Business Beat

New faces:

Paul Swainston has joined the law firm of Witherspoon, Kelley, Davenport & Toole P.S., as an associate. Swainston, who graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law, will practice in the areas of medical malpractice defense and general litigation.

LeMaster & Daniels PLLC’s downtown Spokane office has hired Danna Beal as its practice development consultant. Beal has extensive experience working with certified public accounting firms and other professional service organizations. Her duties include niche development, market expansion and training.

Dan McCoy has joined the law firm of Etter, McMahon & Lamberson as an associate.

Mary Jane Sandall has joined Group Health Northwest as a staff dietician at its Valley and Veradale Health Care Centers. Sandall, who received a master’s degree in human nutrition from Washington State University, served as program director and instructor for Spokane Community College’s dietetic program for several years.

Dr. Veronique Alcaraz has joined the medical staff at Group Health Northwest’s Valley Health Care Center. Alcaraz, who received her medical degree from the University of Arizona, is board-certified in pediatrics and internal medicine.

Girl Scouts Inland Empire Council has added the following people to its staff:

Sherrie Conklin, business manager, was formerly financial director at New Horizon Care Centers for five years.

Lisa Engh, director of program and adult development, was a partner in an Iowa City, Iowa, law firm.

Keri Fujii, fund development director, was a fund-raising volunteer for Girl Scouts and has a background in computer science.

Deborah Donachie, registrar and membership assistant, formerly worked as a secretary for Bethlehem Lutheran Church.

Century West Engineering Corp. has appointed Dennis Fuller, a registered professional engineer, as consulting manager in its Spokane office. Fuller had extensive management experience on sewer, water, roadway and aviation projects throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Tonya Bean has joined Sedgwick James of Washington Inc. as an account manager in the recently formed Select Business Division. Bean was previously employed by Dickinson Insurance in Post Falls.

KSPS Public Television/Friends of Seven has hired Shawn Claypool as viewer services/events coordinator. Claypool previously was employed as a crisis family therapist for 10 years with the Youth Help Association and as a sales associate with Homeworks in Crescent Court.

Moving up:

Sterling Savings Association has promoted the following employees:

Carolyn Gay was named controller. Gay joined Sterling last November. She has more than 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, most recently as vice president/bank accounting for AgAmerica.

Thomas Lewis was promoted to assistant controller. Lewis previously spent 13 years with TNT United Truck Lines Inc., and has been with Sterling since last May.

Northern State Bank has promoted Janet McDaniels to loan production manager for the bank’s Coeur d’Alene Home Loan Center. McDaniels has been in the real estate industry since 1975.

Jennifer Ragan has been promoted to account manager of the Select Business Division of Sedgwick James of Washington Inc. Ragan has been with Sedgwick since 1989 as a commercial account assistant.

Karen Thomas was named assistant vice president of U.S. Bank’s trust department. Thomas joined U.S. Bank in 1991 as a trust real estate officer and earlier was a property officer for West One Bank in Idaho.

Starting up:

Robin Reynolds has opened the Insurance and Real Estate School of Spokane at 28 W. Indiana. She will provide state approved pre-license preparation and continuing education. Reynolds has 13 years of experience in this field.

Ian Smith has established a law office at 2115 Sherman Ave., Suite 110, in Coeur d’Alene.

Deborah Blahuczyn has opened Studio B Too! at 25 S. Blake Rd., Suite 4. The custom framing business specializes in traditional to imaginative picture mats. Blahuczyn designed mats for and was associated with Sunshower Gallery in Coeur d’Alene for the past seven years.

Greg Myers has opened Myers Painting Co., at 11011 E. Fourth No. 31. It is a full-service painting company.

Transactions:

Barbara Bossuyt of B&B Business Services has been appointed an AgriPlan/BizPlan provider in the Spokane area.

Adams Tractor Co. has joined the DTNiron network. DTNiron is a satellite network of more than 1,000 farm implement dealerships across the country with more than 144,000 subscribers in the United States and Canada.

GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corp. has arranged $6.5 million in permanent financing for the Cedar Creek II Apartments in Spokane.

Elected:

Sarah Hoyt, regional credit manager of Wayne Dalton Corp., has been elected chairman of the board of the National Association of Credit Management Inland Northwest. Other officers include: first vice chairman, Cathy Dixon, Dupree Building Specialties; second vice chairman, Jerry Linehan, McGregor Co.; immediate past chairman and counselor, Dianna Linquist.

New officers of the Holy Family Adult Day Center board of directors are: chairperson, Tony Kahmann, Medical Service Corp.; vice chair, Mike Reilly, Sedgewick James; and secretary/ treasurer, Bill Fisher, Providence Services. Linda Shea recently joined the board.

Opportunities:

Applications are now being accepted for a $500 scholarship from the National Association of Purchasing Management. Applicants must be at least sophomores. They will be evaluated based upon college academic grades achieved to date, school and community achievements and career statement and three letters of recommendation. Call Kim Crumpaker, Scholarship Committee Chairman, NAPM-Spokane at 325-6032 for application forms and further information. Deadline is April 30.

Certifications:

Thomas Stoeser of Jacklin Seed Co. has been accredited as a certified valuation analyst by the National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts. To be certified, candidates must complete a rigorous training and testing process that requires a thorough understanding of the business valuation, or appraisal, process. Stoeser is Jacklin’s chief financial officer.

Events:

Monday through Thursday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives 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 - Vicki Watson of Greentree Behavioral Health will speak on “Conflict Resolution Skills” during a meeting of the Spokane Falls Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association at 5:30 p.m. at Casey’s Restaurant, 2126 N. Monroe. For reservations or information, call Diana West at 534-1554.

Tuesday - The Small Business Development Center presents a prebusiness workshop for entrepreneurs from 6-9 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $25; call 358-7890 for information or to register.

Wednesday - Steve Scranton, assistant treasurer for AgAmerica FCB, will speak about “Derivatives: Are They a Dirty Word or Just Misunderstood?” during a meeting of the Inland Northwest Treasury Management Association at noon at the Shilo Inn. For reservations, call Ron Cruse at 533-0260.

Wednesday - Merrill Lynch presents a free seminar for women on “What Every Woman Should Know About Money” from noon-1 p.m. at Patsy Clark’s Mansion. For more information or to register, call Margot Hamstra at 458-4219.

Wednesday - The Service Corps of Retired executives presents a workshop on “Starting a New Business” from 9 a.m.-noon at the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce, 1020 W. Riverside. Cost: $15; for information or to register, call 353-2820.

Wednesday - A Business to Business Tour of Boeing, KHQ-TV and Bayou Brewing sponsored by the Spokane Relations Committee of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce leaves Bayou Brewing, 1003 E. Trent, at 1 p.m. Cost: $25; call 459-4111 for reservations.

Thursday - The Idaho Small Business Development Center, North Idaho Woodnet and Lincoln County Woodnet present a conference on “Income Opportunities in Special Forest Products” from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Connie’s Motor Inn in Sandpoint. Cost: $25, including lunch; to register, call North Idaho College at (208) 769-3333 or North Idaho Woodnet at (208) 448-0118.

Thursday - Continental Mortgage Co. presents a free seminar about FHA 203(k) and conventional remodeling/ rehabilitation home loans from 6-7:30 p.m. at Monroe Court, 901 N. Monroe, Suite 256. For reservations, call Amy Mathiason at 325-9955.

Thursday - Group Health Northwest, Sacred Heart Medical Center and Rockwood Clinic present a free public forum on “Getting What You Want, Keeping What You Have” from 7-9 p.m. at Providence Auditorium, Ninth and Rockwood Boulevard. Call 455-3202 for reservations, which are required.

Friday - The Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce presents an Issues & Answers session on what’s happening in the Washington state Legislature at 7:30 a.m. at the chamber, 1020 W. Riverside. Cost: $2; call 459-4111 for information.

March 31 and April 2 - The Small Business Development Center presents a workshop on “Covering Your Bases/ Small Business Management” from 6-9 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $45; call 358-7890 for information or to register.

March 31-April 3 - The Institute for Extended Learning presents a course on “Computer Basics” from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Business Training and Applied Technology Center, 3939 N. Freya. Cost: $110; for information or to register, call 533-3770. The class will be repeated April 28-May 1 and May 12-15.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 12 Photos

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