Volume 31 • Issue 10 • October 2006
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Bellingham high-rise condominium gets building permit
The City of Bellingham has approved issuing the building permit for Bay View Tower. Bay View Tower is a 23-story mixed residential and commercial condominium tower to be located on North State Street in downtown. Construction is anticipated to start this fall. According to the tower’s developer, when complete, Bay View Tower will be the tallest building between Seattle and the Canadian border.
“Although this is Bellingham’s first high-rise in many years, we’ve been consistently impressed with the city’s professionalism during the permitting process,” said William Honea, a representative of Bay View Tower LLC, the tower’s developer. “With a permit in place, we’re excited about building this historic project and contributing to a vibrant and sustainable downtown.”
Market demand for residential units has been extremely strong, with most of the units already reserved, Honea said, with the majority of buyers coming from Whatcom County and Bellingham. Bay View Tower will include such features as a green rooftop, and communally-shared FlexCar vehicles available to all building residents.
“Creating opportunities that allow more people to live downtown is critical to the continued revitalization of our city center and is a very important element in meeting our growth targets,” Tim Stewart, Planning & Community Development director, said. “At more than 300 dwelling units to the acre, this building is consistent with the infill strategy included in our new comprehensive plan. It will help reduce sprawl by bringing more housing to the downtown core, a great place for people to live, work and play. It will facilitate a lifestyle less dependent on automobiles. But, while very high density in our city center has many advantages, we must continue to be very sensitive to the issues of height, views and community character,” he added.

Whatcom County health care spotlighted in PBS series
Health care developments in Whatcom County are featured in the third part of a four-part PBS television series examining the health care crisis in America. The series will air every Thursday in October on PBS stations nationwide.
The third part of the series “The Stealth Epidemic”, which airs Oct. 19, focuses on the challenge of treating chronic diseases that affect nearly 100 million Americans by examining the human and economic costs of effectively managing diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions that consume nearly 70 percent of all healthcare resources. Patients with chronic diseases overwhelm Whatcom’s healthcare system. The major challenge facing these patients is being able to coordinate their own care among a variety of providers. Among those profiled is Rebecca Bryson, 45, who is being treated by more than 12 doctors for a range of chronic conditions. Her life is consumed by illness and the added burden of coordinating her own care.
Concerned by situations like Bryson’s, healthcare leader in Whatcom County joined to create a fully integrated system of care. They developed a number of innovative solutions, including hiring nurses to work on behalf of the entire community. Called Clinical Care Specialists, these nurses help the patients who are struggling the most with their chronic diseases.
Whatcom leaders also developed the Shared Care Plan, a personal health record that allows patients to track their medications, health-care providers and current and previous medical conditions. But Whatcom County struggles with finding the resources to continue these programs.

Bellingham creates RDA
The Bellingham City Council recently introduced an ordinance to create a Revenue Development Area (RDA) pursuant to the new state LIFT legislation. The LIFT legislation authorizes a local government to identify a boundary, or RDA, within which certain public infrastructure improvements may be financed through the allocation of various property and excise taxes. The law specifically designated our community’s waterfront redevelopment as a demonstration project for this new infrastructure financing tool.
“As a demonstration project, Bellingham has an opportunity to partner with the Port and County to collaboratively demonstrate to the rest of the state the benefits of LIFT to promote positive economic development,” said Therese Holm, city finance director. By creating a RDA as proposed, Bellingham qualifies for a state contribution of up to $1,000,000 per year for 25 years to help finance public infrastructure improvements within the RDA that will help enable redevelopment of the waterfront.
The timing requirements of the legislation required the city to list all possible projects that could benefit from this special financing. Public input, final site design, actual construction costs, and identification of additional funding sources will determine which of the projects will actually be approved and constructed.
The list of potential street, bridge, park and trail projects that could be constructed over an estimated 30-year period is estimated to cost $197 million. The portion of these costs estimated to be financed by LIFT state and local government contributions is $75 million.

Hotel available for on-line banquet room reservations
The Best Western Lakeway Inn & Conference Center in Bellingham has joined Facilities in the Northwest, the online resource and reservation system for banquet and event venues in Whatcom and Skagit County.
The Best Western Lakeway Inn is a premier full-service conference venue with 11,000 square feet of meeting space and can host from 16 to 500 people. Meeting space reservations can be made online at www.facilitiesinthenw.com.

Robeks celebrates first anniversary, new location
Robeks Fruit Smoothies and Healthy Eats celebrated its first anniversary in Barkley and its grand opening of its new location in Bellingham’s Sehome Village on Sept. 8. Radio station KAFE-FM was on site for live broadcasts at both locations.
Owner Abbe Rolnick acknowledged the community. “Just as we nourish our bodies so we can remain healthy, think clearly, make better decisions, we must also nourish the community we live in. I believe that by becoming aware of the infrastructure, its importance in times of emergency, we can create a healthier community.”

K&K adds new multicam router
K & K Industries, Inc., of Bellingham has recently added an 8’ x 30’ CNC multicam router. The router is ideal for cutting wood, plastic and non-ferrous metals such as copper, aluminum, and brass. The idea behind the newest addition is to continue to simplify customers’ manufacturing processes. By providing laser, bending, and routing services, at competitive prices, they are better able to serve our customers’ needs.

Mobile info center presents county tourism info
Bellingham/Whatcom County Tourism launched its mobile information center, a retrofitted van with colorful, iconic images of the Bellingham and Mount Baker regions. The mobile information center will serve as a traveling visitor center and make appearances at local and regional festivals and events.
The mobile information center made its first appearance at a conference at Western Washington University Aug. 5-6, and was onsite at the Northwest Washington Fair in Lynden Aug. 14-19. The tourism bureau is establishing a schedule of future locations for the center.
The mobile information center was a community-wide project involving the efforts of local organizations and businesses. The original Dodge Ram van was donated to the tourism bureau by Hampton Inn of Bellingham. Airporter Shuttle/BellAir Charters completed a mechanical check of the van, and Bellingham Technical College’s Automotive Collision Repair Technology program repainted the exterior. Wayne’s Detailing and Jerome’s Upholstery refreshed the interior of the van, and Good Eye Design designed the exterior wrap that was installed by Signs Plus. The Silver Reef Hotel Casino and Spa was a financial contributor.

Computer Gecko adds Outlook, QuickBooks
The Computer Gecko, a Bellingham firm providing technical support for businesses, recently expanded its services to include customization of Outlook and QuickBooks.
Many people use Outlook for e-mail and a directory of contacts, but a business may need more specific information about a contact, according to Bill Thibodeau, owner of The Computer Gecko.
“The Outlook contact form and data file can be modified to provide additional searchable fields, such as specific products and services offered or more details of a client’s work and office situation,” Thibodeau said. “Also, many businesses want to share contacts or e-mail among computers in an office. We present inexpensive solutions to this situation.”
The Computer Gecko also assists clients who want to transfer data between QuickBooks and other accounting programs.

Mount Baker Theatre kiosk gets much-needed repairs
The ticket kiosk at the center of the main door portico of the Mount Baker Theatre is getting a facelift. This fall when the theatre opens its big doors for the new season, the kiosk will be back, lit up and open for business.
During August, the kiosk underwent extensive repair under the guidance of Bellingham contractor Ed Snyder. Snyder, who specializes in remodeling projects, has experience in remodeling and restoring old homes, particularly in Seattle’s Queen Anne district.
Since the work is categorized as a “repair,” instead of “restoration,” the long, arduous process of a historical review wasn’t necessary. But Snyder, and the theatre’s building committee, is taking considerable care to be certain that the kiosk is put back into its original shape. Plaster molds of the trim at the top of the kiosk have been made of the two remaining sides that were still in relatively intact. Sun, rain and general weather conditions had badly damaged all the other sides. Equally as challenging wass the repair of the intricately carved, Honduran mahogany wood trim.
“We have every sander known to mankind in order to get into those little areas,” Snyder says. Once fully sanded and repaired, the wood trim will be restained to approximate its original color.
The missing pieces of green marble running along the edge of the box office also must be replaced and matched. Those pieces are coming from a Vermont quarry.
Likewise, the kiosk door wasn’t merely replaced. Instead, Snyder “reskinned” the door which will be stained to duplicate the rest of the door’s older wood.
Other changes are being made to the interior with customer service in mind. “We stopped using the kiosk because it was too hard for staff inside the box to hear the customer and that created challenging lines with ticketing,” Burdick explained. The theatre is adding a microphone to eliminate that problem and changing the interior cabinet so that tickets can now be sold from the booth. To start, the kiosk will be used for “Will Call” ticket orders but Burdick foresees its use to include ticket sales for the smaller, Studio Theatre productions. Main stage ticket sales will still occur in the theatre’s inside box office because the number of computers there make it easier and more efficient for the staff to accommodate larger numbers of purchasers.

KGMI radio honored as top small market station in nation
Bellingham’s KGMI-AM790, has been selected as the small-market radio station in America for the year 2006 by the National Association of Broadcasters.
The Marconi Award was presented on Sept. 21 at the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Dallas.
A seven-member academy of top radio executives chose KGMI as the top station based on leadership in the community through such projects as the development of an expansive memeorial project to honor fallen soldiers and a large food drive.
“I’m so proud of KGMI,” general manager Rick Staeb said. “In a time when so many news-talk radio stations are cuting costs by reducing their news coverage and airing just nationally-produced talk shows, KGMI is actually adding local talk shows and retains three full hurs of locally-anchored news coverage every weekday morning.”
Last spring, KGMI received the Edward R. Murrow Award for “Best Newscast” in the five-state northwest region from the Radio-Television News Directors Association and Foundation. Additionally, KGMI was given the “Mayor’s Arts Award” earlier this year for the Memorial Park Project, in which the station designed and built an expansive granite memorial to honor fallen local soldiers at Bellingham’s Memorial Park.

BTC’s automotive technology program gets certification
Bellingham Technical College’s automotive technology program recently achieved master NATEF certification by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF) and the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE).
“During the past several months we have worked closely with NATEF to make certain that our program continues to meet strict industry standards” says Dan Beeson, BTC program instructor. “We are proud to remain in the ranks of ASE certified technician training programs and to have achieved NATEF’s ‘Master’ level designation.”
To achieve this recognition, BTC’s automotive technology program underwent rigorous evaluation by NATEF. Nationally accepted standards of excellence in areas such as instruction, facilities and equipment were used. Upon completion of the evaluation, NATEF recommended that Bellingham Technical College be certified by ASE, a national, non-profit organization which tests and certifies repair technicians in addition to certifying technician training programs.
Certification has been awarded to Bellingham Technical College’s Automotive Technology program in the following areas: engine repair, automatic transmission/transaxle, manual transmission/transaxle, suspension and steering, brakes, electrical/electronic systems, heating and air conditioning and engine performance
“This program is an example of strong cooperation between local education and industry leaders,” BTC acting President Debra Jones said. “For the past five years the program has been NATEF certified and this re-certification for another five years at a Master Level is a great honor.”
National certification is an example of performance assessment that is indicative of statewide trends in education. The BTC Automotive Technology program is now certified for another five years, after which it will be reviewed to ensure that it continues to meet the ever changing industry standards and adjust to the latest technological advances in the automotive industry.

Best Western Heritage Inn receives award for quality
The Best Western Heritage Inn has received the Best Western Director’s Award for outstanding quality standards.
The Director’s Award recognizes Best Western International hotels with a cleanliness and maintenance inspection score of at least 950 points out of a possible 1,000. The Heritage Inn received a score of 961. Hotels must also meet Best Western’s requirements for design and high customer service scores to qualify for the distinction.
The Best Western Heritage Inn on McLeod Road in Bellingham features 90 rooms and a variety of meeting and small banquet options.

Fairhaven film firm acquires HD camera
Hand Crank Films, a video and film production company in Fairhaven, has acquired a new Sony XDCAM Cinealta HD camera, expanded its offices to include an in-house green screen studio, and developed a render cluster for distributed video processing.
The Sony XDCAM brings a new level of HD video quality to Bellingham. The camera, which was released by Sony this summer, shoots 1080p full-quality high definition video directly to Blu-Ray disc. As a mark of the camera’s quality, Discovery HD Channel recently accepted it as suitable for top-level HD broadcasting.
“This camera is a revolution in every possible way,” says Hand Crank Films director Max Kaiser. “The picture is remarkable, and the entire process of shooting, editing, and delivering footage is all completely non-linear now. This makes it easier for the client to see what we’ve shot and for speedier production turn-around.”
In addition to the new camera, Hand Crank Films has expanded its Fairhaven office to include a green screen studio. The studio allows clients the ability to quickly shoot interviews for commercials, corporates, and podcasts without wasting any time in lengthy setups. These interviews, and other productions are now quickly post-produced using a cluster of dual and quad processor Apple Macintoshes.

Local home featured in new coffee-table book
A Chuckanut home designed by Zervas Group Architects is featured in the recently published “Cliffhangers and Hillside Homes: Views from the Treetops,” by Ashley E. Rooney (Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2006).
Billing the residence as “House/Site Integration” the book illustrates 47 houses across the United States, including Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece Fallingwater.
Zervas Group, whose founder James Zervas spent a year as a Taliesin Fellow apprenticing with Wright, found a way to perch the timber-framed residence on the steepest, rockiest section of the site to make the most of views in three directions.
Zervas Group is Bellingham’s oldest and largest architectural design firm.

Doll Tech continues efforts to recertify FAA fire test lab
Doll Technology Group, Inc., based in Sedro-Woolley, continues its efforts to complete the recertification of its RedBrooks Laboratory Division to the latest Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) standards. The facility has completed all requirements called for by the FAA, and RedBrooks underwent a review in May 2006 by the FAA.
Once approved, the laboratory will be certified to carry out tests on fire-penetration resistance of thermal/acoustic insulation.
RedBrooks intends to expand its capability to cover additional FAA aviation fire tests on a progressive basis. The laboratory has the potential to generate $1 million annually, once a full range of test capabilities are approved. In addition, the laboratory intends to perform other research and testing activities that do not require specific FAA test procedure certification.
RedBrooks has performed work in the past for major companies such as Federal Express, Bell Textron and other major OEM companies.
Doll Technology develops, manufactures and supplies “Clean & Green” products and technology that replace more hazardous solutions in various industry applications.

Moody’s upgrades Skagit Valley Hospital’s bond rating
Moody’s Investors Service, among the world’s most respected, widely utilized sources for credit ratings, research and risk analysis, has upgraded Skagit Valley Hospital’s bond rating based on the hospital’s ability to generate and sustain strong financial performance.
Moody’s also noted Skagit Valley Hospital’s operating performance in 2005 and the strong community support as evidenced by passage of the $62.1 million bond issue in 2004 to help fund hospital expansion. The hospital’s bonds were upgraded on the $45 million in outstanding revenue bonds.
The bond-rating upgrade will allow Skagit Valley Hospital to borrow money at lower interest rates in the future revenue bond market, which reduces the hospital’s ongoing operating expense. In addition, the many individuals and corporate buyers who invested in the 2003 and 2005 revenue bonds may see appreciation on the bonds they hold if they choose to sell them.

Humane Society partners with American Home Mortgage
The Bellingham branch of American Home Mortgage and the Whatcom Humane Society announced a Power of Sharing partnership. In this new partnership, American Home Mortgage loan officers Alina Valieva and Karen Durham will make a donation of up to $300 each time they complete a home loan for a Humane Society member or supporter. In addition, each referred home loan, which includes refinance, will receive discounted closing fees from American Home Mortgage.
The partnership with American Home Mortgage comes at an opportune time because the Whatcom Humane Society has embarked on a capital project for a new shelter. The proposed new shelter replaces the outmoded existing facility on Williamson Way in Bellingham. The Power of Sharing partnership will provide an additional revenue stream for the Whatcom Humane Society as it launches this new project.

State offers free business tax workshops in Bellingham
The Bellingham office of the Washington State Department of Revenue (DOR) is hosting free workshops for new and small business owners on the second Tuesday of each month – Oct. 10 and Nov. 14 – from 1-4 p.m. at WorkSource, 101 Prospect Street, Suite 10, Bellingham.
Participants in the three-hour workshop will learn about Washington excise taxes, reporting classifications, deductions, tax incentives, sales tax collection, record-keeping requirements, and more. An informal setting allows for asking questions specific to their businesses, and all receive a helpful workbook and reference guide to DOR rules and regulations.

Worldbid enters merger agreement, updates financing
Worldbid Corporation (OTCBB: WBDC) announced that it has entered into an agreement and plan of merger with Royalite Petroleum Corp., a Nevada corporation, and received subscriptions for a private placement financing announced on June 19, for proceeds of approximately $2,600,000.
Worldbid and Royalite have agreed to merge whereby the shareholders of Royalite will receive one share of the Worldbid’s common stock for each outstanding share of Royalite. Royalite currently has 24,960,667 shares of common stock outstanding. Under the terms of the agreement, Worldbid intends to spin off Worldbid Canada Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary, to its shareholders of record prior to the closing of the merger and change its name to Royalite Petroleum Company, Inc. The exact record date and terms of the spin-off have yet to be determined and are subject to completion of appropriate regulatory filings.

Businesses can pay state taxes with VISA cards
VISA credit cards have been added to the list of electronic payment options available for business taxpayers. Users must file their returns online using the Washington State Department of Revenue’s E-file system or be participants in the Bill Pay program to take advantage of credit card payment choices. American Express and Discover are also available, and MasterCard will be added later this year. Businesses may also pay by electronic funds transfer and e-check.

Youth groups get mentoring partnership grants
Four youth programs from the Northwest Washington area are recipients of grants from the Bank of America Mentoring Initiative and the Washington State Mentoring Partnership (WSMP), Lt. Gov. Brad Owen announced.
Grant recipients include: Big Brothers Big Sisters Northwest Washington in Mount Vernon ($5,500); Big Brothers Big Sisters Northwest Washington Bellingham ($7,500); Community Leadership Investment & Mentor Building (CLIMB) in Bellingham ($7,500); and Youth Dynamics in Burlington ($5,500).
The grants, funded by the Bank of America and administered by the WSMP, are an effort to support quality mentoring organizations that are serving youth from moderate to low income families, said Owen, who is co-chair of the Issaquah-based non-profit organization. Bank of America collaborated with the Washington State Mentoring Partnership to administer the Bank of America Mentoring Initiative. The initiative directs $100,000 to 18 youth-focused organizations across the state.

Fairhaven architectural firm moves to new offices
Grinstad & Wagner Architects, Inc., has moved to a new office in the 12th Street Village complex in Fairhaven. The new space has a design studio on the upper floor in addition to a reception area and conference room on the lower floor.

Thrivent Financial to host retirement planning seminar
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ Mount Baker Group will host a free seminar about financial strategies one can use to make retirement assets go further on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Thrivent’s Burlington office on East George Hopper Road. The seminar is hosted by Thrivent’s Kent Jensen, Karl Jensen, Robert Ford, Gary Moon and Al Sorestad.
The seminar provides information to help one answer a number of retirement questions, including: How can I continue to gorw my assets while maintaining dependable streams of income? How can I maximize my retirement savings, while preventing overspending? How do I achieve long-term financial stability?
Call 360.757.9300 to make reservations.

Neighborhood Mortgage expands lending operations
Neighborhood Mortgage, a local brokerage owned by Bill and Anny Havland, can now offer local underwriting in their Bellingham main office. Truly local underwriting will give borrowers the fastest loan experience possible since the details of the file won’t need to be sent out for loan approval.
Neighborhood Mortgage serves clients across the spectrum of credit, homeownership experience, investment experience, and whether their goal is to purchase, refinance, or build their dream home. This latest expansion of services is part of Neighborhood Mortgage’s drive to change the face of mortgage brokers in Whatcom County.
“Our vision is to be a one-stop-shop for clients’ financial needs,” Bill Havland said. “With a solid foundation in client service and trust, we will continue to grow our service offerings to better serve our loyal clientele.”

New business adds to the mix at Mutiny Bay Antique Mall
“Anne-tiques” has joined the other 24 dealers at the Mutiny Bay Antique Mall in Freeland.
Owner Anne Flynn specializes in the Vintage Island Cottage Style. She likes to travel to Ohio to find the treasures she sells at her store including 1940’s tablecloths, vintage drapes and yardage, quilts and charming painted furniture, plus a large assortment of high-end decorator fabrics. Mutiny Bay Antique Mall has 25 quality antique dealers each with an individual style. The Mall was created one year ago by CeCe and Pat Egging, who originally owned the Upsy Daisy Antique Shop on Highway 525.
Freeland’s Island Athletic Club gets makeover
The Island Athletic Club, located in Freeland, re-opened after a one week closure to refurbish the facility and install new equipment. With the Club in its 11th year of operation, it was time for something new. All of the carpet in the Fitness area and men’s locker room was replaced with attractive, odor-proof, durable rubber flooring. The women’s locker room got brand new carpet. The floors in the men’s shower area, both saunas, and the Family Changing room were coated with epoxy impregnated with colored specks. The Club was thoroughly cleaned and repainted. The Fitness Desk was replaced with a new Fitness Bar (anticipating daily Fitness Happy Hours).
The most striking change was an entire new line of Nautilus strength training equipment. The new machines are arranged in clusters, resulting in more useable floor space and a fresh new look.

1 Angel Place Chocolate Bar expands Langley store
Mona and Tony Newbauer, owners of 1 Angel Place Chocolate Bar, have recently expanded their current location in Langley to include a candy kitchen and a custom chocolate drink bar featuring the Truffle Shot, a thick, rich, decadent chocolate drink, like drinking the inside of a truffle. It is served both hot and over ice in dark, milk, or white chocolate. It can be customized by adding a real fruit puree, spice, or extract, and finished with fresh whipped cream. A soy based dark chocolate drink is offered as an alternative to milk products.
Mona is a professional chocolatier, who graduated from Ecole Chocolat, in Vancouver, British Columbia, with a Professional Chocolatier Certificate.

New Chamber of Commerce forms in Clinton
After a five-year partnership with the Langley Chamber, the Clinton Chamber of Commerce has re-established itself to represent the desires, and address the concerns, of the businesses and interested community members in Clinton.The newly-formed Clinton Chamber had its first meeting in early May. Several of the local business and community leaders participated. Their desire is to improve the Clinton business experience for residents and tourists. The focus of the meeting was on Clinton’s role as the southern gateway to Whidbey Island. The discussion included business promotion through the coordination of benefits, traffic management, beautification, and event showcasing.
The Chamber is particularly proud of Clinton Days, held annually on Memorial Day weekend. The event showcases the historical significance of Clinton while embracing the specialties of the businesses in Clinton today. This year’s Clinton Days celebration included the dedication of the new park next to the ferry terminal.
There are 17 businesses in the Chamber now, but there will be future meetings and an open house to find new members and to develop strategies to move Clinton forward.

WICA announces spectacular 10th anniversary season
Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, based in Langley, recently sent out its announcement for the 2006-07 season which, according to Executive Director Stacie Burgua, is the most ambitious program this local arts organization’s history. A 246-seat state-of-the-art performing arts center is remarkable for a community of about 1,000 residents.
This Season’s Theatre Series includes five entertaining and thought-provoking plays: “Art” by Yasmina Reza (Oct. 20-29); Louisa May Alcott’s “Little Women” (Dec. 1-10); “Seven Keys to Baldpate” by George M. Cohan (Feb. 9-18); Anton Chekhov’s “The Three Sisters” (April 13-22); and Kander and Ebb’s “Cabaret” (June 8-17).
One of WICA’s primary goals is to provide affordable cultural events. In addition to the Theatre Series, core programming includes: the Family Series; the Local Artist Series; the Double Feature Series; DjangoFest Northwest; the WICA Youth Conservatory; and special events.
The Double Feature Series is a new addition to the WICA lineup, where a well-known movie is paired with a special live music performance. The series begins on Nov. 12 with a screening of The Red Violin, winner of the 1999 Academy Award for Best Original Score. Following the film, the Saratoga Chamber Players will perform the score, joined by guest artist Elizabeth Pitcairn on the famous 1720 red Mendelssohn Stradivarius on which the movie was based.
WICA opened its doors in May 1996, culminating a 10-year grassroots effort to build a community performing arts center on rural South Whidbey Island.

Architectural firm celebrates 20-year anniversary
RMC Architects is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month. Formerly known as Ross & McClure Architects, partners Bob Ross and Jeff McClure started the firm in 1986 with a handful of small commercial and residential projects. Over the years, they have prospered as a leading design firm in Bellingham while expanding their services throughout the Pacific Northwest.
In 1998, Brad Cornwell became a partner and both he and McClure currently run the firm. They have worked together on numerous projects of varying size and complexity and provide the gamut of design services. Both McClure and Cornwell agree that the success of the firm is, in large part, due to their team of gifted employees and consultants. “We have been fortunate to employ people with very diverse backgrounds and experience who have worked all over the country, in Canada, and have even studied abroad,” McClure said.
Some of RMC’s current work includes projects for the Port of Anacortes and the Port of Everett, 1010 Morse Square high-rise condominiums and townhouses, The Drake and Cornerstone mixed-use buildings in Barkley Village, and the Ship Harbor masterplanned community in Anacortes.

Charity fashion show scheduled for Oct. 14
The American Business Women’s Association presents Fabulous Fashions and Tea Party on Saturday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. at Good Shepherd Community Church in Bellingham. Tickets are $10 and proceeds go to support local scholarships. For additional information, call 360.384.3187.

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