Mar 01, 1996

KeyBank of Washington

Terry A. Peterson has been named Eastside commercial banking center team leader for KeyBank of Washington. Previously, Peterson was senior vice president and manager of the Metropolitan Commercial Banking Region based in Seattle.

Washington Natural Gas

Charles R. Brown has been promoted to legislative counsel for Washington Natural Gas. He will serve as the company's liaison to state legislators and administrative officials. Previously, he served as state government relations representative, a position he had held since joining Washington Natural Gas in 1992.

Dain Bosworth Inc.

James Kerr, senior vice president and regional manager of brokerage and investment banking firm Dain Bosworth Inc.'s private client offices in Washington and Montana, has been given additional responsibility for overseeing the firm's investment executives and support staff throughout Oregon. Following the expansion of Kerr's responsibilities, the firm has hired Richard Pruner to serve as managing director of the Seattle private client office, replacing Kerr. Pruner has more than 26 years of experience in the securities industry. He had been a branch manager at Prudential Securities for nine years, most recently as manager of the firm's office in Walnut Creek, Calif. Before that, he managed offices in Portland, Ore.; Oakland, Calif.; and Carmel, Calif.

Alpha Phi Alpha Convention

The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., a national predominantly African-American Greek letter fraternity, will hold its 48th Western Regional Convention in Seattle from March 21 though March 24. San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. will deliver the keynote address of the Convention at the Fraternal Luncheon on Saturday, March 23 at the Doubletrees Suites, 16500 Southcenter Parkway, site of the convention. Brown and Milton C. Davis, general president of Alpha Phi Alpha, head a list of speakers who include Bro. Charles C. Teamer Sr., general president of Alpha Phi Alpha; Bro. Thomas D. Pawley III, chairman of the fraternity's Historical Commission; Bro. Kobi Little, chief executive officer of Harambee Management, an African based management and consulting firm; and Washington State Supreme Court Justice Bro. Charles Z. Smith who will moderate a law seminar on risk and liability. Listed among the convention's activities are a Collegiate Scholars Bowl, a community service project at Renton High School, the Miss Black and Gold Pageant, and the College Brothers Step Show.

ARIS Corporation

ARIS Corporation, an information systems consulting, training, and product development company based in Bellevue and Seattle, has been selected by SAP, a software vendor, as a regional implementation partner. As an SAP regional implementation partner, ARIS offers R/3 consulting services. Its team of SAP consulting and training professionals provide requirements analysis and project definition; project management, business process optimization; change management and facilitation, technical architecture and database design, configuration and implementation, ABAP/4 & Basis programming, and user training.

State of Alaska

Governor Tony Knowles has appointed Virginia Fay and Peg Tileston to the Oil and Gas Policy Council, a 16 member council created by Knowles last year to study issues and options available to industry and the state affecting oil and gas policies in Alaska. Fay is a natural resource economist with Eco-Systems, a Juneau-based company with expertise in resource development, public finance, fisheries, and oil spill prevention and response. Fay has over 17 years of professional involvement in natural resource issues in Alaska. This includes work as legislative analyst for the Senate Committee on Oil and Gas. Fay has also worked as an economist for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the Commercial Fisheries Entry Commission. Tileston is president of Tileston and Associates, a research and information retrieval business. She is a board member of Alaska Common Ground, the Alaska Conservation Foundation and the Alaska Center for the Environment and has served 15 years on Alaska Water Resources Board and 10 years on the Chugach Electric Association Board.

Firmani and Associates

Firmani and Associates, a communications firm based in Seattle, has won a Totem Award at the 1996 annual awards banquet of the Puget Sound chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. The Totem Award for best news writing/media relations was attributed to Firmani and Associates for a project developed for Harris & Hull, a law firm of Seattle.

Feb 28, 1996

Toll Free Cellular

David L. Arron has been named director of product marketing for Toll Free Cellular, the locally-based company responsible for launching the nation's first toll and airtime-free service for cellular telephone users. A 10-year veteran of product management and brand promotion, Arron will oversee new product development and number dissemination programs for the company. He also will be responsible for developing service and pricing strategies. Prior to joining Toll Free Cellular, Arron served as director of marketing for Cellular One in San Francisco. Founded in 1991, Toll Free Cellular has contracts with U S West New Vector and AT&T Wireless Services to provide 800 service in western Washington. The Seattle company plans to expand nationally this year.

Hawkins & Co.

Eric Trott has been named account manager for the marketing and public relations firm of Hawkins & Company. Trott will work on nearly all agency accounts including AT&T Wireless Services, Xerox of the Pacific Northwest, The Home Depot and Northwest Cable Advertising. Prior to joining Hawkins, Trott ran public relations campaigns supporting the beef industry for Schaffner Communications Inc., in Chicago.

ViewCom Technology

ViewCom Technology International Inc. is the new name for Pacific Lotus Technology Inc. The company also announced the appointment of Dave Mayer as president and chief operating officer. Mayer will be responsible for all day-to-day operations and in particular the sales of the company's "TV Reader" and "Telescriber" products. Prior to joining ViewCom, Mayer was vice president of operations for Doppler Computer Inc., the U.S. arm of Vancouver, B.C.-based Doppler Computer Industries which has a chain of computer stores. Mayer had been executive vice president for marketing, merchandising and operations for Ballard Computer Inc., at the time Ballard was acquired by Doppler. The company also has appointed Rick Dortch as chairman and chief executive officer, and Don Hellmann as vice chairman. Dortch is president and CEO of Customer Feedback L.L.C. and president and CEO of Dortch Consulting Group, L.L.C. Hellman is professor of international studies and political science and director of the APEC Study Center at the University of Washington. ViewCom Technology is located at 120 Lakeside Ave., #330, Seattle WA 98122.

Microsoft donation

Washington's 32 community and technical colleges are preparing to receive $10 million in Microsoft computer software and technical assistance in the wake of President Bill Clinton's visit to Washington and his joint appearance last weekend with Microsoft chairman Bill Gates. Microsoft's donation is the largest single corporate contribution ever received by the state's community and technical colleges, said Earl Hale, director of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Olympia.

Department of Natural Resources

Pam Bissonnette has been named by County Executive Gary Locke to head the newly-created King County Department of Natural Resources. The department merges the county's solid waste and stormwater drainage functions with the Metro sewer system. Bissonnette currently is utilities director with the City of Bellevue and formerly was Bellevue deputy city manager. "Having worked with Metro from the other end of Lake Washington, I'm now looking forward to running the agency that succeeds it," said Bissonnette. Besides merging solid waste, stormwater drainage and water pollution control, the Department of Natural Resources also houses a new Natural Resources Division for the county's open space, agricultural, forestry and other land resource programs.

Seattle Public Library

Elaine Kraft, who developed and helped lead a five-year $40 million literacy campaign, has been named director of Seattle Public Library's new Center for Literacy Advocacy. The position is being funded through private donations.