Business Beat

NEW FACES:

Kevin Proctor has been named director of education, training and membership development for the Timber Products Manufacturers Association. Proctor, who was previously manager of employee relations and industrial safety at Potlatch Corp.’s Pierce, Idaho, location, has worked in the wood products industry since 1984. He graduated from the University of Idaho with bachelor’s degrees in business finance and business management.

Investment Management & Research Inc. has added the following people to its Spokane staff:

Dick Westerman was hired as a financial adviser. Westerman received an MBA from Eastern Washington University and has more than 20 years of experience in the industry.

Sandra Duffy joined the company as a marketing assistant. Duffy was previously employed as an administrative assistant at the American Philosophical Society Library in Philadelphia.

Dave Potter was named to the board of directors at Inland Northwest Partners. Potter is president of Discovery-Dialogue-Direction Inc. in Moscow, Idaho. He has worked for Intel Corp. and done consulting for IBM, Xerox, Kodak and General Motors. Potter also founded Concurrent Sciences Inc., a company that produces software development tools for advanced microprocessors.

Mike Racine has joined Tidyman’s as vice president of sales and marketing. Racine, who has 31 years in the grocery industry, was most recently the corporate director of grocery marketing/merchandising for SuperK, a division of Kmart. Earlier, he spent 28 years with Safeway and was vice president of marketing systems for Safeway’s Northern California Division.

MOVING UP:

Sterling Savings Association has promoted the following employees:

Charles Olsen, a credit officer in loan administration-commercial/ agricultural, was named a vice president. Olsen has more than 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, primarily in commercial and agricultural lending. He previously was vice president and credit approval officer for U.S. Bank of Washington and was with Northwest Farm Credit Services for 15 years.

Liz Stebbins, who joined Sterling last year as marketing director, was named a vice president. Stebbins, who has of 17 years of experience in the banking industry, previously was an area director/vice president for Citibank, Florida.

Jeanne Conley, a human resource specialist, was promoted to assistant vice president. Conley, formerly a human resource specialist for Pathology Associates and ICOM American Inc., joined Sterling in 1992. She received a bachelor’s degree in industrial psychology from the University of Washington and has worked in the human resources field for 11 years.

Sharon Poser, information systems security administration/ technical training manager, was named an assistant vice president. She joined Sterling in 1995 as a TBS coordinator and has more than 13 years of experience in the computer industry with the past nine in the data processing/ financial industry. Poser received a bachelor’s degree in management information systems from the University of South Florida and a masters in communications from Eastern Washington University.

Debbie Schmidt, information systems operations manager, was promoted to assistant vice president. Schmidt, who had more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry, was hired as a temporary accounting consultant in 1995. She was previously assistant vice president-manager of client services, documentation, administration for FiServ. She also worked as an account manager and customer service representative for the firm.

Brenda VanderDoes, special assets officer, was named an assistant vice president. VanderDoes is responsible for the management and sale of all assets acquired by the company through foreclosure or repossession. She joined Sterling in 1989 and was previously a loan secretary for Frontier Federal.

Mike Davis, chief operations officer at Tidyman’s, has been named executive vice president, chief operations officer and corporate secretary. Lee Clark, the grocery chain’s chief financial officer, has been named chief financial officer, assistant corporate secretary and treasurer.

STARTING UP:

Jack in the Box restaurants has opened a new restaurant at Sprague Avenue and Havana in Spokane. Milissa Looker is managing the restaurant, which has 50 employees.

Super Color 1 Hour Photo has opened a store in a 1,500-square-foot space at 2918 S. Regal. The new facility replaces one closed because of redevelopment of River Park Square downtown and another one in Lincoln Heights. In addition to its film developing, the store houses a digital and photographic lab and provides one-hour service for the format known as APS, or the advanced photo system.

Nichols and Associates Private Investigations has opened an office at 815 N. Monroe Street, No. 4. The business offers private investigations, employee screening, property recovery, personal security, process delivery and other services.

MOVING:

Drs. Lawrence E. Klock and Alan C. Whitehouse have relocated their practice of internal medicine and pulmonary disease to the Fifth and Browne Medical Building, 104 W. 5th Avenue, Suite 270E. Their new phone number is 755-5864.

ELECTED:

Officers of the Spokane Estate Planning Council for 1998-99 include: president, Craig Korthase, U.S. Bank Private Financial Services; vice president, James Howard, FFR Advisory, LLC; treasurer, James Bockemuehl, Northwestern Mutual Life; secretary-treasurer, attorney Paul Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick Law Group; and membership chair, Renee Grandinetti CPA, McDirmid, Mikkelsen and Secrest P.S.

The Spokane Chapter of CLU/ChFC has elected the following officers for 1998-99: President, James Bockemuehl, Northwestern Mutual Life; vice president, Scott Cordell, Western United Life; treasurer, Steve Gray, Moloney and O’Neill Financial Services; secretary, Richard Tiffany, The Guardian; and board members, Charles Harris, New York Life, and Larry Sanderson, American National.

The Inland Northwest Chapter of the Air and Waste Management Association has elected the following officers for 1998-99: Chair, Beth Fifield, Spring Environmental Inc.; vice-chair, Prent Houck, independent consultant; secretary, April Miller, Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority; and treasurer, Mike Silvia, Duke Engineering Services. New directors include: Kim Marcus, Dames and Moore; Jana McDonald, Central Pre-Mix Cement; Andrea Simmons, Spring Environmental Inc.; Robert Stenner, Batelle PNL; and Chuck Studer, SCAPCA.

KUDOS:

Four Awards of Excellence from the Auto Glass Group of Apogee Enterprises Inc. have been given to Harmon AutoGlass stores in Spokane. Both the store on Main Street and the store on East Sprague earned the Winners Circle Award for outstanding overall performance among the company’s 327 retail locations in 38 states. East Sprague’s Gary Orness was named Manager of the Year, while David Gambill of the Main Street store was selected as Technician of the Year.

Two Awards of Excellence from the Auto Glass Group of Apogee Enterprises Inc. have been given to the Glass Depot auto glass distribution center in Spokane. The depot received the Silver Award for outstanding overall performance among the 37 facilities in the company’s West region. Driver and warehouse worker Randy Overhauser was selected as an Employee of the Year for the region.

A three-part billboard display created by Wendt Advertising and Public Relations in Spokane captured the Addy Award for out-of-home advertising/outdoor series. Three billboards within a quarter-mile stretch of highway were used to get drivers’ attention with a progressive message for George Gee Pontiac-GMC-KIA. They also received a second Addy Award for a component of a broadcast campaign that also was created for George Gee. The “Go See Gee” musical score used in the radio and television ads won the award for instrumentals 60 seconds or less in the Advertising Arts Division. Certificates of Excellence were awarded for a direct mail campaign for Nextlink, a vinyl wrap of a bus for George Gee Pontiac-GMC-KIA and the entire George Gee multimedia campaign.

OPPORTUNITIES:

Nominations are being accepted for the 1998 Business Clean Air Awards program administered by the Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority. The awards recognize businesses that have achieved air emission reductions through innovative strategies and who have made significant contributions to cleaner air in Spokane County. Nomination forms are available at SCAPCA’s office, 1101 W. College, Suite 403. Deadline for entries is Aug. 31. For more information, call Lisa Woodard at 477-4727, ext. 115.

EVENTS:

Monday through Friday - 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 Room 240 of the Spokane Regional Business Center, 801 W. Riverside. For appointments, call 353-2820. Counselors also are available on Tuesdays at the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, 8817 E. Mission. For appointments there, call 924-4994.

Tuesday - The Small Business Development Center presents a class on “Top 20 Home-Based Business Ideas” from 6-9 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $35; call 358-7890 for information or to register.

Wednesday - The Washington state Department of Revenue presents a free New Business Outreach workshop from 8:30-11:30 a.m. and again from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in the eighth floor training room at 4407 N. Division. To register or for more information, call 482-3805.

Wednesday - Lobbyist Mark Gjurasic will discuss the 1998 legislative session during a meeting of the Spokane Building Owners and Managers Association from noon-1:15 p.m. at Cavanaughs Inn at the Park, 303 W. North River Drive. Luncheon cost: $10; call 466-4905 for reservations.

Wednesday - Attorney Brian Knopf presents a free talk on “The Importance of a Valid Will” from 7-9 p.m. at Fourth Memorial Church, 2000 N. Standard. For information, call 747-2002.

Thursday - The American Society for Training and Development presents a program on “Methods of Meaningful Training Evaluation” from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Cavanaughs River Inn, 700 N. Division. Call 625-3843 to register.

Thursday - The Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce presents Business After Hours at Genstar Land Co. Northwest’s Eagle Ridge development from 5:15-7 p.m. Cost: $5; from I-90 westbound, take exit 279 south for 3.3 miles and follow signs to Eagle Ridge Community Information Center. For information, call Diane Clawson at 459-4111.

Thursday - Associated Industries of the Inland Northwest presents part II of a series on “Leadworker Training” from 8:30 a.m.-noon at 920 N. Washington. Cost: $199 for members, $299 for nonmembers; call 326-6885 for more information.

Thursday - Associated Industries of the Inland Northwest presents a seminar for trainers on “Tell the Truth: Does Anybody Evaluate Anything that Really Matters in Training?” from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at 920 N. Washington. Cost: $17; call 326-6885 for more information.

Oct. 8 and 9 - The Pacific Northwest Disctict of the Internal Revenue Service offers a two-day Special Enrollment Examination in Spokane to qualify tax preparers and other interested persons who are not attorneys or certified public accountants to represent their clients before the IRS. Cost: $55 for all four parts, $45 for fewer than four parts; call (800) 829-3676 to obtain application form 2587. Applications must be postmarked no later than July 31.