Oct 15, 1996

Graham & Dunn

Yuko Aimi has joined the law firm of Graham & Dunn as an associate in its Tax Group. Aimi specializes in corporate tax planning with an emphasis on high technology and international businesses.

Lynnwood Mortgage Corporation

Debbie Steck has been named senior vice president and branch manager of Lynnwood Mortgage Corporation's (LMC's) Mountlake Terrace office. She takes over for Donn Costa, who has been named president of the company.

Virginia Mason Medical Center

Mark Hill, M.D. has joined the cardiothoracic team at Virginia Mason Medical Center. His interests are in minimally invasive cardiothoracic surgery, thoracic surgery, and adult congenital surgery.

Vander Houwen Public Relations

Vander Houwen Public Relations won the top award for Internal Communications in the 1996 Northwest Classics sponsored by the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). VHPR of Bellevue developed a program called "A New Way to Communicate at Kinko's" which allowed 23,000 Kinko's co-workers at over 850 stores worldwide to communicate with one another. The program was designed to encourage two-way communication and speed the flow of information to all company locations.

RC's Billiards, Brew and Eatery

RC's Billiards, Brew and Eatery has opened near Pier 70 in Seattle. Located at 10 Broad Street (across from the Old Spaghetti Factory), RC's Billiards will serve lunch and dinner.

Preston Gates & Ellis

Preston Gates & Ellis has added the following new associates to the law firm's Seattle office. Janet Milam Howe, Sophie Hager Hume, Aaron McGrath, Kollin Min, Lukas Morscher, Helen Bergman Moure, Daniel Poliak, Jill Hanson Reinmuth, Bridget Goodrick Rodden, Alexandra Smith, Kendall Taylor, and Denis Stiffarm.

Pacific Northwest Ballet

Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) will host a complimentary open house for the public as part of the Seattle Center "Fall Fandango" which will feature a behind-the-scenes tour of PNB's facility, a free dance class and a special Nutcracker room with free giveaways and activities for kids. The event will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at PNB's Phelps Center, 301 Mercer St.

Parker LePla

Parker LePla, a Seattle-based brand development and public relations firm, has added Jennifer Haupt and Eric Nobis to its staff. Haupt will act as staff writer and consultant, and Nobis will serve as associate consultant.

Ledcor

Don Lloyd has joined Ledcor Industries Inc. as business development manager of the Western United States. He will market the company's general contractor, construction management and design-build services.

NAWIC

Sandra Glassie of Mayer Built Homes Inc. was recently installed as president of Tacoma Chapter No. 187 of the National Association of Women in Construction. Other newly installed officers include: Donna Duval of Rushforth Construction Co. Inc. as vice president, Nancy Webber of Webber Electric as secretary, and Barbara Williams of Alternative Billing Service as treasurer. New directors are: Marie Gustin of Totem Electric of Tacoma Inc., Donna Jones of Sierra Tile Co. Inc., Liz Savage of Key Bank of Washington, and Kathy Sutphin of Carpenters Training Trust.

Valley Electric

Terry Hicks was promoted to field operations manager and Steve Sherrard to general field superintendent at Valley Electric Co. of Mount Vernon Inc. The company also announced Robert Carrithers has joined as its new chief financial officer.

Funding aids tribal environmental effort

OLYMPIA -- Congress and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are teaming up with Indian tribes to address environmental concerns on reservations across the country. Congress recently appropriated $28 million for grants that will allow tribes to develop environmental programs. Grant money can be used for a variety of activities, from conducting environmental assessments to monitoring air quality. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will distribute between $9 million and $9.5 million to the more than 250 tribes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska. The goal is to give a minimum of $75,000 to each tribe, said Fran Wilshusen, water resources coordinator for the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. "What's really exciting about all of this is that the tribes are bucking 25 years of not having any environmental infrastructure in their governments," Wilshusen said. "The tribes are just starting to build those programs now." Tribes in western Washington plan to use the funding for cooperative environmental protection efforts. The Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe is working with state and local governments to implement a watershed protection program for the Dungeness River. The Swinomish Tribe near La Conner will use the money to develop a set of environmental codes, Wilshusen said. Congress also appropriated $500,000 in base-level funding for Washington's Coordinated Tribal Water Quality Program, a program that allows tribes to participate as co-managers of water quality. The program began in 1990 when the 26 federally-recognized tribes and tribal organizations in the state came together and devised an intergovernmental strategy for achieving national water quality standards.

Proposals sought for PET, wood waste ideas

SEATTLE -- The Clean Washington Center is seeking proposals from consultants who can develop manuals and workshops that highlight uses for wood waste and polyethylene terepthalate (PET, the plastic used in soda bottles). The "best practices manuals" would contain information about the best ways to use the recycled materials in manufacturing and production processes. After conducting research about successful uses for the materials and documenting those uses in the manuals, the consultant would coordinate a series of educational workshops based on the information in the manuals. Up to $50,000 is available for work related to each material. A pre-bidders' conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 30 at the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, 2001 Sixth Ave., Suite 2700, Seattle. Proposals are due by noon Tuesday, Nov. 12. To receive a copy of the request for proposals, call (206) 464-6282.

Free workshop on new ISO 14000 project

BELLEVUE -- John Kinsella, vice president of Bellevue-based SCS Engineers, will give an overview of the new ISO 14000 Leadership Project Friday morning in Bellevue. The project's goal is to identify regulatory flexibility that may be available for companies that get certified to the ISO 14001 environmental management standard. Three businesses have volunteered to participate in the pilot project: Elf Atochem North America Inc. in Tacoma; Matsushita Semiconductor in Puyallup; and Murray Pacific Corp. in Tacoma. Over the next six months, the businesses will undergo an analysis of their environmental management systems in order to determine whether or not it would be beneficial to register for ISO 14001. The ISO 14000 Leadership Project is being administered by International Standards Initiative in Issaquah and sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Ecology. The free workshop is scheduled for 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Friday at AirTouch Cellular, 15800 S.E. Eastgate Way, Bellevue. For information on the event, call (206) 392-7610.

Adolfson's director of environmental services

SEATTLE -- Adolfson Associates Inc. has announced the addition of Lloyd Skinner as director of environmental services. Skinner has 18 years experience in land use planning, environmental impact analysis and natural resource management. He is joining Adolfson Associates after 10 years with CH2M Hill's Seattle office, where he was director of the Planning Practice Group.

State wetlands delineation manual

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology is entering into the final round of public review on a proposed wetlands delineation manual rule. Delineation manuals are used to determine the "edge" of a wetland based on hydrology, vegetation and soils. For years, there has been a great deal of confusion because different editions of federal delineation manuals have been used. To help reduce the confusion, the 1995 state Legislature ordered Ecology adopt as a state rule a wetlands delineation manual that is consistent with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 1987 manual. Ecology will have workshops and public hearings on the issue from 6 to 10 p.m. at the following days and locations: Oct. 23, Port of Tacoma, 3600 Port of Tacoma Road, Room 104, Tacoma; Oct. 28, Public Health Building, 1101 W. College, Room 140, Spokane. Written comments on the draft manual rule must be submitted by Nov. 7. To receive a copy of the draft rule, call Ecology's Publications Office at (360) 407-7472 or send e-mail to MA HREF="mailto:ecypub@461.ecy.wa.gov">ecypub@461.ecy.wa.gov and request Publication Number 96-118. To receive a copy of the entire state manual, order Publication Number 96-93. For more information, call Andy McMillan at (360) 407-7272 or send e-mail to: anmc@ecy.wa.gov.

New vactor decant facility

SNOHOMISH -- Snohomish County Public Works recently opened a new vactor decant facility at the Cathcart Landfill south of Snohomish off Highway 9. Each year, the county collects more than 1,200 tons of "vactor grit." Vactor grit is made up of dirt, grit, oils and fuels. The concoction is often formed when cars zoom down streets and highways. When it rains, the vactor grit on roadways washes into catch basins. Eventually the material must be removed from the catch basins. In order to process vactor waste, the vactor grit's liquids and solids must be separated at a vactor decant facility. The liquids get treated, and the solids get dried and disposed of or recycled. The new vactor decant facility's services are available for a fee to public agencies and private operators. The Washington State Department of Transportation will be bringing the grit it collects to the new facility for treatment. For more information, call Jim Wilson at (206) 388-6491.

Proposed rules for dairy farms, plants

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Agriculture will have a public hearing at 9 a.m. Oct. 24 to discuss proposed rules that establish penalty criteria for dairy farms and plants with a history of non-compliance with dairy laws. The rules would affect the revoking of dairy licenses and the lowering of the grade of a dairy operation from Grade A to Grade C. Department of Agriculture officials say they are trying to develop a fair, equitable method for dealing with these issues. Under the proposed rules, farmers and processors would be able to appeal degrade actions before the degrades go into effect. The hearing will take place at the Natural Resources Building, Room 259, 1111 Washington St. S.E., Olympia. For more information, call Mike Donovan at the Department of Agriculture at (360) 902-1883.