Personnel changes at The Herald
EVERETT — The Herald has shuffled some staff members to handle growing demands with digital media.
Kate McCullough, 35, has worked at The Herald for 12 years. She started as a receptionist and worked her way up through several positions in the classified ad department, where she became manager. She will fill the new position of digital media manager. In her new job, McCullough will help Herald advertisers strategically use the Web while working with The Herald’s ad staff on advertising campaigns.
Cameron Fay, 27, has been hired into the new position of digital marketing manager for The Herald. She’ll coordinate marketing and social media efforts for advertisers using print, online and The Herald’s Daily Deal. Fay comes to The Herald after handling communications and public relations for the Snohomish County-Camano Association of Realtors.
Karen Ziemer, 34, moves into The Herald’s real estate classifieds position that Snohomish County Business Journal general sales manager held before her promotion in April. Ziemer worked at The Herald in private party and employment classifieds for five years before leaving The Herald two years to work at the Statesman-Journal in Salem, Ore., and then at Trader Media in Everett.
Frontier names senior VP-GM for Washington
EVERETT — Frontier Communications has hired Richard Klena as the new senior vice president and general manager for Washington, responsible for managing the customer experience for more than 500,000 business and residential customers.
He will lead more than 1,100 employees in operations, engineering, sales and customer service who are responsible for growing high-speed internet, voice and video subscribers.
Prior to joining Frontier on June 1, Klena served as chairman and co-founder of Microdiffusion. He specialized in new technology in nano-imprint lithography for LEDs and nano-diffusion of gas liquid particles. Klena has 15 years of telecommunications industry experience with GTE, including serving business customers in Washington as area manager in the early 1990s.
Union Bank hires new priority banker in Everett
EVERETT — Union Bank announced that Alison Coacher is senior priority banking relationship manager at the downtown Everett Branch at 2831 Colby Ave.
Priority bankers help address their clients’ personal and business needs with unique insight and solutions from Union Bank’s banking, lending, investing and retirement teams. Clients and their personal banker work together to create strategies that can help attain personal and business goals.
Coastal Community Bank names Starup VP
EVERETT — Coastal Community Bank has announced the addition of Greg Starup in the commercial banking group as vice president and senior relationship manager. He will work primarily with clients in the Skykomish Valley area, including Monroe, Sultan, Snohomish and Everett.
Starup developed a strong small-business lending expertise while working with several local community banks over more than 25 years. Most recently, he was manager of the successful Small Business Administration lending program at First Heritage Bank.
Eric Sprink, president and CEO of Coastal Community Bank, noted that the addition Starup is part of a more extensive strategy to broaden and expand Coastal’s market share.
Coastal Community Bank is based in Everett with eight branches in Island and Snohomish County.
New catering director at Conference Center
EVERETT — Global Spectrum, the management company for the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center, has hired Sarah Eskenazi as director of catering for Centerplate. Eskenazi fills a new role designed to enhance service for conference center clients.
Eskenazi has an extensive history in the food and beverage industry, including catering and management roles at Ray’s Boathouse, Rosario Resort and Spa, Panera Bread and the Seattle Art Museum. Her principal roles at the conference center will include coordination of all catered functions.
Raised on Whidbey Island, Eskenazi brings strong relationships from throughout the north Puget Sound area to the position.
HomeStreet Bank adds four new employees
HomeStreet Bank’s new home loan center in Lynnwood is now open for business at 19405 44th Ave. W.
Veteran loan officer Frank Borg, who is new to HomeStreet, will manage the center.
Mike Derr has joined HomeStreet as a residential loan officer in the Lynnwood location.
Gayle Woodruff, senior markets specialist, has also joined HomeStreet and will work out of the Lynnwood location to offer reverse mortgages to senior homeowners.
Samantha Gassaway has joined HomeStreet Bank’s Marysville home loan center at 1238 State Ave. as a loan officer. Gassaway was born and raised in Marysville and lives there today. She graduated from Marysville-Pilchuck High School in 2007. She attended the University of Washington, graduating with a bachelor of science in applied computational mathematical sciences in mathematical economics and a bachelor of science in economics.
New Coast broker handles north county multifamily unit sales
EVERETT — Coast | Sperry Van Ness of Everett has hired Willis Cole to join their commercial real estate firm as a broker specializing in multifamily sales between five and 25 units in north Snohomish County.
Arlington Physical Therapy hires assistant
ARLINGTON — Barak Pearson has joined Arlington Physical Therapy and Integrated Rehabilitation Group as a physical therapy assistant.
Pearson graduated magnum cum laude from Baker College in Flint, Mich., in 1998. He has been working in the physical therapy field since then, assisting individuals with orthopedic and chronic pain rehabilitation in a variety of settings.
He specializes in thoracic spine and rib dysfunction, craniosacral therapy, rehabilitation of foot and ankle injuries, running form and treatment of running injuries, and lower extremity amputation and prosthesis rehabilitation.
NW Plus Credit Union scholarship winners
EVERETT — NW Plus Credit Union has named the winners of its 2011-12 Scholarships. Each one received $1,000. The winners are Natalie Spencer, Jacob Schmitt, Jeff Su, Katy Stevick, Ashley Weyers and Maranda Hansen.
NW Plus Credit Union’s scholarship program was established in 1993 and is open to members of the credit union.
Association of Washington Business honors Sen. Hobbs
OLYMPIA — Sen. Steve Hobbs, D-Lake Stevens, became just the third Democrat since 1995 to receive the Matson Award, a recognition given to the legislator of the year by the Association of Washington Business.
Hobbs, who received the award along with Sen. Janéa Holmquist Newbry, R-Moses Lake, earned this recognition for his work on workers’ compensation reform and various tax issues, according to a statement from AWB President Don Brunell.
Named after the late Sen. Jim Matson, a veteran state legislator and AWB member, the award honors lawmakers who support issues that are critical to Washington state employers and competitiveness. The award is voted on by AWB members who serve on its Governmental Affairs Council.
“This award is indicative of a session highlighted, for the first time, by the bipartisan approach we took toward writing a responsible and sustainable budget,” Hobbs said.
Rep. Smith named to legislative committee
OLYMPIA — Rep. Norma Smith, R-Clinton, will have a chance to broaden her work on creating job opportunities for Washingtonians with her recent appointment to the Legislative Committee on Economic Development and International Relations.
“I am excited about this appointment,” she said. “Outside of my life in politics, I have valuable experience in the private sector that I bring to this committee. As ranking member of the committee in the House responsible for economic development, I hear firsthand the challenges and opportunities faced by employers and entrepreneurs in our state. The work on LCEDIR should be focused on the impediments that stall economic recovery and growth.”
The committee studies and reviews economic development issues with an emphasis on international trade, tourism, investment and industrial development. It also assists the Legislature in developing comprehensive economic development policy.
The committee may also find more on its plate this year than in the past. This year, the Legislature eliminated funding for the tourism division in the state Department of Commerce. Smith did not support the decision, but she is committed to being part of a solution.
Rep. Bailey to chair pension policy group
Rep. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, was elected chair of the Select Committee on Pension Policy in Olympia by her legislative colleagues. The 10th District lawmaker will serve as chair for one year.
“I’m excited about leading this committee and appreciate the confidence my colleagues have shown in me as we look for solutions to reform and strengthen our state pension system,” said Bailey, assistant ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee.
The Select Committee on Pension Policy studies issues and policies affecting the state’s public employee retirement systems and makes recommendations to the Legislature regarding changes. Specific areas of interest include benefits design, retirement eligibility requirements and pension funding methods.
Bailey was the prime sponsor of pension reform legislation this year that was necessary to implement the operating budget. House Bill 1981, signed into law June 15, closes the retire-rehire loophole in the state pension system and will save about $60 million in the 2011-13 operating budget cycle that began July 1.
CFO Selections heads to north Puget Sound
BELLEVUE — In order to meet increased demand for its interim financial executive services in the North Puget Sound/Snohomish County area, CFO Selections has added Dan Mattson, CPA, as an associate in its professional services practice.
“We are finding that our model of offering companies just enough senior financial talent is increasingly attractive in the current economy when so many are struggling,” said Tom Varga, managing partner of CFO Selections.
Mattson has more than 30 years of experience in the contracting, construction, financial management and information technology industries. He has worked in both public and private accounting, and has started and managed his own businesses.
From SCBJ staff reports
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