Jul 16, 2004

American Bar Association

The general practice solo and small firm section of the American Bar Association, which represents the legal profession, will recognize the Washington State Bar Association Indian Law Section and Northwest Indian Bar Association. The groups raised $30,000 in scholarships for aspiring Indian lawyers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. The Northwest Indian Bar Association is a nonprofit with more than 175 members.

BenefitPort Northwest

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. will acquire some assets of BenefitPort Northwest, which has an office in Bellevue. BenefitPort Northwest offers employee benefits products and services. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. If the acquisition is successfully closed this fall, Ben Reppond and his associates will continue to operate out of offices in Bellevue and Yakima, under the direction of James Durkin, president of Gallagher Benefit Services. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., an international insurance brokerage and risk management services firm, is headquartered in Itasca, Ill.

Columbia Bank

Columbia Bank promoted vice president and small business administration program manager Craig Chance to senior vice president. He will continue as manager of lending programs. Columbia Bank is a wholly owned subsidiary of Columbia Banking System and has branches in Pierce, King, Cowlitz, Kitsap and Thurston counties.

Publishers Marketing Association

Kent Sturgis, a Kenmore book publisher, was named president of the Publishers Marketing Association. More than 3,900 independent publishers in the U.S. and Canada are members of the association, which is based in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Sturgis is president of Epicenter Press, a regional trade book publisher founded in Fairbanks, Ala., that specializes in nonfiction titles about Alaska and the Yukon.

Jul 15, 2004

Creative Marketing Solutions

Fritsch

Amy Fritsch joined Creative Marketing Solutions as public relations coordinator. Fritsch is a graduate of Gonzaga University and was an intern with Edelman Public Relations. Creative Marketing Solutions is a Bellevue-based public relations and marketing communications agency.

United Negro College Fund

McKelvie

Brenda McKelvie, relationship manager for EvergreenBank's Federal Way branch with 25 years of banking experience, accepted a board position with the Pacific Northwest chapter of the United Negro College Fund. The fund has helped educate 300,000 students at more than 950 colleges. EvergreenBank is a subsidiary of EvergreenBancorp and also has offices in Seattle, Lynnwood and Bellevue.

Muir Public Relations

Darcie Gray joined Muir Public Relations as a summer intern. Muir Public Relations specializes in community relations, events, and product and brand management. Gray studies communication and public relations at Central Washington University.

Weber Marketing Group

Marketing agency Weber Marketing Group in Seattle hired Jon Gaetz as retail environments manager. Gaetz set up brand and product campaigns for Washington Mutual. He specializes in field merchandising and campaign development, including multilingual merchandising.

Creative Marketing Solutions

Amy Fritsch joined Creative Marketing Solutions as public relations coordinator. Fritsch is a graduate of Gonzaga University and was an intern with Edelman Public Relations. Creative Marketing Solutions is a Bellevue-based public relations and marketing communications agency.

United Negro College Fund

Brenda McKelvie, relationship manager for EvergreenBank's Federal Way branch with 25 years of banking experience, accepted a board position with the Pacific Northwest chapter of the United Negro College Fund. The fund has helped educate 300,000 students at more than 950 colleges. EvergreenBank is a subsidiary of EvergreenBancorp and also has offices in Seattle, Lynnwood and Bellevue.

Muir Public Relations

Darcie Gray joined Muir Public Relations as a summer intern. Muir Public Relations specializes in community relations, events, and product and brand management. Gray studies communication and public relations at Central Washington University.

Weber Marketing Group

Marketing agency Weber Marketing Group in Seattle hired Jon Gaetz as retail environments manager. Gaetz set up brand and product campaigns for Washington Mutual. He specializes in field merchandising and campaign development, including multilingual merchandising.