Business beat

New Faces

Numerica Credit Union has hired Rudy Duenas as a home loan officer for the company’s Spokane office. He previously worked as assistant vice president of mortgage lending for AmericanWest Bank and has 17 years of banking industry experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in marketing from Eastern Washington University.

Sandi Squicciarino has been hired by Next IT Corp. as a project manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Washington and previously worked for Safeco Insurance Co. for 18 years. The company has also hired Adam Kennedy as a natural language model technician. He previously worked for Pacific Northwest National Laboratories and holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Washington State University.

North Idaho College has hired Ron Dorn as vice president of resource management. He previously worked for Minot State University in North Dakota as vice president of administration and finance. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration/accounting from Boise State University, a master’s degree in management from Friends University, and has more than 35 years of related experience.

Jacob Kubale has been hired as a power engineer for H2E Inc. in Liberty Lake. He previously interned with the company and holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Gonzaga University.

Western Capital Mortgage of Spokane has hired Mark Wrenn as a senior loan officer. He has more than 25 years of experience in mortgage lending.

Jake Young has been hired as a sales associate for RE/MAX Inland Empire. He is a member of the Air National Guard at Fairchild Air Force Base and recently returned to Spokane from a deployment in Iraq.

Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites – Coeur d’Alene has hired Christina Petit as director of sales. She previously worked as catering sales manager for Red Lion Templins Hotel and has five years of hotel sales experience.

Promotions

Lindsay Gilbert and Erica Amsden earned professional engineering licenses and have been promoted to project engineers for Taylor Engineering Inc.

Kudos

The Pierre Fauchard Academy has inducted Mark Paxton, DDS. Paxton is chief executive officer of Spokane Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

Tom Brubaker received the Jack Phelan Blue Blazer Award from Edward Jones for excellence in business building and client service. Brubaker is a financial adviser for the investment company.

The following builders received awards during Spokane Home Builders Association’s Showcase of Green Homes VIP Event: Brent Peterson of Brent Peterson Construction, Greenstone Homes and Builders, Etc.

Lorna Schumann received the Washington State Nurse Practitioner Advocate award for 2010 by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. Schumann works for Washington State University College of Nursing as an associate professor and lead faculty member of the Family Nurse Practitioner program.

The following Inland Northwest Business Travel Association members have earned Corporate Travel Expert Education Certification from the National Business Travel Association: Dana Divine of the Davenport Hotel and Tower and Hotel Lusso; Dave Vahala of Travel Leaders; Susan Barnes of CoBank; Jean Berg of the Ramada Spokane Airport Hotel; Melissa Boland of Northern Quest Resort and Casino; and J.J. Giachetti of Sterling Savings Bank.

Kootenai Medical Center has been named a “Top 100 Hospital” for the fifth year in a row, in a survey evaluating 2,739 hospitals nationwide, conducted by Cleverly and Associates, a health care financial consulting firm.

The Coeur d’Alene Chamber of Commerce presented an A+ Education Award to Windermere/Coeur d’Alene Realty for providing more than 40 scholarships worth more than $10,000 to Kootenai High School students enrolled in North Idaho College’s Dual Credit Program.

Dr. Royce Van Gerpen has been named a certified Medical Review Officer by the Medical Review Officer Certification Council. Dr. Van Gerpen is a partner with Occupational Medicine Associates.

Appointed

The University of Idaho appointed Donald Blackketter as dean of the College of Engineering. He previously served as interim dean and has been with the university since 1989.