Snohomish County Business Briefs

Published 10:31 am Friday, October 2, 2009

Paine Field airline flights delayed until mid-2010

Federal environmental studies that need to be completed before commercial airline service can begin at Paine Field will delay the start of Horizon Airs service to Portland and Spokane until the summer of 2010, airline officials announced in mid-May.

Other factors in the airport agreement could be settled in two to three weeks but the environmental studies need to be completed first, said Snohomish County executive director Peter Camp. Prime areas to be explored are expected to include noise, air quality and vehicle traffic increases.

Horizon Air Vice President of Marketing and Communications Dan Russo said if the studies and final contract would take that long, the airline would probably start service closer to summer of 2010, when airline travel begins to grow. An independent consultant will be hired by the Federal Aviation Administration for the study, which will include public hearings, before the FAA issues a final report.

The county council voted recently to build a small $3 million terminal for Horizon and Allegiant Air of Las Vegas, which also has expressed interest in flying from Paine Field. The cost of the terminal and operations will be paid by the airlines through fees and other agreements, but county ownership of the terminal will mean future revenues from airline service will benefit the county airports budget, requiring no general tax funds from the county.

Mukilteo public officials say they’ll use the environmental process to continue their fight against commercial air service and the terminal, which supporters claim will benefit the public’s flying convenience and provide increased economic development in Snohomish County.

Frontier Communications to assume Verizon services

Verizon Communications Inc., New York City, has reached a deal with Frontier Communications Corp., Stamford, Conn., to buy Verizon’s phone, Internet and FiOS service areas in several states for $5.3 billion in stock. Included will be all of Verizons services in Snohomish County. Frontier, the nations largest provider of rural and small city phone and related services, will continue Verizons fiber optic installation programs that will include faster Internet service and television programming.

Last year, Verizon sold off its services in Maine, New Hamshire and Vermont for $2.3 billion last year to FairPoint Communications Inc. The company intends to focus on its core service areas in California and Texas. If government regulators approve the sale, expected within a year, the Frontier agreement would affect 4.8 million Verizon phone lines to residential and small business customers and one million broadband connections. Frontiers current service covers 2.3 million customers.

This is a truly transformational transaction for Frontier, said Maggie Wilderotter, Frontiers chief executive. With more than seven million access lines in 27 states, we will be the largest provider of voice, broadband and video services focused on rural to smaller city markets in the United States.

Wilderotter said Frontier would have no problem taking over Verizons lines, because they come complete with Verizon’s billing systems. Frontiers expansion will include services to 110,000 subscribers to Verizons FiOS fiber-optic Internet service and 69,000 TV customers. Wilderotter said Frontier will continue to build out FiOS service in Snohomish County.

Housing Hope honors major supporters at Stone Soup event

More than 600 guests gathered for Housing Hopes annual Stone Soup fundraising event in May, offering support for the nonprofit agency’s efforts to provide housing for the homeless in Snohomish County for the past 20 years.

Singled out for its long-time commitment to Housing Hope, the Windermere Foundation was presented with the Pioneer Award. Among its contributions to Housing Hope, Windermere Foundation provided a $60,000 contribution to refurbish Housing Hopes Crossroads shelter in Everett; leadership from the Marysville Windermere office for bowl-a-thons to raise funds in support of Housing Hopes Beachwood Apartments in Marysville; organizing, sponsoring and hosting 14 golf tournaments to benefit Housing Hope and pledging or contributing over $400,000 toward the Housing Hope mission over the past 20 years.

Carol Baker, a volunteer receptionist with Housing Hope since 1997, received the Volunteer of the Year award; Bud Alkire, executive director of the Everett Housing Authortiy, was presented with the associations Housing Hero Award for his affordable housing advocacy and inspiring dedication. He has been a partner in promoting housing solutions since Housing Hope was founded 21 years ago.

Housing Hope recognizes that safe, decent and affordable housing is only the first step in creating housing stability for struggling families. The agency provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, life-skills training, childcare, case management, employment counseling, access to health insurance, affordable-rent apartments and homeownership opportunities for low-income residents of Snohomish County and Camano Island.

Sound Transit using stimulus Mountlake Terrace station

Sound Transit and its partners broke ground in mid-May for construction of the Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station. Federal stimulus money and a regional transportation mobility grant will help fund the $40.9 million facility that will enable buses to pick up and drop off Mountlake Terrace commuters inside the freeway median. The project, due to open in 2011, is located at I-5 and 236th St. SW and features a pedestrian bridge connecting the new bus platforms with Community Transits new Mountlake Terrace Transit Center and park-and-ride garage. The project was planned in partnership with the City of Mountlake Terrace and Community Transit. Construction will be managed by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

The Mountlake Terrace station is the last link in our chain of regional bus service on the I-5 corridor. said Sound Transit Vice Chair and Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. The station will open the doors for new riders north and south and will help spur our local economy. The $4.6 million in federal stimulus dollars for the Mountlake Terrace project is part of $131 million in federal stimulus funds for transit projects in the Puget Sound region. Sound Transit will receive a total of $23 million for five shovel-ready construction projects in communities throughout the Sound Transit District.

The project includes northbound and southbound direct access on- and off-ramps exclusively for buses, making it easier and faster for them to enter and exit the freeway and pick up passengers without being slowed down by local traffic. Along with the South Everett Freeway Station, which opened last September, the Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station will be the second of Sound Transits Snohomish County facilities located in the freeway median, and the fourth with direct freeway access ramps.

Imagine Childrens Museum in Everett wins award

Everett’s Imagine Children’s Museum has been voted KING-TVs Evening Magazine 2009 Northwest Escapes Best Children’s Entertainment in Western Washington. It is a tremendous honor to receive this recognition from our community, said Executive Director Nancy Johnson.

We take great pride in the fact that we have been able to combine learning with play in such a way that children and families see it as entertainment.

Imagine Children’s Museum provides more than 20 hands-on exhibits, including an outdoor roof-top exhibit featuring a dinosaur dig and towering climbing structures. These exhibits, which reflect the Puget Sound region, encourage interaction between adults and children and provide many opportunities for playful learning. Children also have the opportunity to participate in one of the Museums many enrichment classes and programs that combine the museums signature hands-on activities with active learning.

Imagine Children’s Museum opened on Wall Street in downtown Everett in October 2004. The Museum serves children ages 1-12 and families through its exhibits, enrichment programs, early childhood programs, community initiatives, special events, classes and camps. The Museum ha also received the Richard Wendt Award for Excellence in the Cultural Arts from the City of Everett and Seattle magazines Best Museum for Kids award, as well as being highlighted in Sunset magazine as a fantastic children’s museum.

Any Lab Test Now opened new Everett facility in May

To provide professional, convenient and affordable lab testing, Any Lab Test Now, one of the nations fastest growing retail franchises, opened its newest location in mid-May at 1205 SE Everett Mall Way, Ste. D, at the Everett Mall Plaza next to Toys R Us. The owner is Safder Jafri, president of Any Lab Test Now/Everett.

The business provides thousands of standard lab tests with confidential results, typically within 24-48 hours, without the need for a doctors order. All tests can be requested anonymously, without appointments or a doctors order and without insurance coverage.

Founded in 1992, Any Lab Test Now has more than 70 facilities nationally that provide a range of services, including testing for drugs, paternity, general wellness, STD/HIV and other needs for individuals or prospective employers, including random drug testing of employees. More information can be found at www.anylabtestnow.com.

A Double J Accounting marking 18 years in Snohomish County

Jan Jensen and Jan Dobbins, with more than 55 years of combined accounting experience, are celebrating 18 years of business in Marysville for their A Double J Accounting service. They provide full service bookkeeping and accounting for businesses and individuals, bill paying, bank reconciliations, profit and loss statements, audit services, job costing for companys employees and payroll processing and tax reporting preparation.

Arlington’s $30M sewage plant expansion gets national attention

Construction has begun on a $30 million expansion of Arlington’s wastewater treatment plant and a national trade publication, WaterWorld, published an article last December on the project. This is a showcase project for the city, said Public Works Director James Kelly. The plant is being upgraded to meet state Department of Ecology requirement to reduce pollution levels in Puget Sound.

The city has reached 85 percent capacity for its present treatment plant so the expansion will enable the city to meet state and national standards, as well as protecting the waters of the Stillaguamish River. IMCO General Contractors of Bellingham began work in March and expects to finish the major project by December 2010. Work must be done while the existing plant continues operating.

EverTrust Foundation funds Christmas House project

A $15,000 donation from EverTrust Foundation will help support the non-profit Christmas House project in Everett. In 2008, Christmas House provided gifts and clothing to more than 9,500 children and more than 3,300 needy families from 21 different cities in Snohomish County, a 14 percent increase over 2007. More than 650 volunteers logged more than 8,000 hours in 2008 to provide those services, including fund raising and gathering donated items for the Christmas season, a year-around effort. For more information, to volunteer or make donations, call 425-338-2273 or visit www.christmashouse.org.

States largest marketer of Kinkade artwork closing

Light of the World Galleries in Arlington is quitting business after 15 years of marketing the artwork of world-famous painter of light Thomas Kinkade. Owners Mark and Debbie Klein said they were impacted by heavy fall and winter snowfalls in late 2008 and by a severely weakened 2009 economy that reduced the publics discretionary spending on such items as artwork. In recent years, owners Mark and Debbie Klein have closed their Everett Mall, Edmonds and LaConner galleries and now are in the process of closing the last office in Arlington. The clearance sale began May 9 and continues on Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 360-435-4811.

Work Opportunities sets June 18 auction in Lynnwood

The seventh annual gala dinner and auction to benefit Work Opportunities of Snohomish County in Lynnwood is set for 5:15 p.m. at the Lynnwood Convention Center with the theme Dreams: A Celebration of Abilities. Keith Leverkuhn, chief project engineer for the Boeing Co.s 777 program in Everett, is honorary chairman for the event, which will feature Bob Drewel, executive director of the Puget Sound Regional Council, as auctioneer, assisted by Amy Drew of American Family Insurance, Mukilteo.

Work Opportunities promotes self-determination, self-respect, and valued participation in the community for persons with disabilities through work experiences. Tickets are $65 per person or $650 for a table for 10. For more information, visit www.workopportunities.org.

Epicenter Fitness expands into Everett with renovated facility

Epicenter Fitness, operator of a 25,000-square-foot fitness center in downtown Seattle, is bringing its patented Fast Fitness concept to Everett in a recently renovated former fitness center at 10110 Evergreen Way, at the intersection with S. Broadway. Upgrading of the 36,000-square-foot facility includes a new pro-shop, front desk, check-in with bar code identification and new lighting and landscaping for the parking area.

New cardio exercise equipment also features TV and iPod connections. A new, rubberized jogging surface has been added to the elevated indoor track, the basketball court was expanded into a full-court size with a wooden playing surface and new floors, lights and painting have modernized the racquetball, pickleball and volleyball courts. The 25-meter lap pool was totally refurbished, as well as the Jacuzzi, wood sauna and steam room. Free weights, circuit training, personal training, swim lessons, water arobics and even baby care will be provided.

In spite of the current economy, we foresee continuing growth in the fitness industry, said Epicenter President Merle Gregg. Individuals, families and groups of friends are looking for more affordable ways to get out away from home at Epicenter they can do that while also doing something good for themselves. For more information, visit www.epicenterfitness.com.

Everett Maritime bankruptcy stalls Everett Port makeover

Everett Maritime, which had partnered with the Port of Everett to redevelop the citys waterfront, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May to buy time for reorganizing in a precarious economic marketplace. The filing may delay but not necessarily stop the planned $400 million project.

The company, a subsidiary of Maritime Trust of Chicago, said it owes creditors between $10 million and $50 million, including about $7 million to its top 20 unsecured creditors, including the Port of Everetts $1 million payment due to offset rent not received by tenants on property involved in the project.

The port joined with Maritime in 2000 on a deal in which both parties would spend money and share the profits. Maritime developed plans to build as many as 660 waterfront condos and a mix of commercial and office buildings. The port agreed to build the utilities and public walkways and spaces, a boatyard for marine-related businesses, a new port administration building and a marina for large boats.

The marina is completed, the boatyard is under way, the administration building is planned but not completed, and many of the utilities are ready. The buildings still await private financing, however the agreement gives Maritime until 2011 to start working on the condos and other buildings.

Port Commissioner Connie Niva said the bankruptcy filing was anticipated as a possibility, recognizing that Maritime was caught in the same ruckus of this credit crunch like everybody else. She said she expects development of the ports property will resume as the economy improves, a view Port Manager John Mohr agrees is likely. Mohr said the port project is a fantastic opportunity and that so far development work already has completed needed environmental cleanup, secured zoning changes and built a new boatyard that is the most environmentally sound on Puget Sound.

Master Builders Association celebrates century mark with Rampathon projects

Photo courtesy of Master Builders Care Foundation

Silver Lake resident Richard Ellis tries out his wheelchair accessible ramp, constructed in May by Pacific Ridge Homes of Bothell to kick-off the Master Builders Care Foundations 16th annual Rampathon event to help disabled people in need.

Organized by Master Builders Care Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Master Builders of King and Snohomish Counties, more than 450 volunteers from the construction industry built 32 free ramps for homes in the two counties on May 16, including 12 in Snohomish County, said foundation spokesperson Mark Leader.

The rampathon is part of the Master Builders Associations Centennial Celebration, with a goal of completing 100 community service projects in the two counties during 2009. Since 1994, the foundations volunteers have built more than 250 of the free access ramps for low-income, disabled homeowners, ramps valued at $1.7 million.

Community Transit begins new Swift bus service Nov. 30

Community Transit unveiled its first Swift station and Swift rapid transit bus in Everett in May as the new systems Nov. 30 launch approaches. Community Transit, along with its partner Everett Transit, is constructing 24 Swift stations and two terminals along a 17-mile route primarily on Highway 99 between Everett Station and the Aurora Village Transit Center in Shoreline. Connections with King County Metro Transit buses will complete the rapid transit route into downtown Seattle.

Also, Everett Mayor Ray Stephanson announced a $3.6 million state grant will allow the city to build an additional four stations to fill gaps in the current Swift route in Everett for even faster rider service within the city. Swift will stop at stations about every 10 minutes on weekdays between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. and every 20 minutes at night and on weekends. With only 12 stops in each direction, Swift buses will be much faster than local bus service.

The first completed Swift station is a training station at Community Transits Merrill Creek base. The station allows bus drivers to practice precise stopping at the stations raised curb and gives maintenance staff the opportunity to figure out how best to maintain the stations. Stations will be equipped with two ticket vending machines and two ORCA smart card readers. Passengers will pay their fares at the stations rather than on board so the 60-foot articulated hybrid diesel-electric buses can depart quickly. For more information, visit www.communitytransit.org.

BizBriefs/cutline for 787 photo: This photo is already in Saxo

Snohomish County Business Journal/JOHN WOLCOTT

The first Boeing 787 Dreamliner scheduled for flight testing, ZA001, is now lined up with other airliners for the first time, hidden partially in this view by the Boeing 747 DreamLifter that carries over-sized 787 sections into Paine Field for assembly at Boeings Everett plant. The 787 is completing simulated flight testing, engine run-ups and high-speed taxi tests before its first flight in late June. Boeing has 886 orders for the 787 from 57 airline customers.