Jan 16, 1998

The Fearey Group

The Fearey Group, a Seatle-based public relations firm, has recruited communications executive Tim Alban to formally launch the firm's technology division in January 1998. Alban joins the firm as senior vice president. Alban formerly served as vice president for Mathews & Clark Communications in Sunnyside, California.

Cascade Deisgns

Cascade Designs Inc. of Seattle, have received a patent by the U.S. patent and Trademark office for Cascade's LiteFoam technology. LifeFoam starts a solid piece of Therm-A-Rest open-cell foam that is narrower than a finished mattress. A pattern of slits is stamped into the foam, and then the foam core is stretched to the full width of a finished mattress, causing the slits to become locked openings that reduce weight and bulk. This will allow Cascade to develop a lightweight self-inflating camping mattress. Cascade Designs are the makers of the Therm-a-Rest mattress.

Berntson Porter & Company

Berntson Porter & Company, a Bellevue-based accounting firm, has recceived the highest possible quality rating based upon a formal peer review process. The Illinois-based firm of Glesson, Skylar, Sawyers & Cumpata conducts the review once every three years, and gave Berntson an A+ rating.

US Bank

US Bank will open a full-service branch in the new Aurora Avenue Albertsons store, located at 13050 Aurora Avenue North, on January 28. It will be open weekdays from 10 am to 7 pm, and weekends from 11 am to 3 pm. The branch will feature checking and savings accounts, consumer and mortgage loans, time deposits, investments, 24-hour customer service telephone and ATM.

Olympic View Publishing

Olympic View Publishing, based in Sequim, has entered into a partnership with two North Olympic Peninsula journalists, Frank Garred and Scott Wilson, co-publishers of The Port Townsend Leader. They will be 50 percent partners with Brown M. Maloney, the publisher of Olympic View Publishing.

Ater Wynne Hewitt Dodson & Skerrit

The Seattle offices of Ater Wynne Hewitt Dodson & Skerritt, a Portland-based law firm, has added Leslie R. Schenk as an associate attorney. Schenk focuses her practice on environmental regulatory compliance, environmental law and general litigation. Schenk formerly practiced at Lane Powell Spears Lubersky in San Francisco.

Puget Sound Properties

Puget Sound Properties Commercial Real Estate Services last week announced its expansion into the South King County market with the addition of three new brokers. Arie Salomon, Jeff Forsberg and Dan Foster have joined the firm after having worked together at Norris, Beggs & Simpson. Salomon will direct Puget Sound Properties' effort in the south county area. He was an associate vice president and top producer at NBS and joins PSP as a principal. At NBS the three brokers represented 1.7 million square feet of commercial property and 70 companies, mostly in the Kent Valley. Their 1997 transactions were worth over $25 million.

Windermere Real Estate

Nine new sales agents have joined Windermere Real Estate. Ann Boreson is returning to the Lakeview office after two years with The Dover Group. Ann Marie Reger has joined the Bellevue office. She formerly worked at John L. Scott. Troy Harper joins the Wedgwood office after working in Edmonds as a loan officer. Nancy Bucher is new to the Oak Tree office after 15 years with Coldwell Banker and seven years in insurance. Steve Blackbourn has joined the Ballard office. Self-employed for a year, he formerly worked for MARCO. Liz Melman, new to the Lakeview office, previously worked in the restaurant industry. Allen Reed is the newcomer in the Northgate office after three years as a system technician for TCI Cable. And John Soper and Richard Senecal have joined the Bellevue Commons office. Soper served in the U.S. Marine Corps since 1993. Senecal previously worked in the restaurant business.

Apartment Association

The Apartment Association of Seattle & King County, a trade association of rental housing owners, has announced its officers for 1998. The officers were elected by the board of directors as follows. President: Christopher Benis, of Harrison Benis & Spence. Vice president: Vince Mullally, of Mullally Development Company. Treasurer: Eric Smith, of Paragon Real Estate Advisors. Secretary: Cathy Jeney, of Windermere Commercial Real Estate. In addition, the following board members have been elected for two-year terms: Peggy Ganson, Peter Larson, Lou Novak, Jo Ann Storey, Mike Swanson, Wes Uhlman and Wes Williams. Three others have been elected for one-year terms: Don Bliss, Bob Pennock and Burt Walls.

Coldwell Banker Bain

Kristie Long has been named managing broker of the North Bend branch of Coldwell Banker Bain Associates. She has 16 years' experience in real estate, including as an instructor for Coldwell Banker University in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Long is currently interviewing new and experienced agents to fill her 26-person office. She can be reached at (425) 888-3081.

Chicago Title

Sandy Andersen has joined Chicago Title Insurance Company of King County as a senior account executive in the Sales Department.

John L. Scott

World Expo '98, an educational conference and trade show sponsored by John L. Scott Associates, provides opportunities for vendors to market to over 1,300 John L. Scott brokers and associates. At the Washington State Convention and Trade Center on March 24. Booths cost $550. To reserve a booth, contact Diamond Productions, 1418 130th Ave. N.E., Bellevue, WA, 98005. Telephone (425) 454-5890. First come, first served. Also at John L. Scott, president J. Lennox Scott said the company would terminate its participation in the Costco Executive Club affinity program. Scott sent a letter Thursday to AmeriNet, the program's management company, announcing his company's decision. That decision was based on the results of a six-month trial period, which found that the affinity program did not deliver the number of sales leads needed to compensate agents for their discounted fees.

Continental Mortgage Company

Liz Newman, senior loan officer at Continental Mortgage, and Bud Condon, a real estate agent at Prudential, will present a free seminar on finding and remodeling a fixer-upper house. The seminar will be held Feb. 3 from 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Prudential Realty, 600 108th Ave., Suite 120, Bellevue. Topics will include how to buy and finance such properties, projects that add value, and how to choose a contractor. For reservations, call Liz Newman at (206) 389-4406.

Jones & Murphy

Jones & Murphy Inc. recently coordinated the purchase of the Brierwood Manor Apartments, a 156-unit property in South Everett, for $6.2 million. The firm also arranged the sale of the 117-unit Brentwood Apartments in the same area for $7.8 million, and the 30-unit Williams Court Apartments in Renton for $1.2 million. Jones & Murphy is a Seattle real estate investment company.

Heritage Publishing

A seminar on collecting from tenants will be presented by Heritage Publishing, of Nashville, Tenn., on Jan. 28 at the Warwick Hotel in Seattle. The seminar is intended for rental and property managers, both residential and commercial; leasing managers; agents; owners; landlords; and key persons involved in tenant qualification or rental collections. The seminar runs all day, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fee is $195. For more information, contact Heritage at 1-800-397-0180.

REAPS/ASPIRE

At the montly investor meeting of the Real Estate Association of Puget Sound and ASPIRE, attorney Christopher T. Benis will give an update on landlord-tenant law. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Ramada Inn Northgate, in north Seattle. The cost is $10 for non-members. For information, call (206) 542-4626.

North Seattle Community College

The Business Division at North Seattle Community college is offering winter quarter real estate classes at new, more convenient times. The FasTrak program of general interest and pre-licensing courses is now available days, evenings and Saturdays, in ten-week, five-week and shorter programs. Offerings include a new Saturday course, "Current Trends in Real Estate Analysis", plus "Real Estate Investments" on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. A "Real Estate Fundamentals" course is now offered days, evenings and in a self-paced format. The quarter began Jan. 5. For registration information, call (206) 528-4533.

Semiahmoo Company

The Semiahmoo Company, operator of the Semiahmoo resort community near Blaine, announced this week that 1997 sales volume in the community hit an all-time high. Sales of homes and lots during the year surpassed every year since the property was developed in 1986, and have increased 47 percent during the last three years. Semiahmoo Company president Nancy Scholl said the upswing is related to the strength of the Seattle economy. The 1,100-acre private development is owned by Trillium Corporation of Bellingham. Trillium last month bought the interests of its long-time partners in Semiahmoo, Nippon Lands and Snowmass Pacific Corporation.