May 09, 2024

Emerald Communities

Wells

Emerald Communities, a not-for-profit senior housing organization, recently appointed Denis Wells as the new corporate controller. Wells has over 25 years of experience in accounting and comes to Emerald Communities after working as corporate controller at a non-profit hospital in Oklahoma. She earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from Cameron University and a CPA certification. As corporate controller, Wells will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of accounting including financial reporting, audits, tax returns, actuarial studies, payroll, and financial analysis. Wells will ensure financial management for Emerald Communities, which encompasses Emerald Heights in Redmond and Heron's Key in Gig Harbor.

Wheelhouse DMG

Seattle-based Wheelhouse DMG, a digital marketing agency specializing in the healthcare and medical device industries, appointed Carissa Vega as director of digital advertising. Vega has nearly 20 years of experience in the digital marketing space. Vega joins Wheelhouse DMG from NewEngen, where she served as the SVP of digital. Prior to NewEngen, Vega spent more than 15 years at Merkle, rising through the ranks to become the VP of performance media, where she managed a large client portfolio, including oversight of more than 100 digital advertising professionals. In her new role, Vega will be responsible for leading Wheelhouse DMG's digital advertising strategies and driving innovation, insuring the delivery of business value to clients.

SanMar

SanMar has been selected as a 2024 US Best Managed company. Now in its fifth year, the award, sponsored by Deloitte Private and The Wall Street Journal, recognizes the achievements of U.S. private companies and the successes of their management teams. SanMar has been a family-owned business since its founding in 1971 and is currently managed by the third generation of the Lott family. The company's longstanding investments in its employees, operations, and sustainability efforts, are key drivers for its selection as a 2024 US Best Managed company. US Best Managed Companies is part of a global Deloitte Private program. Honorees are selected by an external panel of judges who evaluate applicants based on strategy, ability to execute, culture, and governance and financial performance. SunMar supplies wholesale imprintable clothing and accessories in the United States. SanMar is based in Issaquah, with nine distribution centers nationwide.

Gantry does $14M refi deal

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Gantry announced its recent refinancing of two apartment buildings, separately owned, for a combined $14.5 million. The larger loan, worth $10 million, went to the 70-unit, 10-year-old Perch on Capitol Hill, which is owned by Laird Norton. And some $4.5 million was supplied to the fairly new 762-unit Trailside (pictured), near University Village, which is owned by Phoenix Property Co. Both loans, from unnamed life insurance companies, are permanent, fixed-rate instruments. Gantry's Colin Ceithaml and Mike Wood secured the funding; the latter said in a statement, “Our production teams continue to identify viable loan options for high quality multifamily assets like the Perch and Trailside apartments, despite a challenging market climate for commercial real estate finance.”

NAIOP eyes office conversions

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Everyone's talking about converting empty old office buildings to apartments, but there are precious few examples. So perhaps more case studies will arise from a coming NAIOP breakfast confab on that topic. Speakers will include attorney Ian Morrison from McCullough Hill, Chris Angus from Unico Properties (which has a conversion project underway in Tacoma), Geoff Wentlandt from the city of Seattle and Jordan Selig of Martin Selig Real Estate (whose Third & Lenora, pictured, is adding another 216 units from the offices once claimed by WeWork). The event takes place at 8 a.m. May 15 at the Four Seasons Seattle. Details and registration at naiopwa.org.

Kidder Mathews

At Kidder Mathews, that firm recently announced that its Matt Murrayhas earned his SIOR designation. With the firm since 2018, and based in the Bellevue office, he said in a statement, “I'm honored to join SIOR and be part of its rich history and the values it represents. I'm committed to bringing my best to the table and collaborating with fellow members to drive our industry forward.”

Berkadia finds $18M for Pierce Co. units

Working from Berkadia's office in Irvine, Calif., Vince Punzi and Lowell Takahashi recently arranged an $18 million refinancing deal for the 80-unit, two-year-old Peak at Sunrise, which is part of the larger Sunrise development from Corliss Management Group, near Puyallup. The Freddie Mac funding came via a partnership with DSC Capital. Punzi said in a statement, “We successfully structured the property in lease-up and secured a five-year fixed loan. This allowed us to lock in the interest rate before the 50-basis point run-up in the treasury.”

May 08, 2024

Exxel Pacific

Solem

Williams

Mellema

Scheenstra

Exxel Pacific, as part of its long-term leadership strategy and transition plan, announced the recent promotion of four team members moving into vice president roles. Tyson Scheenstra has been promoted to vice president of operations, TJ Mellema to regional vice president of Exxel's Bellingham office, and Todd Williams and Eric Solem have been promoted as co-regional vice presidents of Exxel's Bellevue office.

Kiterocket

Kiterocket, a PR-forward communications agency, hired Jessica Fishman as director for its Renewable Energy Practice. Fishman will lead the agency's renewable energy client portfolio. Fishman has 20 years of experience as a strategic marketing leader, including a decade of renewable energy expertise. Prior to joining Kiterocket, she worked at clean energy companies including Conergy and AlsoEnergy where she led marketing and communications departments. Fishman also spent nearly seven years as head of global public and media relations at SolarEdge during a high-growth period, which included three acquisitions and an IPO. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2024, Kiterocket focuses on market innovators within the technology, renewable energy, and sustainability sectors. With offices in Phoenix and Seattle, the agency's integrated services span brand strategy, media and influencer relations, digital marketing, social media, events, editorial, design, and content production.

CAST Architecture

Wilcox

CAST architecture has named architect Rebecca Wilcox director of sustainability. She leads CAST's efforts to reduce the carbon footprint across all of CAST's projects via research, development of best building practices, and firm-wide education and implementation of low-carbon techniques.

Wilcox has worked on projects of all sizes as a member of the CAST team for over 6 years and worked on both public and private school projects for several years in the Bay Area.

DLR Group

Rutti

Touschner

At DLR Group Pamela Touschner and Peter Rutti have each been appointed a managing principal.

Touschner is the firm's California region leader and a member of DLR Group's Board of Directors. Rutti is DLR Group's chief design officer, responsible for instilling a positive, thriving design culture to produce design excellence from every team in the firm. Both are members of the firm's 15-person executive leadership team, collaboratively managing the operations for DLR Group's 1,600 design professionals and 33 global locations.

Touschner joined DLR Group in 1993, was named a principal in 2000, senior principal in 2012, and California Region Leader in 2018. In this role she leads 290 employee-owners and manages operations for the Los Angeles, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sonoma offices representing more than $75 million of revenue.

She served on the national AIA Board of Directors from 2008 -2010, and in multiple leadership positions for AIA Los Angeles, AIA Inland Empire, and the AIA California Council. She is active in NOMA at both the national level and Southern California NOMA chapter.

Rutti joined DLR Group in 2012 as a principal. He specializes in the design of performing art centers and cultural institutions and has been instrumental in leading the global growth of DLR Group's Cultural+Performing Art practice. Based in Phoenix, he was named Southwest Region Leader in 2017, responsible for operations in Colorado Springs, Denver, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. Rutti was appointed a senior principal in 2020, and chief design officer in 2022.

As chief design officer, he directs all aspects of the firm's integrated process to deliver design excellence and achieve DLR Group climate and environment commitments. Rutti has been a faculty associate and juror at the Design School of Arizona State University since 2011 and serves as a visiting critic at the UCLA School of Architecture & Urban Design and the University of Arizona School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture.

Parametrix

Kelsey

Kimberly Kelsey has joined Parametrix as a principal consultant. She has nearly 30 years of experience as an environmental consultant, operations leader, client account manager, project and program manager, and mechanical engineer.

During her career, Kelsey has managed and executed wastewater projects and programs across the Northwest, including critical infrastructure projects such as King County's Elliott West Wet Weather Treatment Station and Seattle Public Utility's Combined Sewer Overflow Program.

At Parametrix, she joins the firm's Strategic Advisory Services team, providing owner advisory, business process improvement, organization development, and strategic consulting services to public agencies across the Western United States.