Business Beat

New Faces

Greg Templeton and Lisa Garcia have been hired by Sterling Savings Bank to work for the company’s Home Loan Division. Templeton previously worked for PrimeLending and GMAC and has 14 years of mortgage banking and finance industry experience. Garcia has 15 years of home lending industry experience and previously worked for Mountain West Bank.

Klundt Hosmer has hired Kolea Baker as business development director. She previously served as principal and co-founder of Grocreate Design and Marketing in Seattle and has more than 25 years of related experience.

Allied Fire and Security has hired Rob Bayless as business development manager. He previously worked for Digital Monitoring Products, served as a sales manager for Protection One in Las Vegas and owned a security company in Boise. He has more than 20 years of alarm and security industry experience.

Dr. Jesse Jangula has been hired as an optometrist for Post Falls Optometric Physicians, specializing in ocular disease management and primary care. He is a graduate of the University of North Dakota and the College of Optometry at Pacific University and completed his residency at Spokane Veterans Hospital.

Associated Family Physicians has hired Dr. Jeffrey Pedersen in the practice of family medicine. He is a graduate of Des Moines University, College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his internship at Metropolitan Hospital and his residency at South Pointe Hospital.

Jennifer Martin has been hired as a certified physician assistant for Northwest Cardiothoracic and Transplant Surgeons PS. She is a graduate of the University of Washington, Medex Northwest.

Keller Williams Realty Spokane has hired Robert Hubbard and Jerry Sparling as agents. Hubbard previously served in the U. S. Air Force and Sparling also works as an agent for Keller Williams Realty Coeur d’Alene.

Kenneth Donley has been hired as an agent for Keller Williams Realty Spokane. He previously worked for Dishman Dodge.

Kudos

The Spokane Holistic Chamber of Commerce presented St. Joseph Family Center with its Non-Profit of the Year Award for 2010.

EcoAnalysts Inc. in Moscow, Idaho, received a silver medal from the Environmental Business Journal in the small firm business achievement category for the company’s dramatic improvement in business performance in 2010.

Avalon Health Care Group has named Joe Strang Director of Nursing of the Year. Strang is director of nursing at Avalon Care Center in Spokane.

Gifts

Avista donated $50,000 to various human service organizations in Eastern Washington and northern Idaho. Recipients include: Boys and Girls Club of the Lewis Clark Valley and Boys and Girls Club of Spokane County, Catholic Charities in Spokane, Fresh Start Inc. in Coeur d’Alene, Lake City Senior Center/Meals on Wheels in Coeur d’Alene, Mid-City Concerns/Meals on Wheels in Spokane, Salvation Army of Spokane, St. Vincent De Paul of Coeur d’Alene and Valley Meals on Wheels in Spokane Valley.

Appointed

Loni Knepper has been appointed manager of financial reporting for Coeur d’Alene Mines Corp. She is a certified public accountant and certified management accountant and has extensive finance and accounting experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Nevada-Reno and a master’s degree in business administration from Golden Gate University. The company also hired Janice Booth as senior auditor for the internal audit department. She graduated from the University of Idaho, is a certified public accountant and previously worked for BDO Seidman LLP.

Promotions

Centennial Properties promoted Bryn West to assistant to the vice president. She served as assistant marketing director for River Park Square for the past two and a half years.

Courtney Martin and Scott LaPlant have been promoted to managers for McDirmid, Mikkelsen and Secrest P.S.