Oct 22, 1996

Todo Inc.

Shawn Holder has been named president and chief operating officer of Todo Inc., parent company for the Seattle-based Todo Wraps restaurant chain. He was formerly president and CEO of Hamburger Hamlet in Los Angeles and spent 25 years with Chart House Enterprises, leaving as president of the firm withe 125 restaurants and $200 million in sales. Todo Inc. has 16 restaurants in the Seattle area and has begun national expansion with 28 locations in southern California. The goal is to have 50 by the end of 1997.

Odyssey, The Maritime Discovery Center

Odyssey, The Maritime Discovery Center, recently raised $200,000 in 10 days, reports Odyssey president Brian Boyle. The center, to be located at Pier 66, received a pledge of $100,000 from Holland America Line Tours; $75,000 from the Alaska Crab Coalition; and $25,000 for Manson Construction. Odyssey has raised over $8 million of the $12.76 million needed to complete the facility. Odyssey is scheduled to open in December 1997.

County transit advisory group

The King County Department of Transportation is forming a citizens advisory group to help the department revise its guidelines for evaluating transit service. The group will review and recommend changes to the department's proposals for evaluating bus service. Community members with a background or interest in transit planning may apply to: Radford Duckworth, King County Department of Transportation, Community Relations, 821 Second Ave., MS 92, Seattle, WA 98104-1598. Information, 206-684-2165.

Public Affairs Council

Mack L. Hogans, senior vice president for corporate affairs at Weyerhaeuser is the new chairman of the Public Affairs Council, Washington D.C. The council is the professional organization for corporate public affairs officers.

Thaw Corp.

Richard Brune is the new director of marketing and sales for Thaw Corp., an REI subsidiary which manufactures recreational products. Brune will develop Thaw's private label manufacturing business and coordinate sales for Walrus brand products. He was formerly with Hartmann Luggage Co.

fine.com Interactive

Dan Stull, president of the Seattle-based Web site design firm fine.com Interactive, has been named to the board of directors of LaserDirect, a direct marketing communications company based in Kent. Diana Bury has joined fine.com Interactive as director of Internet services. She was most recently with Sanctuary Woods Multimedia and AT&T Microelectronics in the San Francisco area. Tom Shannon and Stacy Speicher have joined the firm with Shannon as an interactive designer of Web sites and Speicher as a producer. Shannon was with FreeRange Media in Seattle and Speicher was with LaserDirect.

Oct 21, 1996

Foster Pepper & Shefelman

David Gabrieli and Jackie Wickersham have joined the Seattle law firm of Foster Pepper & Shefelman as associates. Gabrieli's practice will focus on intellectual property, licensing and antitrust law. Wickersham's practice will emphasize municipal and public finance.

1996 STC Competition

The Puget Sound Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) is holding the 22nd annual publications, art and online competition. The 1996 STC Competition will accept entries from any profession or industry that produces print, art, or online material to sell, explain, or maintain a technical product, service, or process. The entry deadline is November 1. For more information contact Lynn McManus at (206) 703-0058 or the STC office at (206) 623-8632.

Hogue Cellars

The Hogue Cellars winery and seven Pacific Northwest celebrity chefs will join forces to participate in the Second Annual Hogue After the Holidays, a seven course food and wine extravaganza benefiting Seattle's Chicken Soup Brigade. The event will take place January 19 at The Georgian, located at the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel. Gary and Mike Hogue of The Hogue Cellars will host the event, and the participating chefs will include Tom Douglas and Chris Hunter, Etta's Seafood; Christine Keff, Flying Fish; J. Tim Kelley, The Painted Table; Tamara Murphy, Campagne; Walter Pisano, Tulio Ristorante; Astolfo Rueda, Virazon; and Kerry Sear, The Georgian. Tickets are $150 per person. For more information and to purchase tickets call the Chicken Soup Brigade at (206) 322-2273.

Cloud Communications

Cloud Communications, a Seattle marketing and public relations firm, has formed an alliance with the Italian firm Communication By Objectives (CBO). The alliance is to help facilitate the release of Optx 20/20 in Italy. Optx 20/20 are removable reading lenses for sunglasses manufactured by Neoptx of Redmond.

Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau of Western Washington (BBB) was recently honored with the Bureau's most prestigious award, the Marshall A. Mott Memorial Award for excellence. The award is presented each year at the National Assembly of Better Business Bureaus to the BBB with the best overall communications programs targeted to the public, BBB members and other consumer groups and agencies. The Western Washington BBB is located in SeaTac.

Ex Officio Inc.

Ex Officio Inc., a Seattle-based manufacturer of adventure travel clothing, has been recognized as one of America's fastest-growing private companies. The company was ranked 169 on the annual Inc. 500, 45 spots higher from their 1995 position.