Dec 23, 2002

Laird Norton Trust

Laird Norton Trust promoted Patricia Edwards to senior vice president and senior portfolio manager and Jason Cherney as vice president and senior portfolio manager. Both are located at the firm's Seattle office. Laird Norton Trust is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Tacoma and Bellevue.

Lane Powell Spears Lubersky

J. Markham Marshall joined Lane Powell Spears Lubersky as counsel to the firm in its labor and employment group. Marshall previously was a partner at Preston Gates Ellis. He will be based at the firm's Seattle office.

BKB & Co.

BKB & Co., a wearable and decorative art gallery, has opened a second store in UW Tacoma's West Coast Grocery building. BKB owners Diane Katz, Victoria Brown and Corky Brown will continue to operate their first location in North Tacoma's Bridge District. The mixed retail-university approach has helped fuel economic development in downtown Tacoma. Most recently, El Goucho, the Melting Pot and Expedia.Com have opened locations close to the campus.

Who’s Calling

Who’s Calling was awarded the Better Business Bureau’s 2002 Innovative Business Practices Award. Who’s Calling was honored as a pioneer of the call measurement and monitoring industry, a new business sector that has emerged as a result of the company’s patented technology. During the past year the Kirkland company's founder, Lonnie Benson, was selected Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in the technology category for the Pacific Northwest, and the company was ranked the Puget Sound’s fastest growing private business-to-business company. Who's Calling clients include Toyota Motor Sales, AOL Time Warner and Simpson Property Group.

Perkins Coie

Bruce Dick has rejoined the law firm of Perkins Coie as a partner in its Bellevue office. Dick was a member of the firm from 1982-1999. Most recently he was a director of XMLFund and general counsel for DataChannel. His practice is focused on technology companies, closely held businesses and business matters for high net worth individuals.

Dec 20, 2002

King County Parks

Dave Marks is the new general manager of the King County Fairgrounds in Enumclaw. He previously served as general manager of the Mesa County Fairgrounds in Colorado. Marks replaces Mark Campbell who is now manager of the Evergreen State fair in Monroe.

Semiahmoo Resort

David R. Loomis has been named group sales manager at Semiahmoo Resort in Blaine. Previously he was a golf associate at the resort's Loomis Trail Golf Course. Loomis also served previously as project director of the Pacific Institute.

Museum of Glass

The Museum of Glass in Tacoma will change its operating hours and raise admission prices next month. The museum's new hours will be 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. New admission prices will be $10 general, $8 senior and students, $4 children age 6-12. The museum's annual membership fee will remain the same and a $30 family rate will also be offered. The nonprofit museum found it necessary to make these changes to cover costs, after its first six months of operation.

Highline Community College

Highline Community College has been awarded a $15,000 grant from Commuter Challenge, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Economic Development Council of Seattle and King County. The grant will help promote and expand Highline’s transit pass subsidy project, which is part of the college’s commuter trip reduction program. Starting early in 2003, Highline students, staff and faculty will be able to purchase Sound Transit bus passes at 50 percent of cost. Highline’s main campus is located in Des Moines.

Everett Community College

Carlos R. Veliz has been appointed by Governor Gary Locke to the board of trustees of Everett Community College. He replaces Alicia Lalas who plans to relocate from the area. Veliz is the president/owner and director of operations of Professional CAD Services of Everett. His term runs through Sept. 30, 2003.

Washington Health Foundation

The Washington Health Foundation has received a $1 million appropriation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration to start a nursing retention demonstration project. The project will be coordinated by the foundation's director of quality, Elizabeth Floersheim, and aims to improve retention rates of registered nurses working in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities in Washington. According to one study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the U.S. will experience a 20 percent shortage in the number of nurses needed by the year 2020.