Business Beat
New faces:
Lloyd Guthrie has joined Spokane Cardiology PSC, as executive director. His responsibilities include strategic business planning and practice management. Guthrie received a master’s degree in business administration from Seattle University and was previously director of managed care at The Everett Clinic in Everett.
Regence BlueShield of Idaho has named Tom Colosimo chief financial officer. He will be responsible for corporate accounting, taxes and investments, as well as financial and regulatory reporting, and also will oversee internal auditing functions. Colosimo, who is a certified public accountant, has a master’s degree in business administration and taxation from California State University. He was previously vice president of finance at Medical Service Corp. of Eastern Washington.
Jeff Garlock and Ron Nutkowitz have been named network analysts at Farm Credit Services. Garlock will be responsible for data and voice networking, as well as business recovery planning. He has 17 years of experience with a wide range of telecommunications and computer technologies and was previously a director of information services at Dakotah Direct. Nutkowitz, who has a strong background in systems administration and troubleshooting, will be part of Farm Credit’s core NT support team. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Washington University and was previously with the Washington Army National Guard.
Personnel Unlimited Executive Search has hired two new corporate recruiters:
Jeff Lynch was previously with Cabletron Systems Inc. in Post Falls.
Leilani Rego formerly worked for the March of Dimes in Spokane.
Marc Hammond has joined Tomlinson Black North as a sales agent. Hammond, who previously worked in the health care field, will specialize in residential sales.
A board certified optometric physician, Dr. Alan Johnson has joined the Spokane Eye Clinic. Johnson, who graduated from Michigan’s FSU College of Optometry, has practiced at the CIBA Vision Contact Lens Research Clinic at Grand Forks Air Force Base Hospital. He completed a postgraduate residency in ocular disease and refractive surgery co-management with The Eye Institute of Utah.
Business Network International has appointed Joe McBride of McBride Presentations as area director for Eastern Washington and North Idaho. He is a motivational speaker and trainer and has been creating and presenting innovative programs that address presentation skills for managers, educators, trainers and speakers.
John Clemens has joined the staff of Norwest Mortgage as a residential loan officer. Clemens has several years of residential real estate sales and marketing experience in the Spokane area.
Carol Pritchard has joined The Longaberger Co. as an independent sales consultant. She will market and sell a line of Longaberger products in all 50 states through home shows.
Windermere’s Spokane-Manito office has added Iris Bartzen and Timothy Williams to its staff as sales associates. Bartzen, who was previously with Coldwell Banker Grand, has more than six years of experience. Williams, who received an MBA from Eastern Washington University, was previously with Prudential Crane Realty-North.
Whitworth College has named Elsa Distelhorst as director of development for community and corporate relations. Distelhorst joined Whitworth in 1985 to serve as executive director of the Lindaman Center. She will help build and strengthen partnerships with the Spokane business community as a member of Whitworth’s Office of Institutional Advancement.
Moving up:
Columbia Lighting Inc. has promoted Bruce Hemmelman to distributor product manager. Hemmelman, who previously worked in the company’s customer service department, will be responsible for enhancing and managing the nationwide distributor and stock programs. He earned dual degrees in economics and business from Eastern Washington University.
Kate Absec, office and operations manager of D.A. Davidson and Co.’s Coeur d’Alene office, has become a registered associate. Before joining Davidson in 1995, she was associated with Worden, Thane and Haines P.C. in Missoula and Lukins and Annis P.S. and Shearson/American Express, both in Spokane.
Certifications:
Marcello Conigliaro of North Idaho Realty Inc. has been awarded the Graduate Realtor Institute designation by the Idaho Associations of Realtors. Conigliaro completed over 90 hours of instruction on contract law, professional standards, marketing and finance in Boise. He has been with the company for three years and is a graduate of Ithaca College in New York.
Bob Schmand, broker and co-owner of North Idaho Realty Inc., was awarded the Certified Real Estate Brokerage Manager designation by the National Association of Realtors. The designation, which is recognized as the highest level of professional achievement in the industry, is awarded to individuals who successfully complete requirements and demonstrate excellence in real estate brokerage management.
Three Spokane residents have earned Certified Medical Assistant credentials:
Marie Eaton is currently employed by Dr. Alex R. Verhoogen.
Tamara Newman works for Medical Foot Center.
Charity Bowers is employed by Northwest Family Medicine.
Kudos:
Eastern Washington University’s Distinguished Professor of Entrepreneurship, Leo Simpson, has been given the Homer L. Sanders Mentor Award by the Small Business Institute. The award is given for outstanding work in helping universities to establish small-business analysis programs and for helping improve the quality and effectiveness of such programs.
Clayton Crowe, a Washington State University engineering teacher, has been named Engineer of the Year by the Inland Empire Chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Crowe was chosen for his lifetime achievements in mechanical engineering education and research.
Gonzaga University senior civil engineering student Ryan Crockett, of Newman Lake, has been selected to receive a $1,000 scholarship from Taylor Engineering Inc. The scholarship was based on academic performance.
News4 photojournalist Rick Suhr was named 1997 National Press Photographers Association Regional Photographer of the Year. The region covers the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
Pat McConnell of The McGregor Co. has been named Western Region Consultant of the Year by American Cyanamid Co. McConnell was selected among six national winners, distinguished for their environmental responsibility and actions that benefit their clients and communities.
The Spokane office of Sedgwick of Washington Inc. has achieved the internationally recognized ISO 9000 quality certification. Sedgwick received the accreditation across multiple offices and lines of business, including risk services, property and casualty insurance brokerage, claims management, employee benefits consulting, and personal insurance lines.
Vern Ellis, O.D. received the Inland Optometric Society’s Distinguished Service Award to honor his dedication to Spokane Community College and the Inland Society of the Washington Association of Optometric Physicians. Ellis has taught ophthalmic optics for 23 years for the Vision Care Technology Program at Spokane Community College and is a 50-year member of the Washington Association of Optometric Physicians.
Events:
Tuesday 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 and June 2 - The Small Business Development Center presents a class on “Marketing a Business-to-Business Company” from 6-9 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $45; call 358-7890 for information or to register.
Wednesday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives presents a workshop on “Effective Marketing to Increase Sales” from 8 a.m.-noon. Cost: $35, including materials; for information or to register, call 353-2820.
Wednesday - Associated Industries of the Inland Northwest presents a class on “Productivity-Based Performance Reviews” from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at 920 N. Washington. Cost: $99 for members, $149 for nonmembers. For information, call 326-6885.
Thursday - The Small Business Development Center presents a class on “To Advertise or Nor to Advertise” 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.
Thursday - Marcia Holland, executive director of the Washington State Society of CPAs, will speak on “Personality and Leadership Styles” during a breakfast meeting presented by the Spokane Business and Industry Member Services Committee of the WSCPA from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at Gonzaga University’s Schoenberg Center. Cost: $40 for members, $45 for nonmembers; for information, call Jim Morrison at 455-8173 or Debbie Hill at 467-7126.
Thursday - The Small Business Development Center presents a class on “How to Evaluate the Feasibility of a Business Idea” from 6-9 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $50; for information, call 358-7890.
Thursday - The Arts Committee of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce presents a reception from 5-7 p.m. at Odd Fellows Temple, 1017 W. First. Cost: $5; for reservations, call Tony Beals at 459-4115.
June 1 through 19 - The Training and Education Coordinating Center presents “Job Express” from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 1-3 p.m. Fridays at the Business Training and Applied Technology Center, 3939 N. Freya. Call 533-4752 for more information.
June 3 - Al Gilson and Keith Martin of the Washington state Department of Transportation will discuss the proposed north-south freeway during a networking luncheon presented by the Inland Northwest Electrical League at noon at the Shilo Inn. Cost: $15; make reservations by Friday by calling 536-4177.
June 3 - Spokane attorney Stephen R. Matthews will be featured speaker at a seminar on “Hiring, Firing and Everything in Between” presented by the Better Business Bureau of the Inland Northwest from 7:15 a.m.-noon at Cavanaughs Ridpath Hotel. Cost: $45 for members, $55 for nonmembers, including continental breakfast; for information or reservations, due by June 2, call 838-3841.