Seattle, WA
Architect Returns to Design Firm To Expand Seattle Office
Architect Doug Demers has had a diverse career that includes working as a business strategist and real estate executive, positions that helped him land a position at global design firm HKS managing its first Pacific Northwest office.
The job Demers started last year as principal and director of the new HKS office in Seattle is also a sort of homecoming. He started his career in the early 1980s working in the design firm’s Dallas headquarters.
“I graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology, interviewed with the biggest firm in town which was HKS, and they hired me that afternoon,” Demers said in an interview. “I put all my stuff in the car, drove down to Dallas with my brother and started my new job.”
One of Demers’ first friends and coworkers in the industry, Dan Noble, eventually became one of HKS’ most prominent executives. Noble, who at the time worked in the studio next to Demer, also was just starting his career. Noble moved up the ranks to become president and CEO of HKS, one of the world’s largest architecture firms with 1,500 employees across 27 global offices.
“There were 10 of us that started within a month or two, and I became friends with Dan,” Demers said. It was a friendship that would turn out to help shape Noble’s later career.
Demers went on to work for other large design firms such as HOK, Perkins+Will and Callison, now CallisonRTKL, for the next 25 years before joining real estate brokerage Colliers. As a managing principal at Colliers, he founded the firm’s strategic planning and consulting practice in Seattle.
After several years in brokerage Demers returned to architecture in 2013, when he joined global firm B+H Architects in Seattle. A decade later, Demers, who had always stayed in touch with Noble, talked with the HKS executive about partnering with B+H on a couple of healthcare projects.
HKS had a number of longtime clients in the Pacific Northwest, despite not having a physical presence. The firm’s architects had designed several large projects in greater Seattle since the mid-1990s, including work for Seattle Children’s Hospital.
HKS had looked at several opportunities over the years to open an office in greater Seattle, home to Amazon, Microsoft and other large corporations, “but none of them fit quite right,” Demers said.
However, the Pacific Northwest was the only U.S. region where HKS didn’t have an office. That led to discussions with Noble about Demers rejoining HKS, the firm where both architects started their careers 40 years earlier.
“The right opportunity presented itself, and we simply couldn’t pass it up,” Noble said in a statement.
Architects Bryan Croeni, Christa Jansen and Joslyn Balzarini, who also worked for B+H, joined Demers in opening the new HKS Seattle office last summer.
“These were trusted relationships with people that made it easier for HKS to get their foot into the marketplace,” Demers said.
With 10 professionals in the new Seattle office and plans to add more, Demers expects the office to focus on hospitality, advanced manufacturing and mixed-use projects. He also plans to build the firm’s local portfolio with more projects in such growing real estate niches as health care, sports-related development, higher education and life science.
HKS is designing Lincoln Property’s proposed nine-story life science building at Fifth Avenue and John Street near Seattle Center. The firm also designed W Hotel Bellevue, a 245-room property on Lake Washington that opened in 2017.
Here are three more coyote sightings reported to us in the past few days:
SATURDAY MORNING: Dwight emailed us this report:
At 9:53 this morning I saw a coyote walking down Brace Point Drive towards the Josslin building. He saw me and quickly changed direction and headed up California Drive. He looked healthy and happy, not starved and miserable .
THURSDAY EVENING: These next two came in almost simultaneously just after 8:30 pm Thursday via texts – this one, from 38th SW and SW Raymond:
This one, from 37th SW and SW Juneau:
You can browse our past sighting reports here.
The Seattle Seahawks are the defending champions following a fantastic run in 2025 which resulted in the second Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. Despite this, they’re not the favorites to win their division in 2026.
Instead, the Los Angeles Rams are the hot team, thanks in large part to the addition of Myles Garrett. The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year does give them a huge boost, but the Seahawks know they can still win their division once again.
Here we dive into three reasons to believe that will be the case for Mike Macdonald and his team.
3. Passing attack will be improved
With Klint Kubiak leaving to take the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders, Brian Fleury is set to take over as the offensive coordinator in Seattle. Fleury spent the past seven years with the San Francisco 49ers and was most recently their run game coordinator and tight ends coach.
He’s expected to feature a run-heavy offense once again, but that doesn’t mean the Seahawks aerial attack won’t be a problem for opposing teams. With Sam Darnold entering his second season with the team, he’s going to have far more comfort with his teammates. As Seahawks On SI’s Russell Baxter wrote, he’s also unsatisfied with his performance in the Super Bowl and wants to improve in 2026.
His motivation, along with the presence of Jaxson Smith-Njigba is enough for the offense to be as dangerous as they were last year. Rashid Shaheed having a full offseason with the team is a reason to believe they can be even better.
2. The run game will be a strength once again
Losing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in free agency was a blow, but the Seahawks made sure to enter the new season with just as much firepower in the ground game. Even with Zach Charbonnet still recovering from a torn ACL, the Seahawks have a strong unit.
Led by rookie Jadarian Price, Seattle also has Emanuel Wilson and George Holani. There might not be many proven options, but as Seahawks On SI’s Michael Hanich writes, the coaching staff trusts this unit.
Offensive coordinator Brian Fleury had success leading the rushing attack in San Francisco last year and his defensive background has him favoring a more violent and punishing rushing attack. That will allow the Seahawks to wear teams down with the ground game, even without Walker.
1. Mike Macdonald continues to build the defense to fit his vision
During his first season as head coach, Mike Macdonald led Seattle to the 11th best scoring defense, which was a massive jump from 25th the prior year. They shot up the leaderboard again in 2025, finishing with the No. 1 scoring defense, which is what led the way during their title run.
Macdonald made those improvements by building the defense to his preference. They have trusted veterans on the defensive line and have built a strong nickel defense with defensive back Nick Emmanwori as one of his key pieces.
This offseason, he added another versatile defensive back in Bud Clark, a speedy pass-rusher in Dante Fowler Jr., and a big-bodied cornerback in Julian Neal. Macdonald also allowed Boye Mafe to leave while putting Derick Hall in position to take on a larger load. All these moves have given them a defense that Macdonald can turn into an even better one than we saw last year.
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SEATTLE — Seattle is preparing for one of its busiest weekends of the year as Pride celebrations and the FIFA World Cup converge across the city.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend parades, festivals, concerts, and sporting events Friday through Sunday, with city officials encouraging people to plan ahead for street closures and use public transportation.
Pride weekend begins Friday with the FIFA World Cup Group G match between Egypt and Iran at Seattle Stadium.
ALSO SEE | Seattle Pride festivities to kick off with ‘Seattle Pride in the Park’ at Volunteer Park
Local organizers have designated the game as the tournament’s Pride Match Day, with community celebrations planned throughout the day. The designation has drawn objections from the Egyptian Football Association and the Iranian Football Federation, but local organizers say Pride events will move forward as planned.
Saturday’s events include Trans Pride Seattle at Volunteer Park, one of the nation’s largest transgender Pride celebrations, along with PrideFest Capitol Hill, which will transform Broadway and Cal Anderson Park into a daylong street festival featuring live music, food vendors, artists, and community organizations.
The ticketed Queer/Pride Festival will also continue throughout the weekend on Capitol Hill.
RELATED | FIFA to allow rainbow flags at Egypt-Iran World Cup ‘Pride Match’ in Seattle
The weekend culminates on Sunday with the Seattle Pride Parade, which begins at 11 a.m. along Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle before ending near Seattle Center. Following the parade, PrideFest Seattle Center will feature live entertainment, food vendors, beer gardens, and community exhibitors through the afternoon and evening.
Seattle Pride traces its roots to 1974 and has grown into one of the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations, drawing hundreds of thousands of people each year.
Officials are urging attendees to expect heavy crowds and traffic throughout downtown and Capitol Hill, particularly on Sunday.
Organizers recommend using the Link light rail, buses, or other forms of public transportation whenever possible.
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