Business Beat

New faces:

Wells Fargo has named David B. Walker as vice president and trust manager of its Private Client Services Group in Spokane. Walker, whose office is located at 524 W. Riverside, helps clients reach investment objectives and preserve wealth by establishing and maintaining personal trusts and by managing their investments. Walker first joined Wells Fargo in 1987, then left to work at U.S. Bank where he served as a vice president and managing director in Private Financial Services. Walker received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from National University in Sacramento, Calif. He earned a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor professional designation from the Institute of Certified Bankers.

Friends of Seven, the nonprofit, fund-raising arm of KSPS-TV, has added the following people to its board of directors:

Robert Blume is vice president and a trust officer at Washington Trust Bank. He is also a certified public accountant, certified financial planner and a certified trust and financial adviser.

Bridget Carstens is a community activist who is a member of the Junior League of Spokane and volunteers for the Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Cataldo Catholic School and Gonzaga Preparatory School.

Kevin J. Williams is president of Williams & Webster P.S., where he specializes in audits of publicly traded companies, technology consulting and Securities and Exchange Commission reporting matters. A certified public accountant, Williams previously worked for Price Waterhouse & Co. in Denver and CBS Inc. in Los Angeles. He is a graduate of Gonzaga University and received an MBA from the University of Southern California.

Cory Travis has joined the optometric practice of Drs. Gene O. Teigen and Dean C. Gray as receptionist/scheduler. Her duties include scheduling appointments, data entry, checking in patients and managing information databases. She previously worked for five years as reservation manager at Westbrook Resort in Deer Park.

Itron Inc. has named Tim Gelvin as vice president and general manager of its international division. Gelvin has more than 23 years of experience in energy industry management, marketing, operations, customer service and strategic development. For the past year, he has been the managing director of R.P.G. & Associates Inc., an energy marketing and consultancy firm. He worked for UtiliCorp United in Kansas City, Mo., from 1995 to 1999, where he held several executive positions. From 1977 to 1995, Gelvin was with Florida Power Corp.

The Better Business Bureau of the Inland Northwest has added the following people to its board: Sonny Wittkopp, president of Music City; John Kalb, director of operations of UltraFit Health Club; Jim Arnold, chief financial officer of Netivation.com; Ken Sweatt, general manager of Spokane Optical; Brett Sullivan, president of Sullivan Homes; Dave Holinka, vice president of Sterling Savings Bank; Larry Bryant, marketing manager of Kootenai Electric Cooperative; Ken Ormsby, vice president of Barton Roofing; and Georgette Grainger, vice president of Washington Trust Bank.

Kathleen D. O’Conner has joined the staff of Litigation Abstract Inc. in Missoula as client manager. O’Connor, a 1990 graduate of the University of Montana School of Law, previously worked for Sterling Savings Bank in Spokane. At Litigation Abstract, she will be involved in sales, marketing and project management in Spokane, Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

Moving up:

Leonard A. Crosby has been named vice president of Intervest-Mortgage Investment Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sterling Savings Bank. Crosby, who is an income-property loan officer in Intervest’s Spokane office, has more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He previously was division manager for Amresco Management Inc. and regional vice president for Westinghouse Credit Corp. A former military officer and Vietnam veteran, Crosby received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mississippi and a master’s from North Illinois University.

Michelle Gerber has been named surgery coordinator/doctor’s assistant for optometric physicians Gene O. Teigen and Dean C. Gray. She is responsible for performing pretests and documenting data in patient records, maintaining and operating computerized testing equipment, scheduling surgery dates, counseling pre- and post-surgery patients and coordinating refractive surgery seminars with local surgery centers. Gerber, who joined Teigen and Gray last year, has three years previous experience as an assistant pharmacist and supervisor.

Dottie Harrington has been named frames purchasing manager for Drs. Teigen and Gray. She will handle daily purchasing and manage an inventory of more than 1,500 frames. Her responsibilities include coordinating purchasing meetings with sales representatives from European and American frame companies. A graduate of the optometric technician program at Spokane Community College, Harrington is a certified optometric technician/frame stylist. She has worked for Drs. Teigen and Gray for more than five years.

Bob Whitney has been promoted to vice president, manufacturing at Itron Inc. Whitney, who has 18 years of experience in radio equipment manufacturing, joined Itron in 1992 as part of Itron’s acquisition of EnScan. He was named director of manufacturing for Itron’s Minnesota operations in 1994 and became director of all of Itron’s manufacturing operations in late 1999. From 1983 to 1992, Whitney held various management positions with EF Johnson, a two-way radio manufacturing company.

Opportunities:

Nominations are being accepted for the Second Annual Inland Northwest Philanthropy Awards. The awards, sponsored by the Philanthropy Day Consortium, recognize outstanding philanthropic achievements in the Spokane area and surrounding communities. Categories include outstanding business, outstanding individual, outstanding nonprofit group and outstanding youth. The awards will be presented at a special luncheon Nov. 8. Deadline for nominations is July 15. For more information, call Joyce M. Cameron at 363-5323.

Events:

Monday - Michael Gelb, author of the best-seller “Thinking Like Leonardo Da Vinci,” will conduct a day-long program for senior level executives. Sponsor is Gonzaga University’s Renaissance Center for Leadership. The program, at GU’s Bozarth Center in North Spokane, runs 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost: $200; for information, call Joe Albert at 323-3564.

Monday - State Sen. Jim West will deliver a “Legislative Update” during a meeting of Engineers Forum of Spokane at 12:30 p.m. at Cavanaughs Inn at the Park. Cost: $10 for lunch; for information, call Tim Rahman at 244-3467.

Tuesday - The Lighting Design Lab presents a free “Daylighting Workshop” for business managers, architects, facility managers and contractors from 8:30-11:30 a.m. at the Avista Corp. auditorium, 1411 E. Mission.

Tuesday - The Valley Chapter of Leads Club, a networking organization for business owners, professionals, managers and sales people, meets at 12:15 p.m. at Shari’s Restaurant, 320 N. Sullivan. For reservations, call Bill at 483-4015; for more information, call Beth Ann at 921-9581.

Tuesday - Northside Power Networking meets at 7 a.m. Call 468-9695 or 467-2081 or check the Web site at http://www.nwcities.com/pn for meeting details.

Wednesday - The Spokane Relations Committee of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce meets from 4:30-5 p.m. in The Atrium at Cavanaughs Inn at the Park to gear up for a new public relations program with other Inland Northwest chambers.

Wednesday - Dan Robisch, quality assurance manager for Wagstaff Inc., will discuss “ISO 9001: 2000, What’s Coming?” during a meeting of Northwest Inland Empire APICS at 5:45 p.m. at Dewey’s East, 12909 E. Sprague. Cost: $20 for dinner; for reservations, call Rick Luttrull at 922-1404 or e-mail rluttrull@wagstaff.com Wednesday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives presents a workshop on “Preparing a Successful Business Plan” from 8 a.m.-noon on the second floor of the Spokane Regional Business Center, 801 W. Riverside. Cost: $35; for information or to register, call 353-2820.

Wednesday - The South Hill Spokane Chapter of LeTip International meets from 7-8:30 a.m. in Ripples Restaurant at Cavanaughs River Inn, 700 N. Division. For reservations, call Kelly Porter at 893-1743.

Thursday - Washington state Sen. Jim West will discuss his recent trip to Japan during a luncheon presented by the Inland Northwest World Trade Council from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Mukogawa Fort Wright-Commons area. Cost: $12 for members, $14 for others; for information or reservations, call 744-3692.

Thursday - Joint graduation ceremonies for Leadership Spokane, Youth Leadership Spokane and the Institute for Neighborhood Leadership are scheduled at 4 p.m. in the Empire Ballroom at the Ridpath Hotel, 515 W. Sprague. Cost: $25 or $250 for a table for eight; for information, call 459-4116.

Thursday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives offers free counseling to potential and existing small-business owners from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center, 525 W. Clearwater Loop in Post Falls. For appointments, call (208) 769-3296.

Thursday - The Downtown Chapter of Leads Club, a networking organization for business leads and referrals, meets at noon at the Cathay Inn, 3714 N. Division. For reservations, call Melissa at 456-6067; for more information, call Beth Ann at 921-9581.

Thursday - The Lake City Chapter of Leads Club meets at noon at Perkins Restaurant, 290 W. Appleway. For reservations, call Kellie at (208)772-6460.

Thursday - The Downtown Spokane Chapter of LeTip International Inc. meets from 7-8:30 a.m. at the Ram Restaurant, 908 N. Howard. For reservations, call Pat Bishop at 926-0141.

Friday - Netivation.com executive Tony Paquin will be the guest speaker at the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce Regional Networking Breakfast at 7 a.m. at Templin’s Resort in Post Falls. Cost: $15 in advance, $20 at the door; for information, call 924-4994.

Friday - Reliv International presents a free “Wellness and Anti-Aging Forum” from noon-1 p.m. at Sacred Heart Medical Center’s Providence Auditorium. A second presentation is planned at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Templin’s Resort in Post Falls. For information, call Joanne Pettit at 922-4141.

June 20 and 21 - CompuMaster presents a workshop on “Managing, Supporting and Troubleshooting the Windows Registry” from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. each day at the Days Inn Spokane Airport, 4212 W. Sunset Blvd. Cost: $895; to register, call (800) 867-4340 or online go to http:/ /www.compumaster.net.