Business FYI

Published 8:01 pm Friday, October 26, 2007

People

Ted Quiray and Ron Claessen have joined 1st Security Bank of Washington. Quiray is assistant vice president of commercial lending. Claessen is vice president of commercial lending. They are based in the bank’s Mountlake Terrace headquarters.

Troy Longwith has joined Tulalip Resort Casino as its director of sales. Most recently Longwith was vice president of Conference Direct on the Microsoft campus in Redmond. His experience includes hotel management and sales.

Amy Schei, who is the activities director at Merrill Gardens of Stanwood, has received the retirement center company’s top regional award for activities directors. Competing for the award were directors from 10 other Merrill Garden centers.

Scot Simpson of Edmonds has finished his latest book, “The Complete Book of Framing,” which is available at Home Depot. Framing is the trade name for rough carpentry. Simpson’s books have been translated for distribution worldwide. He is a carpentry contractor and teacher.

Lois Ruskell of the Snohomish Conservation District recently received the Northwest regional Employee of the Year award from the Washington State Conservation Commission. Ruskell was recognized for her work as acting manager for Whidbey Island Conservation District as well as her work helping landowners with conservation projects.

Cameron Turner, 17, of Everett recently competed in the Washington Food Industry Association’s best grocery bagger contest. A high school senior, Cameron has been bagging groceries for two years at the TOP Food &Drug store in Snohomish. He credits his experience growing up in his family’s small grocery store as the reason for his talent.

Ann Anderst has resigned as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County. She plans to pursue opportunities in local and international philanthropic activities. Anderst previously served the YMCA of Snohomish County as director of financial development.

Naveen Juvva is the new operations manager for the transportation planning team at Perteet. Juvva specializes in traffic operations models. Headquartered in Everett, Perteet provides a variety of design and construction administration services.

Robin Carmichael has been appointed vice president of marketing and business development at the biopharmaceutical company Helix BioMedix, Inc., in Bothell. Carmichael most recently worked as the chief operating officer of DERMAdoctor, Inc. She earned her nursing degree from Seattle University.

Krista Geiger is the new mortgage loan officer for Horizon Bank’s Edmonds and Lynnwood offices. She is a former branch manager.

Business news

Lake Stevens Haggen Food &Pharmacy has been honored as the second-ranking of 15 Haggen stores in Washington and Oregon. Located at 8915 Market Place NE, the store was recognized for its customer relations and community involvement. In addition, Susan Taylor was named Market Street manager of the year for the company. Brenda Stadin of the Stanwood Haggen store was named seafood manager of the year.

Sonitrol Pacific, a security systems provider, celebrated its 30th anniversary recently with the grand opening of a technologically advanced security monitoring center in Everett. The event featured tours of the facility. For information, go to www.sonitrolpacific.com.

Nick-N-Willy’s Pizza has opened at 13416 Bothell-Everett Highway No. 202 in Mill Creek. Another franchise is planned for Snohomish.

Country Insurance and Financial Services agent William Waterworth of Silvana is now qualified to offer clients expanded financial planning and investment management services. Waterworth serves clients at 16710 Smokey Point Blvd., Suite 200, Arlington. Call 360-651-7821.

North River Marine Store, 15202 Smokey Point Blvd., Marysville, celebrates its grand opening Nov. 10. Event seminar topics include winter blackmouth fishing at 11 a.m. and winter steelhead fishing at 12:30 p.m. Call 360-657-7380.

Events

A career fair hosted by ITT Technical Institute is set for 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the Everett ITT campus, 1615 75th St. SW, Everett. The fair seeks to give employers an opportunity to reach out to current college students to fill their staffing needs. Students can meet local employers, learn more about career opportunities and update knowledge of the current job market. ITT expects about 45 employers representing more than 25 companies this year.

South Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce orientation, 3:30 p.m. Nov. 13, chamber board room, 3815 196th St. SW, suite 136, Lynnwood. The chamber’s Legislative Reception, 5:30 p.m. Nov. 14, Embassy Suites North, 20610 44th Ave. W. Lynnwood, is a chance for legislators to talk about issues for the 2008 state legislative session.

Howard Lincoln, Seattle Mariners chairman and chief executive officer, is the keynote speaker at the Western Washington University Bellingham Business Forum set for 11:30 a.m. Nov. 6 at the Hotel Bellwether ballroom in Bellingham. Call 360-650-6825.

From Soils to Sales, fourth annual Focus on Farming conference, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 29, Lynnwood Convention Center. Speakers include county Executive Aaron Reardon, Rep. Rick Larsen, Washington State University’s Chad Kruger and Fred Kirchenmann from Iowa State University’s Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Cost is $30 prior to Nov. 15, includes lunch and wine and cheese tasting. Go to www.focusonfarming.org.

Meetings

Snohomish County Human Resources Association meets at 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Nov. 8 at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center, 3105 Pine St., Everett. Duane Schireman, director of human resources for the 787 program at the Boeing Co., is the speaker. Reservations can be made by calling Chris Buetow at 425-407-4042.

National Active and Retired Federal Employees Chapter 193 meets at 11:30 a.m. the third Wednesday of each month in the conference room of Evergreen Lanes, 5111 Claremont Way, Everett. A health fair is scheduled for the Nov. 21 meeting.

Classes

The construction management program at Edmonds Community College was recently accredited by the American Council for Construction Education. It is now one of eight similarly accredited associate degree programs in the United States and Canada. The program serves 200 students each quarter. For more information, call 425-640-1026 or e-mail const@edcc.edu.

Construction Industry Training Council’s state-approved electrical continuing education classes, basic classroom electrical training and plumbing continuing education classes have been scheduled in Everett in November and December. Register online at www.citcwa.org or call 425-454-2482.

Moss Adams offers free seminars for manufacturing companies and construction contractors on Nov. 1 at the Lynnwood Convention Center. Financial and tax challenges for manufacturers is 7:30 a.m. to noon and the session for contractors is set for 1 to 5 p.m. Register by Oct. 29 at www.mossadams.com/events.

Edward Jones financial adviser Gregory Jensen of Marysville plans to host a free satellite broadcast, “Create a Legacy for Future Generations,” at 3 p.m. Nov. 13 at his office, 9925 State Ave., Suite D, Marysville. Wills, trusts and planned giving, along with a presentation by Creative Memories representative Rhona Anderson are planned. To reserve a seat, call 360-658-1981.

Lender training seminar, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 19, Trade Development Alliance of Greater Seattle, Rainier Tower, 1301 Fifth Ave., Suite 2500, Seattle. To register, go online to www.exim.gov.

ITT Technical Institute plans an open house, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at its Everett campus, 1615 75th St. SW. ITT instructors will be on hand to offer information about the associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs. Campus tours, food, and refreshments are planned. The Everett ITT Technical Institute offers educational programs in electronics engineering technology, computer drafting and design, computer network systems, information security systems, business administration, digital gaming design, multimedia and criminal justice.

First Heritage Bank is sponsoring a free Small Business Administration loan seminar conducted by Christine Heckert, vice president and head of First Heritage Bank’s small business loan department. The seminar is set for 7 p.m. Nov. 8 at 1810 Everett Ave., Everett. The seminar also includes information on other free business counseling services. Reserve a place by calling 360-568-0536.

Move

The corporate headquarters for the Snohomish County Explosion basketball team has moved to 333 W. Main St., Monroe. The team plans to play in Monroe next season after playing its first season in Everett. In addition to the team’s headquarters, the location will also feature a team store.

News notes

A new guide to meeting and event facilities has been released by the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau. The 67-page manual features detailed descriptions and photos for nearly 50 of the event facilities and hotels in Snohomish County. A free copy of the guide can be ordered by calling 888-338-0976, ext. 12, e-mailing tracy@snohomish.org or online at www.snohomish.org.

Taxable retail sales increased 7.9 percent to $29.8 billion during the second quarter of 2007, according to the state Department of Revenue. Retail trade was up 4.5 percent over the second quarter of 2006 to $12.8 billion, which does not include construction. Among major industries, construction was up 13.9 percent to $6.1 billion, new and used auto sales increased 3.8 percent to $2.6 billion and food service sales rose 8.2 percent to $2.2 billion.

The state’s minimum wage is set to increase 14 cents to $8.07 an hour beginning Jan. 1. The state Department of Labor and Industries recalculates the wage each September as required by an initiative passed by voters nine years ago. The initiative requires the state to adjust the minimum wage based on the federal Consumer Price Index, a national index covering the cost of goods and services needed for day-to-day living. That index rose 1.8 percent during the 12 months ending Aug. 31. The increase applies to agricultural jobs as well. For more information, go to wages.lni.wa.gov.

Good deeds

Many downtown Everett merchants plan to participate in Halloween by handing out trick-or-treat candy at their businesses before dusk. A costume contest for kids is set for 6 p.m. Wednesday at Zippy’s Java Lounge, 1804 Hewitt Ave., Everett.

Corporate sponsors of the recent CityServe community service event by Youth for Christ of Snohomish County included Alfy’s Pizza, Bickford Ford, Dunn Lumber, Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital, the Natan Foundation, Clark Nuber, WMS Financial, Hometown Lending, McDaniel’s Do-It Center and Builder’s Investment Group.

SnoCope recently participated in the Credit Union Statewide Shred Day. Developed by the Washington Credit Union League, the event’s goal is to help curb identity theft. SnoCope got help from a donated shred truck from Data Base.

Orthodontist Dr. Jason Bourne is continuing his campaign to buy back Halloween candy from trick-or-treaters. With every pound of candy brought to one of his offices, Bourne donates $2 to the Lake Stevens and Marysville Boys &Girls Clubs and gives $2 to the donating child. Last year, Bourne Orthodontics collected more than 250 pounds of candy, which was sent to troops serving in Iraq. For more information on when and where to turn over the candy, call 360-659-0211 or 425-334-4053.

United Way of Snohomish County is seeking volunteers now to help prepare income taxes at a free tax preparation and e-filing site during the upcoming tax season. A few hours of your volunteer time can mean literally thousands of dollars to a working, low-income family through tax credits they have earned and by saving fees charged by commercial tax preparers. Volunteers are asked to commit to one shift a week during the tax season, mid-January to mid-April. They will be trained and certified by the IRS on tax preparation and software. Knowledge of tax law is helpful, but not necessary. Volunteers who speak a foreign language are especially needed. Hours are flexible, with weekdays, weeknights and weekends available. Volunteers are needed now for training classes in November. For more information or to volunteer, call United Way at 425-374-5506 or e-mail lark.kesterke@uwsc.org.

Advance tickets are still available for Gusto!, a celebration of Northwest wine and cuisine 6 to 10 p.m. Friday at the Hansen Conference Center at the Everett events center. The event benefits the Everett Community College Foundation and features wine from more than 60 Northwest wineries and food from 20 local restaurants. This year, Gusto! will also include samples from Northwest microbreweries. For more information, call 425-388-9535 or go to www.everettcc.edu/gusto. Buy tickets online at www.comcastarenaeverett.com. Among the participating businesses are Edmonds Winery, Griffins Crossing of Lake Stevens, Sky River Meadery of Sultan, Whidbey Island Vineyards of Langley, XS Vinters of Everett, Ellersick Brewing of Lynnwood, Diamond Knot Brewing of Mukilteo, Lazy Boy Brewing of Everett, Skagit River Brewery of Mount Vernon, Lombardi’s of Everett, The Flying Pig of Everett, Ivar’s Mukilteo Landing, John’s Grill of Mukilteo, Bucks American Cafe of Everett, Great Harvest Bread of Everett, Smashed Tomatoes Italian Restaurant of Everett, and Sockeye’s Restaurant and Bar of Monroe.

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