Tourism contributes $396.4 million to local economy
According to a new study released by the Washington State Office of Community, Trade and Economic Development (CTED), visitors to Whatcom County spent a record $396.4 million dollars in 2005.
Visitor spending grew by $34.5 million, a 9.5 percent increase from 2004. In this same time frame, 260 more tourism-related jobs were created.
The Washington State County Travel Impacts study was conducted by Dean Runyan Associates and compared annual tourism statistics from 1991-2005 (most recent year that data available), including direct travel spending, visitor spending by accommodations type, spending by commodities purchased, industry earnings and employment from travel spending and tax receipts generated from travel spending.
In 2005, Whatcom County saw a 4 percent increase in travel related jobs for a total of 6,650. During the same year, Washington tourism related job growth was at 2 percent, with 143,700 jobs.
Visitors to Whatcom County generate more than $29 million in state and local taxes. The county is ranked fifth of the state’s 39 counties in terms of total visitor spending.

Hispanic publications to hit market
Enfoque Latino Publishing & Community Connections, LLC., an independent locally owned Latino Publishing Company with offices in Mount Vernon and Bellingham, will introduce in 2007 three publications: a community magazine, a Spanish Yellow Pages and a business journal, to reach the Hispanic community in Whatcom and Skagit counties. They are 100 percent local publications with more than 336 points of distribution in the region.
The publications are called Community Connections (Conexion Comunitaria), Directorio Telefonico (yearly publication) and Enfoque Latino Empresarial (published quarterly).
Burlington jeweler retires, shop under new ownership
After more than 34 years in Burlington, Dean Shellan has sold Shellan Jewelers to long-time employees Rick and Beth Hickox. “I am honored to pass the jewelry torch to Rick and Beth,” Shellan said in a letter to his customers, adding, “Thank you again for your support over the years.”
The new Shellan Jewelers is located on Marketplace Drive; it’s former location was in the Cascade Mall.

Canadian furniture store returning to Bellingham
United Furniture Warehouse, a Canadian company that closed its Bellingham store in 2003, is planning to return to the city. The company has reached an agreement to be a tenant in a proposed new retail center on Meridian Street, across from Wal-Mart.
According to Bellingham architect Douglas Landsem, the company will occupy about 19,000 square feet of space at the new center. No date was announced for an opening.

Bluewater Wireless named Verizon Wireless dealer
Bluewater Wireless, with stores in Lynden, Ferndale, Anacortes and Burlington, recently was named a Verizon Wireless dealer.
“Verizon Wireless has the most reliable wireless network nationwide,” said Sandy Knutzen, co-owner of Bluewater Wireless. “We’re honored that Verizon Wireless has chosen us.”
Customers now may choose from a variety of Verizon Wireless packages, including two wireless broadband services: Broadband Access and V CAST. Broadband Access is the company’s high-speed wireless broadband network geared toward mobile professionals and business customers that now covers more than half the population of the United States. V CAST is the nation’s first broadband multimedia service for consumers, offering music and video content on demand.

Whatcom CC, BTC offering retail management program
Whatcom Community College and Bellingham Technical College, supported by leading grocery retailers, have begun offering a Retail Management Certificate program.
The Western Association of Food Chains endorses the 10-course program. It provides students and grocery employees the opportunity to gain business skills and enhance career opportunities in the retail food industry.
Students who complete the 10-course program will receive certificates both from their educational institution and the WAFC, as well as an honorarium from WAFC. Also, many WAFC members are providing additional incentives for their employees.

Blue Sea Systems presents new 360 Panel System
In its quest to create the ideal marine electrical panel, Blue Sea Systems embarked on an extensive collaborative effort with their worldwide customer base of boat builders and electrical suppliers. In response to the input they received, Blue Sea Systems developed its new 360 Panel System. This panel system has a unique open architecture design, which allows the company to build marine electrical panels for every customer’s unique needs. The new panel system enables customers to have the AC and DC power management and monitoring functionality that they want.

Bellingham nets national adult soccer tournament
The Whatcom Sports Commission has been recently awarded a two-year bid to host the United States Adult Soccer Association’s Veteran’s Cup. The Veteran’s Cup will be coming to celebrate its 10-year anniversary at Northwest Soccer Park July 17-22, 2007.
The current Veteran’s Cup tournament is a six-day event with an anticipated 130-140 adult soccer teams, comprising approximately 4,400 players, referees, family members, and supporters, who will descend upon Bellingham and Whatcom County.
Last year in Wilmington, N.C., the event drew 96 teams representing 25 states around the country and from as far away as an over 60 men’s team from Tokyo, Japan.
Last year’s event provided nearly a $7.5 million impact on the Wilmington, N.C. economy.

Banner Bank breaks ground on new Bellingham facility
The new branch and loan center of Banner Bank, to be located on Barkley Boulevard in Bellingham, is scheduled to open in March of 2007. It is Banner’s sixth branch in Whatcom County.

Assist2Sell expands to service homebuyers
Assist2Sell Home Buyers & Sellers Advantage, Whatcom County’s leading discount real estate agency, is expanding its services to include exclusive buyer agency representation with its proven “Assist2Buy” system.
All of the Realtors at the family’s independent franchise operation are Accredited Buyer Representatives (ABR), having obtained the national certification through the National Association of Realtors. The designation highlights the additional education and expertise needed to assist homebuyers in the current market climate that is evolving into a “buyers’ market” after several years.

New real estate appraiser organization formed
The North Sound Branch Chapter of the Appraisal Institute’s Seattle Chapter formed to serve state licensed and apprentice residential and commercial appraisers in the geographic area of northwest Snohomish county, northern Whidbey Island, Camano Island, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties.
The organization will hold meetings, continuing education classes and social events several times during the year in locations spanning from Mount Vernon to Bellingham.
Appraisal Institute members may attend any AI class or function anywhere, with full membership privileges. Non-members can also attend events at a slightly higher fee.

Whatcom County caregivers receive award
On Saturday, Oct. 4, CareGiver NetWork LLC, recipient of the 2006 ‘Providing Outstanding Service Award’ by the Association of Homecare Referral Services, presented Whatcom County caregivers with the ‘Mitchell-Lindberg Outstanding Caregiver of the Year Award.’ Criteria is established by a national trade organization. Nominee profiles are subjected to a professional panel of review.

Zervas Group designs modern gateway to downtown
When Bob’s Burgers and Brew opened in the new Gateway Building, the makeover of a key Bellingham intersection was completed, bringing downtown Bellingham another step closer to the city’s goal of being a vital downtown hub.
It was Zervas Group Architects’ proposed scheme that transformed the 1950s-era Bellingham Inn, which was facing condemnation by the city, to the new Gateway building at the southeast corner of Railroad Avenue and Holly Street.
Rehabilitating old buildings is a specialty for Zervas Group, which is responsible for the award-winning conversion of the Firehouse Performing Arts Center in Fairhaven, as well as the Pickford Theater’s new home on Bay Street. Other downtown projects by the firm include Laurel Village, a 50-unit apartment complex for Bellingham Housing Authority, the Whatcom Educational Credit Union’s new loan center, which will be the county’s first LEED Gold project, and Bay View Tower.

Celebrated food writers visit Bellingham restaurant
Award-winning authors Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page visited Nimbus Restaurant in downtown Bellingham during their recent book tour with their latest release”What to Drink with What You Eat.”
The New York based food writers gaveNimbus rave reviews on their popular blog (www.becomingachef.com/blog.ewt.php), which has more than 18,000 foodand wine loving subscribers.
Owners Josh Silverman and James Winberg received accolades fromthe critics, who have been power players in the culinary world for thepast 15 years.
Silverman and Winberg are graduates of Bellingham Technical College.

Daylight Properties pledges to go green
Daylight Properties, one of the largest owners of commercial properties in Bellingham, recently agreed to support the Green Power Community Challenge.
Daylight Properties, which owns 20 buildings in downtown Bellingham, is purchasing “green power” – electricity from renewable energy resources such as wind, solar and methane – for all of its house meters.
The Green Power Community Challenge is a campaign being spearheaded by Sustainable Connections, Puget Sound Energy and the City of Bellingham. By purchasing green power credits, Daylight Properties helps Puget Sound Energy obtain more electricity generated by renewable resources.
The goal of the Green Power Community Challenge is to increase Bellingham’s usage of green power to 2 percent of all electrical usage. When the 2-percent goal is reached, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will name Bellingham a Green Power Community. Only three other cities in the country currently have that designation.

New Whatcom development to receive state money
In December, Gov. Chris Gregoire announced that the Bellingham industrial waterfront will be redeveloped under a new financing tool that she signed into law last year. This is the first project to receive an award under the Local Infrastructure Financing Tool (LIFT).
Created by the 2006 Legislature and signed by Gov. Gregoire, LIFT helps local governments promote economic development by providing up to $5 million per year in state sales and use tax revenue for 25 years. The financing is provided through a credit against state sales taxes generated in the participating communities.
The Washington Community Economic Revitalization Board (CERB) has approved the $25 million in public tax authority for the New Whatcom Revenue Development Area (RDA). To assist the redevelopment of the waterfront, $1 million per year will be provided for 25 years.
The City of Bellingham will develop the New Whatcom RDA on the former Georgia Pacific mill site and surrounding properties. LIFT will finance public improvements that will help create an estimated 2,500 jobs and 5,700 residences in the next 25 years. They will direct tax revenues of almost $32 million and the Port of Bellingham will direct another $3.5 million to help pay for the infrastructure. The City and Port also anticipate $880 million in private investment.

WCC Board approves finalists for president
The Whatcom Community College Board of Trustees approved five finalist candidates for the position of president, as recommended by the college’s presidential search advisory committee and consulting firm Gold Hill Associates. The board approved the committee’s advisement during their Dec. 6 regular meeting.
Whatcom Community College’s five finalist presidential candidates include:
Dr. David B. Borofsky, president at Bates Technical College in Tacoma, Wash., where he has served since 2004.
Dr. Richard D. Fulton, currently the vice president for instruction and dean of faculty at Whatcom Community College, since 1998.
Dr. Kathi Hiyane-Brown serves as the president of Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minn., serving since 2004.
Mr. Randall C. Lawrence has been vice president of instruction at Olympic College in Bremerton, Wash., since 2002.
Dr. Mark Palek is president of Spokane Falls Community College in Spokane, Wash. He has served in this capacity since 2001.
With the acceptance of these five final candidates, the search process will continue with each candidate visiting the college to meet with faculty, staff, community members and the board. The board expects to make its decision by March.

Faithful + Gould opens Bellngham office
Due to recent growth within the petrochemical and construction industries, Faithful+Gould has launched a new office in Bellingham. The office allows the firm to serve the local refinery market.
“We are very pleased to have a local presence in Whatcom and Skagit County,” says Jeff Okeson, operations director for Seattle and Bellingham. “Our Bellingham location allows us to focus directly on existing and future projects in area as well as supporting the local marketplace.”
Faithful+Gould is a construction and cost consultancy independently representing project owners with management services. The Seattle office is currently serving a number of petrochemical, manufacturing, municipal, transportation, energy and high-technology clients.
Named #12 in Project Management and #9 Consulting Firm by Building Magazine in 2006, the firm is part of the WS Atkins group of companies, the largest consulting group in Europe.

WWU to host Canadian studies journal
Western Washington University has been selected as the new host institution for the American Review of Canadian Studies (ARCS), the leading Canadian Studies journal in the United States.
John Purdy, WWU professor of English, has been appointed to a four-year term as editor of the quarterly journal.
The ARCS search committee selected WWU because of the reputation Western’s Center for Canadian-American Studies as a leader in teaching and research on Canada in the United States.

San Juan Sanitation celebrates 40 years
Founded in 1966 by Daniel “Smitty” Smith, and owned by Tom and Jodi Luft and Dan and Stef Leidecker since 1988, San Juan Sanitation recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. Since 2002, San Juan Sanitation has seen a 553 percent rise in commercial recycling in the San Juan Islands. Because of that increase the company was able to recycle 1.3 million pounds of material in 2005, keeping it out of the waste stream and reducing the need for landfills.
San Juan Sanitation serves residential and commercial customers on Orcas, San Juan, Lopez and Shaw Islands, as well as those on smaller islands in the county. In addition to collection services, the company sells and delivers mushroom compost, mulch, beauty bark and a compost soil mix. San Juan Sanitation also rents 40-cubic-yard security storage containers for use on a customer’s property or construction site.
The company has eight employees and nine trucks.

Washington’s minimum wage increases Jan. 1
Washington’s minimum wage will increase 30 cents to $7.93 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2007. The Department of Labor and Industries recalculates the state’s minimum wage each year in September as required by Initiative 688, which was approved by Washington voters in 1998.