Feb 29, 2000

Long Painting

Anne Long, co-founder of Seattle-based Long Painting Co., is retiring from the company tomorrow. Long and her husband, the late Ty Long, started the company 33 years ago in their garage. It has since become one of the largest painting contractors in the nation, operating out of a six-acre complex in Southpark with 450 full-time and seasonal employees. Two years ago, the company was sold to four employees. Long has helped with the management transition by providing executive management, marketing and sales support. Long plans to spend more time with her grandchildren and doing charity work.

Inland NW AGC

Lonnie Cargile, president of Cargile Construction Group in Spokane, has been elected the 2000 president of the Inland Northwest Associated General Contractors.

Other officers elected include: Steve Robinson of Acme Materials & Construction, first vice president; Tom Stewart of Frank Gurney Inc., second vice president; and Bob Haney of Max J. Kuney Co., treasurer. Association directors include: Jim Paras of Paras General Contractors, Max Kuney of Max J. Kuney Co., Mark Poe of Poe Asphalt Paving, Tim Sweet of Summit Landscape Construction, Bill Davis of May-Davis Inc., Hollis Barnett of Garco Construction, Nick Tommer of Tommer Construction, Ken Schwartz of Lydig Construction, Jim Cameron of Cameron Contracting, and Jerry Tombari of Tombari Structural Products.

Serving on the board as past presidents are: Eric Brown of Brown Contracting & Development, Tom Clark of T.W. Clark Construction, Joe Levernier of Levernier Construction, Jerry Cox of Steelman-Duff Inc., and Dick Richter of George A. Grant Co.

Avoiding embezzlement

The ABC of Western Washington's March 16 breakfast roundtable meeting in Everett will feature a presentation by Mark Hanson of Benson & McLaughlin on protection from embezzlement. The topics that will be covered include: hiring practices and follow-up; establishing effective internal controls in the office; establishing appropriate controls on the job site; and red flags to look for. The meeting will be held 7:30-9 a.m. at the Holiday Inn, 101 128th S.E. Cost is $17 until March 13 and $21 after that. For more information, contact the association at (425) 646-8000 or (800) 640-7789.

Feb 28, 2000

Smith Tractor & Equipment

Smith Tractor & Equipment has promoted Hal Hansen to vice president of sales. Gary Labelle has assumed the position of sales manager for Smith Tractor’s Tacoma and Montesano locations and Terry Purdy has moved to sales manager of the Kent and Mt. Vernon locations.

"By repositioning our sales force, we are strengthening our entire organization," says Scott Highland, president of Smith Tractor & Equipment. Hal Hansen has been with Smith Tractor since 1976 and was the company’s top salesman before becoming sales manager of the Tacoma and Montesano stores. "He brings both skill and leadership to his new positions," says Highland.

Smith Tractor also announced that Ed Kettman is joining the company as general service manager. He will be responsible for the direct day-to-day operations of the Kent service department and assisting the vice president of product support in planning service department and operational business activities and programs.

Kettman brings an extensive background in heavy equipment service and specifically hydraulic service to Smith Tractor, He began his career with Totem Equipment and has worked with both Sahlberg Equipment and CMI as a service and support manager.

Samantha Johnson has accepted the position of customer service advisor at the Mt. Vernon branch. Johnson has been with Smith Tractor for 13 years working in the parts department. Smith also announced that Jason Andreas is the new parts counter person in the Yakima branch. Andreas has worked in the service department since August 1999.

Pacific Utility

Roy Goecks, president of Pacific Utility Equipment announced that Pacific Utility has named Chuck Higginbotham as municipal and environmental sales representative for Oregon and SW Washington. Higginbotham comes to Pacific Utility with 25 years sales experience, 13 of which has been in the equipment industry. His sales histroy includes Ditch Witch of Oregon, Halton Tractor, Pape Bros. and, most recently, Western Power & Equipment.

CIMA

The Construction Industry Manufacturers Association (CIMA) has named Russell E. Hutchison to the post of director of product safety and technical services, to spearhead the Association’s expanded initiatives addressing product safety and environmental challenges affecting the construction equipment industry.

These include increased liaison with governmental regulatory groups at the international, national and state level, and assisting CIMA product groups with technical issues as they relate to safety, standards and regulations worldwide.

Hutchison has 25 years of product liability defense and regulatory experience, with a strong focus on the construction machinery industry. He spent more than 15 years at Bucyrus International in South Milwaukee, WI and also worked for Koehring Co. in Milwaukee, WI. In addition, he spent several years as a mechanical engineer working in the aircraft industry. He is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

To assure a smooth transition in CIMA technical programs, Hutchison is working alongside CIMA Technical Director Edward Roszkowski, who plans to retire in April.

GrimmerSchmidt Compressors

John Grimmer, original founder of GrimmerSchmidt Compressors, former president and chairman of the Compressed Air and Gas Institute and current CEO of Grimmer Industries has signed a purchase agreement to acquire GrimmerSchmidt Compressors from Superior Compressors Co. “We are extremely excited to add GrimmerSchmidt to the Grimmer Industries team,” said Grimmer. “This allows us to again conentrate our efforts on furthering air compressor technologies.

Macrosearch

Carol Politte has joined Macrosearch, a Bellevue-based high tech placement/consulting firm, as an information technology recruiter. Prior to joining Macrosearch, Politte was a help desk management and business analysis consultant with Puget Sound Energy. She will be responsible for placing permanent employees in corporate information systems departments and building relationships with local companies.

Paramount Hotel

Katharine Dooley has been appointed as the general manager of Seattle's Paramount Hotel, located at 724 Pine St. Dooley moves from the Maui Coast Hotel in Kehei, where she served as general manager. The Paramount Hotel is operated by WestCoast Hotels which operates 41 hotels in nine states.

A Contemporary Theatre

A Contemporary Theatre's board chairman David Skinner and artistic director Gordon Edelstein announced that Jim Loder was selected as the Seattle theatre's new managing director. Loder comes to ACT with 12 years of experience in theatre management, company management and human resources. Prior to his arrival at ACT, Loder spent five years at Intiman Theatre as general manager.

CareWise

CareWise, a national provider of health care demand and disease management services with offices in Seattle, announced the promotion of four staff members; Peg Carver, Phil Hadden, Bill Yock and Ann Corning. Carver was promoted to vice president of operations, Hadden to vice president of sales and customer service, Yock to executive director of information technology and Corning to director of marketing and sales support.

CelebrateExpress.com

CelebrateExpress.com co-founder and chief creative officer Jan Jewell has been appointed to the board of Kids in Distressed Situations, a national charity that benefits needy children who are ill, victims of natural disasters or living in poverty. Jewell joins 45 other board members. CelebrateExpress.com is an online provider of party supplies and services based in Kirkland.