Business Beat

New faces:

Kristine L. O’Connell-Boyd has joined James F. O’Connell & Associates Inc., a Spokane-based business and estate planning brokerage firm. She is a registered representative and is licensed to sell variable life, variable annuities, traditional life, disability and long-term care insurance. O’Connell-Boyd received a bachelor’s degree in organizational communication from Eastern Washington University and previously worked at KXLY as an account executive.

The following people have joined the law firm of Stamper, Rubens, Stocker & Smith P.S.:

Roger H. Underwood joined the firm in an of counsel capacity.

Underwood has been practicing in Eastern Washington for 38 years in the area of estate and trust planning and taxation. He will continue as chairman of the boards of Wheatland Bank and of the Spokane Shriners Hospital for Children.

Donna R. Emmingham joined the firm as an associate. Emmingham is a graduate of Gonzaga University Law School. Her practice focuses on commercial transactions, health care, estate planning and probate.

Molly M. Parrish has become an associate of the firm. She graduated from Gonzaga University Law School and practices in the areas of professional liability, insurance litigation and health care.

Keller Williams Realty Spokane, a full-service real estate brokerage, has added the following real estate agents to its staff:

Marilyn Toland began selling real estate in 1993 and is currently a buyer’s agent for the Hardie Group.

Phyllis Herrington, who has been in the real estate industry since mid-1999, previously worked for Windermere.

Barbara Squires previously worked for the Janek Co.

Vernon Barnes and Kathy Black have joined the Spokane/North Wall Street office of Windermere Real Estate as sales associates. Both previously worked for Gregg Jones & Associates in Spokane.

Spokane-based Northwest Venture Associates has hired Kevin Barber as a senior associate. Barber, who will be based in the firm’s Seattle office, has more than six years of experience as a financial and business analyst in the software, high-technology manufacturing and venture capital arenas. He previously worked for Poseidon Ventures, a venture capital firm, focusing on early stage investments in high-technology companies. Earlier, he held various financial and strategic analyst positions at Visio Corp. and Hewlett-Packard. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Seattle University and an MBA from the University of Washington.

Moving up:

Michael H. Church has been made a principal at Stamper, Rubens, Stocker & Smith P.S., a Spokane law firm.

Starting up:

Sisters Polly Paton and Emmy Paton have opened Stacks, a specialty gift store located in Steam Plant Square, S159 Lincoln. The business features specialty gifts, specialty food and wine and handmade baskets. Merchandise also is offered at the company’s Web site, http://www.stacksonline.com.

J-U-B Engineers Inc., an engineering, surveying and city-planning consulting firm, has spun off a new Internet strategy and development company called Civic Mind Media. J-U-B aims to position Civic Mind Media as a leading developer of e-government and e-business solutions. The company will work with government agencies and businesses to provide services over the Internet, including online governmental transactions, interactive information portals, online permitting, Web-based project management, e-commerce and Web-based customer service. Civic Mind Media co-founder Carl Stearns will head the company. Stearns, a certified professional planner, previously was the lead city-planning consultant for J-U-B’s Inland Northwest market region. Kim Stearns of Stearns Communications will direct Civic Mind Media’s sales and marketing efforts. Before opening a marketing consulting business, she was a marketing director for Alcatel USA in Spokane. J-U-B Engineers CEO Jim Coleman will also serve as Civic Mind Media’s chief executive.

New identity:

Blessing and Associates, which has sold business, farm, auto, home, life and health insurance to Grant County residents for 48 years, plans to change its name to Argus Insurance on Jan. 8. Moses Lake-based Blessing merged with Argus, of Yakima, last January but delayed the name change until now. Concurrent with the name change, the business will move to new offices at 821 E. Broadway, Suite 11, in Moses Lake. Blessing’s principals - Paul Klueber, Norm Benson and Polly Yamamoto - will remain with the new organization.

Opportunities:

The Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce is seeking nominations for Year 2001 Agora Awards for Business Excellence. The awards program recognizes and honors entrepreneurs for their contributions to the region’s economic and cultural progress. Awards are presented in three categories: business excellence, community service and entrepreneurial spirit. Nominees must be from the Inland Northwest, but need not be chamber members. The deadline for nominations is January 19. For more information, call 363-2681.

Kudos:

Wendle Motors has been named a Blue Oval Certified Dealer by Ford Motor Co. The accreditation, which followed an on-site evaluation by J.D. Power & Associates, means that Wendle meets standards set by Ford for outstanding sales and service customer experiences. Ford launched the program earlier this year to recognize and reward dealers who consistently achieve its standards.

The following attorneys from the firm of Lukins & Annis P.S. have been selected by their peers to appear in the 2001-2002 edition of “The Best Lawyers in America:” Gene Annis, Tom Bassett, Jim Black, Phil Carstens, Pat Cerutti, Scott Lukins, Chuck Van Marter and Martin Weber.

The Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center has presented Clinical Service Awards of Excellence to Pat Baker and Greg Ranlett. The award is given on a quarterly basis to employees who have demonstrated exceptional clinical dedication, performance and accomplishments. Baker is a clinical pharmacist as well as a certified diabetic educator who delivers a variety of pharmaceutical care services to veterans enrolled in primary care at the medical center. Ranlett, a clinical psychologist, provides counseling and research services for veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Conventions:

Monday through Sunday - Harvest Christian Fellowship, DoubleTree Hotel City Center.