Nov 19, 1997

Excell Data

Excell Data Corp., a Bellevue-based information technology services company, has named Joe E. Bear as general manager of its Portland district office. He will be responsible for overall management and business development. Bear is a former vice president of U.S. Bank in Portland.

Vixel

Vixel Corp., Bothell-based developer and manufacturer of high-speed Fibre Channel storage interconnect solutions, promoted Steve Smith from director of finance to vice president of finance and business planning. Don Wenninger's role as director of information technology will expand to vice president of information technology; and Tim Swette, formerly director of quality, will be vice president of operations.

Sienna

Ron Huld has joined Sienna Architecture as a senior architect and construction document manager. His project experience includes work for Kaiser Permanente, Good Samaritan Hospital, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland Community College and the Broadway Theater in Tacoma. Gustaf Kamp has joined Sienna's retail group. He most recently worked on an extensive model for Nike Inc.'s North Campus Expansion in Beaverton. In addition to his work at Sienna, Kamp is co-teaching a studio in the planning and design of community fire stations within regional town centers at the University of Oregon's Portland Urban Design Program. Jill Enomoto has joined the firm's retail group. She recently completed her Bachelor of Architecture degree at the University of Oregon. Sienna's government services group has added Frederick Zall to its team. He recently completed his Masters of Architecture program at the University of Oregon, where he taught courses in lightweight structures and digital media. Heather Heimsoth has joined Sienna's accounting department.

Nov 18, 1997

Wall Data

Wall Data Inc. has completed its acquisition of Software Development Tools Inc. of Dublin, Ireland, for $3 million. SDTI makes software tools to allow programs for mainframe computers to run on networks of smaller computers. Wall Data makes software that links computer programs and data across a variety of computer platforms, such as desktop personal computers, network servers and mainframes. Wall Data is expanding its European operations with a technical support and development center based in Ireland.

Ewoldsen, Chen join Agra

KIRKLAND -- Hans M. Ewoldsen has been named Northwest Region Manager for Agra Earth & Environmental Inc. He will be responsible for Agra offices and projects in Washington, Alaska, Idaho and western Montana. Ewoldsen has more than 25 years experience in consulting engineering in the United States and overseas. A registered engineer and geologist, he has worked extensively in the geotechnical, engineering geology and environmental engineering disciplines. Barry S. Chen also has joined Agra as an associate in the company's Geotechnical Engineering Group. Chen has more than 10 years experience as a consulting engineer, instructor and researcher. Before joining Agra's Kirkland office, he practiced geotechnical engineering on transportation, infrastructure, industrial and commercial projects throughout the Southeastern United States, the Caribbean and the Far East. Chen specializes in using in-situ testing techniques for characterizing sites and developing foundation systems. He will serve as a project manager and as a technical resource for Agra's Kirkland office and 17 other offices in the Western United States. In other news, Martin J. Fox, a senior staff engineer with Agra's Kirkland office, is on a three-month assignment in Agra's joint-venture field office in Ethiopia. While in Ethiopia, Fox will be preparing high-end AutoCAD construction drawings. The joint-venture project between Agra and Associated Engineering Ltd. involves design and construction of a water distribution system and two reservoirs for the city of Addis Ababa. The project is being funded in part by the African Development Agency. The component Fox is working on is funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Nov 14, 1997

Columbia Resource Group

Columbia Resource Group, an international event and meeting management company headquartered in Seattle, hired Kara Wegener as coordinator for registration and housing. Joe Hunt was promoted to senior program manager with responsibility for local destination management services, and logistics management for high technology clients. Laura Lucchesi was promoted to the position of office manager. Lucchesi will also serve as executive administrator for the company's CEO.

Nov 13, 1997

NW Energy Efficiency Alliance

Jake Fey of Tacoma City Light has been elected the new chairperson of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, a regional alliance dedicated to improving markets for energy-efficient technologies and practices. The first collaborative of its kind in the nation, the alliance is chartered through 1999 with up to $65 million dollars in funding from Bonneville Power Administration, Idaho Power, Montana Power, PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric, Puget Sound Energy and Washington Water Power.

Nov 12, 1997

Environmental management forum planned

SEATTLE -- "Using Environmental Management as a Competitive Advantage," a daylong forum on environmental marketing issues, is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday at the University of Washington campus. The forum is designed to highlight companies that are using environmental management practices to enhance product positioning. Representatives from Hewlett Packard, Intel and Monsanto will discuss the use of environmental attributes in product positioning. They say the integration of marketing and environmental management creates opportunities for reduced costs and increased market share. Joel Makower, editor of the Green Business Letter and author of many books on green marketing, will moderate a panel in which Weyerhaueser, Patagonia and Deep E Co. will explore the effect environmental-marketing strategies have had on their products. Students from the UW Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program will participate in a case discussion about the Body Shop, looking at the potential benefits and pitfalls of green marketing. A Body Shop representative will expand on the case, describing the company's marketing strategy and its impact on customer relations. In addition, the LN2000, UW's prototype liquid nitrogen car, will be displayed at the forum. The cost of the full-day session is $100, which includes materials and lunch. The forum will meet in the Seafirst Executive Education Center's Boeing Auditorium. To register or receive more information, call Andrew Crowder at (206) 543-9012, or send e-mail to: mforum@u.washingt.edu.