Dec 19, 1995

Lufthansa

Lufthansa German Airlines has appointed Erich Falkenberg as account manager for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. For the past nine years, Falkenberg represented Lufthansa as regional sales manager in Seattle. He started to work with the airline in traffic and operations at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York 34 years ago. He then moved on to assume lead sales positions in Chicago, Indianapolis and Philadelphia, before returning to New York as district passenger sales manager and deputy area manager in 1981.

The Edgewater

Gregg Galuska has been named executive chef for Ernie's Grill at the Edgewater, a Seattle waterfront hotel. Previously, Galuska served as chef at Cucina! Cucina! in Kirkland and executive chef at Tollgate Hill Inn in Litchfield, Conn. In 1992, he was selected as one of "The 12 Best Country Inn Chiefs" by the James Beard Foundation.

Seattle University

Seattle University is currently seeking small businesses interested in receiving free advice during the winter quarter from their Small Business Institute, which begins Wednesday, January 3 and ends Saturday, March 16. The institute provides teams of business students which conduct in-depth consulting at no charge. Student teams conduct an analysis of the business, help develop a business plan, and help with strategic planning. Each student team is supervised by a faculty member and a business mentor. To be eligible, a business must have fewer than 50 employees, have been in business for more than one year, and be able to provide information on its operations for a minimum six-month period. The institute handles approximately 50 cases a year. Cases are selected by the students based on their interests and needs of the business owners. Cases not selected this winter will be considered for spring quarter. For more information, call the Albers School of Business and Economics Entrepreneurship Center at (206) 296-5730.

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Jeffrey Bentley has been appointed managing director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Bentley currently serves as executive director of Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet. He has worked in the dance field for several years, holding such positions as executive director of DanceAspen in Colorado, executive director of Eugene Ballet, and general manager of the Dance center of Columbia College in Chicago. From 1974 to 1981, he was the administrative director of the Seattle Repertory Theater.

Bellevue Community College

The Bellevue Community College Foundation has added four new members to its board of directors. They are: Virginia Allison, a retiree who volunteers for the Seattle Repertory Theater; Ronald Brown, a self-employed real estate investor; Glenn Johnson, vice president for Horizon Air/Regional Airline, and Toni Richmond, a volunteer currently active with the Seattle Repertory Theatre, College Baseball Classic, Treehouse Foundation Advisory Board and Seattle Art Museum.

GSPOC

Bellevue-based Greater Seattle Prosthetic & Orthotic Center Inc. (GSPOC) has been sold to NovaCare, a New York exchange company headquartered in King of Prussia, Pa, forming the largest prosthetic firm in the nation. NovaCare will utilize GSPOC's existing personnel and management to expand throughout the state of Washington. Part of the attraction of GSPOC to NovaCare was the quality of the company personnel who are experts in materials, manufacturing, diabetic care, gait analysis, and fitting and custom fabrication of artificial limbs and braces of all types.

GNA

Seattle-based GNA Corp., a diversified financial services holding company, has appointed John Howard to director of marketing for its brokerage sales group. Howard was previously program director for the GNA managed investment program at CrossLand Federal Savings Bank in New York, where he managed a sales force of 20 investment specialists for the past year. Prior to that, he was a product manager and regional account manager for GNA in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.

Rushforth

Roy Cutler is Rushforth Construction Co.'s newest project manager. He is responsible for the company's Columbia Winery addition and remodel, its Frank Russell Summit project and the James Center office building. Cutler holds a degree in construction management from Washington State University.

Moss Adams

Elaine Ervin has joined the Construction Service Group of the Seattle office of Moss Adams LLP, a West Coast CPA firm. She is serving as audit and accounting manager. Ervin comes to Moss Adams with 14 years of experience in private and public accounting, specializing in serving contractors for the last 11 years. She currently serves on the board of directors for the Construction Financial Management Association and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Washington Society of Certified Public Accountants.

Constructors-Pamco

Constructors-Pamco is moving. As of Dec. 22, the company will officially change from its current location in Seattle to Issaquah. The new address and phone numbers are: 700 N.W. Gilman Blvd., E-103, Suite 196, Issaquah, WA 98027, (206) 313-2660, fax (206) 313-2635.

BIAW

Thurston County home builder Ken Donohue has been named Builder of the Year by the Building Industry Association of Washington. Donohue has been a home builder in southwest Washington for the past 20 years. He has been active in issues affecting small business and affordable housing for many years and was a candidate for the state Legislature in 1992. BIAW also elected Donohue to the office of president for 1996. Along with Donohue, Art Dunker, of Diamond D Construction of Port Angeles, was honored as Remodeler of the Year, and Florence Delvo, of Washington Mutual Home Loan Center in Vancouver, was named Associate of the Year. BIAW also awarded the following in its 1995 Excellence in Remodeling Awards: Brad Hendrix of Brad Hendrix Construction of Selah for Bathroom Remodel, less than $10,000; Jack and Pat Tenhulzen and Hollis Van Biene of Tenhulzen Remodeling of Redmond for Bathroom Remodel, more than $10,000; Brad Hendrix for Kitchen Remodel, less than $20,000; John and Janette Wray of Better Than Ever Construction of Issaquah for Kitchen Remodel, more than $20,000; Dale Turner of DJ Turner Construction of Yakima for Addition, less than $35,000; John Bratton of JW Bratton Construction of Renton for Addition, more than $35,000; Dale Turner for the Open Category; and Denny Grandstand of Osprey Construction of Yakima for Residential Remodel, less than $30,000.

NECA

Jim Mackey of Evergreen Electrical Contractors was presented the NECA Award by chapter president Gordon Cochran at the organization's annual Christmas banquet. The award is given to the electrical contractor who contributes the most time for the betterment of the electrical industry. Mackey has donated time and equipment for the Fred Hutchinson Horse Classic fundraiser, he serves as chapter governor and chairman of the Labor Negotiating Committee, is a trustee on the union pension plan, and is an officer and board member of the chapter. Also receiving awards were: Terry Hooper of Sasco/Hooper, President's Award for representing NECA on the National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee and for serving 17 years as a local JATC trustee; and Gary Lane of Industrial Electric Motor Shop, Associate of the Year Award for serving as trustee for the longest period of time on the union's health and welfare trust and pension trust. Safety awards were presented to the following companies: Angeles Electric, Sy Electric, Collins Electric and Cochran Electric.

World of Concrete

World of Concrete '96 is set for Jan. 17-21 in Las Vegas. The event offers seminars, exhibits, MegaDemos (full-scale, live-action demonstrations), apprenticeship competition and related activities. Also featured will be over 300,000 square feet of space containing new products and services from over 900 companies in the industry. For additional information, call (800) 837-0870 or (708) 543-0870; fax (708) 543-3112; or write World of Concrete, 426 S. Westgate St., Addison, IL 60101.

Certification, specification writing class

Certification and specification writing classes, sponsored by the Puget Sound Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute, are now being formed. Basic principles of specification writing will be covered, including bidding procedures, general and supplementary conditions, general requirements and organization, methods, and procedures for preparing specifications. Course content will cover study requirements for the Construction Document Technology, Certified Construction Specifier, Certified Construction Product Representative, and Certified Construction Contract Administrator examinations. Classes will be held for 11 consecutive Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 9, at the Seattle Design Center (5701 Sixth Ave. S.). Classes will begin at 6 p.m. each night. Tuition is $100, not including manuals. For further information, contact Ron Niemi at (206) 623-4646 or Ed Storer at (206) 223-5052.

AACE

The Seattle Section of AACE International is holding a Jan. 10 dinner meeting at Latitude 47 restaurant (1232 Westlake Ave. N.) in Seattle. Mike Siemion and Gregory Conner will make a presentation on the use of the Internet at the meeting. The presentation will provide a discussion of the Internet and what it can do for business. Topics to be addressed include the Worldwide Web, home pages, website design and creation, cost benefit analysis of the Internet, and marketing approaches. The evening will kick off with a 6 p.m. reception, followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Cost is $19 per person. Reservations are required and must be made by Jan. 5. For further information, contact Kirk Hennig at (206) 365-0738 or fax (206) 365-6822.

Inland NW AGC convention

The Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors will hold its annual convention Jan. 10-12 at the Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho. Topics to be covered include: a regional economic outlook, risk sharing, project documentation, personal and business financial planning, and governmental affairs. For further information, contact Inland Northwest AGC, E. 4935 Trent, Box 3266, Spokane, WA 99220-3266; (509) 535-0391.

EchoChem hires new environmental chemist

Kathryn A. Carpenter has been hired as senior environmental chemist at EcoChem of Seattle. Carpenter, who holds an M.S. is Water Resources Management/Water Chemistry and a B.S. in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology, has more than six years of environmental and analytic chemistry experience in the Northwest. She will be part of EcoChem's team for the Metro/Duwamish and City of Everett Landfill/Tire Fire projects.

Board votes to phase out grass field burning

SPOKANE (AP) -- Grass field burning, which produces air pollution in the Inland Northwest each year, could be phased out in Spokane County within seven years. The Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority voted 3-2 on Thursday to phase out the practice, drawing the ire of the grass seed industry. The key vote was cast by new County Commissioner John Roskelley, who was attending his first meeting of the air control board. "Boards are supposed to be making the tough decisions on what's good for the entire community," Roskelley said. There is growing evidence that grass burning damages health, and other industries have been forced to protect air quality, Roskelley said. Spokane City Councilman Mike Brewer voted against the action, saying he didn't want to hurt the region's grass seed industry. The board will determine the time frame for phasing out the grass burning. County Commissioner Steve Hasson said it could be as soon as seven years. John Cornwall, president of the Intermountain Grass Growers Association, questioned the basis for the time frame. "A seven-year phasedown is not feasible," Cornwall said. The industry doesn't have an alternative to burning, which helps grass seed regenerate, Cornwall said. Farmers are searching for one, he said. Clean air activists hailed the decision.

Study concentrates on metals in state soils

Natural concentrations of metals in soils vary as much as 62-fold from one part of Washington state to another according to a U.S. Geological Survey study that is expected to help the state Department of Ecology revise soil cleanup guidelines. Concentrations of mercury display the greatest variability, followed by nickel, chromium and copper, while metals such as aluminum and barium vary less, says the report. Kenneth Ames, who authored the study along with Edmund A. Pyrch, says the report will aid Ecology in determining "if, and to what degree, soils are contaminated at sites where pollution is suspected." It will also enable the agency to produce cleanup guidelines that more accurately reflect specific soil environments, Ames added. The report suggests that the state may be divided into distinct regions, characterized by distinct attributes (including metal concentrations). Therefore, it may not be necessary to obtain background data for each potentially contaminated area because data collected in one area may be transferable to another as long as the soils are similar and lie within the same region. Although the study chiefly focused on metals concentrations, it also involved investigations of such other soil constituents as PCBs and TPH, which were not detected. The report, titled, "Background Concentrations of Metals in Soils from Selected Regions in the State of Washington," is published as U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigation Report No. 95-4018. The Geological Survey has made copies available for review at 1201 Pacific Ave., Suite 600, Tacoma, WA 98402-4384, and for purchase at Federal Center, Box 25286, MS 517, Denver, CO 80225.

Pine Creek's cleanup may be near

PINEHURST, Idaho (AP) -- Scientist Dave Fortier stood on a pile of mine tailings along Pine Creek recently and discussed how recent flooding pushed poisonous wastes into the region's waterways. During high runoff, Pine Creek is a major source of the zinc, lead and other metals that flow downstream into the Coeur d'Alene River, Lake Coeur d'Alene, the Spokane River and beyond. "People can't fathom that nature has the energy to do this," Fortier said. "Going out during flood periods gives you a whole different perspective." The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is responsible for much of the land here. It's riddled with historic mines, mill sites and tailings dumps -- those often reddish piles of grit where even bugs don't like to live. The wastes at Pine Creek are the legacy of the Liberal King zinc ore processing mill. "We've identified the problems over and over," Fortier said. "We just never come up with the resolve and the wherewithal to do something about it." Momentum is building toward a final solution to the metals contamination. U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, has promised to introduce legislation that would combine money from federal taxpayers and mining companies to do the work. Long ago stripped of trees and made unstable by tumbling rock, Pine Creek moves back and forth with each flood. In late November, it took a bite out of Pine Creek Road. There's never been money available to repair the ecosystem by stabilizing the stream banks, Fortier said. While the agency wrestles with the disposal problem, Fortier has been preparing a report in which he recommends seven top-priority cleanup sites. "All involve mill sites, all adjoin a stream, and all have obvious releases of material into the stream," said Fortier. The other priority sites are the Amy, Denver, Sidney, Highland-Surprise, Douglas and Upper Constitution mills. Fortier said his report will be out early next year for public comment.

Silver mining also left a legacy of waste.

The Nabob Silver Lead Co. operated until the early 1980s, and also needs cleanup, Fortier said. Mark Kleinbeck lives next door to the Nabob where, last year, the BLM erected a chain-link fence to discourage children from playing on the tailings pile. Kleinbeck said his four sons have learned to keep out. But he said he would never have bought his home three years ago if he'd known about the metals. "I had no idea that mining wastes were dangerous," said Kleinbeck, a mechanic from New York state. "I wanted my kids to be able to run around and play and not worry about the danger of growing up with gangs and drugs -- and come to find out there's hazardous material right next door."