Business Beat

Architecture

Julie Van Wormer has been named client development and marketing manager for Architects West. She will be responsible for managing relationships throughout the firm’s Northwest market and will oversee marketing, communications and public relations.

Banking

Brennan Floyd has been named assistant vice president/commercial lender at State Bank Northwest. Brennan has been with State Bank since 2015 and has worked in commercial lending for 10 years.

Columbia Bank has promoted Joy Drake to vice president, branch manager from her position as vice president, retail lender. Drake has 27 years of banking experience and will be responsible for business development and client relationships.

Horizon Credit Union has received the Louise Herring Philosophy in Action Award, recognizing credit unions that demonstrate the “people helping people” philosophy of credit unions. Horizon was recognized at the Northwest Credit Union Association’s MAXX Convention for its Community Spirit Days, a twice-monthly fundraiser for community members facing financial adversity. The Community Spirit Days program will be considered for the national Louise Herring Award in February at the Credit Union National Association Governmental Affairs Conference.

Finance

Five Spokane financial advisers have been named to D.A. Davidson & Co.’s honors clubs, recognizing outstanding integrity and service to clients. Bruce Pedey, senior vice president and financial adviser, has been named to the Chairman’s Council. Paul Dumais, Buddy Honshell and John Lee, all senior vice presidents and financial advisers, and Michael Jackson, vice president, financial adviser and branch manager, have been named to the President’s Club.

Health

Cancer Care Northwest has added Natalya Alekhina and Wenny Lee to the practice. Both are board-certified nurse practitioners. Alekhina’s professional emphasis is in adult and geriatric care. Lee focuses on blood and marrow transplantation, hematologic malignancies, sarcoma, melanoma and breast cancer, and has specialized palliative care training.

Sunshine Home Health Care has announced 70 percent of its clinical staff and all of its nursing staff are now certified OASIS specialist-clinicians. To earn the designation, the each staff member had to complete a nationally standardized test to evaluate knowledge of the guidelines. Staff members who are now certified are: Gretchen Anderson, Andrea Barkstrom, Nina Bathurst, Diane Britton, Sarah Brockman, Janice Courchaine, Jason Darling, Leslie Gregg, Jill Gum, Lisa Haglund, Amy Huntsinger, Paige King, Christy Nettles, Kris Youmans and Marcie O’Connor.

Law

Courtney Bell has been named an associate attorney at Piskel Yahne Kovarik PLLC. Bell graduated magna cum laude from Gonzaga University School of Law, clerked for two Spokane-area law firms and externed with the prosecutor’s office in Cheney. Her practice will focus on employment law, corporate law and real property disputes.

Pat Donahue has been named one of the 10 best criminal law attorneys for client satisfaction in Washington state by The American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys. The list is based on AIOCLA’s selection and nomination processes, research, independent evaluation and client satisfaction.

Miscellaneous

Boise Cascade has been honored by the state Employment Security Department for its its efforts to employ military veterans. The company hired nine veterans in 2017, participates in the statewide YesVets program and has consistently employed over 5 percent of its workforce with veterans.

Nonprofits

The YMCA of the Inland Northwest has named John Ehrbar chief operating officer. Ehrbar was previously the YMCA’s vice president of operations and is also an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University.

Widows Might has been awarded a grant of $10,123 from the city of Spokane Valley. The grant will support the organization’s programs and services, which include educating widows to live alone again, networking widows with legal, financial, government and medical resources, and providing financial assistance through its Widows Fund.

Litehouse Inc. has named Robert Tyrrell vice president, manufacturing, at the Sandpoint salad dressing company. Tyrrell has 25 years of experience in the field and will oversee the operations in five food manufacturing facilities.