Oct 03, 1996

Labtec Enterprises

Labtec Enterprises, a Vancouver-based computer speaker manufacturer, has received the Washington Technology Fast 50 Award. Labtec ranked 12th in the honors presented by Deloitte & Touche which recognize the firms that have achieved the highest percentage of revenue growth over the past five years. Labtec appointed Randy Lervold senior vice president of North American sales. He was director of sales and marketing for the consumer electronics division at Allsop, Inc.

WEDFA

The Washington Economic Development Finance Authority (WEDFA) has completed its transition to an independent entity in September. The authority formerly received staffing support from the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED). WEDFA has hired its first employee, Jonathan Hayes, as interim revenue bond programs manager. Its new offices are located at 1000 Second Avenue, Suite 2700, Seattle. WEDFA was developed to create innovative approaches to the problem of unmet capital needs. It issues both taxable and tax-exempt nonrecourse revenue bonds.

Esterline Technologies

Robert Cremin has been appointed executive vice president and chief operating officer of Esterline Technologies. Cremin will hold overall corporate responsibility for Esterline's 13 subsidiaries and will oversee the activities of the company's group vice presidents. Esterline manufactures engineered products for the commercial aircraft, aerospace and defense industries; automated equipment for the production of printed circuit boards and metal fabrication; and instrumentation for quality and process control.

Christensen O'Connor

John Johnson has joined the law firm of Christensen O'Connor Johnson & Kindness as Of Counsel. Johnson previously was a partner with Graybeal Jackson Haley & Johnson. He will continue his practice of intellectual property law emphasizing chemical, biotechnical, biomedical and mechanical patent and trademark prosecution, licensing and litigation.

Totem Ocean Trailer Express

Assistant terminal manager Caroline Higgins has been promoted to Fairbanks manager at Totem Ocean Trailer Express, Inc. (TOTE). TOTE is an Alaska steamship company that operates three roll-on/roll-off trailerships exclusively in the Alaska trade between the ports of Tacoma and Anchorage.

Frontier Bank

Everett-based, Frontier Bank, has received top rankings from two major rating bureaus. Bauer Financial Reports, Inc. has upgraded Frontier from a four-star to a five-star rating. Veribanc has designated Frontier as a "Blue Ribbon Bank," a designation awarded to institutions that demonstrate exceptional attention to safety, soundness and financial strength. Frontier Bank has recently opened its 17th office in Lake City, the first in the Seattle market.

Oct 02, 1996

GeoEngineers, Inc.

Gayle Guadarrama has joined the firm of GeoEngineers, Inc. as corporate marketing director. Guadarrama will be responsible for improving communication throughout the firm's six Pacific Northwest offices, helping with the planning of the firm's future and enhancing the firm's image in the community. She will work out of the Redmond office. GeoEngineers is a 150-person firm offering diverse geotechnical, environmental, geologic, and ground water consulting services.

Stone Construction Equipment, Inc.

Chris Perkins has been appointed as manager of the technical services department at Stone Construction Equipment, Inc. His new responsibilities will include, managing the technical services reps; developing a computerized diagnostic trouble shooting discipline; developing service school curricula; and implementing customer service school programs. Stone Construction Equipment designs, manufactures, and markets light construction equipment.

Penwest, Ltd.

Edmund Belsheim, Jr. is leaving the law offices of Bogle & Gates to join Penwest, Ltd. as vice president of corporate development, and general counsel. In his new position, Belsheim will help with the development and implementation of Penwest's near- and long-term strategic initiatives.

Metropolitan King County Council

Metropolitan King County Councilmember Greg Nickels has been appointed by Governor Mike Lowry to represent elected county officials on the Washington State Sentencing Guidelines Commission. The Commission recommends sentencing standards and ranges to the State Legislature and studies key indicators that influence both adult felony sentencing and juvenile justice.

BHP Coated Steel Corporation

BHP Coated Steel Corporation will establish its head office at the site of its new steel finishing facility in Kalama, Washington. All head office functions, including marketing and sales, logistics, finance, human resources, and information services will be located at the site. BHP Steel will also relocate its wholly-owned subsidiary, BIEC International, Inc. from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to Kalama. BIEC manages the international licensing of BHP's proprietary metallic coating technology and associated trademarks. The Broken Hill Proprietary Co., Ltd. (BHP) is one of the world's largest diversified resources companies with operations in more than 50 countries and over 100 years of experience in the resources industry. The company's headquarters are in Melbourne, Australia. BHP Steel is one of BHP's four main businesses. The others include BHP Minerals, BHP Copper, and BHP Petroleum.

International Absorbents Inc.

International Absorbents Inc. has elected Geoffrey Lawrence as director and has named him president, chief executive officer and director of Absorption Corp., the company's operating subsidiary. Lawrence joins the company from Impact Systems, Inc. of San Jose, California. International Absorbents Inc. develops, manufactures and markets patented and proprietary, cost-effective sorbent products derived from recycled, renewable materials.

Washington Savings League

Patrick Sheaffer, president and chief executive officer of Riverview Savings Bank, has been elected chairman of the Washington Savings League. Gary Sirmon, president of First Savings Bank of Washington, has been elected as vice chairman. The Washington Savings League is an Olympia-based trade association representing the savings banks and savings & loans operating in Washington state.

Sparling

Greg Doyle has been promoted to manager of broadcast consulting for the technology group at Sparling. Because of his background in television studio systems for major broadcast networks, international sports networks and independent producers and stations throughout the US and Canada, he is leading the design of several local broadcast stations and Microsoft projects. He recently completed the design of audio and video television systems for MSNBC Interactive in Fort Lee, N.J., and Redmond, and has recently started the broadcast design of KCPQ's new television station. Thomas Mullins has been promoted to manager of audio/video consulting for the technology group. He is currently overseeing design of the Westin Hotel's new audio systems and Benaroya Hall's audio support and video systems. He is also active in numerous projects at the University of Washington involving distance learning and audio/video presentation systems at Mary Gates Hall, the Fisheries Building, and the Electrical Engineering/Computer Science and Engineering Building. In addition, he will lead the audio/video design for projects at the Seattle University Law School and the University of Washington's School of Law.

Sclater Kimball

Barbara Kuhne has joined the staff of Sclater Kimball Architects as an interior design specialist. A professional designer for over 14 years, Kuhne specialized in both interiors and environmental graphic design. Kuhne previously served as head of interiors for Waterleaf Architecture and Interiors and operated her own interior design business in Seattle. Jennifer Johnson has joined the staff to lead the public relations and marketing efforts for the firm. Johnson previously served as an account manager for Evans Group Public Relations, and marketing assistant for AT & T Wireless Services Messaging Division. Prior to AT & T, she worked as an account coordinator at Richmond Public Relations in Seattle. Craig Brookes has joined Sclater Kimball as an architectural intern. Brookes previously held internships with two other architecture firms in Seattle and served as a field coordinator for Denmark International Studies. A graduate of Washington State University, he also studied architecture abroad at the Danish International School, an affiliate of the University of Copenhagen.

Otak

Matt Carrick has joined Otak, Inc. as a survey technician. As an accomplished CAD technician with over six years of survey mapping and engineering drafting experience, Carrick's background includes topographic and boundary mapping and ALTA surveys for a wide range of projects and clients. He is experienced with construction staking, boundary surveys, topographic mapping, hydrographic mapping, and GPS control. Carrick was previously employed by White Shield, Inc.

Landau

Dan Ballbach has joined Landau Associates, Inc. as chief operating officer. He comes from the law firm Perkins Coie, where he was senior partner with 20 years of experience in environmental and natural resource law. He will be responsible for day-to-day management of the firm's operations and will also consult with clients in the areas of strategic environmental management, alternative dispute resolution, and environmental compliance auditing. He is currently the presiding officer of the Model Toxics Control Act Policy Advisory Committee, and member of the board of directors of the Association of Washington Business. Leslee Conner is now manager of Landau Associates' Spokane office. She is a hydrogeologist with 13 years of professional environmental experience, including seven years at Landau Associates' Edmonds office. Susan Kemp has assumed the position of marketing manager after four years with the company in its Edmonds office. She will be responsible for proposal preparation, database management, and project teaming arrangements.

Art Anderson

Douglas D. Koenen recently passed the Washington State Professional Engineer's examination for mechanical engineering. Koenen's passing grade brings the number of registered mechanical engineers at Art Anderson Associates up to nine. Gary Gill has joined the civil engineering division of Art Anderson Associates. He will commence work on the Port Orchard City Hall, City of Vallejo Passenger-Only Ferry Terminal, and Fisherman's Wharf/Pier 43 Passenger-Only Ferry Terminal, San Francisco. Gill has more than 16 years of experience as a structural engineer. His project experience includes Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at the Naval station in Bremerton.

Murase

Murase Associates, Inc. has added five members to its staff. James Ingels, project manager, is a landscape architect with over 12 years of design experience in college and medical campuses and commercial and residential projects, some of which were in Mexico and Israel. Returning to the Northwest from the Bay area, Ingels is currently working on the Powell Butte Park Master Plan and institutional projects. Steven Koch, project manager, is a native of Portland and joins Murase Associates from the office of Lawrence Halprin in San Francisco where he worked for five years. His experience included the FDR National Memorial in Washington, D.C., Nature Conservancy's Valensin Ranch, and Laguna Coast Wilderness Park Master Plan. He is currently working on a master plan for the City of Goshogawara in Japan, a Milwaukie Riverfront Plan, the Corvallis Waterfront Master Plan, and the Cook Park Expansion Master Plan. Emi Mizuno, urban planner, received her bachelor and master of engineering degrees in architecture/urban planning from Kobe University, and her master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Her previous work includes the Fukuhara Gakeun Campus Master Plan in Kyushu, Japan, and the Northeast Mission District Rezoning Project in San Francisco. She is currently working on the City of Goshogawara master plan and the Toledo Downtown plan. Mark Hafs has a background in the arts and has three years working in university campus planning offices at the University of Virginia and the University of Washington, where he completed UW's campus furnishings and signage guidelines. Mark places a special emphasis on native habitat plant restoration and the use of ornamental plants. He is presently working on the University of Washington Law School, Meadowdale High School and Whittier Elementary School.