Rowe to lead Whatcom Symphony
Pat Rowe, Development Director of the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce was hired as the Executive Director of the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra. Rowe worked with the Chamber for the past 7 1/2 years.
Rowe served on the Bellingham City Council for 6 years from 1994-1999, being appointed at mid term and winning election for one term before taking the position at the Chamber. As a city council member he served as president one year and chaired many committees including the Charter Review in 1994.
Rowe has been a resident of Bellingham since 1970 moving to Whatcom County as an account executive for KGMI/KVGM. Rowe was station manager of KISM in the late 70’s and early 80’s. He owned and operated his own advertising agency and has worked in radio, television, marketing and advertising for much of his career.

Former HP executive joins Northwest Computer
John D’Onofrio, CEO and President of Northwest Computer in Bellingham, announced the addition of Bill Gervais to the company’s management team as general manager.
Gervais accepted the role of a production manager at the HP facility in Colorado before moving into sales and marketing management as district manager. He was promoted to the position of worldwide marketing manager for one of the HP instrumentation plants. This success led to a role leading an HP international management team where he updated many sales, marketing and customer support processes for the company. During his tenure with Hewlett-Packard, Gervais also found time to study with many renowned educators at M.I.T., Harvard, The Brookings Institute and UCLA.
After 30 years with Hewlett-Packard, Gervais accepted the position of general manager for Omega Nutrition in Ferndale where he successfully increased production efficiency dramatically for the company.
Bellingham mayor Asmundson announces resignation
Bellingham Mayor Mark Asmundson has resigned his position, effective Nov. 1, to accept a job as manager of the Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA), a regional organization that includes Whatcom, Skagit and Island Counties.

Brunell to lead state chambers’ organization
Association of Washington Business President Don C. Brunell was elected chairman of the Council of State Chambers (COSC), a national organization composed of the CEO’s of all state chambers of commerce, at the organization’s annual meeting at Skamania Lodge, near Stevenson, Wash.
He succeeds Hunter Howard, president of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce, and will serve is position for 2007-08. Previously, he served as COSC vice chairman and treasurer.
Brunell starts his 22nd year at AWB in January. He is the first Washington state chamber executive to be elected COSC chairman. In 2000-01, he served as chairman of the National Industrial Council, National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), which is the state manufacturing associations president’s group. Only former AWB President C. David Gordon was elected to that position and that was in 1970.
“A key goal for my two-year term is to strengthen the relationship between state chambers across the nation and with local chambers across our state,” Brunell said. “As state chambers, we want to develop strong issue grassroots so, if the U.S. Chamber needs our help on federal issues and state chambers like AWB needs help on state issues, we are speaking with one voice from a common agenda.”
“We recognize our chambers in cities and towns across the state and nation are the backbone of our success,” Brunell concluded. “Our aim is to build a seamless federation to improve our business climate to create jobs and economic opportunities along with a good quality of life for our families.”
Brunell is a regular contributor to Northwest Business Monthly.

Homestead Northwest promotes Guthrie
Homestead Northwest, Inc. announces that Lisa Guthrie, formerly Manager of Construction Operations for Homestead NW Development Company, was promoted to Director of Resort Development. Guthrie has been with Homestead for more than seven years and has almost 30 years experience in building construction, design and development, with an extensive background and training in residential and commercial construction, engineering, real estate and kitchen design.
The focus of this new position with Homestead Northwest will be on development for all Homestead Resort properties, such as the Grand Bay Resort holdings in Birch Bay and at Semiahmoo Resort, as well as the Great Links Resorts properties at Desert Canyon, near Chelan, Moses Pointe Golf Resort in Moses Lake, Dungeness Golf Resort in Sequim and Ocean Shores. Guthrie is responsible for design guidance and coordination on the projects from conception and development through interior selections and furnishings.

Madrona Medical Group adds cardiologist
Madrona Medical Group is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. William Chu to the group’s team of Cardiologists. Dr. Chu is currently welcoming new patients.
Dr. Chu’s medical schooling began at the School of Basic Medical Sciences at China’s prestigious Beijing Medical University. Upon receiving his Bachelor of Medicine degree, he continued his schooling at West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.V., where he earned his master’s and doctorate in biochemistry.
Chu completed his Internal Medical Residency, Cardiology Research Fellowship and Cardiology Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wis. He went on to complete his Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at the Washington Hospital Center through Georgetown University Medical School in Washington, D.C.
Certified with both the Board of Internal Medicine and the Board of Cardiovascular Medicine, Dr. Chu is also a member of the American College of Cardiology and the American Society of Echocardiography.

RE/MAX Whatcom County adds two agents
Real-estate agents Dale Kreiser and Lilia Orlova recently joined RE/MAX Whatcom County, Inc.
Kreiser has four years of real-estate experience and earned his associate broker’s license in March. He also is an assistant scoutmaster for Bellingham Troop 3. Kreiser serves residential and commercial clients from RE/MAX’s Lakeway (Bellingham) office.
Orlova is fluent in English, Russian and Ukrainian, enabling her to assist a wide range of buyers and sellers, including recent immigrants to Whatcom County. A 10-year county resident, Orlova also has an associate’s degree in paralegal studies. Based in RE/MAX’s Lynden office, Orlova is focusing on residential, new-construction and land sales.

Whatcom Land Title promotes Yorkston
Whatcom Land Title Co. is pleased to announce that Katie Yorkston has recently been promoted to escrow closer. She will succeed Karen Hendrix, who recently retired from WLT. Yorkston is a Bellingham native.

Bellingham pilot earns FAA certification
Bellingham resident Charles Foxworth, a certified private pilot, recently earned the Federal Aviation Administration’s certification as an instrument rated pilot. Foxworth trained and tested for the FAA instrument rating in aircraft owned and operated by the Chuckanut Flying Club. Chuckanut Flying Club is a local organization that supports general aviation and has provided flight training for over 25 years.Chuckanut Flying Club members have access to two Instrument Flight Rules equipped aircraft, a Piper Warrior and a 182 Cessna. The Cessna, which Foxworth used for most of his training, has recently been equipped with a new Garmin 430 IFR certified GPS. Both aircraft are hangered at Bellingham International Airport.

Hill joins Harbour Investment Management
Erika Hill, CFA, has joined Harbour Investment Management in Everett as a Senior Portfolio Manager. Erika graduated from Willamette University with a bachelor’s degree in business economics in 1994 and also holds a master’s in finance from Seattle University. Hill received the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1998. She has passed the NASD General Securities Representative Exam (Series 7) and the Research Analyst Qualification Exams (Series 86 and Series 87).
Before joining Harbour Investment Management L.L.C. in July, Hill worked as a Senior Research Analyst at Ragen MacKenzie, a division of Wells Fargo Investments. She has over 12 years of experience encompassing equity research and portfolio management, including four years as a Senior Portfolio Manager with the trust department of US Bank. Within this capacity, she managed over 100 agency and trust investment accounts.

CCG adds O’Bryant as graphic designer
Cartwright Creative Group, LLC, recently added graphic designer Kassandra O’Bryant to its staff. O’Bryant’s experience includes JellyBarn Inc., The Bellingham Herald’s marketing department and various other freelance projects. She graduated magna cum laude from Western Washington University’s graphic design department in 2005.
CCG, Inc. is a full-service media agency located in Bellingham.

Chiropractor purchases Bellingham clinic
Dr. Ryan Hummel, D.C., recently purchased the Life Chiropractic Center in Bellingham.
Hummel, a graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic, is trained in a broad range of chiropractic methods, including chiropractic biophysics, activator, diversified, Gonstead, Palmer, Thompson, sacro-occipital technique (SOT) and active-release technique (ART).
Hummel said he shares the same chiropractic values as the clinic’s former owner, Dr. Zsolt Muller. “I believe that maintaining health should take precedence over treating disease,” Hummel said.
Life Chiropractic Center also works closely with massage therapist Leif Honstead and personal trainer Jaime Hernandez and is located in Discovery Park, on King Street in Bellingham.

New WWU professor researches climate change
Andy Bunn, faculty member at Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment, received a $166,134 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his is research on the effects of global warming on boreal forests at the arctic tree line.
He plans to recruit four undergraduate and two graduate students to assist him.
The NSF grant will enable Bunn to travel to Siberia and Canada to study the northernmost forests of the planet. He plans to go to Siberia next summer and Canada a year later.

Madrona Medical Group adds medical oncologist
Madrona Medical Group is pleased to welcome Dr. Andrew Kominsky to its team of medical oncologists.
Before joining Madrona, the Maine native was an instructor in medicine, specifically in Oncology and Hematology, at Dartmouth Medical School. He has also served on the Resident Selection Committee at Tulane University School of Medicine.
Kominsky earned his B.A. from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. and his M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He maintains active membership in the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Hematology.
With a grant from the Amgen Fellowship Award, Kominsky is presently working on a research project. He is an experienced lecturer and has co-authored publications and papers.

Rosbach named to Juvenile Diabetes Research board
Rick Rosbach, certified financial manager of the Kehoe Rosbach Group, from the Bellingham office of Merrill Lynch, was selected in July to serve on the board of directors of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Northwest. Rosbach will serve a two-year term on the board, emphasizing his time on cultivating corporate sponsorships, educating the public on the complications of type 1 diabetes, and serving as a liaison to families with children who have type 1 diabetes.
JDRF is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. JDRF Northwest serves families coping with diabetes in Washington, Montana and Alaska.

Two Coastal Community Bank staff named senior VPs
Coastal Community Bank announces the promotions of Laura Byers and Steven Sterner, each to the position of Senior Vice President, according to Lee Pintar, CEO and Chairman of the Board.
The new position for Byers will include her previous responsibilities as branch administrator for all seven of Coastal’s offices, and Branch Manager of the bank’s Stanwood and Camano Island locations.
Sterner will continue his duties as a commercial loan officer. The Lynnwood resident has been in banking for nearly 20 years, starting as a teller in 1987.

Skagit Valley Collegestudent earns certified status
Skagit Valley College Medical Assistant student Rachel Eastburn of Anacortes recently earned a Certified Coding Associate Certificate (CCA) from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).
By earning AHIMA’s CCA credential, it signifies that Eastburn passed a comprehensive examination designed to measure healthcare coding skills.
Eastman is a student in the Medical Billing and Coding Certificate program offered through SVC’s Medical Assistant program.

SPARC names Wegnerdevelopment director
Skagit Preschool & Resource Center (SPARC) is pleased to announce the addition of Wayne Wegner into SPARC’s newly created position of development director.
Wegner earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Northern Arizona University, and obtained a dual major in marketing and data processing. He worked in the computer industry for almost 17 years holding a variety of positions including customer support, sales, marketing and business management. He moved to Skagit County fifteen years ago and during that time owned and operated Play It Again Sports.
As development director, Wegner is tasked with promoting and communicating the mission and objectives of SPARC, to obtain financial support, and raise awareness of SPARC in the community. The development director is responsible for developing, implementing, coordinating and maintaining an on-going development and fundraising program for SPARC.

Lalonde joins First Horizon Home Loans
The Bellingham office of First Horizon Home Loans is expanding with the addition of loan officer Tony Lalonde.
Lalonde, born and raised in Bellingham, has more than 10 years of sales experience. He also received training in assisting clients with First Horizon’s wide range of loan products, including jumbo, interest-only and adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) loans. Lalonde can arrange residential loans for purchases, refinances and new construction, as well as home equity lines of credit.
Former Hollywood actress joins Aveda salon & spa
Eva, an Aveda concept salon & spa, is proud to announce that Deborah Brown has joined their staff. A recent graduate of the Gary Manuel Aveda Institute in Seattle, Brown brings her well-trained skills to Eva’s spa. Licensed as an aesthetician, Brown is proficient in all areas of skin care, customized facials, brow and lash tinting, and full-service waxing. Having worked as an actress in Hollywood for 10 years, Brown brings her unique professional experience in make-up and skin to all of her clientele.

Former Bellingham Marine executive joins Aqua Marine
Aqua Marine Partners in Aventura, Fla., announced that Larry Halgren has resigned as director of expansion planning and construction for Flagship Marinas and has been appointed to the newly titled position of Vice President of Acquisitions.With 35 years of knowledge and contacts on which to draw, Halgren will be focused on acquiring operating marina properties for AMP, as well as, identifying development sites that would be good prospects to add to AMP’s burgeoning portfolio of Vertical Yacht Clubs. Some of his other responsibilities include all aspects of marketing and business development. In addition, Halgren will serve as an ambassador for Vertical Yacht Club Development, maintaining an active role in industry associations and attending events and trade shows. He is a past-president/chairman of the International Marina Institute and an accomplished speaker and author on marina topics.

Community Food Co-op hires member outreach facilitator
The Community Food Co-op of Bellingham has hired Kit Hughes as its new member outreach facilitator. Hughes will be responsible for all co-op events including co-op month, co-op community party, annual meeting and party and member appreciation day.
Hughes will also coordinate the co-op’s volunteer program, organize co-op tours and orientations, and coordinate the co-op’s annual donation program of two percent of 12 Saturdays’ sales to 12 community organizations.
Beginning in 2007, Hughes will also work closely with Marketing Manager Ginger Oppenheimer in outreach to our northern neighborhoods for the opening of the co-op’s Cordata area store in fall 2007.
Hughes most recently worked at the University of Washington coordinating education outreach programs.

Chiropractor earns insurance approval, certification
Dr. Robert Curtis, was approved as a chiropractic provider for insurance plans covered under the First Choice Health Network and American Whole Health Network. This includes insurance companies such as: Premera Blue Cross, Cigna, Aetna, CCN, Pacific Life and many others. He is also accepting patients for Labor and Industries cases, personal injury, Group Health Options and the Uniform Medical Plan. Dr. Curtis is currently practicing at Broadway Chiropractic in Bellingham. Dr. Curtis has completed certification of The Graston Technique. This technique uses specific steel tools to perform cross-fiber friction on muscles, tendons and ligaments to increase blood flow and tissue remodeling. The Graston Technique is most useful for soft tissue injuries, including scar tissue, trigger points, chronic tight muscles and tendonitis.

Stacey joins Bellingham plastic surgery clinic
Dr. Emil Hecht is excited to announce the addition of Chris Stacey to his staff at the Centre for Facial Plastic & Laser Surgery, located in Bellingham. Stacey is a nationally certified Physician Assistant (P.A.-C), graduating with honors in 2000, and then earning a Master’s Degree (M.M.S.) in Medical Science. He will assist in the clinic, at St. Joseph’s Hospital and during surgery for both the Bellingham ENT and Facial Plastic Surgery Centre group. Stacey will continue to study under the direction of Dr. Hecht, focusing on microanatomy, closure technique, patient care and advancing his skills as a surgical first assistant.

MetLife agent honored with prestigious designation
MetLife Auto & Home announced that Bellingham resident Trevor van Woerden was recently appointed as a member of MetLife Auto & Home’s Advanced Property and Casualty Council (APCC), in recognition of outstanding sales achievement.
“The APCC designation is only given to outstanding sales representatives who have met or exceeded the company’s production and quality requirements,” said James McIntosh, vice president of MetLife Auto & Home’s career agent organization. “MetLife Auto & Home is proud to have Trevor as a member of our sales force, in order to provide the Whatcom County community our unique, value-added offerings.”
Trevor has been serving the needs of the community for over three years.

Leenstra places third among Prudential Washington realtors
Cal Leenstra CCIM of Prudential Kelstrup Realtors, placed third among commercial brokers associated with Prudential, in Washington for the second quarter of 2006. A minimum of $50,000 in earned commissions per quarter is required to be eligible to qualify for Prudential’s Top Three Sales Professional status.

Canadian orthopaedic surgeon joins Madrona
Madrona Medical Group is pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Leonard Kolodychuk to the group’s team of Orthopaedic specialists. Dr. Kolodychuk is currently welcoming new patients.
A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Dr. Kolodychuk has practiced for more than two decades on both sides of the border. Most recently he served as an Orthopaedic Surgeon at Skagit Island Orthopedics in Mount Vernon.
In addition to his medical practice, Dr. Kolodychuk is a recognized lecturer and published authority on topics relating to Orthopedics, including Sports Medicine. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.
Like most boys in Canada, Kolodychuk grew up playing hockey, and so not surprisingly his introduction to Orthopedics began as a patient. Despite a litany of personal injuries, he remains an active skater and hockey player to this day. His love of the game is shared by his family, particularly by one of his four sons who now plays for the Bellingham Bulls hockey club.

WWU Archivist to accept position at NEH
Elizabeth Joffrion, head archivist for Western Washington University’s Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, has accepted a position at the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in Washington, D.C.Joffrion, who has been at WWU for nearly a decade, will become senior program officer with the NEH Division of Preservation and Access where she will provide leadership for national efforts to preserve and increase the availability of resources essential for research, education and public programming in the Humanities. Prior to becoming the Center’s archivist in 1998, Joffrion worked for more than a decade at the Smithsonian Institution, including positions at the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of American History and the Archives of American Art. She earned two graduate degrees, a Master’s in history and archives from the University of New Orleans and a Master’s of library and information Science from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Mount Baker Theatre hires three new employees
The Mount Baker Theatre is pleased to announce the addition of three new employees.
Natalie Anderson is the new House Manager. Anderson studied Theatre and Pre-Med at the University of Utah where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree. She worked on several film and television projects as an actress to include Touched By An Angel, Promised Land, Untold Stories of the ER, Changing Spots and The Witness.
Anderson also attended the ATP acting conservatory and studied Shakespeare with David Jones of The Royal Shakespeare Academy for two years.
Amy Martin is the new Associate Artistic Director. Martin is a Bellingham native and graduated with a Bachelors of Music in Vocal Arts Performance from the University of Southern California. Amy sang in 20 operas, 15 musicals, 40 recitals, and 20 recitals as a pianist in the U.S. and Europe. She is also the recipient of a Fulbright Commission Teaching Award to Austria, where she trained vocally with Regine Crespin, sang at the Vienna Hochschule, and performed on tour twice.
Beth McPeek is the new Marketing Manager. She went to college at California Lutheran University, and graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor’s degree in business with a marketing emphasis. After graduation McPeek accepted a management position at Abercrombie and Fitch and was quickly promoted to store manager where she had a staff of 110 employees to maintain and manage.

Industrial Credit Union’s Vance wins two awards
Matt Vance, marketing coordinator for Industrial Credit Union, won two marketing awards at last month’s Washington Credit Union League annual conference. He received a first place Spectrum Award in marketing excellence for ICUs Spring Car Sale Spectacular campaign, as well as a second place finish for the recent redesign of ICUs website, www.industrialcu.org.
The Spectrum Marketing Awards are awarded to credit unions whose marketing materials have exceeded excellence in design, content and promotion result. Entries were submitted from credit unions across the state of Washington and categorized and judged by asset size.

Valum joins WWU Foundation staff
Manca Valum has been named as the Western Washington University Foundation’s new director of Development for Western’s College of Sciences and Technology and Huxley College of the Environment.
Valum most recently was director of Development at Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services (formerly Whatcom Crisis Services).
As director of Development for the College of Sciences and Technology and Huxley College of the Environment, Valum will be responsible for the cultivation and stewardship of donors who seek to invest in student scholarships, special department projects and student research.

Locker lauded for volunteer efforts
Industrial Credit Union (ICU) board member Hugh Locker has been named the Washington Credit Union League (WCUL) Outstanding Volunteer. This is the highest honor given to a credit union volunteer in Washington. The award signifies outstanding accomplishment for time and effort as a volunteer.
Locker has been an ICU member for over 50 years; over the last 28 years he has served on various committees while being elected to the Board of Directors by the membership of ICU. He has led the Credit Union through numerous transitions.

Peoples Bank promotes Dallas to Vice-President
Charlie Guildner, Senior Vice President and Real Estate Loan Manager for Peoples Bank, announced that the Bank has promoted Jo Dallas, Assistant Vice President and Whatcom County Real Estate Loan Manager to Vice President.
Dallas joined Peoples Bank in 2005 with 18 years of mortgage experience, and has been office manager of the Bellingham Home Loan Center since that time. As Vice President, she will continue to be responsible for managing a team of mortgage loan professionals, and providing Peoples Bank customers with a wide range of home financing solutions.
A lifetime resident of Bellingham, she graduated from Sehome High School, and is active in the local Kiwanis Choices program, which Peoples Bank partners with the Whatcom Kiwanis Club as co-sponsor.

Guel to lead Burlington branch of Peoples Bank
Peoples Bank is pleased to announce that it has hired Lydia Guel as Branch Manager of its Burlington branch.
Guel joins Peoples Bank with over 22 years of banking experience with local financial institutions. As Branch Manager, she will be responsible for branch operations and business development.
She is a member of the Burlington Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is on the Chamber’s Ambassador Committee. In addition, she is a decade-long resident of Skagit County and is an active volunteer at Lucille Umbarger Elementary School.

Architectural photographer commissioned
Photographer Doug J. Scott recently fulfilled a commission from Seattle architectural firm Collins Woerman to photograph the new University of Washington Research & Technology Building in Seattle.
Scott specializes in the photography of corporate and residential architecture, and was called upon to capture the six-floor structure at its best. Known for his strong contextual vision, Scott created views emphasizing the buildings situation near the lake, the I-5 Ship Canal Bridge and the smaller bridge to the U-district. One interior laboratory image shows the impressive view to the Space Needle and downtown Seattle.

Stewart appointed to design review board
John Stewart of Stewart and King Architects, Inc. was appointed to the Design Review Board for the City of Bellingham Planning and Community Development Department earlier this month.
John Stewart is a licensed architect, member of the American Institute of Architects, a LEED Accredited Professional, and co-owner of Stewart and King Architects, Inc. He was appointed to the design review board by the mayor and confirmed by the city council on September 11. He will serve as one of five members on the board and his term will expire after three years ending in 2009.

Bellingham inspector gains home energy certification
Robert Stockmann of Pinnacle Inspections in Bellingham is the second person in Washington certified to provide home energy ratings.
Stockmann completed training in September to be certified by the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET; www.natresnet.org). A home energy rater reviews a house to identify its energy characteristics, such as insulation levels, window efficiency, wall-to-window ratios, the heating and cooling system efficiency, the solar orientation of the home and the water heating system. Performance testing, such as a blower door test for air leakage and duct leakage, is usually part of the rating.
Stockmann founded Pinnacle Inspections in 2003 after working more than 25 years in custom home and commercial construction. He is a certified thermographer, a fully certified member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) and a member of The American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT).

Hanson earns accreditation in business valuation
The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) awarded the Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) to Adrienne Hanson, CPA and Tax Manager with Larson Gross PLLC. Hanson is the fifth CPA practicing in Whatcom County to earn this accreditation.
The ABV credential, established in 1996 by the AICPA, recognizes CPAs with extensive professional experience in business valuation. Since inception, approximately 1500 CPAs have earned the ABV credential.

Abundis Insurance adds bilingual sales agent
Abundis Insurance Agency in Lynden has hired Ana Martinez as a bilingual sales associate. Martinez, who is fluent in both Spanish and English, will deliver Farmers insurance products to Whatcom County’s Hispanic community. “Due to the language barrier, the Hispanic population in our region is underserved when it comes to insurance,” agency owner Christina Abundis says. “We’re pleased that Ana is helping us bridge that gap.”
Martinez’s duties as a sales associate at Abundis Insurance Agency include educating Spanish-speaking clients on their customized Farmers insurance policies, translating letters and other communications, and scheduling appointments. “We place a big emphasis on ensuring our clients understand their policies, but language barriers can present challenges,” Abundis says. “Thanks to Ana, our Hispanic clients feel both educated and secure.”

Sutton receives scuba instructor certification
Charlynn Sutton, owner of Gone Diving, received her Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI) rating after attending two weeks of intense Instructional Development training in Sacramento, Calif., under the auspicious of the highly rated/recognized Dolphin Scuba Center.
Sutton is now qualified to instruct open water, adventure diving and rescue, offering women-only classes -- she says she will also continue “working” with the guys -- to get all of her students qualified to enjoy the Gone Diving experience.

Williams named manager at Fairhaven shoe store
Krista Williams has been promoted to store manager for 12th Street Shoes in historic Fairhaven. Williams has worked as a sales associate at the seven-year old shoe store since it’s opening in 1999 and has been in retail sales for many years, working previously in her home town of Vancouver, B.C.
The store has more than doubled in size in the past two years, adding men’s shoes, more handbags and other accessories.

Professional LMT joins Escape Spa
Christopher O’Dell, LMT has joined the Escape Day Spa on King Street in Bellingham. A graduate of Brenneke School of Massage in Seattle, O’Dell has worked at Doe Bay on Orcas Island and the Sudden Valley Salon and Day Spa.
O’Dell specializes in using Deep Tissue and Trigger Point Therapy to help clients overcome chronic pain. In addition, he is versed in Swedish, Pre-natal, and Hot Stone Massage, and incorporates aspects of Reflexology, Ayurveta, Reiki, Structural Integration, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, and other massage techniques into his work.

Administrative professionals association names new board
The Bellingham Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) is pleased to announce the election of the following Board of Directors for the 2006-2007 year: President Lyn Greenleaf James CAP of Semiahmoo Resort Association, President-Elect Anne Hopkins of Olympic Health Management, Vice President Melanie Loughmiller of RMC Architects, Recording Secretary Karen Boyd of Merrill Gardens at Cordata, Corresponding Secretary Wendy Riedy and Treasurer Celine Landauer-Allen CPS/CAP Virtual Assistant.

Bellingham Athletic Club adds pair
Shane Hall and Tara Koetter have been promoted to sales coordinators at Bellingham Athletic Club. Hall graduated with a degree in kinesiology from Washington State University and has his certification for personal training. He will take on new responsibilities downtown and will continue to develop the membership department for the company.
Koetter is finishing her last term at Western Washington University, majoring in exercise and sports science. She has been an integral part of improving the member services department, as well as developing an innovative orientation process to help new members bridge the gap from intimidation to comfortable familiarity on the fitness floor.

Century 21 Bay Properties adds new sales associates
Century 21 Bay Properties is pleased to announce Christopher Erdmann, Ellen Piro, Traci Goodsell, Eunhee Long and Lisa Kent have joined its firm as sales associates.
Erdmann is a relocation specialist with vast experience in new construction and commercial property sales in the Whatcom County area and expanding into Skagit County.
Piro, Goodsell, Long and Kent will specialize in residential property sales in the Whatcom County area.
All five associates just completed their licensing and are engaged in their new agent orientation with Bay Properties.
“We believe training supports growth and professional excellence in the real estate industry. Performance-based training is necessary to assure that Century 21 associates maintain their competitive edge and offer the best service possible to their clients,” said owner of the Blaine franchise, Carl W. R. Dufton.

WWU professor to speak on sports, parenting
Ralph Vernacchia, founder and director of Western Washington University’s Center for Performance Excellence (CPE), performance consultant for Olympic athletes and member of the National Association of Physical Education Hall of Fame, will present a lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14 in Communications Facility 115.
His talk, “Perspectives on Successful Parenting in Sport for Life,” which is free and open to the public, underscores the mission of the CPE to enhance the performance and achievement of life goals for those who seek personal excellence. In an era of rampant obesity, “forced achievement” and great expectations, Vernacchia will speak about how about a youngster’s health and happiness can be enhanced by parental guidance, life skills and sports participation.
The Center for Performance Excellence will follow up Vernacchia’s talk with a Peak Performance class that will meet for five Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 23, 2007.
Vernacchia, who has been at WWU since 1973, is one of the nation’s leading experts in applied sport psychology. Vernacchia has traveled with national track and field teams to several world championships, including the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. His recent books include “The Psychology of High-Performance Track and Field” (Track and Field News, 2005) and “Inner Strength: The Mental Dynamics of Athletic Performance” (Warde Publishers, 2003.)

Local realtor achieves national recognition
Mallina M. Wilson with Crown Real Estate LLC. has been awarded the Accredited Buyer Representation (ABR) designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council, Inc. (REBAC) of the National Association of Realtors (NAR).
Wilson joins more than 32,000 real estate professionals in North America who have earned the ABR designation. All were required to successfully complete a comprehensive course in buyer representation and an elective course focusing on a buyer representations specialty, both in addition to submitting documentation verifying professional experience.

Edward Jones representative wins award
Edward Jones investment representative Tim Villhauer, AAMS of Bellingham recently received the Jack Phelan Award for his outstanding sales and service efforts over the past year. The award is named for the firm’s former national sales manager, Jack Phelan. Only 2,516 of the firm’s more than 9,000 investment representatives received this award.

Environmental journalist joins WWU faculty
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Bill Dietrich has joined the faculty of Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment.
As an assistant professor, Dietrich will advise the environmental magazine The Planet and teach an intensive environmental journalism writing class.
Dietrich graduated from Western’s Fairhaven College in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He was part of the Seattle Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1990 for coverage of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and aftermath. He also covered the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, timber wars, the spotted owl and the military, which he considers “almost the polar opposite of environmental journalism.”
Environmental journalism requires a different skill set than spot news reporting, he said. Environmental journalists need to have a solid understanding of science. The Planet originally was started by environmental studies students, and later received support from the University. Prior to the creation of The Planet, Dietrich worked on the Journalism Department’s Klipsun Magazine when he was a student at Western.
Dietrich will continue to write part time for the Seattle Times Sunday magazine. He is the author of nonfiction books about environmental issues in the Northwest as well as fictional novels set in the Roman Empire, World War II era and an Orwellian future.