Business FYI

New business

Artist Holly Whitten has opened a gallery of original oil paintings called Cottage Gallery at Whittsend, 14620 W. Lake Goodwin Road in the Stanwood area. She will hold a grand opening from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday that will include refreshments and a drawing for a small print. Details are at 360-652-5709.

Leanne Christie and Angie Gooding are holding launch parties at their Body &Mind Fitness Studio, 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 13 and 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 15, at 4205 177th Place NE, Arlington. For more information, call Leanne Christie at 425-879-5201 or e-mail Leanne_christie@comcast.net, or call Angie Gooding at 425-343-3663 or e-mail meinera@comcast.net.

Special events

Help the South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce take a bite out of domestic violence with a lunch donated by Outback Steakhouse, from noon to 2 p.m. Nov. 19, at 10121 Evergreen Way, No. 15, Everett. Proceeds benefit Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County. Cost is $15 plus an unwrapped gift or gift card for a mother or child. For information, call Julie Martin or Vicci Hilty at 425-259-2827. For information about Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County, go to www.dvs-snoco.org.

A panel presentation featuring Todd Brunner of Brunner Construction, co-chair of Fly Paine Field; Snohomish County Councilman John Koster; Marysville Mayor Dennis Kendall; and Rep. John McCoy will provide an in-depth look at the benefits that Snohoimsh County could gain by allowing commercial flights at Paine Field. The Business Before Hours event, presented by The Greater Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by University Center of North Puget Sound, is 7 a.m. Friday at Tulalip Casino, 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd., Tulalip. Cost is $23 for registered guests, $28 at the door. RSVP to 360-659-7700 or e-mail billw@ marysvilletulalipchamber .com.

Bayside Marine will hold an open house from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday to show off its new store and boat storage facility at 1111 Craftsman Way on the Everett waterfront. The open house coincides with Bayside’s 17th annual fishing derby and will include food, beverages and games. Visitors can bring canned food to help out with the company’s food drive.

People

Sean King has been promoted to partner at Whitfield’s Insurance. King has been with Whitfield’s for seven years, and has moved from the company’s headquarters in Everett to its Marysville branch office.

Reid Middleton Inc., an Everett-based engineering, planning and surveying firm, has announced the addition of new employees: Diana Badowski, marketing manager; Katy Krall, EIT in the structural engineering group; Katie Baldwin, structural engineer; Vincent Castro, design engineer, airport engineering group; Steve Lodholz, PLS, surveying group; Bill Swigart, PE, waterfront engineering group; Kathleen Baxter, technical writing division, public relations and federal emergency management; Amanda Ruksznis, civil engineering group; Dawn Augustus, ITE division; and Natalie Countiss, structural engineering group intern.

Meetings

Building a successful recognition strategy at work will be the topic of the meeting of the Snohomish County Human Resources Association from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Nov. 13 at the Holiday Inn, 3105 Pine St., Everett. Cost is $30 for members and $40 for nonmembers. Visit snohomishcounty.shrm.org for information or to register.

How the energy market will affect business will be the topic for the quarterly meeting for the Snohomish County Economic Development Council. It will be held from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Nov. 5 at the Lynnwood Convention Center, 3711 196th St. SW. Cost is $34 and registration ends on Tuesday. Visit www.snoedc.org.

Business news

Getting Your Dough to Rise, the personal finance program for Snohomish County’s public radio station, KSER 90.7 FM, will air from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday The show will feature portfolio analyst Doug Gordon from Tacoma’s Russell Investment Group and Matt Rudolph of Summit Capital Management Group. Also joining the show is Rick Bryan, a certified financial planner from Conlon and Dart Wealth Management. Listeners can call with questions at 425-303-9070.

Snohomish County’s Young Professionals Network will meet from 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at Mpulse Lounge at the Tulalip Casino, 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd., in Quil Ceda Village. Barry Hurd of 123 Social Media will talk about the field and its effect on business campaigns. Attendees ages 21 to 39 are encouraged.

Legislators from the 44th, 39th, 21st and 10th districts will express views and answer questions at Business Roundtable sponsored by Snohomish County Councilman John Koster set for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Monte Cristo Hotel, 1507 Wall St., Everett. Cost is $25 for person and will include an appetizer buffet. Call Cindy Brengman at 425-397-7799 for information or registration.

Snohomish-based First Heritage Bank has opened its sixth branch at 13300 NE 175th St., Woodinville. The bank also has branches in Everett, Marysville, Monroe and Arlington.

Looking for a youth sports program for boys and girls ages 4 to 14 that focuses on fun, instruction in skills and sportsmanship, and will work with your family’s busy schedule? i9Sports will begin offering basketball leagues in the winter of 2008, followed by flag football leagues and special events. For more information on the i9 Sports Experience or to register for flag football, call Ron Sarrys at 425-512-9628, e-mail rsarrys@i9sports.com or go to www.i9sports.com.

Dillon Works Inc!, a Mukilteo custom design and fabrication company known for its creative efforts with clients such as Walt Disney, Microsoft, Hyatt, Turner Inc. and Nordstrom, has completed an oversized gear sculpture for the lobby of the Joule Hotel in Dallas. Dillon Works developed the design and fabricated two 12-foot diameter fully functioning gears, which serve as the lobby’s focal point.

LeTip of Marysville Morning congratulates membership chairperson Kim Adcock of GraphiXtreme Sign Co. Adcock was awarded the organization’s silver badge by Doug Elburn, LeTip’s regional director. The award represents the quantity of new members Adcock has sponsored with the LeTip organization. LeTip of Marysville Morning invites businesses looking to make connections with other businesses, meet some professionals and to increase their revenue to visit its new location for meetings: Jumbo Buffet, 319 State Ave., Marysville. The group meets at 7 a.m. Thursdays.

Macy’s Alderwood mall store, which has grown by more than 30,000 square feet, has reopened. Renovations include an updated men’s department with additional merchandise, an expanded dress department and a new Tommy Hilfiger department for women.

Honors

Robert Bunting, CPA, Moss Adams LLP partner and former chairman of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and David Walker, CPA, former comptroller general of the United States, are the 2008 recipients of the institute’s gold medal award for distinguished service. The gold medal is the highest award granted by the organization.

Ron Rice, owner of Mr. Appliance of Sno-King, was named the September 2008 franchise owner of the month by Mr. Appliance Corp., which gives the award to the franchise owner with the highest sales volume each month. Mr. Appliance of Sno-King is one of more than 140 franchises in the United States and Canada. Rice is in the running for the 2008 Mr. Appliance franchise owner of the year.

Bothell’s Philips Healthcare has received the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance “BetterBricks” award for its support, use and design of sustainable, high-performance commercial buildings with a special emphasis on energy efficiency. BetterBricks is the commercial building initiative of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, which is supported by local electric utilities. BetterBricks advocates for changes to energy-related business practices in the Northwest.

Volunteer opportunity

United Way seeks volunteers to prepare tax returns and help low-income families. Volunteers must commit to one four-hour shift per week throughout the tax season, Jan. 22 to April 15, 2009. Volunteers also must complete a two-day training covering tax law and TaxWise software. United Way also needs volunteers to serve as greeters and translators in several languages. For more information, call Lark Kesterke at 425-374-5506, e-mail lark.kesterke@uwsc.org or register at www.uwsc.org/3_1.php.

Send news and color photos to Mike Benbow, Business editor, The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206, fax to 425-339-3435 or e-mail to economy@heraldnet.com.