Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Business Beat

Have an item for Business Beat? Send it to businessbeat @spokesman.com.

Aviation

Gary Green has been appointed executive director of the Washington Airport Management Association. He holds accreditation from the American Association of Airport Executives.

Communications

• Washington State University has hired Catherine Cole as executive director of university communications. She has more than 20 years experience in the field of communications and previously served as director of marketing and publications at the University of North Florida. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Eastern Michigan University.

Zak Designs Inc. raised more than $440,000 for the Rypien Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County during its 13th annual Zak!Charity Open this past July.

Education

• The American Cheese Society presented Nial Yager with a Certified Cheese Professional (CCP) designation. Yager is an employee at Washington State University’s Creamery.

Finance

Angila Schafer has been promoted from assistant manager to manager of sales and processing in Spokane Teachers Credit Union’s Lending Center. Schafer has been with the company since 2008. STCU also promoted Jessica Golladay from Lending Center assistant manager to manager of consumer underwriting and indirect dealer/merchant dealing. She has been with the credit union for two years.

• Columbia Bank has hired Kevin O’Connell as a private banking relationship manager. He has nearly 10 years of related experience and previously worked for Washington Trust Bank as a senior credit analyst and underwriter for the company’s private banking and small business groups. The bank also hired Lacey Sherman as a financial analyst for its private banking sector. Sherman previously served as a customer service manager and lending assistant for Washington Trust Bank, and has more than 12 years of banking experience.

Nicole Melcher has been hired as a branch operations officer for Inland Northwest Bank’s main branch in downtown Spokane. The bank also hired Ryan Lee as an assistant vice president and commercial loan officer, and Josh Marcuson as an assistant vice president and branch manager of INB’s Spokane Valley branch.

Health care

• InCyte Pathology has hired Adam Thompson as a cyto prep aide and Megan Lee as a histology lab assistant. Thompson previously worked as a teller for Bank of America while Lee served as a lab aide at Whitworth University.

Paul Brown has been hired as planned giving coordinator for the Inland Northwest Health Services Foundation. Brown previously served as director of major gifts in athletics for Gonzaga University.

• Fresenius Medical Care North America presented Center for Excellence Awards to Fresenius Medical Care Northpointe Inland Dialysis in Spokane and Fresenius Medical Care Colville Inland Dialysis. The clinics were recognized for providing the highest standards of patient care in 2011.

Don Christenson and Don Meng have been certified by Ottobock HealthCare in the Genium Bionic Prosthetic System. Christenson and Meng serve as Licensed, Certified, Prosthetic Orthotists for Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics.

Insurance

• AAA Washington hired Greg Parks as an insurance agent for the company’s Spokane office in downtown Spokane.

Law

Max Held has been hired by the law offices of Dunn and Black P.S. as an associate. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University, a master’s degree from the University of Arizona, a master of laws degree in taxation from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and is a graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law.

• Dunn and Black P.S. also hired Alexandria John and Bil Childress as associates. John holds a bachelor’s degree from Park University, served four years in the United States Navy as a Yeoman and graduated from Gonzaga University School of Law. Childress is also a Gonzaga University School of Law graduate and holds a bachelor’s degree in theater from Vanderbilt University.

Miscellaneous

Heritage Funeral Home and Crematory received a 2012 Pursuit of Excellence Award from the National Funeral Directors Association. This marks the 10th consecutive year the company has received this award.

Marcus Anderson and Clint Marshall have been named owners of Unicep, a contract packaging company based in Sandpoint. Anderson and Marshall, who serve as Unicep’s president and CFO (respectively), recently purchased the company from its founder, Dr. John Snedden.

The Master’s Touch LLC received Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) 16 Security Certification.

Nonprofit

• The Spokane Parks Foundation has named Heather Beebe-Stevens executive director. She has 16 years of nonprofit and fundraising experience, including previous work with the Spokane Symphony. The foundation has also named Craig Crowley of DCI Engineers, Thomas Schoesler of Spokane County Fire District No. 9 and Marilyn Thompson of Spokane County United Way as new members on its board of directors.

Lauren Nissen has been hired as fund development specialist for Girls Scouts Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho (GSEWNI). She previously worked as a marketing associate for the Inland Northwest Community Foundation and is a graduate of Eastern Washington University. GSEWNI also hired Jami Gonzalez as executive assistant. She graduated from Gonzaga University.

Real estate

Dana Ward and Crystal Cochran have been hired as agents for Keller Williams Realty Spokane. Ward previously owned a barber shop and Cochran previously worked for On-Top Realty.

Retail

• Maurices has named Sara Meeker store manager at the retail chain’s Spokane store.