Business Beat

NEW FACES:

Chrin Tarola of Hayden, Idaho, is GTE’s new customer operations manager for North Idaho and parts of Eastern Washington. She succeeds Mike Bevis, who recently transferred to GTE’s Everett, Wash., office. Tarola has 22 years of telecommunications experience, including 20 years with GTE. She previously was regional manager of telecommunications sales and service in North Idaho for United Communications Systems.

Carl Guenzel has joined Kiemle & Hagood Co.’s commercial leasing department, where he specializes in retail leasing. Guenzel previously worked for Clark Commercial Real Estate and earlier was with Pool World for 10 years.

North Idaho College has named Ray Keevy as the placement/work-based learning specialist for NIC’s applied technology programs. Keevy will help area employers fill their personnel needs and will assist graduates of NIC’s 20 applied technology programs in finding jobs. He has 12 years of experience in education and placement and most recently was director of placement for ITT Technical Institute in Spokane.

The Spokane office of Coopers & Lybrand LLP has added the following people to its staff:

Connie Anderson, Charity Hegel and Carlene Hooke are all business assurance associates. Anderson is a University of Idaho graduate. Hegel is a Gonzaga University graduate and Hooke is a graduate of Seattle University.

Duane Cone, a University of Idaho graduate, joins the firm as a tax manager.

Deena Presnell transferred to the Spokane office as a business assurance manager from the Coopers & Lybrand office in Portland. Presnell is also a graduate of the University of Idaho.

Windermere/Leroy Johnson Inc. has hired four associates:

Mary Van Wechel returned to Windermere after two years with RE/MAX of Spokane. Van Wechel, a graduate of Kinman Business College, has a total of four years in the real estate industry and previously worked with Simmons Co. for 27 years.

Rudy Bault was a sales associate with Century 21 for two years and has worked in sales and management for four years. Bault is a graduate of Spokane Community College and Eastern Washington University.

Sharon Delobel has been in real estate since 1994 and previously worked for Equity Brokers.

Andy Shaffer, who is new to real estate, previously worked with Zumiez. He attended Spokane Falls Community College.

MOVING UP:

Judy Wesselman was promoted to office and human resource manager in the Spokane office of Coopers & Lybrand LLP. Wesselman is a graduate of Washington State University.

Washington Trust Bank has promoted Richard Boutz to senior vice president and chief accounting officer. Boutz will retain the title of controller and assume new responsibilities for all financial reporting, managerial accounting, regulatory reporting, tax planning and budgeting.

Johnson Matthey Electronics has appointed J.C. Hart as director of Asian technical operations. Hart, who has 23 years of experience in the semiconductor materials industry, is responsible for developing new and existing Southeast Asian markets while supporting JME’s local manufacturing sites. Hart joined the company in 1989 and most recently was director of applied technology. He will be based in the Spokane office.

STARTING UP:

Diamond Bar, Calif.-based First Mortgage Corp. has opened an office in Spokane and hired Marco Begovich, formerly of Norwest Mortgage, as regional manager for the new office. Begovich has 16 years of experience in Mortgage banking and has managed nearly two dozen branches throughout the nation.

TRANSACTIONS:

Lydig Construction Inc. of Spokane and Bellevue has been acquired by Larry Swartz, who became president of the company. Swartz was previously vice president. Gus Gottschalk will oversee the company’s Bellevue office and serve as vice president. Ken Schwartz, a senior project manager since 1989, will assume increasing responsibility for project management oversight in the Spokane office. Mark Bray, the company’s controller, will continue to serve as secretary/treasurer.

NEW NAME:

Bison Environmental Resources, an Eastern Washington environmental services firm, recently changed its name to Fulcrum Environmental Consulting Inc. The name change reflects a shift in the balance of ownership, now locally majority owned and no longer affiliated with Bison Engineering of Helena, Mont. Fulcrum President Don Hurst is Fulcrum’s majority owner.

KUDOS:

William “Bill” Eldridge, a personal financial advisor with the Spokane office of American Express Financial Advisors Inc., was appointed to the company’s prestigious Advanced Planner Group - Senior Financial Advisors. The Advanced Planner Group is comprised of select members of the company’s field organization. Members are selected based on their experience, professional designations and commitment to financial planning and client service.

The Simpson Fund of Shelton, Wash., and Land O’Lakes Inc., of Arden Hills, Minn., have made contributions to the Washington Agriculture and Forestry Education Foundation to be used to fund a position in its two-year Leadership Program. The Simpson Fund grant was $10,000; Land O’Lakes donated $5,000.

ELECTED:

The Spokane Chapter, Northwest Human Resource Management Association elected the following people to its 1997 board of directors: president, Marlys Buzby, Layrite Products Co.; past president, Laura Wood, Metropolitan Mortgage and Securities; secretary, Janice Williams, Group Health Northwest; treasurer, Cammie Hill, Telect Inc.; membership chair, Barb Christie, Humanix; professional development chair, Kay Cadero, VOLT Services; legislative chair, Keller Allen, McCormick, Dunn & Black; programs co-chairs, Yvonne Shulman, Waterford on South Hill, and Trisha Mosher, Eastern Washington University; seminars chair, Bette Anderson, Coldwater Creek; college relations co-chairs, Alice Hardin, Egghead Software, and Sue Wirsch, Micro-Enhancement International; communications chair, Alice Rogers, Key Tronic Corp.; education chair, Teri Barros, Key Tronic; ad-hoc diversity chair, Connie Bantz, Cowles Publishing Co.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 12 Photos

MEMO: Do you want to submit an item for “Business Beat?” Send a brief press release to: Bill Sallquist, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane WA, 99210-1615. Photos will be used, space permitting, with new staff additions, promotions and new businesses. Put names on backs of photos. If you want a photo back, write “WILL CALL” on the back and pick it up at the newspaper reference library. Allow three weeks for publication.