Flinn is new VP for Peoples Bank
Peoples Bank hired Teresa Flinn as vice president and commercial loan officer at the Bellingham Financial Center at 1333 Cornwall Ave. Flinn has more than 15 years of experience in the local financial community. She earned an accounting degree from Whatcom Community College and a human resource management degree from Bellingham Technical College. She is a member of the Whatcom Chamber of Commerce, Building Industry Association of Whatcom County, Northwest Business Club, and serves on the board for the Whatcom Hospice Foundation.
Lynden accountant gets QuickBooks Certification
Bill Pate earned Intuit’s QuickBooks certification for its 2007 financial software. Pat owns Bookkeeping Solutions NW in Lynden. The certification program tests knowledge of QuickBooks’ business management solutions and prepared Pate to assist clients with the software’s setup and implementation. Pate has more than 20 years of experience in accounting, and taxes. He is also a Certified QuickBooks Financial ProAdvisor for its 2006 financial software.
Larson Gross hires three staff accountants
Megan Johnson, Charles (C.J.) Smith and Kristin Visser are new staff accountants for Larson Gross. All three joined the firm in September of 2007.
Johnson has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Macalester College and an MBA from Western Washington University. Johnson completed the audit internship with Larson Gross before accepting her fulltime position in the Bellingham office.
Smith is in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and will receive an accounting degree from Central Washington University in December. Before joining the firm, Smith was the financial director for the Skagit Valley Family YMCA. Smith will be working from the Larson Gross Lynden office.
Visser earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western Washington University in June. A native of Whatcom County, Visser said she is looking forward to the opportunities for growth and development possible at Larson Gross. She will be working in both the Bellingham and Blaine offices.
Web site engineer joins local Internet startup
Adrian Pike joins NetworkText as its first internal Web site engineer. As in-house World Wide Web guru, Pike will be responsible for NetworkText’s domain by providing technical support, designing and implementing new features for the Web site and services NetworkText provides.
Allen joins Northwest Computer
Carlyn Allen is the new professional services coordinator for Northwest Computer. She will manage the company’s team of engineers, technicians and support staff while working with clients to manage IT projects and out-sourced network management.
Cadden hired at Evergreen Team Concepts
Guy Cadden is the new office/facilities manager for Evergreen Team Concepts. The longtime Whatcom County resident will coordinate seminars, accounts payable and receivable and oversee leasing agreements for the team’s 50-person presentation room and 30-person computer lab. Cadden spent more than 20 years in the hospitality industry before joining ETC.
Hovde receives residential certification in real estate
Bellingham realtor David Hovde, associate broker with Windermere Real Estate Whatcom, earned his Certified Residential Specialist designation. He is a certified commercial investment member, serves on the state executive committee and plans on being treasurer for the Washington State Realtor Association in 2009. Hovde was Realtor of Year in 2005 and a past president of the Whatcom County Association of Realtors.
Young earns distinguished real estate designation
Associate broker for Coldwell Banker Miller-Arnason Monte D. Young obtained the Certified Commercial Investment Member designation, a designation held by less than 1 percent of Realtors nationwide. Young completed graduate level instruction for commercial and investment real estate after his portfolio qualified him for the exam in Austin, Texas. He specializes in investment properties in Whatcom and Skagit Counties.
Champagne attends professional development program
Business and executive coach Pam Champagne, owner of The Champagne Group, attended the International Coach Federation educational conference. During the three-day program, she attended seminars on topics such as Coaching Relational Intelligence: Improving Business Performance by Improving Relationships, New Discoveries Explain how and why Coaching Works, and Mind, Body, Emotions: Keys to Behavior Change in Leaders. Champagne earned 15 continuing education credits toward re-certifying the Master Certified Coach credential she received in 2000.
Thomas is new V.P. for Wachovia
Karen L. Thomas is the new vice president and investment officer for Wachovia Securities, the third largest brokerage firm in the U.S.
Huxley student and teachers attend environmental seminar in Jordan
Huxley College of the Environment assistant professor Troy Abel, associate professor Nick Zaferatos and Huxley senior Nicole Brown joined other students, practitioners and academics from around the world Oct. 21 thru 25 at the United Nations University Leadership Institute in Amman, Jordan.
The seminar focused on sustainable development, eco-tourism, water management, environmental leadership and education. Brown was required to attend all of the discussions, read the assigned course material and develop discussion questions.
Huxley professor Abel said he will integrate his experience and firsthand knowledge about Jordan’s Dana Biosphere Preserve as a case study in his classes to teach students how sustainable-development strategies can be implemented.
Catering company appoints new manager
Ernie Coslick is the new catering and event manager for Hilltop Restaurant Catering. Coslick has 13 years of experience in the hospitality industry and six years in catering. He is handling sales, management and administration for the company, which doubled its revenue last year and expanded its kitchen to accommodate the growth.
WWU’s Vernacchia will speak at national conference
Ralph Vernacchia will present his speech “Quality Coaching: The Key to Beating Coaching Stress” at the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association annual convention Dec. 19 in Phoenix, Ariz. He is the director and founder of Western Washington University’s Center for Performance Excellence and a nationally recognized scholar on applied sports psychology.
Vernacchia has traveled with national track and field teams to several world championships, including the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He also presents WWU’s annual Peak Performance class, a five-night course where students learn how mental skills utilized and developed by elite athletic performers can help them achieve success in life.
Realtors association honors Wilson and LaValley
The Whatcom County Association of Realtors (WCAR) honored Mallina Wilson of RE/MAX Whatcom County and Marjorie LaValley of Horizon Bank.
Wilson is WCAR’s Realtor of the Third Quarter. She also earned the At Home with Diversity certificate from the National Association of Realtors and the Transactional Referral Certification. She traveled in August with a group of Realtors from the state to build a Habitat for Humanity house in a Louisiana community still suffering from hurricane Katrina. Wilson also serves as the secretary of WCAR.
LaValley is WCAR’s Affiliate of the Third Quarter. LaValley has been at Horizon Bank since 1989 and works at the Meridian branch as a mortgage loan officer and assistant vice president. She also has been active in WCAR, serving on its banquet luncheon, golf and Habitat for Humanity committees. LaValley single-handedly sold 30 percent of all tickets available for a Habitat for Humanity fundraiser.
Diamond “B” Constructors adds to its management staff
Liam Lindsey, Modesta Urbano, Seth Davick and Dan Soderberg all joined Diamond “B” Construction.
Lindsey is a new project engineer and estimator. Lindsey served three years in the U.S. Army at U.S. and Korean posts before joining a Special Forces unit in the Utah National Guard. Lindsey attended Idaho State University where he completed a certificate in building construction technology, then completed additional coursework in construction management at the University of Washington.
Modesta Urbano is a new field safety specialist. She earned her bachelor’s from Central Washington University. She has been a volunteer firefighter for the past seven years and is a certified EMT instructor.
Seth Davick is an assistant project engineer at the demolition project at the Shell Puget Sound Refinery in Anacortes. He completed his bachelor’s at Northwest Nazarene University where he graduated with honors, then joined the U.S. Army, completing two combat tours of duty in Iraq.
Bobbette Halterman is a new project engineer. She received her bachelor’s from Western Washington University, and has been a volunteer firefighter and EMT for the past ten years. She has worked at several commercial and industrial sites as a regional/field safety manager in Washington and Oregon.
Dan Soderberg is new project manager. Soderberg manages three projects at the Bellingham Art and Children’s Museum, Bothell High School Phase III and Ferndale Elementary School. Soderberg is a Bellingham native and has been with DBC since 1991.
Imus joins Country Insurance & Financial Services
Jamie Imus is a new agent for COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services. Imus completed the company’s New Agent School and Investment Solutions Representative training where he learned about the products, financial solutions, regulatory compliance in the financial industry and current market opportunities. Imus grew up in Bellingham, before earning a bachelor’s degree in marine geology from Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, Fla. He resides with his wife, Lisa and their two children.
Bagwell joins Coldwell Banker
Coldwell Banker Miller-Arnason adds sales associate Lena Bagwell to its Meridian office. Bagwell holds a bachelor’s in business administration from WWU. She brings sales and customer service experience she gained from working in the advertising/marketing industry. She will specialize in residential property sales in Whatcom County.
SCORE elects new leader for local chapter
Dan Robbins will lead the Bellingham chapter of Service Core of Retired Executives (SCORE) next year. Robbins has been a SCORE member for seven years. He’s been president, vice president or owner of six companies during his career and served on five different boards as a director. SCORE is a volunteer organization that counsels startups or existing businesses.
Silver Reef Casino hires for key positions
Silver Reef Casino, Hotel and Spa hired Randi Axelsson, Kim Wilson and Aaron Thomas.
Axelsson is a new hotel sales manager. Axelsson was the event and promotions specialist for Haggen and has worked for Abbot Tours, Quality Inn and Hasselgrave International.
Wilson is the new diamond dividends manager. She was a receptionist for Cascade Radio Group and worked at Lummi Casino before joining Silver Reef Casino.
Thomas is the director of marketing. Thomas worked at the Northwest Indian College in public relations and spent five years at the Lummi Indian Business Council before joining Silver Reef Casino.
Awards and anniversaries
Bellingham Marine to celebrate 50th anniversary
In 2008, Bellingham Marine will mark its 50th anniversary with the completion of the rebuild of Shilshole Bay Marina. Bellingham Marine supplied the docks for Shilshole when it was first built and was selected to supply the docks for its rebuild 50 years later. Festivities for the 50th Anniversary will include a series of industry sponsorships and promotional events scheduled throughout 2008.
From it’s beginnings in a small town just south of the Canadian border, Bellingham Marine has grown from a builders supply company manufacturing concrete docks into a comprehensive design/build marina construction company with nine manufacturing plants and a worldwide network of marina experts.
Duo among the first nationwide to get certified
The Bellingham Tennis Club and Fairhaven Fitness congratulate Robin Robertson and Scott Young for completing the CycleOps Power Training Systems Certification for indoor cycling. Robertson and Young are two of the first 100 instructors to achieve this certificate nationwide. Robertson owns the club and teaches cycling classes with Young, one of the club’s indoor cycling instructors.
Local chiropractor wins Kiwanis award
Dr. Bruce Jorgensen received the Kiwanian of the Year award from the Kiwanis Club of Bellingham for his dedicated service to the club. Jorgensen has worked tirelessly to organize several community service projects and under his leadership the club has maintained the Kiwanis Pocket Park, the annual Bike Rodeo, a one-day cleanup project at the Lummi Salvation Army children’s camp, and the ARC House renovation project. Jorgensen serves on the Kiwanis board of directors, its membership committee, the community services committee and the house reception committee.
Unruh is best bagger in the state
Harvey Unruh, Sunset Cost Cutter courtesy clerk and grocery-bagger extraordinaire, has won the highly coveted Washington State’s Best Bagger award. Sponsored by the Washington Food Industry, the competition pitted Unruh, who is more than 60-years old, against several younger rivals. He easily triumphed, however, by swiftly filling his grocery bags and carefully distributing the weight between bags. He received $500 and a trip for two to Las Vegas, where he will compete in the Best Bagger Finals Feb. 6.
Local Clinic gains safety recognition
Bellingham Anesthesia & Surgical Consultants received the William O. Robertson Patient Safety Award Oct. 5 from the Washington State Medical Society. The award recognized the clinic for meeting strict guidelines and criteria while implementing its Washington State Certified Medical Quality Improvement Program.
The BASC has received the award once before. They are a nonprofit multi-specialty organization that has been actively conducting patient safety initiatives in Bellingham for 11 years. The organization has 42 surgeons and 20 anesthesiologists. Specialties include anesthesia, ENT, general surgery, neurosurgery, OB/GYN, Ophthalmology, orthopedics, plastics, and urology.
Local boat dealer receives highest certification
BoonDocks Boats and Motors Inc. is now a Five Star Marine Dealership. In business for over 25 years, BoonDocks is the third sales and service marine dealership in Washington state to obtain the five-star status. All five- star dealerships are required to follow a strict code of conduct and ethics, participate in company-wide training and commit to The Consumer Bill of Rights code.
Wine magazine honors Fairhaven restaurant
Flats Tapas Bar in Fairhaven won Wine Enthusiast magazine’s Award of Distinction for being one of America’s most wine-friendly restaurants for 2007. The restaurant was picked out of thousands of applicants and the award recognizes owners Rich and Yasmine McCudden’s dedication to delivering wine-friendly experiences to their patrons. Flats Tapas Bar will be a part of a restaurant awards feature in the magazine’s February issue.
Bellingham boutique celebrates first year
Theresa Griffin hosted a fashion show for professional women celebrating Unique West’s one-year anniversary on Nov. 8. Tag-lined Dressing for Success, the event included an education session from Waddell & Reed financial advisor Scott Caldwell for women in today’s world on accumulation of wealth, protection of assets and distribution of wealth in later years. More than 15 women attended, learning more about fashion and finance to help them get an edge on their competition.
Domistyle wins two design awards
The Bellingham based residential design firm Domistyle received two prestigious design awards for local projects. The Puget Sound Chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association honored Domistyle for two Bellingham projects, one for the large bath category and another for the small/medium kitchen category.
“We strive to provide the best end result for every space we are designing, whether it’s a kitchen, bath, or other interior project,” said Jan Hayes, co-owner of Domistyle. “It’s always a nice bonus to receive some peer recognition for our efforts.”
Absorption Corp. wins outstanding achievement award
Absorption Corp., a subsidiary of International Absorbents, a leading developer and producer of environmentally friendly pet care and industrial products, won Petcetera’s First Outstanding Achievement Award in the live animals and supplies category. Petcetera recognized Absorption Corp. for initiating a new in-store program for its live animal habitats, achieving a sales increase of over 50 percent in 2007.
