Feb 12, 2001

Systems Interface

Systems Interface, a Bothell-based professional engineering corporation, is opening a branch office in the Kansas City area on March 1. Heading the Olathe, Kansas operation will be Terry Huss who has been promoted to the position of Midwest regional manager. Huss has 10 years of control system experience. He has been a sales engineer concentrating on the food and aerospace industries with Systems Interface since 1996.

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo has appointed Donovan Olson as its regional business banking manager for Washington. Olson was previously regional manager for the banking company's private client services group. He will be based in Seattle and is responsible for all of the company's banking growth initiatives and service support in Washington for businesses that have annual sales of up to $20 million.

Keller Rohrback

Thomas Sterken has joined the law firm of Keller Rohrback as a partner in its Seattle office. Sterken’s practice will focus on business transactions. He is a business lawyer who was a partner with Betts, Patterson & Mines, working there from 1987-1991, and vice president-legal and general counsel to Associated Grocers, Inc. from 1992-2000, representing clients in the computer, financial, manufacturing, retail, securities, wholesale and other businesses.

Azteca Restaurant

Azteca Mexican Restaurant, a family-owned and operated restaurant based in Burien, signed a lease to move to the Northgate Mall later this summer. Azteca is a collection of 30 restaurants stretching from Everett to Ashland, Ore. The new restaurant will be located in the north end of the mall near Gottschalks.

Imperial Bank

Imperial Bank, a Kirkland-based subsidiary of Imperial Bancorp, announced that five employees in its Washington emerging growth division office have received promotions. Donald Roberts was promoted to first vice president/regional operations manager, with responsibility for overseeing operations in both the Washington and Colorado emerging growth division offices. Julia Doke, Rory James and Bob Van Nortwick have each been promoted to vice president/venture banking officer, with the responsibility for managing their respective loan portfolios as well as evaluating and generating new customers and expanding networking relationships for the Pacific Northwest region.

ConneXt

ConneXt, a Seattle-based software developer, announced two recent promotions. Maxine Voetberg was named vice president of human resources. She will focus on the overall strategy and operations of the company's human resources functions. Chris Knauth joined ConneXt in 1999 as the controller, and was promoted to chief financial officer in January. Knauth will focus on the company's financial organization, overseeing all facets of the company's accounting and budgeting operations

Feb 09, 2001

Office of Trade and Economic Development

Robin Pollard has been appointed assistant director, economic development division, for the Washington State Office of Trade and Economic Development (OTED). Pollard is currently the managing director of OTED's tourism office. As managing director of the tourism office, she has been responsible for the overall management of office services, including marketing and rural tourism development. She will assume her new duties as of Feb. 12.

Washington Institute

Daniel Smith was elected president of the Washington Institute Foundation, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank promoting limited government and free-market solutions for state and local issues. Smith has been with the foundation since 1991, serving mostly as vice president of operations. The foundation also named Eric Montague as a policy analyst and promoted Dan Zarelli to the new position of communications director. Montague joins the foundation after working as a contracting specialist and industry analyst for Boeing and Intel Corp. Zarelli was originally hired as administrative manager and recently served as acting operations manager.

Technical Solutions

Technical Solutions, a Bainbridge Island-based network communications firm, has added Michael Terry and Kaore Bonell to its staff. Terry is a network specialist and Bonell is an account executive. Both are formerly from the information services department at American Marine Bank, Terry was in network support while Bonell held the position of IS operations officer.

Acadio Corp.

Acadio Corp., a Seattle-based e-learning solution provider for small- to mid-size organizations, has named James Pyles its vice president of development. Pyles will oversee software development, quality assurance and program management for the company’s e-learning infrastructure. He has 25 years of engineering management experience in high-technology companies, most recently with FileNet Corp., where he served as director of technology and strategy, and was responsible for developing Java product strategy for the Panagon eSolutions business unit.

Persing, Dyckman & Toynbee

Clark Johnson -- regional vice president of Arthur J. Gallagher and Co., a Chicago-based risk management and insurance brokerage firm -- and Curt Dyckman -- president and CEO of Persing, Dyckman & Toynbee -- announced the merger of their two companies. Persing, Dyckman & Toynbee is an independent insurance brokerage that has operated in the Tacoma area for more than 50 years. It was started by Dug Dyckman, who passed the business down to his son Doug Jr., who remained active with the company until 1994. In 1989, Curt Dyckman, grandson of Dug Dyckman, took over. Arthur J. Gallagher has had an office in Bellevue for more than 10 years. Persing, Dyckman & Toynbee will maintain its current name and will become a division of the Arthur J. Gallagher group of companies