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Boomer’s Drive-In Helps Boys & Girls Club
Boomer’s Drive-In again is donating to the Whatcom County Boys & Girls Club 5 cents from the sale of each hamburger during its 45-day anniversary sale, which ends Feb. 28. The Boys & Girls Club received $1,600 last year when more than 32,000 hamburgers were sold by the Bellingham restaurant. Boomer’s Drive-In, located at 310 N. Samish Way, also offers hard ice-cream milkshakes, waffle fries and many salads. Customers may order from their cars or inside the dining room. Its hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Chris Irwin has owned and operated Boomer’s since 1999. For more information, call 647-2666. CVB Offering Free
A listing of local festivals and events in 2002 is available for free from the Bellingham/Whatcom County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The brochures includes more than 165 events, including performances at local theaters, arts and crafts fairs, car shows, major festivals and more. The calendar lists event names, dates and locations, as well as contact phone numbers for more information. The brochure is available at the CVB’s office at 904 Potter St. and its visitor centers at Bellis Fair mall and the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, all in Bellingham. For more information, call 671-3990 or visit www.bellingham.org. Clothing Conference
About 200 people were expected in Bellingham the first weekend of February for the Blue Willi’s USA Fall 2002 Collection Fashion Extravaganza. Blue Willi’s is a Denmark-based clothing line that has been sold in Europe for the past 40 years and became available in the United States eight years ago. The Blue Willi’s shop in the Port of Bellingham’s Bellwether Building is the first Blue Willi’s Concept Store to open in this country. The store, which opened last fall, is owned and operated by Andy, Cherie and Carrie Webster of Bellingham. The organizer of the two-day fashion event expected to spend more than $60,000 locally on food, lodging, entertainment and transportation for the conference. He estimates the entire event will generate more than $200,000 for community businesses. County Home Show
The 23rd annual Whatcom County Home Show & Garden Pavilion will be presented March 1-3 in Lynden. More than 200 exhibitors are expected at the Northwest Washington Fairgrounds. The show is presented by the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County. A vast array of products and services for homes and gardens, as well as demonstrations and food, will be offered. The show’s hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. March 1 and 2 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 3. Admission costs $6 apiece for adults and $3 for seniors older than 55. Children under 16 may enter for free. For more information, call the BIAWC, 671-4247. Unemployment Rate
Whatcom County’s unemployment rate ticked downward to 7.3 percent in December. The drop of 0.1 percent still kept the county’s jobless rate well above the December 2000 level of 5.7 percent. The state Employment Security Department reports that 5,800 people among a workforce of 78,500 in the county were unemployed during the month. The statewide rate in December remained at 7 percent. It was 4.9 percent in December 2000. The December jobless rate in other northwest Washington counties was: Skagit, 8.2 percent; Snohomish, 6.3 percent; Island, 5.1 percent; and San Juan, 5.2 percent. ExxonMobil Grants
Five Whatcom County schools each received $500 grants through the ExxonMobile Education Alliance Program. Grants were awarded to Parkview, Larrabee and Roosevelt elementary schools in Bellingham, Blaine Elementary and Blaine Primary. “We were very excited that out of six grants that were applied for, five were approved,” says Matt Yorkston of Yorkston Oil Co., the ExxonMobil fuel distributor in the county. Any school interested in applying for this year’s grants may contact Yorkston Oil for an application via e-mail at jmatty@yorkstonoil.com or call 734-2201. Digby Cleaning
Bruce Digby of Bellingham has launched Cascade Drapery & Blind Cleaning. Digby says he offers on-site dry cleaning of draperies and shades where they hang for businesses and residences. He has attended training programs in California and Idaho. For more information, call Cascade Drapery & Blind Cleaning, 510-0323, or send e-mail to digbyb1@attbi.com. Laserpoint Awards
Laserpoint Awards & Promotionals is the new name of the Bellingham business owned and operated by Randy and Kathy Cross. The couple changed the business name — previously Laserpoint Awards — to reflect significant growth in their line of promotional products they added two years ago. Laserpoint Awards & Promotionals offers embroidery, apparel, hats, accessories and promotional products of all types. The business continues to offer unique and creative recognition awards, trophies and gifts. The showroom at 205 E. Kelly Road is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. A promotional items catalog and examples of awards can be seen at www.laserpointawards.com. For more information, call 398-8714. L&I Offers Workshop
The state Department of Labor and Industries will present a workshop, “Implementing Ergonomics for Employers,” Feb. 13 in Bellingham. The workshop will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the L&I office, 1720 Ellis St., Suite 200. The same workshop also will be presented at 9 a.m. March 31 at the L&I office in Everett. Workshop participants will learn how to identify caution-zone jobs and how to analyze these jobs using the criteria in the ergonomics rule, adopted by L&I in May 2000. Topics include: • The physical risk factors that identify caution-zone jobs. • How to identify and analyze hazards for work-related musculoskeletal disorders. • The requirements for ergonomics awareness education. • The principles of ergonomics and how to use them to reduce hazards. Approximately 600 employers in Washington — the largest companies in the highest-risk industries — will be the first covered by the ergonomics rule, starting July 1. For other employers, the requirements take effect between July 1, 2003, and July 1, 2006, depending on company size. To register for a workshop or gain more information, visit www.lni.wa.gov/wisha/ergo. Skagit Valley Casino
The Skagit Valley Casino Resort in Bow recently opened a new pool complex that includes an indoor, heated swimming pool, sauna, fitness room, shower rooms and hot tub. The addition completes the third phase of the resort’s hotel expansion project. The 103-room hotel opened March 23, 2001. An additional 3,510 square feet of meeting space opened in September, bringing the total meeting and convention space to more than 14,000 square feet. For more information, call (877) 275-2448 or visit www.theskagit.com. Italian Restaurant Opens
Giuseppe Mauro opened Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant early this month in downtown Bellingham. The restaurant is at 1309 N. Commercial St., a site formerly occupied by the il Fiasco and boZak restaurants. Giuseppe’s is open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. daily. Mauro, originally from Sicily, is also the chef. Giuseppe’s features pasta, seafood, chicken, meat and lamb dishes from the northern and southern regions of Italy. He owned Trattoria Giuseppe in Langley on Whidbey Island for five years. Mauro has hotel and dining experience in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Italy and the Cayman Islands. Giuseppe’s has a capacity of 130 customers, including a room that can accommodate groups up to 50 people. Reservations are accepted. Customers who use the Parkade across the street will have their parking card validated. For more information, call 714-8412. Haggen Opens 28th
Haggen, Inc., now operates 28 stores after opening on Jan. 23 a Haggen Food & Pharmacy store at 757 Haggen Drive, Burlington. The supermarket has more than 63,000 square feet. Clyde Ellis is the Burlington store manager. Haggen, Inc., with headquarters in Bellingham, operates supermarkets in Washington and Oregon under the Haggen Food & Pharmacy and TOP Food & Drug names. It recorded sales of $665 million in 2000. Korvan Reaches
Korvan Industries, Inc., a Lynden harvester manufacturer, recently celebrated the best safety record in the company’s history: 203,448 hours without a lost-time accident, the equivalent of nearly 100 man-years. “We have our employees to thank,” says Jon Olson, general manager of Korvan. “Their awareness and willingness to implement safety procedures have made the difference.” Korvan designs and builds harvesting equipment for berry, grape, raisin, coffee, olive and orange growers. Webefx Sold, Moved
Webefx has been acquired by Waterfront Marketing, Inc., owned by Dave Adams, who has moved Webefx from Mount Vernon to Bellingham. “The opportunity to expand my marketing company to include Webefx, a well-established Web development and hosting company, makes a lot of sense,” says Adams. “Web applications can be a very important part of a company’s or municipality’s communication effort, whether they are selling products or delivering information cost-effectively.” Adams has 14 years of sales and marketing experience with marketing and communication companies. He earned a degree in visual communications from Western Washington University. Webefx now is located in the Bellingham Business Park at 4204 Meridian St., Suite 200. For more information, call 5278-0400 or visit www.webefx.com. Custom Closets Adds
Custom Closets & Bedrooms is the new name of the business owned by Mike Buchholz in north Bellingham. Formerly known as Custom Closets, the business has added a bedroom line that includes Murphy wall beds and pedestal (or captain’s) beds. These beds provide convenient storage, using drawers and cabinets, and are built to the specifications of homeowners. Custom Closets & Bedrooms still offers closet products and design specialists. It’s located in the Hannegan Business Plaza at 4073 Hannegan Road, a quarter-mile south of East Bakerview Road. For more information, call 738-9121. Office Professionals
The Bellingham chapter of the International Association for Administrative Professionals and Fox Hall is inviting all administrative and office professionals to a networking and informational reception Feb. 12. The reception will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Fox Hall, adjacent to the Hampton Inn near Bellingham International Airport. Refreshments will be provided and RSVP is requested by calling Judy McCoy at 733-2924. Attendees and their employers will hear information regarding the local group, including certification and professional growth programs. They also may view the conference and meeting facilities at Fox Hall. For more information, visit www.bellingham-iaap.freeservers.com. Businesses Sponsoring
The Whatcom Literacy Council’s sixth-annual Trivia Bee will be presented March 22 in Bellingham. Three-person teams from businesses and organizations are sought for the contest, which is sponsored by Alcoa Primary Metals/Intalco Works, Bellingham Ear Nose & Throat and Facial Plastic Surgery, BP Cherry Point Refinery, KAFE Radio, Key Bank and The Bellingham Herald. The deadline for team registration is Feb. 15. To register or gain more information, call 647-3264. The Whatcom Literacy Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to stopping the cycle of illiteracy by helping adults learn to read and write or use English as a second language. It recently has received donations of $1,600 from Nooksack River Casino, $1,000 from the Bellingham Wal-Mart store and $500 from Sterling Savings Bank. Resort Semiahmoo’s
Resort Semiahmoo in Blaine received the 2001 Technology/Web site MAX award from Preferred Hotels and Resorts Worldwide for www.semiahmoo.com. Toolhouse Design of Bellingham redesigned the site, which was launched in December 2000 with a new look, feel and usability. “Advances in Web technology allow the use of extensive photography without the considerable wait time of the past,” says Toolhouse Design principal Rand Lien. The Marketing Awards of Excellence were established in 1995 to recognize excellence in marketing at Preferred member hotels. Resort Semiahmoo is owned by Trillium Corp. and managed by MTM Management, a regional collection of independently owned luxury lodging establishments. Resort Semiahmoo is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, a global brand of independent luxury hotels and resorts. Furniture Store
Front Street Home Furnishings was scheduled to open early this month in Lynden. The store is owned by Steve and Daisy Sandsteds, who own a 78,000-square-foot furniture store in Tukwila. Front Street Home Furnishings is leasing a 25,000-square-foot building for the store and a 24,000-square-foot warehouse. Both have been vacant since the Alsum & Bode furniture store at 303 Front St. closed in September 2000. Businesses Sponsor
The Bellingham REI store and Seegers Chiropractic in Bellingham are co-sponsoring the third-annual Winter Wings Snowshoe Race and Demo on Feb. 9 at the Mt. Baker Ski Area. The five-kilometer race starts at 11 a.m. with registration starting at 10 a.m. The race entry fee is $15 and all proceed will benefit Bellingham Cooperative School. Race entry forms are available at REI in Sehome Village. Demonstrations and the opportunity to test snowshoes will be offered from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call REI, 647-8955. Here’s How Marketing
Here’s How Marketing has moved its office to the Bellingham Towers at 119 N. Commercial St., Suite 385. Here’s How Marketing has added services in the last two years that include customer satisfaction surveys, product development research, values research, functionality research and other projects designed to test the effectiveness of advertising themes, graphics and venues. The agency specializes in creating comprehensive and customized marketing plans for products and services for holistic living. For more information, call 733-1848 or visit www.heres-howmarketing.com. WCC Offers MOUS
Whatcom Community College’s Community Education is offering Microsoft Office User Specialist certification training and testing at its Cordata Campus in Bellingham. MOUS certification is recognized as the standard for demonstrating proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, Access, Outlook and PowerPoint. Office professionals use the certification to document their computer knowledge and strengthen their résumés. Two levels of certification, Core and Expert, are available. An Excel Core class will be presented Tuesdays and Thursdays, Feb. 19-26, from 6 to 9 p.m. The cost is $199. WCC also is an authorized MOUS Testing Center, which may be used by anyone regardless of where training was received. Core and Expert level certification is available for Word, Excel, Access, Outlook and PowerPoint. Cost for a single test is $65. For more information on MOUS certification training and testing, call Greg Marshall at 676-2170, ext. 3376, or visit the Community Education Web site at 222.whatcomcommunityed.com. RE Store Adds
The RE Store, with locations in Bellingham and Seattle, has added building dismantling to its services, which has increase its supply of lumber, beams and plywood. The RE Store can take entire buildings apart by hand, resulting in recycling/reuse rates of 70 percent to 85 percent. “Building dismantling allows homeowners and contractors to win by providing an important environmental service, giving them a substantial tax deduction and generally doing wonders for a project’s public relations,” says David Bennink, RE Store’s field manager in Bellingham. “Benefits to the RE Store and the community come from more jobs, more sales tax and the RE Store now has a reliable source of lumber, beams and plywood,” Bennink continues. Five-year projections show the new service adding 10 jobs to the Bellingham crew, several positions to the Bellingham RE Store and a couple positions to the management team. For more information, call 815-4336 or visit the RE Store at 600 W. Holly St., Bellingham. Mt. Baker Plywood,
Mt. Baker Plywood has reached an agreement with the Port of Bellingham on an extension of its lease of property along Bellingham’s waterfront at 2929 Roeder Ave. If Mt. Baker Plywood meets some conditions added to its current lease, which ends July 31, 2003, it will qualify for a two-year interim lease. The mill then will have to install a new boiler with state-of-the-art pollution controls during those two years to qualify for a long-term lease. The cost of the boiler is estimated at more than $1 million. Mt. Baker Plywood has operated at the site since 1949. It was purchased in 1993 by Swaner Hardwood Co. of California, currently employs about 150 people and has an annual payroll between $6 million and $7 million. Silhouettes Salon
Silhouettes Salon of Bellingham is hosting the fourth annual Labor of Love, an event to raise money for the Opportunity Council’s programs for homeless families. The fundraiser is scheduled from 3 to 7 p.m. Feb. 23 at Silhouettes Salon, 321 Telegraph Road. For a donation of $25, clients receive their choice of up to four beauty treatments, including mini-highlights, styling, conditioning treatments, mini-manicures and neck or shoulder massages. Free hors d’oeuvres will be provided by Cafe Caffé, Grace Cafe and Quizno’s Classic Subs. Tickets are on sale now. Space is limited and advance appointments are requested. Raffle tickets also are available at Silhouettes Salon for drawings during to win good and services donated by local businesses. All money raised will go to the Opportunity Council’s homeless programs providing emergency housing for local families. The Opportunity Council is a private, nonprofit community-action agency serving Whatcom, Island and San Juan counties. For appointments, call Silhouettes Salon, 734-0246. For more information about the Opportunity Council, call 734-5121. Little Caesars Pizza
Brothers Ray Caldwell and Robert Nevitt are adding an Everson location to their Little Caesars Pizza franchises in Whatcom and Skagit counties. The restaurant in the Everson Shopping Center, facing Kirsch Drive, tentatively was expected to open in late February. It will be larger than most of the franchises owned by Caldwell and Nevitt and include separate party room that can accommodate groups such as sports teams and children’s birthday parties. Little Caesars sells fresh-baked pizza to dine-in and carry-out customers and also offers take-and-bake pizzas. Caldwell and Nevitt own three franchises in Bellingham, as well as single ones in Lynden and Ferndale. Postal Service Plans
The U.S. Postal Service plans to raise first-class stamp prices from 34 cents to 37 cents on June 30. Also, bulk-mailing rates for magazines, newspapers, parcels and postcards will rise by 10 percent. To gain approval for the increases, the Postal Service promised not to seek another rate increase until the fall of 2003. The previous increase in first-class stamp prices was 1 cent in January 2001.
Paper Dreams Donates
Paper Dreams, owned by Chuck and Dee Robinson, in Fairhaven has donated $730, representing 20 percent of its sales Nov. 11, to the Opportunity Council. The donation supports Opportunity Council programs that help people with basic needs such as housing, food, heat and child care. It is a nonprofit community action agency serving Whatcom, Island and San Juan counties since 1965. Zanzara Client Wins
A client of Zanzara, a Bellingham provider of usability testing and consulting services, has been awarded the 2001 Product of the Year award by Internet Telephony magazine. Visual Networks, Inc., a public Internet protocol (IP) performance management service, won in the category of performance monitoring, network management and quality of service for its new product, Visual IP InSight v5.5. Zanzara worked with Visual Networks to improve the product’s usability for three identified major types of users for the new product: network engineers, support technicians and end users of connected PCs. Zanzara offers usability testing, usability design reviews and related services to technology companies for products in the hardware, software and integrated design arenas, as well as to companies creating large and highly functional Web sites. Richard Mander, principal of Zanzara, is author of the recently published “Web Usability for Dummies.” Communication 2000
Communication 2000 of Lynden received an award for best customer retention in the third quarter of 2001 in Nextel Communication’s Pacific Northwest market. The Lynden business received the Special Recognition Award for achieving the lowest churn performance among all Nextel authorized representatives in the region. Communication 2000, owned by Bill and Sandy Knutzen, is located at 6920-A2 Guide Meridian, just north of the Pole Road intersection. For more information, call 398-9357. Signs Plus Donates
Signs Plus of Bellingham has donated graphics for the Salvation Army’s emergency disaster services van. The van helps those in need in Whatcom County. Signs Plus, a full-service sign company, provides signage for local police, fire and county organizations. For more information, call 671-7165. Class Examining
“Cancer in the Workplace,” a class to help managers and co-workers address issues that cancer creates on the job, will be presented Feb. 21 by St. Joseph Hospital’s Community Cancer Center in Bellingham. The class will be presented from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Community Cancer Center, 3217 Squalicum Parkway. The class is free, but registration is sought due to class size limitations. Call 738-6701 to register. The discussion will be led by Jean Gorton, a retired senior vice president for Trillium Corp. and a cancer survivor; Carol Brumet, also a cancer survivor and outreach coordinator for the center; and Mark Fowler, director of human resources for St. Joseph Hospital. Attendees will be educated about how to deal with sensitivity issues, certain laws surrounding major illnesses, how to help and reassure co-workers about their colleague’s illness, and what changes may take place in the workplace. In the United States, one in every two men and one in every three women will develop cancer in their lifetime. Applebee’s Opens
A thorough renovation of a Sunset Square building in Bellingham paved the way for the Feb. 4 opening of an Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar. Concept Solutions Inc. was the general contractor for the renovation of the 5,400-square-foot building that has a capacity of 194 guests. The casual-dining restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sundays. Lunch and dinner will be offered seven days a week and brunch will served until 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Rasool Tawfeek is general manager of the Bellingham restaurant, located at 1069 E. Sunset Drive. The restaurant will employ about 65 people. Apple Northwest, which has 10 other restaurants in Greater Puget Sound and one in British Columbia, is the franchisee. For more information, call Applebee’s at 671-6000. State’s Electronic Tax
Washington manufacturers and extractors now are eligible to file and pay state taxes using the Department of Revenue’s free electronic filing system (ELF). The latest additions mean that virtually every business paying business-and-occupation taxes now can file electronically. The only remaining businesses that don’t yet qualify for ELF include businesses that pay public utility taxes, lodging taxes and certain specialty taxes. The Department of Revenue plans to add them as quickly as possible. For more information on filing electronic, call (800) 647-7706 or visit dor.wa.gov/elf/elfcontent.asp. Software Company
Logos Research Systems, Inc., which produces software for the Christian market and employs about 45 people, is moving from Oak Harbor to Bellingham. The company expects to be open March 4 at 1313 Commercial St., between La Pinata Mexican Restaurant and Giuseppe’s Italian Restaurant and across from the Parkade in downtown Bellingham. Logos Research Systems was founded in 1992. Its only product was Logos Bible Software for Microsoft Windows v1.0, one of the first Bible-study software packages for the Windows platform. The company says it has grown into one of the largest developers of software for the Christian market and a worldwide leader in multilingual electronic publishing. Its technology is used to deliver Bible reference libraries in English, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Afrikaans and many other languages. Bob Pritchett, one of three founders of Logos Research Systems, is its president. For more information, call (800) 87-LOGOS or visit www.logos.com. Boys & Girls Clubs
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County have scheduled its 23rd-annual KidsFest Auction — La Carnivale on April 6. This year’s goal is to net $100,000 to help the clubs continue to meet the growing needs of Whatcom County’s youth. The clubs are interested in procuring donations of air miles, trips, time-share accommodations, tickets to sporting and performing-arts events, building services and other goods and services for the auction. More than 400 people are expected to attend the auction. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County provides programs and services to nearly 4,500 children in Bellingham, Birch Blaine, Ferndale, Lummi Island and Lynden. The clubs offer programs based on physical, emotional, cultural and social needs and the interests of girls and boys. For information on donating goods or services or attending the auction, call the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County, 738-3808. Women Launch A-Plus
Nancy Durant and Pam Helberg have opened for business A-Plus Computer Services. A-Plus is focusing on individuals and small businesses that need technical help, software training or consulting services. Durant previously worked for Microsoft and has a Microsoft Certified System Engineer certificate. Helberg is an information technology instructor at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham. She is A+ certified and working toward here MCSE certification. For more information about A-Plus Computer Services, call 676-8961 or send e-mail to Durant at N_Durant@msn.com.
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