Dri-Eaz earns quality certificate

Burlington-based Dri-Eaz, developer of techniques for drying and restoring water-damaged buildings, received a Washington State Quality Award for 2002. The state award is based on criteria set by the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. It’s designed to recognize companies that have developed systems and practices to improve performance and efficiency. Dri-Eaz won the certification based on a written application and a site visit by examiners last April.

 

Express Personnel Services now ISO certifiable

Mt. Vernon’s Express Personnel Services completed an International Standards Association audit. The company now has the right to call itself ISO 9200 certified. ISO 9200 is a standardized measure of efficiency and customer service. It’s a generic quality management standard applicable to all types and sizes of customer service companies.

 

Valley Cabinets & More remodels Better kitchen

A kitchen renovation designed and built by Valley Cabinets & More was featured in the July/Aug. issue of Better Homes and Gardens’ Kitchen and Bath Ideas. The kitchen was part of a renovation of a Skagit Valley farmhouse.

 

Prime West merges with Contagious

Prime West Inc., a Mt. Vernon graphics firm, has expanded by merging its commercial graphics arm, Prime West Graphics, with Contagious Industries of Stanwood. Now, Prime West can service clients in Stanwood and Camano Island.

According to John Ruhlman, co-owner of Prime West Inc., part of the motivation for the merger was proximity to a proposed fiber optic line in the area.

 

Port announces two ventures

The Port of Skagit County announced two new tenants for the Bayview Business and Industrial Park. Intermountain Truck Rebuilders, Inc. and its sister company, Mountain States LP Gas Transport, Inc. have expanded into the facility.

Both companies, currently headquartered in Ogden, Utah hope to use their new Skagit facilities as a basis for expansion.

Sam Clark, president of both companies, was in the area scouting new locations when he saw the business park in his rear view mirror. He decided to turn around and take a better look. As part of site preparation, plans include the installation of an 18,000 gallon propane tank.

“We’ve got 78 employees in Utah,” Clark said. “We’d love to have 60 or so people working at the site in Washington.”

The port also announced a $50,000 allocation for a Targeted Community Partnership, which will help provide seed money for ideas, strategies or projects designed to enhance economies upriver from the port. The initiative is part of the port’s effort to ensure that taxpayers from all over the county see benefit from the tax dollars they pay for the port.

Money is available to Hamilton, Rockport, Sedro-Woolley, Lyman and other outlying communities.

“We envision this program as providing seed money for feasibility studies,” said Jerry Kauffman, port commissioner. “We’re looking for the upriver communities to bring forward ideas generated from within for economic development.”

Proposals should be a single page outlining who is proposing, a project description and a cost estimate. The maximum available for each project is $10,000.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if the port had a hand in making it possible for the children upriver to stay in our communities and live and work here, instead of having to leave the communities where they grew up to get a living wage job,” said Glenn Allen, port commissioner.

 

Cascade Candy celebrates

Ten years ago, Chuck and Joan Kiser quit the rat race to pursue their dream of opening their own business. Last month, they celebrated their tenth anniversary as proprietors of Cascade Candy in LaConner.

Joan Kiser estimates they make almost 95 percent of what they sell. In addition to relying on foot traffic, she said they have aggressively pursued direct mail and Internet markets to sell their candy.

 

Tulalip develop on-line encyclopedia

Tulalip Technology Leap has signed an agreement with Convera, a Virginia-based software developer, to develop Encyclopedia Tulalip. When completed, the project will result in an Internet-based central repository for business, cultural and historical data.

Web sites for tribal enterprises, like Tulalip Casino and Bingo and Quil Ceda Business Park will be integrated with the encyclopedia, as will the tribal newsletter. It will also contain photographs, historical archives, audio clips of elders and instruction in the tribe’s Lushootseed language.

The Web site will be rolled out in stages over the next several months.

 

Proliance surgeons align with Pacific Care

Proliance Surgeons, with doctors in Skagit, King, Snohomish and Pierce counties, have contracted with PacifiCare of Washington to provide surgical and office service through 2005. Both Medicare and conventional clients are covered under the agreement.

Many of Proliance’s 120 physicians are women, allowing greater choice for patients seeking care from a female surgeon.

 

Skagit unemployement steady in June

Skagit county’s seasonally-unadjusted unemployment rate remained steady at 7.2 percent in June according to preliminary figures released by the state employment security department. Statewide, unemployment declined by 0.3 percent in June. Though the decline was slight, employment security officials are optimistic these new figures foreshadow good times ahead for Washington.

“Given [the labor market’s] tepid performance overall in the first half of the year, we are cautiously optimistic that this marks a turning point for the state’s labor market,” said Sylvia Mundy, employment security commissioner.

Employment gains were concentrated in services, with business services, hotels and lodging, and amusement and recreation leading the sector. Increased employment in business services, indicating increased economic activity as businesses contract out or hire temporary employees, can signal better times ahead.

Skagit unemployment stood at 7.1 percent in June 2001.

 

Governor sets state economic summit

Governor’s Economic Development summit, a meeting designed to address issues facing business across the state, will be held Sept. 12 and 13 in Spokane.

Gov. Locke announced the summit, called Taking Action to Secure Washington’s Economic Future, as an effort to spotlight economic development issues facing Washington. He will address the summit with his vision for economic development in Washington. Sally Jewell, VP and CEO of REI, will provide the keynote address. The summit will also host a gathering of leading experts in economic development from around the nation.

 

New product adds zip to Web sites

While customers can often find product information on Web sites, it’s more difficult to direct people to physical locations to evaluate products or make purchases. With FreeDealerLocator.com, however, it’s easy to show people where to go to get what you want to sell them.

With the program, developed by Dan Wegner Inc., visitors simply enter their zip codes into a box integrated into a Web site. A smaller web browser window opens. It can be customized to show logos, provide directions and show maps. A free version of the program displays banner ads in the directions window. However, companies can purchase versions with no ads or with customized ads.

 

Ericksen named to transportation committees

With transportation problems a chronic issue in the north Puget Sound, residents can be reassured that a local representative is on two key transportation committees. Rep. Doug Ericksen was recently appointed to the Public-Private Partnership Committee and co-chairs the commerce corridor subcommittee of the legislative transportation committee.

Rep. Ericksen has long been active on transportation issues. He helped pass last year’s transportation permit streamlining law.

“The only way to keep jobs in our state and also earn back the public’s trust is to use our transportation dollars more efficiently,” Ericksen said. “We have to completely rethink the way we go about building new transportation projects.”

The Public-Private Partnership Committee oversees transportation projects funded under a law designed to encourage public and private funds to be used together for new transportation projects.

 

FedEx raises rates to pay for expansion, increased costs

FedEx Freight increased rates by 5.9 percent for all shipments, including domestic and Canadian transborder traffic. Money raised through higher charges will go toward business expansion, including expanded service centers, equipment and security, and to offset increases in health care costs and insurance premiums.

 

State ecology Web site offers search function

How can Washington residents find key data about property, air and water?

Visitors to the new Washington Department of Ecology Web site (http://www.ecy.wa.gov) can take advantage of expanded search capabilities to find out about property contamination, air and water quality, and hazardous waste issues.

“Thanks to computer technology and the World Wide Web, we’re able to provide more and more information to the public that used to be stored in file drawers or isolated databases,” said Tom Fitzsimmons, ecology director.

Clicking on the services icon from the department’s homepage leads users to a variety of information, including databases with information on cleanup sites, hazardous and toxic materials issues and whether or not the Department of Ecology has any record of a property in question.

 

State e-filing hits all-time high

More than 20,000 businesses filed state excise taxes electronically at the end of June, more than doubling the number of businesses who filed electronically during the same week last year.

Now, more than 14 percent of monthly taxpayers file their returns electronically.

During the spring, computer enhancements enabled almost every kind of business to file electronically, said Will Rice, director of the Washington Department of Revenue.

“We must work smarter and more efficiently,” Rice said. “[Electronic filing] helps us direct more attention to ensuring all businesses pay their fair share of taxes, and less time spent dealing with taxpayers who make honest mistakes on their returns.”

Electronic filers have the chance to scan returns for problems before filing. Traditionally, errors and omissions on paper returns (amounting to almost 13 percent of returns) require an examiner to contact taxpayers to resolve problems.

 

Locke announces workforce development initiative

Gov. Gary Locke announced a $4.3 million program to provide advanced training to address the state’s skilled worker shortage.

Despite the current recession, a recent study said Washington businesses were having trouble attracting and retaining skilled workers.

Local Workforce Development Councils will partner with community and technical colleges to form business-led partnerships in industries such as health care, high-tech, construction, and agriculture and food processing. The partnerships will help redesign curricula, develop new recruitment strategies, provide short-term training programs, and integrate national skill standards.

 

Insurers earnings plummet in 2001

Life, health, property and casualty insurers are in bad shape financially after 2001.

American life and health insurers saw their earnings plummet by over 40 percent in 2001, according to Weiss Ratings, an agency that rates the strength of insurance and financial company stock. Net profits plunged to $15.3 million, from $26.4 million in 2000.

“Insurance companies seem to have been caught flat-footed in the market just like many average investors,” said Martin D. Weiss, chairman of Weiss Ratings, Inc. “This has not impacted policyholders to date, because most large companies are still in the black and many have deep pockets.”

Weiss claims profit declines are due to two major factors: capital losses on investments and a decline in operating income. Worst hit lines of insurance were group health, individual annuity and group annuity.

Insurers also increased their holdings in junk bonds last year. Holdings in class six bonds, the riskiest category, increased by over 133 percent.

“Last year’s dramatic increase in junk bond holdings is another warning sign of trouble,” Weiss said. “Consumers must look closely at the financial condition of any insurer they are considering doing business with in order to minimize the risk of dealing with one that is potentially weak.”

The picture for property and casualty insurers is also bleak. Weiss reports they lost $9 billion on record high claims of $381 billion last year. Claims in 2001 were up by 86 percent over the year before. The loss was the first reported for the property and casualty insurance industry.

“The industry was hit hard by the staggering claims from the terrorist attacks,” Weiss said. “It would be a mistake to blame all of the industry’s troubles on Sept. 11. The economic malaise, the rash of corporate bankruptcies and the market downturn have all taken their toll.”

Losses were concentrated in just over 30 percent of companies surveyed and three large insurers (State Farm Mutual Auto, State Farm Fire and Casualty, and General Reinsurance) accounted for almost 60 percent of the total losses.

 

SBA loans money to terror-affected businesses

Small businesses hurt in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks can apply for loan relief under a Supplemental Terrorist Activity Relief (STAR) program. STAR is sponsored by the US Small Business Administration and will take applications until Jan. 10, 2003, or until they run out of money.

“These loans are ideal for small businesses that have been adversely affected by the Sept. 11 attacks but have not been able to qualify for loans under the SBA’s disaster assistance program,” said Tom Dorr, director of the Small Business Development Center at Western Washington University.

Across the United States, $4.5 billion is available for capital loans to cover fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other obligations. Other examples of economic harm include difficulty in making loan payments, meeting payroll, paying vendors, paying rent or securing financing. Startup businesses may also qualify if their launch was hampered by the attacks. Loan amounts and terms are decided by the small business administration based on the financial circumstances of borrowers.

Dorr said businesses can qualify for relief whether their operations were directly or indirectly impacted. For example, a travel agent who saw a major decline in business after Sept. 11 can demonstrate direct impact. However, a computer supplier reliant on selling to businesses dependant on Canadian customers might be able to demonstrate indirect impact and still qualify for money.

Interested small businesspeople can contact their banker or the SBDC for more information or help in filing an application.

 

Employees divided on management trustworthiness, compensation

A Gallup/UBS poll found that 89 percent of employees have a great deal or moderate amount of trust in the executives running their companies and doing the accounting for their companies.

However, there is a sharp divide between employees’ perception of their bosses and bosses of other companies. While 87 percent said their boss was honest and ethical, only 54 percent thought executives in general were honest and ethical. Similarly, 82 percent thought their bosses are good leaders, while only 67 percent believe executives in general are good leaders. And while 73 percent believe their boss is worth the money she earns, 41 percent thought executives in general are worth their pay.

Gallup polled over 650 randomly selected adults from across the US in June.

 

Retail work not working for workers

A recent AON Consulting/National Retail Federation study, titled Retail@Work, found employee commitment in retail enterprise was very low. These findings are not surprising in a sector that sees up to triple-digit employee turnover annually. AON and the NRF hope this study will help retail companies develop concrete strategies for retaining employees.

“For many years, high employee turnover has almost been seen as a given of doing business in retail,” said Tracy Mullin, NRF executive. “The results of Retail@Work finally provides retailers with the kind of actionable information they need…to maintain a stronger…retail workforce for the 21st century.”

However, the study suggests the main reason for high turnover is that employees leave when they do not find the advancement they hoped would greet them in their new companies.

Almost half of survey respondents said they took their current jobs because of the opportunities for advancement. But, almost 30 percent said their company does not communicate career opportunities and over 20 percent feel orientation and ongoing training programs are inadequate.

“If retail organizations define and then communicate the potential for career pathing and growth, they will find increased commitment from their employees,” said David Stum, president of AON Consulting’s Loyalty Institute. “In addition, retail managers should focus on creating a stress-free work environment, providing pay and benefits that meet employees’ expectations, demonstrating efforts to retain employees and enabling employees more time away from work, preferably on weekends.”

Almost 40 percent of retail employees feel coworkers make sacrifices to help the team succeed.

The AON/NRF study is based on telephone surveys with almost 1,450 respondents who work at least 20 hours/week in retail organizations of at least 20 employees.

 

Regulators open door to Qwest long distance

Washington utilities and transportation commission regulators have determined that Qwest opened its local phone network to enough competition to allow Qwest to apply to offer long-distance phone service.

Qwest is now free to apply to federal regulators to begin offering long-distance service. Currently, Qwest can only offer calls that don’t cross state lines and that don’t cross between eastern and western Washington.

State regulators were delayed in completing the study by numerous problems they found in Qwest’s opening of the local market to competitors. In some areas, Qwest offered inadequate contracts to competitors. Regulators found many areas where Qwest failed to provide comparable service to competitors.

However, as of the beginning of July, state regulators found Qwest was in full compliance.

“We conclude in this order that Qwest has met all the networking requirements under…[the] Telecommunications Act,” said the regulators, in a written decision.

If federal regulators approve Qwest’s pending application, the company could begin offering long distance service by October.

News of the state regulators’ decision came as the U.S. Attorney’s office in Denver began a criminal investigation into undisclosed aspects of Qwest’s business.

In a terse statement, the company said they were cooperating with the investigation. Securities and Exchange commission investigators are already probing Qwest’s accounting practices, specifically the way they disclosed sales of network capacity and sales to companies that received equipment or financing from Qwest.

 

Mid-Valley and Lincoln swap forest holdings

Mid-Valley Resources Inc. acquired 65,000 acres of forestland in Skagit, Whatcom and Snohomish Counties from Lincoln Timber LLC. The holdings changed hands as part of Mid-Valley’s sale of forest holdings in southwest Washington.

The Campbell Group, an investment company that manages forestlands for institutional investors, completed the sale.

 

MultiCulti business site expands Web site services

Computer Consulting Associates International recently expanded Div2000.com, a Web site catering to multicultural businesses. The site contains tools and resources aimed at multicultural businesses.

“Diversity businesses are now a fundamental element of the business landscape in America,” said Kenton Clarke of CCAI. “But the entire process, especially on the buyer side, is still plagued by the old obstacles – inefficiency, paper-based procedures and a lack of proper tools.”

The subscriber-based Web site provides information about organizations, business information and resources, legal issues and the regulatory environment.

 

DNR offers new resources for resource industries

Washington’s Department of Natural Resources is offering two new sets of geographic information for northwest Washington.

A digital map of the northwest quadrant of Washington is now available at a scale where 1 in. = 4 mi. At that scale, four maps cover the entire state. This newest map is the last in the series covering the entire state.

The department has also released a series of color air photos covering northwest Washington. The photos are used extensively in forestry and environmental planning, and a variety of industrial, commercial, and legal purposes. Photo requests must indicate the exact township and range location of the desired photo, although department staff are available to help identity precise areas.

Both the map and air photos should be ordered from the Natural Resources Department office in Olympia.

Washington DNR has now turned its attention to completing the 1 in. = 2,000 ft. series, designed to highlight site-specific geological hazards.

 

State increases license fees

Fees for some classes of agricultural and commercial vehicles and drivers increased by up to 10 times last month. Washington State licensing department said the increases will help fund transportation improvements.

Among the increases are:

• New and renewed agricultural permits increase from $3 to $15

• Dealer licenses increase from $500 to $750

• Many commercial driving school fees increased, including the application for the school ($100 to $300), the license ($125 to $500) and license renewals ($25 to $250)

 

Unemployment insurance ballot measure creates stir

Referendum 53, a Building Industry Association of Washington initiative to overturn a bill increasing unemployment insurance taxes, will appear on the ballot in November. However, representatives from the restaurant industry claim the builders’ initiative is misguided.

The building industry group claims the new unemployment insurance bill will lower premiums for Boeing while increasing premiums for small business. They claim Washington’s unemployment insurance system is the costliest and most generous in the nation and that reforms are needed.

In a recent published report, the Washington Restaurant Association agreed that the state unemployment insurance system needed reform, but said the new laws were enough to fix it. In fact, they claim construction companies cost other businesses money by drawing more money from the system than they pay in taxes. State restaurateurs helped pass the unemployment insurance during the 2002 session.

In early July, a coalition of business interests opposed to the referendum filed suit in the state Supreme Court to have the initiative excluded from the ballot.

 

Public hearings to lead to new pesticide rules

Labor and Industries held a series of public meetings in July to decide whether to require blood tests for agricultural workers who handle pesticides.

New regulations are at the direction of the state Supreme Court as a result of a successful lawsuit brought on behalf of farm workers who were exposed to pesticides. Meetings across the state throughout July were held to allow state labor regulators to gather information before formulating a formal proposal by the end of summer. Any proposal would be subject to further public meetings in November, and new rules would come into effect early next year.

Organophosphate and carbamate can interfere with the body’s production of cholinesterase, a protein that helps regulate nerve function.

 

Marine insurer opens in northwest Washington

Anacortes Marine and Specialty Insurance is now providing insurance to yacht owners, boat builders, marina owners and commercial vessel operators in Skagit and Whatcom Counties.

AMSI is an independent agent, said Alan Mazonson, owner. That means they can draw on insurance products available from many different companies to meet individual clients’s needs.