Published November 2001

Business Briefs

Advanced TelCom Group
celebrates new Everett office
Advanced TelCom Group Inc. (ATG) celebrated the grand opening of its new office at 2939 Colby Ave. in Everett on Oct. 16, announcing the completion of its installation of high-tech telecommunications equipment for local and long-distance telephone service and high-speed Internet options.

The company offers competition to Verizon Northwest based in Everett. ATG, based in Santa Rosa, Calif., has opened offices in Bellingham, Tacoma and Olympia as well as centers in Oregon, California, Nevada, Maryland, Virginia and other states.

PUD sets public hearings for 2002 budget
The Snohomish County PUD Commission has scheduled public hearings this month to review details of the utility’s proposed 2002 budget.

The first hearing will be at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 6. The second one will be at 1:30 p.m. Nov. 20. Both will be held at PUD headquarters, 2320 California St. in Everett.

The 2002 budget proposes expenditures of $603 million, up $67 million from the 2001 budget, according to a news release issued by the PUD. The utility anticipates purchased power costs of $403 million, up $55 million from 2001, but is holding the line on combined operating and capital expenditures, which are proposed at $124 million, about $300,000 less than the 2001 budget.

The proposed budget, which could be considered for final adoption Dec. 4, does not include any provision for a 2002 rate increase, according to the PUD. No additional rate increases are expected.

Everett Family Practice Center to close
The Everett Family Practice Center will close Nov. 16, with officials saying a loss of physicians, the general economic downturn and tight insurance reimbursements have made it impossible to go on.

“We have reached a point where the challenges became too large to overcome,” said Dr. Julie Komarow, the center’s President.

Patients, as well as the 62 employees at the center, were notified in mid-October of the pending closure. The seven physicians now working at the center are looking for work at other offices.

The clinic is working to find new jobs for its employees and will do what it can to ease the transition for patients who seek out new doctors, Komarow said.

The Family Practice Center was founded in 1977. It is one of the largest stand-alone family practices in Snohomish County, serving some 6,000 families.

Integrex named one of top 25
private companies in region
Integrex Inc. of Bothell has been named one of the top 25 private Northwest companies in 2001 by the Investment Forum, a nonprofit organization that promotes new ventures to the business and investment community.

During an Oct. 1 Venture All-Stars Summit at Safeco Field, the electronics equipment manufacturer was selected from among 175 nominees for its strong management and financial backing.

The selection was made by a panel of 35 private-equity analysts, including venture capitalists, angel investors and successful entrepreneurs.

Integrex Chief Executive Ted Volberding credited the company’s success to date to its technical capabilities and a focus on customer service.

The company, which opened for business last year with $4 million in start-up capital, specializes in printed circuit board assembly, system integration and order fulfillment.

Nominees sought for Good Works Awards
Business nominees are wanted for the seventh annual Pacific Northwest Good Works Awards, which will be presented Feb. 20 at a Rotary Club of Seattle luncheon and broadcast in a special edition of KCTS Television’s “Serious Money.”

Nomination deadline for the awards, which honor business efforts and partnerships that reflect commitment to public service, is Nov. 19. For more information, including complete guidelines and entry forms, call 206-443-6670 or go to http://kcts.org on the Web.

University of Phoenix adds
new MBA program
The University of Phoenix has added a new degree program at its Mountlake Terrace campus: the Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management.

The degree has been designed to meet the needs of the working adult manager and those seeking management positions in the health-care field, according to a news release.

For more information, call 877-877-4867 or go to the university’s Web site, www.phoenix.edu.

Marysville company buys
Everett Business Journal
The Everett Business Journal, Wenatchee Business Journal and Bellingham Business Journal have been sold to Sun News Inc., a Marysville-based company that publishes five weekly newspapers in Washington, Idaho and Utah. Sun News is owned by Kris Passey and Robert W. Marshall.

ICOS drug passes late-stage clinical trials
Clinical study results presented in Italy in October continued to provide good news for Bothell’s ICOS Corp.

Cialis, a drug being developed by a partnership between ICOS and Eli Lilly and Co. to help men with erectile dysfunction, was effective in 81 percent of patients, company officials said.

The results of the late-stage clinical trials were presented at the Fourth Congress of the European Society for Sexual and Impotence Research in Rome.

The study involved 972 men, including 261 given a placebo.

The drug is under review for marketing approval by the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Local Toastmasters club
earns newsletter honors
Mun-E-Mentors Toastmasters of Everett recently took home one of the top prizes in the annual Toastmasters International Newsletter competition when it was selected for having one of the 10 best newsletters in the organization worldwide. Entries were judged on professional image, visual appeal and educational content.

Mun-E-Mentors meets at 7:30 a.m. Fridays at the Everett Church of Christ, 2431 Rucker Ave. For more information, call 425-259-6051.

Agilent layoffs under way
Add Agilent Technologies to the list of companies sending out layoff notices. The company is in the midst of trimming 125 workers from its Washington state payroll, said Liz Cox, the company’s Spokane-based Community Relations Manager.

Almost all of the cuts are coming at Agilent’s Spokane operation, which employs 1,200 people, she said. Some among the 250 workers at the company’s Lake Stevens plant also will lose their positions.

The cuts are not related to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The company announced in August that it planned to cut 4,000 workers worldwide in response to slumping earnings.

Herald, Teamsters reach labor pact
Members of Teamsters Union Local 763 recently ratified a contract with The Herald, Herald Controller Jerry Knoblich said.

The contract gives raises of slightly more than 3 percent a year to about 25 Herald drivers, who haul newspapers from the printing plant in Everett to distribution points around Snohomish and Island counties. It also improves pension and sick-leave provisions, Knoblich said.

The union in August had authorized a strike against the paper, with workers saying they were frustrated at the slow pace of negotiations. The old contract expired May 30, and talks had been under way since April.

Nord Door announces layoffs
Everett’s Nord Door Co., which has seen orders plummet since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, is laying off an unspecified number of employees.

General Manager Chad Turner said early in October that all workers had been given two weeks’ notice that layoffs would occur. He said the company also asked for volunteers in the event that some employees may want to do something else.

Nord, a division of Jeld-Wen Inc., had been growing in recent years and employed about 375 workers at the time of the layoff announcement, Turner said.

Everett Farmers Market sold
The Everett Farmers Market, founded and operated by Marie Brayman for the past eight years, has been sold to Inger and Tone Hutton of Everett.

The sale comes almost a year after Brayman announced her intention to sell the market.

As part of the deal, the Huttons, who are longtime market customers, received a database of active vendors and a customer mailing list, along with market accessories such as signage, trash cans and orange traffic cones. The deal was finalized in mid-October.

The market, which ended its eighth season Sept. 30, will kick off its ninth season June 2, Brayman said in a letter to the public.

To reach the new farmers market management, call 425-921-3392.

New businesses, locations
n Staples Inc. has opened an office superstore at 16232 Bothell-Everett Highway in Mill Creek.

n Beyond the Blue, an import shop featuring wedding gowns, original art, hand-painted kites, flowers and other unique items, has opened at 2831 Wetmore Ave. in downtown Everett. The owner is Dale Preboski.

n Best Buy, a specialty retailer of consumer electronics, personal computers, entertainment software and appliances, celebrated the grand opening of its Lynnwood store Oct. 26. The 45,000-square-foot store is located at 19225 Alderwood Mall Parkway.

n Summit Rehabilitation recently opened its sixth outpatient rehabilitation clinic in Snohomish County, at 16000 Bothell-Everett Highway in Mill Creek.

n John L. Scott Real Estate has a new franchise office in Everett. Formerly known as ERA Metropolitan, John L. Scott’s new office, at 10820 Evergreen Way, is owned and operated by Bob Maple. To reach Maple’s office, call 425-355-0200.

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