Business Beat

New Faces:

Dean Egger has joined the staff of Riplinger Funeral Home. Egger is a graduate of Spokane Community College and the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science.

Dennis Hall has joined Robideaux Warner as vice president of account services. Hall will be responsible for agency/client relations, and designing marketing, advertising and public relations strategies. A graduate of the University of Idaho, he was formerly vice president of Hanna & Associates of Coeur d’Alene.

Carol Bjork joins the Spokane office of Landau Associates Inc., an environmental and geotechnical consulting firm, as a project engineer. Bjork has more than 11 years of experience, and will provide civil engineering, groundwater and surface water services.

Roger Rife joins Westmark Mortgage as Northwest regional manager. Rife has 15 years of experience and will be responsible for wholesale mortgage lending in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Utah.

James Johnson has joined The Jameson Group Inc., mortgage brokers, as branch manager. Johnson will provide residential loans to customers in North Idaho and Eastern Washington. He is a graduate of the University of Idaho.

David Evans and Associates Inc. has hired three new employees:

Terry Smith is a landscape designer. Smith was previously with the U.S. Forest Service as a landscape architect.

Gregory Holder was hired as a project manager. Holder was previously employed at John Wallace and Associates in San Luis Obispo, Calif., as a consulting civil engineer.

William LaRue is a landscape architect. LaRue previously worked for the architectural firm of Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum Inc. in Tampa, Fla. He is a registered landscape architect in Idaho and Florida.

North Idaho Insurance Inc. has added two new employees to its commercial insurance service team:

Andrea Malone, who has more than 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, will supervise the Commercial Lines Department.

Cheri Robbins is an accredited customer service representative for property and casualty lines and workers compensation. Robbins has 12 years of experience in marketing and customer service.

Johnson Matthey’s Electronics Division, based in Spokane, has reorganized and expanded its European sales and marketing operations:

Mike Dalton will handle the United Kingdom and Ireland and Antoine Posisson, will cover France and Belgium. Dr. Tom Purcell has been appointed product manager for hydrogen systems and Chris Howlett becomes product manager responsible for assembly products.

Dr. Michael deTar has joined Pathology Associates Inc. and Holy Family Hospital’s medical staff as a pathologist. DeTar received his medical degree from the University of Nevada-Reno School of Medicine.

Kilmer Nichols has joined Windermere Real Estate’s Spokane-Manito office as a sales associate. Nichols, who attended Washington State University, previously worked as manager for Puget Sound Sign Posters.

Julie Wetzler has been appointed executive director of Mid-City Concerns Inc. Wetzler was previously assistant executive director for Cancer Patient Care of Spokane County.

Moving Up:

Leslie Warner has been named senior vice president and chief operating officer of Robideaux Warner. A principal in the firm, she will be responsible for overall management and direction of the agency.

Robideaux Warner has promoted Greg Birchell to vice president-business development. Birchell, who joined the firm in 1989, will be responsible for overseeing agency growth, new-business development, management of regional and national accounts and directing account personnel.

Starting Up:

Inland Imaging has opened the Ironwood Imaging Center, a medical imaging facility, at 1400 Northwood Center Court in Coeur d’Alene. Dr. Robert Thornton, formerly of Indianapolis, will be the radiologist at the center.

America The Beautiful Dreamer, a retailer of futons, kid’s beds, and home accessories, recently opened at NorthTown Mall. Doug DeGrange, co-owner and store manager, will operate the new store.

Name Change:

Kemper Securities Inc., which has an office in Spokane, has begun operating as Everen Securities. The change followed the completion of Kemper Corp.’s divestiture of its securities brokerage operations. Everen is an independent, employee-owned company.

Transactions:

Time To Travel has joined Carlson Wagonlit Travel as an associate in Coeur d’Alene. The affiliation allows Time To Travel to offer its customers guaranteed lowest airfares at the time of purchase, reduced rates at over 7,000 major hotels and the best pricing for individual travel tours.

Dan Flanagan has renewed the franchise agreements for his Century 21 Town and Country Realty Inc. office and information center with the Century 21 Northwest region.

Elected:

The Inland Empire Rental Association has elected 1995-96 officers and directors: Bob Wilson, president; James Mahoney, vice president; Jay Overholser, treasurer; Bette Fears, secretary; Larry Gants, Howard Johnson, Bill deWeber, Dave Miller, and Rich Roney, directors; and Erl Boettcher, past president.

New officers of Spokane Insurance Women include: Debbie Scheel, Jones & Mitchell Insurance, president; Janice Shuey, Jones & Mitchell Insurance, vice president; Linda Lidbeck, American States Insurance Co., secretary; and Sue Green, Conner & Kelly Insurance Brokers, treasurer.

The Spokane Chapter of Professional Secretaries International has elected 1995-96 officers: Patricia Crocker-Fox, president; Terri Hayes, president-elect; Julie Boyce, vice president; Diane Boyd, secretary; and Cheryl Leipham, treasurer.

Dennis Locke, director of aviation operations at Spokane Airports, has been elected president of the Washington Airport Management Association. Scott Keller, assistant executive director, Port of Benton County and airport director, Richland and Prosser airports, was named a director of the association.

1995-96 officers for the Spokane Chapter of Rotaract include: Sean Douglas, LeMaster & Daniels, president; Chud Wendle, Wendle Ford/ Nissan/Isuzu, vice president; Lisa Carl, School District 81, secretary; Leona Beck, The Merritt Co., treasurer; and Scott McGann, Sedgwick James; Ann Overholser, Steelhead Specialty Mineral; and Carl Petersonm, Windermere Real Estate, directors.

Kudos:

The Boat Shop of Spokane has been named a Top 10 National Retailer of the Year by Honda’s Outboard Marine division. The Spokane dealership was ranked No. 4 out of 300 Honda Outboard dealers nationwide.

Events:

Monday-Nov. 6 - The Small Business Development Center offers a workshop on Employee Relations and Staying Out of Court from 6-9 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $45; call 358-2050 for information.

Monday-Thursday - The Community Colleges of Spokane present a course on computer basics from 5-8 p.m. in the Mobile Training Unit at the Institute for Extended Learning Lodge parking lot, 3303 W. Fort George Wright Drive. Cost: $110; call 533-3770 for information and registration.

Wednesday - CCS Small Business Development Center offers a class on Business Succession Planning from 6-9 p.m. at SIRTI, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $35; call 358-2050 for information.

Wednesday - Spokane attorney Peter A. Witherspoon will discuss “Employment and Legal Issues in Consulting” at the meeting of the Inland Northwest Society of Consulting Professionals at 7:30 a.m. at Cavanaugh’s on Fourth Avenue. For information, call William Olson at 455-8244.

The Service Corps of Retired Executives will provide free business counseling to prospective and existing business owners/operators at the following times and locations;

Wednesday - Panhandle Area Council, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., call (208) 772-0584; Yakima Chamber, 10 N. Ninth, 9 a.m.-noon, call 248-2021.

Thursday - North Idaho College Work Force, 9 a.m.-noon, call (208) 769-3296; Yakima SBDC, 9 a.m.-noon, call 575-2209; Kennewick Chamber, 1-4 p.m., call 736-0510; Port of Walla Walla, 9 a.m.-noon, call 527-4681.

Nov. 7 - Lewis and Clark State College, 9 a.m.-noon, call (208) 799-2465; Yakima SBDC, 9 a.m.-noon, call 575-2209; TRIDEC SBDC, 9 a.m.noon, call 735-1000.

Thursday - David Syre, Trillium Corp. chairman and CEO, will be the featured speaker for Gonzaga University School of Law’s inaugural Law Forum at 7:15 p.m. at the Jepson Center Auditorium. The event is free, but reservations must be made by calling 328-4220, ext. 3759, by Tuesday.

Thursdays-Nov. 9 - CCS Small Business Development Center offers a class on Starting and Operating a Construction Business from 6-9 p.m. at SIRTI, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $45; call 358-2050 for information.

Saturday - Behind The Red, White, & Blue; Posters, Propaganda & Pride, will be presented to the Spokane Advertising Federation at 6 p.m. at the Cheney Cowles Museum. Cost: $20; call 448-5255 for reservations and information.

Nov. 7 and Nov. 14 - CCS Small Business Development Center offers a hands-on class on the basics of recordkeeping from 9 a.m.-noon. at SIRTI, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $45; call 358-2050 for information.

Nov. 8 - Northwest Inland Empire APICS dinner meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. at the Red Lion Inn. Dinner is $15; call 921-6323 or 927-5585 by Friday for reservations.

Nov. 10 - The local chapter of the American Production and Inventory Control Society presents a workshop on Supply Chain Management Execution from 1-5 p.m. at Comfort Inn-Valley, 905 N. Sullivan. Cost: $55, and registration deadline is Nov. 6; call (208) 772-6645 or 927-5585.

Nov. 14-15 and Nov. 20-21 - WSU College of Agriculture and Home Economics presents a two-day session on helping ranchers improve profitability and add to their enjoyment of ranching. Cost: $100 per person, $140 for two people from the same ranch; registration deadline is Tuesday; call Tom Pratt, 725-4171 or Don Nelson at 335-2922.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 12 photos

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