Business Beat

NEW FACES:

New additions to the staff of the Spokane Area Convention & Visitors Bureau include:

Karlene Beaumont, who is the bureau’s new convention services manager, also serves as liaison between national, state and regional meeting planners and the city of Spokane. Her duties include coordinating the bureau’s annual Fly-In Familiarization Program, developing new resources and entertainment options for convention clients and participating in site selection. Beaumont, who has several years of experience in marketing and sales, previously was marketing director for HealthSound Medical Clinics.

Matty Broker, who was named convention sales manager, a new position. She is responsible for booking local, state and regional short-term conventions. Broker is a graduate of Whitworth College and previously worked as a program assistant in event planning at Eastern Washington University.

Scott Bowman has joined Empire Insurance Service Inc. as vice president of financial services. He will offer investment products and services for qualified and non-qualified plans. Bowman is also an independent insurance professional offering property and casualty for individuals and businesses.

Windermere Real Estate has hired Michael Baker as a sales associate at its Spokane-Manito office. Baker is new to real estate.

The following people have been named deputy prosecutors in the office of the Kootenai County Prosecuting Attorney:

Anne C. Taylor is a former Bannock County deputy prosecutor. She is a graduate of Idaho State University and also holds a master’s degree in public administration. Taylor received her law degree from the University of Idaho.

Jim R. Reirson is a former Walla Walla County, Wash., deputy prosecutor. He is a graduate of the University of Montana and received his law degree from the University of Arkansas. He has worked as an Air Force judge advocate, Arkansas deputy attorney general and as a deputy public defender in Seattle. He currently is a major in the Air Force JAG Reserves.

Michael D. Waldrup received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Idaho. He previously was a Bonner County deputy public defender and served as a licensed legal intern in that office for two years.

MOVING UP:

Sterling Savings Bank has promoted Colleen Warner to vice president. Warner manages Sterling’s internal audit department. She joined the company in 1991 as an internal auditor, was promoted to assistant vice president in 1994 and was named internal audit manager in 1996. Warner worked for American Commercial Bank as an operations supervisor for six years before joining Sterling. She received a bachelor’s degree in professional accounting from Eastern Washington University.

Graybar Electric has named Todd R. English as branch manager in Spokane. English, who is an 11-year Graybar veteran, was formerly marketing manager in Seattle. The Spokane branch, part of the Seattle District, is located at 4001 E. Ferry.

Tim Henning has been named director of operations for financial aid at Gonzaga University. Henning, who joined the financial aid office as associate director in 1994, earned a master’s degree in education from Virginia State University. He previously worked in financial aid administration at Ball State University, Indiana, and Washington State University.

MOVING ON:

Judy J. Foster has retired as executive director of the Spokane County Bar Association. She will be succeeded by Penny Lindstrom, who will begin her duties in early July. The organization also has chosen Maxine Schmitz as director of its Volunteer Lawyers Program, effective in late July.

ELECTED:

New officers and trustees of the Spokane County Bar Association include: President, William D. Hyslop; vice president, Carl Hueber; secretary, Nancy Isserlis; and treasurer, Laurie Connelly. Newly elected trustees are Erika Balazs, Scott Mason and William Maxey. Mary Ellen-Gaffney Brown, Michael Price and James Spurgetis are serving their second year as trustees.

Deena Rauch, education director at Pullman Memorial Hospital, has been elected secretary/treasurer of the Washington State Nurses Association. Rauch, who also serves as first vice president of the Pullman Memorial Hospital Foundation, is a former member of the WSNA Board of Directors. Tina Fascetti, a Spokane nurse, was elected a director-at-large.

CERTIFICATIONS:

Don Jamison, a sales associate with Re/Max of Spokane, has been awarded the Accredited Buyer Representation (ABR) designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council of the National Association of Realtors. According to the council, the designation “demonstrates to clients that the agent has taken steps to continue their education in the field of buyer representation, and has the proven experience and training to deliver ethical and professional service to real estate buyers.”

Iris Bartzen, who works at Windermere Real Estate’s Manito office, has been awarded the Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI) designation by the Washington Association of Realtors. To qualify, Bartzen completed 90 hours of classroom instruction covering subjects such as contract law, professional standards, sales and marketing, finance and risk reduction.