Business Beat

NEW FACES:

Jennifer R. Matteson has joined the Spokane office of LeMaster & Daniels as a staff accountant in the accounting and auditing department. Matteson graduated summa cum laude in business administration from Eastern Washington University with a concentration in accounting.

Washington Mutual Bank has hired Deb Walter as a loan originator at its Spokane Home Loan Center. Walter has 18 years of mortgage banking experience and was previously with Norwest Mortgage.

Jo Ann Nielsen has been named the managing director of the Institute of International Management at Whitworth College. She will serve as an in-house facilitator for Whitworth at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute and as director of the institute’s overseas management education programs. Nielsen, who previously was the director of the International Trade Program for Community Colleges of Spokane, is the current president of the Inland Northwest World Trade Council.

Spokane Transit Authority has added the following three people to its staff:

Jason Brugger was named information systems technician. For the past year, Brugger worked in STA’s information systems department as a work-study intern while attending Gonzaga University.

Natalie Klemme was appointed personnel specialist for the agency. She has more than 12 years of experience in human resources, most recently with ARCS Mortgage.

Jill Lamb, a 1990 graduate of Washington State University, was named a public relations specialist. She previously was a community resource coordinator for the Inland Northwest Blood Center.

Mike Stewart has joined the Rockey Co. as an account executive in the Spokane office. Stewart previously served as a spring intern for Rockey, working on such projects as the Pacific Science Center and River Park Square. A University of Puget Sound graduate, he managed the 1995 Tacoma mayoral campaign for Brian Ebersole and served as field director for U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks’ 1994 campaign.

Rex Guthland has been named vice president of marketing and sales for Grangeville-based Spray-Air U.S.A. Inc. and Spray-Air Canada Ltd. Guthland formerly was product development manager and general sales manager of Willmar Manufacturing of Willmar, Minn. He also has worked for Shell Chemical and American Cyanamid.

Marina Mann has been hired as vice president of customer relations at Genesis Services, the newest division of Itron Inc. A utility industry veteran, Mann most recently was with the Electric Power Research Institute where she directed the development of EPRI’s information technology research program.

E. Susan Meyer has joined Pacific Gas Transmission Co. as director of community relations for Washington and Idaho. Meyer, who previously was executive director of Momentum ‘95, is responsible for maintaining relationships with state and local government officials as well as civic organizations and the media in communities along PGT’s natural gas pipeline route. She has a master’s degree in business administration from Eastern Washington University.

MOVING UP:

Spokane Transit Authority has promoted the following employees:

Denise Marchioro was promoted from personnel manager to paratransit services manager. She has worked for STA for more than six years.

Daniel Groves, who has been with the agency for nearly 15 years, was promoted from shop foremsn to vehicle maintenance manager.

Susan Millbank has been named assistant to the executive director. Millbank, who received a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Gonzaga University, previously was transportation services coordinator.

Hospitality Associates Inc., which manages 30 hotels in the Northwest, Nevada, Utah and Hawaii, has promoted the following people:

Irene Wynia has been named general manager of the new Holiday Inn Express in Kennewick. Wynia joined Hospitality Associates in 1987 and has since managed three hotels, most recently the Best Western Heritage Inn in Wenatchee.

Kim Malar, who joined the firm in 1990, has been named sales manager of Central Washington hotels owned and operated by Hospitality Associates. Malar, previously manager of the Comfort Inn Broadway in Spokane, will oversee sales for Hospitality Associates properties in Kennewick, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Leavenworth and Ritzville.

Robert Gamble, former general manager with Boise Cascade Container, has been named chairman of the Spokane Chapter of the Service Corps of Retired Executives, or SCORE. Gamble, a 31-year Boise Cascade veteran, directs the activities of about 50 volunteers who provide free counseling and low cost training programs for small business owners and prospective owners. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Richard B. Kayne has been appointed Medical Lake Municipal Court judge. Kayne is a 1977 graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law who has a private practices with offices in Spokane. He will preside over traffic and criminal matters in Medical Lake Municipal Court.

ELECTED:

St. John farmer Jim Kile has been re-elected to a three-year term on the Cenex board of directors. Kile is one of three directors who represent farmers and ranchers in Washington and other far western states on Cenex’s 15-member board. He also serves as second vice president of the Washington State Council of Farmers Cooperatives.

CERTIFICATIONS:

Terry Voss, owner of Computer Consulting, recently passed the Microsoft Certified Professional Exam for Microsoft Visual FoxPro. Microsoft’s Certified Professional Program identifies technical professionals who have the expertise required to implement and support solutions with Microsoft products. Computer Consulting is a member of the Microsoft Solution Provider Program.

KUDOS:

D.A. Davidson & Co. has donated more than $23,000 to five university business schools based on the results of investment decisions made by teams of students at each of the schools. The company gives $50,000 to each team to invest over the school year. At the end of the year, the schools receive half of any profits in excess of 5 percent. The University of Idaho School of Business received $13,334; Carroll College, $4,405.24; University of Montana, $3,377.29; Washington State University, $1,780.45; and Montana State University, $487.35 based on one semester.

EVENTS:

Monday-Thursday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives offers free business counseling to potential and existing small business owners. Counselors are available from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce Business Information Center, 1020 W. Riverside. Call 353-2820 for an appointment.

Tuesday - The Inland Northwest EDI Roundtable will hold its inaugural session at 1:30 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Glenn Casteran, president of Network Information Services of Newport Beach, Calif., will speak on “Selecting a Value Added Network.” After Casteran’s talk, attendees will divide into smaller focus groups to discuss consulting for EDI in the Inland Northwest, services offered by the Bremerton Electronic Commerce Resource Center, experiences in implementing EDI and suggestions for future roundtables. The roundtable is free; for information or reservations, call 358-2081 or Dorothy Hooley at 358-2044.

Wednesday and Jan. 17 - The community colleges’ Small Business Development Center presents a workshop on “Low-cost Promotional and Marketing Strategies” from 6-9 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $45; call 358-7544 for more information or to register.

Thursday - The Small Business Development Center presents a class on “Time Management, the Franklin System” from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Business Training and Applied Technology Center, 3939 N. Freya. Cost: $195, including a 1996 Franklin planner and instruction by a certified Franklin trainer; for more information or to register, call 533-4700.

Thursday - The Small Business Development Center presents a pre-business workshop covering basic start-up information for new entrepreneurs from 1-4 p.m. at SIRTI, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $25; call 358-7544 for more information or to register.

Thursday - The Small Business Development Center presents a class on patents, trademarks and copyrights from 6-9 p.m. at SIRTI, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $35; call 358-7544 for more information or to register.

Friday - Mayor Jack Geraghty will give his State of Spokane address at the Good Morning Spokane Area meeting from 7:30-8:45 a.m. at the WestCoast Ridpath Hotel. Cost: $7 if prepaid, $10 at the door; call 459-4111 for reservations.

Jan. 16 - The Northwest Inland Empire Chapter of the American Production and Inventory Control Society holds its economic forecast banquet at 5:30 p.m. at the WestCoast Ridpath Hotel. Speakers include Alan Raedels, who will address the National Association of Production Manager’s report on business, and Randy Barcus, who will present a local, regional and national economic forecast. Cost: $20 for members, $25 for non-members; call Debbie Moore at 921-6323 or Barb Woodall at 927-5585 by Jan. 11 for reservations.

Jan. 16 - The American Women’s Society of Certified Public Accountants will hold its annual joint dinner meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Cavanaugh’s on Fourth Avenue. Donna Hansen, director of Spokane Catholic Charities, will speak on the International Women’s Conference which she attended in Beijing. For more information, call Karen Nelson at 327-4487.

Jan. 16 - A class on how to buy a computer intelligently will be offered from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at the Business Training and Applied Technology Center, 3939 N. Freya. Cost: $40; call 533-3770 for more information or to register.

Jan. 16 - The Training and Education Coordinating Center presents a course on “Sexual Harassment in the Workplace” from 9 a.m. to noon at the Business Training and Applied Technology Center, 3939 N. Freya. Cost: $35; call 533-4700 for more information or to register.

, 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.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Compiled by Spokesman-Review staff