May 07, 1996

Mayor's Small Business Task Force Awards

On May 1, the mayor honored 10 small businesses for their outstanding business growth and planning as well as for contributions to their communities. The winners of the awards for 1996 were as follows: Byrne Specialty Gases, Inc., distributor of specialty gases to biotech; Caffe Appassionato, coffee roaster/restaurant; Edge of Glass Gallery, fine glass art gallery & studio; Julia's in Wallingford Inc., a restaurant owned by Karsten Betd; Kids Kraft, kids craft items; Olympic Hot Tub Company, retail spa store and sales; Philly's Best, restaurant and catering; Severson Construction, construction firm specializing in complex requirements, including environmental applications and toxicity abatements; The Blue Parrot, a retail store that sells locally made clothing, folk art and jewelry, with a buying philosophy based on social responsibility and buying first from the producer; and TRAC Associates, a job counseling and placement service for economically disadvantaged and disabled people.

The Bartlett Group

The Bartlett Group will provide pro bono public relations services for the Washington State Historical Society's new $36 million Washington State History Museum over the next two years. The firm will support the development and implementation of various public relations stategies for the WSHS, including event coordination support. Initial public relations support will be for the grand opening of the new 100,000-square-foot Washington State History Museum in Tacoma. The museum opens July 9.

Metapath Corporation

To reflect the widening scope of its products in the telecommunications industry, Securicor Wireless Networks has changed its name to METAPATH corporation. The new name will take effect immediately.

Vander Houwen Public Relations

Vander Houwen Public Relations (VHPR) has become the public relations agency of record for Ricter Enterprises, Ltd. of Lynnwood. VHPR will conduct a targeted, business-to-business media relations campaign for Ricter Enterprises to promote its Senza Zucchero and Senza Rivale lines of gourmet flavoring syrups.

CF2GS

Mary Knight has been hired by CF2GS as group creative director. Knight will oversee all creative work on accounts in the agency's Portland and San Fransisco offices. Previously, Knight worked at DDB Needham/Dallas as executive creative director on many high-profile accounts. She has earned numerous honors, including ADDYs, Clio, Effie, The One Show, and a finalist at the Cannes Film Festival.

EvansGroup Public Relations

Cheryl Stumbo APR will join EvansGroup Public Relations as senior vice president and general manager of the agency's new technology division, effective May 8. In addition to managing the new technology division, Stumbo will serve on EvansGroup Public Relations' corporate management committee and the Seattle public relations office's operating committee.

Linfield College

Justice Robert F. Utter of Olympia and Michael G. McBride of Twin Falls, Idaho, have been named to the Linfield College Board of Trustees.

Safeco

Safeco Corporation recently approved more than $210,000 in grants for Washington nonprofit organizations. Major beneficiaries include the Burke Museum, A Contemporary Theatre (ACT), Pacific Science Center, RCH Technical Institute, Seattle Children's Home and the College of Business and Economics at Washington State University.

Vintage Northwest

E.G. Morgan has been appointed as national sales manager, Eastern Division of Vintage Northwest. Based at the company's headquarters in Seattle, Morgan will supervise sales, sales administration and distributor management for all Vintage Northwest clients in the states east of the Mississippi. The firm represents a number of Washington, Oregon and California wineries.

Carpenters' union

Nonunion carpenters attending a recent Trade Improvement Committee meeting in Olympia agreed to form a new local union to represent residential and specialty trades-workers in the South Sound area. The new union will be called the South Sound Residential Trades Union. A petition for affiliation and charter is now being sent to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

HyTech Roofing

HyTech Roofing Inc. of Lynden was recently honored by Carlisle SynTec Systems for having installed over 50 "Perfect 10's." Carlisle inspects roofs that use its single-ply system and assigns a rating from one to 10. HyTech is the second contractor in the state to reach the milestone.

Lenihan

Lenihan Distributing of Tukwila has become an authorized distributor for Honeywell's Excel 5000 direct digital control system, an energy management system used in commercial and industrial buildings.

Brownfields technology workshop planned

SEATTLE -- The Duwamish Coalition, the Washington Environmental Industry Association and the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle will present an environmental technology workshop on June 6. Called "Duwamish Brownfields Environmental Technologies '96," the workshop is designed to educate land owners, business owners, bankers and real estate brokers about new technologies for cleaning contaminated brownfields. The workshop is scheduled for 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Aerospace Machinists District Lodge in Seattle. The technologies to be discussed include: capping; dig and haul; thermal; pump and treat; solidification; in situ fixation and bioremediation; surface bio; sub-surface air movement; six-phase heating; soil washing; and plant technology. The event will include a Continental breakfast, displays by exhibitors and a box lunch. Interested individuals may view technologies at work in the field from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. The workshop fee is $20 a person. The cost of a box lunch is $10. To register for the workshop, call the Washington Environmental Industry Association at (206) 528-3410.

Forum on the business of the environment

BELLEVUE -- "Environmental Challenges Equal Business Opportunities" will be the theme of a dinner and program sponsored by the MIT Enterprise Forum of the Northwest. Scheduled for 5:30 p.m. May 15 at the Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, the program will feature a panel of entrepreneurs who successfully turned environmental laws, regulations and the public's perception into business opportunities. Panelists will include David Beschen, president of GreenDisk; Craig Lorch, general manager and partner of Total Reclaim, Inc.; and Joseph A. Lucas, president of Inland Technology, Inc. The moderator of the panel discussion will be Mike McDowell, president of Technologies/Environment, Inc. Reservations are required. Cost of the dinner and program is $30. To make reservations, call (206) 623-8632.

Ethics and the environment

SEATTLE -- "Ethics and Current Environmental Issues" will be the theme of the Northwest Ethics Institute's monthly luncheon forum from noon to 1:30 p.m. May 15 at the Washington Athletic Club. Sherilyn Wells of the Washington Environmental Council will be the featured speaker at the luncheon. For information and reservations, call the Northwest Ethics Institute at (206) 524-3021.

Puget Sound Bike to Work Day

SEATTLE -- May 17 is the day for the seventh annual Puget Sound Bike to Work Day. Presented by the Cascade Bicycle Club, Bike to Work Day is designed to encourage the use of bicycles as transportation and to introduce people to the benefits of commuting by bicycle. According to Seattle Engineering Department estimates, between 4,000 and 8,000 Seattle residents commute to work by bicycle. On Bike to Work Day, daylong rallies will take place in Seattle's Westlake Park and on the lawn of Puget Power. Puget Power is located at the corner of 106th Street Northeast and Northeast Fourth Avenue in downtown Bellevue. The rallies will feature live entertainment, including performances by Hokum Jeeps, a musician who plays the piano on his bicycle. The rallies also will feature food, drinks, display booths, Bike to Work Day T-shirts and water bottles and information on bicycle vendors and organizations. Puget Sound Bike to Work Day is part of the Superweek of Cycling from May 11-19. For information on Superweek of Cycling events, call Brett Stav at (206) 684-5049 or Cathy Garrison at (206) 684-5420.

Environmental and land use law seminar

OCEAN SHORES -- The Environmental and Land Use Law Section midyear meeting and seminar is scheduled for June 6-8 at Shilo Inn, 707 Ocean Shores Blvd. N.W., Ocean Shores. Sponsored by the Washington State Bar Association, the three-day meeting and seminar will focus on case law and legislative updates, Growth Management Hearings Board cases, cost-effective approaches to cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated industrial properties, the Model Toxics Control Act, the Land Use Petition Act and the implementation of ESHB 1724 at the local level. The tuition fee for the seminar is $249 before May 23 and $269 after May 23. For information on how to register, call Jerrie Bennett at the Washington State Bar Association at (206) 727-8202.

Indoor air quality workshop in D.C.

WASHINGTON -- The Association of Energy Engineers is sponsoring an Indoor Air Quality Compliance Workshop June 6-7 at the Hyatt Arlington in Washington, D.C. The program will provide guidance for individuals who are designing and implementing air quality programs. The emphasis will be on complying with current indoor air quality (IAQ) regulations while being ready to adapt to future regulatory changes. Registration fees are $745 for Association of Energy Engineers members and $845 for non-members. For more information, contact the Association of Energy Engineers, 4025 Pleasantdale Road, Suite 420, Atlanta, GA 30340, (770) 447-5083, Ext. 210.

Conservation easements in San Juan County

FRIDAY HARBOR -- The San Juan County Board of County Commissioners has authorized the San Juan County Land Bank to use a formula to set conservation easement purchase prices. By using the straightforward formula, Land Bank staff or property owners can calculate prices for easements quickly. Until now, property owners have had to negotiate the details of the easement and then wait for an appraisal before a price could be known. San Juan Land Bank commissioners hope the new arrangement will cause more property owners to become interested in selling conservation easements. The Land Bank will be preparing a "user friendly" guide to how the formula works. For more information, call the San Juan County Land Bank at (360) 378-4402.

U.S. seed exports increase by 30 percent

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. exports of seeds for planting increased 30 percent during the most recent measuring period, but their value was up just 3 percent. Exports from July through January totaled 396,789 metric tons and were worth $438.3 million, the Agriculture Department said. Shipments of grass seed were up in both volume and value. Forage-crop seeds were down substantially by both measures. Vegetable seeds dropped 7.5 percent in volume and 2 percent in value. Except for field corn, which was down significantly, field-crop exports increased. Mexico continues to be the best market for U.S. seeds. During the seven-month period, soybean-seed shipments to Mexico exploded from 74 to 44,264 tons, USDA said. The volume of imported seeds was up by 20 percent, but the value plunged by 40 percent. Seventy-seven percent of the volume was from Canada.