Business Beat

New faces:

Sedgwick James of Washington Inc. has added the following people to its staff:

Melodie “Dee Dee” Carleton was hired as an accountant assistant. Carleton, previously employed by Prairie Mountain Insurance in Great Falls, Mont., will work in the commercial department.

Karen Fournier is a technical assistant in the commercial department, where she will assist Chuck Curtis and Jim Dinneen. Fournier previously worked for an insurance agency in Kennewick.

Whitworth College has named Stacey Kamm Smith, a 1986 Whitworth graduate, as its new associate vice president for development. Smith, who previously was director of development for the School of Engineering at the University of Southern California, will focus on major gifts and campaigns.

PacifiCare of Washington’s Spokane office has hired Julie Jansen as senior contacts administrator, and Anne Oyler as marketing representative.

Jansen will be responsible for developing and maintaining a network of medical providers for the Eastern Washington region. She has five years of contract management experience, including work with Loma Linda Faculty Group in California.

Oyler’s responsibilities include promoting PacifiCare of Washington’s Medicare health plan, Secure Horizons, to seniors throughout Eastern Washington. She previously worked for Sedgwick Noble Lowndes in Spokane.

Marlin Clark, director of the Career Center at Gonzaga University, was selected by the Western Association of Colleges and Employers as its director for internal communications. Clark will serve as publisher and editor of the group’s western regional publication “Connection,” which highlights business and educational events, activities, career trends and provides updates on professional activities of its members.

David Johnson has joined Jacklin Seed Co. as a grower services field representative for Jacklin’s Columbia Basin operation. His duties include placing and contracting Kentucky bluegrass proprietary varieties for Jacklin and Medalist America. Johnson received a bachelor’s degree in agriculture system management from the University of Idaho last May.

Windermere Real Estate’s Spokane East-Sprague office has hired two sales associates:

Tom Wagner, formerly with Coldwell Banker, holds a Graduate Realtors Institute (GRI) designation.

Paul Binkoski joined Windermere after 16 years with the Spokane Fire Department.

Eula Hickam has joined Prudential Acuff Northwest Real Estate in Coeur d’Alene as a sales associate. Hickam, a retired teacher, previously worked for North Idaho Realty and holds the Graduate Realtors Institute designation.

US Marine has named Tom Rounds as the new quality manager for its Spokane production facility.

Starting up:

Joycelynn “Joy” West has opened Northwest Billing Services, an electronic billing service for doctors, dentists and chiropractors, at 1127 W. Montgomery. West, who is licensed to utilize the MARS medical network to process claims, holds a master’s degree in business administration. She previously was the controller for a large non-profit health-based corporation in San Diego.

Expanding:

Studio H Advertising and Design has expanded to a full-service ad agency. Owner Hara Fernandes has been in the advertising industry for nearly 10 years and has been the art director at area ad agencies.

Transactions:

Bob Spiro, vice president of GMAC Commercial Mortgage’s Seattle office, has arranged $4 million in permanent financing for Beaumont Apartments, 2525 E. 53rd. Beaumont Apartments is a new 120-unit, garden-style apartment complex.

Elected:

Whitworth College President William Robinson was elected to the board of directors of the Foundation for Independent Higher Education, a national network of 38 state and regional funds representing 630 private colleges and universities.

Dr. David Petersen has been installed as the 1996-97 president of the Washington State Dental Association. Petersen is a past president of the Spokane District Dental Society and represents Washington on the national level as a delegate to the American Dental Association House of Delegates.

The Spokane Unit of the American Cancer Society has elected the following officers for 1996-97: president, Steve McIntosh, Kiemle & Hagood Co.; vice president, Dr. Tom Allerding, Pathology Associates Inc.; treasurer and board member, Ruth Reynolds, Telephone Pioneers; secretary, Vicky Dalton, Spokane County; and new board members: Jeff Brannon, Sta-Fit Racquet & Athletic Clubs; Rev. Bernard Coughlin, Gonzaga University; Jan Holloway, the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education; Jeff Johnson, Cox Cable; Jill Lamb, Spokane Transit Authority; Linda Lysne, VRI Managed Care Co.; John McDaniel, Perkins Restaurants; Paul Phillips, Columbia Lighting; Fred Rose, United Health Services Credit Union; and Barbara Weishaar, the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop.

Carroll College Associate Director of Admission Monica Burnett was elected to a three-year term as president of the Pacific Northwest Association for College Admission Counseling. Burnett, who has been a member of Carroll’s staff for four years, manages the Helena-based college’s recruitment office in Spokane.

Rick LaFleur, general manager of the Ramada Inn-Spokane, was elected secretary of the Washington State Hotel & Motel Association. LaFleur is a 24-year veteran of the hospitality industry and has been president of the Spokane Hotel & Motel Association for the past six years.

Elected as board members of the Washington State Hotel & Motel Association were: Allison Levenseller, general manager of Holiday Inn Express, Pullman, and Joe Mathis, president and CEO of J&B Management in Spokane.

Opportunities:

Pre-applications for the Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) program for fiscal year 1997 are being accepted through Dec. 6, 1996, by the Ephrata, Wash., office of USDA, Rural Development (formerly Farmers Home Administration). The program is designed to finance and facilitate development of small and emerging private business enterprises in rural areas or cities up to 50,000 population with priority to applications for projects in open country, rural communities and towns of 25,000 or smaller, and economically distressed communities. For more information, call 754-4621.

Kudos:

Johnson Matthey Electronics has received the ship-to-stock award from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. for its supply of sputtering targets used at several manufacturing facilities in the production of integrated circuits. The award recognizes superior product quality, service performance and responsiveness. This is the second straight year that Johnson Matthey Electronics has received the award.

The Quality Inn Valley Suites was named Inn of the Year by Choice Hotels International, the parent company of the Quality Inns, Hotels and Suites chain. The 127-room inn, which opened in 1989, has ranked in the top three Quality Inn properties for the last five years and was selected as Inn of the Year from among all Quality Inns, Hotels and Suites nationwide.

Rex and Barbara Reed, owners of the Sir Speedy center at 617 N. Fancher, have received the Century Club award for extraordinary sales and customer service during 1995.

Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Spokane has been recognized for innovation and excellence in service through its nomination for the Best Small Education Division award at the National Foundation for Consumer Credit (NFCC) Annual Conference. The award recognizes the education divisions that reached the greatest percentage of people and the most diverse audiences in their communities during the year.

Paragon Crane and Hoist, a division of Paragon Sales & Service Inc. of Spokane, has been awarded the Outstanding Sales Performance Award from Lift-Tech International for its 1996 fiscal year. Paragon’s sales exceeded $1.5 million, the highest of any distributor in the Western United States. Paragon makes overhead bridge cranes and runway systems and distributes hoists, crane components and parts nationally.

Nick Williams, a Spokane-based field sales representative for Parker Livestock Supply*Montana, was honored as one of the top sales representatives for Lextron Inc. This was Williams’ second award and qualifies him as a member of the Lextron president’s council.

Three Spokane dentists - Drs. Randal Otterholt, Bradley Shern and Richard Weigand - have received Academy of General Dentistry Fellowship Awards. To earn the award, dentists must complete more than 500 hours of continuing education courses within 10 years and pass a rigorous fellowship exam.

Post-it brand Tape Flags from 3M and the National Federation of Paralegals Association named Mary McGarry of Spokane as runner-up in the Post-it brand Tape Flags 1996 Paralegal of the Year contest.

Advance Circuits Inc., of Minnetonka, Minn., part of Johnson Matthey Plc.’s Spokane-based Electronics Division, achieved ISO 9002 certification at its three Minnesota manufacturing facilities. The three facilities produce complex multilayer printed circuit boards for the telecommunications, computer and semiconductor industries.

The Washington Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation has received donations of $2,500 from the McGregor Co. of Colfax, Wash., and $1,500 from Unocal Corp. of Brea, Calif. The grants will be used to help fund positions in the foundation’s two-year Leadership Development Program.

Express Personnel Services, a temporary services agency in Spokane, donated $500 to Gonzaga University for a student in the doctoral program for educational leadership. The beneficiary of the award is Sr. Catherine Jendia of Uganda, a member of the Sacred Heart Sisters based in Juba, Sudan.

Events:

Monday-Thursday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) offers free counseling to potential and existing small-business owners from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Business Information Center in the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce, 1020 W. Riverside. For appointments, call 353-2820. Counselors also are available Tuesdays at the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, 8817 E. Mission. For appointments there, call 924-4994.

Tuesday - The Idaho Small Business Development Center presents a workshop on “Cash Flow Management” from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center in Post Falls. Cost: $39; call (208) 769-3333 for more information.

Tuesday & Thursday - The Inland Northwest Electrical League (INEL) presents an 8-hour class on Local Area Network cabling, co-sponsored by Graybar Electric of Spokane, from 3-7:30 p.m. both days. Call INEL at 536-4177 for information about fees, class locations and registration.

Wednesday - The Idaho Small Business Development Center presents a workshop on “Advertising and Promotion: How Much is Enough?” from 6:30-9:30 p.m. at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center in Post Falls. Cost: $39; call (208) 769-3333 for more information.

Thursday - Clean Washington Center presents a free workshop/tour about on-farm composting from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Spokane Agricultural Center, 222 N. Havana. Presenters include Bob Rynk of the University of Idaho and Dan Caldwell of Washington State University. Pre-register by calling (206) 622-9545.

Nov. 12 - The Spokane Credit Association sponsors a workshop on procedures for filing forms and case preparation of small claims from 6-8 p.m. at Gonzaga University Law School, 702 E. Sharp, in the Moot Court Room. Cost: $25; call Vi Hutton at 324-1285 to make reservations.

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