Business News

MacGregor awarded two Gold Books

MacGregor Publishing Company won two Gold Book awards from the Association of Directory Publishers. The company took home a first place award in the Special Media and Promotions category for a “Got Plaid” campaign. This promotional campaign involved tartan-covered cartons of malted milk balls used as ice breakers with potential clients.

MacGregor also won a second place award in a direct mail category for an ad called the Persistence of Time, which used Salvador Dali’s melting clock motif to illustrate the countdown to a sales deadline.

The independent directory publisher has earned 62 Gold Book awards since 1994, including four publisher of the year awards.

 

Dri-Eaz expands headquarters

Dri-Eaz recently embarked on an expansion program to more than double their Burlington headquarters. The company is adding to their manufacturing and storage capacity and to their office space.

“The new space will allow us to further develop our core manufacturing competency, have more equipment on hand for customers, and provide associates with a pleasant work environment,” said Bill Bruders, general manager of Dri-Eaz.

Of note is the company’s soon to be increased capacity in plastics manufacturing. Dri-Eaz handles all their plastic housing manufacturing in house, and new manufacturing space will let them build more housings while continuing strict oversight of materials and processes.

The new, larger warehouse space will let the company keep more stock on hand.

When completed later this month, the expansion will give Dri-Eaz more than 110,000 square feet of space at their Burlington facility.

 

Tiger Construction wins two Skagit contracts

Tiger Construction, based in Everson, recently won two contracts for Skagit Valley construction projects.

The company will work on upgrades to the water supply for the City of Lyman. The $1.2 million contract includes building a new well house, distribution and transmission water lines and a water storage tank. Work will be completed by the end of December.

Tiger also has a contract with the Mount Vernon school district to work on the second phase of a project to upgrade Mount Vernon high school. Work includes a three-story classroom building, a cafeteria and kitchen and a new heating system. Five existing buildings are to be demolished and the grounds are to be redesigned.

The high school project is to be finished by 2005.

 

Farmland committee seeks members

Skagit County’s Farmland Legacy Program is looking for members to serve as advisors on a Citizens’ Advisory Committee. The conservation futures advisory committee reviews and recommends the purchase of development rights on agricultural properties in Skagit County.

Interested potential volunteers should have knowledge or experience in agriculture, land conservation, resource management or a related field. A statement of qualifications and a letter of interest are due by Nov. 1, 2003. Contact the farmland legacy program office in Mount Vernon for more information.

 

US Bank introduces ¡Capital! Idea

US Bank and the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce have teamed to create ¡Capital!, a strategic small business loan program. Under the plan, the bank will loan more than $1 billion over the next five years to small business in high growth Hispanic markets. In addition, the bank will provide referral payments to the chambers for every loan that is booked through the program. ¡Capital! could provide up to $7 million in referral payments to the chambers in addition to the money lent to small business.

All loans approved under the ¡Capital! program are underwritten with the same guidelines as loans originating from outside the program.

 

State minimum wage increases

Washington’s minimum wage will increase to $7.16 an hour from $7.01 an hour on Jan. 1, 2004. Each September, Labor and Industries recalculates the minimum wage to account for cost of living increases, according to an initiative approved by voters in 1998.

Washington will have the highest minimum wage in the nation on Jan. 1. Alaska’s minimum wage is frozen at $7.15, while Connecticut is set to raise their minimum wage from $6.90 to $7.10 an hour and Oregon will raise the minimum wage to $7.05 an hour.

The federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour, but states can set their own higher minimum wages.

 

College earns library grant

Skagit Valley College received a $30,000 library services and technology act grant to expand virtual reference services to five area high schools, Grays Harbor College and Aberdeen High School. Sam Reed, Washington’s secretary of state, at a ceremony last month, presented the award on behalf of Washington State Library.

Virtual reference services allow librarians to provide on line library assistance to students through a chat room. The technology also allows librarians to provide documents leading students to appropriate resources.

Last year, Skagit Valley College collaborated with Grays Harbor College on virtual reference services to distance education students and to traditional students using on line resources. The newly expanded program will provide service to Mount Vernon High School, Anacortes High School, Sedro-Woolley High School, La Conner High School and Friday Harbor High School.

 

College part of science foundation grant

Skagit Valley College is one of five higher education institutions in Northwest Washington participating in a $12 million National Science Foundation grant designed to advance teaching and learning.

The National Science Foundation gave $12 million over five years to start the North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership. Members will be dedicated to advancing the teaching and learning of science throughout Northwest Washington.

Specifically, the grant will allow master teachers in the public school system to collaborate with college and university scientists to develop new curriculum. Other goals of the grant include:

• Recruiting many more highly qualified science teachers and enacting mentoring programs to keep them in the profession

• Collaboratively reforming science curriculum in public school grades K-12 and at the introductory levels in college and university

• Research into science education designed to evaluate and improve the work of the partnership

“This is the single largest grant that Western has ever received and its impact on science education will be significant and widespread,” said Karen W. Morse, Western Washington University president.

George Nelson, director of the science, mathematics and technology education program at WWU is the study’s principal investigator. Partnership members include 26 school districts in Whatcom County, Skagit County and on the Olympic Peninsula and five universities and colleges, including WWU, Whatcom Community College, Skagit Valley College, Northwest Indian College and Everett Community College. Other partners are the Northwest and Olympic Educational service districts, Washington State Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform, and the Naval Undersea Museum Foundation in Keyport.

Pacific Northwest Bank okays merger

At a September shareholders meeting, investors in Pacific Northwest Bank approved acquisition by Wells Fargo & Company. The takeover must now be approved by the Federal Reserve.

 

Burlington Chamber seeks intern locations

The Burlington Chamber of Commerce is helping a Sedro-Woolley school district program place high school interns. The Sedro-Woolley school district GOALS program places high school students in a variety of organizations, including non-profit organizations and small, medium and large sized businesses.

Businesses get labor at no cost and students get experience and the chance to develop job skills.

All internships are 8-12 weeks long and must total 20 hours per week. Students receive credit instead of a wage.

For more information, contact Bruce Vilders, internship coordinator with the Sedro-Woolley school district.