Business Beat

New faces:

Todd Bauman has joined Fidelity Associates as an account executive. Bauman was formerly with Country Companies Insurance Group.

Cher Brammer has been named senior marketing field officer for the Eastern Washington Region of the Washington State Employees Credit Union. Her duties include working with volunteer public agency representatives in Eastern Washington. Brammer, a graduate of Gonzaga University, was formerly in sales and marketing for Global Credit Union.

The Spokane marketing and advertising firm of Warner Birchell & Hall has added the following people to its staff:

Shelley Stickelmeyer, who was previously in the banking industry, was hired as executive assistant to manage office operations.

Patrick McKay, who was previously a copywriter and political public relations consultant in Washington, D.C., was named chief copywriter.

Shelley Tadaki, a Gonzaga University graduate who was previously a retail clothing buyer in Honolulu, joined Warner Birchell & Hall as media buyer.

Gary Barrett has joined Simpson Realty. Barrett, who has 18 years of experience in real estate, previously worked for Tomlinson Black Realty. He specializes in resale and investment properties.

Embroidered Corporate Image has hired Betty Smith. Smith will sell custom embroidery for the Hayden Lake-based company, which markets its products to small businesses and corporations.

Lewiston-based Regence BlueShield of Idaho has filled the following senior management director positions:

David Shaffer was named director of professional and provider relations. His responsibilities include provider contracting, expanding managed care networks into southeastern Idaho, evaluating reimbursement levels and policies, and serving as liaison between Regence BlueShield of Idaho and the provider community. A certified public accountant with a master’s degree from Southern Oregon University, Shaffer previously was vice president of health care services at Premera/Blue Cross of Washington and Alaska.

Lanne Seifert joined Regence as director of workers’ compensation. His responsibilities include developing a new workers’ compensation product which will bridge the gap between standard health care claims and work related illness or injury. Seifert, a graduate of Cal Poly, has 12 years of experience as an insurance agent and broker in Sacramento, Calif.

Thomas Scott has joined Coldwater Creek Inc. as vice president and chief information officer. He previously served as the president of Gestalt Technologies Inc., and was vice president of business systems for VF Corp. Scott, who received an MBA from Purdue University, has 16 years of experience in business systems management.

Moving up:

U.S. Bank has named John Spaid senior vice president and manager of its Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho District. He is based in Spokane and oversees branch retail sales efforts throughout his district. A graduate of the University of Washington and the Pacific Coast Banking School, Spaid began his banking career with Seafirst and worked for Security Pacific Bank before joining U.S. Bank in 1991. For the past two years, he managed the bank’s North Seattle District.

Washington Trust Bank has promoted the following employees:

Christine Miles was promoted to retail banking officer. Miles, who has been with the bank since 1995, will continue her role as branch manager at Lincoln Heights Safeway.

Theresa Mouser also was promoted to retail banking officer. She is currently manager at the Albertson’s South Regal Branch and has been with the Bank since 1996.

Transactions:

Johnson Matthey Electronics has expanded its printed circuit board operations with the asset acquisition by Johnson Matthey Advanced Circuits Inc. of the manufacturing facility of Universal Circuits Inc. in Buffalo, Minn. The plant, which currently employs about 100, is being expanded to better serve the company’s growing high-end, multilayer printed circuit board customer base. With the purchase, Johnson Matthey Electronics became the third-largest manufacturer of printed circuit boards in the nation.

Elected:

The Rural Opportunities Loan Fund of the Tri County Economic Development District has elected the following community representatives to the advisory and loan approval committee for 1998: Chairperson, Gloria Davidson of Chewelah, succeeding Roger Bresnahan of Colville, who remains a member of the committee; vice-chair, Larry Zoodsma of Colville; members, Max Egger and Ken Phillips, both of Colville, Karl McKenzie of Newport, Wash., Gary Kohler of Republic, Wash., Sue LeCaire of Arden, Wash., and Karen Turner of Kettle Falls, Wash.

Events:

Monday - Carol Barber will speak on “The History of Spokane Parks” during a meeting of Associated Engineers at noon at Cavanaughs Inn at the Park, 303 W. North River Drive. Cost: $10 for full lunch, $3 for salad alone.

Tuesday - The Spokane Area Economic Development Council will outline recruitment strategies for the coming year at its annual membership meeting from 4-5 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel, Spokane City Center. Cost: $25; purchase tickets from the EDC.

Tuesday - The Idaho Small Business Development Center presents a class for contractors on “Idaho’s Lien Law and How it Pertains to You” 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 or to register.

Tuesday - Northwest Nexus presents a free seminar on “Inter/Extra/Intra Nets” from noon-1 p.m. at the Spokane Club. Reservations are requires; reserve by e-mail at bagelbytes@nwnexus.com or by phone at (888) NWNEXUS.

Wednesday - Attorney Gair Petrie of Paine, Hamblen, Coffin, Brooke & Miller LLP will speak on “Creating Wealth Is Only Half the Battle … Keeping It Is the Other 75 Percent” during a talk presented by Smith Barney from noon-1:30 p.m. at the Spokane Club. To register, call Gayleana at 455-6069.

Wednesday - Tawnya Stavig of the Children’s Miracle Network will speak on this year’s event during a meeting of the Spokane Building Owners and Managers Association from noon-1:15 p.m. at Cavanaughs Inn at the Park, 303 W. North River Drive. Luncheon cost: $10; call 466-4905 to register.

Wednesday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives presents a workshop on “Basics of Recordkeeping” from 9 a.m.-noon at the Small Business Administration conference room, 601 W. First. Cost; $35, including materials; call 353-2822 to register.

Thursday - Seattle University economics Professor Robert Higgs will discuss “Is the Era of Big Government Over?” during a free public lecture sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, Gonzaga University’s Society of Economics and Finance Students and the Jundt Professorship in Economics at Gonzaga at 7:30 p.m. at the Jundt Art Center and Museum Lecture Hall on the GU campus. For more information, call Doug Kries at 328-4220, ext. 3320.

Thursday - Mitchell Parks of Munters Moisture Control Services in San Francisco will discuss recovery methods for documents that have been through some type of disaster during a meeting of the Spokane Chapter of the American Records Management Association at 5:30 p.m. at the Shilo Inn. For reservations, call Jim Shasky at 534-5080.

Thursday - Merrill Lynch presents a free luncheon 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.

Thursday - Kay Serene will discuss the EWU Internship Program during a meeting of Directors of Volunteers in Agencies of the Inland Northwest from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Schoenberg Center, 200 E. Cataldo. Cost: $6 for members, $10 for nonmembers, first-time guests receive lunch free with RSVP; for reservations, call Bonnie Abernethy at 624-0151.

Thursday - Associated Industries of the Inland Northwest presents a class for trainers on “Ten Ways to Get Participants Involved” from 11:30 a.m.1 p.m. at 920 N. Washington. Cost: $25 for members, $35 for nonmembers; for more information, call 326-6885.

Friday - Jan Ekstrom, president of Janek Co., will be the featured speaker at a seminar for women on “Building a Profitable Business” from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $35; to register, send checks to SCORE registration, Business Information Center, 801 W. Riverside, Suite 240, Spokane, WA 99201. For more information, call 353-2820.

Friday - The Idaho Small Business Development Center presents a workshop on “Dealing with Difficult People - Improved Communication and Relationship Skills” from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center in Post Falls. Cost: $59; for information or to register, call (208) 769-3333.

Saturday - Gonzaga University School of Law and the Thomas More Scholarship Program present a continuing legal education program on “Untangling the Web - Demystifying the Internet to Make it More Effective in Your Legal Practice” from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. at Cavanaughs Ridpath Hotel. Cost: $125; for more information, call Marge Buck at 328-4220, ext. 3738, or (800) 448-2138.

Feb. 23 - The Training and Education Coordinating Center presents session IV of a Zenger Miller frontline Leadership core series on “Dealing with Emotional Behavior’ from 6-9 p.m. at the Business Training and Applied Technology Center, 3939 N. Freya. Cost: $225 for the series; for information, call 533-4700.

Feb. 23 and March 2 - The Small Business Development Center presents a class on “Marketing a Business-to-Business Company” from 6-9 p.m. each day at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $45; call 358-7890 for information or to register.

Feb. 26 - John Tuccillo, consulting economist for the National Association of Realtors, will be the keynote speaker for the Spokane-Kootenai Real Estate Research Committee’s 11th Annual Real Estate Market Forum from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the Spokane International Ag Trade Center. Cost: $35, $45 after Feb. 20; to register, send fee to Spokane-Kootenai Real Estate Research Committee, c/o RuthAnn Hashagen, Spokane Association of Realtors, 1924 N. Ash, Spokane, WA 99205; call Dale Strom at 625-6325 for more information.

March 2 - The Washington State Housing Finance Commission presents a free workshop on how developers can write a low-income housing tax credit application from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Shilo Inn, 923 E, Third. To register, call Yvonne Lacey at (206) 287-4406; deadline for registration is Feb. 24.

March 10 - Northwest Inland Empire APICS presents an eight-session course on “Systems and Technology” from 5:15-7:45 p.m. each Tuesday through April 28. Cost: $125 for members, $150 for nonmembers; deadline for registration is March 2.

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