Business Briefs

Business Journal seeks nominees for 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 at Economic Alliance Snohomish County’s annual meeting May 23 at the Lynnwood Convention Center.

Submit nominations with the buttons on The Business Journal’s home page at www.TheHeraldBusinessJournal.com by email to businessnews@heraldnet.com. Include your name, who you’re nominating and why you believe your nominee deserves the award. The Business Journal will accept votes until 5 p.m. April 12 and will tabulate results at that time. Only one vote per person per nominee will be counted. The information you submit will not be shared with third parties.

The winner of the Executive of the Year award will be the cover story in the May issue. The Entrepreneur of the Year winner will be featured on the June cover.

Intermec stockholders OK Honeywell merger

EVERETT — Intermec Inc. stockholders voted overwhelmingly March 19 to approve a previously announced merger between Intermec, Honeywell International Inc. and Hawkeye Merger Sub Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell.

About 99 percent of Intermec’s shares voted at the special meeting of Intermec’s stockholders, representing approximately 79 percent of Intermec’s outstanding shares of common stock at the close of business on Jan. 25, where stockholders in a special meeting voted for the merger agreement.

Intermec Inc. and Honeywell International Inc. each received a request March 11 for additional information from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as part of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. The effect of the FTC’s “second request” is to extend the waiting period imposed by the HSR Act until 30 days after Intermec and Honeywell have substantially complied with the second request. Intermec continues to expect that the transaction will close by the end of the second quarter of 2013.

Klein Honda sales net $16,900 for Red Cross

EVERETT — After a fundraising initiative in honor of its 37th anniversary, Klein Honda raised $16,900 for the Snohomish County Chapter of the American Red Cross in February, when the dealership donated $100 to the organization for every vehicle it sold that month. Klein Honda initially set a fundraising goal of $15,000.

The Snohomish County Chapter of the Red Cross provided citizen CPR and automated external defibrillator training for more than half of Klein Honda’s employees throughout February.

For the past three years, Klein Honda has donated all proceeds from its annual charity golf tournament to the local Red Cross chapter.

Over the years, Klein Honda has also donated to other nonprofit organizations, including Providence Regional Medical Center, Boys &Girls Club, United Way, YMCA and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Community Transit plans to boost ridership

EVERETT — The Community Transit Board of Directors approved a new six-year Transit Development Plan on March 7 that forecasts modest revenue growth and no substantial service increases. The plan also sets forth a goal for the agency to increase ridership by 30 percent to 12 million riders a year by 2017. The plan is available online at www.communitytransit.org/futureplans.

“There is high demand for transit service in Snohomish County,” Community Transit CEO Joyce Eleanor said in a news release. “Limited resources have kept us from putting more service on the road, but we can continue to be smart about when and where we place our buses so that more customers can use them.”

Between 2010 and 2012, Community Transit cut 37 percent of its bus service as it saw sales tax revenues plummet from the recession. Average weekday ridership fell 6 percent after the cuts. Monthly ridership is down 14 percent when figuring in weekends as the agency significantly reduced Saturday service and no longer runs on Sundays.

Despite the cuts, boardings per hour on the remaining service have surged. Local bus service within Snohomish County is up 31 percent. Swift bus rapid transit service along Highway 99 between Everett and Shoreline rose 59 percent. Commuter service to Seattle and the University of Washington is up 70 percent.

Swift has become the agency’s highest ridership route, frequently drawing more than 100,000 riders a month. In 2012, one of every seven Community Transit passengers rode a Swift bus.

After its recent service cuts, Community Transit operates the same number of service hours as it did in 2000 when ridership was 7.2 million boardings. In 2012, ridership hit 9.1 million boardings.

The introduction of 23 Double Tall buses to Seattle commuter service in 2011 has increased productivity. The double-deckers replaced 60-foot articulated buses, but added 30 percent passenger capacity at roughly the same operating cost. It is not unusual for more than 100 passengers to fill a Double Tall on evening trips.

Community Transit submitted a state Regional Mobility Grant request to buy 17 more Double Tall buses but funding hinges on the Legislature. If approved, Community Transit will be able to use state dollars to match federal formula funding to buy new double deckers at no cost to the agency and provide more capacity on its busy Seattle routes.

Announcements

EVERETT — Economic Alliance Snohomish County will give two community awards at its annual membership meeting May 23 at the Lynnwood Convention Center. Nominations are now being accepted for the Henry M. Jackson Citizen of the Year and the John M. Fluke Sr. Service awards. Nominations are due by March 29. For information or to submit a nomination, go to www.economicalliancesc.org.

EVERETT — Everett Community College’s Computer Information Systems Department is looking for organizations that need an IT intern. Internships are from 60 to 250 hours and give students a chance to apply academic experience to a real-world project. For information, contact Greg Jackson at gjackson@everettcc.edu or 425-388-9983.

SULTAN — The new location for GROW Washington’s Sultan Store opened on March 2 at 403 Main St. The new storefront was previously the Dutch Cup Restaurant. GROW Washington is a nonprofit corporation formed in 2010 to provide training, access to capital and access to markets to product-based entrepreneurs in small cities and rural business communities throughout Washington.

LYNNWOOD — Home &About Home Care and CareGiver Technical have moved to a new location at 15121 Highway 99, Lynnwood. The former Penguin Window space has had a makeover. Both companies were developed by Sandy Peterson and have been helping clients in the area since 1999.

EVERETT — The YMCA of Snohomish County is launching its annual campaign. Financial gifts to the YMCA will help programs and services that support youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. Donate online at ymca-snoco.org/donate.

EVERETT — Pacific Power Batteries now offers reconditioned Zombie batteries as an alternative to new batteries for their customers. Zombie batteries come with a 90-day warranty and sell for about half the price of new batteries. Pacific Power Batteries stores are located in Everett, Marysville, Monroe, Mount Vernon, Bellingham and Wenatchee.

EVERETT — Snohomish County’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is seeking new volunteer ombudsmen to serve vulnerable adults living throughout the county. Volunteers receive four days of initial training. They are asked to volunteer four hours a week, attend in-service meetings and submit an activity report. For information and an application, contact July Andre at 425-388-7393 or july.andre@snoco.org.

MARYSVILLE — Alaska USA Federal Credit Union has opened an in-store branch inside Haggen Food &Drug in Marysville. The new branch offers a full range of credit union services, including a night deposit, 24-hour ATM and a self-service center. Other Alaska USA branches include Edmonds, Everett and Bothell.

MUKILTEO — Teo has announced the availability of its Salesforce CRM integration. This program enhances the capabilities of the CRM package with the full application suite of the Teo Unified Communications Platform. By offering customers a trouble-free integration with their Salesforce CRM package, Teo enables businesses to further streamline their sales and support functions.

EVERETT — Applications are due by May 1 for sponsorship from The Everett Clinic Foundation’s William MacDonald Leadership and Personal Development Fund. Preference is given to health-care related projects in Snohomish County or to health-care providers who are residents of Snohomish County. To request an application, email pthompson@everettclinic.com or call 425-339-5460.

CAMANO ISLAND — Camano Island Mills, the maker of Purple Sunrise, a gluten-free, whole-grain organic cereal, had a booth at the Seattle Vegfest at Seattle Center’s Exhibition Hall. The annual vegetarian food festival gives attendees the opportunity to try more than 500 food samples and learn about the latest research.

SNOHOMISH — Anytime Fitness has signed a lease for space in Snohomish Station. The company will develop a 4,600-square-foot exercise facility, which is to be open for business this summer.

BOTHELL — A new school has been named at the University of Washington-Bothell. The School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics was formally approved by the UW Board of Regents at its February meeting.

WASHINGTON — Borrowers and lenders of loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration will have greater access to capital and less paperwork as a result of a proposed regulation aimed at streamlining the SBA application process. For information on the new rules and their benefits, go to www.sba.gov/content/revised-oca-regulations-504-and-7a-loan-program.

WASHINGTON — If you export goods or services around the world and have used a federal government program or assistance, you may be eligible to enter the 2013 U.S. Small Business Administration Visa Export Video Contest, open through April 5. For more information, go to exportvideo.challenge.gov.

OLYMPIA — Local sales and use tax rates change April 1 in several Western Washington cities. Sales and use tax increases will support criminal justice and public safety. In Mill Creek, the new rate is 9.6 percent. More information is online at dor.wa.gov/LocalTaxRateChanges.

BOTHELL — On March 19, the Bothell City Council approved a purchase and sale agreement and a development agreement with Polygon Homes. These summarize the developer’s plans to build approximately 100 for-sale town homes in downtown Bothell. The property will sell for $5 million, plus off-site contributions for adjacent roads.

SEATTLE — The metro Seattle area is one of the first regions to have a mobile electric vehicle fast-charging service. AAA now can assist members whose all-electric vehicles have run out of energy with a fast level-3 charge at the roadside. The charge allows about 10 additional miles of driving.

SEATTLE — Group Health Cooperative is seeking candidates for three board of trustees positions, with elections slated for October. The application deadline is April 3. To apply go to www.ghc.org and search for “board application” or call 800-252-3305, ext. 21.

OLYMPIA —The Washington Department of Financial Institutions warns consumers to be on alert for scammers targeting people with threats of arrest, criminal prosecution, wage garnishment and high fees for allegedly unpaid loans. More than 100 complaints have been received since last year.

Kudos

LYNNWOOD — Sandra and Scott Gjesdahl of Bristol Design and Construction in Lynnwood, Wendy Albee of Albee Interior Design in Bothell and Dana Foster of DTF Design in Bothell were among those named as top regional interior designers at the recent Seattle Design Center’s 14th annual Northwest Design Awards Gala. There were 150 projects competing.

MARYSVILLE — Photovoltaic module manufacturer Silicon Energy beat out major competitors in recent durability testing done by the federally funded National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The company’s Cascade Series module competed against five of the top photovoltaic modules on the market and emerged from the tests with no electrical safety failures or performance degradation.

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — The City of Mountlake Terrace was recently awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its 2011 annual financial report. This is the sixth year in a row that the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada has recognized the city.

BELLINGHAM — Western Washington University has been selected for the national 2013 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction award, which recognizes higher education institutions across the country that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. This is the third consecutive year WWU has received the award.

MONROE — Pacific Earth Works was recently recognized with two 2012 Environmental Landscape Awards by the Washington Association of Landscape Professionals. Recognized with a Grand Award was the UW Medical Center expansion project in the Public Works category. The University of Washington Molecular Engineering &Sciences project received an Award of Distinction in the Commercial Construction category.

BELLINGHAM — A team of six Western Washington University students, all local residents, are semi-finalists in the Street Seats Design Challenge, an industrial Design competition sponsored by Design Museum Boston. The top design team will receive a $5,000 prize and two runners-up will receive $2,000 when winners are chosen in April.

LYNNWOOD — Edmonds Community College students Hunter Coulombe and Josh Estes were recognized for their scholarship, leadership and community service at a recent ceremony at South Puget Sound Community College. Estes is former president of the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers Union Local 183. Coulombe is an engineering technician at Electroimpact in Mukilteo.

BOTHELL — Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric and environmental chemistry in the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at University of Washington-Bothell, has received a Fulbright Award. Jaffe will spend a quarter as the distinguished chair in environmental sciences at Parthenope University in Naples, Italy. He is expected to travel to Naples in 2014.

Good deeds

EVERETT — Milk Builds Strong Schools, a partnership between Jacksons Food Stores and the Dairy Farmers of Washington, will donate 5 percent of all Jacksons’ gallon milk sales in Washington to a randomly selected Washington school in a city where a Jacksons store is located. There are 11 Jacksons Food Stores in the Everett area.

EVERETT — Madison Elementary School in Everett is one of the 49 Washington schools awarded grants totaling more than $100,000 from Boeing Employees Credit Union. The funding for recipients will go toward a variety of school programs, from green school certification to outdoor education and technology for literacy and math.

EVERETT — Spring typically brings a drop in donations to local food banks. To change this trend, bankers in Washington will host the Bankers Care 2013 Spring Food Drive through April 5. More than 500 bank branches will support Northwest Harvest and local food banks by collecting donations of cash and nonperishable food items.

EVERETT — With the help of McKinstry, a construction, energy and facility services company, six higher education institutions and nine municipalities across Washington have received more than $5 million in grant funding in the latest round of the 2012 Jobs Now Act. Municipal grant winners included the City of Everett.

EVERETT — Sponsors offset the costs of putting on Housing Hope’s ninth annual East County Community of Hope Dinner on March 14. All of the record $32,000 that was raised will directly support homeless families in east county. Housing Hope has plans to triple the amount of affordable housing in east Snohomish County.

Port shipping

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

March 26: Westwood Pacific, Westwood

March 30: Millennium Falcon, ECL

April 4: Westwood Cascade, Westwood

April 5: Kaijin, Glovis

April 8: Jacamar Arrow, Gearbulk

April 9: Westwood Victoria, Westwood

April 15: Bright Stream, ECL

April 16: Westwood Columbia, Westwood

April 20: Morning Midas, EUKOR/Fesco

April 23: Westwood Discovery, Westwood

Ship port calls 2013 YTD: 20

Barge port calls 2013 TYD: 14