Dec 11, 1995

Paratransit Services

Verna Mason has been hired as vice president of operations for Paratransit Services. Mason has 14 years of transit management experience. She recently left the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, where she managed its paratransit system. Prior to that, she was transit administrator for Kansas City, Mo.

Jones & Stokes Associates

Jones & Stokes Associates, an environmental consulting firm with offices in Bellevue, Sacramento and Irvine, Calif., and Phoenix, Ariz., has added Laura Riedel as director of administrative operations. Before joining the company, Riedel was director of human resources for Genencor International Inc., an international biotechnology company in South San Francisco.

Conley & Associates Inc.

Scott Hardy has been named to the newly-created position of vice president of electronic marketing for Conley & Associates Inc., a Seattle-based marketing firm specializing in automobile sales. Hardy started his marketing career at a radio station. His experience includes work on the Home Shopping Network, Showtime and The Movie Channel.

Port of Kalama

At the annual meeting of the Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA) earlier this month, the Port of Kalama was chosen "Port of the Year" by its sister ports in Centralia, Longview, Vancouver, Tacoma and Seattle. The Port of Kalama was recognized for its successful efforts in locating BHP Steel on its North Port site. Australian steel manufacturer Broken Hill Proprietary Co. announced last September that it will construct its Pacific Northwest steel coil finishing facility at Kalama. The plant will employ 230 people and represents a $221 million investment. The port held fast to its vision of 15 years to locate a major industrial user on the 200-acre deep-water site, resisting the temptation to split it up into smaller parcels. During that time, the agency spent $5 million of its own revenues on preliminary engineering and infrastructure so it would be ready when the right client came along.

Pierce Transit

Jean Jackman has joined Pierce Transit as public relations officer. Jackman has 20 years of experience in public relations and journalism, working in transportation, health care, software and other industries. Most recently, she was with advertising and public relations firm Jacobson Ray McLaughlin Fillips. Jackman has won numerous awards for writing and editing.

Dec 08, 1995

Wolfe Internet Access

Mark Dantche, a 10-year veteran in the computer systems and Internet industry, has been promoted to vice president of sales at Wolfe Internet Access L.L.C. of Seattle. Joyce Smith has been named vice president of operations. Smith comes from an extensive background managing systems operations and customer service.

Washington State Historical Society

With a $10,000 gift from the Burlington Northern/Santa Fe Railroad, the Washington State Historical Society has achieved its $5 million capital campaign goal for the new state history museum. Combined with the donation of property for the museum, plus other funds for additional educational program enhancements, the society has raised over $8 million in private and local support. The fund-raising campaign began in 1991 with a feasibility study and the first major gifts were committed in 1992. Chief among them were donations from the Boeing Co., Weyerhaeuser, the Murdoch, Cheney, and Forest foundations, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The new museum will open in the summer 1996.

Municipal Golf of Seattle

Municipal Golf of Seattle, operator of the city's three municipal golf courses, has named Matt Amundsen head pro at West Seattle Golf Course. Amundsen has been assistant pro at West Seattle for seven years and replaces Mary Margaret Pless who is now teaching at West Seattle.

Midcom Communications

Midcom Communications Inc., a Seattle-headquartered provider of long-distance telecommunications service to small-and medium-sized businesses nationwide, has named Robert L. Nitschke as executive vice president and chief operating officer. Nitschke, 48, has 20 years of operations and information systems management experience. He comes to Midcom after six years with U.S. Intelco Holdings, a telecommunications holding company based in Olympia, most recently serving as the company's vice president and president of its subsidiary USI-Gateway Inc., which is developing products and services for local number portability. Previously, he had served as vice president of operations and director of information services for another U.S. Intelco Holdings subsidiary, U.S. Intelco Networks. Prior to that, Nitschke spent three years as president of Robert Nitschke and Associates, an investment and business consulting firm.

First Choice Financial Services Inc.

First Choice Financial Services Inc. of Renton has announced the purchase of A.F.I. Mortgages' branch operation, located in Tukwila. The operation will have a combined sales and back office staff of 32 people. First Choice executives said they will run the mortgage operation in Tukwila and Woodinville as a net branch of Hallmark Mortgage, one of the largest broker companies in Washington. The new company will produce between $40 million and $50 million dollars in closed mortgage loans annually.

Universal Management

Universal Management, a national employment and human resource services firm, has added Kurt Nance, representing both the graphic arts and retail industries, and John Goehring, handling all office support positions, to its Seattle office. Nance has an extensive screen printing background, while Goehring, who also takes over as applicant administrator, brings several years of clerical experience to the firm. In Universal Management's Spokane branch office, Kenia Brouse has been hired to handle the company's office support positions, and Julie Brazo has joined the firm to concentrate on the health care and retail industries.

Colliers

Colliers Macaulay Nicolls International has announced that Brian Dennehy has joined the Seattle office as a commercial real estate agent. He will specialize in industrial properties. Previously Dennehy was an account executive with Camacom, Inc. Chris Eckmann also joined Colliers, at the Bellevue office as a commercial real estate agent specializing in industrial/high-tech properties in the eastside market area. Prior to joining Colliers, Eckmann was the general manager of Eckmann Design/Build.

Lynnwood Mortgage Corp.

The Lynnwood Mortgage Corp. has announced three new staff members. David Angrove joins as senior vice president. He has 10 years of experience in real estate and previously worked at Phoenix Mortgage in Northgate. Debbie Steck, who has 18 years experience in mortgage banking, joins as vice president/loan officer in the Lynnwood Branch. She was a top producing loan officer at both Phoenix Mortgage & Investment and Lynnwood CTX Mortgage. Rosita McCullough has joined the Lynnwood Branch as vice president and escrow officer. She will head the new Lynnwood escrow office at Northgate. She has been in the mortgage business for over nine years. Lynnwood Mortgage Corp., founded in 1981, is the largest independently owned mortgage banking company in King, Snohomish, Skagit and Kitsap Counties.

Re/Max

Don Armes has joined Re/Max Eastside Brokers, Inc. A former buyer with the Boeing Co., he earned his real estate sales license in June and will work as a team with his wife, Barbara, out of the Eastside office in Bellevue. The Armes team specializes in residential sales.

Coldwell Banker

Harry Cummings, a real estate and management professional in the Seattle area for 15 years, has been named managing broker of the Coldwell Banker Bain Associates' office serving the North Seattle-Shoreline-Edmonds areas. Cummings was an associate broker with Coldwell Banker Bain Associates and sales manager with Coldwell Banker office in Bellevue before Bain Associates became a residential affiliate of Coldwell Banker.

CREW awards scholarship

CREW Northwest has awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Melinda St. Onge. Melinda has been employed in the commercial real estate industry for a number of years, most recently with Martin Selig Real Estate. Previously, she was employed in the architecture and construction fields in New Jersey. Currently a junior at City University, Melinda is majoring in accounting and has a cumulative GPA of 3.9. The scholarship is awarded to a part-time or full-time woman student who is returning to school in the state after working in commercial real estate.

Windermere

Windermere announces the addition of two sales associates to its Shoreline office. Ian Macdonald has 10 years of real estate experience with Wilson Realty Exchange, Inc. Previously, he worked in retail management for seven years. Ardis Santwire has nine years experience in real estate, most recently with Richard James/Edmonds Realty. She also has experience as director of a business college and with the Boeing Co. Santwire holds an associates degree from Edmonds Community College. Windermere has also announced the addition of four other associates. Associate broker Abby Santos, who joins the Federal Way West Campus, has more than four years real estate experience with Prudential Bentons Real Estate. She earned her bachelors and masters degree from the University of Washington. Jim Stoval joins Windermere's Northeast office as a sales associate after practicing real estate with John L. Scott for two years. Cari Franklin, sales associate, has two years of real estate experience with MacPherson's. Earl Mets Jr. begins his real estate career as a sales associate with Windermere's Bellevue Commons office.

Quadrant Homes joins Windermere

Quadrant Homes has entered into an alliance with Windermere Builder Services to provide marketing and sales support for Quadrant communities throughout the Puget Sound. Quadrant has moved its entire team of community sales managers to Windermere. The 10 member Quadrant-Windermere team, including Windermere Builder Services sales manager Bob Fox, is responsible for full-time, on-site sales at the Quadrant communities. Scott Pearl, Builder Service's director, also will act as senior manger on the account, which will be serviced out of the Windermere's Builder Service office in Bellevue.

Wandering Creek Apartments purchased

Essex Property Trust has acquired Wandering Creek Apartments, a 156-unit apartment community located in Kent for $6.35 million. Essex acquired Wandering Creek through the new issue of $5.3 million in tax-exempt variable rate demand bonds issued by the Washington Housing Finance Commission. Essex will spend approximately $600,000 to rehab the property. Essex Property Trust is a self-administered and self-managed equity real estate investment trust that focuses on multi-family residential properties in the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Portland metropolitan areas. Merger creates Hawaii's largest real estate firm Four of Hawaii's leading real estate companies announced their decision to merge, forming Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties, the largest residential real estate firm in Hawaii. The four companies involved in the merger have a combined 108 years of experience. They are: Dolman Associates, Conley Dew Ltd., Bradley Properties, Ltd. and Coldwell Banker McCormack Real Estate. Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties will now include 350 sales associates in 11 offices on Oahu. The new company will have a market share of 19 percent and more than 1,000 homes currently listed for sale. Coldwell Banker Pacific Properties will succeed Coldwell Banker McCormack Real Estate on Oahu and will operate as a franchisee of Coldwell Banker.