Biz Bits: People and businesses in the news

People

John Gifford, general manager of Stevens Pass Mountain Resort, has stepped aside after leading the resort for 10 years. He is considering a position as an advisor to the board of directors. The director of financial and human services, Bill Bourton, will serve as interim general manager.

Last week, Edmonds resident Maria Montalvo received an award at the White House. The executive director of the Our Family for Families First Foundation accepted the People’s Choice Winner award in the Joining Forces Community Challenge. Montalvo and husband Strom Peterson co-own the Resident Cheesemonger in downtown Edmonds and are actively involved in community organizations.

Charlie Earl, executive director of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, has announced his plan to retire July 31.

Earl’s career has spanned more than 40 years in a variety of government capacities. Most recently, he worked for six years as executive director of the state community college system and seven years as president of Everett Community College.

Melissa Holiman has joined Coastal Community Bank. She will provide banking services to individuals and businesses at the bank’s office in downtown Everett. Holiman has more than 35 years of experience and most recently was a personal banking officer in private banking at Frontier Bank. A Snohomish County native, Holiman is also active in the local community.

Karen Wilson has joined HomeStreet Bank as a mortgage loan officer. She is based in the bank’s Lynnwood East lending office.

The Association of Washington Business has presented Rep. Barbara Bailey with its 2011 Cornerstone Award. The award was given for her support and voting record for policies that encourage job growth and improve the state’s business climate. Bailey has received the award eight times since 2003.

Events

“Getting Your Dough to Rise,” the monthly personal-finance show on public KSER-FM (90.7), will feature a conversation with Marcus Dusenbury, investment advisor at Viridian Investment Management in Snohomish. He will join host Chuck Noel at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Also to be featured are phone interviews with Doug Gordon, investment strategist at Russell Investments in Seattle, and George Marley, owner of The Coin Market in Lynnwood. Listeners are invited to call with questions during the show. The phone number is 425-303-9070.

The Snohomish County Labor Council will hold its annual Workers Memorial Observance at 5 p.m. Wednesday. The event is to honor those who in 2011 died while on the job or from workplace illnesses contracted on the job. The memorial will be held in the Mission courtyard of the Snohomish County Administrative Center in Everett. This year’s memorial will pay special tribute to Corrections Officer Jayme Lee Biendl. For more information, call 425-259-7922.

Sultan Ace Hardware celebrates its grand opening Friday through Sunday. An official ribbon cutting, hosted by the City of Sultan, will be at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Each day’s festivities begin at 8 a.m. and will include free refreshments, live entertainment, manufacturer’s representatives, master gardeners, kid’s crafts and spin-to-win prizes. For more information, call 360-793-2372.

Business professionals who would like to be considered for membership in the Edmonds Big Dogs chapter of BNI, a business networking organization, are invited to attend a meeting at 8 a.m. Thursday. For more information, contact Tom Nash at 425- 238-2757.

An information session about Everett Community College’s Aviation Maintenance Technician School and careers in aviation maintenance is at 2:30 p.m. on May 10. The school is one of only about 150 schools nationwide that train airframe and powerplant mechanics. The monthly information session is required for program admittance. Learn more at www.everettcc.edu/aviation or by calling 425-388-9533.

The City of Snohomish Economic Development Committee invites the public to a free presentation by Alexis Holzer, assistant director for economic development at Washington State University. The event is at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Snohomish Library Community Room. Please RSVP to Debbie Emge at 360-282-3197 or email emge@ci.snohomish.wa.us.

The Snohomish County Human Services Department is hosting three forums in May to obtain community input on fair housing. The events on May 2 will be at the Stillaguamish Senior Center in Arlington and the Monroe Fire Department in Monroe. The third event is May 3 at the Volunteers of America Learning Center in Lynnwood. For more information, contact Sue Tracy at sue.tracy@snoco.org or 425-388-3269 (7-1-1 for TTY users).

WorkSource Lynnwood, in partnership with the Snohomish County Human Resources Association and Edmonds Community College, is seeking human-resource professionals to volunteer to help review resumes and conduct mock interviews for Snohomish County job seekers at a one-day Workforce Readiness event on May 2. Interested H.R. professionals should contact Steve Bean at 206-267-4007 or email steve@trubenefits.net.

In celebration of Earth month, Value Village thrift stores will host the annual Donate and Make a Difference drive Saturday and Sunday at all Value Village locations. The event encourages the public to turn unused goods into revenue for local nonprofits by donating them. Value Village has paid more than $1.5 billion to nonprofit organizations over the past 10 years. For more information, visit www.valuevillage.com.

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local Lodge 751-C will hold the All In for Guide Dogs Hold ‘Em Poker Tournament from 3 to 7 p.m. June 2 at the Tulalip Resort Casino. Entry forms are available at all union halls operated by District 751 in metro Puget Sound, including the Everett Hall at 8729 Airport Road. This is the lodge’s first charity poker tournament.

The Friday Business Before Hours event of the Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce will feature former state Rep. Gary Chandler, the vice president of government affairs for the Association of Washington Business. He is the association’s chief lobbyist and directs legislative and regulatory programs. The event begins at 7 a.m. at the Tulalip Casino. To register, email admin@ marysvilletulalipchamber.com or call 360-659-7700. Cost is $23 for pre-registration or $28 at the door.

This year’s Washington State Financial Services Summit is 7:30-9:30 a.m. May 1 at the Harbor Club in Seattle. Speakers include Scott Jarvis, director of Washington State Department of Financial Institutions. For information about sponsorship or future enterpriseSeattle events, contact Margo Shiroyama at 425-785-4015 or email mshiroyama@comcast.net.

Sterling Gurney, a local Edward Jones financial advisor, will be hosting a coffee club at 10 a.m. May 3, The event is at the Edward Jones office at 602 Second St. in Snohomish. Contact him at 360-563-1042 for more information.

Announcements

Western Washington Medical Group has added the Lake Serene Clinic and Mill Creek OB/GYN to its family of medical services. Western Washington Medical Group has seventeen specialty centers to serve the needs of community members in the greater Everett area.

The Port of Everett Marina has launched a new Port Pass discount program aimed at attracting boaters and yacht clubs throughout the Puget Sound region. The booklet offers discounts to area restaurants, attractions and shopping outlets. For more information, contact Lisa Lefeber at 425-388-0617 or email lisam@portofeverett.com. Visiting boater requests can be made online at www.portofeverett.com.

FESCO Transportation Group, which has made the Port of Everett its Pacific Northwest shipping hub for Russian cargo, will be expanding export service in Everett to include roll-on roll-off (Ro/Ro) vessels. The new business will support a significant number of jobs on the waterfront. The first FESCO Ro/Ro ship is expected to arrive in port May 26 and is destined for Vladivostok.

Snohomish County PUD and its customers have hit an all-time energy conservation high. Nearly 9.3 average megawatts of energy were saved in 2011 — enough to serve about 7,000 homes. Consumers and businesses reduced energy bills by more than $6 million. The PUD sponsors energy conservation program for both businesses and residential homes. For more information, call the PUD Energy Hotline at 425-783-1700 or visit www.snopud.com.

The Intermediary Lending Pilot Program (ILP), which provides long-term loans to eligible non-profit intermediary lenders to finance lending to small businesses, has opened a second competitive application period. Small business owners and entrepreneurs interested in learning more about the ILP program can contact their local Small Business Administration district office or send an email to ilpp@sba.gov. To locate your local SBA office, visit www.sba.gov/ about-offices-list/2.

Bothell’s Alder BioPharmaceuticals has closed $38 million in Series D financing to support the development of the company’s clinical stage pipeline. The financing was led by a new investor, Novo Ventures, and joined by existing Alder investors Sevin Rosen Funds, Ventures West, WRF Capital, H.I.G. Ventures, Delphi Ventures and TPG Biotech.

Mill Creek-headquartered Zipfizz Healthy Energy/Sport Drink Mix says that two-time Pro Bowl football player Marshawn Lynch is the first athlete to join the company’s team. Lynch will be appearing in marketing and advertising campaigns. Zipfizz is also committed to working with Lynch’s charity, Fam 1st Family Foundation.

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