Business Briefs

Arlington-Smokey Point chamber
moves into new offices
For the first time since the Jan. 1 merger of the Arlington and Smokey Point chambers of commerce, the group has new offices at Smokey Point in the Pilchuck Plaza retail and office center built recently by Ramo Realty and Construction Co.

“We have our own office, boardroom and space for volunteer staff, plus a storage room for all the Tourism Bureau’s brochures. Being at Smokey Point, just south of 172nd Street NE, is a great location for us,” said Sharon Shaw, executive director of the new chamber.

Luncheon meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at Hawthorn Inn & Suites at Smokey Point, less than a block from the new chamber offices.

“The merger has a ways to go, but it’s working,” said Shaw, who has lived in Arlington since 1973 and retired from her work at Warm Beach Conference Center just in time to be available for the new executive director’s position. “I’ve been active in both chambers, downtown Arlington and here at Smokey Point, so I understand their interests, and I can help bring them together,” she said.

Even though the two groups are “learning how to dance together,” the reality is that eventually there will need to be a downtown Arlington satellite office staffed by chamber volunteers, she said.

To contact the chamber, call 360-659-5453.

Tulalip production company
wins programming award
NorthWest Indian News, a 3-year-old production company owned by the Tulalip Tribes, recently won a Silver Telly award for excellence in local and regional programming.

NorthWest Indian News submitted one show that aired last summer to the competition.

A spokeswoman for the Silver Telly Awards said this year brought more than 13,000 entrants. Only between 7 percent and 10 percent of those entrants received silver awards.

NorthWest Indian News releases one program every other month, with programs available on KSTW on Channel 11 and KVOS on Channel 12, and on tribal cable programming across the country, News Director Jim Browder said.

The winning entry featured the wild horses of the Yakama Indian Reservation, the Puyallup Tribe’s canoe greeting of old-style tall ships as they neared Tacoma, and a piece about the relationship between the city of Marysville and the Tulalip Tribes.

Kohl’s opens in Marysville
The Kohl’s store at the new Gateway Plaza in Marysville opened to the public in October. The store was one of the first the Midwest retailer opened in the area recently. By year’s end, Kohl’s will have more than 800 stores in 45 states, but it’s not a well-known chain in the Pacific Northwest. Based in Wisconsin, Kohl’s calls itself a “value oriented” department store.

“Convenience, brand and value. I think that’s what we stand for,” said Greg Thomas, Kohl’s district manager for the Puget Sound region. He explained that despite aggressive pricing compared with traditional department stores, Kohl’s carries a range of name brands.

The Marysville Kohl’s store, along with one opening in Lynnwood in November, is based on the company’s latest design, which includes large, stylish dressing rooms with waiting areas.

Other new touches in the 88,000-square-foot store: scanners that customers can use to check merchandise prices throughout the store, wider aisles and directional signs to help shoppers find their way around.

The Marysville store has hired about 200 people, which gives it a head start on holiday staffing.

Just to the north of Gateway Plaza, at the new Lakewood Crossing shopping center, Target also opened in October, joining Costco, which opened in September.

ICOS to be acquired by Eli Lilly
ICOS Corp., which grew into Washington’s largest biotechnology company after creating the impotence drug Cialis, will be bought by Eli Lilly & Co. for $2.1 billion.

The acquisition will result in layoffs at ICOS, which employs 700 people — the majority at the company’s Snohomish County headquarters in Bothell.

Paul Clark, ICOS chairman and chief executive officer, said the offer by the company’s longtime pharmaceutical partner was the right one to accept.

Investors will receive $32 a share in the deal, more than 30 percent above the stock’s average price during the past three months.

“It was too good a deal to pass up,” said Clark, who added that he couldn’t speculate on how many people or ICOS assets Lilly will retain locally.

“We do not know today what their employment decisions are going to be. Any employees that are affected will get very fair compensation and severance,” he said.

If the takeover follows the usual pattern, most positions in marketing and administration would be eliminated because Lilly already has people performing those jobs.

Southeast YMCA branch
receives Regence BlueShield grant
The Southeast Family Branch of the YMCA of Snohomish County recently received a $10,000 Healthy Choices grant from Regence BlueShield.

The Healthy Choices grant funds efforts to help parents and children make healthier choices and/or improve their knowledge of what children need to be healthy.

The Southeast Family YMCA will use this grant to implement FitKids Clubs at two child-care sites, for children in first through fifth grades, according to the nonprofit organization. The program will engage children in fun fitness activities while teaching them about nutrition, with an emphasis on combating youth obesity and instilling a lifelong appreciation for health and wellness.

Upon completion of the FitKids Clubs, the sites will host a “FitFamily Night” in which program youth will teach their parents and family members about the importance of healthy choices.

Rotary seeks nonprofit,
government groups for grants
As part of its ongoing commitment to the community, The Rotary Club of Lynnwood is offering grants up to $2,500 each to nonprofit or government organizations.

The deadline to submit an application is Nov. 8. Those chosen to receive grants will be awarded them at the Dec. 7 regular Rotary lunch meeting.

For more information or to receive an application, call Lynnwood Rotary Grants and Scholarships Chair Tim Ryan at 425-744-6801.

Crane to provide parts for F-16s
The U.S. Air Force recently selected Crane Aerospace & Electronics in Lynnwood as a supplier for the F-16 aircraft modernization program. Crane Aerospace will provide 3,500 wheel speed transducers for the Air Force and foreign military F-16 upgrade program, with deliveries beginning in November.

The transducer, a component of the brake control system, senses the speed of the wheel’s rotation and sends that information to the control unit to ensure the proper brake force is applied.

EdCC receives $810,000 grant
for manufacturing education
Edmonds Community College recently received an $810,000 grant over three years from the National Science Foundation to establish certificates in advanced manufacturing in partnership with the University of Washington, Everett Community College, Cerritos College in California and St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley.

EdCC will lead the partners in the development, testing and teaching of specialized advanced manufacturing certificates in aerospace, medical devices, consumer products, marine and transportation, the college said.

The goal is to design curriculum to train and retrain a new generation of manufacturing technicians. Students may begin studying for the first certificates at the college next year to train for new careers, or job advancement, in composite manufacturing with an aerospace and aviation focus.

Little Nickel has new owner
Lee Enterprises Inc. has completed the sale of Lynnwood-based Little Nickel and other publications in the Northwest.

Black Press Ltd. has acquired the Little Nickel and Nickel Ads Classifieds. Target Media Partners has acquired Lee’s 19 Eastern Washington publications and its commercial printing operation, based in Spokane.

Lee received about $51 million for its Northwest properties.

Nastech responds to FDA
concerns about osteoporosis spray

Nastech Pharmaceutical Co. has submitted its response to the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Generic Drugs regarding the agency’s concerns about the Bothell company’s osteoporosis nasal spray.

In July, the FDA rejected the drug and raised questions about whether the drug, calcitonin-salmon, and a preservative in the nasal spray could produce an immune response or allergic reaction in some people. In its response, Nastech said it found no evidence of that.

WaMu to cut 140 jobs
Washington Mutual recently announced plans to cut 140 loan processing jobs in Lynnwood by the end of the year. The Seattle-based bank’s step brings the total number of jobs eliminated in the Puget Sound area this year to more than 1,000. Many of them will be sent overseas or to other Washington Mutual sites across the nation.

And this latest round of layoffs may not be Washington Mutual’s last.

“More reductions are possible,” said Tim McGarry, vice president of corporate public relations. “It is true that there may be more in the future.”

All 140 people affected by the recent announcement will be guaranteed work for 60 days, with some jobs lasting as long as the end of the year. The bank will transfer about 40 of the jobs offshore and 100 to other sites in the United States, McGarry said.

Lumera expands research pact
Bothell biotech Lumera Corp. has expanded its collaborative agreement with Seattle’s Institute for Systems Biology, a nonprofit research institute. The joint research will focus on developing new detection methods for various cancers.

Neah Power Systems
eyes defense funds
Neah Power Systems Inc. of Bothell seems poised to receive up to $1.35 million from the newly passed federal defense-spending bill.

That sum is set aside in the bill for the continued research and development of a silicon-based methanol fuel cell for use in portable military devices and electronics. That’s the exact technology Neah has worked on for the past several years.

Dan Rosen, Neah Power’s chairman, said the funding will boost the company’s work with the U.S. Navy to develop a prototype fuel cell.

Bothell biotech changes name
Diagnostic Ultrasound Corp. of Bothell has unveiled a new name, Verathon Inc., to reflect the company’s expansion into non-ultrasound medical products.

Earlier this year, the maker of a bladder volume measuring device and related ultrasound tools bought a Canadian firm that specializes in video laryngoscopes, which can give a doctor a clear view of a person’s breathing airway.

Providence earns high marks
for its cardiac care
Providence Everett Medical Center has been rated the top provider of overall cardiac care in Seattle and northwestern Washington, according to a comprehensive study recently released by HealthGrades, a national health-care ratings company.

The study named PEMC among the best hospitals in the state of Washington for cardiac surgery and cardiology due to its five-star ratings for coronary bypass surgery and the treatment of heart failure.

According to the study, the stroke services at PEMC rank among the top 5 percent in the nation for the second year in a row, and the hospital’s critical-care services rank among the top 10 percent of all hospitals in the country. Due to the outstanding patient outcomes in these clinical areas, PEMC has received the HealthGrades Stroke Care and Critical Care Excellence Awards.

Also, HealthGrades has named PEMC best in northwestern Washington for general surgery and for gastrointestinal services. The hospital also received the highest possible five-star ratings for the treatment of community acquired pneumonia and for the treatment of sepsis.

Everett Explosion to bring
basketball to events center
The Everett Explosion, a new team in the International Basketball League, has signed a lease agreement with the Everett Events Center, with the team’s inaugural season beginning in March 2007.

“We are extremely pleased to have a new addition to our family,” said Global Spectrum’s Kim Bedier, general manager for the Everett Events Center. “Everett and Snohomish County are the home to the greatest sports fans, and now they have another reason to cheer.”

“This agreement and home court propels us into (a) position to be the flagship team of the International Basketball League,” said Nathan Mumm, the Explosion’s chief executive and general manager. “We are thrilled to be a part of the Everett Events Center. It is a fan-proven facility. People love to come to such a great hometown arena.”

The Explosion recently opened its new team store and corporate offices in Everett. Season tickets can be purchased online at www.everettexplosion.com or by calling the Explosion team store at 425-953-2090.

Single-game tickets and season tickets also will be available through the Everett Events Center once the 2007 schedule has been finalized.

Cascade Rehabilitation Associates
to hold open house at new clinic
Cascade Rehabilitation Associates recently opened its new, 4,500-square-foot clinic at the newly constructed Everett Gateway Center, at 3726 Broadway, Suite 104, in Everett.

The new facility is only 10 blocks from Cascade’s previous location on Colby Avenue and offers Everett-area physicians and their patients improved access to Cascade’s physical and hand therapy specialists, the clinic said.

This therapist-owned clinic is one of four Cascade locations in Snohomish County. Cascade also operates clinics in Harbour Pointe, Silver Lake and Smokey Point.

To introduce physicians, patients and the public to their new clinic, Cascade’s team of therapists will host an open house beginning at noon Nov. 9.

EvCC Early Learning Center
earns national accreditation
Everett Community College’s Early Learning Center has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children — the nation’s leading organization of early-childhood professionals.

“We’re proud to be accredited by NAEYC and recognized for reaching the highest professional standards,” said ELC Director Kelly Davidson.

EvCC’s Early Learning Center provides licensed child care for 75 children 1 to 5 years old. EvCC student families receive priority enrollment, but the center also serves some community families and families of EvCC faculty and staff.

More than 11,000 early-childhood programs nationwide serving more than 1 million young children are currently accredited by NAEYC. To earn accreditation, a program conducts a self-study to determine how well it meets NAEYC standards. After necessary improvements are made, the program is observed by independent, professional evaluators and then reviewed by a national panel.

EvCC’s Early Learning Center earned accreditation through March 2011. For more information about the center, call 425-388-9121.

Perteet opens fourth office
Perteet Inc., an Everett-based transportation consulting firm, opened its fourth office in downtown Seattle.

“Our company is dedicated to serving our clients, and expansion to Seattle helped us better serve the central Puget Sound market,” Perteet President Kevin Weed said.

Perteet serves the south Puget Sound from its Tacoma-area office in Lakewood and the north Puget Sound from its headquarters in Everett. A project office is maintained in Snoqualmie.

Report: Ban on Paine Field
passenger flights unlikely
Any attempt by Snohomish County to prohibit passenger service flights at Paine Field would have to surmount numerous federal statutes that govern public airport uses and probably would not be possible, according to a legal opinion prepared for a citizens group that has been evaluating the issue.

In an Oct. 18 meeting, the Denver law firm of Kaplan, Kirsch and Rockwell, which specializes in aviation law and airport development issues, presented its 32-page report to the advisory committee appointed earlier this year by County Executive Aaron Reardon.

Even trying to discourage commercial flights, with documents such as the 1979 mediated agreement between citizens and the county, has little legal basis for success, the report concluded.

Basically, then, whether there are passenger flights at the airfield will depend upon when and whether airlines are interested in using the airport to serve the travel needs of people in Snohomish County.

NW Women’s Business Center
celebrates grand re-opening
The Northwest Women’s Business Center celebrated a grand re-opening in October following its receipt of a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Office hours at the resource center in Edmonds had been reduced when the federal funding cycle misaligned with the organization’s fiscal year, according to NW WBC Director Tiffany McVeety, but now it’s “full steam ahead.”

McVeety said the center plans to bring more than $1.3 million into the state to train, mentor and counsel small-business owners after in-kind and match requirements are met.

“The SBA grant is for a little over $500,000 over the five-year period. It is my responsibility to find a 1-to-1 match for that money. Now the ‘Challenge’ fund raising begins,” she said.

For more information on the center, call 425-954-4040 or go online to www.nwwbc.org.

New report measures
competitiveness of state
The Association of Washington Business and the Washington Research Council have completed the “2007 Competitiveness Redbook,” a report that provides a snapshot of Washington’s business climate compared to that of all 50 states in the nation.

While many key factors demonstrate an increased strong performance, the usual suspects continue to reduce Washington’s competitiveness, according to the AWB.

“Since 1990, Washington has added more than 450,000 jobs, propelled to the fourth highest in R-and-D expenditures and invested more than $350 million in venture capital,” AWB President Don Brunell said. “The flip side is that businesses in Washington still face one of the most costly tax burdens in the nation. Unemployment insurance taxes are still the highest in the nation; health spending has almost doubled; and the state minimum wage continues to rise.”

To obtain a copy of the “Redbook,” contact AWB’s Shawn Sullivan by calling 360-943-1600 or sending e-mail to ShawnS@awb.org. The report costs $7, with shipping included.

Jobless rate rises,
so do number of new jobs
Snohomish County’s jobless rate rose by half a percentage point in September, to 4.6 percent, but officials say it was mostly because of an increase in newcomers looking for work and an end to summer jobs.

What also went up in September was the number of new jobs in the county. About 800 were added during the month alone, nearly 20 percent of the jobs added throughout the state.

Donna Thompson, the local labor economist for the state’s Employment Security Department, said the county has added 15,500 jobs during the past year, a growth rate of 6.9 percent. That’s more than twice as fast as the state’s annual growth rate of 3.1 percent.

Statewide, the unemployment rate was 5.3 percent in September, one percentage point higher than the previous month.

Local jobs increased in September in the service sector, which added 400; schools and colleges, which added 600; administrative, support and waste management, which added 500; and temporary agencies, which added 300. While manufacturing lost jobs as a whole, the Boeing Co. and other aerospace firms added 300 jobs.

Sectors losing jobs included retailers, who dropped 300. But that likely will change with the recent opening of the new Costco, Kohl’s and Target stores in the county. Leisure and hospitality businesses dropped 700 jobs, mostly in hotels and motels, which are seasonal because of summer tourism and recreation.