Nov 08, 2022
Stewart
Leahy
Perez Martin
Lopez
Compass Construction hired Veronica Lopez as Certified Payroll Specialist; and promoted Sebastian Perez Martin from assistant superintendent to field superintendent, Tim Leahy from field superintendent to superintendent, and Jeff Stewart from labor foreman to assistant superintendent. Lopez has nearly a decade of experience in accounting, payroll and accounts payable. Perez Martin is working at the Liza project in Seattle. He began his career at Compass in 2013 as a laborer and climbed the ranks to labor foreman and later assistant superintendent. Leahy is working on the Marina Square project in Bremerton. He has been with the company for six years, starting as a carpenter and moving to labor foreman, assistant superintendent and field superintendent. Stewart is working on the Simon Northgate project. He started with Compass in 2020, and has 10 years of construction industry experience.
Alaska Power & Telephone subsidiary AP&T Wireless (AP&T) completed installation of the SEALink submarine fiber optic cable system, providing Prince of Wales Island with its first ever fiber optic link to continental North America, and the rest of the world. The submarine cable is a core component of a regional fiber deployment project funded via a $21.5m grant from the USDA Rural Utilities Service ReConnect program, and approximately $7m in private investment supplied by AP&T. Beginning in 2023, AP&T will install fiber and turn up service to homes in the Prince of Wales communities of Coffman Cove and Kasaan. The submarine cable was manufactured by Norddeutsche Seekabelwerke of Nordenham, Germany, and installed by International Telecom. Rock-N-Road Construction, a woman-owned small business from Petersburg, Alaska, constructed beach landing sites in the communities of Coffman Cove and Petersburg. AP&T line crews constructed 17 miles of aerial transport fiber, and directional boring contractor Tundra Utility Construction installed over 9 miles of underground fiber. AP&T anticipates SEALink will be fully operational in March 2023. AP&T is currently completing detailed engineering designs, undertaking environmental/permitting work, and ordering materials and equipment for fiber build-outs in Craig, Klawock, and Hollis, which is scheduled to occur between 2024 and 2027. AP&T is also applying for additional USDA grant funds to build fiber to premises in Thorne Bay, Whale Pass, and Hydaburg, with a target completion date of 2028. APTL is an employee- and investor-owned utility providing utility services in over 40 communities in rural Alaska.
Seyfarth added three partners to the firm’s Seattle office. Michael Herbst and Russel Robertson join the firm’s Corporate department, and Ryan Dumm joins the Litigation department. The partners join a Seattle office that has added more than 30 attorneys since its opening in 2020, representing a cross-section of the firm’s departments, including Labor & Employment, Construction, Real Estate, Employee Benefits, Corporate, and Litigation. Herbst’s practice focuses on corporate and joint venture formation for real estate, project development and general transactions, mergers and acquisitions, spin-offs, recapitalizations, and dispositions. He principally represents U.S. and international clients in the real estate, development, and construction industries with respect to their U.S. and especially Pacific Northwest operations. He also represents U.S. and international clients engaged in the education, software, logistics, and food manufacturing industries. Herbst received his JD from New York University School of Law. Robertson’s practice focuses primarily on advising on all aspects of commercial real estate development, including acquisition and disposition, development agreements, leasing, joint venture formation and structuring, and debt and equity financing transactions. He also advises clients in a wide range of other industries on corporate matters, structuring, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial finance. Robertson received his JD from Seattle University School of Law. Dumm’s work includes representing developers and general contractors in commercial high rise, multi-family, heavy civil, green energy, and other complex construction projects. He works with clients across the life-cycle of each project, including construction and design agreements, advice, and claims resolution. Dumm received his JD from Seattle University School of Law. With more than 900 lawyers across 17 offices, Seyfarth Shaw provides advisory, litigation, and transactional legal services to clients worldwide.
Luvera Law Firm has earned two tier-one designations in the 2023 U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings for its excellence in personal injury litigation and medical malpractice law for the 13th consecutive year. The “Best Law Firms” guide elevates select law firms to recognize professional excellence and consistently stellar ratings from clients and peers. Luvera recently secured a $150 million verdict on behalf of the family of a former city of Seattle planning official, who was the victim of a crane collapse in 2019. Additionally, the firm secured $16.75 million and $10 million verdicts for four individuals injured in the Washington state Amtrak train derailment. In addition to personal injury advocacy, Luvera has a long history of helping clients with medical malpractice and negligence claims. The U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings are determined by a peer-review survey comprised of evaluations from leading lawyers, as well as client evaluations, and peer reviews from top attorneys in their field. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have one lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America, which recognizes the top 5 percent of practicing attorneys in the U.S. Luvera Law Firm handles a broad variety of cases, including serious injuries and wrongful death caused by commercial and vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, product defects, construction site accidents, corporate wrongdoing, and insurance misconduct.
Puyallup-based Pro-Vac acquired Vac-One, a provider of hydro excavation services in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. A news release from Pro-Vac says the combination “significantly enhances and expands Pro-Vac’s scale and geographic reach.” Pro-Vac provides subsurface infrastructure services such as hydro excavation, stormwater and sewer systems maintenance, pipeline jetting, pipeline repair/grouting, CCTV pipe inspections and vacuum sweeping. The deal was supported by Los Angeles-based Gallant Capital Partners, a private equity firm and the majority owner of Pro-Vac. Vac-One is headquartered in Deer Park, Texas, and its customers include contractors and municipalities, as well as industrial, energy and utility companies.
Considerate Contracting & Design of Auburn is the newest member of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Western Washington. Considerate performs apartment renovations, home remodels, demolition, framing, land clearing, mulching and tree services. Tom Lyman is CEO and owner.
Nov 04, 2022
Ro
Marguerite Ro has been selected as the new state director of AARP Washington. Ro will direct the association’s activities on behalf of nearly 900,000 Washington state members and provide leadership to help meet the needs and interests of the state’s older adults and their families. Marguerite is a native Washingtonian. Before joining AARP, she served as the chief of the Assessment, Policy Development, and Evaluation unit and director of the Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention section of Public Health – Seattle & King County. In 2018, she received the Public Health Leadership Award from the Washington State Public Health Association. She obtained her masters and doctorate from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. As the AARP Washington State Director, Ro leads a team of eight staff members and a cadre of volunteers. She succeeds Doug Shadel, who is retiring after more than 30 years with AARP.
Amazon and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are launching a public-private partnership to address the gender inequities that exist for women in the climate finance ecosystem and support female entrepreneurs with the resources they need to accelerate climate change innovations. Amazon will commit a total of $53 million to help accelerate women’s climate solutions, including $3 million toward the USAID partnership and $50 million for Amazon to invest directly in climate tech companies run by women. Amazon will serve as a founding partner of USAID’s Climate Gender Equity Fund, a new climate finance facility designed to remove systemic market barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing climate finance. USAID will also match Amazon’s $3 million investment to help launch the fund.
The Climate Gender Equity Fund will have a global focus and provide grants for businesses, NGOs, accelerators, incubators, and grassroots organizations working on women-led climate solutions. It also will fund efforts to help women access the networks and technical skills they need to accelerate the development of their climate change technologies. Additionally, Amazon is allocating $50 million from its Climate Pledge Fund to invest in women-founded and women-led climate tech companies, as well as incubators and accelerators that prioritize women-led entities. The Climate Pledge Fund–Amazon’s venture capital program that invests in companies pioneering decarbonizing technologies and solutions–will collaborate with USAID and the Climate Gender Equity Fund to source new investment opportunities and broaden its pipeline of female applicants.
Parcion Private Wealth, a Seattle-area wealth management firm, celebrated its third anniversary with firmwide growth, increasing its assets under management and expanding its team of investment professionals. In 2022, Parcion welcomed nine new team members, enhancing the firm’s services across investment and wealth transfer strategy, cash flow optimization, and next-generation planning. Among the firm’s newest team members are Tim Bond, director of investment operations and portfolio management, and Stacee Kratovil, senior family advisor. Both bring over a decade of industry experience to their roles. In addition to Bond and Kratovil, Parcion further expanded its team by hiring for the roles of associate, family advisor, client service specialist, and marketing and brand manager. With these additions, the firm is now comprised of 29 total staff members. Parcion recently earned a ranking on Forbes 2022 list of America’s Top RIA Firms. The honor recognizes Parcion for its best-in-class client experience and commitment to helping those they serve achieve their financial goals. Over the past three years, the firm has grown its assets under management to more than $2 billion.
