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Marce Edwards is the business editor. She has been at The News Tribune for seven years and has written about technology and big businesses in the South Sound including Weyerhaeuser and Russell. Before moving to Tacoma, she worked at The Idaho Statesman in Boise. She is a Northwest native who likes to garden and refuses to use an umbrella. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and two kids.
C.R. Roberts is a Tacoma native. Before joining The News Tribune, he worked as a freelance writer and part-time cowhand on a cattle ranch in Northern Idaho. He writes about small business, personal finance and other business issues.
John Gillie writes about the aerospace and airline industries, commercial development and consumer issues. During his 30-year-tenure at The News Tribune he has covered issues as diverse as the Native American fishing rights disputes, crime and the courts, the wood products industry and energy. He lived in Tacoma with his family for 25 years, but now lives in Kent because his wife heads a five-state non-profit foundation headquartered in Ballard, and it only seemed a sensible compromise to make considering their workplaces are 40 miles apart.
Kelly Kearsley has been a business reporter at The News Tribune since 2005. She covers the Port of Tacoma and international trade. Being born and raised in Spokane she’s used to living in cities with inferiority complexes and, in fact, prefers it. Prior to working at The News Tribune, she spent three years as a reporter for The Bulletin in Bend, Oregon and another year working stints for The Associated Press and Seattle Times. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University. She lives in Tacoma with her husband and miniature schnauzer.
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Russell Investments CEO Craig Ueland has resigned, the company confirmed today.
Russell Board Chairman Mike Phillips said the company's board, which included Ueland as a member, has been discussing the long-term strategic directions for investment services firm, and Ueland's decision to leave stemmed from those discussions.
He declined to detail the specifics of those board deliberations.
Phillips praised Ueland's performance at the company. "Craig has done a really good job in his five years at Russell," he said.
The board named Northwestern Mutual executive vice-president John Schlifske as Russell's interim CEO.
Schlifske, 49, has been a member of the Russell board representing Northwestern Mutual, Russell's parent company since 1999 when Northwestern bought Russell from the Russell family.
Phillips said Schlifske knows the inner workings at Russell better than anyone from Northwestern and perhaps better than some at Russell because of his long history working with the company.
The Russell chairman called Schlifske "a people person" whose values closely mirror those of Russell.
Schlifske joined Northwestern Mutual in 1987 as an investment specialist. He held various positions of increasing authority in the securities and real estate departments at the insurance and investment company.
The new Russell CEO earned his bachelors degree in economics from Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., and a masters degree in finance and accounting from Northwestern University. He is married and has six children.
Schlifske
Schlifske, who took charge immediately at today's board meeting, will search inside the company and perhaps outside for Ueland's replacement, Phillips said.
Ueland
The company informed employees by e-mail of Ueland's resignation. It was planning a company-wide Webcast to explain the changes more thoroughly.
It's too early to say whether Ueland's departure will have any material effect on Russell's search for a new headquarters. Phillips said the headquarters issue was not an element in the change in leadership at Russell.
Russell is outgrowing its Tacoma A Street headquarters. Developers both within Tacoma and in other Puget Sound cities have been making sales pitches to the company.
Tacoma civic leaders have created a nearly $150 million incentive package to keep Russell and its 1,200 well-paid employees in town.
Ueland took over as president in June 2003 and assumed the CEO role in January 2004. He replaced Mike Phillips as chief executive.
Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma said he was surprised to hear of Ueland's departure.
The mayor said he recently had some cordial e-mail discussions with Ueland over city pension matters.
"Craig was a very highly-regarded executive. I'm sure someone like that is in high demand," the mayor said.
The city is continuing as planned with preparations to establish a financial services zone in downtown Tacoma to provide benefits to companies such as Russell.
"I don't think this change is a sign of anything in particular regarding their search," said Baarsma.
