Dec 19, 2005

ERA

ERA Care Communities has a new director of human resources, Tamara Bolton , PHR. She will oversee human resources management at the company's six, and soon to be seven, local retirement communities and the company's Seattle headquarters. She has 18 years of management experience, including assistant director of human resources for The News Tribune.

Coast River Business Journal

Astoria public relations and marketing consultant Susan Trabucco is launching a new publication to serve the regional business community around Astoria, Ore. Coast River Business Journal debuts in March, and will publish the first Wednesday of each month. It will be mailed free to licensed businesses in the region.

NS8

NS8 Corp. appointed Carl Segal executive vice president of media distribution and deployment. NS8 is a multi-media entertainment company based in Seattle. Segal has over 20 years' experience in production and distribution of media properties for music, television and film.

Dec 16, 2005

AmericanWest Bancorporation

Spokane-based AmericanWest Bancorporation has filed an application to open a de novo branch in Sandpoint, Idaho. If the new branch is approved, AWB will lease a temporary site and then build a permanent office. This would be the bank's 10th location in Idaho.

GM Nameplate

GM Nameplate of Seattle renamed its Oregon division Elite Plastics. Elite offers plastic and elastomer molding and associated services. GM Nameplate specializes in custom design and manufacture of items such as nameplates, decals, labels and custom panels; electronic input devices; molded plastic components; and large format digital graphics.

Baldwin Resource Group

Vickie Easterling has been hired as an assistant account manager at Baldwin Resource Group in Bellevue. The company specializes in risk management, insurance and business consulting. Easterling has worked in the insurance industry for 35 years in the Puget Sound area and is a licensed property and casualty insurance agent.

Dec 15, 2005

WRF Capital

WRF Capital, the venture investment arm of Washington Research Foundation, promoted Thong Q. Le to managing director. He focuses on investments in the biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, enterprise software and advanced materials sectors, and most recently was manager, venture investments. Le is the fourth managing director at WRF Capital. The foundation supports research and scholarship at Washington state research institutions.

DDB Public Relations

The Seattle office of DDB Public Relations has hired Matt Swlzer as project manager for Microsoft. He was with Waggener Edstrom. Melissa Kerwin is a new account executive on Microsoft. She was with Columbia Resource Group. Gretchen Lockhart is a new account executive on Microsoft. She was with Ziff Davis Media. Emily Dart is a senior account executive. The ad agency is a unit of DDB Worldwide and Omnicom Group.

Key Technology

Walla Walla-based Key Technology said Kirk Morton, president and CEO, will resign from all positions with the company effective Dec. 31, 2005, to become CEO at a privately held company. Tom Madsen, chairman of the board, will lead the company during the search for a replacement. Key designs and manufactures process automation systems for the food processing and industrial markets.

Egis Certified

Egis Certified, a division of Seattle-based Egis Real Estate Services and provider of LEED project management and other LEED services, has won some Seattle contracts. It is doing LEED-core and shell and building commissioning for Vulcan Inc.'s Alley24 East and LEED-new construction for Alley24 West. Alley24 East is the commercial portion of the South Lake Union project, and Alley24 West is the condo portion. Also, Egis Certified is doing LEED-commercial interiors for the new offices of Skanska USA and NBBJ; both are moving to Alley24 East. Egis Certified specializes in maximizing LEED points for developers. LEED is the U.S. Green Building Council's rating system.

Wolfgang Rood Hospitality Consulting

Hotel markets across the state had a mixed October, according to Wolfgang Rood Hospitality Consulting in Bellevue. Statewide, occupancies decreased half a point to just under 71 percent, while average daily room rates increased 5 percent to $110. Downtown Seattle's occupancy rate was down slightly to 79 percent, with average daily room rates jumping almost $7 to $145. Snohomish County's occupancy rate was down nearly eight points to 72 percent; average daily rates climbed 9 percent to $82. The Eastside saw its average rate increase 8 percent to $125, and the occupancy rate climbed almost a point to 71 percent. Pierce County saw its average room rate increase 3 percent to $80; the occupancy rate fell 1.5 points to 65 percent.

CREW

Daryl Savidis of Chicago Title is the Seattle chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women's Member of the Year, and Jennifer Porter of First American Title is the chapter's Committee Chairwoman of the Year. Porter headed the meeting sponsorship committee.

SKCAR

The Seattle-King County Association of Realtors named Dan Murphy Realtor of the Year. Murphy is with the Windermere Fauntleroy office in West Seattle and is the group's outgoing president. D'Ann Jackson of the John L. Scott Mercer Island won the Realtor Achievement Award. Kathi Swarthout of Executive Real Estate in Bellevue is Government Affairs Volunteer of the Year. SKCAR presented Realtor Community Service Awards to: Pam McCain of John L. Scott, Kent; Darryl Smith of Windermere, Mount Baker in Seattle; Darrin Stumpf of John L. Scott, North Seattle; Delna Vermillion of Towne or Country WA Real Estate, Seattle; and Petra Walker of John L. Scott, Mercer Island. Jason Watabe of Windermere Bellevue West won the Cultural Diversity Award, Deanna Morgan of Fidelity National Title in Bellevue won Affiliate of the Year, and Larry Christensen of Re/Max Performance Plus in Renton won SKCAR's first Instructor of the Year Award. The group's 2006 officers are Jackson, president; Daniel Kennedy of Coldwell Banker Bain in Seattle, 2007 president-elect; Christensen, vice president of Business Practices; Beverly Read of Windermere in Lake Forest Park, vice president of Governmental Affairs; and Keith Nelson, Executive Real Estate in Bellevue, vice president-elect of Governmental & Public Affairs.