Business Beat
New faces:
Ramona Pinto has joined National Transportation and Consulting LLC as head of its admissions and career counseling department. A veteran of 15 years in the education and placement field, Pinto previously worked for Eastern Washington University, Spokane Falls Community College, Washington State Employment Security and Career Path Services. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from Eastern Washington University.
Alvin J. Wolff Jr., chairman and president of Alvin J. Wolff Inc., a Spokane property management firm, has been appointed to Gonzaga University’s Board of Regents. Wolff, who earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and business from the University of Washington, is a member of the state of Washington Real Estate Commission and a board member of Gonzaga’s School of Business Dean’s Roundtable. He also is a member of the WSU College of Business and Economics Advisory Board.
Moving up:
Thomas H. Scott has been named senior vice president and chief operating officer for Sandpoint-based Coldwater Creek. Scott’s responsibilities have been expanded to include the areas of customer service, distribution, information services, human resources and internal communications. Scott joined the company in 1998 as vice president and chief information officer. Prior to joining Coldwater Creek, Scott was president of Gestalt Technologies Inc.
and earlier was vice president of business systems for VF Corp. He received an MBA from Purdue University.
Nita Swensen has been promoted to manager of the GTE Phone Mart at Silver Lake Mall in Coeur d’Alene. Swensen, who has been with GTE for 21 years, will supervise a team of employees selling a wide variety of telecommunications products, services and accessories to residential and small-business customers. She also oversees the GTE Phone Mart in Sandpoint. Swensen joined GTE in 1978 as an operator in Coeur d’Alene. She has been a retail sales consultant at the Silver Lake Mall store for the last 11 years.
Starting up:
A new chapter of Leads Club has been formed in Coeur d’Alene. The Lake City Women’s Chapter will meet from noon to 1:15 p.m. Thursdays at the Coeur d’Alene Inn, 414 W. Appleway. Officers include Karen Walts, director; Brenda Kukuruza, assistant director; and Theresa Jussila, recorder. Leads Club provides a network through which professional business people can increase their business referrals. For more information and reservations, call Karen Welts at (208) 667-5606.
Certifications:
Michael Wade of Anastasia’s Portrait Design in Spokane has earned PPA certification from the Professional Photographers of America. To qualify, Wade has to meet requirements measuring his artistic, technical, ethical and business competence. The certification is held by less than 2,500 photographers worldwide, including less than 20 in Washington state.
Ron Moss, a physical therapist for St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, has been certified as an orthopedic specialist. Moss works at at SOAR (Sports Orthopedic and Aquatic Rehabilitation) at Deaconess Medical Center. Before joining St. Luke’s, he attended and was an instructor in a two-year residency program in Lansing, Mich.
Kudos
Robideaux!, a full-service advertising and marketing agency, has earned two 1999 Telly Awards for television commercials produced on behalf of Internet On Ramp. Judges rated more than 11,000 entries on concept, writing, set design, lighting, cinematography, editing, sound and music. The commercials were produced in conjunction with the Hamilton Photography and Film Co.
Van operator Jeff McLagan of Sandpoint has received a “Safe Driving and Excellent Performance Award” from United Van Lines. To qualify for the award, McLagan had to have a minimum 64,000 miles driven while in United service, an accident-free record for the year, operate the full year without receiving a moving traffic violation or an out-of-service violation as a result of a roadside compliance check, keeping all operating qualifications up to date, a low claims experience rating and achieving an outstanding score for the “overall Rating of the Van Operator” section on United’s customer service survey. McLagan drives for Chipman Moving & Storage in Spokane, a United Van Lines agent.
The Quality Inn Oakwood, 7919 N. Division, has been ranked in the top 10 percent of Quality Inns nationwide for standards. The local inn finished 34th out of 386 Quality Inns eligible for the comparison ranking. The ranking is based on cleanliness, administrative organization and number of guest complaints. Vandervert Developments LLC-Hotel Division manages the facility.
NAFSA: Association of International Educators has awarded a $6,000 federally supported grant to Gonzaga University’s Sharp Residence, an international living community on campus. The grant will be used to fund “Gonzaga Orientation Across Borders,” a program fostering cross-cultural awareness and competency in intercultural skills for the 45 international and American students residing at Sharp Residence.