Oct 18, 1995

Seattle Weekly

After 19 years as a paid-circulation publication, Seattle Weekly will shift to free distribution and increase circulation to 50,000, a 50 percent jump, beginning with its Nov. 1 issue. David Brewster, founder, publisher and editor of Seattle Weekly, pointed out that the majority of city weeklies have gone to free distribution and cited Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles as successful models. Seattle Weekly's sister paper, Eastsideweek, with a circulation of 31,000, has been offered as a free weekly for the past five years. Some of the funding needed to support the increase in Seattle Weekly circulation will come from the sale of Sasquatch Books, best known for its Best Places guidebook series. Sasquatch Books has been a division of Sasquatch Publishing, which also publishes Seattle Weekly, since 1986. Paid home delivery subscriptions will continue, but all other copies will be available free at 1,000 retail and newsbox locations throughout the city. Current subscribers preferring to pick up the paper free may discontinue their subscriptions, and the company will make good on the unfulfilled portion through premium offers.

Economic Investment Advisors

Economic Investment Advisors, a Seattle-based private money management firm, has appointed Edward A. Bondy as vice president, responsible for sales of EIA's services to institutional and retail investors in the Pacific Northwest. Previously, Bondy was regional vice president for The Pioneer Funds Distributor. During his 15-year career in the industry, he has also held account executive positions with Kidder Peabody & Co. and Crowell Weedon & Co.

Fairbanks Industrial Development Corp.

Air Cargo Express, a new Fairbanks-based air carrier, has begun its all-cargo service between Fairbanks and Barrow, Alaska. Scheduled operations are for four days a week. The fledging airline's fleet consists of one ex-U.S. Air Force C-118 (DC-6) resurrected from the Arizona desert and brought into Part 121 conformity. The company already offers non-scheduled charter service throughout Alaska.

BEST Consulting acquires Prodata

Seattle-based Business Enterprise Systems and Technology Inc. (BEST) has acquired Prodata, a Boise-headquartered information technology consulting firm with eight offices in the western United States including one in Seattle. Both companies offer the same technological services, including management consulting, system integration, development and implementation of new application systems and support of current systems. The combined company anticipates revenues of almost $60 million in 1995 and plans to expand its workforce to 700 employees. In addition to its Seattle office, BEST has offices in Olympia and Portland, and is in the process of opening a new location in Minneapolis. The company was listed as one of the top 100, high-technology firms by Washington CEO magazine and Resolution Press last year.

Oct 17, 1995

Ostex

Ostex International Inc., a Seattle-based company engaged in the discovery and development of diagnostics and therapeutics for diseases of the skeleton, has appointed Susan A. McAllister as director of investor relations. Previously, McAllister had her own consulting business, served as vice president of Corporate Communications, a division of The Rockey Company, and was an account executive with Merrill Lynch. She is past president of the Seattle Chapter of the National INvestor Relations Institute.

Enterprise Bank

Bellevue-based Enterprise Bank has announced a new management addition and promotion as the company expands its commercial banking capabilities following its recent acquisition by Washington Mutual. Catherine Greene, most recently senior vice president of Key Bank, has been appointed senior vice president and credit administrator. She has extensive background in mid-market commercial lending. Senior Vice President Harve E. Menkens' responsibilities have been expanded to include management of the bank's lending offices in Bellevue and Seattle. Prior to joining Enterprise Bank, Menkens held commercial banking positions at Rainier Bank and Wells Fargo National Bank.

Oct 16, 1995

Department of Housing and Human Services

Seattle's Department of Housing and Human Services (DHHS) has appointed Larry Taylor as deputy director of the 300-person department which administers and coordinates city, state, and federal funding for programs serving children, youth, families, older adults, and people with disabilities. Prior to joining DHHS, Taylor was the Seattle Center's operations director and served on various community boards, including the Center for Career Alternatives, the Share House, Central Area Motivation Program, Travelers Aid Society, and the Seattle-King County Convention and Visitors Bureau. From 1986 to 1988, he was the executive director of the Central Area Public Development Authority.

The Gilmore Research Group

Seattle-based market research firm The Gilmore Research Group has selected Tim Kula to create its customer satisfaction division. Kula comes to Gilmore Research Group from PMH Caramanning, a marketing services company in Detroit, where he spent four years as director of research. Prior to that, he spent six years as regional manager for Data Resources, a McGraw Hill company, and three years at Bettelle Memorial Institute in Richland as an economist studying product flaws through the U.S. economy. As part of Gilmore's program, the division will use an expert system that Kula developed organizes and analyzes research data, and provides a prioritized listing of problems identified in customer research. The program is being used by several Fortune 500 companies and will be featured in an industry article about market research technology.

Pabla Indian Cuisine

A grand opening celebration will be held today at 6 p.m. for Pabla Indian Cuisine. The new Seattle eatery, located near Pike Place Market at 1516 Second Ave., Suite 101, is owned by P.S. & J.S. Pabla.

Washington Association of County Officials

Janice Michels, director and Superior Court Clerk, King County Department of Judicial Administration, has been elected vice president of the Washington Association of County Officials (WACO). Over the past year, Michels has been chair of the WACO Award Selection Committee and served as a member of the WACO Budget, Legislative and Personnel committees. She is currently chair of a committee working on enhanced collections of criminal costs, and former president of the Washington State Association of County Clerks, a WACO affiliate. Also, Jim Buck, manager of King County Licensing and Regulatory Services, was re-elected to the WACO board of trustees for a two-year term as representative for counties with populations above 500,000. Buck is a member of the WACO Personnel Committee, and is also an active member of one of WACO's affiliates, the Washington State Association of County Auditors. Other executive officers elected to serve on the 18-member WACO board include: Lewis County Clerk Donna Karvia, president; Cowlitz County Assessor Ray Ryan, president-elect; and Kittitas County Auditor Bev Allenbaugh, secretary-treasurer.

Board of Nursing Home Administrators

Jim Bennett, administrator of Belmont Terrace skilled nursing center in Bremerton, has been appointed to the state Board of Nursing Home Administrators. Bennett has more than 10 years of experience in long-term care. He will serve a four-year term on the board, which is responsible for providing guidance on policies and procedures, assisting in the certification and disciplinary processes for nursing home administrators.