Dec 19, 2005

ERA

ERA Care Communities has a new director of human resources, Tamara Bolton , PHR. She will oversee human resources management at the company's six, and soon to be seven, local retirement communities and the company's Seattle headquarters. She has 18 years of management experience, including assistant director of human resources for The News Tribune.

Coast River Business Journal

Astoria public relations and marketing consultant Susan Trabucco is launching a new publication to serve the regional business community around Astoria, Ore. Coast River Business Journal debuts in March, and will publish the first Wednesday of each month. It will be mailed free to licensed businesses in the region.

NS8

NS8 Corp. appointed Carl Segal executive vice president of media distribution and deployment. NS8 is a multi-media entertainment company based in Seattle. Segal has over 20 years' experience in production and distribution of media properties for music, television and film.

Dec 16, 2005

AmericanWest Bancorporation

Spokane-based AmericanWest Bancorporation has filed an application to open a de novo branch in Sandpoint, Idaho. If the new branch is approved, AWB will lease a temporary site and then build a permanent office. This would be the bank's 10th location in Idaho.

GM Nameplate

GM Nameplate of Seattle renamed its Oregon division Elite Plastics. Elite offers plastic and elastomer molding and associated services. GM Nameplate specializes in custom design and manufacture of items such as nameplates, decals, labels and custom panels; electronic input devices; molded plastic components; and large format digital graphics.

Baldwin Resource Group

Vickie Easterling has been hired as an assistant account manager at Baldwin Resource Group in Bellevue. The company specializes in risk management, insurance and business consulting. Easterling has worked in the insurance industry for 35 years in the Puget Sound area and is a licensed property and casualty insurance agent.

Dec 15, 2005

WRF Capital

WRF Capital, the venture investment arm of Washington Research Foundation, promoted Thong Q. Le to managing director. He focuses on investments in the biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, enterprise software and advanced materials sectors, and most recently was manager, venture investments. Le is the fourth managing director at WRF Capital. The foundation supports research and scholarship at Washington state research institutions.

DDB Public Relations

The Seattle office of DDB Public Relations has hired Matt Swlzer as project manager for Microsoft. He was with Waggener Edstrom. Melissa Kerwin is a new account executive on Microsoft. She was with Columbia Resource Group. Gretchen Lockhart is a new account executive on Microsoft. She was with Ziff Davis Media. Emily Dart is a senior account executive. The ad agency is a unit of DDB Worldwide and Omnicom Group.

Key Technology

Walla Walla-based Key Technology said Kirk Morton, president and CEO, will resign from all positions with the company effective Dec. 31, 2005, to become CEO at a privately held company. Tom Madsen, chairman of the board, will lead the company during the search for a replacement. Key designs and manufactures process automation systems for the food processing and industrial markets.