Briefcase

Sterling wins state Communities Award

OLYMPIA – Sterling Savings Bank is one of two winners of the 2011 Corporations for Communities Award, the Washington Secretary of State’s office said Wednesday.

The Spokane-based bank received the award in the large company category for activities that included prime sponsorship of the Spokane Symphony Labor Day Comstock concert and sponsorship of KXLY Coats 4 Kids. Its employees donated more than 27,000 hours to Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, United Way and food banks, and serve on local boards, chambers and Rotary Clubs.

The award in the small company category went to Korsmo Construction of Tacoma. Secretary of State Sam Reed will present executives from each company a National Secretaries of State Medallion Award at the Nov. 2 ceremony.

Jim Camden

Club seeks donations for auction benefit

Exchange Club of Downtown Spokane is looking for useful donated items for the 45th Annual Crab Feed and Auction, set for Dec. 2.

The annual benefit provides money for three area child abuse prevention agencies: SCAN, Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery and Children’s Home Society of Washington.

Auction items can include sports tickets, gift baskets, gift certificates and new merchandise.

The event has several corporate sponsors, including Itron Inc., Universal Funding, SCAFCO, and D.A. Davidson & Co. The Exchange Club is seeking additional sponsors as well, said volunteer coordinator Dianne LaValley.

The auction and dinner start at 5:30 p.m. at CenterPlace, at 2426 N. Discovery Place in Spokane Valley. 

For information on donations, email crabfeed@dsxc.org.

Tom Sowa

New apartment construction surges

LOS ANGELES – New residential construction surged 15 percent in September, turning in its best performance in 17 months, though economists warned that a housing recovery has yet to take hold.

While new construction is key to getting the economy going, much of the new building came from the apartment sector, which can be very volatile. Many economists also noted that permits pulled for new construction, also an important measure of builders’ plans for the future, declined in September.

Associated Press