New 520 Floating Bridge Opens Today

The floating section of the new 520 bridge is now open, offering six total lanes for traffic across Lake Washington, instead of the previous four. This is great news as our state hits a major benchmark in its quest to improve aging roads and bridges and finish projects in key economic corridors. (Washington ranked 31st for bridge quality and 39th for road conditions in the latest Benchmarks for a Better Washington. Our goal is to make Washington a top 10 state in both categories.)

Photo by KOMO News
Photo by KOMO News

Today’s milestone is the result of years of work by scores of people, from lawmakers in Olympia to the construction crews on site. And, thanks to the 2015 Connecting Washington transportation investment package passed last year, we’ll see more important projects in the years ahead. (Check out this interactive project map to learn more about additional investments along the SR 520 corridor and many other projects statewide.) As Washington Roundtable President Steve Mullin said when the Connecting Washington package passed:

“Investments in roads and bridges, ferries, multimodal projects and other improvements will lead to billions in economic growth and support job creation.  It will improve safety and efficiency and help protect quality of life. This is a great package for Washington state.”

To all involved in getting us this far, and for all the work to come, thank you.

 

Roundtable Board Welcomes Two New Members

The Washington Roundtable is excited to announce the addition of two new members: Orlando D. Ashford, president of Holland America Line and Stanley B. McCammon, president & CEO of Joshua Green Corporation. Both Ashford and McCammon represent companies headquartered in Washington state, and each brings decades of leadership experience.  Welcome!

OrlandoAshfordOrlando D. Ashford is the president of Holland America Line, Inc. He oversees the cruise line’s brand and business, including its fleet of 15 premium vessels carrying approximately 850,000 guests annually to all seven continents. Ashford joined Holland America Line in 2014 after serving as the president of the Talent Business Segment for Mercer, the world’s largest human resources consulting firm. Ashford also previously served as senior vice president, chief human resources and communications officer for Mercer’s parent company, Marsh & McLennanCompanies.

Ashford serves on the board of directors for ITT Corp, a manufacturer of customized technologysolutions for the energy, transportation and industrial markets. He is on the board of directors for the Executive Leadership Council, a membership organization for the development of global black leaders, and for Streetwise Partners, an organization that brings together low-income individuals and volunteer business professionals to develop workplace skills and employment networks.

Ashford is the author of Talentism, a book published in 2014 that addresses the global disconnect between available jobs – more than one-third of employers worldwide cannot fill all available jobs – and the estimated 202 million eligible workers who are unemployed worldwide. In the book, Ashford examines how technology and human networks can help bridge the skills
gap, improve business performance, and lead to the betterment of society at large.

Ashford earned a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science degree in Organizational Leadership and Industrial Technology from Purdue University.

Read more about Ashford here and follow him on Twitter: @OAshford

OrlandoAshfordStanley B. McCammon is president and CEO of Joshua Green Corporation (JGC), a private investment company holding a diversified stock portfolio, neighborhood shopping centers, office buildings, and other private market investments.

Prior to joining JGC in 2005, McCammon was president of Orca Bay Capital Corporation, an asset management company in Seattle. Orca Bay’s capital has been deployed in both the public and private securities markets. McCammon was also president and CEO of Orca Bay Sports & Entertainment, which owned the NBA Vancouver Grizzlies, NHL Vancouver Canucks and General Motors Place. While at Orca Bay, McCammon served as an alternate governor at both the NHL and the NBA. McCammon also was a co-founder and partner in Orca Bay Partners, a private equity fund investing in buyout, growth, and other private equity opportunities and which managed The Tahoma Fund.

McCammon has served on the boards of several privately held institutions. Currently, McCammon serves as a trustee of the Joshua Green Foundation, on the Investment Committee of The Seattle Foundation, and as a board director for Sellen Construction Company.

McCammon is a graduate of the University of Nebraska, School of Business, and the Law Schools of the University of Nebraska and New York University, holding J.D. and LLM degrees. McCammon and his wife, Janet, live in Seattle with their two daughters.

Learn more about McCammon here.