll be the topic of discussion at a NAIOP gathering on April 6. Leading the panel are Dayna Dealy of Skanska and Kimberly Frank of GGLO. Says NAIOP, “As the demand for physical office space shifts, many developers are considering alternate uses for their properties, including converting them into multifamily units or other types of properties.” It's been done before in the downtown core; one example is the Cobb Building (pictured), a pre-Great Recession conversion from GGLO and Unico. The gathering will be held at the downtown offices of MG2. Details and registration: naiopwa.org.

Koz finds partner in Lynnwood

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As the DJC reported last month, Koz Development and general contractor Kirtley-Cole & Associates will soon break ground on a 196-unit apartment project in Lynnwood, near the future light rail station. Koz is the architect, and Coastal Community Bank has provided a nearly $35 million construction loan. Now MSquared, based in New York, has announced it'll partner with Koz on the project, with completion expected in late 2025. MSquared's Alicia Glen said in a statement, “This project is a great representation of MSquared's approach to inclusive development — mixed-income housing, built in partnership with a woman-led developer, on a transit-oriented site and with sustainable design.” MSquared values the project at $54 million, and is backing it with $13 million. Koz investors are providing another $6 million. Cathy Reines leads Koz, and said, “Both of our organizations are dedicated to offering affordable, workforce housing, and we look forward to working together to achieve this goal.” At Koz on Alderwood, half the apartments will be affordable to households earning up to 80% of area median income, and half will be market-rate. MSquared is new to our market, and bills itself a women-owned real estate development and impact investing platform.

Partner Valuation Advisors

Partner Valuation Advisors is based in Chicago, and recently announced new hires at several of its branch offices, including Seattle. Here, Justin Alexander is a new senior VP. The firm's Eric Enloe said of all the new staff, “The volatility being experienced in the commercial real estate markets today demands that valuation experts are brought into the mix early to ensure investors make informed decisions.”