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Skagit Valley College salutes local businesses for support Fifteen local businesses plus four public organizations
have been saluted by Skagit Valley College for their Individuals and their companies honored in the special ceremony were: Robert Whitford, Valley Oldsmobile and Cadillac, and Ken Pike of Pike’s Automotive Repair and Electrical Service, for assistance in automotive technology; Gary Plagge, The Emporium, for business management technology; Warren Tessler of La Vie En Rose French Bakery for support in the culinary arts and hospitality management; Marc Kash, NC Machinery Company, diesel power technology; Linda Dow, Northern Marine, for assistance in electronic technology and telecommunications; Peggy Andrews and Pacific Northwest Cardiology, medical assistance; Shane Gildnes, Advantage Factory, and Brandon Kolp, Skagit Valley Publishing for assistance in multimedia and interactive technology; Theda Bordner, RN, Affiliated Health Services, nursing; Linda Hill and Dahlman Pump, for participation in office and business technology; Morgan Witt and Richard Sybrandy, attorneys at law, for assistance in paralegal training; Glen McGoff and Carroll Mills for truck driving; Cory McCarty of T Bailey, Inc. welding technology; IBM Partners in Education, for professional assistance in midrange and mainframe computer systems. Additionally, the college saluted: Lt. Jerry L. Dodd of the Mount Vernon Police Dept. and Bill Overby from Deception Pass State Park in the field of administration of justice; and William Nutting and the Mount Vernon School District, and Tim Busch of the Public School Employees of Washington for assistance in early childhood education.
Hulbush Funeral Home marks 75th anniversary Founded in 1927 by the late Walter R. and Irene Hulbush, Burlington’s Hulbush Funeral Home, 281 S. Burlington Blvd., is marking its 75th year in business. The founders’ son, Roger W. Hulbush, joined the firm in 1957, and has been running it since 1971. His wife, Mary started working with Roger after their marriage in 1982. Hulbush estimates the funeral home has conducted over 7,500 services in 75 years. “It has been a privilege to serve the families of the Skagit Valley for so many years,” Hulbush said. “Helping families through a difficult time has been both a challenge and a wonderfully satisfying experience.” Hulbush’s staff includes licensed funeral directors James Peninger and Paul Gibson, and secretary/bookkeeper Marlene Whisonant.
Contractor chosen for Skagit River environmental center The $14.5 million Learning Center, a provision of the re-licensing agreement for the Skagit River dams, will be constructed by general contractor RAS Builders of Issaquah, WA. The Learning Center is a partnership project involving North Cascades Institute, the National Park Service and the City of Seattle.
Businesses rally to restore shellfish in Drayton Harbor Drayton Harbor may be adjacent to Blaine in the northwestern corner of Whatcom county, but the cause of saving present shellfish populations and restoring abundance in their numbers brought voluntary support by five Skagit county businesses. Acme Seafood Company, Blau Oysters, Nahkeeta Northwest, Taylor Shellfish Farms and Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve pledged and delivered financial, product and other support to a successful fundraiser, Saturday, May 4, at Resort Semiahmoo in Blaine. Shuckin’ on the Spit drew 605 paying customers and 200 volunteers from businesses and community organizations to an afternoon festival and seafood feast replete with entertainment, exhibits and tours. Trillium Corporation also was an active participant and sponsor. “The funds raised from this event are going directly into building community support for cleanup projects needed to reopen shellfish harvesting in Drayton Harbor,” said Geoff Menzies, manager of the Drayton Harbor Community Oyster Farm. “Our most immediate focus is to work closely with the City of Blaine and the Port of Bellingham to gain a better understanding of and to control the sources of bacterial pollution that are impacting Blaine Harbor and nearby stations inside Drayton Harbor. “We pulled together a great group of sponsors from Skagit and other counties, from local berry growers and shellfish farmers to marketing and media professionals. And, as a result, the community came by the hundreds, even though the weather didn’t cooperate.” The Drayton Harbor shellfish restoration project is an ongoing, year-around effort. Information on the program and how to be involved is available by calling (360) 384-9135.
Insights Gallery re-opens Insights Gallery in Anacortes has re-opened under new ownership. The gallery changed hands when artists Alfred Currier and Anne Schreivogl, along with art enthusiasts Mitch and Linda Everton, purchased the business from Annette Williams. Following extensive renovations, Insights Gallery is featuring works by a diverse group of emerging and established artists, in forms ranging classical realism to cutting edge abstraction. “We have a great synergy as a collaborative ownership team,” said Schreivogl, gallery director. “We each bring a different experience with art to the table, as a combination of artists and collectors.” Insights Gallery is located at 516 Commercial Avenue, Anacortes, (360) 588-8044. You can explore an on-line sampling of the artistic works represented at www.insightsgallery.com.
Skagit Valley College Business Resource Center receives award At the semi-annual statewide conference for Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), the Washington State SBDC Network awarded its Excellence in Training award to the Skagit Valley College Business Resource Center (BRC). Skagit’s BRC was given the award for exceeding SBDC standards and goals in all categories. The college- based program is a partnership with Washington State University, the Economic Development Association of Skagit County, Skagit Council of Governments, Service Core Of Retired Executives (SCORE), Northwest BisnessLink and the WorkSafe Institute of Washington. The SBDC network offers business training for business owners and managers at reasonable fees, plus business counseling at no charge to the client.
Walker’s Healthy Pet opens in Mount Vernon Scott Price, president and pet nutritionist at Walker’s Healthy Pet, announced a new store location in Mount Vernon and has hired Thia Furgeson as their newest pet consultant. The new store is located at 1515 Freeway Drive, Mount Vernon. Telephone: (360) 424-6200.
Unicom chooses Mount Vernon for office Long-distance carrier Unicom chose Mount Vernon for its first field office outside of its headquarters in Oregon. With the move, Unicom expands its services to Skagit County and then all of Washington. “The office in Mount Vernon is responsible for Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties,” said Deborah Day, Unicom regional sales manager manager in Mount Vernon. “We have our sales staff, customer service and technicians ready to provide local service to our customers.” Day brings to her assignment successful experience in the telecommunications field since 1969. Plans call for a second Unicom office in the Tri-cities area to serve inland regions. Unicom provides local telephone lines, voice mail, worldwide long distance, Internet services and e-commerce plus telecommunications consulting. The company has been doing business since 1985 in Oregon. For information on-line access: www.uci.net. Or call toll-free to (866) 727-8934.
Fidalgo Machine opens in Anacortes Bob and Jan Maryott have established Fidalgo Machine in Anacortes as a machine shop for the maritime industry and interests. The business was first opened on a part-time basis in August last year and has now expanded to full-service at 9445 Almac Place, Anacortes. Bob Maryott was formerly a machinist at Bryant’s Marina, Sante Marina and Dakota Creek Industries. The new shop can machine or straighten marine shafts up to three inches in diameter, and can fabricate new rudders, excavator pins, bushings or other parts in metal. Telephone number for Fidalgo Marine is (360) 299-2868.
Plaid Directories win Gold Awards MacGregor Publishing Company captured a number of Gold book Awards for excellence in telephone directory publishing from the Association of Directory Publishers (ADP) at the spring convention in Fort Myers, FL. MacGregor’s 2002 Skagit Valley Directory took first place in Directory Enhancements and Usage Drivers. The Mount Vernon publishing firm also won first place honors in sales promotion for recruiting 100 new advertisers through its Executive Mugging program. The Plaid Books took the second place award for their cover product branding featuring the distinctive MacGregor tartan design. Three third place awards for a print media campaign, cinema screen advertising and for the 2002 Anacortes and San Juan Islands Directory were also received. MacGregor Publishing Company, employs 46 persons and publishes telephone directories in Skagit, Island, San Juan, Whatcom and Snohomish counties, in addition to other directories and online yellow pages for Northwest Washington. MacGregor also publishes www.PlaidNET.com, the on-line Yellow Pages for northwestern Washington. Telephone number for information is (360) 336-6171.
ArtSmart expands to cyberspace ArtSmart of Anacortes has extended marketing of its custom and standard picture and art framing to cyberspace, launching www.digitalartsmart.com. Tim and Lorrisa Dussault own ArtSmart. The firm operates from a brick-and-mortar location at 1019 Seventh Street in Anacortes, offering Giclee art reproduction, digital photographic printing, mounting and creative presentation services. Telephone number for ArtSmart is (360) 293-4726.
Shellan Jewelers scores 30 years in business Now located in the Cascade Mall in Burlington, Shellan Jewelers marked its 30th anniversary in business in May. Henry and Sondra Shellan established the retail store in 1972, first in the Mount Vernon mall. After graduating in accounting from the University of Washington in 1975 and working first at the Battele Research Institute in Seattle, their son, Dean, returned to Skagit county in 1977 to join his parents in the operation of the jewelry business. In 1987, he purchased the store from his parents. Shellan Jewelers moved to the Cascade Mall in 1989. Shellan has matched the operation of the business with contribution to the community through tutoring at a local school, and extensive participation in and gifts to service and non-profit organizations. Telephone number for Shellan’s Jewelers is (360) 757-6075.
Ashley Gardens completes new buildings Ashley Gardens in Mount Vernon has completed the second major phase of development to provide care in a specialized setting for patients with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Two duplex style buildings are now available occupancy at the 3807 East College Way location. Studies show that persons dealing with confusion and memory loss respond best in smaller, low-key environments rather than larger buildings with 30 to 50 residents. Therefore, the new facilities at Ashley Gardens house eight or nine residents on each side. Each building includes living and dining areas, plus secure outdoor areas, in addition to the private bedrooms for patients. An open house is scheduled June 20, 2 to 6 p.m. For information on Ashley Gardens call (360) 419-9422.
Artistic Glass business opens in Anacortes Jennifer Aipperspach has established Artistic Glass by SGO in Anacortes by purchasing a franchise from Stained Glass Overlay. As one of SGO’s 300 franchise owners, Aipperspach received training and authorization to use the company’s patented process to adorn glass and acrylic surfaces. “We can mix and match our overlay designs to complement any wallpaper or carpet patterns, in any contemporary, traditional or art deco theme,” states the new business owner, who represents SGO as an alternative to the use of stained glass. Artistic Glass by SGO is located at 2112 – 13th St., Anacortes. Telephone number is (360) 588-1102.
City of Mount Vernon upgrades web site A major web site redesign will debut in June for the city of Mount Vernon so that it is more easily updated by city staff, while making access easier for residents. The city awarded the redesign program to Webefx of Bellingham.
Washington Banking declares record dividend Washington Banking Company, which operates Whidbey Island Bank in Skagit, Island and Whatcom counties, declared a record 79 percent increase in first quarter earnings , and will distribute $0.065 per common share to shareholders as of May 9, 2002. This is the 16th consecutive quarterly cash dividend since the company went public in June 1998. A 23 percent loan growth and a 10 percent deposit growth, compared to the same period a year ago, were also announced. Shareholder’s equity increased 12 percent to $36.1 million, and book value rose to $8.91 per share as of March 31, 2002, up from $7.97 twelve months ago. The company’s shares closed at $16 on May 15.
New office facility announced for Mount Vernon A 4,500 square foot office building is under construction at 1521 Leigh Way in Mount Vernon, with completion planned for August of this year. First tenants will be Denture Connection and Skagit Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services, according to property owner Milt Armstrong. The building uses a portion of a 19,000 square foot lot, and is designed to comply with all access requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.
Express Personnel wins international awards Mark and Sandy Hagen, owners of Mount Vernon Express Personnel, went to the international leadership conference in Atlanta of Express franchisees and came home with an armload of awards. The owners and the Mount Vernon business were saluted for their client service and financial performance for 2001. Seven hundred Express franchisees and staff representing 400 offices worldwide participated in this year’s conference that included three days of workshops and training in recruitment, retention and successful business management. Express Personnel Services is located at 525 East College Way in Mount Vernon. Call: (360) 366-1980.
State Farm offices support child safety Cost-free inspections for child safety in Mount Vernon were sponsored and conducted May 18 by the local office of State Farm Insurance. The pubic service inspections by certified seat technicians were coordinated with a national program involving State Farm offices throughout the nation. In Washington, Anton’s Law, which requires belt-positioning booster seats for children between four and six years of age and up to 60 pounds, goes into effect on July 1.
Thai House named Business of the Year Thai House Restaurant has been named the Mount Vernon 2002 Business of the Year at an event hosted by the Skagit Valley chambers of commerce and Skagit Valley College Business Resource Center. Owners Denny and Sritong have owned and operated the restaurant since April 1999. Thai House is located at 616 South First Street in Mount Vernon. Telephone: (360) 336-2966.
Draper Valley Farms ranked in top 150 private busineses Draper Valley Farms, Inc. based in Mount Vernon, has been named byWashington CEO magazine as one of the top 150 privately-held companies inthe state of Washington. The ranking is made by annual revenue estimatesfrom over $1 billion and spans to companies taking in $40 million. Based on revenue estimates by outside sources, Draper Valley Farms ranked 113th, in the range of $70 to $79 million. |
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