Business Beat

New faces:

Bob Keeney has been hired by The Baines Corp. as a sales representative. Keeney has 23 years of experience in the residential real estate industry and will oversee sales of Baines Corp. homes at Eagle Ridge in southwest Spokane.

Melissa Sachs has joined Washington Trust Bank as vice president and commercial lending officer. Sachs has previous experience in lending and in credit as an analyst and instructor in a business banking center. She received a bachelor’s degree n finance from the University of Nevada.

The law firm of Paine, Hamblen, Coffin, Brooke & Miller LLP has hired Scot Nass. Nass, who previously was a Kootenai County deputy prosecuting attorney, is based at the firm’s Coeur d’Alene office. A University of Idaho law school graduate, Nass will focus on civil litigation.

Dr. Braden Batkoff has joined Spokane Cardiology and Holy Family Hospital’s active medical staff in the practice of cardiology. Batkoff is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Medicine. He completed a residency at the University of Iowa and a fellowship program at the University of Washington, where he was chief fellow for 1994-95.

Richard Thomas D.C. has joined Chiropractic Health Associates in Coeur d’Alene. Thomas, who graduated from Cleveland Chiropractic College in Kansas City, Mo., previously practiced in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Richard “Ric” Odegard has been elected to the board of directors of Farmers & Merchants Bank. Odegard spent three decades with Seafirst Bank, retiring as executive vice president and division manager. He is a former chairman of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce and was the acting CEO of Tidyman’s for several months until Aug. 30.

Momb Steel Buildings Inc. has hired the following people:

Greg Sofio was named crew supervisor. Sofio was previously with Paul Davis Systems/Integre and has experience as a general contractor.

Bob Atkinson and Larry Meier were hired as customer service representatives. Atkinson was previously involved with real estate and construction in Hawaii and Kansas. Meier has an extensive customer service background in the Spokane area.

The following people have joined Windermere Real Estate’s Spokane-East Sprague office as sales associates:

Terry March returns to real estate after 11 years with Key Tronic Corp. Previously, he worked in real estate in Spokane for one year.

Stan Richmond has 10 years of experience in real estate and has worked for Tomlinson Black Valley since 1990. He received a bachelor’s degree from Whitworth College and a master’s degree from Multnomah Bible College.

The Spokane-Manito office of Windermere Real Estate has hired Cheryl Coupens as a sales associate. Coupens has six years of real estate experience and was with Tomlinson Black South for four years. She holds the Graduate Realtors Institute (GRI) designation.

Windermere Real Estate’s Spokane-East Sprague office has hired Sid Crowe as a sales associate. Crowe, who is new to real estate, worked for 31 years with the Central Valley School District.

The following physicians have been approved for membership in the Spokane County Medical Society:

Dr. Michael Wukelic has joined Rockwood Clinic in the practice of internal medicine. Wukelic graduated from Ohio State University and completed an internship and residency at Virginia Mason Medical Center.

Dr. James Mellema has joined Pediatric Critical Care Associates in the practice of pediatrics. Mellema graduated from the University of California-San Diego, completed an internship and residency at the Oregon Health Sciences University and a fellowship at Childrens Hospital and Medical Center.

Maggie Montana has joined Windermere’s Spokane-North Wall Street office as a sales associate. Montana has 10 years of real estate experience and most recently worked with John L. Scott. Montana has earned Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) and Graduate Realtors Institute (GRI) designations.

Moving up:

Mike Dobson has been promoted to district manager with Galaxy Carpet Mills Inc., a division of Mohawk Industries Inc. Dobson, who has been with the company for nine years, will oversee Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Kudos:

Kootenai Electric Cooperative, Hayden, Idaho, is a winner in the 1996 Spotlight on Excellence for its monthly news magazine “PowerLines.” Kootenai Electric received awards of excellence in the best magazine/ newspaper and best desktop design categories and an award of merit in the best feature story category.

Four Spokane-area agents received awards from Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. for sales excellence during the year ended May 31: Kent H. Lupton received a “Top 100’ award for the 100 best sales performers; Peter J. Elliott and James H. Bockemuehl received “Diamond Class” awards for sales in excess of $10 million; and Robert P. Bishopp received an “Emerald Class” award for sales of more than $7 million.

Farmers Insurance Group of Cos. has honored five local agents - Hal Edwards, Tom Hills, Karrie Fay, Lloyd Jozwiak and Jim McNary - and their district manager, R. David Bliss, for outstanding sales achievements during 1995. They have been invited to attend the 1996 annual meeting of Farmer’s top sales producers.

Johnson Matthey Electronics has received the Governor’s Award for Continuing Achievement in Pollution Prevention from the state of Washington for its commitment to environmental protection through community involvement and technical innovation. This is the fourth straight year that JME has been recognized for its efforts toward environmental protection.

Washington Trust Bank received a certificate of excellence in the Bank Marketing Association’s 1996 Advertising Awards Competition. Washington Trust was awarded Best of Television for its recent TV image campaign featuring local customers and bank employees. The campaign was created by WenDt Advertising of Spokane.

Moving:

Land Expressions LLC, has moved to 5615 E. Day Mount Spokane Road, in Mead.

The law firm of Etter, McMahon & Lamberson P.C., has moved to 1600 Paulsen Center, 421 W. Riverside.

Elected:

Carmen Farley has been elected president of the board of directors of Spokane Civic Theatre for the 1996-97 year. Other members of the executive committee include: Barbara Pryde, vice president; Ginger Marshall, secretary; Jeanne Uphus, treasurer; and Clare Kobluk, immediate past president.

John Williams was elected to serve as the 1997 vice president of the Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors. Williams, who currently serves on the association’s board of directors, works for Prudential Acuff Northwest Real Estate in Coeur d’Alene.

Laura Asbell, Ph.D., was elected president-elect-elect of the Washington State Psychological Association. The Asbell Professional group, offers counseling, evaluations and psychiatric services in Spokane, Cheney and Post Falls.

Opportunities:

Grant guidelines are now available from Foundation Northwest. To be eligible for funding, an applicant must be a non-profit organization, tax exempt under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code or a public entity, and provide services in the Inland Northwest region. The foundation accepts proposals from organizations serving the 10 easternmost counties of Washington and the 10 northernmost counties of Idaho. For more information, call Candy Hanford at Foundation Northwest, 421 W. Riverside, Suite 400, Spokane, WA 99201, or call 624-2606.

Certifications:

Six local planners were recently certified as members of the American Institute of Certified Planners: Steve Davenport, Pat Frankovic, John Mercer, Mike Nicholson and Louis Webster, all planners with Spokane County; and Susan Winchell, a planner with the Boundary Review Board.

Events:

Wednesday - Richard Umbdenstock, president and CEO of Providence Services, will speak on “The Consultant Client Transition - Lessons Learned” at a meeting of the Inland Northwest Society of Consulting Professionals at 7:15 a.m. at the WestCoast Ridpath Hotel. For information, call Bert Mills at 327-6681.

Thursday - Merrill Lynch presents a free luncheon seminar on “What Every Woman Should Know About Money” from noon-1 p.m. at Patsy Clark’s Mansion. For more information or to register, call April Vorpahl at 458-4254 or Margot Hamstra at 458-4219.

Friday - The Workplace Connection, a non-denominational Christian business owners group, will host its monthly meeting at First Presbyterian Church, 318 S. Cedar, at 7 a.m. The September meeting will highlight the financial services industry.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 6 Photos

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