Business Beat
Architecture
Bernardo|Wills Architects has hired three new staff members. Matt Mercer has been hired as a BIM/CAD technician and has 17 years of drafting experience. He is working on a retail center in Coeur d’Alene and the BCT Complex, an enlisted personnel housing complex at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Tonya Wollschleger has been hired as project accounting coordinator. Wollschleger will work as the intermediary between project managers and the office manager. She has 17 years of accounting experience and comes to the firm from Next IT in Spokane Valley. Tara Anderson has been hired as the firm’s materials resource librarian, overseeing the interior design department’s materials as well as assisting with project boards and submissions.
ALSC Architects has announced the hire of Esteban Guzman, Fernando Camargo and Andrew Leeper. Guzman is an architectural designer and is on the design team for Northern Quest Resort & Casino’s expansion project. Camargo joins as an architectural designer and has worked on the Columbia Basin College Student Housing Complex in Pasco and the CHAS Spokane Valley Clinic. Leeper is a project architect working on Whitworth University’s Pine Bowl improvements.
Education
Washington State University Tri-Cities has named Don Miller Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Miller graduated from WSU Tri-Cities in 1993 with an MBA and is CEO of Gesa Credit Union, where he has worked since graduating from Central Washington University in 1987. Miller started at Gesa as a junior accountant and has been CEO since 2013.
The Eastern Washington University Alumni Association has announced the recipients of awards recognizing outstanding alumni, to be awarded Friday at the EWU Alumni Awards Gala. Jack Lucas, class of 1977 and president of WestCoast Entertainment Inc., will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. JoDee Garretson will be honored with the Alum of Service Award. Garretson is the executive director of Support, Advocacy and Resource Center in Richland. Rory Talkington, a colonel in the Marine Corps with 28 years of military service, will receive the Exceptional Military Service Award. Leah Horton, resource development manager at Spokane County United Way, will receive the Inspirational Young Alum Award. Horton graduated in 2012. Alan and Jo McDonald, both retired educators, will receive the Eagle4Life Spirit Award.
Polly McMahon has been named the 2017 Faculty Member of the Year by the Washington State Association of College Trustees. McMahon, a social services and gerontology professor at Spokane Falls Community College, was selected from nominees across Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges. She has been at SFCC since 1995 and since 2011 has been a member of the Community Colleges of Spokane Foundation board of directors. McMahon was one of the first instructors at SFCC to use online teaching, offer an online degree program, has advocated for students with disabilities and worked to reduce college costs for financially struggling students. McMahon will receive the award at the ACT Awards Dinner May 25 at Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake.
Health
Ryan Hill has been appointed director of The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Western States Division. He will lead research efforts to increase safety in high-risk industries and has been with NIOSH since 2007 after working as an injury prevention specialist in Kotzebue, Alaska. The Western States Division is responsible for facilities in Spokane, Anchorage, Alaska, and Denver.
Mining
Senior Vice President-Exploration Dean McDonald, of Hecla Mining Co., received the A.O. Dufresne Exploration Achievement Award, recognizing his contributions to Canada’s mining exploration. The award was presented by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum at the institute’s annual gala in Montreal.
Public affairs
Gallatin Public Affairs has hired Kenna Tornow as an associate. Tornow studied journalism and public relations at Eastern Washington University and will focus on helping clients effectively use media. Tornow has interned at Gallatin and at KHQ-TV.