Jan 28, 1997

Olympic Tug & Barge

Russell Johnson has joined Olympic Tug & Barge, a Seattle-based marine services provider, as marine operations manager. Johnson will manage the company's marine operations and work on new business projects both domestically and internationally. Rod Gullickson has moved to manager of engineering and Columbia River. He will be responsible for vessel repair, maintenance and conversion, in addition to being the profit center manager of Olympic's Columbia River Operations.

Rover's

Thierry Rautureau, chef and owner of the Seattle restaurant Rover's, will unveil ten original permanent paintings by local artist Isa D'Orleans that he commissioned to launch the restaurant's 10th anniversary celebration on February 10. Out of all of the artists displayed at Rover's, D'Orleans has been the most recognized. She has been the curator for the rotating artist exhibits at the restaurant since 1992 and has aided in the exposure of many painters and graphic artists in the Pacific Northwest. Rautureau is actually the subject of one of D'Orleans paintings, none of which he will see until they are installed.

EPA supports 'SmartWood' program

PORT TOWNSEND -- "SmartWood," an ecological timber certification program that is new to Washington state, just received a $100,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA Sustainable Development Challenge Grant -- one of 10 awarded nationally to assist projects promoting sustainable development -- will help the Port Townsend-based Olympic Peninsula Foundation develop the certification program for Washington. The SmartWood certification program is designed to stimulate market demand for wood products that have been raised, harvested, processed and marketed in an environmentally-sensitive, sustainable manner. Timber harvest practices that incorporate pollution prevention, watershed protection and wildlife-habitat conservation will qualify for the SmartWood certification. "We have seen a lot of interest so far," said Larry Nussbaum, forestry certification coordinator with the Olympic Peninsula Foundation. "We're in the process of looking for mills that are willing to buy wood from some of our certified sources." The certification program was developed by the Rainforest Alliance, which collaborates with non-profit organizations like the Olympic Peninsula Foundation to encourage the adoption of sustainable forest management practices worldwide. Since its establishment in 1989, the Rainforest Alliance began focusing on temperate forests as well as rain forests. The Olympic Peninsula Foundation will use the grant money to create market-based incentives for sustainable harvesting and develop a closely-knit network of producers, harvesters, manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Nussbaum mentioned several businesses around the country that already are using and selling SmartWood products. Those businesses include: Gibson guitars; Smith & Hawken, a mail-order retailer of outdoor furniture; EcoTimber International in California; Whitethorn Construction Co. in California; and Environmental Home Center in Seattle. For more information on the certification program, call Larry Nussbaum or Judith Rubin at the Olympic Peninsula Foundation at (360) 379-9421.

Pierce County landfill project recognized

TACOMA -- Pierce County's Landfill Siting Project recently won an Honor Award in an awards program sponsored by the American Planning Association (APA) and the Planning Association of Washington (PAW). Pierce County's consultant for the siting project is Parametrix Inc. So far, Parametrix has completed Phase I and II of the study to identify viable landfill sites in the county. Since 1992, the county has had the goal of establishing its own landfill if at all possible. Pierce County residents mobilized last year in opposition to a different landfill project proposed by the private firm Land Recovery Inc. LRI was denied a wetland-fill permit by the Army Corps of Engineers in October. Meanwhile, the county's landfill siting project has met with much less public opposition. That's largely because of the careful planning and screening criteria used by the county and Parametrix to select potential sites, said Steve Wamback, a solid waste analyst with Pierce County. "We feel this award validates the careful process we've been going through," Wamback said. "The county is building a sound basis for a future landfill." Phase I of the project involved extensive use of geographic information system (GIS) mapping and analysis. In Phase II, Parametrix identified and evaluated potential landfill sites, starting with 11 sites. Consultants then narrowed the list down to five sites through a broad site evaluation, then to two sites in a focused site evaluation. Both of those sites are located south of State Route 702 and west of State Route 7 in south-central Pierce County. "We spent close to four months developing all the siting criteria that would be used," said David Mattern, a senior planner and assistant project manager with Parametrix. "A landfill project is very controversial. We wanted to give this study as much credibility as possible." The next step is to seek Pierce County Council approval for more studies at the sites, possibly to be followed by a full environmental impact statement.

E & E appoints regional manager

SEATTLE -- Sheila Fleming has been named manager of the Seattle regional office of Ecology & Environment Inc. A resident of Seattle, Fleming holds bachelor's degrees in business administration and architectural engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She also has a master's degree in civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Fleming joined E & E at its Buffalo Corporate Center in Lancaster, N.Y. in 1990. She relocated to the Seattle office in 1991. She was project engineer for E & E's environmental studies for the Maroven petroleum refinery in Venezuela. Fleming also has managed hazardous waste site investigations and cleanups in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. Before being promoted to regional manager, Fleming served as program manager for E & E's environmental services contract with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. She is registered as a professional engineer in Washington. E & E is an international environmental scientific and engineering consulting firm with office in 22 U.S. cities and subsidiaries and affiliates in 27 countries.

Jan 24, 1997

Stoel Rives

Alan Merkle, an attorney at the Seattle law firm of Stoel Rives, has been appointed to the Mercer Island City Council. Merkle is a partner at Stoel Rives where he focuses his practice on construction and design law, government contracts and utility matters.

SkillSmart

Pace Staffing Network, a Bellevue-based staffing company, has developed a new multimedia training program known as SkillSmart. SkillSmart is a self-paced learning system designed to give people job skills in a more flexible, efficient and interesting manner. All courses are on CD-ROM and fully interactive. SkillSmart offers classes in software, customer care and technical training. Dixie Scott is the director of Pace Staffing Network's SkillSmart Learning Center.

Chase Bobko

Chase Bobko has named Diane Zytniak as director of human resources. The Seattle-based information design firm specialize in working with people who need to convert, organize and access large volumes of information.