Robert Jepson To Discuss Risk-Taking In Marketplace

Robert Jepson, co-founder of the foundation that helped build the Jepson Center at Gonzaga University, returns to Spokane on Tuesday as the keynote speaker for the 98th annual meeting of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce.

Jepson, who also serves on the boards of Washington Water Power Co. and Gonzaga, plans to speak to the 2,200-member business group about taking risks in a changing marketplace.

The luncheon begins at 11:30 a.m. in the Spokane Ag Trade Center. Cost: $25. Call 624-1393.

In other events this week:

Today

Behavioral scientist Denis Waitley presents “Lessons in Leadership” at 8:30 a.m. at the Sheraton-Spokane Hotel. Cost: $159-$199 per person, depending on group size. Call 800-873-3451.

Tuesday

State primary election.

Pyrotek Quality Manager John Oakes addresses an ISO 9000 networking breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at the Business Training and Applied Technology Center, 3939 N. Freya. Call Karen Neubauer at 533-4725.

The first of four seminars on the ISO 9000 quality assurance program begins at 8 a.m. with ISO auditor Dick Gorecki at the Training and Education Coordinating Center, 3939 N. Freya. Cost: $75 for the initial overview, $650 for the series.

Vern Jenkins of Whitworth College discusses the “Training of Chinese Business Managers of American-Owned Companies in China” at the 7 p.m. monthly meeting of the Jilin City Sister City Society at Peking North restaurant, 4120 N. Division. Call Philip Sandifur, 838-3111, ext. 590.

U.S. Department of Commerce releases housing starts for August.

Wednesday

Madeleine Kunin, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, speaks at 11:30 a.m. in the Crescent Court ballroom. Cost: 15. Call 325-7328.

Dean Witter Reynolds hosts a career seminar at 6:30 p.m. at its Spokane office, 201 W. North River Drive, as part of its effort to hire 500 new brokers nationwide. Call 328-3500 for more information.

Thursday

Klaus Huschke, senior vice president for Itron, and Bill Glassford, senior vice president of international banking for Seafirst, speak at Spokane’s first International Trade Summit. The summit begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Red Lion for community leaders who hope to create a vision and plan of action for promoting international trade in the future. Cost: $50. Call 624-1393.

Rich James, manager of international technology sales for Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corp., Mead operations, speaks at 7:30 p.m. at the annual awards dinner for the Inland Northwest World Trade Council in the Mukogawa Ft. Wright Commons. Cost: $25 per person; $40 for couples. Call 625-6190.

Friday

Michael Pilarski, author and founder of Friends of the Trees Society, leads a three-day Equinox weekend on forestry and ecology near Medical Lake. Cost: $75 weekend, or $35 per day. Call Jerry Johnson, 299-3580. , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Lumber prices

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ON THE SHELF Business Week, Sept. 18: The former chief executive officer and a vice president of Thrifty PayLess Inc. face more problems after losing their jobs in December. Forbes, Sept. 25: Back-to-school supplies are getting more expensive. Forbes says color printers are becoming popular with parents, who think their children will get better grades with color homework.

Price watch How prices for selected goods and services changed in August, according to the consumer price index: Gasoline, - 2.9 percent Retail food, + 0.2 percent Closing, + 0.3 percent Housing, + 0.3 percent Medical care, + 0.4 percent Entertainment, +0.4 percent