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| The Zonta Club of Everett presented $30,000 in funding to nine Snohomish County agencies. The selection of recipients is based on programs they have in place that are designed to improve the status of women. Those receiving funding include The Arc, the Intervention Center for Assault & Abuse, Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County, Catholic Community Services, Housing Hope, Interfaith Association, Monroe Gospel Women's Mission, Open Door Theater and Providence Hospice & Home Care Foundation. Pictured (from left) are grant recipients Dorothy Stima, Monroe Gospel Mission; Suzanne Poppema, Zonta Club of Everett service committee; Wayne Robertson, Open Door Theater; Corinna Fale, The Arc; Robin Reinig, Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County; Sally Grube, The Arc; Valerie Hickok, Catholic Community Services; Mary Ellen Wood, Interfaith; Connie Wittren, Providence Hospice & Home Care Foundation. |
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| Local Weight Watchers members celebrated the grand opening of the area’s first Weight Watchers Store on Feb. 12. The store is located at 7725 Evergreen Way, Suite 1-1, Everett. |
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Published:
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Business Briefs
Nominate executive and entrepreneur of year
EVERETT — The Snohomish County Business Journal is getting ready to make its annual selection of Executive of the Year, and this year we want to award a Snohomish County entrepreneur, too.
The deadline for nominations is 5 p.m., Friday, April 6.
Last year's Executive of the Year was Steve Klein, general manager of the Snohomish County Public Utility District.
Nominations for Executive of the Year are open to any CEO or general manager of any business or organization headquartered in Snohomish County. Entrepreneur of the Year nominees are limited to a sole proprietor whose successful business or enterprise either originated in or is based in Snohomish County.
The Business Journal staff will pick the Executive of the Year based on the strength of the nominee or number of individual nominations. The Business Journal will accept self-nominations for Entrepreneur of the Year and will pick a winner after considering the merits of each nominee.
One of the award winners will be the cover story subject for the Business Journal's May issue. Both winners will be honored at the annual meeting of Economic Alliance Snohomish County on May 2 at the Lynnwood Convention Center.
Email your nominations to economy@heraldnet.com no later than Friday, April 6.
For more information, call Jessica Slocum at 425-339-3445 or Kurt Batdorf at 425-339-3102 or email kbatdorf@scbj.com.
Announcements
Maggie Torza, owner of Miss Maggie's Desserts in Snohomish, is testing a virtual shopping cart on her website so customers can order her sweets online. She is also looking for a commercial kitchen to rent in Sultan. Torza is a member of GROW Washington, a retail outlet business incubator in Snohomish founded by Sultan Mayor Carolyn Eslick.
Solarize Stanwood/Camano has announced the selection of Whidbey Sun & Wind and Fire Mountain Solar as authorized installers. A collaborative effort of Northwest SEED (Sustainable Energy for Economic Development), the Snohomish County Public Utility District and a team of local volunteer residents, Solarize Stanwood/Camano is designed to help people use solar energy. For upcoming workshop information, go to www.solarizewa.org.
Washington Public Market offers free booth space to local produce farmers in downtown Snohomish throughout the spring, summer and fall. The outdoor spaces are available beginning April 14. For more information and an online application, go to www. washingtonpublicmarket.com.
Farmers in Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom, San Juan and Island counties are eligible to apply for federal disaster support, according to Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash. The counties are included in a list designated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as primary natural disaster areas due to agriculture losses caused by excessive rain, flooding, below-normal temperatures, high winds, frosts and freezes in 2011. Farmers who need guidance or assistance can contact their local Farm Service Agency office or call Larsen's office at 425-252-3188.
The Smith Travel Research Report for December 2011 shows Snohomish County's hotel occupancy rate on a slight upward trend. The county was up 0.4 percent in hotel occupancy over the previous year, finishing at 48.2 percent.
The Greater Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce has welcomed two more member businesses: Genesis Learning Academy, an academic and Bible-driven preschool, and Pioneer Square 76 Gas and Flirt Frozen Yogurt.
App developers, Web developers, designers, writers, photographers, videographers and other creative professionals who work with technology are invited to join a new high-tech entrepreneurs' meet-up group in Snohomish and Mill Creek. North Puget Sound Startups will meet the third Thursday night of each month. The first topic will be “Getting Your App in the Apple App Store.” To register, go to www.meetup.com/NorthPugetSoundStartups.
Snohomish County Tourism is launching two new travel guides for 2012: a spring-summer edition and a fall-winter edition. The new, larger-format guides will be distributed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and at county and state visitor information centers this year.
Fluke Calibration has introduced a new online Calibration Community. It is an information sharing platform that connects calibration and metrology professionals and experts. To join, go to community.flukecal.com.
Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler fined insurance companies, agents and brokers more than $1.3 million in 2011. Violations included wrongly denying medical claims, overcharging customers, misappropriating clients' money, charging unapproved rates and submitting false documents. Over the past 11 years, Kreidler has issued more than $13 million in fines against insurers, agents and brokers who violated the law. The agency's disciplinary orders are posted online at www.insurance.wa.gov.
Hobby Lobby, a privately held national retail chain of arts and crafts stores, celebrated the grand opening of its Everett store Feb. 27. The 55,500-square-foot facility is located in the South Point Plaza shopping center on Highway 99. This is Hobby Lobby's fourth store in Washington state. Bo Johnson is manager of the new location.
Northwest Wind & Solar has installed a 3.92-kilowatt grid-tied PV awning on the Carl Gipson Senior Center at 3025 Lombard Ave., Everett. The system, funded by a grant from the Snohomish County Public Utility District and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation through the Solar 4R Schools project, should save the city money and reduce the center's carbon footprint.
NW Plus Credit Union has celebrated the grand opening of its Stanwood branch at 9225 271 St. NW. In addition, a new full-service Marysville office has opened across from Bob's Burger and Brew at 8825 34th Ave. NE, Suite K, Tulalip. More information is available at www.nwpluscu.com.
Mountlake Terrace Mayor Jerry Smith, Mayor Pro Tem Laura Sonmore and City Manager John Caulfield recently met with members of the state's congressional delegation, including Sen. Maria Cantwell, Rep. Rick Larsen, Rep. Jay Inslee, representatives from the offices of Sen. Patty Murray and others in Washington, D.C. The city is seeking investment to create jobs and opportunities as part of its Downtown Revitalization program. More information is available at www.cityofmlt.com.
The Fluke 750 Series Documenting Process Calibrator has won the Control Engineering 2012 Engineer's Choice Award in the Handheld Test, Measurement and Calibration Hardware category. More than 100 product nominations from 62 companies were listed on the ballots for evaluation. The awards will be presented March 6 in Chicago. For more information about Fluke Process Calibration tools, go to www.fluke.com.
Boeing and Pakistan International Airlines announced a firm order for five 777-300ER (extended range) airplanes. Valued at nearly $1.5 billion, the order also includes purchase rights to Pakistan International Airlines for five additional 777-300ERs. Based in Karachi, Pakistan International Airlines has been renewing its long-haul fleet to accommodate increased demand for air travel as well as to introduce new routes.
The Snohomish County Assessor's Office announced that the average property tax decreased $105.02 countywide. The decreases in taxes were mainly because taxing districts reached the limit on their levy rate or retired bonds. County Treasurer Kirke Sievers said the Treasurer's Office began mailing tax statements Feb. 1.
According to a recent survey, Seattle business executives have indicated they are slightly optimistic about the national economy in 2012. The surveys were conducted by Washington State University School of Economic Sciences and the Seattle Business Executives Association at the end of the fourth quarter of 2011. Respondents said they expect higher employment in 2012, but also higher interests rates and inflation. In addition, they said they expect taxes to increase slightly. See complete survey results at www.impact.wsu.edu/survey/economicoutlook.html.
Fluke Networks has released version 2.0 of the software that powers its popular AirCheck Wi-Fi Tester. This makes it easier and faster for frontline technicians to troubleshoot complex wireless LAN problems. It also provides increased visibility of client devices such as laptops and printers and allows users to track them, making it easier resolve wireless connectivity problems. For more information, go to www.fluke networks.com.
The Department of Labor & Industries is accepting applications for the statewide workers' compensation medical network that will launch in 2013. Network providers will care for injured workers covered by L&I as well as by self-insured employers. Providers can apply at www.JoinTheNetwork.Lni.wa.gov. Complete information on the network and a copy of the new standards are available at www.lni.wa.gov.
Classes
The Snohomish County contracting community can find out about Washington Procurement Technical Assistance Center classes and other events in the region by going to www.washingtonptac.org. Register for classes at www.ptassist.com.
WorkSource Snohomish County and Sno-Isle Libraries will hold workshops on creating a targeted resume and mock panel interviews at libraries around the county this spring. Many companies, including the Boeing Co., use structured panel interviews in hiring. Preregistration is required. Register online at www.sno-isle.org. For Sultan workshops, call 360-793-1695.
Kudos
Snohomish County Public Utility District's Youngs Creek hydropower project has received the 2012 Hydro Project of the Year award from Renewable Energy World magazine. The PUD's Youngs Creek facility south of Sultan started operation in October. It's the first hydropower project in Washington in nearly 20 years. It has a generating capacity of 7.5 megawatts, enough to power about 2,000 homes. The facility is above a waterfall and does not affect migrating fish.
Dream Dinners of Snohomish recently won two marketing and public relations awards. The Public Relations Society of America's Puget Sound chapter awarded Dream Dinners the top honor for public relations special event in seven days, for its 2011 “Supper Bowl” in Dallas, which involved a partnership with the NFL wives club Off the Field. Dream Dinners also won honors for marketing communications in the category of consumer products, non-packaged goods, for a campaign promoting the book, “The Hour That Matters Most: Creating a Movement in America.”
Cascade Companion Care of Arlington has announced that it has been recognized with Home Care Pulse's Best of Home Care distinction. The award identifies those agencies in private duty home care that demonstrated a passion for client and employee satisfaction. Founded in 2010, Cascade Companion Care allows elderly clients to maintain as much independence as possible through personalized home care services.
Through an innovative approach to recycling, food donations and composting, four Albertsons stores in the greater Seattle area have achieved a significant waste reduction milestone. The stores located in Mountlake Terrace, Kirkland/Juanita, Milton and Woodinville join a handful of others nationwide to achieve a total waste diversion rate of more than 90 percent. As a result, these four stores have combined to divert a total of 2.6 million pounds of waste annually from landfills.
Local business owner Rani Bal recently celebrated the third anniversary of her Signs Now center at 18002 Bothell-Everett Highway, Suite 6, Mill Creek. As part of the company's three-year anniversary celebration, the team at Signs Now Mill Creek ran a social media campaign and have hit 3,000 fans on Facebook. For more information, call 425-481-4900, e-mail lobby@signsnowmillcreek.com or go to www.SignsNowMillCreek.com.
The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Tour enjoyed a record year in 2011. The attraction welcomed 207,020 visitors from around the world, a 10.6 percent increase in attendance over 2010. It also generated a 28 percent increase in revenues. Gross revenues have exceeded the original business plan by $426,000.
Washington successfully executed the country's largest tax-exempt competitive bond sale since the economic collapse in 2008. The $978 million bond sale marked the state's largest refunding in history. Savings exceeded $154 million, a major milestone for Washington taxpayers. State Treasurer James McIntire hailed the savings.
Good deeds
Windermere Property Management/Lori Gill & Associates helped celebrate the holiday season by donating $9,400 to local service organizations via the Windermere Foundation. Recipients included Sultan Boys & Girls Club. The office is currently holding a clothing and household goods drive to benefit the Northwest Center.
Dr. Ardi Pribadi and the team at Autumnwood Dental in Arlington celebrated National Give Kids a Smile Day by offering free dental care to more than 20 under-served children from the area. They hope to raise awareness for National Children's Dental Health Month, which is sponsored by the American Dental Association.
AAA Washington's Soap for Hope donation drive recently collected and distributed a record number of toiletry items for charitable organizations throughout Washington and northern Idaho. The Everett, Lynnwood and Mill Creek AAA offices collected more than 16,000 items. All items collected at the Everett, Lynnwood and Mill Creek offices were donated locally to Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County.
Shipping
Port of Everett shipping schedule: This schedule is tentative and subject to change. March 2, Bright Stream, ECL; March 3, Alam Sakti, Talon Shipping; March 6, Westwood Victoria, Westwood; March 10, Thor Leader, PNW Ship; March 13, Westwood Pacific, Westwood; March 18, Muntgracht, Inchcape; March 20, Westwood Columbia, Westwood; March 27, Westwood Cascade, Westwood
Ship port calls 2012 YTD: 9
Barge port calls 2012 YTD: 8
Total ship port calls 2011: 100
Total barge port calls 2011: 56
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