Business Beat
NEW FACES:
Michael J. Gainer has joined the law firm of Leveque & Kirkpatrick P.S. as an associate attorney. He relocated from Seattle, where he has been practicing since 1990. His primary focus is civil litigation, with an emphasis on personal injury, insurance defense, products liability and commercial disputes at all levels, including arbitration, mediation, trial and appellate. Gainer, who is a 1986 graduate of the University of Washington, received his law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1990.
First Security Bank has hired the following people:
Jeannie Wood was named a real estate loan officer at First Security’s Third and Sherman branch in Coeur d’Alene. Wood, who has more than 14 years of real estate lending experience in Coeur d’Alene, will be responsible for originating real estate loans throughout Kootenai County. She attended North Idaho College and Lewis Clark State College and has completed several courses through the Institute of Financial Education.
Randy Colee joined First Security as mortgage loan officer at the bank’s new Post Falls branch. He has more than six years of mortgage lending experience in the Coeur d’Alene area. Colee, who is a 1993 graduate in marketing from the University of Idaho, will provide complete real estate lending services with on-site loan approvals for refinance, purchase and construction loans.
Jan Wigen has joined Marsh as an account executive in its benefits department. Wigen previously worked for Wendt Communications as the account and business operations manager. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Whitworth College.
Sylvia Merrill has joined the Spokane Valley office of Carlson Wagonlit Travel. Merrill, who specializes in worldwide cruises and vacation packages, has 15 years of leisure travel experience.
MOVING UP:
Washington Trust Bank has promoted the following employees:
Stormy Mauer was promoted to assistant vice president. Mauer, who is the bank’s manager of deposit support, started her banking career with Washington Trust in 1979.
Kathryn Dobson was named retail banking officer. Dobson is the service manager at the bank’s Lincoln Heights Safeway and South Regal Albertson’s branches. She joined Washington Trust in 1992.
John N. Marcheso has been named a financial advisor with Eagle Strategies Corp., a registered investment advisor and indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of New York Life. To qualify for the appointment, Marcheso had to meet educational requirements in financial planning, appropriate licensing and maintain a good record of compliance. He earned an MBA from Rutgers University and is a past president of the Coeur d’Alene Estate Planning Council. He qualified as a member of the Chairman’s Council of the New York Life Insurance Co. in 1999 and is a 16-year member of the Million-Dollar Round Table.
KUDOS:
Winners in the 1999-2000 Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce “Y.E.S. You Can!” contest include: First Place-Individual Category, Suzanne Hailer, Lewis & Clark High School, “A Drop of the Exotic”; second place-individual, Tanya Eby, Lewis & Clark, “Cheveux”; third place-individual, Parzival Popof, Lewis & Clark, “Everlong Candles”; fourth place-individual, Miranda Fisher, Lake City High School, “Music Mania”; honorable mention-individual, Katie Carper, Aaron Welch and Jake Fordham, all of Lake City, and Ryan Hanson, Liberty High School; first place-group, Jenny Sue Anchondo and Jill Waters, Lewis and Clark, “Total Body Fitness”; second place-group, Natalie Brock and Bobbie Jo Vinson, Lake City, “Mocha Music”; third place-group, Rachelle Hastie, Nicole Johnson and Rachel Shaw, Coeur d’Alene High School, “Mechanical Animal’; fourth place-group, Angela Proctor, Latoya Ashley and Cynthia Owens, Lewis and Clark, “Entertainment Palace”; and honorable mention-group, Mollie Ohrt and David Rhoads, Coeur d’Alene High School; Beth Ruch and Jamie Huetter, Lake City; Brandon McCoy and Cheri DeFord, Liberty High School; and Brandan Dresser, Shannon Yount, Nick Peacock and Josh Simmons, Post Falls High School.
EVENTS:
Tuesday - Robert Ketchum of North Idaho College’s Workforce Training Center will speak on “The Education Economy and NIC, the Role of the Community College in Economic Development” during a meeting of the Coeur d’Alene Area Chamber of Commerce at 7 a.m. at The Coeur d’Alene Resort. Cost: $8
Tuesday - Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors presents a seminar on “Construction Liens, Claims & Retainage - Washington, Idaho and Federal” from 1-5 p.m. at the Oxarc Training Facility, 4003 E. Broadway. Cost: $55 for members, $85 for nonmembers; for information or to register, call Sherry Lynn Dow at 535-0391.
Tuesday - Leads Club, a networking organization for business owners, managers and salespeople, meets at 12:15 p.m. at Shari’s restaurant, 320 N. Sullivan. For reservations or information, call Bill at 483-4015.
Tuesday - The Idaho Small Business Development Center presents a business management class on “Building Your Team” from 6-9 p.m. at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center, 525 W. Clearwater Loop in Post Falls. Cost: $59; call (208) 769-3444 for information.
Tuesday - Power Networking meets at 7 a.m. to exchange business leads, discuss developments in Spokane County businesses and usually hear from a speaker. For information, visit http://www.nwcities.com/pn.
Tuesday and Thursday - The Idaho Small Business Development Center presents a class on “The Role of the Store Manager in Retail” from 6-9 p.m. both nights at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center, 525 W. Clearwater Loop in Post Falls. Cost: $59; for information, call (208) 769-3444.
Tuesday through April 13 - The Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors present a 10-session class on “Productivity Improvement” from 6-8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday evenings at the Spokane Community College Apprenticeship Training Center, 2110 N. Fancher. Cost: $240 for members, $425 for nonmembers, $100 for registered apprentices; for information or to register, call Sherry Lynn Dow at 535-0391 or 1 (800) 572-4108.
Wednesday - Michael Scott of Caterina will speak on “Wine - An Understanding” during a meeting of the Spokane Area Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Cavanaughs River Inn. Cost: $18, $9 for students; for information, call Scott Wilhelm at 921-8718.
Wednesday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives presents a workshop on “Basics of Recordkeeping” 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 Service Corps of Retired Executives offers free counseling to potential and existing small-business owners from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Panhandle Area Council, 11100 Airport Drive in Hayden. For appointments, call (208) 772-0584.
Wednesday - The South Hill Chapter of LeTip International meets from 7-8:30 a.m. at Ripples restaurant in Cavanaughs River Inn, 700 N. Division. For reservations, call Kelly Porter at 893-1743.
Thursday - Murray Huppin, president of Huppin’s Hi-Fi, Photo and Video; Dennis Medina, vice president of sales and marketing for Mountain Gear; and Tyler Lafferty, e-commerce business specialist at Telect are featured speakers for an Entrepreneurs Forum at 5 p.m. at Cavanaughs Ridpath Hotel. The forum is free and open to the public.
Thursday - Steve Ourada, director of records center operations for the National Archives and Records Administration’s Pacific-Alaska region, will discuss “Disaster Response and Contingency Management - The State of the Profession” during a meeting of the Spokane Chapter of ARMA at 5:30 p.m. at The Bayou, 1200 E. Trent. For reservations, call Pat DeVries at 455-9405 by Tuesday.
Thursday - Spokane Chapter 143 of the National Association of Women in Construction sponsors a job site tour of the Gonzaga University School of Law at 4:30 p.m. An informational meeting and dinner will follow the tour. Cost: $10; for reservations, call any of the following by Monday: Joyce Hayes at 535-3354, Sharon Hardraker at 535-4688, Susan Korling at 483-3400 or Montessa Phillips at 535-3531.
Thursday - The Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce presents “Business After Hours” from 5:15-7 p.m. at the Ram restaurant and Bighorn Brewery, 908 N. Howard. Cost: $5; for reservations, call 459-4105.
Thursday - The Idaho Small Business Development Center presents a class for supervisors on “Understanding and Managing Different Personality Types” from 6-9 p.m. at the North Idaho College Workforce Training Center, 525 W. Clearwater Loop in Post Falls. Cost: $59; for information, call (208) 769-3444.
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.
Thursday - Leads Club, a networking organization for business leads and referrals, meets at noon at C.I. Shenanigans, 332 N. Spokane Falls Court. For reservations or information, call Susie at 455-8600.
Thursday - The Lake City Women’s Chapter of Leads Club meets from noon-1:15 p.m. at the Coeur d’Alene Inn, 414 W. Appleway in Coeur d’Alene. For information, call Karen Welts at (208) 667-5606.
Thursday through Saturday Gonzaga University President Rev. Robert Spitzer will speak on “Organizational Leadership in the Third Millennium: Building a Community of Vision and Trust” during the First Annual Robert Spitzer Institute at Cavanaughs River Inn. Cost: $949; for information or to register, call (800) 793-1722 or 323-3548 or e-mail gucce@gonzaga.edu
Saturday - Spokane American Advertising Awards will be presented during a ceremony sponsored by the Spokane Advertising Federation beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Cavanaughs Ridpath Hotel. Cost: $35, or $280 for a table of eight; for tickets, call Denise Hulsizer at 326-8818.
CONVENTIONS:
Today through Friday - Washington Municipal Clerks Association, Cavanaughs Inn at the Park.
Tuesday through Saturday - Order of the Amaranth of Washington, Cavanaughs Inn at the Park.
Wednesday through March 19 Christian Workers Conference, DoubleTree Hotel City Center and Spokane Center.