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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Business Beat

Compiled By Ruth Reynolds

NEW FACES:

Karen L. Stead has joined A-City Storage Center in Spokane and will manage sales and customer service for the business storage and records management company. Stead previously was maritime records coordinator for Dillingham Corp. in Honolulu and a consultant to firms in medical, manufacturing, real estate development, insurance, nonprofit and government contracting.

Crown West Realty of Spokane has named Bryan Keller as controller. He will be responsible for the company’s financial management, accounting and reporting functions. Keller has more than nine years of experience in public and private accounting and previously was controller for HSD Corp.

Pamela Aden has been appointed executive director of Transitions, and will oversee administration of Miryam’s House of Transition, the Transitional Living Center and the Women’s Drop-In Center. Aden was formerly program coordinator/supervisor for the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration office in Spokane. She received a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from Whitworth College and is a doctoral candidate in organizational leadership at Gonzaga University.

RE/MAX of Spokane has added two employees to its staff:

James W. McConnachie has joined RE/MAX as an associate broker. He has 10 years in the real estate industry and was a general contractor for 12 years.

Corlene Martin has been hired as an agent. She has served as a RE/ MAX construction coordinator in Northern California and is a new construction specialist with several years of real estate experience.

Debbie Bean has been named blending coordinator for Medalist America in Post Falls. She will coordinate blending of pre-formulated seed blends, specials and customs. Bean is a graduate of the University of Idaho and previously worked in the accounting department at Atlas Building Center in Coeur d’Alene.

Windermere’s Spokane-East Sprague office has hired Eric Eden as an associate broker. He has worked in real estate for 20 years with Prudential Crane.

Randy Hall has joined Windermere’s Spokane-Manito office as a sales associate. Hall, who has two years of real estate experience, previously worked for Tomlinson Black South.

Gonzaga University has hired Jeff Hart as director of security. Hart received a master’s degree in public policy from Claremont University, Claremont, Calif. He has eight years of experience in private security, including six years in a higher education environment.

Mercy Housing Idaho Inc. has hired Cindy E. Carlson as resident services coordinator at Hawthorn Village Apartments in Moscow. She received a master’s degree in counseling and human services from the University of Idaho. Carlson will continue her eight-year-old private practice as a counselor.

MOVING UP:

Washington Trust Bank has promoted the following employees in its consumer lending department:

Jim Lombardi has been promoted to assistant vice president and consumer loan officer. He joined the bank in 1995 and has extensive lending, customer service and managerial experience.

Carol Franz was promoted to consumer loan officer. She also joined Washington Trust in 1995 and has a strong background in lending.

Sedgwick James of Washington Inc. has promoted the following employees:

Kathie Ferrel was named supervisor of the Select Business Division. She has been with the company for the past three years as a commercial account assistant.

Diane Torhan transferred to the Select Business Division as an account manager. Torhan, who has been with Sedgwick for one year, previously worked for an agency in Los Angeles.

Jerry W. Webb has been named vice president of Webbco Financial Services. He previously served as the company’s director of marketing and was instrumental in developing clientele throughout the Midwest and Southeast. Michael W. Webb was named director of customer service.

ELECTED:

Stockholders of Northwest Farm Credit Services have elected Luther Horsley of Midland, Ore., to the organization’s board of directors. Mary Fritz, Chester, Mont.; Karl Hertel, Moore, Mont.; and Robert Epler, Forest Grove, Ore., were re-elected to the board.

The Inland Empire Chapter of the Land Surveyor’s Association of Washington has elected the following officers for 1997: president, Duane Zimmerman of Wyatt engineers; vice president, Rudy Kitzan of Hahn Engineering; secretary, Todd Pocock, of Simpson Engineers; and treasurer John Marjamaa, of James F. Benthin & Associates.

KUDOS:

Jacki Witter of Telect Inc. has been named Credit Executive of the Year by the Credit and Financial Development Division of the Spokane Chapter of the National Association of Credit Management. Boise Cascade’s Spokane office was honored as Business of the Year.

Carl Naccarato, general manager of The Ridpath Hotel, was awarded the Marlene Jones award for more than 25 years of exemplary service in the hospitality/tourism industry at the Washington State Tourism Conference.

The Spokane Area Convention and Visitors Bureau received one of the Washington State Tourism Industry’s highest awards for collateral materials prepared during 1996. The winning entry was a four-color binder and divider pages which are used by the Convention Sales Department for bids to associations for meetings and by the Tourism Department as a group tour manual. The binders were designed by Rick Hosmer and Brian Gage of Klundt & Hosmer Design Associates of Spokane and were printed by the Northwest office of Guestmark International. Photography for the publications was by Alan Bisson of Photographic Designs.

CERTIFICATIONS:

Rudy H. Klein Jr., president of Klein’s Home Improvement Inc. in Hayden, has earned the Certified Graduate Remodeler certification from the National Association of Home Builders. To qualify, remodelers must have at least five years of experience, and have recommendations from suppliers and customers. Candidates also must complete business-related courses offered by the Home Builders Institute.

EVENTS:

Monday through Thursday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives offers free counseling to potential and existing small-business owners from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Business Information Center in the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce, 1020 W. Riverside. Call 353-2820 for appointments. Counselors also are available on Tuesdays at the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, 8817 E. Mission. For appointments there, call 924-4994.

Wednesday - Brian Colburn of CompuTech will speak on “‘Using the Internet for Commercial Applications” during a meeting of the Inland Empire Chapter of the DPMA - Association of Information Technology Professionals at 5:30 p.m. at the Shilo Inn, 923 E. Third. Cost: $15; for reservations, call 468-6704 by 4 p.m. Monday; for information, call 625-6467.

Wednesday - The Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce presents the Armed Forces Persons of the Year Awards Luncheon at noon at the Ridpath Hotel. Cost: $12.50; to register, call 459-4111.

Wednesday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives presents a workshop on “Preparing a Business Plan” from 8 a.m.-noon at the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce, 1020 W. Riverside. Cost: $35, including materials; for information or to register, call 353-2820.

Wednesday and Thursday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives offers free counseling to potential and existing small-business owners on Wednesday at the Panhandle Area Council, 11100 Airport Drive, Hayden, and on Thursday at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center, 525 Clearwater Loop, Post Falls. For appointments in Hayden, call (208) 772-0584; in Post Falls, call (208) 769-3296.

Thursday - C. William Pollard, chairman of the ServiceMaster Co., will speak on “The Soul of the Firm” at a banquet sponsored by the Whitworth Institute and Graduate School of International Management at 7 p.m. at the Davenport Hotel. Cost: $45, with proceeds to support scholarships for Master of International Management students at Whitworth; for reservations, call 466-3742 or 466-3291.

Thursday - Roger Fouleau of Norwesco Marine Construction is the guest speaker for a meeting of Spokane Chapter 143 of the National Association of Women in Construction at 5:30 p.m. at Cavanaugh’s Fourth Avenue. Cost: $13; for reservations, call Ardy Luttermoser at 747-0950 by noon Tuesday.

Thursday - John Campbell of the law firm of Esposito, Tombari, George, Topliff & Campbell PS will discuss bankruptcy from the debtor’s and creditors’ perspectives at the first of a series of breakfast meetings sponsored by the Spokane Business and Industry Member Services Committee and the Spokane Area Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants. The meeting is from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at Gonzaga University’s Schoenberg Center. Cost: $130 for the eight-session series, or $40 per session for members, $145 or $45 for non-members; for information, contact Gordon Cudney at 922-7160.

Thursday and Friday - The Spokane Relations Committee holds its annual Canadian Marketing Tour with stops in Post Falls; Creston and Trail, British Columbia; and Kettle Falls. Cost: $165, including transportation, meals and a room in Castlegar; to register, call Diane Clawson at 459-4111.

Saturday - The Washington State Housing Finance Commission presents a homebuyer education seminar from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at Key Bank, 11205 E. Sprague. For reservations, call Mindy Garber at (800) 887-7260.

April 22 - Phil Jones, a specialist on the Pacific Rim, will discuss “Spokane’s Opportunities in Asian Markets” from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Mukogawa Fort Wright Institute, 4000 W. Randolph. Cost: $10; call 328-2971 for reservations or more information.

April 22 through May 27 - The Spokane Credit Association offers a Comprehensive Credit Course on consumer and commercial credit and collections from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday nights at Gonzaga University Law School. Cost: $350 for the 33-hour block, $300 for Spokane Credit Association members, or $55 for individual classes; call Vi at 324-1285 for information or to register. Registration deadline is Monday.

April 24 - The Inland Empire Rental Association presents an options and opportunities in housing seminar for property owners/landlords and managers from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at Templin’s Resort in Post Falls. Cost: $20, including lunch; for information or registration forms, call Bill deWeber at 624-2229, Betty Fears at (208) 765-4100, or the association at 535-1018. Deadline for reservations is April 21.

, 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.

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.