The Community Food Co-op is collecting donations at both stores to aid flood relief efforts in Pakistan by Doctors Without Borders. Additionally, the Co-op will match up to $1,000 total in donations for the aid agency.

“We were overwhelmed by the community’s generosity when we collected $22,500 for earthquake relief in Haiti. Sadly, the situation in Pakistan is equally devastating and the Co-op wants to provide the same opportunity for the community to donate to flood relief,” Education Coordinator Kevin Murphy said in a news release.

Anyone can make a donation at the register at either Co-op location. No purchase is necessary to donate and membership is not required.

What is the one business function that brings in the money for the business to use? The accountant can argue that money management is the key to business success. The production people can argue that without a product there is nothing to sell. I argue that without proper marketing, there is no money to pay the accountant or buy the materials to make the product to sell.

Marketing is a priority. Other functions of business such as human resources, operations, sales, and technology all involve marketing to some extent.

Once you’re captured, in one sentence, what you sell and why a customer should choose your business, you’ve got your marketing message. This message provides purpose and direction for your employees and becomes a motivation and retention tool for human resource management.

The answer to why a customer should choose your business may be due to your extraordinary efficiency or service or pricing which are a result of good operations management. The operational plan of a business can become its competitive advantage. The competitive advantage of any business communicates to a customer the reason they should choose your business. That is part of a good marketing message.

Technology can also provide a competitive advantage in a business by contributing to efficient operations or to exceptional management of customer relationships. Customer service is the follow up on the marketing message. You don’t want to lose the customer once you’ve got them in front of you. Take advantage of the many tools available online that can support customer relationship management and keep the sales flow going.

Internet technology provides a host of vehicles to get your marketing message to groups of people instead of just one at a time. Part of marketing planning is to identify what the best vehicle is for your message and how to use that vehicle to generate sales.

Part of the priority of marketing is to keep at it and keep learning. An athlete doesn’t stay on top of his or her game by sitting on the sidelines and just watching. They keep working out on a regular basis and learning new techniques to stay on top of their game.

It’s the same way in marketing. You’ve got to keep sowing your seeds (marketing message) and tending to the garden (your customers), or what you have planted will get lost in the weeds that will grow up and take over.

Many small business owners will tell you that access to training, mentors and networking opportunities with like-minded people are critical to building knowledge for the continued success of their business.

A great learning opportunity is coming up on Sept. 9 and 10 at Whatcom Community College. Visit www.thinkbiz.com for more information. I encourage you to take a look at the bios of the instructors and keynote speakers to get a sense of the possibilities of what you could learn for your business.

Matrix Service raised $3,679 for the Mount Baker Chapter of the American Red Cross at the company’s annual golf tournament. Matrix is a long time supporter of the Mount Baker Chapter, donating more than $36,000 since 1999.

The Mount Baker Chapter has served Whatcom and Skagit counties for 92 years, providing emergency services, disaster relief support and health and safety class training.

The campaign for Initiative 1082 – a push by the Building Industry Association of Washington (BIAW) to introduce private insurance companies into the state-run Labor & Industries (L&I) worker’s compensation program – began with a uniquely funny, but arguably kitsch commercial.

It’s a YouTube video called “L&I: the Only Grocer in Town,” in which L&I is depicted as a lazy, uncaring, grocery store clerk who ignores the needs of shoppers and instead offers them mayonnaise-flavored ice cream. Yes, mayonnaise-flavored ice cream.

“I think that’s a shoplifter right there, but that’s okay, we’ll just charge our regular paying customers more,” says the clerk in the commercial as he scans items into a torn, brown paper bag. “So, why does everyone come to L&I Grocer?”

A frustrated woman in the checkout stand replies, “We don’t have a choice. They’re the only one in town.”

Through the pro-1082 website, www.saveourjobswa.com, the BIAW and other endorsers of the initiative –  mostly small-business associations like the Association of Washington Business, the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc. and locally the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce – go on to say that the L&I’s worker’s compensation has become too inefficient, costly, and financially unstable for Washington businesses, and that increased competition will lower costs.

So far, the pro-1082 campaign has raised $1,057,328, of which $500,000 came from the BIAW.

Supporters claim that in the past 10 years, L&I administrative costs are up 82 percent, tax rates are up more than 50 percent; and that even though claims have dropped 52 percent since 1990, costs keep rising.

“L&I does not care about other people’s money,” said Tom Kwieciak, administrator of insurance programs for the BIAW. “They pay benefits that people are not entitled to and that raises the cost of the system. That raises the question of ‘Why in Washington state do we have an average time loss of 270-something days for each person that goes on a time-loss claim?’”

This has been a popular argument for initiative sponsors, but according to L&I, the number of 274 days does not represent the average time-loss for all injured workers (72 percent of injured workers receive no wage replacement for missed work) but is an actuarial estimate of time-loss claims between three days and long-term claims of up to many years. That number represents only 8 percent of claims but as much as 88 percent of the system’s total costs.

“The state-run system, it’s a good system that protects the workers and it protects the companies,” said Connie Kelliher, communications and media director for the Machinists Union District 751. So far, the union has donated approximately $100,000 to the “No On I-1082” campaign, which itself has raised $801,201.

Adopted in 1911, Washington’s worker’s compensation program is a nonprofit, no-fault system that protects employers from lawsuits that arise from job-related injuries, and provides medical insurance and partial wage replacement for injured workers. It currently covers approximately 171,000 employers and approximately 2.5 million workers.

Reports on how efficient that system is changes depending on whom you talk to, and how the data is presented.

The pro-1082 campaign likes to point out that L&I consistently raises rates each year, but that states like Oregon, which allows private competition in its workers compensation system, hasn’t raised rates in 20 years. However, in fact, Washington L&I’s rates are based on the number of hours worked (which need to be hiked for inflation), Oregon’s rates are based on a percentage of payroll – the percentage doesn’t change but that’s not to say the amount Oregonians pay doesn’t.

According to L&I, paid administrative expenses from 1999 to 2008 were 17.5 percent of the total benefits paid on claims. That compares to a national average of 68.2 percent. Furthermore, a 2008 Oregon ranking of nationwide workers compensation rates paid by employers found that Washington ranked in the lowest one-third of the nation, right next to Oregon’s ranking.

“To me that’s a working system, why would you switch to something that is for profit,” Kelliher said. “That’s certainly not going to look out for the best interest of the workers, or the corporations, it’s going to look out for the insurance companies like AIG.”

Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said he had serious concerns with the language of the current initiative, but agreed that there needed to be some kind of reform to the current workers comp system.

A recent report from the state auditor’s office reported that the system’s Accident Fund had a 74.4 percent chance of going insolvent within the next two years and that a 33 percent rate increase would be necessary to break even. That said, Kreidler said one major concern he had with Initiative 1082 is that it would give him little power to regulate private insurance companies’ rates, or ensure they paid up on claims due to workers.

“I wouldn’t have any authority to offer to be able to make sure that the business was getting an appropriate rate from the insurance company,” Kreidler said. “There’s no oversight. That’s an erosion that I see and an unfairness that’s built into the system.”

If the initiative passes, it would also do away with the worker contribution to worker’s compensation. Kreidler said that will result in an immediate 18 percent increase for small employers on top of whatever is required to keep the fund solvent. It would also cost the state $200 million, and local governments nearly $50 million over the next five years as a result.

Kwieciak said that is a worthwhile expense.

“The same small businesses that are going to be on the hook to pay this extra are happy to do it if they can get rid of the L&I strangle-hold on their businesses. They’ve made the calculations and they’ve decided that it’s worth it in the short term, so in the long term they would have a much more competitive, less expensive system,” he said.

Kay Johnson has been successfully growing her company since 1999. That is until 2008, when the economy turned and she, like many employers, has struggled to survive. Kay’s sales were off over 25 percent and she was cutting costs and hording cash. Her 14 dedicated employees have helped her grow her business from a local supplier to a regional provider of construction materials over the past eight years. She has been a client of the Center for Economic Vitality (CEV) during these challenging times and began looking for support on how to maintain sales, cut costs, manage cash flow and keep her employees. The CEV has helped many businesses with expense reduction strategies, cash flow management, and managing sales during these tight times. The CEV uses many tools and strategies to help businesses like Kay’s. One of these tools is Shared Work administered by Employment Security Department.

Kay had invested in recruiting and training a talented workforce. Despite the company’s reduction in sales and profits, Kay wanted to retain her workers as best she could. It was only two years ago, she was struggling to find qualified workers. However, she also knew she needed to cut costs including laying off staff for her company to survive. Kay was torn on what to do as many of her staff had become like family to her and they were one of the keys to her success. It wasn’t until the CEV introduced her to a program called Shared Work, did she find a workable alternative to layoffs.

Shared Work, a state program of Employment Security Department (ESD) since 1983, supports businesses with alternatives to laying off employees. Shared Work offers employers flexibility to retain staff at reduced hours without layoffs. An employer can reduce workers hours 10 to 50 percent and qualified workers can receive partial unemployment benefits to replace a portion of their lost wages. Eligible companies can be large corporations to small single-person operations. Participating employees must be full-time and paid hourly. They must be eligible for regular unemployment benefits and be able to work all hours offered by the business.

Fluctuations in business can now be managed with a new tool – Shared Work, which improves businesses’ chances of survival. Businesses apply to ESD for a one-year shared work plan. Companies can reapply for new plan after their plan expires for up to four years depending on the circumstances. In short, Shared Work allows employers to vary the amount of hours their workers work, even on a week-to-week basis, reduce their payroll costs and maintain their workers.

Kay’s company applied for Shared Work and qualified 12 of her employees. As she implemented the program with her employees, she communicated her commitment to keeping their team together and participating in the program was an alternative to laying off four to six employees. The employees embraced the program and supported Kay’s decision. The CEV supported Kay by helping her manage the fluctuations in her sales and production. Key performance indicators were developed that determined the staffing needs of the company on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. Work schedules were now driven by these key performance indicators instead of guess work or insufficient information. Profitability was restored after eight weeks on Shared Work and the company continues to weather very difficult times. Today, Kay’s company is still on Shared Work, but they are only reducing their hours 10 to 20 percent as sales and profits improve. The bottom line is that Shared Work combined with business advising has helped save Kay’s company and kept her talented workforce intact.

“There are well over 100 Whatcom County employers with nearly 1,200 employees participating in the Shared Work Program,” said C.J. Seitz, northwest area director for the Employment Security Department. “It has helped these businesses survive the recession and keep valued workers on the job.” If you are interested in finding out more about Shared Work, please call 800-752-2500 or visit www.esd.wa.gov/business.

To learn more about business advising services including implementing a Shared Work program, cash flow management and general problem solving in these challenging times, call the Center for Economic Vitality at Western Washington University at (360) 733-4014 or visit www.cevforbusiness.com.

For more than 24 years, the Center for Economic Vitality at Western Washington University’s College of Business and Economics has helped to shape the economic future of our region one business at a time. The CEV provides free, confidential counseling and technical assistance combined with business intelligence research services to business owners and managers throughout Whatcom County, as well as economic gardening services to all Small Business Development Centers and underserved Economic Development Councils throughout Washington State.

Earlier this year, Galen Emanuele, sales and marketing director at the Upfront Theatre, began to see a connection between the skills being taught in improv classes at the theater and skills for business success. So he started a workshop called BizProv.

Today, businesses all over northwest Washington know the name and are learning the skills that can help them to become better communicators, gain more confidence, and have the ability to leave their comfort zone.

Emanuele said the misconception about improv is that you will be put on the spot and made to perform, but that is not the case.

“It’s not about being interesting or funny or clever,” Emanuele said. “It’s about supporting the other person and saying ‘yes’ and accepting people’s offers and their ideas.”

The Mount Baker Kidney Center celebrated its 30th anniversary on July 14. The Kidney Center provides dedicated care to patients with kidney disease as a not-for-profit operation.

What was once just a four-station clinic in the basement of St. Joseph Hospital has seen a four-fold increase, and it is now a 26-station clinic operating as an independent facility. Nineteen of its 47 employees have served for 10 years or more.

”When the Kidney Center was started, it was the first step in bringing specialized kidney disease care to this area,” administrative director David Strutz said in a news release. “The fact that it has grown and flourished over the past 30 years is a credit to the center’s leadership and dedicated staff during that time.”

The Kidney Center provides more than 21,000 treatments a year at its facility and though its in-home dialysis service. It also provides service at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center.

”When patients are able to conduct these treatments at home, it’s a better quality of life experience,” Strutz said. “They’re more comfortable in their own home, and they can relax that much more. It’s a welcome advance from when the Kidney Center was first established back in 1980.”

In the coming months, the Kidney Center plans to launch a new website and conduct a September open house as part of an anniversary celebration at its 410 Birchwood Ave. facility.

The Ryan Stiles Celebrity Golf Classic and related events raised $130,000 for the Burned Children Recovery Foundation (BCRF).

Stiles, a renowned actor and improv comedian, lives in Bellingham and owns The Upfront Theatre comedy club in downtown Bellingham. Stiles participated in the golf tourney at the Bellingham Golf & Country Club, led a comedy performance at the Mount Baker Theatre and also spearheaded a celebrity gala and auction at the Silver Reef Hotel Casino and Spa in Ferndale.

“The overwhelming community support for this event was so gratifying,” tournament director Randi Axelsson said in a news release. “In addition to our partners and sponsors, many people donated their time, resources and products to make this such a huge success. That outpouring of support will help BCRF reach out to more young burn survivors and their families. Ryan is definitely looking forward to doing this again next year.”

The Everett-based Burned Children Recovery Foundation is a nonprofit organization committed to effectively supporting burn children survivors and their families during the rehabilitation process. BCRF runs Camp Phoenix on Samish Island for one week in August to provide recreation opportunities for young burn survivors. It also has distributed more than 103,000 recovery packets to burned children.

The Technology Alliance Group (TAG) will host its sixth annual TechStomp celebration and scholarship fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Squalicum Boathouse.

The event is a chance for local professionals in the tech sector to mingle and raise money for the TAG Scholarship Fund, which grants scholarships to students in technology fields attending colleges in Whatcom County.

Cyndie Shepard, wife of WWU’s President Bruce Shepard, will emcee the event. Eric Leonhart from the WWU Vehicle Research Institute will speak about the team’s experience in the recent X-Prize competition and will auction off a ride in the Viking 45.

Admission is $15 for members and $20 for nonmembers. Register online at www.tagnw.org.

The BP Cherry Point Refinery recently donated $25,000 to the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA) to support its Students for Salmon school education program.

With this financial contribution, NSEA will work with 1,500 local students on the restoration of 15 degraded stream sites in Bellingham and throughout Whatcom County.

“NSEA highly values the support provided from BP to provide materials for salmon recovery and stream restoration, and to educate local schoolchildren about the environment,” NSEA executive director Rachel Vasak said in a news release. “BP Cherry Point continues to demonstrate its commitment to conservation, education and to restoring the local environment.”

Funding will support NSEA’s effort to work with public and private school students from Bellingham and Whatcom County schools to provide technical expertise, leadership on field trips, and materials needed for stream restoration projects.

“BP is proud to support NSEA’s restoration efforts and salmon education programs.  Conserving the environments in which we operate is a fundamental part of our strategy to build a sustainable business. We take our responsibilities seriously and work in partnership to promote environmental stewardship worldwide,” BP spokesperson Michael Abendhoff said in a news release.

The Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association is a community–based nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring sustainable wild salmon runs in Whatcom County. For more information, visit www.n-sea.org.

At precisely 11 p.m. tonight, after the last flight of the day leaves, the Bellingham International Airport (BLI) will close in order to start a three-week runway repaving project.

The runway is scheduled to re-open at 5 a.m. Sept. 22. During the runway closure, the airport will continue to serve helicopters and the control tower will remain operational.

The $29 million project has been underway since April and will continue in various stages through November. But the next three weeks, Sept. 1 through Sept. 22, will be the most intense as around-the-clock construction crews will distribute 174,000 tons of asphalt — enough to pave six lanes of Interstate 5 for six miles.

This is the first major repair work done on the runway since it opened in 1941 and it will result in an improved runway and taxiway that include better drainage, stronger surfaces and the ability to serve larger aircraft. Upon completion of the project, the airport will be able to serve Boeing 757s.

This is the largest construction project in the port’s 90-year history. The Federal Aviation Administration is providing 95 percent of the funds, with the remaining portion coming from passenger use fees. Icon Materials of Tukwila is the general contractor for this project.

Some airport service will remain open during construction:

•    Airport parking lots will remain in operation and will continue to charge for parking services.

•    The commercial terminal will remain open throughout the runway closure. Car rental businesses and other airport vendors will be operating with reduced hours. Contact them directly for their hours.

•    Allegiant Air will be staffing its ticket counter from 10 a.m. to noon each day. Ticket counters for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air will be closed until the runway re-opens. All airlines can be reached on-line and by phone during the closure.

•    Private bus services Airporter Shuttle and Quick Shuttle will be operating, providing bus service between the BLI and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

It’s a tough time to start a business. Getting loans isn’t easy, which makes getting a storefront difficult and scary. So for many, the option to rent a booth to sell goods is appealing.

Up until a few weeks ago, Jordan Murari and Adam Scholtz did just that. For approximately two months, the two sold mostly video game-related electronics at O’Donnell’s Bellingham Flea Market in the Bellingham Public Market building at 1522 Cornwall Ave.

The venture proved successful. Murari said traffic to their section of the market was high and they had to move into bigger spaces every couple of weeks.

“That’s what really convinced us that we would be able to support a store,” Murari said.

And they did. Their new store, Jordan’s Electronics, is located at 655 Front St. Suite 4 in Lynden.

Flea market owner Dan O’Donnell said he originally got the itch to establish the market because he wanted to provide an inexpensive venue for residents to sell their wares without the commitment of a lease. This is especially important right now, he said, because people are hesitant to sign commercial leases due to fears about the economy.

Vendors can rent space at the market for $26 per booth per day without committing to more than one day at a time.

Sharon Taylor, who has been vending at the flea market since right around the time it opened, said the market allowed her to become her own boss. She started looking for work on March 31, when she had to leave her old position at an import company. After searching for a couple of months, Taylor still hadn’t found a job. At one point in her search, she stumbled upon an ad for the flea market and thought, “I can’t find a job, so I’m making one.”

Taylor said selling random items at an indoor flea market wasn’t something she had ever envisioned herself doing before leaving the import company. But when she was jobless and really started taking a look at all the stuff around her house, everything fell into place.

“I love it,” Taylor said about selling at the market. “I get to meet some really fabulous people. I have customers that will buy any trinket just to stop and say ‘Hello.’”

It’s not just the customers that make the flea market environment feel good. Taylor said the other vendors, along with O’Donnell and Dee Dee Swartz, the market manager, have become a sort of family for her.

“I’ve even adopted a couple of them,” Taylor said. “There’s one couple in particular that calls me mom and calls my husband dad.”

Taylor also likes the variety of goods at the flea market.

“You can’t just walk into a grocery store and find unique things,” Taylor said. “You can do that here.”

She sells everything from books and DVDs to apple ring boxes and antiques, some from England and Germany.

“Of course I have egg cups and you don’t see those everyday,” Taylor said, then explained that the cups are meant to hold hard boiled eggs while they are cracked for consumption.

Business is somewhat slow, but Taylor said it is picking up and that she expects it to grow further in the fall when the weather nudges people inside.

Swartz, market manager, said the number of vendors there is growing. O’Donnell’s grand opening was May 15, and approximately 20 vendors sold goods there for the first few of weekends. Now, between 30 and 50 show up every weekend, she said, and there’s room for more. About 72 booths can set up inside and 30 outside, and Swartz thinks those vacancy will decrease soon.

With the sunshine pulling people into the woods and onto the bay in the summertime, not to mention the farmers market, Swartz said there is a lot of competition this time of year. However, she expects vendors and customers will become more interested in the year-round, indoor venue once the sun becomes more scarce and the rain starts flowing.

In addition to providing an inexpensive space for vendors, Swartz said the flea market was also established to serve as a gathering place for residents. To draw customers and build community spirit,  the market’s doors have been opened to artists during the Downtown Art Walk and it has been the site of special events, such as a children’s weekend and car show. Swartz said they also want to have musicians there on a regular basis.

“The whole spirit of this thing is to pull the community together,” she said.

The market is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information visit bellinghamfleamarket.wordpress.com or call (360) 220-7157.

Attorney Dominique Zervas has launched Zervas Law, a new law firm located at 1909 Broadway St. in Bellingham.

Zervas focuses on land use and real estate law, and also offers services for environmental, municipal and corporate cases. After earning her law degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minn. in 2001, Zervas joined the local firm Langabeer & Tull in 2003.

She also serves on the City of Bellingham Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and the Board of LAW Advocates, which provides free legal services to low-income Whatcom County residents.

For more information, call Zervas Law at (360) 733-2010.

Kulshan Community Land Trust (CLT) is in the process of designing a 20-home affordable housing project on two acres in the Birchwood Neighborhood, similar to its Matthei Place project in Fairhaven, which was completed in 2008.

The first home, an energy-efficient, small-footprint house designed by Cascade Joinery, could break ground this fall, said Kulshan CLT director Dean Fearing.

Kulshan CLT has been slowly purchasing properties along Lafayette Street and West Indiana Street in anticipation of this development. The project gained momentum after the Bellingham City Council voted June 21 to vacate undeveloped portions of the two streets to promote the creation of more affordable housing.

“That street vacation was a big piece that allowed us to start working on more concrete plans,” Fearing said. “That also allows us to reach the density we’re hoping to get, which is around 10 homes per acre.”

Construction of the Indiana Lafayette Homes, as the project is being called, could take a few years, depending on funding, Fearing said. The nonprofit is planning to develop the homes in two phases, with about 10 homes in each phase.

So far, the group has chosen an architect and is meeting with stakeholders in the neighborhood to develop a master plan for the site, located on a bluff overlooking Squalicum Creek Park.

While many of the details still need to be worked out, the development will be similar to Matthei Place in that there will be single family homes, shared green space and clustered parking, Fearing said. It will also feel more spread out than Matthei Place, which has 14 homes on about one acre of land.

One of the goals with this development is to build energy-efficient homes that are also affordable.

“The trick, of course, is building homes that are affordable to our buyers, and anytime you add energy efficient pieces, it brings the cost up,” Fearing said.

The home that Cascade Joinery has designed should fit the bill, said Jim Hassi, marketing manager for Cascade Joinery. At about 1,200 square feet, the two-story home has a small footprint and extra insulation, thus reducing utility costs.

“It’s designed to be very green and very energy efficient,” Hassi said. “This is the first time we’ve designed something for a land trust, but we’ve got pretty extensive experience designing smaller, energy-efficient houses for other clients.”

On Aug. 24, a sparsely attended impromptu funeral was held at the intersection of Ohio and King streets. On that day, the former Diamond Jim’s Grill building, which has housed restaurants since the 1940s, was demolished as part of a city plan to improve safety in the area.

The demolition was anything but typical. Before bringing down the building, Ram Construction owner Mike Hammes and his crew went to the new Diamond Jim’s restaurant in the Fountain District for breakfast. Then the restaurant’s owner, Jim Green, went to their office of the day, his former restaurant site.

Green delivered the first crushing blow to the triangular building. Before crawling into the excavator, he said he wanted to help bring it down because he thought it might bring him a little closure.

“There are a lot of people around who are sad to see it go, including me,” Green said.

Green wasn’t the only former building tenant to bid the building adieu. Ed and Betty Brown also stopped by to say their farewells. Ernie Brown, Ed’s father co-owned a cafe in the building in the 1960s. Betty worked in the cafe at one point and Ed helped build benches in it.

Betty said it’s ironic to see the building torn down to make room for traffic improvements considering how sparse traffic was in the area when the Browns owned it. Their main customers at that time were mechanics and loggers and the streets were empty enough then for loggers to park their large logging trucks along the sides of all the streets, Betty said.

While they were reminiscing about the building and how it housed their restaurant and a barbershop when they were there, Hammes invited Ed to deliver the second round of knockout punches to the building. After some trial and error, Ed’s tongue poked out the side of his mouth and his eyes homed in on the building. As he dug into the roof with the clawed arm of the excavator he began to smile.

At the same time, Betty stood nearby watching without a smile. As Ed was climbing out, she even began to appear worried.

“Now don’t fall off of there,” she said to herself as she watched.

As Ed walked back toward Betty, he looked up to the sky.

“Sorry, Dad,” he said. “It had to be torn down. I may as well have been in on it. It brings back a lot of memories.”

Green also has memories in the building. He had been in there for 13 years and the new space doesn’t have the same feel, he said.

“A lot of people really loved it for its funk factor and coziness,” Green said, and his new space is much bigger.

As much as he would like to have his old spot back, Green said he understands that the building needed to come down. He worked with the city to find his new location. Still, he said it was hard to see it go.

The intersection has been listed as a high-accident location since 1998, according to a city of Bellingham press release. Currently, the King Street leg of the intersection is controlled only with a stop sign and turning conflicts result in a high number of accidents.

The project will eliminate left turns from King Street to the Interstate 5 ramp, the intersection at Ohio-James Street will receive a signal, and a westbound right-turn lane will be added on State Street from Ohio Street along with the new signal. The intersection at Ohio and State streets will also be reconfigured to improve eastbound left-turn movement and give truck traffic to access I-5.

American Screening Company, Nimo Inc., 1321 King St. #1, Bellingham, WA 98229

Ann M Scherr Piano Studio, Ann M. Scherr, 2208 Old Lakeway Drive, Bellingham, WA 98229

ASC Information, ASC Information Inc., 1321 King St. #1, Bellingham, WA 98229

Baywood Cabinet, Baywood Cabinet Inc., 18519 E. Valley Highway, Kent, WA 98032

The Bean Stop 2, Sixtwentyone LLC, 1657 Birchwood Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225

Brad S Lancaster, Brad S. Lancaster, 813 N. 9th Ave., Tucson, AZ 85705

Campbell & Company, M Campbell & Company Inc., 2828 W. Irving St., Pasco, WA 99301

Concept Staging & Design, Anne E. Carmichael, 4000 Northwest Ave. #202, Bellingham, WA 98226

Day by Day Calendar, Borders Inc., 1 Bellis Fair Parkway, Bellingham, WA 98226

Everlasting Income, Christopher L. Hahn, 1615 Birchwood Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225

Holistic Interludes, Irina V. Zieche, 127 W. Kellogg Road, Bellingham, WA 98226

Ideashare CFS, Timothy S. Reid, 2105 34th St., Bellingham, WA 98229

Ilse’s Schnitzelhaus, Ilse H. Bublitz, 1106 Sudden Valley, Bellingham, WA 98229

Kravings Essentials, Jerry P. Romero,  1615 Birchwood Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225

Leftside Productions, Kyle C. Kinder, 2939 Mount Baker Highway, Bellingham, WA 98226

MCS US, MCS US Corporation, 79 Monroe St.,  Amesbury, MA 01913

Medissis, Surgical Instrument Services, 2747 S.W. 6th St., Redmond, OR 97756

Miche-Me.com, Robyn A. Emery, 1820 Valencia St., Bellingham, WA 98229

Moon Electric Company, Moon Electric Company,  17804 Simon Road, Snohomish, WA 98290

Nerd Girl Tech Support, Priscilla J. George, 3110 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

North Pacific Catering, Carin L. McCracken, 1101 N. State St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Northwest Edison, Industrial Light & Energy Inc., 21106 86th Ave. S.E. #B, Snohomish, WA 98296N N W Handspun

N W Handspun Yarns, N W Handspun Yarns LLC, 1401 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Off the Grid Power, Off the Grid Power LLC, 1500 I St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Paramount Scaffold, Paramount Scaffold Inc., 35000 Pacific Highway S., Federal Way, WA 98003

Paul Schissler Associates, Paul Schissler Associates Inc., 714 Wilson Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225

Perm Med Solutions, Susan M. Hempler, 3015 Alpine Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226

A Personal Touch, Patricia M. Guarino, 910 Harris Ave. #104, Bellingham, WA 98225

Piano Music Experience, Jessica L. Hensey, 1209 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225

P R Systems Inc., P R Systems Inc., 8351 30th Ave. N.E., Lacey, WA 98516

Retirement Solutions of Washington, Steven E. Blackwell, 3910 Keystone Way, Bellingham, WA 98226

Senior Massage, Vicki L. Grabicki, 216 Sea Pines Road, Bellingham, WA 98229

Spa Therapy, J & J Comfort Zone Inc., 1 Bellis Fair Parkway #113, Bellingham, WA 98226

SuperPawn, Cash America Inc. of Nevada, 4006 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98226

Talyst, Talyst Inc., 11000 N.E. 8th St. #600, Bellevue, WA 98004

Taylor Associates, Taylor Associates Inc., 7104 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103

Technical Marine Service, Technical Marine Service Inc.,  6040 N. Cutter Circle #302, Portland, OR 97217

Tree Guys, Tree Guys Inc., 2409 Lynn St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Vicki Kammerer, Vicki Kammerer, 1113 Alabama St., Bellingham, WA 98226

The federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released its preliminary statistics for 2009, reporting that work-related deaths declined in Washington last year to numbers not seen since 2000.

The BLS, which produces an annual Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, reported 75 deaths in the state, down from 83 reported in 2008. Over the past decade, an average of 86 people per year have died in Washington from work-related injuries, according to the federal census, placing last year’s toll well below the average.

“We know much of this decline is likely due to fewer people working during this economic recession,” Labor & Industries Director Judy Schurke said. “But many industries have also worked hard to improve workplace safety and L&I has continued to increase its efforts in providing safety and health information to employers.”

Efforts include workshops throughout the state, free safety and health consultations and improving outreach among Spanish-speaking workers.

Workplace deaths in the construction industry, which is typically among the most hazardous professions in the state, had the most dramatic decline, with 9 fatalities in 2009, compared to 20 the year before. Construction is also an area that has been hit hard by the recession.

While deaths due to workplace violence nationally saw a slight decline, in Washington, the numbers climbed with 14 on-the-job homicides in 2009. Several of those deaths involved the fatal shootings of law enforcement officers.

Cascade Dafo, a Ferndale-based orthotic brace manufacturer, is looking for a new CEO.

Bill Weymer, who has been the CEO for the past six years, announced that he will be leaving at the end of September to take the CEO position at Town & Country Markets, which operates six grocery stores in the greater Seattle area.

“Cascade Dafo is a wonderful company with an incredible mission, and this departure is not an easy one for me,” Weymer said in a press release. “This company helps improve the lives of children with mobility challenges all over the world, every single day. I am truly honored to have worked with so many great individuals during my time here.”

Cascade Dafo has manufactured plastic orthotic braces, primarily for pediatric patients, for nearly 30 years. The company is known for its innovative brace design: a thin, flexible structure with wraparound support called the Dynamic Ankle Foot Orthoses, or DAFO, which allows greater freedom of movement for patients.

Town & Country Markets will be familiar territory for Weymer when he starts in October. He previously spent more than 30 years in the grocery industry, most recently a senior executive with Brown and Cole stores, prior to joining Cascade Dafo.

After graduating from Michigan State University with a degree in food marketing, Weymer began his career with Associated Grocers where he served supermarkets in the Northwest.

American Screening Company (ASC), a new background check business, opened Aug. 16 at 1321 King St. Suite 1.

The company offers pre-employment background checks, tenant screening and drug testing. ASC also offers unlimited background checks for 14 days for a flat fee, which allows people to apply for jobs or apartments without having to pay for a background check each time, said Andrew Price, who owns the business with Jay Chanan.

“We’re trying to reform the market price of background checks so that people have a better chance of getting employment or finding a place to live,” Price said.

For more information, call ASC at (360) 200-6007 or visit www.ascwash.com.

The Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden concluded its centennial celebration Saturday, Aug. 21 by drawing 41,725 visitors, the highest daily attendance of the six-day fair.

The fair ended with a total attendance of 216,507, about 1 percent higher than last year. The carnival and food concessions reported similar increases, fair manager Jim Baron said. He added that the fair’s commercial exhibitors were very happy with their results.

“We’re pleased that our centennial fair went so well,” Baron said in a press release. “Anytime our attendance goes over 200,000 is great, a credit to our staff, exhibitors, volunteers and the board of directors, all who contribute to our success.”

The daily attendance totals were: Aug. 16: 30,450; Aug. 17: 29,017; Aug. 18: 37,240; Aug. 19: 38,629; Aug. 20: 39,426; Aug. 21: 41,725.

Scratch and Peck
Owner: Diana Ambauen-Meade
Start date: Aug. 23
Square feet: 4,800
Address: 3883 Hammer Drive
Phone: 318-7585
www.scratchandpeck.com

Diana Ambauen-Meade raised chickens in her backyard long before the phrase “urban farmer” came about. But she balked at feeding her flock the regular pellet food she found in stores.

So she started making her own chicken feed by mixing various whole grains to create the right blend for her hens.

“It was always something I did for my own chickens,” she said. “I’ve never bought feed for my chickens.”

Now that urban farming is becoming more common, she sees a market waiting to take flight. So she started Scratch and Peck to make organic feed for chickens, turkeys, goats and any other backyard farm animal.

Ambauen-Meade is no stranger to the business world. She previously ran a used book store in California, and was a mortgage broker during the boom years. Then she decided she wanted to do something that was more in line with her values. Word of her whole grain chicken feed had spread and she found herself making large batches for friends.

“I started meeting more people with chickens and they asked if I could make some chicken feed for them too,” Ambauen-Meade said. “For my first ton, I borrowed my neighbor’s cement mixer. It wasn’t easy, but it worked.”

When she first started the business in June 2009 she worked with a mill in Oregon to produce the precise mixture of whole grain chicken feed. Through posts on Craigslist and word of mouth, sales quickly rose to more than 5 tons a month in direct sales to customers from Bellingham to Olympia.

But Ambauen-Meade wasn’t satisfied with the business model. There was too much transportation involved and she wanted to get her ingredients from local sources. So she decided the best option was to build her own mill.

She found the right space in Irongate back in April and has spent the past few months installing a refurbished grain hopper, elevator, mixer and hammer mill. The facility is a huge step up from the cement mixer Ambauen-Meade used for that first batch.

“There are no little amounts around here — everything comes in one-ton bags,” she said. “Most of our blends will run in a 2-ton batch and we’ll sell them in 25-pound, 40-pound and 50-pound bags. Our challenge will be having enough storage space for all our grain.”

Scratch and Peck chicken feed will be for sale at the mill and also at Portal Way Farm & Garden, Lynden Farm & Garden, Kelly Ridge Farm & Garden and Hohl’s Feed & Seed. When combined with existing demand, Ambauen-Meade expects production to reach 50 tons per month by the end of the year.

Though the mill isn’t certified organic yet (that process can take up to four months) all of the ingredients come from certified organic farms, Ambauen-Meade said. And all of the wheat, triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye) and barley are from local farms.

With local and organic ingredients, Ambauen-Meade knows her product isn’t the cheapest on the market, but she is targeting the growing number of urban farmers who are concerned about what goes into the food they eat.

“You are what your animals eat,” she said. “My feed isn’t going to be the cheapest out there, but I feel good about the product and the way it’s produced.”

The best part about making chicken feed, Ambauen-Meade said, is getting to meet other people who raise chickens.

“People who raised chickens are just really neat people,” she said.

The following recent building permit activity includes permits for commercial projects valued at $10,000 or more, and residential projects valued at $250,000 or more.

Accepted

2612W. Maplewood Ave., $25,000 for tenant improvement: bakery, retail grocery and food service within existing building; install new grease trap in parking lot. Owner: Ernesto and Petra Apreza. Applicant: Manuel Rosas.

4260 Cordata Parkway Suite 105, $40,000 for tenant improvement: new restaurant in shell space. Owner: Whatcom Plaza LLC. Applicant: Ji Lee.

3031 Orleans St. Suite 101, $45,000 for tenant improvement: new mental health counseling offices. Owner and applicant: Matthew S. Yeh.

2930 Newmarket St. Suite 117, $20,000 for tenant improvement: convert existing retail space into hair salon. Owner: BVR LLC. Applicant: Dave Scoboria.

3230 Meridian St., $40,000 to create three new classrooms within existing child care center. Owner: Mike & Bob Properties. Applicant: Fuller Building Design. Contractor: Pioneer Construction Company.

1313 Bay St., $87,000 for renovation of second floor break room and addition of two restrooms to serve offices on seventh floor. Owner: Bay Building LLC. Applicant: Marcus Johnson.

115 Unity St. Suite 301, $205,000 for tenant improvement: reconfigure third floor of three-story building to accommodate new office use. Owner: Dreamboat Harbor LLC. Applicant and contractor: Adolfo Florindo, Faber Brothers Construction.

905 Squalicum Way Suite 101, $785,400 for tenant improvement: finish shell space in commercial building: Dermatology & Laser Center. Owner: Squalicum Lofts. Applicant: RMC Architects.

700 Bayside Road, $538,938 for new single family residence with attached garage. Owner: James and Suhyun Kim. Applicant: JWR Design.

616 Briar Road, $300,000 to remodel single family residence and increase size of unroofed deck. Owner: Dana and Barbara Stiner. Applicant: Skillman Construction Co.

Issued

1720 Ellis St. Suite 210, $20,000 to demolish nonbearing walls, reconfigure second floor suite with prefab partitions. Owner: Oak Trek.

AIC Western Washington University, $40,000 for commercial alteration: install new access control doors and non-load-bearing partitions on second and fourth floors of east wing. Owner: Western Washington University.

119 N. Commercial St. Suite 196, $12,000 to reduce size of one existing tenant space to create new shell tenant space: no known tenant at this time. Owner: Bellingham Towers LLC.

477 W. Horton Road, $43,781 for new commercial storage/fill building for medical oxygen bottles. Owner: Kenneth P. and Denise Schims. Contractor: Franklin Corp.

905 Squalicum Way Suite 101, $25,492 for foundation for elevator and internal support footings: Dermatology & Laser Center. Owner: Squalicum Lofts. Applicant: Wellman & Zuck.

223 E. Bakerview Road, $250,000 to remodel 14 existing assisted-living units in retirement center to 11 memory-care units with controlled access: Spring Creek Retirement. Owner: MWSH Bellingham LLC. Contractor: Mountain West Construction.

21 Bellwether Way Suite 112, $17,000 to install seven awnings and one wall sign: Giuseppe’s Al-Porto Ristorante Italiano. Owner: Port of Bellingham. Contractor: Signs Plus Inc.

425 Sequoia Drive Suite 114, $34,060 for tenant improvement: remove nonbearing partition walls to create open office space and break room: Terra Power System. Owner: S&S Sequoia LLC. Contractor: Pacific Construction.

19 Bellwether Way, $50,000 for foundation only for future three-story mixed-use building. Owner: Port of Bellingham. Contractor: Ebenal General Inc.

1100 N. State St., $60,000 to remodel and enlarge four windows, paint, side and flash exterior of building. Owner: Industrial Credit Union. Applicant: Pearson Construction.

2901 Squalicum Parkway, first floor, $118,000 for tenant improvement: reconstruction of existing area in hospital for infusion clinic. Owner: Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace-Health Hospital Services. Applicant: Ankrom Moisan Architects. Contractor: Andersen Construction.

4260 Cordata Parkway Suite 105, $40,000 for tenant improvement: new restaurant in shell space. Contractor: Whatcom Plaza LLC. Contractor: Weeks Custom Carpentry.

2930 Newmarket St. Suite 117, $20,000 for tenant improvement: convert existing retail space into hair salon: Cuts Plus. Owner: BVR LLC. Applicant and contractor: Dave Scoboria., Scoboria Construction.

1615 Iowa St., $18,000 for six signs: Rairdon’s Chrysler-Dodge. Owner: Gas 1615 LLC. Contractor: The Sign Post Inc.

Logos Bible Software was recently listed on the Puget Sound Business Journal 2010 list of Washington’s Best Workplaces.

The listing is based on employee satisfaction surveys and Logos is among the top 20 large businesses with 151 to 500 employees. Companies are nominated for the list by business journal readers and employees are then surveyed about the work environment.

According to the list, salaried employees at Logos make and average of $62,400 a year and non-salaried employees make an average of $30,800. The company pays 90 percent of health insurance premiums and offers a 401(K).

“It’s the employees who make it a great work place and we’re still looking for more great people,” said Logos founder and CEO Bob Pritchett.

Logos is in the process of crafting a new workplace in the the iconic Flatiron Building at 1313 Bay St., which is empty now that CH2M HILL has moved its offices down to Bellwether Gate.

Pritchett bought the triangular, seven-story building in April and is planning to move the company there in November. The company will occupy much of the building and is planning to create two retail spaces on the ground floor that will be rented out. Pritchett said he has received some interest from potential tenants, but nothing is firm yet.

As part of the renovations, the company has filed for a permit to build a $105,000 gym in the basement, complete with fitness equipment and showers. It is also planning an $87,000 renovation of the break room on the second floor.

Washington’s private sector picked up 3,100 jobs in July, while the Bellingham economic area’s private sector remained flat compared with June.

Meanwhile, unemployment numbers show little movement. The unemployment rate locally decreased from 7.9 percent in June to 7.8 percent in July. The state unemployment rate fell from 9 percent in June to 8.9 percent.

The big news for the Bellingham area is the drop in government sector jobs, said Reinhold Groepler, a regional economist with the state Employment Security Department.

“Government decreased by 2,600 jobs from June to July [locally],”  Reinhold said.

That loss of mostly state and local government jobs accounts for almost all of the decline in employment in the area, he said, but its not all that unusual compared with the same time period in years past.

The loss of government jobs has been slightly tempered by gains in the private sector. So far in 2010, the local area has seen an increase of 2,200 private sector jobs, which is an improvement from 2009, when 100 jobs were lost in the same time period, Groepler said.

“There’s a modest expansion in the private sector going on, but it’s being offset by the decline in government jobs,” Groepler said.

Again, total state numbers show a similar story. Since the beginning of 2010, Washington has added 21,100 private-sector jobs. But when government jobs are factored in, the total net gain during the past seven months drops to 19,800 jobs.

In the Bellingham area this year, the sectors that have seen the most job gains are goods producing industries such as construction and manufacturing, up 600 jobs, and leisure and hospitality, which is up 400 jobs. Government has seen the most losses locally, similar to the statewide trend.

“The big question is where do we go from here, and my crystal ball is a little cloudy on that,” Groepler said.

Since Nelson’s Market began operating in 1895, the York Neighborhood gem has been surrounded by and experienced a lot of change. The meat market across the street closed down, Lakeway Drive has become a hub of commercial activity, and more than two years ago, market owner Jon Ostby decided to use half the space to serve breakfast and opened Marlin’s Cafe.

The family-owned market located at 514 Potter Street will likely undergo another change soon. Earlier this month, Jon applied to sell beer and wine in the cafe, which is managed by his son Paul.

No, the Ostbys are not adding beer and wine to the breakfast menu. Jon, who has owned the market for 25 years, said the decision is part of a larger internal expansion he and his son Paul are planning. They intend to keep the cafe open later and start serving lunch and dinner.

The idea isn’t just supported by the Otsbys, Jon said. Neighbors have requested the expansion.

“It’s part of the evolution of this corner,” Otsby said. “It’s an attempt to come up with the right service for the community so we can make a living at the same time.”

Jon said the menu and hour expansion will definitely happen at some point in the future, but doesn’t have a time frame established yet. In fact, the liquor license has yet to be approved.

For now, Marlin’s Cafe will be open Wednesday to Sunday from 7 a.m. to 1 or 2 p.m., depending on demand. Once the expansion occurs, Jon said, the plan is to keep the cafe open until 10 p.m. Nelson’s Market is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

For more information, call Nelson’s Market at (360) 734-2448.

Moving is never easy, especially for a business. But the process was fairly smooth for Sportsman Chalet, which moved at the beginning of August to 2420 James St., next to Trader Joe’s.

“It was quite an adventure and it was a lot of hard work,” owner Noel Lemke said. “And we still have a lot of work to do.”

The 8,000-square-foot space has brightly colored walls and many of the same displays customers will recognize from the old store. Though this space is smaller than the downtown location, which was around 13,500 square feet, because of the high ceilings it doesn’t feel smaller.

“I like the fact that everything is on one floor,” Lemke said. “At our old location we were spread out over three floors. I can’t tell you how many people came in regularly for 10 to 12 years and didn’t know we had a downstairs. People come in here and they can see everything.”

In the few weeks the store has been in its new location, Lemke said he has already seen more Canadian customers than before. Locals are also saying that the store feels like it is closer and more accessible.

“I’m trying to figure out how so many people can live so close. Everybody is saying ‘We live close to here,’” he said.

Sportsman Chalet will have a grand opening sale Sept. 1-6, which coincides with an event the shop traditionally has, the Labor Day weekend ski sale. For more information, call (360) 671-1044 or visit www.sportsmanchalet.com.

The Port of Bellingham on Tuesday approved a lease for Chinook Enterprises to take over the former Current Industries facility at 3720 Williamson Way, a move that could put workers with developmental disabilities back to work.

Chinook Enterprises, a nonprofit that has been operating in Skagit County for 30 years and has placed more than 750 people with disabilities in jobs, is planning to pick up where Current Industries left off when it went bankrupt last year.

Since then, the port, county and local businesses that provided projects to Current Industries — including Wood Stone Corporation, Alpha Technologies and Blue Sea Systems —have been working to secure a new sheltered workplace for approximately 40 employes who lost their jobs.

“We all were concerned about those employees when Current Industries closed,” said Commission President Jim Jorgensen in a press release. “We know they can face real barriers in the workplace and we wanted to do what we could to help them find new opportunities.”

Whatcom County owns the 7,000-square-foot building and the Port of Bellingham owns the land. The county agreed to invest about $150,000 in building improvements and repairs on behalf of Chinook Enterprises.

“I am pleased the county is able to partner with the port and Chinook Enterprises to provide jobs to the many people seeking employment in our community,” County Executive Pete Kremen said.

Rob Martin, executive director of Chinook Enterprises, said his organization plans to begin operations as soon as the building is ready this fall.

For more information, call Chinook Industries at (360) 428-0140 or visit www.chinookenterprises.org

After a decade of planning and fundraising by Whatcom Hospice Foundation (WHF), the region’s first hospice house is set to open in mid-September.

Community members can visit the new 12-bed Whatcom Hospice House before it opens during a community open house from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21 at 2806 Douglas Ave. in Bellingham.

The open house will include self-guided tours, with information provided about hospice care and Whatcom Hospice House, as well as a labyrinth vigil and walk hosted by Laughing Flower Labyrinth and Landscape Company. Parking at the site is limited and carpooling is recommended.

The new Whatcom Hospice House is an extension of the Whatcom Hospice program, which has cared for patients in their homes or other community settings since the 1980s, and will be a service of PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center.

Each year, more than 200 people are admitted to PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center for end-of-life care, and those patients will have a more comfortable and family-centered option for hospice care when the new facility opens on Sept. 16.

The nearly $6 million project was made possible through support of Whatcom Hospice Foundation donors, construction community partners and the WHF Board of Directors.

At a time when a record number of people are relying on unemployment benefits, the state’s unemployment insurance program is celebrating a milestone of 75 years.

The state of Washington has paid out $28 billion in unemployment benefits to more than 11 million workers since the system was created in 1935.

On Aug. 14 of that year, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Social Security Act, which also created the unemployment insurance program. The purpose of unemployment insurance, Roosevelt said, is to “give some measure of protection to the average citizen and his family against the loss of a job” and to “lessen the impact of future depressions.”

Washington was one of five states – including New York, California, Massachusetts and Utah – to pass legislation in 1935 in anticipation of the Social Security Act. But it wasn’t until 1938 that Washington began collecting unemployment insurance taxes from employers.

“For 75 years, unemployment insurance has helped Americans weather the cyclical nature of our economy,” Employment Security Commissioner Karen Lee said in a press release. “From the Great Depression to the Great Recession and all of the economic downturns in between, unemployment benefits have been a lifeline for jobless workers and their families.”

More than $6 million in benefits were paid to jobless workers in Washington in 1939, the first year benefits were paid to claimants. The average weekly benefit check was less than $12, and the maximum benefit check was about $15.
Nearly 250,000 Washington workers were covered by the insurance program in its first year, compared to nearly 2.8 million today.

Last year, more than 470,000 people collected $4 billion in benefits in Washington, compared to nearly 78,000 claimants in 1940 (claimant numbers for 1939 are not available). The average benefit check is now about $380, and the maximum for 2010 claims is $570.

Brian Parberry was born into recycling. In 1923, his grandfather, Louis H. Parberry, Sr. opened Parberry Iron & Metal, which eventually became Northwest Recycling. Brian’s father later took over the business.

“It’s in my blood,” said Brian, who got involved with the family business in 1978.

After Brian’s father passed away, he sold his portion of the business, but his interest in the recycling industry didn’t end there. He and his wife, Lisa, recently got a scrap processing license and established their own scrap metal recycling business, Scrap-It, under the company name Parberry Environment Solutions, Inc. The business will operate in conjunction with the company’s storage business, Stow-It, at 1526 Slater Road in Ferndale.

Lisa said Brian has a strong affinity for scrapped goods. He sees a use for just about everything.

“He’s a scrap hoarder,” she said.

It all boils down to his parents influence, Brian said, and they grew up during the Great Depression.

At this point, though, the business’s scrap metal warehouse wouldn’t reveal Brian as a scrap hoarder. A few crushed vehicles and other bits and pieces adorn the 30,000-square-foot, 40-foot-tall warehouse. That is likely to change soon. The Parberrys don’t plan to open until Sept. 1, but they already have customers and are taking scrap.

The price customers get for their vehicles varies depending on the market for scrap metal at the time, the number of vehicles customers bring in each month and the weight of vehicles. At the moment, an average car would get customers between $100 and $200, Brian said.

But the vehicles currently in the warehouse don’t look average. With grass spewing from their rusted 1950’s-style bodies, they look old. Brian said they were probably sitting outside for a long time before someone decided to part with them. The business will take old cars and average cars and any kind of motor vehicle, including busses, Brian said, and because of the size of the facility, they have the capacity to take in hundreds of vehicles per week.

Brian said they chose the Slater Road location because the area is a hub for recycling and garbage. In fact, the structures, which are being leased from Recomp of Washington, are already permitted for recycling because they used to be recycling facilities.

Brian also likes his proximity to Interstate 5 and that the building is tall enough to house all the vehicles, which is key. Vehicles should be crushed and stored indoors so their dripping fluids don’t cause environmental damage, he said.

So, after vehicles are brought in and weighed, they are taken inside where they are drained of all fluids, then crushed and stored until they are sent off.

Scrap-It will pick up vehicles upon request, but customers also have the option to drop them off, or choose from Scrap-It’s list of preferred haulers.

Scrap-It doesn’t limit its intake to vehicles however. Among other things, appliances, batteries and electronics can be recycled there, too. The business also offers a mobile clean-up service. For a fee, it provides customers with scrap bins and will pick the bins up and empty them out.

Stow-It, the other half of the company, has another kind of bin for rent. For between $50 and $125 per month, customers can rent shipping containers that will be delivered to them and can be stored outside their homes and businesses. Brian said this method of storage can be ideal for remodels. Stow-It also offers container storage space at its Slater Road location.

For more information on the businesses, call (360) 734-1112 or visit www.scrapitwa.com/index.htm.

The Innovation Resource Center (IRC) recently completed the first phase of a feasibility study that shows investment in renewable resource technologies will foster job creation in the engineering and manufacturing industries in Whatcom County.

The IRC had planned to build a business accelerator for entrepreneurial engineering and manufacturing companies, and conducted the study to determine how to best bolster jobs in those industries. The study showed that investing in renewable resource technology would do just that, said Diane Kamionka, strategic adviser for the center.

“It is such a huge emerging industry,”  Kamionka said.

State Rep. Jeff Morris, who represents the 40th district and is the co-founder of the Northwest Energy Angel Group, said in a press release that he believe the IRC’s renewable resource technologies accelerator creates the right path to job creation.

“It is essential for our area’s economy to engage in this evolving industry,” Morris said. “One in four jobs is anticipated to be involved with renewable energy in the next two decades.”

Not only is the accelerator expected to create jobs, Kamionka said, it’s an industry that sits well with the intents and passions of people and organizations in the county, including educational institutions, which are already producing graduates with focuses in those industries.

“There is quite a synergy with the programs coming out of Western and the technical college,” Kamionka said.

The accelerator will receive support from business and educational partnership programs. Local educational institutions will be able to broaden their renewable energy and workforce training programs and entrepreneurs will provide internship opportunities for students.

“The opportunity for education and business to partner with innovative start-ups through the Renewable Resource Technologies Accelerator reflects the increasing trend to focus on clean technologies. This effort will provide a means for our area to participate in this primary emerging industry,” said Dr. Arlan Norman, dean of the College of Sciences and Technology at Western Washington University, in a press release.

The business partnership program will serve as the connection to public and private markets. Private businesses will provide entrepreneurs with guidance, assistance with new initiatives, testing options for commercialization and potential funding and assistance with sales and distribution.

“The collaborative efforts of corporations to scale innovation and start-ups to provide sources of innovation provides the genesis for new products and services in the clean tech industry,” Rob Janicki, business partnership program member and CEO of Janicki Energy, said in a press release.

The IRC, which was established by the Northwest Economic Council to connect innovative start-up businesses to resources that will help them thrive in Whatcom County, is now in the process of completing the second phase of its feasibility study. Results from that phase will determine the logistics for the building that will house the start-up businesses. That part of the study should be completed sometime in September, Kamionka said.

The business accelerator will help entrepreneurial companies with products and services focused on the production, transmission, storage and management of renewable energy and sustainable water usage. The IRC is hoping to reduce the time it takes for companies to become self-sustaining by providing them with support services and guidance.

For more information, visit the Northwest Economic Council’s website.

Barlean’s Fishery, Barlean’s Fishery Inc., 4936 Lake Terrell Road, Ferndale, WA 98248

Bellingham Bay Cleaning Services, Tina L. Marshall, 2027 Erie St., Bellingham, WA 98229

Brinderson Constructors, Brinderson Constructors Inc., 905 Squalicum Parkway #105, Bellingham, WA 98225

Brinderson LP, 905 Squalicum Parkway #105, Bellingham, WA 98225

D J Nails, David T Le, 4120 Meridian St. #130, Bellingham, WA 98226

Ferrari Financial Services, Ferrari Financial Services Inc., 250 Sylvan Ave., Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632

Full Feather Costumes, Full Feather LLC, 1799 Sleepy Hollow Lane, Bellingham, WA 98226

Full Throttle Gypsy, Rachel L. Nardi, 3907 Flynn St. #104, Bellingham, WA 98226

G & L Dari Distributors, Thomas G. De Forrest, 3948 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham, WA 98229

Halloween City, Gags & Games Inc., 114 W. Holly St., Bellingham, WA 98225

The International Au Pair Exchange, Member Synergy LLC, 119 N. Commercial St #820, Bellingham, WA 98225

Pilkington North America, Pilkington North America Inc., 811 Madison Ave., Toledo, OH 43624

Redline Acoustics, Michael J. Swedelius, 5231 Graveline Road, Bellingham, WA 98226

Skagit Builders, Skagit Builders Inc., 21307 Sherman Lane, Mount Vernon, WA 98273

Verathon, Verathon Inc., 20001 North Creek Parkway, Bothell, WA 98011

In school we were taught not to copy other people’s homework — that’s cheating. In the working world, copying other people’s work and claiming it as your own is still cheating, but with a longer name: copyright infringement.

Any written material, photograph, map or musical piece that a company creates is considered copyrighted material, meaning that company owns the rights to that piece of work. For many businesses, protecting that material is a vital part of staying competitive in a growing global marketplace.

So when Charlotte Wells, marketing manager for Ferndale-based rope manufacturer Samson, found that a competitor in Singapore was using educational material Samson produced, she was a bit flustered.

“It was word-for-word our creative work and our pictures of our products,” Wells said, referring to sections of the competitor’s catalog.

Samson spends a lot of time and energy creating materials to inform customers about proper rope-handling skills and rope inspections, Wells said. This level of customer service is part of what the company calls the “Samson Advantage” and the company prides itself in having some of the best training and expertise in the industry.

Having a competitor use Samson’s educational material in a catalog “implies that they came up with this on their own,” Wells said.

So Samson contacted the offending company and sent them a cease and desist letter ordering them to stop using Samson’s copyrighted material. The two parties were able to settle the dispute without going to court, but the issue has led Samson to reevaluate its strategy of dealing with copyright infringement.

“What we’re looking into now is taking a more proactive approach to protecting our copyright,” Wells said. “We have always put a copyright statement on our material, but we haven’t filed a copyright registration with the Library of Congress.”

The company deals with one to two cases of copyright infringement each year, Wells said. Most cases are unintentional and involve distributors more than competitors — but it’s still copyright infringement.

“It’s becoming more rampant, especially as we become more international,” she said.

Copyright vs. trademark

Not all intellectual property is the same, nor are they given the same rights. Copyright applies to original works of authorship and applies to material that is published, such as brochures or films.

“It’s any kind of expression that you can embody in tangible form,” said Mike Schacht, a Bellingham-based intellectual property attorney.

A trademark is more specific: It is the symbol or combination of words and images used to distinguish a business or entity from others. Trademarks embody the reputation of a company and also give consumers an assurance of quality.

“Coca-Cola is a trademark. The shape of a coke bottle is trademarked,” Schacht said. “The common thing among all these expressions of trademarks is that whatever it is embodies the goodwill of the company. Not only does it protect the company, but it also protects the public.”

Here in the United States, the first trademarks were registered in 1870, though few are still in use. Not so coincidentally, the oldest active trademark in the country belongs to Samson. The logo of a man opening the mouth of a lion, much like the biblical strongman Samson, has been used by the company since 1884.

“A trademark can last forever as long as you continue to renew it every 10 years,” Schacht said. “You develop trademark rights based on use in commerce. As long as you continue using it, it will go on forever, whereas copyright will eventually expire.”

Though you can obtain trademark rights by simply using a logo on your product, it is always wise to do your research to make sure no other company is using a similar logo and then register the trademark with the federal patent and trademark office, Schacht said.

Basically, the easiest way to avoid infringement issues is to be original with your work from the beginning.

“With trademarks, do the due diligence to make sure the mark is clean. Nobody likes to change their trademark once they’ve started using it,” Schacht said. “A clean trademark provides two things: You are less likely to infringe on another trademark, and it allows you to enforce your trademark rights against someone trying to use your trademark.”

For copyrighted material, copyright protection is automatic. Any published material inherently has legal rights and you don’t have to put the copyright symbol (©) on it, Schacht said. Still, it is a good idea to establish your copyright by registering it, which can cost upward of $2,000.

Stopping plagiarism

Establishing a trademark or copyright doesn’t mean the battle is over, though.

“People who want to plagiarize your material will,” she said. “But there are things you can do to slow down the less-industrious thief.”

Since copyright covers so many forms of media, each form has its own tricks for stopping plagiarism. You can put watermarks on photos. You can lock PDFs with sensitive information. But even those are not foolproof.

The best way to protect your copyright and trademark is to be vigilant about your materials and know your rights, Wells said.

Final Touch Auto Spa, a new auto detailing business, is now open at 1916 Iowa St. between Smith Kia and Northwest Honda.

The company offers complete exterior and interior detailing, from paint chip restoration to window tinting to leather repair. Currently there are 10 employees.

The business is owned by Rick Adelstein, Ari Adelstein and Matt Myers. Rick Adelstein also owns Louis Auto Glass, which has locations in Bellingham, Lynden and Mount Vernon.

“We’re very excited to be open and already busy,” manager Ari Adelstein said. “We really are one-stop shopping for making your car look new.”

Final Touch Auto Spa is open six days a week. For more information, call (360) 392-8676 or visit www.finaltouchautospa.com.

Jordan Murari and Adam Scholtz recently opened Jordan’s Electronics at 655 Front St. Suite 4 in Lynden’s Dutch Village Mall. The business buys and sells video game-related electronics and accessories.

While the storefront is only three weeks old, the business partners have been fixing and selling electronics for much longer. Both worked independently from their homes before deciding to join forces and set up shop at the newly opened O’Donnell’s Bellingham Flea Market. That’s when their business blossomed.

“It went well enough that we had to open a store,” Murari said.

He said traffic to their section of the flea market grew to the point that they needed to relocate to bigger spaces every couple of weeks.

At the market, Murari said they began to realize the importance of having regular hours and face-to-face contact with customers, which they didn’t have working at their homes. It also proved to them that demand is high enough for the services and goods they offer to open a shop of their own.

After two months at the flea market, Jordan’s Electronics got its own store. At their new, 1,100-square-foot space, Murari and Scholtz will continue selling video games and accessories for everything from vintage Atari to Nintendo Wii. They accept trade-ins and buy games, accessories and consoles, and the items don’t even have to work.

“Broken or working, we will give you something for just about anything,” Murari said.

Along those lines, they also repair consoles. And just this week, Murari and Scholtz installed a big screen television for their in-store gaming area, where the public can test drive consoles and games or just hang out.

Jordan’s Electronics is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. For more information, call (360) 389-3825.

Over 55 years, the unclaimed property division of the state Department of Revenue (DOR) has collected more than $1.1 billion in unclaimed property and has refunded more than a third of that to residents. As of Aug. 1, approximately $417 million had been refunded.

Once a year businesses are required to report to the state any unclaimed property held for at least three years. It can include a variety of items, such as paychecks, utility deposits, bank accounts, retailer refunds, equities, securities, and other lost property.

About 3 million names – including those of familiar public figures and business leaders – are on unclaimed property lists at claimyourcash.org, which can be easily searched by the public.

For fiscal year 2010, which ended June 30, the department processed 98,362 claims valued at more than $44.5 million, which is a increase in the number of claimants from 2009 when more than 88,000 claims were processed, totaling $45 million. In fiscal year 2008, about 75,000 claims were paid worth $38.7 million.

More than $750 million is still available for refunds.

Lynden Sheet Metal is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, having recently ensured a seamless transition to its next generation of local ownership.

Founded in 1940, Lynden Sheet Metal sells and services heating, air-conditioning, plumbing and refrigeration systems for residential and commercial clients. The company also sells gas fireplaces and provides metal fabrication and welding services.

Bob and Rose Crabtree became co-owners of Lynden Sheet Metal in 1977. The Crabtrees were sole owners from 2000 up to this year, when they announced Bobbi and Cory Kreider, their daughter and son-in-law, had become co-owners.

“We consider being in business for 70 years a credit to all of Lynden Sheet Metal’s employees, past and present,” Rose Crabtree said in a press release. “Our reputation is due to the excellent service that they’ve given our customers over the years.”

Lynden Sheet Metal is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at 837 Evergreen St. in Lynden. For more information, call (360) 354-3991 or visit www.lyndensheetmetal.com.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will launch a complete redesign of its website this fall.

The new SBA.gov will make it easier for small businesses, lending institutions and small business counselors to more quickly find the information they need through a simplified navigation structure. In addition, new features will allow users to tailor their experience to provide information that is specific to their needs and location.

The new website also will offer a dedicated lender area for banks and other financial institutions that partner with the SBA.

“Our goal as an agency is to get information, tools and services into the hands of small business owners more quickly so they can spend more time doing what they do best – creating the jobs that will drive our economic recovery,” SBA Administrator Karen Mills said in a press release. “Through a new, personalized and dynamic SBA.gov we will be better able to support job growth across the country.”

The website redesign is part of the SBA’s goal to create a dynamic online presence that delivers information to customers wherever they are online. To achieve this goal, the agency recently began using social media to reach constituents through a variety of online channels such as Facebook and Twitter.

For more information, visit www.sba.gov/next.

Every year, Bellingham city staff is required to draft a comprehensive plan for transportation projects and each year the City Council must approve that plan. It sounds fairly straightforward. How contentious can transportation planning be? Apparently, it can be quite divisive.

The City Council narrowly approved this year’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) at the end of June. With Councilman Stan Snapp absent, the council’s initial vote was 3-3, meaning it failed. Councilman Jack Weiss said he would hold his vote unless a project in the plan was amended. It was amended. That was enough to sway Weiss, but not councilmen Barry Buchanan and Gene Knutson. The plan was ultimately approved in a 4-2 vote.

Before the final vote, Knutson said he had never voted against a TIP, but that he couldn’t bring himself to support this one.

“I firmly believe it’s the wrong thing to do,” Knutson said.

Most projects in the TIP are of the usual transportation creed, but Knutson had a problem with one specific project: No. 17. That project is new to the TIP and involves enhancing capital facilities and capacity for public transit, which means the city could potentially contribute funds to Whatcom Transportation Authority (WTA).

But at this point, it only has potential. None of the projects in the TIP are absolute, but are meant to show the city’s intent, or the projects it hopes to do. Whether this specific project gains ground is even less certain. That, in part, is because it won’t rely on traditional methods of funding.

Project 17 is one of three in the TIP that would receive funding through a newly established “transportation benefit district,” an independent citywide taxing district that is designed to fund specifically identified transportation projects.

Funding sources scarce

David Webster, chief administrative officer for the city of Bellingham, said Mayor Dan Pike proposed the district because high-priority projects for the city and citizens need funding and because a majority of Bellingham voters expressed interest in keeping transit whole. Because of the economic downturn, the city continues to be challenged to keep up with transportation needs, he said.

“There is a growing list of projects in the unfunded column [of the TIP],” Webster said.

Since late 2008, the city has cut $30 million out of its budget, Webster said. The street fund has seen its share of those cuts, which is leaving certain essential projects in the TIP unfunded.

One of those neglected projects is annual arterial pavement resurfacing. Bellingham Transportation Planner Chris Comeau said the city has a goal to overlay 5 percent of city streets per year, but it is not even close to meeting that goal. In fact, he said, there have been years when overlay was skipped altogether. If streets are left too long without new surfacing, they fall apart, and the cost of fixing them is much greater than overlaying them.

Funds for transportation projects aren’t drying up just in Bellingham. Comeau said it’s difficult for most cities to get funding for projects. In addition to reductions in tax revenue, and thus city budgets, there are fewer grant dollars available for projects.

“We definitely received less money in 2009 than we did in past years, but that is a reflection of funding that’s available,” Comeau said. “There’s been a massive change in the past two years.”

Basically, there is very little funding available, Comeau said, and every city in northwest Washington is a lot hungrier for federal and state money.
“There’s an endless list of transportation needs out there, but the funding is becoming scarce,” Comeau said. “When there is a lack of funding elsewhere, we have to be more creative.”

And so the city got creative and decided to propose formation of the transportation benefit district, he said.

A new taxing district is formed

The City Council approved formation of the district in a  4-3 vote, with Knutson, Buchanan and Snapp opposed. That same divided council will now act as the benefit district’s board and decide what direction the district takes.

In order for projects to be included on the list of transportation benefit district projects, they must be listed on the TIP. The three projects currently slated to receive transportation benefit district funding are TIP-project 1: annual arterial pavement resurfacing; project 16: non-motorized transportation options, which include flashing crosswalks, sidewalk connections and bicycle facilities; and the contentious project 17: transit enhancement options, which could restore funding for the WTA and save someservice within the city that will be cut due to a lack of funding.

However, none of those projects will receive benefit district funding until the City Council decides how that funding should be collected. According to Washington law, the council could vote to add a $20 fee to annual vehicle license registrations without voter consent, but city staff seemed to be leaning toward putting a proposal before the voters on Nov. 2. That proposal could raise the sales-and-use tax by as much as .2 percent for 10 years.

While project 17 was met with several long City Council and public discussions, the remaining TIP projects received much less attention.

Notable TIP projects

Comeau said there are some noteworthy projects in this year’s TIP.

Project 5 will create a connection between Bellis Fair Parkway and Eliza Avenue, thus helping traffic flow in the area.

There are also three new waterfront multimodal improvement projects, and a project that would create major pedestrian crossing points on Samish Way between Bill McDonald Parkway and Maple Street.

Project 13 calls for safety and circulation improvements on Barkley Boulevard. Comeau said there are tremendous traffic backups in that area, so the city wants to change the west approach to the intersection by adding another lane.
The intersection of Meador Avenue and James Street will eventually get another stop sign.

“It has reached a point where so many things are going on there that it will need to be a four-way stop,” Comeau said.

As part of that project, the city has plans to provide on-street bicycle and pedestrian facilities between Meador Avenue and Ellis Street. Unlike most projects in the TIP, though, this one is fully funded. It is scheduled for completion in spring of 2011.

Selected from more than 300,000 organizations worldwide, the city of Bellingham received a Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award on July 14 at the 30th Annual Esri International User Conference in San Diego. The distinction honors vision, leadership, hard work, and innovative use of Esri’s GIS technology.

The city uses geographic information system (GIS) mapping information daily for decision support, infrastructure management, customer service and public safety within most city departments. Regionally, Bellingham is recognized for integrating GIS into business systems and work processes throughout city government. The city was nominated because of its development of a CityIQ web mapping application, which provides a simple-to-use interface for the public and staff.

Chris Behee, senior GIS analyst for the city, received second place honors in the “Best Analytical Presentation” category for his poster “City of Bellingham Daily Population Cycle.” The poster illustrates a dynamic 24-hour population distribution for a typical weekday during the school year.

GIS combines computer hardware, software, data, and people to collect, manage, and analyze geographic information. Virtually any information links to a geographic location, helping people see that information as part of a complete picture. More than one million people worldwide rely on GIS to learn and plan geographically.

Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine has, once again, been voted as the best Northwest destination wedding site for 2010 in Seattle Bride magazine’s “Best of 2010” July issue. Semiahmoo was recognized for its “many indoor and outdoor wedding locales in the same resort.”  The resort was also given the award in 2006 and 2007.

“We’re thrilled about this award,” said Jeff Kline, general manager of the resort. “To receive continued recognition not only as an award-winning golf resort or ‘getaway’ destination, but also as a desirable location for a Northwest-destination wedding is wonderful. A special ‘thank you’ also goes out to the brides and vendors that voted for us.”

Wendy Fisher, wedding manager at the resort, said couples and their guests have an amazing experience at Semiahmoo Resort.

“This prestigious award was given to Semiahmoo because our brides feel that we consistently meet their high standards and expectations with exceptional service, so many beautiful and unique venues to choose from and desirable resort amenities, and of course, our famous sunsets,” Fisher said.

Votes were received from approximately 1200 brides and industry vendors combined to determine the recipients of this year’s awards in all categories.

Sterling Real Estate Group recently added four agents: Karina Champion, Amanda Denson, Chuck Green, and Melissa Schapiro

Also, after JoEllen Key’s retirement, Samantha Stoedter, a Bellingham resident and recent graduate of WWU, was appointed as the new office manager.

“Large or small, when you have the right combination of people working together you get a group that is uniquely suited to satisfy the needs of everyone in the community,” said Phil Dyer, Sterling owner and broker.

A front-desk supervisor at Lakeway Inn & Conference Center in Bellingham recently was honored for providing outstanding service and care to guests.

Providence Hospitality Partners (PHP) presented its first 212 Award to Dwayne Wynne. He was selected out of all employees at hotels managed by PHP in Washington, Colorado, California and Wyoming. Wynne received the award June 24 during a PHP management meeting at the Lakeway Inn.

Wynne, a Lakeway Inn employee the last four years, was at the front desk when a couple and their three young children came to the hotel for a room a week before Christmas 2008. Smelling smoke from their clothes, he learned that a fire had just destroyed the family’s home and possessions, including presents for the children. Wynne then contacted co-workers and friends at other local businesses, raising $5,000 in cash and gift certificates for the family, plus presents for the children.

Wynne was cited “for smashing the status quo within service expectations, showing care for our guests while displaying a positive attitude and displaying leadership qualities through kindness, commitment, focus and perseverance,” according to Steve Brenk, general manager of the Lakeway Inn.

Allegiant Air was named the top-performing airline in the low-cost/niche category by Aviation Week magazine. The annual award recognizes the company’s ability to capitalize on opportunities and thrive despite the global economic crisis.

“Airlines with the leadership ability to maintain strong liquidity, good financial health, cost discipline and a focus on efficiency are those in the best position to take advantage of demand,” said Michael Lowry, Top-Performing Airlines project manager. “Allegiant’s business model is unique and has resulted in the airline having stronger financial health than any other airline, including legacy carriers.”

In addition to its high financial health score, Allegiant was selected because of its ability to steadily increase its net profit and for capitalizing on ancillary revenue.

“We owe this distinction to the hard work of our staff,” said Maurice J. Gallagher, Jr., Allegiant chairman and CEO. “Our continued growth and excellent financial performance is a result of their innovation and dedication.”

Allegiant previously appeared on this list, but 2010 marks the first year the company has taken the top spot.

“We’re pleased to be recognized as the Top-Performing Airline in the low-cost/niche category,” said Andrew C. Levy, Allegiant president. “It is a testament to our success as a strong, profitable and low-fare company.”

Jay Gossage recently joined Rice Insurance LLC, as the company’s newest insurance producer. Gossage, who has been licensed since 2001, will concentrate on all forms of personal and commercial insurance. For more than 20 years Gossage has worked as a real estate agent in Whatcom County.

Gossage, the son of Ann and Glen Gossage, is a lifetime resident of Whatcom County and is married and has two children. He currently serves on the board of the Broadway Neighborhood Youth Club.

Kerri Efendi Designs, a local paperie specializing in tailor-made wedding and event invitations, won Seattle Bride Magazine’s best invitation designer award.

Winners were selected democratically. In all, approximately 1200 brides and industry vendors voted on a variety of categories, such as best wedding vendor and best florist.

One voter, Bellingham resident Amanda De Rosa, had sent in a comment with her vote.

“Kerri Efendi’s custom invitation design appealed to me because I wanted something that reflected our personalities — not something you could get from any website,” De Rosa said. “I wanted to incorporate hydrangeas, and she found a beautiful way to use them in our invitations and RSVP cards. We received so many compliments.”

For more information on Kerri Efendi Designs, visit www.kerriefendi.com/.

Bellingham-based Wilson Engineering recently announced that Charles Waugh, formerly of Geiger Engineering, joined its senior engineering staff.

Waugh has structural engineering experience with renovations, seismic rehabilitations, and new construction.

In Washington, Waugh is a registered professional civil, structural, and mechanical engineer, and in Oregon and New York he is a registered structural engineer. He also has pending civil engineer registrations in British Columbia and California.

The following recent building permit activity includes permits for commercial projects valued at $10,000 or more, and residential projects valued at $250,000 or more.

Accepted

19 Bellwether Way, $50,000 for foundation only for future three-story, mixed-use building. Owner: Port of Bellingham. Applicant: Bellwether Gate LLC.

19 Bellwether Way, $1,176,747 for new three-story, mixed-use building: Bellwether Gate. Owner: Port of Bellingham. Applicant: Ebenal General.

810 Halleck St., $700,000 for phase 1 shell and core replacement, exterior shotcrete walls. Owner and applicant: Bellingham School District 501.

2901 Squalicum Parkway, first floor, $116,000 for tenant improvement: infusion clinic. Owner: Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace-Health Hospital Services. Applicant: Ankrom Moisan Architects.

1 Bellis Fair Parkway Suite 328, $150,000 for tenant improvement: new candle retail store. Owner: Bellis Fair Partners. Applicant and tenant: Yankee Candle Co.

1100 N. State St., $60,000 to remodel and enlarge four windows, paint, side and flash exterior of building. Owner: Industrial Credit Union. Applicant: Pearson Construction.

1201 Northshore Drive, $421,000 for new single family residence. Applicant: Kerri Lenderman.

919 19th St., $272,933 for new single family residence with attached garage. Owner: Kenoyer & Company Inc. Applicant: Jeff Kenoyer.

616 Briar Road, $300,000 for residential alterations and deck addition. Owner: Dana and Barbara Stiner. Applicant: Skillman Construction Co.

2111 Lincoln St., $18,000 for new tenant occupancy for glass blowing studio: relocating and installing equipment from previous location. Owner: Loren J. Demuth and Theresa G. Green. Applicant: Alan Anders.

905 Squalicum Way Suite 101, $25,492 for foundation for elevator and internal support footings: Dermatology & Laser Center. Owner: Squalicum Lofts. Applicant: Wellman & Zuck.

2915 Newmarket St. Suite 107, $25,000 for tenant improvement: remodel existing coffee shop: Starbucks. Owner: BVR LLC. Applicant: Wilcox Construction.

425 Sequoia Dr. Suite 115, $34,060 for tenant improvement: office remodel for Blue Sea Systems. Owner: S&S Sequoia LLC. Applicant: Pacific Construction.

3901 E. Connecticut St., $278,388 for new single family residence, two-stories with attached garage. Owner: Helmi L. Pinkey. Applicant: Sean Hegstad.

Issued

1301 Fraser St. Suite 3 and 4, $17,000 to convert combined tenant space into two separate units, remove partitions and construct ADA-compliant restrooms. Owner: Haskell Business Center. Contractor: Braam Construction.

ET Western Washington University, $43,000 for commercial reroof. Owner: Western Washington University. Contractor: Boss Construction Inc.

PA Western Washington University, $152,000 for commercial reroof and masonry replacement. Owner: Western Washington University. Contractor: Boss Construction Inc.

OM Western Washington University, $185,000 for commercial reroof and skylight replacement. Owner: Western Washington University. Contractor: Boss Construction Inc.

HS Western Washington University, $125,000 for commercial reroof, add slope to drain and insulation. Owner: Western Washington University. Contractor: Boss Construction Inc.

FR Western Washington University, $153,000 for commercial reroof. Owner: Western Washington University. Contractor: Boss Construction Inc.

1 Bellis Fair Parkway, $475,535 for commercial reroof. Owner: Bellis Fair Partners. Contractor: Clark’s Quality Roofing Inc.

1707 35th St., $468,255 for new single family residence with attached garage. Owner: Jaskarn and Saroj Gill.

1081 Telegraph Road, $365,850 for new single family residence with attached garage. Owner: Joe Razore. Contractor: Welcome Construction Inc.

21 Bellwether Way Suite 112, $185,000 for tenant improvement: 5,500-square-foot restaurant in newly constructed building. Owner: Port of Bellingham. Contractor: Volonta Corporation.

2500 Cornwall Ave., $20,000 for tenant improvement: convert tenant space into bakery, construct nonbearing partitions and install kitchen equipment. Owner: J.T. Kim LLC.

2717 Alderwood Ave., $35,000 for commercial addition: install portable classrooms. Owner: Bellingham School District 501.

Barb Kraght, owner of Barbie’s Berries in Ferndale, opened the berry farm in 1996 mostly as a hobby. But now it has grown to employ 50 people during the strawberry, raspberry, blackberry and blueberry harvests. Along with a “U-pick” sales model, the business delivers to markets and bakeries around the county and has expanded into the frozen fruit market. To learn more, watch the video.

IMCO General Construction, Inc. was recognized by the Associated General Contractors of Washington during a ceremony that took place at the University of Washington’s Kane Hall.

IMCO received the 2010 AGC Safety award for general contractors with between 350,001 and 600,000 man hours. IMCO was also the recipient of the 2009 AGC of Washington’s Build Washington Award for Safety Excellence for general contractors with more than 400,000 man hours.

“Safety is the most important factor in the work we do,” said Courtney Imhof, IMCO vice president of corporate resources. “In our industry everything revolves around safety. We are incredibly proud of our employees for achieving this recognition.”