Business Beat
NEW FACES Jeanne Ellern has been hired as a certified physician assistant in the Rockwood Clinic dermatology group. She completed the Medex Northwest Physician Assistant Training Program and holds a degree in clinical health sciences from the University of Washington School of Medicine.
Kim Van Pelt has been hired as a member service representative by Numerica Credit Union.
Ronda Mitchell has been hired as a vice president and commercial loan officer at BankCDA. She previously worked for Sterling Savings Bank.
Amber Hartman has been hired as a physical therapist in the Rockwood Clinic North physical therapy group. She holds a master’s degree in science and a doctorate in physical therapy from the University of St. Augustine in Florida. She previously worked at the Samaritan Albany General Hospital in Albany, Ore.
Dana Hawotte has been hired by Numerica Credit Union as a member service representative.
Kasi Snider has been hired by Telect as a product manager in the telecommunications group. She previously worked as a service operations program manager for Cisco Systems.
PROMOTIONS Daphne Hennigh has been promoted from customer service supervisor to branch manager at Sterling Savings Bank’s Coulee City branch.
Joseph Strang has been promoted to director of nursing at the Avalon Care Center Spokane. He has been with the company since 2002.
APPOINTED Pete Chase, president and CEO of Purcell Systems, has been appointed to a three-year term on the board of directors of the Sirti Foundation.
David Klaue and John Layman have been appointed to the board of directors of Banner Corp. Klaue has served on the F&M Bank board of directors since 1989 and as chairman since 2002. Layman has served on the F&M Bank board of directors since 1990 and as co-vice chairman since 2003.
KUDOS Dan Hague, of Rathdrum, a horticulturist/licensed applicator at CDF Landscape Professionals, has recently completed the certified arborist examination through the International Society of Arborculture.
He has been with the company for six years.
Craig Condron, of Condron Homes was recently inducted into the Spokane Builders Hall of Fame. He began Condron Homes in 1976 and retired in 2006. He is a graduate of Washington State University.
Heather Welsh, RN, has been named the Interim HealthCare Nurse of the Year. She was one of 46 nurses around the country nominated for the award. She has been employed by Interim HealthCare of Spokane as a pediatric nurse for 11 years.
Ray Lynn, of Spirit Lake, landscape maintenance supervisor/master gardener at CDF Landscape Professionals, recently received an Idaho State Professional Pesticide Applicator license and arborist certification. He has been with the company for three years.
Curtis Fackler, owner of U.S. Tax Credit Services, was recently named the Small Business Champion of the Year by the Washington State Chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business. The award is given to members of the chapter’s leadership council who are active in the organization.
The Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate was recently given the 2006 Civil Rights Award by the Kootenai County Task Force on Human Relations and the Human Rights Education Foundation. The award is given every year to the person or group exemplifying Task Force values.
Susan Hodges, a senior from Rosalia High School, has been awarded one of 11 $1,000 scholarships given to Washington residents by the National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation.
United Coatings was recently awarded the International Trader of the Year Award from Commercial News USA, the official publication of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Harold Gilkey is a finalist for the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Pacific Northwest region. Gilkey, along with partner Bill Zuppe, created Sterling Savings Bank in 1981.