Business Beat
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Advertising
• 14Four hired Justin Mager as a front-end developer. He previously worked as a developer for Digideal for five years and holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science with minors in mathematics and physics from Eastern Washington University.
Architecture
• Laura Leach has been hired as a landscape designer for SPVV Landscape Architects. She holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture with a minor in horticulture from Washington State University.
Education
• Nancy Fair-Szofran has been hired by Community Colleges of Spokane as provost/chief learning officer. She previously served as an interim library dean and as vice president of research, planning and institutional effectiveness at Mt. Hood Community College. She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Northeast Missouri State University, a master’s degree in library/information science from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a doctoral degree in education from the University of Idaho.
• The following North Idaho College faculty and staff members were presented with achievement awards during the college’s annual Employee Awards Breakfast held on May 11: Faculty Achievement Awards, David McRae, Bob Bennett and John Klassen; Outstanding Service to the College Community Award, Linda Michal; Staff Excellence Award, Suzie Dean; Rising Star Award, Jimmie O’Hara.
Finance
• Bob Harris has been hired as a senior lender and commercial bank team leader for U.S. Bank in downtown Spokane. He has 25 years of financial services industry experience and is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
Government
• The Idaho Parks and Recreation Board elected Tom Crimmins as chairman. Crimmins is a Region 1 Board member and resident of Hayden Lake, Idaho.
• Dr. Francisco Velazquez has been appointed by Spokane Mayor David Condon to the Health Sciences and Services Authority of Spokane County board of directors. Dr. Velazquez is president and CEO of Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories, LLC and PAML Ventures.
Health care
• Wal-Mart named Vision Center employee Nils Ohlsen as West Coast District Optometrist of the Year. Ohlsen is as an optometrist at the Spokane Valley Wal-Mart.
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• The Washington State Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics presented Joan Milton with a 2012 Washington State Clinical Practice and Research Award for Excellence. Milton works for Providence Medical Research Center, Sacred Heart Medical Center as a research dietitian and research coordinator.
• Erica Hallock has been elected by the Washington Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission as vice chair. Hallock is president and CEO of the United Ways of Washington.
Miscellaneous
• DeVries Moving Packing Storage has hired Ron Douglas to manage the company’s commercial services division. He previously served as facilities director of the Coeur d’Alene Casino for 10 years and has more than 27 years of facilities management experience.
Nonprofit
• Michael Cathcart has been hired as director of government affairs for the Spokane Home Builders Association. He previously served as a legislative aide to Michael Baumgartner in the Washington state Senate and as statewide field director for Baumgartner’s U.S. Senate campaign.
Real estate
• Keller Williams Realty Spokane has hired Sue Melcher as an agent. She previously worked for Soleil Real Estate.
• Susan Moon has earned Affinity Specialist Certification from Cartus Broker Services. Moon is a Realtor with Tomlinson Sotheby’s International Realty in Sandpoint.
• HomeStreet Bank has hired Jodi Donoghue as a mortgage loan officer. She has 19 years of mortgage lending experience.
• Andrew Northrop has been promoted by Spokane Hardware Supply Inc. to operations manager. He has been with the company for eight years.