NWAPA Supports G-P Generators

Georgia-Pacific’s proposal to install two natural gas-fired generators for powering its Bellingham tissue plant was supported by the Northwest Air Pollution Authority’s board of directors May 31.

The generators will produce about 20 megawatts. Since the tissue plant, which employs about 330 people, needs about 14 megawatts, the remainder could be used by G-P to accommodate growth or keep most of the facility operating if one of the generators shuts down. Extra power also could be sold elsewhere.

 

Resort Semiahmoo Completes Renovation

Resort Semiahmoo in Blaine has completed a multi-million-dollar renovation.

Enhancements to the 198-room inn, which opened in 1987, include new fabrics, carpet, lighting, artwork and state-of-the-art exercise equipment. The new design creates a casually elegant atmosphere, which embraces the history of the resort’s unique location and natural surroundings. Highlights of Resort Semiahmoo’s heritage were incorporated into the design scheme by adding in each room a photograph of the original Alaska Packers Association, a salmon-packaging company that occupied the space prior to construction of the inn.

Resort Semiahmoo also has more than 20,000 square feet of meeting and conference space, including two flexible ballrooms and a 7,200-square-foot exhibit hall.

Resort Semiahmoo is owned and managed by MTM Management, a regional collection of independently owned luxury, full-service lodging establishments. The resort is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a global brand of independent luxury hotels and resorts. In an evaluation this year based on 1,400 facility-appearance and customer-service criteria, Resort Semiahmoo was rated in the top 10 percent of all members of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

For more information, visit www.semiahmoo.com.

 

Verizon Supports Literacy Council

Verizon has donated $5,000 to the Whatcom Literacy Council to support its adult literacy programs.

It’s estimated that one in five adults in the United States is functionally illiterate, which means 30,000 people in Whatcom County may need literacy services. The Whatcom Literacy Council has been helping adults learn to read or use English as a second language for 23 years.

For more information, call 647-3264 or visit www.whatcomliteracy.org.

 

Bellingham Transfer Receives Safety Award

Bellingham Transfer & Storage has received a safety award for the second consecutive year.

The company, owned by Steve Davenport, was presented the Fleet Safety Award from the Washington Truckers Association and Washington State Patrol. The award honors moving companies with no accidents and a clean safety record for fleets driven less than 5 million miles.

Bellingham Transfer and Storage, an agent for Bekins Van Lines, is located at 500 Carolina St. It provides local and long-distance transfers of commercial, household and office goods. For more information, call 676-1181.

 

Bellair Charters/Airporter Shuttle Gains Contract

Bellair Charters/Airporter Shuttle, with headquarters in Ferndale, has begun transporting people between the March’s Point ferry parking lot and the Washington State Ferry terminal in Anacortes.

The March’s Point parking lot is located on the north corner of March’s Point Road and Highway 20. Non-overnight parking in the lot and rides between the lot and the ferry terminal are free. The shuttle operates 16 runs daily — approximately one per hour — with the first shuttle leaving March’s Point at 5:40 a.m. and the last one returning at 9:50 p.m.

The shuttle service began May 20 and continue through Sept. 26. Arranged through a contract with Washington State Ferries and SKAT, it is designed to help travelers who may find the ferry terminal’s parking lot full during summer months.

Overnight parking and motorhome parking is available only at the ferry terminal with rates starting at $5 for 24 hours.

Also, the Airporter Shuttle has added four trips to its scheduled daily service between Oak Harbor/Anacortes and Sea-Tac Airport.

For more information, call Bellair Charters/Airporter Shuttle at (866) 235-5247 or visit its Web site at www.enjoytheride.com.

 

Trio Opens Apex Property Management

Phil and Tracy Maxwell and Layne Brennick opened Apex Property Management Inc. in March.

The business, with an office at 2821 Meridian St., Bellingham, manages houses and apartments for clients.

Phil Maxwell, president, has a real estate license and his wife Tracy is a certified public accountant who worked five years in public accounting and three years as a chief financial officer for a finance company. Brennick has been managing his family’s apartment complexes in Bellingham.

“We felt property management gave us an opportunity to blend our talents into one area,” Phil Maxwell says.

For more information, call 527-9829.

 

Emerald Bay Events Offers Banquet Spaces

Emerald Bay Event Catering, Inc. of Bellingham has opened a second event facility, The Compass Room, in space leased from the Bellingham Yacht Club.

Located at 2625 Harbor Loop along Squalicum Harbor in space previously occupied by The Breakwater restaurant, The Compass Room provides event space for weddings, receptions, business and social meetings and other special catered gatherings. It also will house the main kitchen for Emerald Bay Events, owned by Britain and Gail Walker.

Earlier this year, Emerald Bay Events also opened the Pilot House Grill, a restaurant and banquet facility, in the Bellingham Cruise Terminal. The company remains the in-house caterer for The Majestic on North Forest Street in Bellingham.

For bookings of The Compass Room, call Emerald Bay Events, 734-7832.

 

Homax Moves Production Facility to Bellingham

Homax Products, Inc., a national supplier of home-improvement products, has moved a facility that makes tile-care products next to its existing plant in Bellingham.

Production of the Homax Tile Care product line moved June 1 from Hamel, Minn., to an 8,000-square-foot building next to its 25,000-square-foot headquarters at 840 W. Horton Road. The new Bellingham facility, which has five to six full-time positions, was expected to be fully functional by July 1.

Tile Care Products started in 1983 in Hamel and was acquired in 1998 by Homax. The products are sold under the Tile Guard brand and includes a comprehensive collection of maintenance and restoration products for ceramic tile and grout. The original product in the Tile Care collection is Tile Grout Coating, which whitens stained grout and make it look new. Tile Guard products are carried by hardware stores and home centers nationwide.

Other Homax facilities include a warehouse and sales office in Chicago, two sales offices in California and a production and sales office in the Canadian province of Ontario. Homax Products was launched in Bellingham in 1982 and acquired by The Harbour Group of St. Louis in 1996. Homax now offers more than 100 products. For more information, visit www.homaxproducts.com.

 

Haggen Receives Advertising Awards

The in-house advertising staff for Haggen Inc. has won two national awards for newspaper advertising.

The staff received Good Housekeeping/ Food Marketing Institute Advertising Awards for best full-color merchandising advertisement and best customer-service newspaper advertisement. Both ads ran in Washington and Oregon newspapers in 2000. Only 14 national first-place awards and six newspaper awards were presented.

The merchandising advertisement award was for the ad titled “How Sweet They Are . . . Rainier Cherries.” The newspaper advertisement award honored the ad titled “Haggen Wine Specialists…Expert Service.”

Haggen, with headquarters in Bellingham, operates 27 supermarkets in Washington and Oregon under the Haggen Food & Pharmacy and TOP Food & Drug names. It is the largest independent grocer and the sixth-largest private company based in Washington., according to Washington CEO magazine.

 

A.S.A.P. Printing Remodeling Facility

A.S.A.P. Printing & Stamps is remodeling its facility in Bellingham’s Fountain District.

The addition of counter space and redesign of offices will make A.S.A.P. Printing & Stamps more user-friendly for customers, according to vice president and co-owner Matthew Thuney.

Founded in 1991 and located at 1410 Girard St. at the intersection with Broadway Street, A.S.A.P. Printing & Stamps provides printing, copy and rubber-stamp services. It also offers self-inking rubber stamps, embossing, notary and official seals, name tags and plates, badges, and signs for cars and offices. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. For more information, call 647-1497.

 

StarTouch Wireless Expands Southward

StarTouch Wireless, a pioneer provider of “last-mile wireless connectivity” to Bellingham and more than 20 cities in California since 1999, has expanded its service coverage to include Skagit, Island and parts of Snohomish counties.

StarTouch’s clients for high-speed, broadband and wireless services range from small and home offices to large companies. Its wireless Internet connection speeds range from 1 megabyte per second up to gigabyte speeds. StarTouch also provides Web hosting, virus-free e-mail, Web design, virtual private networks, network configurations and support.

For more information, call 527-8640 or visit the Web site at www.startouch.com.

 

Celebrity Catering Changes Phone Number

Celebrity Catering, owned by Robert and Nancy Pace, has changed its phone number and contact method.

The new phone number is 380-7578. Also, Celebrity Catering has closed its office and resumed its policy of going to clients to discuss their needs.

“We have returned to personal service at the location and time most convenient to them,” Robert Pace says.

For more information, call 380-7578.

 

Downtown Furniture, Rug Stores Enter Alliance

Barbo Furniture and Authentic Rug Gallery, both in downtown Bellingham, are selling some of each other’s products in their stores.

Barbo Furniture, located at 1321 Cornwall Ave., is displaying handmade Persian rugs offered by Moe Lotfi of the Authentic Rug Gallery at 1309 Cornwall. It, in turn, carries some of the quality furniture that is a trademark of Chris and Holly Barbo’s store.

“(The agreement) enhances both of our stores,” Holly Barbo remarks.

For more information and store hours, call Barbo Furniture, 734-1997, and Authentic Rug Gallery, 714-0101.

 

Cascade Radio Group Supporting Lions Club

The Cascade Radio Group of Bellingham has pledged its support to the new fundraising efforts of the Bellingham Central Lions Club.

Unable to conduct its annual television auction without access to a local channel, the club now is planning a golf tournament, silent auction, live auction and dinner Aug. 16 at Sudden Valley Golf & Country Club in Bellingham. Cascade Radio Group will work with the club to provide value to sponsors and contributors.

The Bellingham Central Lions Club provides glasses and hearing aids for people who have no way to pay for them and who don’t qualify for any other source of funding. Its projects include the annual “Christmas ship” that tours small islands in the area and brings Santa Claus and toys to children there. The club also is part of a regional group of Lions clubs that provide summer camping at Bay Horizon Park near Birch Bay for handicapped and developmentally disabled individuals.

For information about the golf tournament and auctions, call 733-4794.

 

International Absorbents Adding New Products

International Absorbents Inc., a Bellingham developer and producer of environmentally friendly pet-care and industrial products, expects to introduce 20 new products over the next year.

The products include a line of enrichment treats for small animals and an all-pet litter.

“New items and line extensions will take advantage of the company’s nationwide distribution network and brand equity in the pet specialty market,” says Shawn Dooley, vice president for sales and marketing.

The CareFresh environment enrichment treats for small animals will include products such as alfalfa treats, apple treats and nesting material. The Ecofresh all-pet litter will be marketed as a litter-box filler for ferrets and rabbits and as a substrate for reptiles.

International Absorbents also has announced a marketing alliance with Supreme Petfoods, Ltd., manufacturer of the No. 1 small-animal food brand in the United Kingdom. The two companies will co-brand products and act as each other’s master distributor in their respective regions.

For more information, visit www.absorbent.com.

 

Henderson Books Gains Mural

The storefront of Henderson Books in downtown Bellingham now features a mural that show what it might look like if an earthquake struck.

Bellingham artist Lanny Little designed and painted “After the Big One,” a trompe l’oeil (fool the eye) mural for the retail store at 119 Grand Ave. Little also has painted murals on a building in Fairhaven and along Holly Street at the entrance to Bellingham’s Old Town district.

 

Department of Ecology Honors A-1 Builders

A-1 Builders of Bellingham is one of only three businesses in Washington to be honored by the state Department of Ecology for their efforts to reduce and recycle waste.

Applicants for the awards must demonstrate they have successful and innovative programs, facilities and activities.

A-1 Builders, owned by Rick Dubrow, received the award for the best small-business program (under 100 employees). It is a full-service building/remodeling company with a strong environmental ethic. Contracts with clients include avoiding the use of scarce, irreplaceable or endangered resources, creating healthy spaces, efficiently using energy and water and selecting building materials that generate the lease amount of pollution and protect natural habitats. The construction division diverts waste during demolition and construction for re-use and recycling.

Albertson’s, which operates a supermarket in Bellingham, was presented the award for best large-business program (more than 100 employees). The company recycles many items, including cardboard, plastic shrink wrap, plastic grocery bags, bakery buckets, used cooking oil, meat and bone scraps, wooden-pallet scrap, oil, metal scrap and more.

“The program these businesses and facilities create and carry out are a large part of Washington’s journey toward reaching its waste-reduction and recycling goals,” says Tom Fitzsimmons, Ecology director.

For information about Ecology’s Solid Waste & Financial Assistance Program, visit the Web site at www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/index.html.

 

Nature’s Path Foods Making Puffed Cereals

Nature’s Path Foods, with processing facilities in Blaine and Delta, B.C., has introduced a line of organic puffed cereals to its lineup of all-natural cereals.

As with all of Nature’s Path products, the five organic puffed cereals are third-party certified organic by Quality Assurance International and Kosher Pareve. Nature’s Path has taken rigorous steps to ensure that all of its products are derived from crops grown without bioengineered seeds or pesticides.

Founded in 1985, Nature’s Path Foods markets cereals, breads and waffles under the Nature’s Path, EnviroKidz, Manna Bread and LifeStream brands. For more information, visit the company’s Web sites at www.naturespath.com and www.envirokidz.com.

 

Benchmark Document Solutions Honored

Xerox Corp. has named Benchmark Document Solutions of Bellingham one of its top sales agencies in North America.

The recognition is based on Benchmark’s exceptional success in customer service and sales performance, as well as significant investments made in its business. Benchmark, which recently moved to 201 E. Chestnut St., has been serving Whatcom County for 14 years. It is owned by Fred Schacht.

Xerox sales agents are independent local businesses that offer a full line of products, services and solutions from Xerox. For more information, call Benchmark Document Solutions, 676-8406.

 

Barkley Village Gains Bicycle-repair Shop

Robert Moulton opened Robert’s Bicycle Repair on May 29 in the gazebo of the Barkley Village shopping center in Bellingham.

Moulton had operated a bicycle-repair shop on the campus of Western Washington University from 1986 to 1991. He worked in aerospace tool design for eight years — five for Boeing Co. and three for the Hexcel plant in Bellingham (now operated by Britax Heath Tecna) — before returning to bicycles.

Moulton specializes in repairs, tune-ups and overhauls of bicycles. He also sells some bicycle accessories and may sell mountain bikes later. While his business operates year-round, the Barkley Village location will be open only through September from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. For more information, call 739-9727.

 

Bellingham Film Festival Scheduled in November

The Whatcom Film Association will present Nov. 8-11 its second Projections Film Festival, which features local and regionally made films and videos.

The screenings will be offered at several venues in Bellingham, including the WFA’s Pickford Cinema at 1416 Cornwall Ave. in downtown Bellingham.

The WFA is a nonprofit film organization that operates the Pickford Cinema, a 90-seat movie theater, and produces the Fairhaven Outdoor Cinema on Saturday nights each summer. It also sponsors film-related and educational events throughout the year.

Submissions for this year’s festival are being accepted until Sept. 30 from residents of Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan counties. For entry forms, visit the Pickford Cinema during regular operating hours, 3-11 p.m., or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Projections Film Festival, c/o Whatcom Film Association, P.O. Box 2521, Bellingham, WA 98227.

For more information or to volunteer in presenting the festival, call the WFA, 738-0735.

 

Brown & Cole Presents Scholarships

Four Whatcom County students have received scholarships from Bellingham-based Brown & Cole Stores.

The scholarships, given to dependents of company employees, were awarded to Aubrey Cole, Nathaniel Rossi, Julie Ann Roberts and Silesia Hunter. Cole, who just graduated from Blaine High School, will attend Western Washington University this fall. Rossi, a Lynden Christian High School graduate, will attend Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. Roberts, a Lynden High School graduate, just completed her freshman year at Central Washington University in Ellensburg. Hunter has finished a year at the University of Washington after graduating from Ferndale High School.

Brown & Cole, which gave financial assistance to eight students this year, operates supermarkets under the names of Cost Cutter, Food Pavilion and Thrifty Foods.

 

Bellingham DateNight Adds Age Category

Bellingham DateNight has added an age category of 21-28 after receiving numerous requests for a younger age group.

Bellingham DateNight, owned by Julie Thompson, brings an equal number of pre-registered men and women (a maximum of 24) together at local venues. After a brief social period, they are paired up at tables for two. Each participant meets seven others for seven minutes apiece. If a mutual match is discovered when participants turn in their “scorecards,” they are notified within 48 hours and given each other’s contact information.

Bellingham DateNight now has four age groups: 21-28, 25-37, 33-50 and 45-plus. It also is planning events in the Skagit Valley.

The cost is $20 per participant. For more information and schedules of each age group, visit www.BellinghamDate- Night.com or call 756-6745.

 

L&I Refunds $67 Million in Workers’ Comp Bills

The state Department of Labor and Industries is returning $67.7 million in workers’ compensation premium to Washington employers and associations enrolled in respective rating plans.

The retrospective rating program is a optional workers’ compensation option. It allows qualified employers and associations to earn refunds for reducing workplace injuries by meeting agreed goals such as safety education, hazard reduction and improved management of claims from injured workers. Nearly 16,000 employers currently participate in retrospective rating options.

The Building Industry Association of Washington is receiving the largest check: $26.6 million. The second-largest refund of $7.5 million goes to Safety Management Advocacy Resources, based in Seattle. The Washington State Farm Bureau ranks third in refund amount with $3.5 million.

Employers can participate in retrospective rating on their own or through group plans sponsored by many professional organizations or trade associations. Group plans must distribute 90 percent of refunded premiums to employer members.

Employers have four opportunities each year to enroll in the program. For more information about it, visit the Web site at www.lni.wa.gov/retro or call Frank Romero, (360) 902-4835.

 

Puget Sound Energy, Bellingham Honored

The City of Bellingham, in partnership with Puget Sound Energy, has been honored by the Washington Arbor Day Council.

Bellingham and Puget Sound Energy received the City Award for their leadership in enhancing the community environment and working with residents to plant trees in the community.

Their efforts include establishing a 5,000-tree nursery, funded by a National Tree Trust grant, in the city’s Cornwall Park. They also have established public and private partnerships, promoted the public’s participation in proper tree planting and care and beautified local neighborhoods. Other accomplishments include: helping salmon by shading and cooling streams and filtering contaminants, and reducing storm-water runoff and erosion through the use of rainfall storage facilities.

 

Whatcom Farmers Co-op Creates Special Fertilizer

Whatcom Farmers Co-op has worked with two local agencies to produce a phosphorous-free, water-friendly fertilizer designed for local lawns.

The Lake Whatcom Blend is manufactured and sold by the Whatcom Farmers Co-op at its Country Stores in Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale and Nooksack. The fertilizer was developed with the help of Washington State University Cooperative Extension/Whatcom County and the Lake Whatcom Management Program. It is based on a formulation recommended by WSU scientists and is appropriate to use on lawns throughout Western Washington unless a soil test indicates a lack of phosphorous.

Excessive phosphorous encourages the growth of algal blooms in lakes and streams, which can result in a decline in water quality and may harm fish and other aquatic life. Lawn fertilizers with phosphorous are a major contributor to this problem.

 

Island Mariner Cruises Supporting Groups

Island Mariner Cruises, a Bellingham whale-watching company, is offering discounts on its cruises to members of six nonprofit organizations.

Island Mariner is collaborating with Mount Baker Theatre, Whatcom Museum of History and Art, RESources, Northwest Ecosystem Alliance, Womencare Shelter and the North Cascades Audubon Society. Members of these organizations will receive $10 off the normal price of a whale-watching cruise for everyone in their party.

“We’ve always supported community groups by donating tickets to be sold at auctions and so on, but this year we decided to go one step further,” says owner Terry Buzzard, who founded the company in 1962. “Especially when the local economy isn’t the best, people need to support these organizations.”

For information about the cruises, call 734-8866 or visit the Web site at www.orcawatch.com.

 

Avista Named among Best Businesses for Employees

Avista Communications recently was named among the best businesses to work for in the state by Washington CEO magazine.

Avista Communications earned second place in the category of medium-sized businesses (100-999 employees). From 130 nominations, only three businesses in each of the four categories — large, medium and small businesses and non-profit organizations — were honored.

More than 80 percent of the Washington employees of Avista Communications responded to a confidential questionnaire as part of the nomination process. Employees were asked about topics such as working environment, company leadership, organizational communication and employee benefits. The company also submitted a detailed corporate profile addressing similar topics.

Founded in 1998 by Gregory Green, Avista Communications provides facilities-based telecommunications solutions — including voice, data and Internet-access services — to business customers. Headquartered in Spokane, its Northwest offices include one in Bellingham.

 

Keller Williams Realty Expanding

Keller Williams Realty in Bellingham is moving into much larger quarters to accommodate expected growth in its sales staff.

Keller Williams anticipates moving Aug. 1 into a 4,750-square-foot space in the Lincoln Professional Center at 3800 Byron Ave. It will have a real-estate training center and “sit-down” space for 30 agents. The Bellingham franchise, which opened in March 2000, of the national real-estate company currently has 13 agents in less than 1,000 square feet in the Lincoln Professional Center.

Marsha Lockhart is broker of the Bellingham franchise, which is owned by nearly of the current agents. For more information, call Keller Williams Realty, 738-7070.

 

Goo Goo Enterprises Features Bulldog

Greta will become a famous bulldog if Goo Goo Enterprises does well.

Launched in May by former interior design consultant Renay Daniels of Bellingham, Goo Goo Enterprises sells merchandise with images of the two-year-old bulldog in a variety of poses and “fashionable” outfits. The merchandise includes mousepads, mugs, magnets and posters and is available at The Doggie Diner in Fairhaven and the company’s Web site, www.googooenterprises.com. The site also offers a Greta Gram, a free virtual greeting cards that stars the bulldog with a musical selection and message of one’s choice.

Daniels plans to market Greta’s image on other items, including a children’s book.

 

Guide Offers Highlights of Chuckanut Drive

A new brochure that describes the various attractions of the 21-mile-long Chuckanut Drive (State Route 11) between Fairhaven and Burlington is available through the Bellingham/Whatcom County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The guide presents a mile-by-mile description of Chuckanut Drive. The highlights include the Taylor Shellfish Farm, Chuckanut Manor Restaurant, Larrabee State Park and Chuckanut Bay Gallery.

The CVB produced 12,000 copies of the guide in cooperation with the Whatcom Council of Governments, City of Bellingham, Whatcom Museum of History & Art and Print & Copy Factory. The brochure was funded in part by the Federal Highway Administration.

Free copies are available at the CVB’s main office, 904 Potter St. (near the northbound Interstate 5 on-ramp/off-ramp at Lakeway Drive) and its visitor centers at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal and Bellis Fair mall. For more information, call the CVB, 671-3990 or visit its Web site at www.bellingham.org.

 

Forestry Events Set for Maple Falls

The Western Washington Forest Owners’ Field Day is scheduled Aug. 25-26 at the Black Mountain Forestry Center, three miles north of Maple Falls at Silver Lake Park.

The educational event will feature practical information on many topics of interest of small forest landowners. Topics on Aug. 25 will include site preparation, reforestation, early plantation care; forest health, pruning, selling timber and more. Presenta-tions on each topic will be repeated every hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Timber harvesting demonstrations will feature horse logging, small-scale logging equipment and state-of-the-art mechanized harvesting equipment. More advanced and in-depth workshops are scheduled Aug. 26 on topics such as forest measurements, understanding the new forest practices rules and wildlife and plant identification. Advanced registration will be required for these half-day workshops.

Brochures about the field day, sponsored by industry groups and government agencies, are avaiable at local offices of the state Department of Natural Resources, Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Farm Service Agency and conservation districts. For more information or to order a brochure, call DNR at (800) 527-3305 or send e-mail to forest_stewardship@wadnr.gov.

The field day is being held in conjunction with the World of Wood Festival at the Black Mountain Forestry Center, which will offer educational forestry tours, demonstrations, craftsmen who work with wood and a historical museum for the entertainment of attendees. Commercial exhibits will showcase the latest in forestry equipment, supplies, information and services.

The Black Mountain Forestry Center and Gerdrum History Museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through the summer. For more information, visit www.blackmountainforestry.com.

 

Bellingham Cold Storage Honored

Bellingham Cold Storage is among 16 winning employers of the fourth annual Governor’s CommuteSmart Awards.

The state Department of Transportation awards recognize employers who create and implement the most innovative programs in Washington state that are aimed at reducing their employees’ single-occupant vehicle commute trips.

This is the second time Bellingham Cold Storage has received the award. The business was honored for increasing spending on incentives and prizes for its commuter-trip reduction program. The commitment of Karen Hollingsworth, the employee transportation coordinator for BCS, and employees to the program also was praised.

 

U.S. Bank Receives High Rating

U.S. Bank National Association and its Washington subsidiary received “outstanding” ratings from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for their commitment to the letter and spirit of the Community Reinvestment Act.

Congress passed the CRA in 1977 to ensure that financial institutions meet the credit needs of all areas that the institutions serve, including low- and moderate-income areas and people. Financial institutions, including banks, are examined in lending, investment and service categories every two years.

 

Milestone Presenting Free Software Seminars

Milestone Information Solutions of Bellingham is presenting free seminars July 17 and 24 on Sage MAS90 software.

MAS90 is an award-winning business-management software used by more than 75,000 businesses in North America. The seminars will include a demonstration of the software’s capabilities to increase profitability and efficiency and improve overall productivity, including customer service and management.

Milestone Information Solutions specializes in the analysis, implementation and design of automated business information systems. For seminar registration or more information, call 734-3387 or visit www.milestoneis.com.

 

Couple Purchases Horseshoe Café

Travis and Alana Holland have purchased the historic Horseshoe Café in downtown Bellingham.

The couple owned Casa Que Pasa, a Mexican restaurant on Railroad Avenue, until earlier this year. They bought the Horseshoe Cafe, located at 113 E. Holly St., from Jack Kahn, who became a co-owner in 1948 and the sole owner in 1993.

The Horseshoe Café opened in 1886 and became the first licensed bar in Whatcom County. In its early days, the business also sold cigars, groceries and fishing bait and tackle. The restaurant is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and serves breakfast at all times.

The Horseshoe Café recently installed a new ventilation system and has displayed some of its historical photos. It now has a pie “happy hour” from 3 to 5 p.m. and will be expanding its Ranch Room.

For more information, call the Horseshoe Café, 734-0380.

 

Magazine Profiles Cat Nap Inn B&B

Cat Nap Inn Bed & Breakfast Exclusively for Cats recently was profiled in Pet Services Journal, a bimonthly publication of the American Boarding Kennel Association.

The ABKA is a nonprofit trade association for the pet-boarding industry in the United States and around the world. It promotes education and professionalism and sets industry standards.

Cat Nap Inn, located at 1244 Butler Creek Road near Alger,was custom designed and built with the needs and preferences of cats in mind. While the basic room rate includes boarding, food, play time and catnip hour, additional services are available.

For more information, call 733-7733 or visit www.catnipinn.com.

 

United Way Offers Tours of Partner Agencies

United Way of Whatcom County is offering tours of some of its partner agencies in preparation of its 2001 fund-raising campaign.

Tours are scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. July 25, Aug. 22 and Sept. 26. They include visits to three partner agencies. Staff and volunteers from each agency give a brief introduction to the agency’s mission and purpose, then recipients of agency services will share their personal stories.

“Seeing and hearing the personal stories of people being helped by the agencies has made me more compassionate and more willing to help with the United Way campaign,” one donor says.

Reservations are requested at least two days in advance of a tour by calling the United Way office, 733-8670.

 

Mother Baby Center Seeks Donations

The Mother Baby Center in Bellingham is seeking donations of goods and services from local businesses.

The goal of the center’s Project Welcome is to improve currently unused space within it so new programs can be established. Items being sought include furniture, furnishings, computers, appliances and electronics. Donations of printing and carpet-cleaning services also are desired.

The Mother Baby Center provides services to pregnant women, newborns and new families in Whatcom County. For information about making donations of goods, services or cash, call Stacy Phelps or Jessica Wight at 647-1544.

 

TheWebsons.com Partners with IronSpire

The Websons.com, Inc. of Sedro-Woolley has entered an alliance that enables it to sell an online product used by general-contracting and construction-management companies.

The Websons.com reached an agreement with IronSpire, Inc. of Portland, Ore., to sell its services in northwest Washington (all counties north of King County). IronSpire’s JobSite provides a secure, centralized, online workspace for building design and construction teams to manage their project information and communication.

The site allows project teams to post RFIs, view change orders and redline CAD drawings. Team members are instantly notified when schedule changes require action, questions await responses and drawing revisions need to be considered.

The Websons.com is utilizing its extensive knowledge and expertise as a Web-site development and Internet marketing firm to help local contractors, developers, architects and engineers integrate this tool into their business practice. For more information, visit the company’s Web site or call (360) 855-0899.