Blue Skies names Guay new executive director

Julie Guay is the new executive director for Blue Skies for Children, a local nonprofit that serves homeless, foster, and low-income children in Whatcom County. Guay has a master’s degree in business administration and was previously a board member for the organization.

RE/MAX hires Zemler

Real estate agent Linda Zemler recently joined the Bellingham office of RE/MAX Whatcom County. Zemler specializes in the sales, purchasing, and rehabilitation of homes. She is also experienced in short sales and in negotiating with banks and mortgage companies.

Abbott joins 2Degrees Frost

2Degrees Frost Data Solutions hired Ramona Abbott as their vice president of human resources.

Abbott may be better known locally for her column “Management Maven” and for her speeches at seminars. In addition to her column-writing background, Abbott has worked with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of King County and was awarded Big Sister of the Year of Washington State in 2005.

Moss Adams hires five accountants

Kelli Burgers, Brent Corbitt, Chelsey Hageman, Kyle Lodder, and John McDonald joined Moss Adams in October.

Kelli Burgers received her bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Western Washington University and is a business assurance staff accountant.

Brent Corbitt received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and his MBA from the University of Arkansas. He is a staff accountant.

Chelsey Hageman received her bachelor’s degree in accounting and geology from Western Washington University and is a staff accountant.

Kyle Lodder received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and finance from Western Washington University and is a business assurance staff accountant.

John McDonald received his bachelor’s degree in accounting and his MBA from Western Washington University. He is a staff accountant.

Tremaine retires from Business Bank

Rick Tremaine has retired from Business Bank. An open house for the public will be held in his honor from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008, at Business Bank on Meridian Street.

Tremaine began his career in 1975 as a vice president and manager of of loan production for Mount Baker Mutual Savings Bank. As executive vice president for Business Bank for the last two years, Tremaine was instrumental in developing the bank’s real estate department. Upon his retirement, he becomes a member of Business Bank’s board of directors.

Stickle receives Master’s in Tax

Kevin Stickle of Larson Gross PLLC completed the Master’s in Tax program through Golden Gate University. Stickle graduated Summa Cum Laude and received the “Outstanding Graduate Tax Student Award.” Stickle joined Larson Gross as a staff accountant in September 1998 and is now the manager of U.S. / Canada Cross Border Services.

Pearce earns national certification

Dave Pearce of Neighborhood Mortgage became the fourth person in Washington state and the only one in Whatcom County to receive the Certified Residential Mortgage Specialist designation. He passed a rigorous examination and proved his knowledge of and experience in the mortgage industry. This distinguished certification is recognized through the National Association of Mortgage Brokers.

Lundstrom joins Allied Arts of Whatcom County

Kristie Lundstrom recently joined the staff of Allied Arts of Whatcom County as the outreach coordinator. Kristie brings her 28 years of experience in overseeing volunteers, membership activities, and events for Western Washington University’s Alumni Office to this new position at Allied Arts. Created specifically to enhance the membership and volunteer programs, her position will also focus on increasing public engagement in the many arts events and advocacy issues sponsored by Allied Arts.

Fairhaven Mortgage Advisors hires Caldwell

Fairhaven Mortgage Advisors, LLC is pleased to announce the hiring of loan officer Renee Caldwell. She entered the mortgage industry in the spring of 2007 after being a local small-business owner for 10 years. She recently passed the state-mandated test and is a fully licensed loan officer.

Lee joins staff at SBDC

Debra Lee joined Western Washington University’s Small Business Development Center as a business advisor. Previously, Lee was the sales director at Allsop Inc. in Bellingham, the assistant risk manager for BHP Petroleum, and a broker for Hawaii Land Management. She earned a master’s degree in business from the University of Hawaii.

DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen owner named to BIAW board

Matt Peterson, owner of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen in Bellingham, was selected to serve on the Builder’s Board for the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County and also accepted the position of vice president of the Master Remodelers Council. Peterson has more than seven years of experience in remodeling. DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen earned the BIAW’s Remodeler’s Excellence Award in 2006 in the category of residential kitchen remodels over $60,000.

RE/MAX hires Simpson

Real estate agent Heather Simpson joined the Bellingham office of RE/MAX Whatcom County. Simpson previously worked in the administration of two local real estate offices, gaining knowledge about what is needed to ensure trouble-free transactions. A lifelong resident of Bellingham, Simpson is using her local knowledge to serve residential buyers and sellers, as well as those interested in new construction.

Mindfly hires Carpine for new project

Mindfly Web Design and Development hired Theresa Carpine, a graduate of Western Washington University, in late October to help prepare for the launch of their new Web property, neighborhood-kids.com. Carpine will research, write and edit content for this new online community devoted to keeping parents connected and up-to-date on local happenings for kids.

Haggen named to PeaceHealth board

Don Haggen has been named to the board of PeaceHealth’s Whatcom Region. Don joined Haggen Inc. in 1957 as a grocery manager and was promoted to company general manager in 1962. Don became president in 1973, and in 1989 was promoted to chairman/CEO. Don and his brother Rick currently serve as co-chairmen of Haggen Inc.

During Don’s time with the company, Haggen Inc. has become the largest independent grocer and the ninth-largest private company based in the state of Washington. The Bellingham-based company has 4,000 employees, including almost 1,000 in Whatcom County.

Don has served in leadership roles of numerous organizations, including board president of the Western Washington University Foundation, Western Association of Food Chains and the Washington Food Industry. Don fills the vacancy left by Hal Arnason Jr., who retired from the board in June.

Awards and Anniversaries

Sanitary Service Company wins Sustainability Award

The Washington Refuse & Recycling Association awarded SSC with it’s 2007 Sustainability Award for their commitment to sustainable business practices.

The company uses biodiesel in its fleet of garbage and recycling trucks and also uses 100 percent green power in its facilities. This year, they started offering an electronics recycling program and a data shredding service alongside their already existing FoodPlus and Food for Flowers compost programs.

WCC head volleyball coach wins coach of the year

Nate Langstraat, Whatcom Community College’s head volleyball coach, was selected by the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges as the 2007 Volleyball Coach of the Year.

Langstraat lead the Orcas to a North Region title with a 10-2 record and then on to a second-place finish in the NWAACC championships, the best championship finish ever for the team. He was selected for this award from among 29 other coaches throughout Washington and Oregon.

Angell honored with grant for Habitat for Humanity

Allstate agent Carl Angell was recently awarded an Agency Hand in the Community Award for his commitment to volunteering in the local community. With this award comes a $500 grant from the Allstate Foundation to the nonprofit organization at which he volunteers. Angell volunteers regularly with Habitat for Humanity of Whatcom County and has been an Allstate agent since 1971.

Alper receives Donner Medal for WWU work

Don Alper was recently awarded the 2007 Donner Medal for his outstanding contributions in teaching, scholarship, administration and public affairs in Canadian studies within the United States. The medal is the highest award given by the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States and is only given every two years.

Alper is the director of the Center for Canadian-American Studies and Border Policy Research at Western Washington University. Alper has received three WWU merit awards and led the effort to create the Border Policy Research Institute, the only research institute of its kind in the nation.

Small Business Development Center wins award

Western Washington University’s Small Business Development Center won a Gold MarCom Award for their outstanding creative achievement in their 2006 annual report. More than 5,000 entries from throughout the United States and several foreign countries were submitted for this year’s competition. The awards were administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.

Brumley wins Rookie of the Year at Neighborhood Mortgage

Dustin Brumley was awarded the Rookie of the Year award at Neighborhood Mortgage’s annual holiday party. Brumley is no rookie to the industry, though. Since joining the Neighborhood Mortgage team in 2007, Brumley has been recognized by his peers as being extremely knowledgeable and having outstanding leadership qualities and strong teamwork skills.

Lewis selected for Human Resources award

The Mt. Baker Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) selected Kelly Lewis for its 2007 Member of the Year award. Lewis was selected for her work that helped increase the awareness of the chapter’s resources to local businesses. Lewis is owner and principal of Allied HR Consulting and currently VP of Communications and Public Relations for the Mt. Baker Chapter of SHRM.