May 17, 2005

BD&A

BD&A named Kurt Dicus to the new post of vice president of technology. He will run BD&A's information services divisions, managing software and hardware programs at BD&A. Dicus worked for Microsoft and ran a data management company for 10 years. BD&A is a promotional merchandise agency based in Woodinville.

Washington State University

Francois (Fran) Forgette of Kennewick has been appointed to the Washington State University Board of Regents by Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. His term is effective immediately and ends Sept. 30, 2007. He replaces Steven R. Hill of Tacoma. Forgette is a partner with the Tri-Cities law firm of Rettig Osborne Forgette and chairman of the board of the Tri-City Industrial Development Council (TRIDEC).

UW Tacoma Institute of Technology

Dr. Orlando Baiocchi, a professor of electrical engineering at the State University of New York Institute of Technology, is the new director of the UW Tacoma Institute of Technology. Baiocchi will assume his new position July 1, replacing founding institute director Larry Crum, who is stepping down from the position in June and will teach classes at the Institute. Baiocchi holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from University College in London. The Institute of Technology was founded in 2001 as a public-private partnership

May 16, 2005

ERA Care Communities

Seattle-based ERA Care Communities hired Leslie O'Brien as public relations coordinator. ERA runs independent and assisted-living retirement communities. O'Brien rejoined the company after working as a marketing director for another assisted-living provider.

Adaptix

Adaptix, a broadband wireless technology company, hired Dan Frydenlund as chief financial officer. Frydenlund operated two mobile communications companies in Latin America and Eastern Europe. Adaptix is headquartered in Seattle, and does product development and manufacturing work in Shanghai, China.

MicroPlanet

MicroPlanet Technology, a developer of voltage regulators, added Mike Burns as chief business development officer. Stephen Mihalick is vice president of manufacturing. Burns will work on sales, marketing and strategic alliances. He was an officer on naval submarines and a business development manager at Itron. Mihalick has 25 years of experience in manufacturing and operations, including work as general manager at Data I/O in Redmond.

May 13, 2005

SuperMall

Auburn's SuperMall promoted Dennis Nicholson to general manager. Nicholson has been with the mall for six years, and also worked for The Bon Marche and Emporium department stores. The SuperMall is owned by Glimcher Realty Trust.

White House | Black Market

Clothing and accessories store White House | Black Market is open at Pacific Place at Sixth and Pine in downtown Seattle. White House runs 170 retail stores and is based in Ft. Myers, Fla.

Liberty Northwest Insurance

Bothell-based Liberty Northwest Insurance Corp. added Krista Van Soest as marketing representative for its Washington branch. Liberty Northwest is an insurer of private property, casualty and workers' compensation.

Task Force on Maritime Heritage

The Seattle/King County Task Force on Maritime Heritage has launched a new Web site in an effort to raise the profile of the region's maritime culture. The site is a collaboration of 30 organizations and includes more than 50 attractions, with fun facts, maps and a calendar of events.