Seattle, Wash. - Wright Runstad & Company, a Seattle-based commercial real estate and development company, has promoted four staff members to vice president, creating an all-woman team of vice presidents.

Wright Runstad & Company promoted Lisa Bergeron, Susan Murphy, Mary Richards and Diane Undi-Haga. Bergeron and Richards are vice presidents, controllers; Murphy is vice president, director of leasing; and Undi-Haga is vice president, project development.

A 2005 study conducted by Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network shows that although the percentage of women in the industry had increased from 32 to 36 percent over the previous five years, it is rare for women to achieve leadership roles. Among respondents, 20 percent were female vice presidents and 25 percent were male vice presidents.

It’s a different story at Wright Runstad & Company, where 100 percent of the vice presidents are women.

The new vice presidents join Cindy Edens and Valarie Tomey on the Wright Runstad & Company team of vice presidents. Edens is the company’s senior vice president and director of development.

“Lisa, Susan, Mary and Diane have all made significant contributions to the company, and we appreciate their talent and hard work,” said Wright Runstad & Company President Greg Johnson. “All four are leaders in their respective fields, and we are extremely fortunate to have them on our team.”

In addition to having an all-woman vice president team, Wright Runstad & Company boasts five female property managers. The company manages more than 5 million square feet of space in 16 properties in the Pacific Northwest.

Last year, CREW Network followed up its 2005 report with a report that outlined strategies that commercial real estate companies can use to ensure a more diverse workplace in which women play greater leadership roles. Among the strategies are instituting programs such as family leave benefits for all employees.

Wright Runstad & Company offers a range of benefits to help all of its employees balance their professional and personal lives. These benefits include job sharing, flexible hours, the ability to work from home and family leave benefits.

“By offering these and other benefits, we have built one of the premier real estate development companies in the Pacific Northwest,” said Johnson. “It’s in everyone’s best interest to make our employees happy and help them do the best job possible.”

Bergeron has been with the company for 12 years, and Richards’ tenure with Wright Runstad & Company spans 19 years. The two share the title of vice president, controller.

Bergeron’s role as past treasurer and director of tax is now expanded to include oversight of accounting, financial reporting and tax strategy for multiple operations and development entities. Richards’ role is generally broader and focused more at the corporate level.

Murphy is responsible for leasing and marketing more than 4 million square feet of Class A office and retail space in Seattle and Bellevue, Wash. She formulates marketing strategies for development projects, including The Spring District, the highly sustainable urban neighborhood that Wright Runstad & Company and its joint venture partner, Shorenstein Properties LLC, plan to undertake in Bellevue’s Bel-Red Corridor. Murphy’s tenure with the company spans 15 years.

Undi-Haga, who has been with the company for nine years, oversees project design and construction of City Center Plaza, a Class A office high-rise in Bellevue. The 26-story project is scheduled to be completed this summer. Undi-Haga will continue to serve in leadership roles on future large-scale projects. See our Leadership page...

Washington State Employees Credit Union
Board gives final approval to begin construction

Olympia, Wash. - The Washington State Employees Credit Union Board of Directors gave final approval for the development of a new headquarters building and parking garage at their meeting on Tuesday, March 4th. The project, located on Union Avenue in Olympia, Washington, will be developed by Wright Runstad & Company.

Project entitlements were recently issued by the City of Olympia. The permit process is underway and construction is planned to begin on the six level, 469 stall parking garage on May 1, 2008 with the groundbreaking for the 130,000 square foot headquarters building following on June 1, 2008.

The five-story headquarters building will house the administrative functions and the main Olympia branch of the Washington State Employees Credit Union.

Ninth and Jefferson Building Topped Out
Building Designed to Silver LEED Standards

Seattle, Wash. - The Ninth & Jefferson Building topped out on February 19th.  The 14-story, 440,000 square foot building sits above a 640 stall garage and will provide medical office space for Harborview’s expansion of outpatient clinics plus offices for a small number of King County agencies. 

The lunchtime ceremony included speeches by Lee Ann Prielipp, member of Harborview’s Board of Trustees, Wright Runstad & Company president, Greg Johnson, and project manager, Chris Broadgate.  Over 150 construction and steel workers, plus invited guests, signed the last beam and applauded its placement on top of the building.  Designed to Silver LEED standards, the projected completion of the Ninth & Jefferson Building is January 2009.

The Spring District
Mass-Transit Connections will Provide a range of Transportation Choices

Wright Runstad & Company, in joint venture with Shorenstein Properties LLC, plans to develop a 36 acre environmentally sustainable, mixed-use urban neighborhood in the Bel-Red Corridor. The development will be a new beginning for a transforming corridor.

The City of Bellevue formed the Bel-Red Steering Committee in 2005 to develop a long-range land use and transportation plan for the Bel-Red Corridor. The land-use, zoning and comprehensive plan for the corridor is expected to be finalized and approved in 2008 and will encourage the type of mixed-use development that The Spring District will bring to the area.

The Spring District will have over 3 million square feet of office space in buildings ranging from six to 12 stories with supporting retail amenities. The emerging urban neighborhood will include up to 1,000 multifamily residences with an open space plan that includes a turf athletic field, a large park and green spaces and plazas interspersed throughout the development.

Located at the intersection of State Route 520 and Interstate 405, the site offers easy access to Bellevue, Redmond, Seattle, SeaTac Airport and the surrounding communities. Pedestrian, bicycle, vehicular and mass-transit connections will give The Spring District occupants a range of transportation choices.

The urban neighborhood has views of the Cascade Mountains, downtown Bellevue, Lake Washington, Seattle, the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Rainier.

The Spring District will be designed to meet the LEED-Neighborhood Development standards.

Wright Runstad & Company 2007 Highlights

2007 marked the 35th Anniversary for Wright Runstad & Company. In those 35 years of business, the company developed 52 buildings in five states, totaling over 14 million square feet.

Currently, Wright Runstad & Company has over 1 million square feet under construction and 5 million square feet in design. Additionally, the company has 1.5 million square feet of space that has been awarded or is pending LEED certification.

2007 marked several significant events for the company.

In April, Beacon Capital Partners selected Wright Runstad & Company to manage City Center Bellevue, a 27-story, 468,433 square foot building located in the heart of Bellevue’s commercial business district.

In early May, Wright Runstad & Company, in joint venture with Shorenstein Properties LLC, purchased 36 acres of the former Safeway Distribution Center at the junction of Interstate 405 and Highway 520 along the Bel-Red Corridor. The planned mixed-use development, named The Spring District, an emerging urban neighborhood, is expected to have over 3 million square feet of office space with supporting retail, approximately 1,000 multifamily units and an open space plan that includes a sports field, parks and plazas. The project is pending finalization of the City of Bellevue’s long range plan and rezone for the Bel-Red Corridor. In the meantime, Wright Runstad & Company is actively leasing the warehouse space currently on the site.

In August, King County announced Wright Runstad & Company was chosen as the developer to replace the existing Administration Building on Fifth Avenue with a 650,000 square foot administrative office tower. Wright Runstad & Company is currently working with the county staff on conceptual plans for the project. The King County Council is expected to review and authorize the project in 2008.

Wright Runstad & Company sold its 5-story, 133,177 square foot World Trade Center North building to TIAA-CREF for $71 million. The building has a 359-space parking garage and is fully leased to RealNetworks. Wright Runstad & Company retained management of the building.

Susan Murphy rejoined Wright Runstad & Company on August 1st as leasing director for the firm. Susan will be responsible for marketing and leasing 5 million square feet of Class A office and retail space in Seattle and Bellevue. Susan had previously been with Wright Runstad & Company for 15 years before leaving to serve as vice president for leasing for Equity Office Properties Trust.

Wright Runstad & Company’s fourth high-rise development in downtown Bellevue, City Center Plaza, topped out on September 20th. This 26-story, 571,806 square foot building under development for Beacon Capital Partners is expected to open in July 2008. This architecturally distinct tower rises above the center of downtown Bellevue and offers stunning views of Lake Washington, the Cascade Mountains and Mt. Rainier. Designed to Gold LEED standards, the building will feature large flexible floor plans and advanced mechanical and electrical systems. A large, well-appointed atrium style lobby will open onto a two and a half acre urban style landscaped plaza.

The 13-story, 296,000 square foot Chinook Building, developed for King County, was completed in September. The building’s exterior is clad in high energy efficiency clear glazing with champagne colored metal complementing creamy colored Samoa granite fabricated in Italy. The building houses seven county agencies, including Public Health, the county’s finance division, the King County Ombudsman/Office of Citizen Complaints, and the Department of Community and Human Services. The county building received its name through a competition of 140 naming entries submitted by county middle school students. The Chinook Building is currently pending Gold LEED certification for Shell and Core and Platinum LEED certification for Interiors.

In November, Wright Runstad & Company was selected to develop a new state of the art data center and two office buildings for the Washington State Department of Information Services (DIS). The office complex and data center are expected to total 456,000 square feet. The Washington State Patrol will locate their headquarters in one of the two office buildings. The new data center campus is expected to break ground in spring 2008 and will be located on the eastern side of the Capitol Campus in Olympia, Washington.

In early November, the Board of Directors named four new Vice Presidents for the company: Mary Richards, Vice President – Controller, Lisa Bergeron, Vice President – Controller, Diane Undi-Haga, Vice President – Project Development and Susan Murphy, Vice President – Leasing. The four women have a combined total of over 50 years with Wright Runstad & Company.