Business Beat

New faces:

Courtesy Communications of Spokane and Coeur d’Alene has added two executives to its staff:

Steven J. Barnes joined the company as general manager. Barnes previously was an executive with Egghead Computer Corp. and earlier worked as general manager of several J.C. Penney stores in Idaho, Utah and Spokane.

Brian Buckner was named senior sales executive-cellular. Buckner, who will work as a representative for AT&T Wireless, Nextel and VoiceStream cellular products, previously was a regional sales supervisor for a national laboratory network. More recently, he achieved the million-dollar milestone as a Realtor.

The following people have joined Re/Max of Spokane:

Don Williams was hired as a commercial property specialist. He has eight years of experience selling and leasing commercial and investment real estate in Eastern Washington. He also has management experience in the computer and electronics industry.

Chris Scott joined Re/Max as a sales associate. He has earned the CRS and GRI designations.

Joseph Jacobs has joined Superior Coffee, a leading producer of coffee for the out-of-home, foodservice industry, as an account executive.

Transactions

Two Spokane certified public accountants have merged their practices into the existing A Avery & Co. practice, according to Anson Avery and Debbie Maine. The addition of Jeff Kolcum and Pam Bariletti increased the firm’s roster to 11, with eight accountants, including five CPA partners.

McKinley Contracting Technologies LLC has been awarded contracts to remodel two former Boston Market restaurants for Carl Karcher Enterprises, which operates the Carl’s Jr. chain of fast-food restaurants. The remodeling jobs are at 3029 E. 29th and 6740 N. Division. Work at the South Side location is expected to be completed by the end of March, and in early April for the North Division site.

Appointed:

Jennifer E. Roseman, district director of communications, marketing and development for Community Colleges of Spokane, has been appointed to the newly formed Washington News Council. The 24-member council was created as a way for the public and news media to meet and discuss standards of journalistic fairness. Half of the council’s members are from the media and half from outside the media.

Charles Madison, professor and graduate program coordinator with the speech and hearing sciences program at Washington State University at Spokane, has been reappointed by Gov. Gary Locke to the State of Washington Board of Hearing and Speech. Madison serves on the Apprenticeship, Disciplinary and Examination committees and is chair of the Rules Committee.

Kudos:

Six Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. employees have received Presidential Awards for 1998 based on outstanding service and exceptional performance in the areas of safety, environmental protection, production efficiency and employee empowerment. Recipients include: Clarence E. Morlan Jr., senior electrician for the Coeur Rochester Group in Lovelock, Nev.; Peggy Hughes, human resources and administrative coordinator with the Coeur Rochester Group; Wayne Vincent, controller based at Coeur’s corporate office in Coeur d’Alene; John Howard, chief underground engineer, and Paul Martin, chief surface mine engineer, both based at Coeur’s corporate office; and Sergio Flores, engineering superintendent at the company’s Petorca project in Chile.

Retired Washington State University Professor Lothar Kreck has been awarded the Order of Merit, a medallion representing Germany’s highest civilian honor. Kreck received the honor for his efforts to promote academic relations between the United States and Germany and for his service to the University of Munich, where he taught several courses over many years, and to Fachhochschule Munchen, where he evaluated curriculum and helped bring German students to WSU to study in the MBA program. Kreck retired in 1997 after more than 25 years with WSU’s hotel and restaurant administration program.

Robi Railey and Mike McClane, local agents for Allstate Insurance Co., have been awarded the company’s Honor Ring. The ring has stood as a symbol of outstanding achievement by an Allstate agency since 1945, and is the foundation of the company’s awards and recognition programs in the area of sales.