Business Beat
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Accounting
Talia Mensik has been promoted from Staff B accountant to Staff A accountant at McDirmid, Mikkelsen & Secrest, P.S.
Nicholas Knapton, P.S. has hired Ulyana Topping as supervisor and Matthew Largent as an intern, and promoted Emily Wright from senior accountant to supervisor. Topping was previously a corporate tax manager at Ecova Inc. in Spokane.
Advertising
Hanna & Associates have promoted three employees and hired Danie Castilla as a new production artist. John Baechler, who started with the company in 1990 as head writer, was promoted from vice president, creative director to vice president, executive creative director; David Olin, who joined the company in 1998, from associate creative director to creative director; and Joe Preston, hired in 2010, from art director to associate creative director.
Business
Patti Usselman, owner of Hair.STYLE, in Spokane Valley, was named the winner in the Best Service Based Business category at the 2013 Action Coach Business Excellence Awards Gala in Las Vegas.
Disaster Recovery Institute International designated Jim Barry, of 360 Consulting Group, as a Certified Business Continuity Professional after passing the CBCP test. Barry has more than 30 years of experience in the field.
Construction
Deacon Band was named the new Spokane Home Builders Association president at its annual Officers Installation and Awards Gala. Band, owner of Band Construction Inc., has been very active in the association the past five years, consistently volunteering and providing professional consulting services on the KXLY Extreme Team. He also won the remodeler of the year award. Other SHBA 2013 award winners included Volunteer of the Year Shannon Wertman, of Ferguson Enterprises; Associate of the Year Yvonne Terzenbach, of Inland Professional Title; and Builder of the Year Phil Folyer, of Morse Western Homes.
At the International Builder’s Show in Las Vegas, ActiveWest Builders, of Coeur d’Alene, builder of LEED certified homes and buildings, received the Judge’s Discretionary Award for The GEE – a three story co-op student housing building near Gonzaga. ActiveWest also won a National Association of Home Builder’s GOLD award for Meadow Ranch, in the Best for Sale up to 200 Homes category.
Financial
Center Partners Financial Services recently achieved certification from J.D. Power and Associates in the Certified Call Center Program for Outsourcers. The company has call centers in Liberty Lake and Coeur d’Alene.
Stockholders of Northwest Farm Credit Services are receiving $54.8 million in patronage. This includes farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses, commercial fisherman, timber producers and cooperatives located primarily in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska.
Health Care
Touchmark on South Hill has hired Jon Clifton, RH and CHPN, as director of professional services – home health.
Robert P. Kenney has returned to Pat Kenney Realty LLC as managing broker. Kenney was on a four-year hiatus, selling REO’s for Sterling Bank. He has been licensed as a Realtor since 1978 and is co-owner of the company.
Prime Real Estate Closing has hired Tanna St. Marie as its CEO. St. Marie, who has 36 years of experience in the title insurance and closing industry, previously worked as sales manager at Pacific Northwest Title.