A former Sterling Savings Bank branch manager in Klamath Falls, Ore., has been barred from the banking industry. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. issued the order against Shannon Kuhlman last month. Kuhlman allegedly engaged in unsound banking practices that will inflict, or probably inflict, significant…
Marty Dickinson is leaving the Downtown Spokane Partnership to become senior vice president and corporate marketing communications executive at Sterling Savings Bank. Her last day at the DSP, where she has been president for six years, will be July 1. Marla Nunbeg was named interim…
Employment in Washington fell by 700 in May, the first decline after eight months of increases, the Employment Security Department reported today. Despite the reduction, the unemployment rate declined to 9.1 percent from a revised 9.2 percent for April. The rate was initially pegged at…
The $71 million sale of the Red Lion Hotel on Fifth Avenue in Seattle has closed. The deal announced last month transfers the 297-room property to Lowe Enterprise Investors. Lowe affiliate Destination Resorts & Hotels takes over management, but the property near the Pike Place…
AmericanWest Bank has agreed to buy a Southern California bank for $18.5 million, the Spokane-based institution said today. Sunrise Bank, with branches in Point Loma, Escondido, Palm Desert and San Diego, has $232 million in assets and $212 million in deposits. AmericanWest assets total $1.6…
Home sales in Spokane County increased for the fourth consecutive month in May, but prices remain below year-ago levels. The Spokane Association of Realtors reported 382 closed sales for the month, compared with 332 in April. In May 2010, the association reported 520 closed sales,…
Coldwater Creek Inc. today announced lower sales and a loss for the first quarter, results the Sandpoint company had forecast last month. Net sales fell to $179.8 million, compared with $243.1 million a year ago. Comparable premium store sales fell 27.5 percent, Internet, mail order…
Andrew Schultheis has been appointed executive vice president and general counsel at Sterling Financial Corp. Schultheis, 40, has been outside counsel to Sterling, the parent of Sterling Savings Bank, while with Witherspoon Kelley. Before joining the Spokane law firm in 2005, Schultheis practiced with a…
The Washington Employment Security Department wants $1,400 back from a bride who said she applied for work on her way to the altar. The unidentified woman was collecting unemployment benefits while in Texas for her wedding, according to a department news release. She claimed she…
The holding company for AmericanWest Bank has agreed to purchase Bank of the Northwest, which operates four branches in the Puget Sound area. The $17 million transaction is expected to close during the third quarter. The Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma and Issaquah offices of Bank of…
The Washington Department of Social and Health Services has launched a Website that will help workers with disabilities find employment. Pathways to Employment allows users to create resumes, find the names of businesses in their area, and view videos of success stories. A benefits calculator…
The proposed Palouse Wind Project has received a conditional use permit, moving it one step closer to generating as much as 195 megawatts of electricity sometime next year. An independent hearing examiner hired by Whitman County granted the permit one month after completion of a…
Private employers in Spokane County hired 2,100 workers in April, a gain only slightly offset by a cutback in government employment. The new hires, the Washington Employment Security Department said today, rolled the county unemployment rate back to 9.1 percent from 10.3 percent in March,…
Spokane International Airport will unveil its master plan Tuesday at a three-hour open house that begins at 4 p.m. in the Double Tree Hotel, Spokane City Center. Airport officials and consultants will be on hand to explain displays, maps and other information on short-, medium-,…
Itron Inc. Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Unsworth and other officials from the Liberty Lake company will ring in the start of NASDSAQ trading Wednesday. The ceremony at the NASDAQ MarketSite Studio in Times Square, New York City, can be viewed at 6:15 a.m. at http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx…
The Lone Wolf and Timber Wolf Harley-Davidson dealerships are consolidating their Spokane and Coeur d’Alene locations into the former United Coatings building in Spokane Valley. Dealer Principal Beth Ernst said Lone Wolf, the surviving name, will occupy 70,000 square feet at 19011 E. Cataldo, where…
Two long-time companies selling business forms have merged under new ownership. Safeguard Business Systems and Business Forms Inc. have become BFI Safeguard, owned by Greg and Vicki Schob, who also own Safeguard franchises in California and Montana. General Manager Pete Michael said the merged businesses…
The Association of Washington Business Tuesday recognized two Spokane companies for community Service. Inland Northwest Health Services received the education award for companies with more than 100 employees. Inland created EMS Lite @ Nite, an interactive video-conferencing program that enables volunteer rural emergency medical service…
The 50,000 unemployed Washington workers no longer receiving benefits are getting robocall reminders that free help with job searches is available at WorkSource offices. The Washington Employment Security Department today said the 30-second calls are a cost-effective way of reaching those who have been without…
The average price of a Spokane home sold in April increased from March but remained below the level of a year ago. The median price fell slightly. On the 332 homes sold, the average price was $166,686, compared with $179,907 a year ago. The median…
Red Lion Hotels Corp. today reported first-quarter results that mirrored those for the same period in 2010. Total revenue was $34.27 million, compared with $34.3 million a year ago. The net loss for the period was $4.8 million, or 25 cents per share, a decline…
Clearwater Paper Corp. today reported first-quarter earnings, including a 41 percent increase in sales as the Spokane company melded newly-acquired Cellu Tissue Holdings Inc.'s operation into its results. Net earnings were $5.6 million, or 47 cents per share, compared with $500,000, or four cents per…
Red Lion Hotels Corp. will sell its Hotel on Fifth Avenue in Seattle to an affiliate of Lowe Enterprises for $71 million, the Spokane-based hospitality company said today. The deal, expected for close this quarter, will maintain the Red Lion brand on the 297-room property,…
Western Systems & Fabrication Inc. is among three Washington state semifinalists for the 2011 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Award. The award given to 15 companies each year recognizes employers for their support of National Guard and Reserve members. They may support their deployed employees…
Silver Mountain Resort will be open Saturday, extending a ski and snow-boarding season cushioned by 400 inches of snow. "We've been blessed with over four feet of snow recently, and the short-term forecast looks promising for more," spokesman John Williams said. He said all 1,600…
