washington business
Of Note
Grid Storage Launchpad Debuts in Tri-Cities
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in August opened a $ 75 million research facility to accelerate long-term battery storage technologies . The Grid Storage Launchpad in Richland will bring together scientists and industry leaders to advance grid-scale energy storage solutions .
“ Energy storage will be a significant part of a resilient and reliable grid that ’ s fully decarbonized . And GSL will help us get there ,” said Vince Sprenkle , energy storage expert and the GSL ’ s first director .
Avista Names New Ceo
Avista Corp . announced in August that Heather Rosentrater will be its next CEO , effective Jan . 1 . Rosentrater , who currently serves as Avista ’ s COO and president , will replace retiring CEO Dennis Vermillion .
Rosentrater will become the first female CEO in the company ’ s 135-year history . Rosentrater has spent her entire professional career at Avista , beginning in 1996 as a student engineering technician for Avista Labs . She joined Avista in 1999 and was quickly promoted to leadership roles , including president in 2023 .
New Boeing CEO is Based in Seattle
Kelly Ortberg became Boeing ’ s new CEO in August , replacing retiring CEO Dave Calhoun . Ortberg , the former CEO of aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins , is leading Boeing from Seattle , a win for the company ’ s Puget Sound workforce .
Ortberg brings 35 years of aerospace leadership to Boeing . He began his career in 1983 as an engineer at Texas Instruments and joined Rockwell Collins in 1987 , holding various leadership positions before becoming president and CEO in 2013 .
Starbucks Hires Food Industry Veteran as New CEO
Brian Niccol took over as the new CEO and chairman of Starbucks in September . Niccol is the former CEO of Chipotle , a position he held since 2018 .
Niccol previously served as CEO of Taco Bell and in leadership positions at Pizza Hut . Laxman Narasimhan stepped down as Starbucks CEO in August .
18 association of washington business