Business Briefs

Nominate business leaders for HBJ awards

EVERETT — The Herald Business Journal is accepting nominations for its annual Executive of the Year and Entrepreneur of the Year awards to be given in May.

Last year’s Executive of the Year was Mark Duffy, CEO of Mountain Pacific Bank in Everett. In its first year, the Entrepreneur of the Year award went to Tall Taurus Media founder and principal Jonathan Holbrook, also of Everett.

Submit your nominations using links at www.TheHeraldBusinessJournal.com by April 5. All you need to do is click each button and offer your name and contact information with a brief explanation of who you’re nominating and why your nominee deserves the award. All submitted information will remain confidential. And please: Only one vote per nominee.

We’ll tally the results in early April and feature the winners as our May and June cover stories. We’ll present the awards in conjunction with Economic Alliance Snohomish County’s annual meeting in May.

Announcements

MUKILTEO — The Future of Flight Aviation Center &Boeing Tour welcomed 225,728 visitors in 2012, which is a 9 percent increase in gate attendance over 2011. There also was a 16 percent increase in gross revenue. The facility’s operational expenses were well under budget, the center said in a news release.

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — More than 150 people were present for the ribbon cutting at the new Gene Juarez Academy and Salon at Gateway Place in Mountlake Terrace on Jan. 30. It officially opened on Jan. 24 and is taking appointments from the public. It has a capacity of 300 students.

EDMONDS — The Edmonds Chamber of Commerce recently created a Young Professional Network to better serve young professionals in the community. The group meets monthly to network and meets quarterly to give back to the community.

EVERETT — After a review of the Port of Everett’s finances, Standard &Poor’s has affirmed the port’s bond rating of A-.

EVERETT — Brien Ford is among the newest group of local Ford dealers certified to sell electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. In Snohomish County, other EV-certified dealers include Harris Ford in Lynnwood and Bickford Ford in Snohomish.

TULALIP — Tulalip Resort Casino and Spa will soon offer new dining options. Over the next 18 months, the property will roll out an Asian restaurant, a sports bar, a lobby bar and a new steakhouse menu at Tulalip Bay restaurant.

SNOHOMISH — Approximately 48 Ford dealers in Washington state, including Bickford Ford in Snohomish, have participated in Ford’s national Core Recovery Program, which recycles or remanufactures damaged vehicle parts. The program has kept 120 million pounds of parts out of landfills since 2003. Once collected, each part is evaluated for recycling or remanufacturing potential.

EVERETT — ULTA Beauty celebrated the grand opening of its newest store Feb. 1 at the Everett Mall. ULTA Beauty carries more than 20,000 beauty products, 4,000 testers, 350 fragrances and more than 1,000 scents. The new 10,000-square-foot store includes a full-service salon.

MARYSVILLE — Greenpoint Products and Services, a manufacturer of aircraft interiors and components in Marysville, has added a five-axis CNC router and expanded manufacturing capability. The company plans to deliver the fourth Boeing Business Jet 747-8 Aeroloft kit in May and will deliver various components for a BBJ 747-8 through 2014.

BOTHELL — Seattle’s Jones Lang LaSalle has arranged the sale of Canyon Park Highlands II and III, a pair of life-science research buildings in Bothell’s Canyon Park. The buyer is Senior Housing Properties Trust, a Massachusetts-based health care real estate investment trust that paid $38 million, or $262 per square foot for the properties.

OAK HARBOR — Washington Banking Co., the holding company for Whidbey Island Bank, announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.15 per common share to shareholders of record on Feb. 11, payable on Feb. 26. The bank also reported that 2012 earnings increased 13 percent to $16.8 million, compared to $14.9 million in 2011, which included $1.1 million for its final preferred dividend payment.

OLYMPIA — Secretary of State Kim Wyman reminds businesses to look carefully at corporation and limited liability company filing documents, which are processed through the agency’s Corporations and Charities Division. Failure to file an annual report could create challenges for corporations and LLCs, including difficulty obtaining or renewing licenses. More information is at www.sos.wa.gov/corps.

OLYMPIA — The state insurance commissioner’s office, which regulates the insurance industry, has launched a new website for consumers and industry professionals at www.insurance.wa.gov.

OLYMPIA — The state Department of Financial Institutions is expanding the pilot program of the Investor Education in Your Workplace program. The 10-week program runs from May to August. Participation will be on a first-come basis. For information, call 360-902-8731.

OLYMPIA — A new free Android mobile app developed by the Washington State Department of Revenue enables businesses to quickly look up sales and use tax rates for any Washington location. The Android version follows an earlier iPhone version and is now available at the Google Play Store.

SEATTLE — Sound Transit set all-time annual ridership records in 2012 for boardings on commuter trains, buses and light rail. There were an estimated 28 million boardings last year. Average weekday boardings topped 93,000 for the year. The combined annual numbers were up almost 12 percent over 2011.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Small Business Administration has launched a new web page and blog dedicated to educating small business owners about the Affordable Care Act. The new web page, at www.sba.gov/healthcare, breaks down the key provisions of the act based on business size. It also provides links to other useful information for small businesses.

WASHINGTON — The IRS has added Tumblr to its list of social media platforms it is using to share IRS news and information. Tumblr is a micro-blogging site where users can access and share text, photos, videos and other information from their browser, smartphone, tablet or desktop. For more information on IRS’s use of social media, go to IRS.gov/socialmedia.

Kudos

EVERETT — The Snohomish County Sports Commission has been named a recipient of the 2013 Readers’ Choice Award for the second consecutive year by SportsEvents Media Group, an industry publication focused on helping sports event planners.

EVERETT — Aviation Technical Services has received a 2012 Boeing Performance Excellence Award for work performed by its Component Services business unit in Everett.

MARYSVILLE — John McKeon, CEO of McKeon Financial, has earned the No. 35 spot on the top-producers list, based on the highest levels of production, with his broker-dealer Independent Financial Group. IFG is based in San Diego and has approximately 500 representatives. McKeon has made the list four years running.

EVERETT — The National Catholic Educational Association has named Everett resident Millie Dooris Judge the 2013 Catholic Elementary School Distinguished Graduate for outstanding personal and professional achievements. Judge was recently elected to the Superior Court of Snohomish County. She previously served as an administrative law judge for the Office of the Snohomish County Hearing Examiner.

GRANITE FALLS — Thirty-three Granite Falls High School students attended the Future Business Leaders of America Regional Competition in Stanwood on Feb. 10. Of those, 22 have advanced to the state FBLA competition in Spokane. The competition includes tests and presentations for verbal and academic skills.

SNOHOMISH — The National Art Education Association has named Deborah Barten of Snohomish to receive the 2013 Pacific Region Art Educator of the year Award and the 2013 Washington Art Educator of the Year Award. The awards are determined through a peer review of nominations and will be presented at the NAEA National Convention in Fort Worth, Texas, in March.

MARYSVILLE — School for the Entrepreneur student Brendon Krall, 18, of Marysville has been honored for his exemplary volunteer service with a state-level Certificate of Excellence from The 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. Krall was nominated for this award by the staff of School for the Entrepreneur in Marysville.

Good deeds

EVERETT — February marked the 37th anniversary of Klein Honda, the oldest family owned and operated Honda dealership in the Seattle metro area. To mark the milestone, Klein Honda donated $100 for every vehicle sold in February to the Snohomish County chapter of the American Red Cross. Proceeds from the dealership’s annual charity golf tournament also benefit the organization.

LYNNWOOD — Harris Ford Lincoln and the Mountlake Terrace High School Sports Booster Club recently helped raise $2,450 for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle through Ford Motor Company’s Drive 4 UR Community program. Ford and Harris Ford Lincoln donated $20 for every new Ford and Lincoln vehicle test-driven at the school.

ARLINGTON — The Arlington Community Food Bank has been awarded $2,247 from auto recycler Arlington Pick-n-Pull. Sue Keezer, president of the food bank, said many local residents will receive nutritious meals thanks to the Pick-n-Pull associates.

MILL CREEK — The Mill Creek City Council thanks Waste Management for a generous donation in support of the city’s free community events. Waste Management representatives Will Ibershof and Jeff McMahon presented the City Council with a $10,000 check during its meeting Feb. 12.

EVERETT — On Feb. 8, Everett dentist Colleen Tracy and her staff presented 52 pounds of food and a check for $800 to the Volunteers of America Everett Food Bank. Dr. Tracy offered patients a dental cleaning for $50 and in turn donated $100 to the food bank. She also collected food donations from patients and staff.

MUKILTEO — Seattle Children’s Hospital is joining forces with eight Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurants for the third annual March Month of Giving fundraising campaign. In Snohomish County, the Mukilteo and Lynnwood restaurants are participating. The campaign will culminate on March 27 with participating Jersey Mike’s restaurants donating 100 percent of the day’s sales to the Seattle Children’s.

Shipping schedule

Port of Everett shipping schedule as of Feb. 25. The schedule is tentative and subject to change. Long term includes regularly scheduled vessels only.

Feb. 25: Westwood Cascade, Westwood

Feb. 27: Ocean Lohas, ECL

Feb. 28 Reina Rosa, ECL

March 5: Westwood Olympia, Westwood

March 10: Ken Mei, Formark

March 12: Sicilia, Westwood

March 19: Westwood Rainier, Westwood

March 20: Grand Race, EUKOR/Fesco

March 22: Ocean Seagull, ECL

March 26: Westwood Pacific, Westwood

Ship port calls 2013 YTD: 11

Barge port calls 2013 TYD: 9