Business Beat

New faces:

Sharon Moran has joined Tomlinson Black North as an agent. Moran, who has more than 20 years of experience in the real estate industry, has served the Spokane Association of Realtors as secretary and director. She holds the CRS, GRI and ABR professional designations.

Ridolfi Engineers Inc. has hired Rob Spafford as a senior civil engineer and manager of Ridolfi’s Coeur d’Alene field office. He has 20 years of experience as a facilities engineer with the U.S. Forest Service.

Carl Rockstrom has joined DCI Engineers Inc. as CAD department manager. He previously worked for another engineering firm in the area. Christine Brown and Nathan Huestis were hired as structural CAD designers. Both are recent graduates of ITT Technical Institute in Spokane.

Rick Vernon has joined the Coeur d’Alene office of Windermere Real Estate as associate broker. Vernon was previously associate broker with Realty One in Boise. He also was a broker with Better Homes Realty, Preferred Properties.

Starting up:

Deborah Olmsted, Bruce Hardie and Bob Garwood have formed Keller Williams Realty Spokane with offices at 9 S. Washington, Suite 601. All three share owner/manager responsibilities.

Olmsted, formerly with Coldwell Banker, has been in real estate since 1994. She has been ranked in the “Top Ten” for sales volume by the Spokane Association of Realtors and has been a consistent gold and platinum award winner. She has earned the GRI and broker designations.

Hardie, who was formerly with Coldwell Banker, has six years of experience in the real estate business. He leads “The Hardie Group” and has consistently been ranked in Spokane’s “Top Ten” and as a platinum award winner. His designations include ABR, CRS and GRI.

Garwood, who began his real estate career in 1993, was formerly with Windermere. He heads “The Garwood Group” and is also a past “Top Ten” agent and platinum and gold award winner. Garwood holds the GRI designation.

Bob Herron has opened Bob Herron Insurance, an insurance and investment office, at 57th and Regal in the new Cedar Canyon Village shopping center. The agency represents Safeco Insurance Cos. Herron owns the agency, which is managed by Chris Olney. The agency also has an office in Kalispell, Mont.

Opportunities:

Gonzaga University and the Alcoa Foundation will offer a free two-week mathematics and science camp on campus from July 24 through Aug. 4. All students who have completed grades 9-12 are eligible to apply, but the emphasis is on women and students of color. The camp offers various hands-on, collaborative activities which illustrate the range of career options available through math, science and engineering. The camp is supported by a $15,000 grant from the Alcoa Foundation. For information or to apply, call Gail Nord at 323-3907 or e-mail nord@gu.gonzaga.edu.

The Internal Revenue Service will offer the Special Enrollment Examination in Spokane and six other locations on Sept. 27 and 28. Passing the two-day exam qualifies income tax return preparers and others who are not attorneys or certified public accountants to apply to become enrolled agents, who can represent their clients before the IRS. Applications to take the exam, which can be ordered by calling (800) 829-3676 or online at http:/ /www.irs.gov, must be postmarked by July 31. The fee to take all four parts of the exam is $55; to take fewer than four parts is $45.

Kudos:

The Washington Agricultural and Forestry Education Foundation has presented the Stu Bledsoe Leadership Memorial Award to Alex McGregor, head of the McGregor Co., a regional fertilizer and farm supply business. The award is given every year to an individual “who makes a significant difference in Washington’s natural resource industries.” McGregor was cited for his leadership in the Washington Association of Wheat Growers, among other things, and for his “positive manner and optimism, which has done the industry an enormous service.”

The following students and instructors of Glen Dow Academy won awards in competitions held this spring in Spokane and Seattle. Winners in the Inland Empire Cosmetology Association competition include: Women’s Haircutting - first, Raehanne Wasley; second, Jennifer Barnes; fourth, Kori Hedquist; sixth, Trish Gamby. Men’s Haircutting - second, Trish Gamby; third, Amber Lodahl; fifth, Christina Jones; and sixth, Raehanne Wasley. Evening Total Fashion - first, Jenilyn Czech; second, Samaria Bechtold; fifth, Kori Hedquist; and sixth, Shaleen Rogers. In Fashion - second, Jenilyn Czech. Men’s Haircutting (Professional) - first, Martin Dow; third, Pam Craig. In Fashion (Professional) - second, Sadra Williams. Winners in the International Cosmetology Expo include: Women’s Haircutting - second, Raehanne Wasley; third, Vada Fernandez; fifth, Jenilyn Czech; and sixth, Ellen Jackson. Fashion Comb Out - fifth, Jenilyn Czech; and sixth, Michelle Miller.