Business Beat
New faces:
Steven Wee has joined the law offices of Jacqueline G. Newcomb P.S. as an associate attorney. Wee’s practice will focus on civil litigation, including personal injury claims; immigration law; and appellate practice. He worked as a civil rights advocate in the Lutheran Office for Government Affairs in Washington, D.C., and also served as a Lutheran pastor prior to earning a law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law.
Recent additions to the staff of Coeur d’Alene-based Mountain West Bank include:
Tawnya Kitchen joined the bank as a personal financial officer and consumer lender at Mountain West’s Post Falls office. Kitchen has several years of bank operations and business development experience.
Nancy Piscitelli was hired as a loan processor and administrative assistant to the senior vice president of residential real estate lending. Piscitelli has several years of experience in residential loan processing, banking and customer service.
Peggy Hubbell has joined Washington Trust Bank as vice president and private banking credit officer. Hubbell has more than 20 years of experience in the financial industry. She previously worked for another bank in Spokane.
Shelly Daugherty has been hired as the office manager in Public Relations at Gonzaga University. Daugherty previously worked for The Spokesman-Review for 11 years, the last three as administrative assistant to the editor.
Amber Langhurst and Bruce Tweedy have joined the Spokane office of Windermere Real Estate as sales associates. Langhurst previously worked as a sales associate for Prudential in Spokane. Tweedy, who has advanced training in automotive repair, also is involved with the Western Heritage Foundation and has performed in various movies.
Moving up:
Washington Trust Bank has promoted the following employees:
Ron Steele was named vice president and relationship manager. He works in the Spokane Corporate Banking Department. Steele, who joined Washington Trust in 1990, has more than 24 years of banking experience.
Chad Burchard was promoted to relationship manager. Burchard, who also works in the Spokane Corporate Banking Department, joined Washington Trust in 1994.
First American Title Co. of North Idaho has promoted Mark Johnson to assistant manager at the company’s Coeur d’Alene office. Johnson has been the escrow department manager for the past five years and will continue those duties. He has several years of experience in the title insurance and real estate industry.
Gonzaga University economics Professor A. Clark Wiseman has been appointed Gonzaga’s first Erwin Graue Chair of Economics. The Erwin Graue professorship, named in honor of the scholar and professor who taught for 58 years, including 21 years at Gonzaga, was established to recognize a distinguished career in teaching and research and to assure a continuance of high quality education. Wiseman has been with the GU School of Business Administration since 1981. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from Washington State University and a doctorate in economics from the University of Washington.
Moving on:
James Hughes has been named manager of agency training for the Country Companies insurance group based in Bloomington, Ill. Hughes is responsible for various classroom training services, including overseeing the New Agent Schools and management development programs for agency manager candidates. He joined Country Companies in 1992 as an agent in the Central Washington Agency and most recently was an agency manager for the Spokane Agency. He received a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Brigham Young University in 1989 and has since earned the Life Underwriters Training Council (LUTC) designation.
Elected:
Chris Peck, editor of The Spokesman-Review, has been named president of the Associated Press Managing Editors. He succeeds Jerry Ceppos, vice president for news, Knight Ridder. The APME is an association of U.S. and Canadian editors whose newspapers are members of the Associated Press. A professional network, it serves as a resource for helping editors improve their news coverage and newsroom operations.
Jan Quintrall, president and chief executive officer of the Better Business Bureau serving the Inland Northwest, has been elected to the national board of directors of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. She will serve a three-year term. The CBBB is the umbrella organization for the 130 Better Business Bureaus in the United States and Puerto Rico. Quintrall has been with the BBB system for more than 10 years, including a stint as director of operations and director of membership for the Colorado Springs, Colo., bureau before moving to Spokane.
Kudos:
Matt Melcher and Nancy Clark Brown, both assistant professors of design at Washington State University Spokane, received top honors at the American Institute of Architects Spokane Chapter 2000 Design Awards Program for their design of an investment advising firm office space in the historic Holley Mason Building in downtown Spokane. The awards program recognizes excellence in architectural design in Spokane every two years.
Spokane Insurance Associates has received the Community Action Award from the National Association of Insurance Women. The award is for “outstanding performance by a local chapter for its contribution to the community.” The association also received the Education Award for outstanding performance by a local group for its dedication to education for its association as well as members of the insurance community.
Events:
Monday - The Downtown Chapter of Business Networking International presents “Networking at Noon” from noon-1:30 p.m. at the Ram Restaurant. For more information, call Carol Groves at 994-0047.
Tuesday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives offers free counseling to potential and existing small-business owners from 9 a.m.-noon at the Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce, 8817 E. Mission. For appointments, call 924-4994.
Tuesday - Northside Power Networking meets at 7 a.m.. Call 468-9695 or 467-2081 or check online at http://www.nwcities.com/pn for meeting details.
Tuesday - The Valley Chapter of Leads Club, a networking organization for business leads and referrals, meets at 12:15 p.m. at Shari’s Restaurant, 320 N. Sullivan. For more information, call Beth Ann at 924-4507.
Tuesday and Wednesday - The Northwest Industrial Construction and Plant Maintenance Show is scheduled from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. both days at the Spokane Fair and Expo Center, Broadway and Havana. The show is limited to those age 18 and over. For more information, call (800) 794-3706 or online visit http:/ /www.tradeshowswest.com.
Tuesday and Nov. 14 - The Small Business Development Center presents a class on “Why and How to Develop a Personnel Policy Manual” from 6-9 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $45; call 358-7890 for information or to register.
Wednesday - Moss Adams LLP presents its 2000 Annual Construction Management Seminar from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel Spokane Valley, 1100 N. Sullivan. Register online at http://www.mossadams.com/ industry/construction.htm; for more information, call Nicole at (800) 888-4065.
Wednesday - Gonzaga University holds an informational meeting for its Master of Business Administration and Master of Accountancy programs from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Jepson Center on the GU campus. For information or to register, call Carol Wilson at 323-3414 or e-mail wilson@jepson.gonzaga.edu.
Wednesday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives presents a workshop on “Preparing a Business Plan” from 8 a.m.-noon on the second floor of the Spokane Regional Business Center, 801 W. Riverside. Cost: $35; for more information, call 353-2820.
Wednesday - The South Hill Spokane Chapter of LeTip International meets from 7-8:30 a.m. at Ripples Restaurant in WestCoast River Inn, 700 N. Division. For reservations, call Kelly Porter at 893-1743.
Thursday - Danna Beal, a business manager, consultant and speaker, presents a workshop on “Bringing Spirit and Compassion to the Workplace: A New Model for Leadership” from 7:30-9:30 a.m. at the Spokane Regional Business Center, 801 W. Riverside. Cost: $25; to register, call 363-2681.
Thursday - Rob Neilson of Itron will be the guest speaker at the Technet breakfast from 7-9 a.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel Spokane Valley. For information, call 328-7878.
Thursday - The Career Center at Gonzaga University presents its 10th annual Alumni Career Fair from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. in the Martin Centre Fieldhouse on the GU campus. Admission is free for GU students and alumni; a brunch beginning at 10 a.m. in Gonzaga’s COG costs $5. For more information, call 323-4234.
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 information, call Beth Ann at 924-4507.
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 - “Epicurean Delight,” a benefit for cardiac and vascular services at Deaconess Medical Center, begins with wine tasting and hors d’oeuvres at 6 p.m., followed by gourmet dining at 7 p.m., restaurant awards at 9 and dancing from 9:45-midnight at the Spokane Ag Trade Center. Cost: $125; for reservations, call 473-7672.
Nov. 13 - Jim Hanes of the Spokane County Engineers Office will discuss the major projects the county has in progress and planned for the near future during a meeting of the Spokane Chapter of the Washington Society of Professional Engineers at noon at the Shack Restaurant. For more information, call Jim Szatkowski at 443-8712.
Nov. 14 - John Scherer and Associates presents a seminar on “Leading and Managing for Peak Performance” from 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Ag Trade Center. Cost: $90 for Spokane Area Convention and Visitors Bureau corporate sponsors, $120 for SACVB members and $150 for non-SACVB members; registration deadline is Tuesday. For information, call Lucy Gurnea at 742-9381 or Valeta Sweet at 624-1341.