Players

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Seattle: Players#

Organizations and key figures in the convention center story.

Primary sources: PFD board minutes, audited financials, bond official statements, stakeholder map (commons.conventioncityseattle.com), public bios.

Government#

WSCC Public Facilities District (PFD)#

Special-purpose municipal corporation (RCW 36.100)
Created 2010 by King County Ordinance 16883 (successor to WSCTC nonprofit, 1982–2010)
9-member appointed board (appointing authorities: Governor, King County Executive, City of Seattle)
Taxing authority: 7% lodging tax on Seattle hotel rooms
Bond issuer: ~$1.88B outstanding
See Governance for full structure

Governor of Washington#

Appoints PFD board members
State backstop guarantee on PFD bonds (expires 2029)

King County Executive & Council#

Created the PFD by ordinance (2010)
Appoints PFD board members
County lodging tax (2.8%) adds $6.4M/year to combined revenue

Mayor of Seattle#

Appoints PFD board members
City oversight of any potential restructuring

Seattle City Council#

Authorization required for any city acquisition or bond issuance
District 7 (Bob Kettle) contains the Arch and Summit buildings

Seattle Center#

City department operating the 74-acre campus (Space Needle, MoPOP, Climate Pledge Arena, KeyArena/Climate Pledge, International Fountain, Armory)
Operates under City of Seattle Parks & Recreation
Hosts 12M+ visitors/year across festivals, sports, arts, and daily public use

Washington State Legislature#

Created the WSCTC by statute (1982); authorized PFD enabling legislation (RCW 36.100)
Any change to PFD structure may require legislative authorization

Washington Dept. of Commerce#

State agency with oversight role on PFD-related matters

Sound Transit#

Regional transit authority operating Link Light Rail
Westlake Station (2 blocks from Arch) and Capitol Hill Station (0.7 mi east) serve the corridor

Port of Seattle#

Operates Sea-Tac Airport (primary arrival point for convention attendees)
Cruise terminal at Pier 91

Adjacent Counties (Snohomish, Pierce)#

Meydenbauer Center (Bellevue, 36K sq ft exhibit, on Link 2 Line)
Tacoma Convention Center (119K sq ft event space, on Sounder, Marriott connected 2020)
Lynnwood Convention Center (22K sq ft, on Link 1 Line)

Commercial#

Seattle Convention Center (SCC)#

Operator of the Arch and Summit buildings
Governed by the PFD
CEO: Jennifer LeMaster (Sept 2024–present)

Bondholders#

Investors holding ~$1.88B in PFD lodging tax bonds
2018 issuance underwritten by Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, RBC, BofA Merrill Lynch, J.P. Morgan
CBRE Hotels Advisory produced the 30-year lodging tax forecast for the bond offering

Visit Seattle#

501(c)(6) destination marketing organization
Revenue: ~$36.5M (990 filing)
Two funding streams (not double-counted):
1. STIA (Tourism Improvement Area): 2.3% of downtown hotel room rates, 71 hotels. Collected by City → Visit Seattle. Never touches PFD.
2. PFD marketing contract: $10.6M FY2024 (board-discretionary)

Downtown Seattle Association (DSA)#

Business improvement district operator
President: Jon Scholes
Publishes annual State of Downtown report

Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce#

Regional business advocacy organization

Hotels Adjacent to Summit (Hyatt Cluster)#

Hotels in the immediate convention district
Direct beneficiaries of convention bookings

Seattle Hotel Industry#

71 hotels with 60+ rooms pay the STIA assessment (2.3%)
All Seattle hotels contribute via the 7% lodging tax

Real Estate (Developers, Property Owners)#

Includes Hudson Pacific Properties (Washington 1000), Pine Street Group / C&MRes LLC (920 Olive Way option)

Service Industry#

Retail, restaurants, entertainment businesses in the Pike/Pine corridor and downtown

Civic & Cultural#

Northwest Folklife#

Annual festival at Seattle Center (Memorial Day weekend)
One of the largest free arts festivals in the US

Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF)#

Annual film festival using multiple venues across the city

Seattle Christmas Market#

December event, seasonal activation

Seattle Repertory Theatre#

Resident company at Seattle Center (Bagley Wright Theatre)

Seattle Sports Commission#

Programs sports events through SCC and other venues
Calendar through 2033: NCAA, Premier Lacrosse, MLB, Olympic qualifiers
FIFA 2026: June 14–July 7 at Lumen Field

Labor#

UNITE HERE Local 8#

Hotel and hospitality workers union
Represents workers in Seattle’s convention district hotels

SCC Building Unions#

IATSE (stagehands), Teamsters (logistics), SEIU (building services)
Convention center operations workforce

Restaurant and Culinary Workers#

Food service and hospitality workers in the Pike/Pine corridor

Key Individuals#

Name	Role	Organization	Period	Notes
Jennifer LeMaster	CEO	SCC/PFD	Sept 2024–present	From Georgia World Congress Center Authority (Atlanta)
Jeffrey Blosser	President & CEO	SCC/PFD	–2024	Retired 2024
Erwin B. Vidallon	CFO	SCC/PFD	Current	Signs audited financial statements
Michael McQuade	Director of Sales → Senior Advisor	SCC	1988–2026	38 years
Matt Griffin	Principal	Pine Street Group / C&MRes LLC	2019–2026	PFD’s development manager; formed LLC for 920 Olive Way
Joy Shigaki	Board member	PFD Board	—	Also sits on Friends of Waterfront Park
Matt Hendricks	Director of Finance / Treasurer	Hendricks & Bennett (external)	2018–present
Jon Scholes	President	DSA	Current

Full board roster to be extracted from board meeting minutes (2018–2025).

Stakeholders on Convention City Almanac