Apr 12, 2001

Returns Online

Returns Online, a Seattle-based provider of returns management solutions for retailers, and Altura International, a Monterey, Calif.-based architect and builder of online catalog shopping malls, have formed an alliance. The agreement introduces Returns Online's services to Altura's custom mall sites and its flagship catalog shopping mall, Catalogcity.com (http://www.catalogcity.com). Altura will recommend Returns Online's services to its merchant client base.

Seattle Art Museum

Four new members have been elected to the Seattle Art Museum's board of trustees: Brad Davis, who oversees corporate, retail and local marketing for Washington Mutual; Dipti Mathur, who owns the venture capital company Skyblaze Ventures; Elizabeth Roberts, who has worked in governmental affairs for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; and, Daphne Tang, an active member of the Chinese American community.

Foster Pepper & Shefelman

Willard Hatch, retired partner of Seattle law firm Foster Pepper & Shefelman, was recently awarded the first annual Sidney C. Volinn Memorial Award of Merit. The award recognizes service to the bankruptcy bar and to the greater community. Hatch, whose law practice has spanned 53 years, was one of the early bankruptcy lawyers in Seattle, where his work consisted of reorganizations, bankruptcies, real estate, estate work and corporate work.

Public Relations Society

The Puget Sound Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America announced that seven members recently passed their accreditation exams and now hold the title of accredited in public relations (APR). The new APRs include Adam Bashaw, Washington Credit Union; Kathy Budinick, Weyerhaeuser; Linda Elliott, city of Tacoma; Barbara Fenster, Children's Home Society; Karin Munger, Safeco; Joe Rothrock, Safeco; and, Catherine Sweeney, IDX Systems.

Badgley, Phelps and Bell

Badgley, Phelps and Bell, an investment management firm with offices in Seattle and Portland, announced the appointment of Charles Waibel as portfolio manager. Waibel will be responsible for managing portfolios for private capital clients in the Portland office. He comes to the firm from Sigma Investment Management in Portland where he also served as portfolio manager.

Highline Community College

The Washington State Senate approved Governor Gary Locke's appointment of Arun Jhaveri as a member of the Highline Community College board of trustees. Jhaveri has been involved with the Association of Energy Engineers, the Northwest Council of Climate Change, the Trade Development Alliance and the U.S. Department of Energy. He is one of five members of the board. His term expires Sept. 30, 2003

Apr 11, 2001

Columbia Bank

Vince Hughes recently joined Columbia Bank, a commercial bank with branches in Cowlitz, Pierce, King, Kitsap and Thurston counties, as a vice president in charge of private banking for the Southwest Washington area. Hughes has more than 14 years in the financial services industry and most recently was president and CEO of Lower Columbia Mortgage Center. Julie Borell was recently named branch manager for the bank's Martin Luther King, Jr. Way branch. Previously a branch officer at the Fife branch.

University of Washington

Joseph Duncan, who has held top management positions at Oracle and Borland International, has joined the University of Washington School of Medicine's Cell System Initiative as chief of operations and information technology. CSI, a research and educational program, expects to spin off several private companies and technologies.

Leap Wireless

Leap Wireless announced the appointment of Richard Meston as regional vice president. From the company's regional headquarters in Spokane, Meston will oversee the roll out of Cricket Service, a flat-rate local wireless service, in markets in the Northwestern United States. He has more than 17 years of wireless communications management experience.

Micropath

Micropath, a Bellevue-based provider of technology asset management services and products, announced four new executives. Paul Kowalski is the new chief financial officer and Andrew Tierney, Mike Quintana and Matt Sharron join as the new Southeast region sales managers, mid-Atlantic region sales manager, and Western regional director, respectively. Micropath also opened a new office in Washington, D.C., to be headed by Quintana.

Labor Ready

Labor Ready, a Tacoma-based provider of temporary manual labor, announced the appointment of Ronald Sage to senior vice president of national sales and marketing. Sage's background includes 29 years of experience in various sales and marketing positions with large organizations. Most recently, he served as vice president of sales for Nalley's Fine Foods/Agrilink Foods