Associated Grocers Gains Stake in Brown & Cole

Bellingham-based Brown & Cole Stores has agreed to give Associated Grocers Inc. a 25-percent ownership stake in the supermarket company.

Brown & Cole is the largest customer and shareholder, with a 27-percent ownership stake, of Associated Grocers, a Seattle-based independent grocery wholesaler and cooperative with close to $1 billion in annual revenue.

Under the transaction, Associated Grocers converted Brown & Cole’s accumulated debt into equity and Brown & Cole agreed to buy more of its products from the wholesaler.

According to Craig Cole, Brown & Cole’s president and chief executive officer, the company will benefit mainly through improvements in its facilities and customer offerings at existing retail outlets. Major remodeling projects at some stores also are planned, starting this year. It also will be able to acquire other supermarkets since debt is being taken off its balance sheets and borrowing money will become easier.

“By growing our businesses through this innovative alliance, our customers will reap the benefits of a strong regional chain that emphasizes value and locally customized store,” Cole says. “Both companies are financially strengthened and our customers will see the benefits of one plus one equaling three.”

“This partnership will enable both companies to grow their businesses more rapidly while gaining cost efficiencies,” remarks Bob Hoyt, president and CEO of Associated Grocers.

Cole, a former board chairman of Associated Grocers, now is returning as a board member.

Brown & Cole, operates 35 supermarkets in the Northwest, primarily in northwest Washington and the Yakima Valley, under trade names such as Cost Cutter and Food Pavilion. The company employs about 2,200 people and its revenue this year is projected at nearly $400 million.

Brown & Cole had only four stores and $44 million in revenue in 1990, but grew rapidly in the 1990s with funding assistance provided by Associated Grocers.

Associated Grocers was founded in the 1930s to pool the purchasing power of independent grocers and now supplies more than 350 supermarkets in Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii and Guam.

Zervas Group Designing Convention Center

Zervas Group Architects of Bellingham has gained a contract to design a 70,000-square-foot convention center in downtown Lynnwood.

The South Snohomish County Public Facilities District contracted with Zervas Group for work on the $30 million project. The conference center will include multiple meeting spaces in a number of sizes and flexibility, plus a main ballroom. Future expansion plans include a 40,000-square-foot exhibit hall.

Zervas Group Architects, founded in 1961, is a full-service architecture and interior-design firm. For more information, call 734-4744 or visit www.zervasgroup.com.

Former Albertson’s Store Being Auctioned

The Bellingham property that was formerly the site of an Albertson’s supermarket will be auctioned April 9.

The 3.6 acres is just off Interstate 5 and is bounded by Old Fairhaven Parkway and 30th and 32nd streets. It includes a 39,371-square-foot building that was constructed for Albertson’s, which operated a store for only four years before closing it in 1998. The building has been vacant since then.

The auction will be conducted at 10 a.m. April 9 at the property by Higgenbotham Auctioneers International. For more information, call (800) 257-4161 or visit www.higgenbotham.com.

County’s United Way Surpasses 2001 Goal

The United Way of Whatcom County surpassed its goal by raising $1,712,936 in the 2001 Choose to Care Campaign.

“We exceeded our goal ($1.7 million) for those in need under the most extraordinary of circumstances,” says John Macpherson, campaign chair and vice president of Anvil Corp. in Bellingham. “We did this by working together and focusing on one thing: United Way’s Community Safety Net helps vulnerable people in our community who urgently need our help to lead healthy and productive lives.”

Allocations from United Way’s Community Safety Net Fund will support more than 60 programs. In addition, donors designated gifts to more than 110 non-partner agencies.

For more information on the campaign, visit www.unitedwaywhatcom.org or call 733-8670 for a newsletter with details.

Hotel Bellwether Hosting Fundraiser

The 104th-annual Firefighters Community Ball will be held March 9 at the Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham.

The annual event raises money for the Washington State Council of Fire Fighters Burn Foundation. It will start at 8 p.m. in the hotel’s Bellwether Ballroom and feature live music by From the Hip and catering provided by the Harborside Bistro.

Tickets cost $25 per person or $40 per couple and are available at the Bellingham Fire Department’s Station 1, 1800 Broadway, or by calling 676-6831.

Anna’s Kaddy Shack Sold, Gains New Name

Brian Tines has purchased Anna’s Kaddy Shack Bar-B-Que in Fairhaven and renamed it the Fairhaven Pub and Martini Bar.

Tines is renovating its interior so it can offer more seats, live music and pool tables. The menu will be expanded to include more hamburgers, steaks and pasta.

Tines has been owner of The Royal restaurant and nightclub in downtown Bellingham for the past eight years. He purchased the Fairhaven restaurant, located at 1114 Harris Ave., from Anna Williams, who will remain as its manager.

“The restaurant needed an awful lot of (expensive) work,” says Williams, who founded the restaurant five years ago.

For more information, call the restaurant, 671-6745.

Peoples Bank Opens Fifth Skagit Office

Peoples Bank opened its fifth Skagit County branch on Jan. 23 in conjunction with the opening of the new Haggen Food and Pharmacy store in Burlington.

The bank branch offers a full range of personal and business banking services, including an on-staff real-estate loan representative. It has extended weekday hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., following the model of the bank’s other grocery store branches in Mount Vernon and Sedro-Woolley.

As of Dec. 31, Peoples Bank’s total deposits in Skagit County were $46 million, up 25 percent from $36.7 million one year ago. Loans receivable had increased 75 percent to $47.7 million.

The bank also reports that it originated $97.8 million in real-estate loans in Whatcom County in 2001, an increase of 170 percent over 2000. The total ranks Peoples Bank as the second-largest real-estate lender in the county.

Peoples Bank is a $410 million independent community bank with headquarters in Lynden. Founded in 1921, it operates 15 offices in Whatcom, Skagit and King counties.

Emerald Bay Events Buys Building

Emerald Bay Events, a Bellingham company specializing in catering and event planning, has purchased a 10,000-square-foot building at 1013 W. Holly St.

Emerald Bay Events plans to move into the building at the corner of Holly and F streets on April 1, according to Gail Walker, co-owner with husband Britain. The company has leased several spaces since being founded in 1996. The building currently is occupied by We Care of Whatcom County, a nonprofit charity organization.

One 5,000-square-foot floor will be used for offices and a showroom that displays the company’s props and decorations for events. The other 5,000-square-foot floor will serve as a warehouse.

Emerald Bay Events has catered and decorated events — including corporate barbecues, weddings, anniversaries, banquets and in-home parties — for as many as 4,500 guests throughout the Pacific Northwest. It also has kitchens from Bellingham to Seattle and commercial barbecue grills.

For more information, call 734-7832 or visit www.emeraldbayevents.com.

Couple Opens Lynden Coffeehouse

Wes and Diane Herman in early February opened The Woods Coffee in Lynden’s Bender Plaza, located at the intersection of Bender and East Badger roads.

The restaurant at 8874 Bender Road offers traditional and innovative coffee and espresso drinks, plus smoothies and milkshakes. Food items include bagels, muffins and desserts. A drive-through window is available and free delivery is given for orders of four or more drinks.

Restaurant hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, call 354-0900.

Boys & Girls Club Receives Donation

Sales associates and staff at Windermere Real Estate’s Bellingham and Lynden offices recently combined with the Windermere Foundation to donate $1,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Whatcom County.

Everytime a Windermere associate sells a home, a portion of the commission is donated directly to the Windermere Foundation. Additional contributions from Windermere agents, managers, owner and staff, as well as the general public, also are accepted. The organization is run entirely by volunteers with less than 2 percent of funds raised being spent on administrative costs.

The Windermere Foundation was created in 1989 to provide funds to social-service agencies that offer housing and services to low-income and homeless children and families in their communities. Funds raised for the Windermere Foundation are returned to the community from which they originated.

Barkley Village’s Pastazza Renovated

Owners Fred and Lynn Berman have given their Pastazza restaurant in Bellingham’s Barkley Village a facelift to celebrate its fifth anniversary.

French artist Dylan Charrier has transformed the previously subdued dining room into a warm, inviting Mediterranean milieu. Additional changes, including an updated version of the award-winning menu, are planned in the near future.

The Bermans opened the restaurant at 2945 Newmarket St. in January 1997 after operating Innisfree, a fine-dining restaurant in Glacier, for 14 years. Pastazza offers fresh pasta daily and creates all of its pasta, sauces, salad dressings, soups and desserts. The restaurant also has a banquet room.

Pastazza opens at 11:30 a.m. weekdays and noon on weekends. Closing hours are 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 714-1168.

Pacific Northwest Bank Links with Raymond James

Pacific Northwest Financial Services, Inc., a subsidiary of Pacific Northwest Bank, has entered into an agreement providing for Raymond James Financial Services to serve as its broker/dealer for financial-service activities.

Products and services offered through this arrangement include financial planning, investment products, portfolio management, trust and estate planning, insurance and annuity services and retirement plan consulting.

Pacific Northwest Bank operates 55 financial centers throughout western and central Washington, including ones in Bellingham, Ferndale and Lynden.

Village Books Receives Good Works Award

Village Books in Fairhaven received an honorable mention for the Pacific Northwest Good Works Award.

The store, owned by Chuck and Dee Robinson, was honored for its “many philanthropic activities to benefit the Fairhaven community.” It also was cited for “the variety of causes Village Books has supported with profits, book donations, book fairs and author lectures, the creation of the Village Books Foundation and Children’s Book Week and the adoption of the Greenways trail.”

Founded in 1980, Village Books is located at 1210 11th St. For more information, call 671-2626 or visit www.villagebooks.com.

Businesses Sponsoring Trivia Bee Fundraiser

Six businesses are sponsoring the Whatcom Literacy Council’s sixth-annual Trivia Bee and Silent Auction on March 22 in Bellingham.

The event at Whatcom Community College’s Heiner Theater starts with the silent auction at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Trivia Bee at 7 p.m. Admission costs $3. Ticketholders are eligible to win various prizes and need not be present to win. All proceeds support the Whatcom Literacy Council’s tutoring programs.

The major sponsors are Alcoa Primary Metals/Intalco Works, Bellingham Ear, Nose & Throat and Facial Plastic Surgery, The Bellingham Herald, BP Cherry Point Refinery, KAFE Radio and KeyBank.

For more information regarding the Trivia Bee, call the Whatcom Literacy Council at 647-3264 or visit www.whatcomliteracy.org.

WTA Buses Offer Billboard Ads

The Whatcom Transportation Authority, in partnership with Cascade Transit Advertising, launched a bus billboard advertising program Feb. 1.

All 34 WTA buses will display three mobile billboards: one on each side and one on the rear of the bus. Bus billboards are available to both advertisers and nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit groups are responsible for the production costs of their bus billboards, but receive the space at no charge on a space-available basis.

For more information about advertising on WTA buses, call Cascade Transit Advertising (a division of Bellingham-based Cascade Radio Group), 734-8555.

Henifin Construction Expands to Arizona

Henifin Construction of Bellingham recently was awarded an $180,000 contract from the City of Bullhead, Ariz., for a highway sewer-crossing project.

This is the second year that Henifin Construction’s Arizona division has been operating. The Arizona division concentrates on work similar to what the company does in Washington.

Henifin Construction is a heavy-construction contractor specializing in sewer, water and storm-drainage utility work, road construction, site preparation, mass excavation, trucking, fill and fine grading and recyclers of concrete and asphalt waste. It recently was recognized for achieving a zero-loss ratio from the state Department of Labor and Industries.

For more information, call 733-5411.

Farmers Market Seeking Vendors

The Bellingham Farmers Market is seeking vendors for its 2002 season, the 10th anniversary of the market.

The market is accepting applications from farmers, artists, crafters, food vendors, processors and service providers.

First-time vendors make take advantage of a special offer and try the market for three days at only a fraction of the cost of a full members. Also, flexible schedules are available to accommodate the varying needs of vendors.

The Bellingham Farmers Market will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. each Saturday from April 6 through Oct. 28. Its location is on Railroad Avenue, east of Chestnut Street, in downtown Bellingham. The market offers fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, honey, cut and dried flowers, baked goods, seafood, eggs, crafts and ready-to-eat foods.

The organization also runs a market in Fairhaven from 3 to 7 p.m. each Wednesday from June 5 through Sept. 25 at the corner of 11th and Mill streets.

For more information about becoming a vendor at either market, call 647-2060 or visit www.bellinghamfarmers.org.

Administrative Pros Plan Banquet, Seminars

The Bellingham Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professional is presenting its annual banquet and seminars April 24.

The events, celebrating Administrative Professional’s Day, are being presented at the Hampton Inn’s Fox Hall, 1661 W. Bakerview Road, Bellingham. The luncheon will start at noon, followed by seminars at 1:45 p.m. Kimberlly Winjum, publisher of the Record-Journal in Ferndale, is the keynote speaker at the luncheon.

Also, the winner of the Best Administrative Professional of the Year award will be announced at the banquet. Nominations are being sought from businesses in Whatcom and Skagit counties. For information regarding nominations, call Francine Kincaid, 676-6717, or Patti Russell, 676-2170, ext. 3202.

The deadline for luncheon and/or seminar registration is April 15. Registration forms are available through Pam Clark Hamilton, the local chapter’s chair of Administrative Professional’s Day, by calling 650-3981 or sending e-mail to pam.hamilton@wwu.edu.

The Bellingham chapter of IAAP, an organization for administrative professionals who share mutual interests and a desire to elevate the standard of their profession, is celebrating its 40th anniversary. For more information about the chapter, visit www.bellingham-iaap.freeservers.com.

Finnegan’s Alley Gains Wild Blueberries

Janet Ershig plans to open Wild Blueberries, featuring “handpicked gifts and essentials for children,” April 1 at Finnegan’s Alley in Fairhaven.

The store will be in the 1,400-square-foot streetside space, formerly occupied by Le Faux Chateau, of the building at 1106 Harris Ave., Suite 1.

Wild Blueberries will include books, back-to-basics toys and kits — especially those promote education or interaction with parents — for children up to 10 years olds, Ershig says. Examples include wooden toys, jacks and cooking and science kits. She doesn’t plan to sell toys that require electricity.

“There’s so many things that we did as kids that still are great,” remarks Ershig, who has a 9-year-old son and a 4-year-old daughter.

Wild Blueberries also will offer clothing for babies, toddlers and children up to about 4 years old, including products from Lummi Island designer Rebecca Miller.

Hours of the store tentatively are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily except for one day of the week — as yet undetermined — when it will be closed. For more information, call Wild Blueberries, 756-5100.

County’s Jobless Rate Jumps to 8.1 Percent

Whatcom County’s unemployment rate spiked upward 0.6 percent in January to 8.1 percent.

The increase came on top of an upward revision of 0.2 percent to December’s jobless rate in the county, making it 7.5 percent.

The state Employment Security Department adjusted many of its 2001 as the result of an annual process called benchmarking, in which prior monthly survey numbers are adjusted based on information that wasn’t previously available.

According to Employment Security, the county had 73,900 people employed and 6,500 unemployed in January. In January 2001, the same number of people had jobs but only 5,900 were unemployed for a rate of 7.3 percent.

The statewide unemployment rate soared 0.9 percent in January to 8.2 percent, far above the January 2001 rate of 6.2 percent. The number of jobless people in the state totaled 246,400 in January, sharply higher than the 186,900 people in January 2001.

“Over the past year, there was a significant loss of 31,900 jobs in manufacturing with 5,000 of that total tied to aircraft and parts,” says Gary Kamimura, senior economist for Employment Security. “Major job losses were also seen in electronics, food processing, industrial machinery and computer equipment, primary metals and lumber and wood products — all of which were down 2,000 or more over the year.”

County’s Housing Sales Increase

Sales of existing homes in Whatcom County in 2001 rose by 8.6 percent to 3,410, according to the Washington Center for Real Estate Research at Washington State University.

However, the number of units included in issued building permits declined 6.8 percent to 1,515 units. Of that total, 1,069 were permits for single-family homes in the county.

The median price for the sale of an existing single-family home in the county in the fourth quarter of 2001 was $155,600, up 7.1 percent from the fourth quarter of 2000.

The resale housing market statewide set a sales record in 2001, according to WCRER.

“About 125,000 homes were sold last year; 5,000 more than in 1999, the previous record holder,” says Glenn Crellin, WCRER director.

The median sales price for an existing home in Washington in the fourth quarter was $178,200, up only 0.5 percent from the comparable quarter a year ago. The median prices ranged from $260,000 in King County to $77,000 in Pacific County.

Toys ‘R’ Us Survives; Kmart Awaits Fate

One of Bellingham’s largest retailers, Toys “R” Us, has survived a round of corporate store closures while another one, Kmart, will learn its fate soon.

Toys “R” Us, the country’s second-largest toy retailer announced Jan. 28 it is closing 64 stores — 27 Toys “R” Us stores and 37 Kids “R” Us stores. However, the Bellingham store at 150 E. Bellis Fair Parkway isn’t closing, according to a company spokesperson.

Kmart Corp, the nation’s third-largest retailer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January and plans to tell the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Chicago by March 11 which of its 2,114 stores it intends to close. However, according to a list obtained by the Detroit Free Press, the Bellingham store in Sunset Square isn’t among the 291 stores reportedly being closed by the company, which has headquarters in Troy, Mich.

SBDC Sets Record for Helping Businesses

In a uniquely challenging 2001, the Small Business Development Center set a new record for assisting local businesses, surpassing its last two record-breaking years by a wide margin. The SBDC is a service of Western Washington University’s College of Business and Economics.

Last year, SBDC counseled 449 businesses, 90 of which were impacted by the Georgia-Pacific layoffs and 280 of which were first-time clients. Over 540 jobs were saved or created, according to center director Tom Dorr, and SBDC-counseled businesses brought in over $9.6 million in new investments (including loans and personal investments) to Whatcom County.

“With the Georgia-Pacific (pulp mill) closure, Intalco shutdown, regional and national recession, and the events of Sept. 11,” Dorr notes, “local businesses have been challenged not just to react, but often times to survive.”

In addition to individual counseling during 2001, the center:

• Established a Business Expansion and Retention program.

• Opened a satellite office in Lynden.

• Assisted local companies that were directly impacted by the Sept. 11 events with access to emergency U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans.

During 2000, the center counseled 369 businesses, 219 of which were first-time clients, saved or created 248 jobs and helped bring $8.9 million in new investment into the community.

In the last six years, the SBDC has served more than 2,000 businesses, more than 25 percent of all the businesses in Whatcom County. For more information, contact Dorr at 733-4014 or see the SBDC Web site instituted last year, www.cbe.wwu.edu/sbdc.

The Small Business Development Center is a non-profit organization that offers free confidential counseling, secondary research, conferences and seminars for business owners and managers. It is funded by the SBA, the cities of Bellingham, Lynden and Sumas, WWU and community donations.