Business Beat
New faces:
Sterling Savings Bank has named Terry Bollum a business banking officer. Bollum, who is located at Sterling’s downtown Spokane branch, has more than 18 years of experience in the financial services industry. He previously was vice president of business banking at Norwest Bank in Faribault, Minn. Earlier, he served as senior credit officer-special assets, credit reviewer and senior loan officer for Farm Credit Services in Spokane and commercial lending officer for First Interstate Bank, also in Spokane. He received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Minnesota.
Bryan K. Ross has joined Idaho Trust Co. as vice president and wealth adviser. He will provide financial planning and investment management using asset allocation models to satisfy each client’s goals and objectives. Ross has 18 years of experience as a financial consultant and previously opened a local office for a regional brokerage.
William A. Buckholdt has joined the law firm of Paine, Hamblen, Coffin, Brooke & Miller LLP as an associate. Buckholdt earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Northwest Nazarene College and a law degree from Gonzaga University School of Law. He also earned a master of laws degree in taxation from New York University. His practice will emphasize taxation, estate planning and retirement/deferred compensation.
Stephen R. Wilson has joined Tsunami Communications Inc. as vice president for sales and marketing. He will be responsible for building Tsunami’s national direct sales force, reseller and agent channels. He will also manage the company’s product branding, advertising campaigns and corporate communications. Wilson was formerly the Inland Northwest branch sales manager for Verio Inc. Earlier, he held several management positions with ABC Office Equipment Co. Inc., including general sales manager. He majored in business management and public relations at Whitworth College.
Coeur d’Alene-based Trend Mining Co. has appointed the following people to its board of directors:
Michael Sharratt, a former president and vice chairman of Stillwater Mining Co., also will serve as Trend’s chairman. Sharratt previously was vice president and senior director of mining and minerals for Manville Corp. As such, he was a principal figure in the exploration and development of the Stillwater mining complex in Montana. During his career with Manville, he assumed responsibility for the ore development at nine operating mines in six countries.
Jeffrey Christian is managing director of CPM Group, a leading independent precious metals research and consulting firm. He has been involved in much of the pioneering work applying economic analysis and econometric studies to gold, silver and the platinum group metals markets. Prior to founding CPM Group in 1986, Christian headed the precious metals and statistical work in the commodities research group at J. Aron and Goldman Sachs. He also is president and a director of the International Precious Metals Institute.
Ishiung Wu, co-founder and vice president of acquisitions of General Minerals Corp., has more than 30 years of experience in mineral exploration management. As a former manager of exploration for Chevron Resources Co. in North and South America, he was a member of a platinum working group which evaluated PGE exploration models at the Stillwater complex, which Chevron co-developed with Manville. He holds a master’s degree and doctorate in economic geology from Harvard University and is a fellow of the Society of Economic Geologists.
J. Michael Stebbins has been hired as director of the newly formed Gonzaga Institute of Ethics. The institute, which is being established with a $2.3 million gift in honor of Charles A. Tilford, will initiate a program of ethics throughout the curriculum, particularly in the professions; initiate continuing education programs in organizational ethics in major cities nationwide; integrate the national program with Gonzaga’s current ethics efforts; and initiate an interactive Web site on principle-based ethics. Stebbins, who earned a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Gonzaga in 1977, most recently was a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Woodstock Theological Center, where he served for the past six years as director of the Arrupe Program in Social Ethics for Business. He received a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Washington and a doctorate in systematic theology and Christian ethics at Boston College.
Moving up:
Wayne D. Peterson has been promoted to regional engineer in the Northwest region of Contech Construction Products Inc. Peterson, who will be based in Contech’s new regional office in Spokane, joined the company in 1988 as an assistant sales engineer in the Pacific region. He was named supervisor of production and sales for the Alaska area in 1991, and regional sales engineer in the Central region in 1996. Most recently, he served as regional sales engineer in Boise. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Dakota.
The Quality Inn Oakwood has promoted Casey Devine to sales manager. His primary responsibilities are group and conference sales, promoting the Quality Inn and local advertising. Devine, who previously worked at the front desk, is a graduate of Spokane Community College’s hotel/restaurant management program.
CPM Development Corp., the holding company for Central Pre-Mix Concrete Co., Central Pre-Mix Prestress Co., Inland Asphalt Co. and Interstate Concrete and Asphalt, has promoted the following people:
Paul Salisbury was named chief financial officer. Salisbury, formerly vice president of finance, has worked for the company for 19 years.
Karen Christy, a 20-year employee, was promoted from personnel administrator to human resource manager.
New identity:
QualMed Washington Health Plan has officially changed its name to Molina Healthcare of Washington Inc. The change reflects the final stage of QualMed’s integration as a subsidiary of Long Beach, Calif.-based Molina Healthcare Inc. Molina Healthcare of Washington provides service to health plan members in 28 counties in Washington. The company’s Healthy Options line of business covers the Seattle metropolitan area, as well as Inland Northwest areas including Spokane, Yakima, the Tri-Cities and north central Washington. Molina also participates with the Basic Health Plan in Spokane and Lincoln counties.
Elected:
Spokane attorney Gregory J. Arpin has been elected as a trustee of the 750-member Washington Defense Trial Lawyers, an association of lawyers who specialize in civil litigation defense. Arpin, who is a senior partner in the law firm of Paine, Hamblen, Coffin, Brooke & Miller LLP, has a broad trial and appellate practice that includes personal injury defense, employment law, insurance coverage and commercial litigation.
Events:
Tuesday - William Halter, deputy commissioner of the Social Security Administration, will discuss local Social Security support for disabled individuals during a visit to S.L. Start & Associates at 7:15 a.m. at 25 W. Nora.
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 reservations or more information, call Beth Ann at 924-4507.
Tuesday - North Side 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 Small Business Development Center presents a prebusiness workshop from 6-9 p.m. at the Spokane Intercollegiate Research and Technology Institute, 665 N. Riverpoint Blvd. Cost: $25; call 358-7890 for information or to register.
Wednesday - The Service Corps of Retired Executives presents a workshop on “The ABCs of Starting a Business” from 9 a.m.-noon in Suite 240 of the Spokane Regional Business Center, 801 W. Riverside. Cost: $20; for more information or to register, 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 - The Service Corps of Retired Executives offer free counseling to existing and potential 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 or information, call Beth Ann at 924-4507.
Thursday - The Lake City Women’s Chapter of Leads Club meets at noon at Perkins Restaurant, 290 W. Appleway in Coeur d’Alene. For reservations, call Karen at (208) 667-5606; for more information, call Brenda at (208) 765-1608.
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 and Sept. 14 - The Small Business Development Center presents a workshop on “Developing High Performing Teams” 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.
Friday - David Givens, head of the Center for Nonverbal Studies, will speak on “Wordless Messages: Decoding Non-Verbal Communication” during a meeting of the Spokane Public Relations Council at 7:30 a.m. at the WestCoast River Inn. For information, call 926-6766.
Friday - Candidates for Spokane County commissioner will outline their objectives during a “Good Morning Spokane Area” session presented by the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce at 7:15 a.m. at Players & Spectators, 12828 E. Sprague. Cost: $12 for members if paid by Wednesday, $15 later, or $25 for nonmembers if paid in advance, $30 at the door; to register, call 459-4105 or register online at http:/ /www.spokanechamber.org.
Saturday - The Friends of Manito holds its “Perennial & Houseplant Sale” from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. east of the Gaiser Conservatory in Manito Park. For more information, call 456-8038.