Jan 13, 1998

Foushee

Foushee & Associates has made Mark Stillwell a partner and promoted Brian Gibson to project manager of its Tenant Improvement Department. Stillwell has been with the company for eight years and currently manages its Tenant Improvement and Service departments. Gibson has been with the firm for four years and holds a construction management degree from the University of Washington.

PSI

Sam Yaghmaie has been appointed department manager of PSI's Construction Services Department. Yaghmaie was previously director of technical operations at AAR Testing Laboratory. He holds a civil engineering degree from Seattle University.

L&I

Mike Sotelo, executive vice president of Approach Management Services, has been appointed to the Workers' Compensation Advisory Committee of the state Department of Labor and Industries. The committee includes labor and management representatives. It advises L&I and the Legislature on industrial insurance matters.

Condon Johnson

Condon Johnson & Associates Inc. has moved to a new location in Tukwila. The new address is: 651 Strander Blvd., Suite 110, Tukwila, WA 98188. The company's phone and fax number remain the same.

Steelhead numbers still falling

PARKSVILLE, British Columbia (AP) -- For over a decade, Craig Wightman has been snorkeling the Englishman River and counting steelhead. He doesn't need to bring along a calculator anymore. "You can almost count on your fingers the numbers we find in some areas," Wightman, a senior provincial fisheries biologist, said recently. Last year's official count revealed there were less than 300 steelhead in the Englishman on southeastern Vancouver Island, about 75 miles north of Victoria. Wightman and his colleagues are still at work on this year's count. But in the mid-1980s, biologists counted between 1,000 to 1,500 of the valued, tasty fish on the Englishman. "To us that's a major conservation crisis," said Wightman. The crisis is just as bad in other Vancouver Island rivers and streams, and indicates some fundamental changes to the survival of young steelhead at sea, Wightman said. "A whole group of us have dedicated our careers to sustaining these populations and we have a lot of public support. People view the steelhead as a harbinger of what's happening with environmental conditions and things don't look good," he said. Seven years of declining steelhead stocks have resulted in sport-fishing restrictions, the latest last month, which hurts the economies of a number of island communities like this town at the mouth of the Englishman. Wightman said biologists and fishers alike fear fishing for steelhead will never again be like it was 10 years ago.

Chinese studies Oregon oyster farming

NEWPORT, Ore. (AP) -- A Chinese scientist has become one of the key researchers in aquaculture on the Oregon Coast, where oyster farming has caught the attention of Chinese investors. Xin Liu, 35, is working on his a doctorate at Oregon State University and also is the research and technology director at the Yaquina Bay Oyster Co.'s new oyster nursery. The nursery, which is the former OreAqua salmon ranch, recently caught the attention of a Chinese investment scout. Now, a government-owned Chinese company is negotiating an investment in the nursery in exchange for sharing Liu's innovations. Meanwhile, demand for Liu's expertise has grown since the oyster company started the nursery last May. Liu's primary job is to raise purchased oyster larvae as single oysters. Oyster larvae are microscopic and tend to clump together. Most Oregon growers buy larvae and allow them to attach to clean oyster shells, or buy seed already attached to shells at hatcheries. The result is numerous little oysters on each shell, resulting in adults clumped together. However, there is growing demand for singles oysters. Liu has invented and borrowed technology for keeping tiny oysters apart during the time they want to bond together. At the nursery, Liu also grows six kinds of phytoplankton, tiny plants, to feed his baby oysters. He grows them in cultures by adding starter to purified seawater. They multiply and mature, filling a tank with oyster food in about four days. Liu then irrigates the tiny oysters with the nutrient-rich water. The oysters started at the nursery are sent up the bay to be grown to market size at Yaquina Bay Oyster Co.'s 500 acres of leased tidelands. Chinese commercial counsel Xiao Hua Quan, who visited in December from the Chinese embassy in San Francisco, said that if the Yaquina Bay investment goes well, his government will seek more investment opportunities in Oregon. Liu said money for research is almost nonexistent in China, where aquaculture is a huge industry but lags technologically. "You cannot learn the practical work from your textbook," Liu said. "This has great potential for research and business. I have all the freedom I want. That's why I spend a great deal of time here."

Jan 12, 1998

Regence Blue Shield

Regence Blue Shield has promoted Marilee K. McGuire to vice president of the division that serves The Boeing Co. McGuire was formerly manager of the Boeing claims department. Regence Blue Shield is a health plan headquartered in Seattle.

MWW/Savitt

Greg McMurchie, art director, and Chris Mullins, production manager, recently joined the Seattle offices of MWW/Savitt's creative services division. McMurchie formerly served as art director for Seattle's Ad Infinitum. Mullins was formerly an account representative at AccuGraphics in Austin.

National Tour Association

Robert F. Brennan, president and owner of Brennan Tours in Seattle, will serve as president-elect of the National Tour Association. The National Tour Association is an organization of nearly 4,000 North American tourism professionals focused on the development, production and increased use of tour operator-packaged travel.

Everett Community College

Governor Gary Locke has named Boeing Co. executive Glenn E. Jennings to the Everett Community College board of trustees. Jennings is the make/buy and work transfer director for Boeing's 747/767/777 programs.

Washington State Bank

Washington State Bank has moved its main office from First Way to the corner of 323rd and Pacific Highway. The new address of the office is 32303 Pacific Highway S.

Primus

Primus, a Seattle-based provider of enterprise software for problem resolution and knowledge management, announced the promotions of Brian Donaldson to vice president of marketing and David Hanafee to vice president of sales. Donaldson will continue to oversee marketing strategy and day-to-day marketing. Hanafee will be responsible for increasing domestic and international sales as well as developing and expanding the company's OEM relationships.

Clark Nuber

David K. James, recently became a shareholder at Clark Nuber, a Bellevue-based public accounting and business consulting firm. James is a member of accounting and auditing department and his practice focuses on closely-held construction, real estate development, property management, manufacturing and technical service businesses.

CoinStar

Michael W. Parks has been promoted to vice president of field operations at the Bellevue offices of CoinStar. Parks formerly served as founder and president of Seriphus Group. CoinStar owns and operates a nationwide network of more than 3,200 automated, self-service coin counting and processing machines.

Port of Seattle

John Pilcher has been named general manager of marine marketing and Mike Matthews has been named manager of consumer marketing and customer service for the Port of Seattle. Pilcher will lead the Port's marine marketing group and will provide strategic planning for the six lines of business at the marine division. Pilcher formerly founded two companies focused on real estate transaction advice and new consumer products. Matthews will lead the marketing team serving its container line of business customers. Matthews formerly led sales and marketing teams for American President Lines.

Elekom

Norman Behar is the new president and CEO of Elekom Corp., a Bellevue-based independent, privately-held software company specializing in business-to-business electronic commerce systems. Behar was formerly CEO for Catapult Inc., a computer training software company.

The Silver Co.

The Silver Co., a Seattle-based public relations and interactive advertising firm, has formed an alliance with Shawn Briggs, a media training and presentation skills professional.

EMF

EMF Corp., a Bellevue-based provider of interactive kiosks, has hired Bill Bass as territory manager, and David Kaludy as marketing coordinator. Bass will manage relationships with manufacturer representatives and key Original Equipment Manufacturer prospects. Bass formerly owned and managed a telecommunications brokerage firm. Kaludy will generate and manage leads for the company's custom and off-the-shelf interactive kiosks.

Transport Logic

Peter Lewis has joined Transport Logic's Portland offices. Transport Logic has expanded into 23 cities and 100 communities with international calling capabilities. Lewis has a background in computers and the aerospace industry.