Business Beat

New faces:

Two attorneys have joined the law firm of Layman, Layman & Fennessy:

Kathy M. Jensen is a graduate of Idaho State University who received her law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude in 1998. Her areas of practice are Indian law, general civil and trial practice and personal injury law.

Jim A. Bledsoe will focus on corporate law, commercial law, contracts, general civil and trial practice. A graduate of Oregon State University and Troy State University, he received his law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law, graduating cum laude in 1998.

Jim Huttenmaier has joined the Spokane Area Economic Development Council as membership development director. He will oversee efforts to attract new members to the organization. Prior to joining EDC, Huttenmaier was the membership development director for the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Cindy Edington has been named a loan officer at the Coeur d’Alene branch of Idaho Independent Bank. She has 14 years of experience in the banking industry, including consumer and commercial lending. Edington attended Idaho State University and has taken various American Institute of Banking classes.

Carolyn McConnell has joined Farmers & Merchants Bank as a private banker at its new office at Third and Stevens. McConnell has 25 years of banking experience, including work as a vice president in sales, lending and management for U.S. Bank. She is a graduate of Eastern Washington University’s School of Business and the Pacific Coast Banking School.

Moving up:

Washington Trust Bank has promoted the following employees to newly created positions:

Jack Heath was named retail banking manager. He is responsible for retail banking sales for the bank’s 30 branches, as well as for WT Mortgage, a subsidiary of Washington Trust, and the Small Business Sales Group. A senior vice president, Heath has been with the bank since 1977.

Terri Ryan was named North Idaho/Spokane Valley market manager. Ryan, who joined Washington Trust in 1982, has held several positions within the bank, most recently as one of the bank’s area managers. She is a vice president.

Ron Bertolucci was named Spokane market manager. His territory extends from North Spokane to the South Hill, as well as Deer Park. He previously was the manager for the bank’s Small Business Banking Sales Group. A vice president who joined Washington Trust in 1987, Bertolucci has more than 18 years of banking experience.

Kudos:

Call Center magazine, a trade publication, has named Avista Corp.’s utility call center the best in the nation. The selection is based on interviews of hundreds of call center managers. Criteria include success in improving centers, implementing technology, meeting service goals, decreasing turnover and increasing productivity. Avista’s call center, which has 95 full- and part-time employees, handles about 900,000 customer inquiries each year.

Christopher C. Jurey, executive vice president of Inland Northwest Bank, has graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School. Participants in the three-year program are chosen by their employers based on their potential for leadership. Graduates must attend three two-week sessions at the University of Washington, complete a series of written assignments and conduct original research and write a management report on a topic of importance to the industry and the sponsoring bank.

Roseann Lindsey, a loan officer with INB Mortgage Co. in Spokane, has received the “Friend of Housing” award from the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. Lindsey was honored for being the highest producer of mortgage loans through the Washington State Bond Program since its inception 15 years ago. She also was recognized as a top educator for the program, which requires applicants to attend a class for first-time home buyers to qualify.

Kootenai Medical Center has chosen Delraya Anstine as its employee of the month for December. A registered nurse in oncology, she has worked at KMC since 1987. She received her associate degree in nursing from North Idaho College in 1988.

Marvella McCammond has been nominated “Employee of the Year” for 1998 at Best Western Cavanaughs Templin’s Resort in Post Falls. McCammond has worked for Templin’s as a catering assistant since September 1997.