Intern architect rebuilds houses in New Orleans
Lee Hall, an intern architect with Zervas Group Architects, recently spent a week in New Orleans, helping to rebuild houses that are still in need of repair after Hurricane Katrina. The Office of Disaster Relief was in charge of the effort and organizes weekly opportunities for volunteers of all skill levels and abilities to help in the rebuilding efforts.
Hall’s specific volunteer group was split between two houses for the week, both for families who were unable to financially afford finishing their home. One team installed laminate flooring and floor and wall tiles. Doors and cabinets were also hung while the other group finished up the drywall.
Bellingham Childcare and Learning Center
elects new board members
Angela Murray, grant coordinator for Bellingham Public Schools, Johann Neem, professor at Western Washington University, and Debbie Chudek, retired Whatcom County Public Health Nurse, were elected as board members of Bellingham Childcare & Learning Center.
Current board members include Renetta Pollock, Mary Hanson-Adler, Kammryn Buss, Jof Abshire, Krista Morrow, Mike Roberts, and Karen Stuen. Officers for 2009 are Pollock as president, Hanson-Adler as vice president, Buss as secretary and Murray as treasurer.
Four faculty members awarded tenure at WCC
Angela Enderberg, Grace Kolodychuk, Barry Maxwell, and Sally Sheedy have been awarded tenure by the Whatcom Community College Board of Trustees.
Enderberg, a Spanish instructor, is the faculty advisor of Phi Theta Kappa at Whatcom and started the first Spanish Club at the College. Enderberg earned her bachelor’s degree in Spanish from Western Washington University and her master’s degree in Spanish Linguistics. She earned her doctorate in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching from the University of Arizona
Kolodychuk, a nursing instructor, challenges her students to become thoughtful and skilled nursing professionals. She has collaborated with the community to find clinical sites for students in nursing school and has expanded pediatric experiences for the students. She is a graduate of Kent State University with an MSN.
Maxwell, a University of California L.A. graduate, came to Whatcom after a career as an officer in the United States Army. As a political science instructor, his courses include American government, international relations, and Middle Eastern history and political structure. Maxwell is also co-chair of Whatcom’s Sustainability Committee, promoting integration of sustainability information and studies across the curriculum.
Sheedy earned her master’s degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Rhode Island and a Professional Librarian’s Life Certificate from the Office of the Secretary of State, Washington State Library. She has worked in public, school, corporate, and academic libraries.
Lohrer and Miller join HB Hansen Construction Inc.
Phil Lohrer and David Miller have joined HB Hansen Construction, Inc.’s construction management team. Lohrer will serve as project manager and Miller as the construction coordinator. Lohrer and Miller will work as a team alongside HBH co-owner Bernie Hansen on custom residential projects throughout Whatcom County.
Lohrer is a highly experienced construction professional. He brings strong technical and practical experience to the team, including a degree in construction management and certifications in code plans examination and building inspection. He previously worked in the building departments of Whatcom and Kitsap counties.
Miller has hands-on construction experience, a degree in organizational management and is currently working on a certificate in project management. He will be working alongside Lohrer and Hansen on cost estimating and project coordination duties.
William Barnes joins Sterling Life Insurance Company
William Barnes has joined Sterling Life Insurance Company as senior vice president, legal and compliance. Barnes will take on the general oversight of expanding legal operations of the company, internal audit functions, expanded product lines and the requisite state filings. He will also assist with board governance functions, integrated management and oversight complexities.
Barnes has 15 years’ experience in the health care industry and has worked with hospitals, physician organizations and health insurers in a variety of roles. He has worked in managed care operations, strategic planning and program development, and strategic business transactions. Barnes came to Sterling from a national health insurance company, where he advised executives on major transactions, industry relations and operations. Prior to his health care career, Barnes was a corporate lawyer in private practice. He earned his law degree and master’s from Syracuse University.
Stylist joins Hair by Wendy
Hair stylist Shelley McClanahan has joined Hair by Wendy, located in Finnegan’s Alley in Fairhaven. She received her training at Paul Mitchell and Estee Lauder in California and has 16 years’ experience in creative hair design, color, and makeup. McClanahan received advanced training at Toni & Guy Hairdressing Acadamy, owned a salon in Port Townsend for five years and has won numerous awards in hair design.
In addition to cuts and color, McClanahan will offer hair extensions, as well as wedding and special occasion makeup, and hairstyles.
Wilson Engineering hires Matthes
as senior project manager
Michael F. Matthes recently joined Wilson Engineering, LLC as senior project manager in Bellingham. Matthes has 20 years’ experience as a civil engineer and project manager of educational campuses, hospitals, commercial centers and master-planned residential communities in Florida, California and British Columbia. He is currently a Registered Professional Engineer in Washington and California.
Ferndale contractor wins Best Booth
Elemental Contracting of Ferndale won Best Booth of Show at the Lynden Home Show in March with an indoor/outdoor home-themed display. Owner Ryan Jackson got the opportunity to take the four booths at the entryway after a cancellation for his booths in a different location.
The booth featured sweeping, 12-foot lighted arches, a glass water wall, a “stone” fire pit, a stream with pavers and a bridge, decking and a furnished room.
Jackson started Elemental Contracting four years ago after years of working with computers. The company specializes in getting the home owner the most for their money whether it is home remodeling, landscaping, or water features
The win at the Lynden Home Show and subsequent attention has boosted business and the company moved to a new location in Ferndale on March 28.
Marcus Fairbanks General Family Dentistry
doubles office space
Marcus Fairbanks, DDS General Family Dentistry has announced extensive remodeling of his entire office suite, nearly doubling the size of the previous configuration to 1,800 square feet.
During the 18-month process, three new patient rooms and a consultation area were added, the size of the waiting area increased and space created for a new Gendex panoramic digital X-ray machine. The opportunity arose after the dentist Fairbanks shared the office space with moved to a new location after 13 years. Fairbanks and his partner, Dr. Darcy Galbraith, provide dental care for nearly 2,900 patients.
Stewart Title hires four new employees
Sue Hulsebus came to Stewart Title in January 2009 with almost 30 years of experience in the title industry. She has expertise in title examination, recording and data entry.
Rick Norris joined Stewart Title in December 2008 with eight years of experience in the title industry. His expertise is in title examination, recording, customer service and data entry.
Sheila McElroy came to Stewart Title in March 2009 with 10 years of experience in escrow. She received her Licensed Practicing Officer license in 2005.
Amy Wilson was hired in February 2009 with extensive experience in customer service. In the last three years she has worked in the lending industry, most recently coming from Wells Fargo in Bellingham. Wilson will serve as a customer service representative.
Physical therapist joins Core Therapeutic
Tawny Bridge-Pope, physical therapist and Pilates instructor, has joined Core Therapeutics PT in Fairhaven as a clinician. She earned her Master of Physical Therapy degree from Eastern Washington University and has been practicing in outpatient physical therapy settings that integrate manual therapy and Pilates-based movement re-education for nine years. She also earned her certification as a Level I Gyrotonic trainer in 2002 and has designed and instructed specialty classes including Healthy Spine & Pilates for the Equestrian.
Bridge-Pope is currently working through Level 2 of the North American Institute of Orthopedic Manual Therapy. She has completed additional training in acupressure, kinesiotaping techniques and craniosacral therapy.
Bridge-Pope is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association and Washington State Physical Therapy Association.
Joseph Trimble wins Lifetime Achievement Award
Western Washington University’s Joseph Trimble has been awarded the International Lifetime Achievement Award for Multicultural and Diversity Counseling by the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education.
Trimble, a psychology professor in the Woodring College of Education, a research associate at Western’s Center for Cross-Cultural Research, and the university’s director of assessment and testing, was honored for his life’s work promoting psychological and socio-cultural research with indigenous populations.
Trimble has had a lifelong devotion to multiculturalism as reflected in all of his work in psychology and education. For the past 35 years, he has been promoting and conducting psychological and socio-cultural research with indigenous populations among American Indian and Alaska Native youth.
The Ontario Institute for Studies and Education will present Trimble with the biannual award at the Critical Multicultural Counseling and Psychotherapy Conference, to be held in Toronto on Aug. 4 and 5. Trimble will present the conference’s keynote address and participate in an interview about his life and work titled “In the Therapist’s Chair.”
Farmers Insurance agent qualifies for Topper Club
Erik Dyrland, a local Farmers Insurance Agent, has qualified as a Topper Club agent. This award is given to Farmers agents who obtain consistently high levels of sales volume in auto, home, life and business policies, plus high client retention, service and profitability.
Dyrland, now in his 22nd year with Farmers, has earned Topper Club designation for 21 of those years in business. Dyrland and his seasoned staff pride themselves in prompt and exceptional customer service and have successfully established the third-largest Farmers agency in Washington state.
WC Association of Realtors honors
Mark Brown and Drew Wilkens
The Whatcom County Association of Realtors recently honored Mark Brown of Windermere Real Estate and Drew Wilkens of The Bank of the Pacific.
Brown, a Bellingham native, was named the Realtor of the First Quarter. Based at Windermere’s Bellingham office, he started in the real estate industry as an assistant in 1988 and specializes in residential real estate. Brown, former president of the Association of Realtors, is now chairman of its Government Affairs Committee and has been active on multiple committees of the Washington Association of Realtors.
Drew Wilkens was named the Affiliate of the First Quarter. Wilkens, based in Bellingham, has been involved in mortgage lending since 1992 and is now a senior vice president and real estate loan manager for The Bank of the Pacific.
Guyette named Dean of College of Fine and Performing Arts at WWU
Daniel Guyette has been appointed to serve as dean for the College of Fine and Performing Arts at Western Washington University.
Guyette, the current dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of South Dakota, will begin at Western on July 1, and was selected following a national search. He will replace Ron Riggins.
Guyette received a bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from Northwestern University and a master’s degree in Scenic Design from Pennsylvania State University. Prior to going to the University of South Dakota in 2004, Guyette worked for 11 years at the University of Northern Colorado, where he was professor and chair of the Theatre Arts and Dance Department, and at Utah State University, where he was honored as Artist of the Year in 1992.
Pre-arrangement counselors join Jerns Funeral Chapel
Jerns Funeral Chapel and On-Site Crematory in Bellingham and Blaine recently added two pre-arrangement counselors to help people make plans before they or their loved ones pass away.
Fred Gustafson and Ted Weatherly are assisting individuals and families with their pre-arrangements after earning state licenses. Both Gustafson and Weatherly provide information on the options available for the type of service, burial and/or cremation that one may want.
Gustafson, a Bellingham native, has a long history of serving others after spending eight years in the U.S. Navy. Weatherly, a Ferndale resident, has more than 10 years of customer-service experience.
Moss Adams accountants pass CPA Exam
Moss Adams LLP has announced that audit manager Tegan Long and tax senior Diane Hack have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accounting examination. Individuals must pass the exam in order to qualify for licensure as certified public accountants.
Long earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western Washington University in 2002, and started her career at Moss Adams LLP the same year. She has more than seven years of public accounting experience and works in the firm’s Construction and financial institutions industry groups.
Hack earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Alaska Southeast in 2006 and joined Moss Adams LLP in 2007.
Moss Adams LLP Bellingham provides accounting and consulting services to public, private, and not-for-profit entities in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, construction, international, food/agriculture, financial institutions, and gaming operations.
Van Mersbergen joins the staff at local accounting firm
Krista Van Mersbergen has been hired as a new staff accountant for Varner Sytsma Herndon.
Van Mersbergen graduated from Western Washington University in June 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. She has passed the CPA exam and will receive her CPA designation in July 2009.
City Councilman Louise Bjornson decides
not to seek re-election
Louise Bjornson announced that she has decided not to seek re-election to the Bellingham City Council.
Bjornson served 22 years on the Bellingham City Council starting in 1988, 5 years on the Bellingham Planning Commission and 12 years on the Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Commission. As council president, she started the public comment period at the beginning of every council meeting.
Bjornson has been awarded the Environmental Hero Award from RE Sources, Distinguished Alumna Award from Western Washington University and the Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities.
Besides her City Council duties, Bjornson has served on many local boards, as well as the Washington State Air Transportation Commission and the Washington State Municipal Research Board. She has also been active with the Association of Washington Cities.
Core Therapeutics owner featured in article on
“going green”
Core Therapeutics PT owner Elizabeth Hampton PT was featured in the April issue of nationally distributed PT Magazine, in an article on physical therapists “going green” and offering “therapy for the planet.”
Hampton shared advice from her experience of running a busy clinic with limited space, efficiently utilizing multi-purpose furnishings and being mindful of equipment that lasts.
Hampton said she purposely chose an office in a neighborhood less than three miles from her home and close to her children’s schools. Because of its central location, staff members are often able to bike to work and there is a bike rack outside her building. The office is also within a block of the bus stop.
The article stressed location as key to environmental sustainability for clinics, along with reducing use of paper, energy efficiency, local-friendly landscaping, and recycling.
Legg to speak at the WSCPA Annual Conference
Max Legg, a Moss Adams LLP partner, will be a featured speaker on May 1 at The Washington State Society of CPA’s Annual 2009 International Tax Conference in Seattle.
Legg will speak about what professionals need to know to assist clients with planning and establishing new foreign entities, understanding the related income tax reporting and information disclosure requirements.
The conference will be held at the Red Lion Hotel on 5th Avenue in Seattle, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The goal of the conference is to help tax advisors, CPAs, attorneys, financial officers and other tax professionals navigate the complexities involved with international tax issues.
New members appointed to the
Pickford board of directors
Rich Pelo, recently retired from Brenthaven, Max Kaiser, owner and director of Hand Crank Films, David McLeod, current CFO of Brenthaven and Brian Sibley, president and CEO of Sibley Public Relations, Inc. have joined The Pickford Film Center’s board of directors.
The Pickford Film Center board of directors also includes Kirsten Barron, Jeff Braimes, Kathleen Culver, Amy Mann, Joan Martin, Kathy Washatka, and James Willson.
Banner Bank announces two North Sound promotions
Banner Bank has announced two promotions in the North Sound. Former Lynden Branch Manager Cheryl Fischer was promoted to vice president and deposit relationship officer. In her new role, Fischer will be responsible for developing deposit relationships as well as overseeing the North Sound Division’s retail branch sales efforts.
In addition, Banner Bank has promoted former customer service supervisor Randy Donahoo to Lynden branch manager. In his new role, Donahoo will be responsible for working with Banner Bank customers to meet their personal and business goals.
Fischer joined Banner Bank in 2006 and has over 15 years of banking experience. Prior to joining Banner, she worked for Bank of America as both branch manager and mortgage sales manager.
Prior to joining Banner Bank, Donahoo served as operations manager for Harborstone Credit Union and as operations trainer for First Fidelity Bank.
Susan Stecher awarded Certified
Negotiation Expert designation
Susan Stecher of RE/MAX Whatcom County recently earned the Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) designation.
Stecher said the CNE training provided her professional negotiation techniques, approaches and skills to achieve the best possible outcomes given the marketplace and a client’s personal situation. CNE agents have a competitive edge because of their ability to uncover information effectively, get more and give less during sales/purchase negotiations, and retain control over desired outcomes.
Stecher has more than 25 years of experience in real estate, marketing, investing and financial planning. She also has completed continuing-education classes to earn designations in numerous areas of real estate, including marketing luxury homes, staging homes and representing buyers and sellers.
Timothy Krell opens real estate law office in Bellingham
After 20 years in the title insurance industry in Washington state, Timothy G. Krell is proud to announce the opening of his law practice in Bellingham WA.
The new firm will offer expertise in real estate purchases and sales agreements, title and escrow, easements, covenants and restrictions, notes and deeds of trust, foreclosures and short sales, boundary matters, homeowner associations, roads and rights of way.
Krell graduated from Creighton University School of Law in 1986. He has held various positions in the title insurance industry, including associate regional counsel for First American in Seattle.
Krell is a member of the Nebraska and Washington state bar associations and is a certified real estate instructor through the Washington State Department of Licensing. He will be providing learning opportunities for real estate agents.
AWARDS and ANNIVERSARIES
Wellesse receives Corporate Sponsor of the Year Award
Wellesse, a division of Botanical Laboratories, Inc., recently received the Corporate Sponsor of the Year award from the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. Wellesse was honored for its ongoing support of the Foundation’s efforts to support people living with arthritis and other related conditions.
For more than 20 years, Wellesse has developed liquid nutritional supplements and other products that support health and wellness. The line of liquid dietary supplements includes the nation’s best-selling liquid glucosamine, Joint Movement Glucosamine, liquid Vitamin D and liquid Calcium.
Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction
celebrates 30th Anniversary
Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction, Inc., a Whatcom County general contractor, celebrated its 30th anniversary April 18, 2009.
Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction is owned and managed by lifelong county residents Gary Honcoop and Roger Roosendaal. The company offers extensive experience in residential construction, both homes and remodels, commercial, industrial and pre-engineered steel construction.
Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction has successfully completed several residential communities in the Ferndale area, including West 54th Lane, Byers Lane, Bellaire Estates and Myers Estates. The company also built 13 homes at Westview Drive in Lynden and now is focusing on Ferndale’s latest flat-lot neighborhood, Liberty Park.
Saturna Capital fund receives Lipper Award
Saturna Capital Corporation announced that the Amana Growth Fund, designed for U.S. Muslim investors, placed first for Best Multi-Cap Growth Fund in both the three and five-year periods at the 2009 Lipper Fund Awards.
The fund, which is managed by Nicholas Kaiser, president of Saturna Capital Corporation, was chosen from 392 funds in its category over three years through December 31, 2008, and from 326 funds in the five-year period, for demonstrating consistently strong risk-adjusted returns compared with its peers. Lipper, a wholly owned subsidiary of Reuters, presented the award to Saturna at a ceremony in New York City on April 2, 2009.
In addition, Saturna’s Amana Income Fund and Sextant International Fund received the 2008 Lipper Performance Certificates for ranking No. 1 for the five years ending December 31, 2008, in the equity income and international multi-cap core categories.
