20
BBJ STAFF [email protected] The major renovation of West- ern Washington University’s Miller Hall and the five-story addition to the Buchanan Towers residence hall were completed just in time for classes to start Sept. 28. The $51.5 million Miller Hall project, funded by the state Legislature, renovated the 134,000-square-foot building, located on the university’s Red Square. The project included ren- ovations to classrooms, computer labs and offices. All building sys- tems such as heat and electricity, elevators, roofing and windows were also replaced. “This significant renovation of Miller Hall, one of our cam- pus’ most iconic buildings, will result in a substantially improved educational facility and place of learning for our students,” West- ern President Bruce Shepard said in a press release. Miller Hall, originally WWU’s Campus School, was built in 1943 and enlarged in 1968. Since then, no major renovation work had been done to the building prior to this project. The building renovation had a strong green focus and was designed to achieve a rating of LEED Silver or higher. Where possible, the project team used recycled and recyclable prod- Dashi Noodle Bar, Page 3 OCTOBER 2011 Year 19 No. 10 $2 Profile | Whatcom Women in Business Space reserved for mailing label SEE STORY ON PAGE 8: Whatcom Women in Business will hosts its annual banquet Oct. 25 and announce the winner of the Professional Woman of the Year award. Besides honoring local women business leaders, the annual fundraiser also supports the organization’s scholar- ships. The group awarded 15 $1,000 scholarships this year to women attending college, said vice president of publicity Sheila Connors (right), pictured with president Tally Rabatin (left). Isaac Bonnell | BBJ WWU opens new dorms, remodeled Miller Hall SEE WESTERN | PAGE 2 BBJ STAFF [email protected] A new study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average Bellingham worker in May 2010 earned $19.92 per hour, about 7 percent less than the national average of $21.35. The study also includes employment counts and aver- age wages separated by industry. Some of the highlights: each had more than 10 percent of the total employment in the area: office and administrative support (15.7 percent), sales (11.5 per- cent), and food preparation and serving (10.8 percent). the area were the highest paid at $46.42 per hour, followed by architecture and engineering occupations at $38.83 per hour. jobs averaged $24.47 per hour in the area, above the U.S. average of $21.09 per hour. tions also earned more locally than nationally, $26.31 per hour compared to $20.43 per hour. Bellingham workers earn 7% below national average

Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

October 05, 2011 edition of the Bellingham Business Journal

Citation preview

Page 1: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

BBJ [email protected]

The major renovation of West-ern Washington University’s Miller Hall and the five-story addition to the Buchanan Towers residence hall were completed just in time for classes to start Sept. 28.

The $51.5 million Miller

Hall project, funded by the state Legislature, renovated the 134,000-square-foot building, located on the university’s Red Square. The project included ren-ovations to classrooms, computer labs and offices. All building sys-tems such as heat and electricity, elevators, roofing and windows were also replaced.

“This significant renovation

of Miller Hall, one of our cam-pus’ most iconic buildings, will result in a substantially improved educational facility and place of learning for our students,” West-ern President Bruce Shepard said in a press release.

Miller Hall, originally WWU’s Campus School, was built in 1943 and enlarged in 1968. Since then, no major renovation work

had been done to the building prior to this project.

The building renovation had a strong green focus and was designed to achieve a rating of LEED Silver or higher. Where possible, the project team used recycled and recyclable prod-

Dashi Noodle Bar, Page 3

OCT

OBE

R 20

11Ye

ar 1

9 N

o. 1

0 $2

Profi le | Whatcom Women in Business

Space reserved for mailing label

SEE STORY ON PAGE 8: Whatcom Women in Business will hosts its annual banquet Oct. 25 and announce the winner of the Professional Woman of the Year award. Besides honoring local women business leaders, the annual fundraiser also supports the organization’s scholar-ships. The group awarded 15 $1,000 scholarships this year to women attending college, said vice president of publicity Sheila Connors (right), pictured with president Tally Rabatin (left). Isaac Bonnell | BBJ

WWU opens new dorms, remodeled Miller Hall

SEE WESTERN | PAGE 2

BBJ [email protected]

A new study by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average Bellingham worker in May 2010 earned $19.92 per hour, about 7 percent less than the national average of $21.35.

The study also includes employment counts and aver-age wages separated by industry. Some of the highlights:

each had more than 10 percent of the total employment in the area: office and administrative support (15.7 percent), sales (11.5 per-cent), and food preparation and serving (10.8 percent).

the area were the highest paid at $46.42 per hour, followed by architecture and engineering occupations at $38.83 per hour.

jobs averaged $24.47 per hour in the area, above the U.S. average of $21.09 per hour.

tions also earned more locally than nationally, $26.31 per hour compared to $20.43 per hour.

Bellingham workers earn 7% below national average

Page 2: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

2 BBJToday.com October 2011

BBJToday.comPhone Fax

Circulation:

Publisher:

Editorial:

Advertising:

Website:

BBJToday.com

TONY BOUCHARD

[email protected]

ISAAC BONNELL

[email protected]

OUR MISSIONTo bring to Whatcom County readers

the most complete, most fair and most in-depth business coverage possible, and

to be an invaluable tool local entrepreneurs use to grow their businesses.

ERIKA SAVOY

[email protected]

IN THIS ISSUEThe Buzz ..................................... 3

Dan Pike Q&A .............................. 5

Poticrete ..................................... 6

Kelli Linville Q&A .......................... 7

Whatcom Women in Business ........... 8

BBJ People ................................ 10

Doug Erickson Q&A ..................... 11

Nonprofit news ........................... 12

Jack Louws Q&A ......................... 13

BBJ Views .................................. 14

BBJ Data .................................. 15

CONTRIBUTORS

Charlie Sheldon

Rik Dalvit

ucts as well as products purchased locally, such as certified wood products from the Pacific North-west. A green roof was also installed over the new Student Collaboration Space, built in the existing courtyard.

At the southern end of campus, students have moved into the new 37,000-square-foot, 105-bed addition to Buchanan Towers.

The first four floors feature suites designed for four people, while the suites on the fifth floor can house five people. The first floor was also renovated for a retail café, large pub-lic seating and lounge area with study spaces, a com-puter room, indoor bike storage, office spaces and public bathrooms.

The project was designed to achieve a LEED Silver rating. Site improvements included a new WTA bus turn-out and transit shelter, reconfigured pedestrian pathways, sidewalks and on-site bicycle parking.

The eight-story Buch-anan Towers residence hall, originally built in 1971, previously had 424 beds and with the addition will have 529 beds.

In 2009, WWU issued $14.28 million in bonds to finance construction of the new addition. Western was the second issuer of Build America Bonds in the state. Build America Bonds were introduced by the federal government as part of its economic stimulus package in 2009 to offer increased financing alternatives to public agencies. Money to repay the bonds comes from Western’s residence hall system and is not state or taxpayer-funded.

Western

Get your daily BBJWant the most up-to-date business news? Then sign up for our daily email newsletter! Each day you’ll receive a synopsis of the most recent content on BBJToday.com.

Find out what new businesses are opening soon, keep up with people you know in the business community, dig through public records for leads — you never miss a beat with the daily newsletter.

Page 3: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

October 2011 BBJToday.com 3

BBJBUZZNewsorthy and notable items for Bellingham business

After closing the fine dining establishment Nimbus in early July, chef Josh Silverman is tak-ing on a new endeavor: noodles. He opened Dashi Noodle Bar in late Septermber at 207 Unity St. next to Ciao Thyme. Isaac Bonnell | BBJ

BY ISAAC [email protected]

Former Nimbus owner and chef Josh Silver-man has launched a new culinary adventure called Dashi Noodle Bar.

Located at 207 Unity St. next door to Ciao Thyme, Dashi Noodle Bar offers several types of noodle dishes and steamed buns.

“Basically it’s an Asian-influenced street cart at this point,” Silverman said. “It was an idea I’ve wanted to test out for years.”

Customers can pick the type of noodles, meat and broth to go in their soup, then customize with a vari-ety of condiments, includ-ing house-made kimchi.

The menu will vary each day and people will be able to create dishes such as Vietnamese pho or Japa-nese ramen.

“I’m not trying to be authentic — I’m just try-ing to make tasty food that people will enjoy,” Silver-man said. “It’s a very cus-tomizable concept. I think that’s what people will like about it.”

The restaurant is open Tuesday through Friday during lunchtime, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. Prices will range from $8 to $10. Some outdoor seating will be available when the weather permits, but the restaurant is oriented more toward take-out service.

If Dashi Noodle Bar does well in the first six months, Silverman said he will look for a permanent location with indoor seating.

After closing Nimbus in early July, Silverman said he is excited to be trying something new and to be joining the growing ranks of street food venues.

“Nimbus was a project that I poured my life into for five and a half years. But people’s desires are shifting,” he said, add-ing that he will keep the same values of fresh, local ingredients with his new endeavor. “People like the sense of authenticity with street food — and it’s usu-ally inexpensive.”

Former Nimbus owner Josh Silverman opens Dashi Noodle Bar

More bang for your buck

Place your ad today with The Bellingham

Business Journal.

Reach Bellingham’sTop Decision Makers.

Erika SavoyMarketing Consultant (360) [email protected]

(360) 647-88051321 King Street Suite 4 Bellingham WA, 98229

■ PUBLISHES Monday, February 6, 2012

■ AD RESERVE DEADLINE January 13, 2012

This comprehensive Business Directory enables Bellingham business professionals to look at the overall picture of their local area and industry. There are lists of a variety of industries including: Accounting fi rms, lawyers, largest employers, fastest-growing companies, home builders, and many more!

Access detailed information from hundreds of leading companies located within Bellingham

Acquire your prospects from public companies to private sectors and from large enterprises to small/medium businesses

Better prepare calls by researching local companies’ key facts, news and other resources

business

community

lifestyle

.............................................

Call The Bellingham Business Journal to reserve your space today!

Book Before

December 16th &

Receive 12% Off.

Don't miss out on the 2012 Book of Lists. To keep ad costs affordable, this Directory will be produced on book stock paper and provides the Bellingham Community with a list of businesses and services, and informational articles about Bellingham. With an extended shelf life, this full color directory gives your business/service a full year of exposure to your potential customers throughout Whatcom County.

4,500 copies of the 2012 Bellingham Business Journal Book of Lists will be distributed in The Bellingham Business Journal’s February 2012 publication. In addition, 300 copies of the directory will be distributed by the Bellingham Chamber of Commerce at events and venues throughout the year.

The Bellingham Business Journal presents

The 2012Book of Lists

Page 4: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

4 BBJToday.com October 2011

Chamber announces business of the year nominees

The Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce & Industry has chosen its small and large business of the year nominees for 2011. These organizations are being honored for their positive impact on the community.

The finalists for small business of the year, spon-sored by Comcast Business Services Group are: K&K Industries, Mt Baker Har-ley Davidson, NautiGirl Brands, Sunset Music DJ and The Upfront Theatre.

The finalists for large business of the year are: Bellingham Cold Storage, Birch Equipment Rental & Sales, Little Caesars, Louis Auto Glass and Whatcom

Land Title.The nominees for green

business are NW Recycling and Haven Design Work-shop.

Nominations for these awards are made from throughout the commu-nity, and a committee of chamber members makes the decision on the finalists in each category. Com-mittee members then visit each of the finalists, pres-ent to the group and vote on a winner.

The results will be announced at the cham-ber’s annual awards banquet, scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 8 at the Lakeway Inn and Confer-ence Center.

“With so many deserving companies in our county, and with dozens of nomi-nations sent in, making this decision is always dif-ficult for our nomination committee, and I thank all of them for their efforts,” Ken Oplinger, chamber

president and CEO, said in a press release.

NW Kennels expands space, plans open house

NW Kennels, located at 4796 Northwest Drive, will celebrate the expansion of indoor and outdoor space for dog daycare, training and boarding with an open house from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 8.

Owners Jane and Dale Jensen, who purchased the 40-year-old facility in 2006, have been upgrading the kennels, kitty condos, grooming area, com-puter system and outdoor spaces. The most recent remodel reconfigured the 6,400-square-foot kennel space and expanded the fenced outdoor recreation areas to 8,000 square feet.

BBJBUZZNewsorthy and notable items for Bellingham business

“We were inspired to move toward being a full-service kennel when we hired certified profes-sional dog trainer Michelle Edmondson,” Jane said in a press release. “We wanted to expand as we had the right people in the right places.”

With 30 years of experi-ence with dogs, Edmond-son plans to offer daycare programs with opportuni-ties for socializing and exercising with a bit of training. In addition, she will work with dogs who need special attention and cannot yet play in a social group setting, and all dogs will be temperament-tested.

The kennel accepts dogs of all breeds and ages and will work with geriatric or dogs with special health needs. Cat boarding is available in the kitty condo room, which features a TV aquarium and bird sounds. Up to 10 cats can stay in the individual spaces and 65 dogs may be boarded.

“We’re happy to be able to offer this excel-lent facility to pet lovers around Whatcom County,” Jane said in the press release. “We’ve taken the time to create a clean, safe place that will serve for years to come.”

For more information, visit www.nwkennels.com or call (360) 384-6578.

Sustainable Bellingham to host “solar salon”

Sustainable Bellingham is hosting an informational meeting about tax credits and business incentives for community solar projects from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Community Food Co-op Community Room.

A panel of experts will discuss the legal parame-ters, incentives and financ-ing options for community solar projects. For more information, visit www.sus-tainablebellingham.org.

Erin Baker to speak at WWU’s Bellingham Business Forum

Erin Baker, founder of Erin Baker’s Wholesome Baked Goods and creator of the Baker’s Breakfast Cookie, will be the keynote speaker at the 11th Annual Western Washington Uni-versity Bellingham Busi-ness Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. at the Hotel Bellweth-er ballroom, with lunch service beginning at noon; the keynote address will begin at 12:45 p.m.

After its start in a rented 4-H kitchen at the Island County Fair-grounds in 1994, Baker’s company has grown into a 20,000-square-foot bakery with distribution to more than 30 states. The com-pany’s steady growth and staying power is based on a “spend what you have” business philosophy.

The Bellingham Busi-ness Forum is an annual opportunity for business and civic leaders to con-nect with friends of the university and to enjoy an address by a prominent professional. All proceeds from the event support stu-dent scholarships.

Table sponsorships are available at the $1,000 Mount Challenger, $2,000 Mount Shuksan, and $3,000 Mount Baker lev-els. The Mount Baker

sponsorship establishes two named scholarships for the 2012-13 academic year for Whatcom County students.

Individual tickets are available for $50 each.

Reservations can be made online at www.foun-dation.wwu.edu/bbf or by calling (360) 650-6825.

Bellingham seeks ideas for 2012 tourism promotion grants

The city of Belling-ham has issued a request for proposals for the 2012 Tourism Promotion Pro-gram.

The program has been rebuilding its reserves after scaling back avail-able grant funding during the last couple of years due to decreased lodging tax revenues. Cities may use lodging tax, the state hotel and motel tax paid by guests spending the night in Bellingham, to fund tourism promotion activities such as radio and display ads, website devel-opment and other types of marketing that targets out-side visitors to the area.

“Tourism is an impor-tant and thriving part of our local economy,” Bell-ingham Mayor Dan Pike said in a press release. The city of Bellingham, with the help of the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, strives to award grants to organizations and events that highlight Bellingham as a tourism destination.

Completed applications are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7 at Bellingham City Hall. The grant application is available on the city’s website.

BBJ

Owned by Upper Skagit Indian Tribe

The Holidays are Just Around the Corner

Book Your Company Party Now! Book your holiday party by

to receive

Plus

and

Whether you need Meeting Space or a Party Place…

You’ll find it at The Skagit!

*Food minimum required. Management reserves all rights. Limits and restrictions apply.

Page 5: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

(360) 676-1168 x7320

- Byron Manering Brigid Collins Family Support Center

www.wecu.comBusiness Services:

A local lender with hometown values - it’s the WECU difference!®

“WECU® cares about our mission and our community. I know they are looking out for what is best for Brigid Collins. WECU® went out of their way to make our refinance easy and work for us.”

Left to right: Jim Langei of WECU and Byron Manering of Brigid Collins®

October 2011 BBJToday.com 5

BY ISAAC [email protected]

I sat down with incum-bent Bellingham Mayor Dan Pike to talk about his four years in office and the issues facing the city. Pike has received endorsements from state Sen. Kevin Ranker, Bellingham City Councilman Gene Knutson and the Bellingham/What-com County Professional Firefighters IAFF Local 106.

BBJ: What do you feel are the two most pressing issues facing the city of Bellingham?

I think one of the most pressing issues would be the Gateway Pacific Ter-minal. And the other is actually related to that: creating better employ-ment opportunities. I think some people think that I’m taking opposing views on parallel issues, but I’m not. I actually think that there’s consistency there that’s important.

On Gateway Pacific, peo-ple have made the accusa-tion that I had a rush to judgment, but the facts belie that. I was in favor of a multipurpose cargo facil-ity as it was presented to me last summer. And then in October, the proponents informed me and others, which I appreciated, that coal would be part of the mix. At that point I started looking more carefully at what was going on because I had some concerns about that commodity.

Then in February, they came out with more defini-tive documentation of what their proposal was and they also came out with a signed agreement with Peabody Energy, the largest coal producer in the world. It was clear that the terminal was a coal only terminal for all intents and purpos-es. It was up to 48 million tons of coal to be shipped per year during the first 10 years of operation. Then after 10 years they’re going to build another 6-million-ton facility that might be used for other cargos, and it might not, depending on what the market dictates.

As I looked around at the experience of other ports, I found that there was very little opportunity

Pike: ‘I’ve shown leadership on key issues’to mix other cargos with coal because loading coal is a very dirty process. Cer-tainly nobody wants coal dust in their wheat. And you don’t want coal mix-ing with potash or other commodities because it’s an impurity in those com-modities.

So at that point I put out a series of questions that I thought were important to be answered in order to make an informed deci-sion. I investigated those myself with the help of folks at the city and folks in the community, and I found that by just about any metric that you look at that facility under, it fails to meet the test of being a net positive for Bellingham and Whatcom County.

I think on the environ-mental side, those detri-ments are pretty clear. And it doesn’t really drive that many jobs for us in the long term. Using the pro-ponent’s own numbers, it’s a couple hundred jobs.

So I’m not discounting a couple hundred jobs, but then you have to start looking at the opportuni-ties that are lost or com-promised because of this. For example, we’ve got a waterfront redevelopment that using the port’s analy-sis suggests we could devel-op about 13,000 jobs in the next couple decades.

While certainly over that

timeframe we’re anticipat-ing some increase in train traffic, the difference is it’s an evolutionary versus rev-olutionary change. We have planned to accommodate the growth in rail through the growth of infrastruc-ture over time.

BBJ: What can the city do to help ensure that the business community here remains vibrant and varied?

That’s something I’ve been working on. One of the things I do on a regu-lar basis, I go around the community and I meet with businesses large and small just to find out what is working and what isn’t working. I take that infor-mation to heart and take it back to City Hall and think about ways that we can use that information to change how the interface between businesses and the city works, so that businesses have a better experience.

Under my administra-tion, we created the office of Business Relations and Economic Development. Tara Sundin and Darby Galligan have been key in doing outreach to business-es. Businesses can use them if they are looking to land or expand in Bellingham. They’ll basically help them (businesses) navigate their way through a process that even when it’s fairly opti-

mal, still can be daunting to people that only deal with it once or twice.

We’ve also worked on changing the culture at City Hall and we’ve had some significant success with that. For example, the Center for Economic Vitality does surveys of customer satisfaction with the Permit Center. Those satisfaction ratings have just shot way up over the last four years, from a majority of folks being unhappy with their experi-ence to an overwhelming majority feeling that they were treated profession-ally, appropriately and with courtesy. People found that the hurdles actually were not overwhelming, whereas four years ago when I took office, it was a much dif-ferent environment. Some

people stopped being will-ing to do business with the city because of the chal-lenges that they found.

Having my office open to people if they’re having challenges is important. I’ve let people know that if they reach an impasse at City Hall that they feel is unfair, they can always come talk to me — and people have done that.

BBJ: What skills or experience do you have that makes you the better choice for mayor?

Among other skills, I’ve got the experience of run-ning the city for the last four years and I’ve also got a background in public administration with train-ing and education that is very specific to managing a large organization like this.

This is not a legislative process; this is an execu-tive administrative process. So it’s not about creating policy, it’s about how you deliver on that policy. So during the most challeng-ing time to manage the city since the Depression, the city has been really well managed. Our bond rat-ing is stronger than it was when I took office. We’ve maintained our reserve targets for the general fund and other funds over that time.

In fact, this year we’re going to have a balanced

budget at a time when the state is facing additional multibillion dollar cuts and the feds are looking at multitrillion dollar cuts. So I’ve got the experience of having that effective man-agement.

Overall, in the basic management of the city, which is the core func-tion of this job, I think the proof is in the pudding. We’ve got a balanced bud-get and we’ve maintained our core capacity. I’ve shown leadership on key issues like getting the resto-ration of seven-day transit service and also getting money through that pro-cess to put people to work on doing paving of our roads and expanding our bike and pedestrian infra-structure.

I’ve also shown leader-ship on the watershed. I’ve worked with Ecology (Washington State Depart-ment of Ecology) very diligently to try to reach accommodation on how we can move forward. We’ve put a lot of city resources into this — I’ve spent more during my administration than all the previous administration’s combined on preserving the watershed and trying to find solutions to phos-phorus mitigation and removal.

ELECTION 2011

Bellingham mayor

Dan Pike

Page 6: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

6 BBJToday.com October 2011

City pours test batch of “poticrete” made from recycled toilets

Bellingham’s newest stretch of sidewalk, located along Ellis Street near the Bellingham Food Bank, looks like any other side-walk, but it’s what’s inside that makes it unique. The special concrete mix, dubbed “poticrete,” is made from crushed toilets rather than aggregate rock.

Through the recent Green Communities project at the Bellingham Housing Authority, Daw-son Construction salvaged more than 400 toilets that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Cowden Gravel and Ready Mix crushed them, and city of Belling-ham engineers developed and tested Bellingham’s

own poticrete mix.The poticrete mix is just

one of the experiments the city is doing to meet Green Road Certification Stan-dards. Other parts of the road improvement project include sections of side-walk made with 40 percent recycled concrete, porous pavers for parking, and small rain gardens.

“The bigger story is that we’re working on making this mandatory for public works projects — not just poticrete, but recycled crushed concrete,” said Freeman Anthony, public works project engineer. “We’ll give it a year to see how it behaves.”

Construction crews poured the poticrete Sept. 15 and the city held an official opening ceremony Sept. 29. The new sec-tion of sidewalk includes an inlaid toilet seat that explains the unique poti-crete mixture.

The next stage of the project is to work out a

donation site where people can drop off pieces of con-crete or old toilets to be crushed, Anthony said.

“About two hours after sending out the press release, I got a call from a guy who said ‘Hey, you want my toilet?’” he said.

Varner Sytsma Herndon changes name to VSH

The Bellingham account-ing firm Varner Sytsma Herndon has officially changed its name to VSH.

The firm will main-tain its logo featuring the “VSH” in geometric shapes, with a new title underneath that says “Certified Public Accountants” instead of “Varner Sytsma Herndon.” This logo has become widely recognized and has helped brand the group by

BBJBUZZNewsorthy and notable items for Bellingham business

these initials rather than the partner names.

“We felt VSH is easier to remember, spell and refer-ence,” founding partner Kathy Varner said in a press release. “This change will help increase name recognition, reinforce our logo, support online optimization efforts, and continue to keep us top of mind for our clients and referral partners.”

The Sugar Shack moves to Grand St.

The Sugar Shack Total Skin & Body Care, once a mobile spa, has moved to a brick and mortar location at 112 Grand Ave. in Bell-ingham.

The spa’s new location means that the Sugar Shack now offers an expanded

list of services, including manicures and pedicures, facials and peels, waxing and massage.

“We are really excited about this move to down-town Bellingham,” owner Arian Henders said in a press release. “Clients will love the new private mas-sage and treatment rooms. The atmosphere here is very classy and radiant. We hope people love this move as much as we do.”

Public works project engineer Freeman Anthony holds up the toilet seat that will be placed in the new section of sidewalk. The sidewalk is made from a special concrete mix dubbed poticrete because it’s made from more than 400 recycled toilets. Isaac Bonnell | BBJ

At Saturna Brokerage Services, we cherish the Bellingham individual

who’s just like us: local, independent, and persistent.

Saturna Brokerage Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saturna Capital Corporation.

800/SATURNA 360-734-9900 1300 N. State St. Bellingham, WA 98225 www.saturna.com/sbs

You’re persistent. You’re patient. You do your own research.

You’re ready to invest with a brokerage that’s just like you.

My is at capital

www.saturna.com/bellingham

Page 7: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

BBJToday.com 7 October 2011

BY ISAAC [email protected]

Former state Represen-tative Kelli Linville, who served 17 years in the Legislature, has thrown her hat into the race for mayor of Bellingham. She has received endorsements from the Bellingham Police Guild, the Whatcom Coun-ty Association of Realtors, and the Bellingham city employees union.

BBJ: What do you feel are the two most pressing issues facing the city of Bellingham?

Linville: The two most pressing issues are jobs and the economy, and qual-ity of life. Everything that we do, every decision we make, every investment we make I believe has to con-tribute to making Belling-ham the most livable city in the nation.

The city doesn’t create jobs, except for the appro-priate ones we have in the public sector. But the city can kind of set the table so that our existing businesses want to stay and grow, and new businesses want to move and do business here.

Bellingham has a reputa-tion for not being business-friendly. Whether it’s true or a figment of someone’s imagination, that is not a good reputation to have. There’s a lot of things we can do to change that.

Small businesses from 10

Linville: ‘I know my community and I’ve served my community’ELECTION 2011

Bellingham mayor

to 99 employees are where the economy is growing right now. But the larger employers are the ones that employ many of our construction workers, our laborers, our skilled trades-people. We have a sector of our economy that would benefit from an intense, focused, practical public works investment by the city. We could do that. We have a water main to Wade King Elementary School that’s not big enough, nor is the water tank big enough if there was a fire. It’s one little anecdote that shows that if we looked at our capital plan and focused our resources, we could put people back to work in our community that have been hardest hit by the recession.

We also have a wonder-ful educational system in Bellingham where we have the university, the technical college and the community college. They are willing and ready to partner with us to prepare the next generation of workers. Not every community has that resource.

There are partnership opportunities that we are not having happen now, like the partnership that could exist between the city and the technical col-lege on the maritime center hatchery. That is a partner-ship that could exist that is not proceeding. You can ask both the city and the technical college why that’s not happening. There are a lot of things we could be doing if we looked to our institutes of higher learn-ing.

BBJ: What can the city do to help ensure that the business community here remains vibrant and varied?

Linville: Overall, it’s hav-ing transparent, predict-able, consistent rules that everybody has to live by. I think that’s what having accountable government does — there are no sur-prises for the citizens or for a business. You know what the rules are, you play them and everybody is treated fairly.

I think we need to review our impact fee policy to make sure that it’s actually meeting the intent that it originally had, which was to have an impact on growth. It’s not just a formula by which we generate revenue. We should make sure that per-mit fees are covering the cost of getting the permit and basically aren’t gener-ated to pay for other pro-grams that aren’t related to planning and development.

Any economic develop-ment in Whatcom County affects us all. If it’s revenue generated to county, we all benefit from that. So I think we need to have better relationships with our economic partners, whether they’re private sector or public sector, to work through zoning issues, urban growth areas between municipalities and EDI (Economic Develop-ment Investment) funding decisions.

BBJ: What skills or experience do you have that makes you the better choice for mayor?

Linville: I think it’s important to know your community well. I believe you have to have served your community so that people know your style, they know what you’re able to do.

I know my community and I’ve served my com-munity, both before or during my 17 years in the Legislature. I have relation-ships with every existing political elected official at the federal, state and local level, including small town mayors, which gives me an advantage in representing Bellingham’s interests. I can choose first to negotiate first with people and sec-ond to go to court. I think going to court is a failure of the system.

And I have respect for public process. I would never have signed a con-tract on a piece of property that assumed all the liabil-ity, multi-millions of dol-lars of clean-up, and let the owner of the property off the hook. I would not have done that, and that’s what the mayor did on the R.G. Haley property.

I would never have

signed a contract with a national corporation that would allow them to directly sue the city and try to keep an initiative off the ballot, like with the red light cameras and ATS (American Traffic Solu-tions).

I would have used our Greenways committee and parks committee anytime I was thinking about using funds that the citizens have voted to allow us to buy property. They voted to give us their money so we need to include them when we decide to spend it —

and not how we’re going to pay for it, but what pur-chases we’re going to make.

The mayor’s job is to manage the budget and the employees. The council’s job is to make the policy decisions and adopt a final budget. If the council doesn’t have the informa-tion they need from the mayor — if information is withheld or incorrect information is given — then the City Council can’t do their job. So the first thing you learn in politics is your word is your bond. If you don’t give everybody all the information they need to make a decision and they’re the one’s that have to make it, then a bond is broken.

I have a record of results. The current mayor has talked a lot about things, but I see an empty water-front. I see lake quality continuing to decline. I see a business climate that if anything has gotten more difficult — and it’s not just because of the economy, because we have other places in the state and in the county that happen to be doing better.

Kelli Linville

Are you opening a new business, or do you know someone who is? Call The BBJ! Many of the stories you just read started with a tip from our readers. Drop us a line, send an email, or get in touch with our reporters on Facebook or Twitter.

#101 4210 GUIDE MERDIAN STwww.A1CleanersinUS.com 360-656-5253

We’re Dedicated to keeping our Cleaning Quality High & Prices Low!

$3.99+TaxReg. $4.99 $19.99+Tax.99¢

+TaxReg. $1.49

Towing

If a driver is arrested for DUI the car must be impounded. If the driver is also the vehicle owner the car will be held for 12 hours. Only the vehicle owner can facilitate the release of a car in impound and not all jails can book DUI drivers. If you can’t lock up the driver, lock up the car until the driver sobers up. This is not a silver bullet but will help protect citizens from DUI driver’s re-offending immediately after arrest.

I just heard about “Hailey’s Law” being passed. What is “Hailey’s Law?”

Johnson's Towing Inc.360.733.4232 24 hour service

Follow uswww.johnsonstowinginc.com

Computer Service

Eric E Johnson Data-Link West Inc(360) 734-8911

Are you an expert in your field?

Would you like to share your knowledgewith others?

Call The Bellingham

Business Journal at (360) 647-8805

for more information and you can be one of our experts next month.

Page 8: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

8 BBJToday.com October 2011

BY ISAAC [email protected]

They say tough times bring people together, that challenges strengthen rela-tionships.

Such is the case for Whatcom Women in Busi-ness, a nonprofit group that mentors women in leadership positions and provides scholarships for women going to college. During the most challeng-ing business climate in decades, the group now has 41 members, the highest membership in its 33-year history.

With all the different business groups in What-com County, what draws women to this group?

“It’s about getting togeth-er and mentoring,” said Tally Rabatin, president of the organization and

owner of Totally Unique Designs. “There’s an educa-tion aspect to every meet-ing throughout the year. I think that’s the reason our group is thriving.”

Founded in 1978, the group set out with a mis-sion to promote a posi-tive image of professional women in business while developing leadership skills through mutual support and mentorship. The group meets once a month to discuss issues and oppor-tunities for business and personal growth.

The group has a very personal atmosphere, Rabatin said.

“It’s not really about net-working because we’ve all gotten to know each other,” she said. “Personally, what I enjoy is the mentorship. The other women in the group have been in busi-

Whatcom Women in Business celebrates women in leadership

Professional Woman of the Year finalistsEach year, Whatcom Women in Business accepts nominations for its Professional Woman of the Year award. The group then selects the finalists from among those nominations. The finalists this year are:

The monthly meetings of Whatcom Women in Business are about more than networking — it’s about mentoring each other, said President Tally Rabatin (left), pictured with Sheila Connors, vice president of publicity. Isaac Bonnell | BBJ

Annual banquet on Oct. 25 celebrates hardworking women in the business community, raises money for scholarships

ness so much longer than I have and they are willing to mentor. All these women are here to support you.”

Once a year, the group hosts an awards banquet

and fundraiser to support its scholarship program. With the success of last year’s fundraiser, the group was able to award 15 $1,000 scholarships to

women going to college this year.

The 230 seats at the ban-quet sell out fast, Rabatin said.

“You look around the

room and say, ‘Dang! This is a powerhouse of top women in business.’ It’s a great event to go to if you’re a single guy,” she said.

Fine Residential Cleaning

Over 25 Years Experience

When you require only the best!

714-1809

Insured Licensed Bonded Experienced Reputable

ProfessionalCleaning Services

Page 9: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

October 2011 BBJToday.com 9

Womenin BusinessWhatcom

2011

Page 10: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

10 BBJToday.com October 2011

BBJPEOPLE

Chris Sullivan becomes a partner at VSH

The accounting firm VSH recently announced Chris Sullivan as a partner alongside Kathy Varner, Robert Sytsma, and Kathy Herndon

“We are very excited to have Chris as a partner in our firm and value the expertise she has brought to our group,” founding partner Kathy Varner said in a press release. “She has played a critical role in our cross-border team and

our relationships with our domestic and Canadian clients.”

Sullivan has been with the firm for 11 years, and has been a principal for the past two. She earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from Western Washington University in 1999, and completed the International Taxation program at Golden Gate University. She is a speaker and local specialist on cross-border taxation for businesses and individuals. Sullivan handles everything from business formations to exit strategies and merg-ers, and enjoys working

with clients looking to reach to global markets.

Mark Wallace becomes part owner of Bay City Financial Services

Mark Wallace has been named vice president and has become a part owner of Bay City Financial Ser-vices.

Wallce has been a finan-cial adviser with Bay City Financial Services since 1998, providing money management and financial planning services to indi-viduals, small businesses

and not-for-profits. He is a Bellingham native and a graduate from Western Washington University.

Scherer appointed as director of The Interna-tional Au Pair Exchange

The International Au Pair Exchange (TIAPE) recently appointed Julie Scherer as its new direc-tor. Scherer will be leading the company in its mission to create life-enriching opportunities by combin-ing cultural exchange with quality, flexible and afford-able childcare.

Scherer joins TIAPE with 15 years of experience in the au pair industry. She has spent a large portion of this time providing support to more than 1,000 families and au pairs in the greater Seattle area. She also has experience in other cross-cultural exchange programs including lead-ing tours in Italy, Spain, Portugal and France, host-ing language immersion

programs for visitors from Korea and serving on an international service team to Romania.

With a business back-ground from the University of Washington’s School of Business Administration and her extensive experi-ence, Scherer brings the knowledge and experience required to succeed in this industry.

“Julie Scherer is the leader we needed in the director’s seat. She brings the marketing and busi-ness experience we need to make this program a successful venture,” TIAPE co-founder Jason Ankeny said in a press release. “More importantly, Julie shares our vision for the au pair program. I am confi-dent that she, along with our phenomenal staff, will make this program a suc-cess.”

Headquartered in Bell-ingham, TIAPE is a U.S. Department of State des-ignated au pair program. As a designated sponsor, TIAPE places young adults age 18 to 26 from other countries with families in the United States looking for childcare.

TIAPE works with care-fully selected international partners to screen and

match qualified au pairs with their host families. Through this placement, TIAPE provides a life-enriching experience in the United States for these young adults and quality, affordable childcare for the family.

Thomas Lyden joins Jonathan Rands law firm

Jonathan Rands Attor-ney at Law welcomes associate attorney Thomas Lyden. Prior to joining the firm, Lyden worked as a public defender in Whatcom County Dis-trict Court. He managed a heavy criminal defense case load and was respon-sible for supervising the district court attorneys.

Jonathan Rands con-centrates his practice on DUI defense and all other alcohol related offenses. As an associate, Lyden’s role will include representation at Department of Licensing Administrative hearings, minor in possession charg-es, probation violations, as well as defending those accused of DUI and all alcohol related charges.

Page 11: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

October 2011 BBJToday.com 11

BY ISAAC [email protected]

Doug Ericksen is no stranger on the ballot. He was elected as a state repre-sentative in 1998, became a state senator in 2010, and now is running for What-com County executive. He has received endorsements from state Rep. Jason Over-street, state Rep. Vincent Buys and the Whatcom County Association of Realtors.

BBJ: What do you feel are the two most pressing issues facing Whatcom County?

Ericksen: I think the number one issue is the leadership void at the county level. Whatcom County needs a county executive who’s willing to stand up for job creation, has the experience get-ting those kinds of things accomplished and is will-ing to lead.

America is stuck in neu-tral, job creation is stuck in neutral — our next county executive can’t be stuck in neutral when it comes to major job-creating activi-ties in Whatcom County. That’s the number one thing I think we really need and what people are look-ing for are more decisions and fewer commissions out of their next county executive. That’s what I’m

focused in on. The second biggest issue

that we face, if you look at it from a pure job-creating standpoint, is the Gateway Pacific Terminal. There’s no way around that. A $700 million investment is huge to our area, par-ticularly at a time when job creation has stagnated around the country and here in Washington state.

I’m on the record sup-porting the Gateway Pacif-ic Terminal, if they live up to the commitments that they’re making. If they live up to their commitments, we need a county execu-tive who’s going to work with them to get that done, because it’s not just about Cherry Point. These kind of companies are looking at Prince Rupert, they’re looking to Tsawwassen to expand, they’re looking on the Columbia River. So we’re still in a competition with other regions to get this built. Your next county executive can’t just sit back and say ‘I’m going to be neutral.’ I think we need a county executive who is working to get that kind of job-creating project accom-plished.

BBJ: What can the county do to help ensure that the business commu-

nity here remains vibrant and varied?

Ericksen: The number one thing is to put out the welcome mat. You need to have a county executive who is making job creation the top priority for county government. I think that goes a long ways.

And the three things I think businesses care the most about when looking to locate: taxation, regula-tion and litigation. So do businesses here in What-com County and those who are looking to relocate here, do they think we have a stable tax environment? I’m pledging to not raise taxes — or at the mini-mum require any new tax increase go to a vote of the public. And if we do our job right, we won’t need to raise taxes. That gives the business community cer-tainty in the tax structure.

On the regulatory front, I’m advocating for a restructuring of the plan-ning and services division to move us toward pro-grammatic permitting — checklist-type permitting for smaller projects that would allow us to focus our time and effort on job-creating stuff like SSA.

On to litigation. One of the things we’ll be going through here in Whatcom

County will be the critical areas ordinance (CAO) rewrite. What I’m commit-ted to doing is bringing in outside scientists, doing our own best available science, not relaying on the Department of Ecol-ogy, and putting in place a more reasonable CAO with regard to buffers and permit certainty. And then if we get sued, these busi-nesses have to know that the county is going to be there to protect them.

And not only that, we’ll be helping the small cities also when it comes to their CAOs. When you go to Everson or Blaine or Nook-sack or Sumas, they don’t have the resources to be able to go out and bring in outside experts. It benefits everybody and I think the county has the ability to be the lead on that.

And the other thing is that’s where I have the experience, the record of being able to take the heat and make the tough deci-sions. When we stood up to the people who were trying to raise the MATCA taxes on the refineries, we pushed back hard on that and put together a very broad coalition of groups that opposed it and we were able to fight that back. That’s the kind of leader-

ship you need to be able to put together that proven history of getting things accomplished.

BBJ: What skills or experience do you have that makes you the better choice for county execu-tive?

Ericksen: I think it’s my experience and willingness to lead. You can’t be neutral as county executive. You can’t be a dictator obvi-ously, but you have to give people a clear vision on where you want to go.

I think it’s the leader-ship and the experience that I have that really separates me from my opponent. I’ve negotiated multi-billion-dollar deals

on transportation. When I went to Olympia, I made getting the Guide Merid-ian project a priority and we got it done. That’s a huge project for Whatcom County. You can take that same type of success I’ve had on the Guide Meridian project, the truck crossing in Blaine, Highway 9 in Sumas, even the building of the sports fields here — I apply that same type of expertise and leadership to getting the jail built in a timely fashion.

So that’s where my opponent doesn’t have the same depth of knowl-edge in terms of how the political structure works. And let’s be honest: being county executive is just as much political as it is busi-ness. You have to be able to navigate those political waters to get these projects accomplished. And you do that by bringing people together, not to sit around a table and say ‘Well what do you think?’ You bring them together to say ‘Here’s the vision that I was elect-ed to accomplish and now let’s go out there and get that done, and how do we do that working together as a team.

Ericksen: ‘You can’t be neutral as county executive’ELECTION 2011

County executive

Doug Ericksen

2011 Election coverageTell us what you think of the candidates for local office. Check out the letter to the editor guidelines on Page 14.

Though this issue only covers two races, we’d love to hear your opinion about other races as well.

Also, check out BBJ Today.com after election day, Nov. 8 , for updated information about election results. See who is leading in state and local races, and which initiatives passed or failed.

2011 CAMPAIGN EXECUTIVE TEAM (L to R): El issa Barker, Loaned Executive from WECU® ; Nancy Lewis, Sponsored Executive; Patty Boyce, Sponsored Executive; Bob Warren, Loaned Executive from BP Cherry Point Refinery; Dustin Bruland, Loaned Executive from Banner Bank; Kellie Edwards, Loaned Executive from Samson Rope

ONE GIFT TO UNITED WAY OF WHATCOM COUNTY’S SAFETY NET TOUCHES MORE THAN 150,000+ PEOPLE RIGHT HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY!

G IVE . ADVOCATE . VOLUNTEER . LIVE UNITED T M UNITED WAY OF WHATCOM COUNTY

(360) 733-8670 WWW.UNITEDWAYWHATCOM.ORG

Page 12: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

12 BBJToday.com October 2011

Brigid Collins receives $20K grant

Brigid Collins was recently awarded a $20,000 grant from the Medina Foundation. The Medina Foundation is a family foundation based in Seattle that awards grants around Puget Sound. It launched its Capacity Building Ini-tiative to build the strength and resilience of nonprofits

that provide critical ser-vices in Skagit and What-com counties. A total of $200,350 has been granted through the initiative.

This award will help Brigid Collins focus on its sustainability by creating a plan for major donor development and piloting a sustainable fundraising model.

Brigid Collins is a non-profit that works to break the cycle of child abuse through supporting fami-

lies. All programs and ser-vices are free of charge to the families served.

Walton Beverage, Whatcom Community Foundation give $39,000 to charities

Walton Beverage, a local Pepsi distributor, and Whatcom Community Foundation teamed up

for the 2nd annual Local Pepsi Refresh Project to give away $39,000 in chari-table grants to refresh and improve the local com-munity.

Local nonprofit orga-nizations from Whatcom and Skagit counties sub-mitted proposals to the Local Pepsi Refresh Project online earlier this sum-mer. The public then voted online for their favorite proposal and submit-ted “power votes” which allowed one vote for each dollar spent on Pepsi prod-ucts.

“It’s all about the organi-

zations in our community doing great work,” Phil Isle, CEO of Walton Beverage, said in a press release. “And we couldn’t do this without the help of the Whatcom Community Foundation.”

The four organizations that received the most votes were granted $10,000 for first prize, $6,000 for second, $4,000 for third and $2,000 for fourth.

for Educating Families and Fostering Community Through Life Skills pro-grams

$6,000 for the St. Francis

Intergenerational Garden project

Dogs, $4,000 for the S.O.S. (Serving Our Soldiers) project

Library, $2,000 for the Early Learning and Lit-eracy Space

Fourteen organiza-tions received “Standout Awards” for their compel-ling proposals:

-ger, $1,500 for the Feeding Your Neighbors program to help the Bellingham Food Bank buy 100,000 pounds of food

Mt. Baker Chapter, $2,000 for the Catastrophic Shelter Plan, preparing today to save lives tomorrow

Club, $1,500 to help fund the Blaine Boys and Girls Club and middle school football teams

Academy, $500 for the Whatcom Independent

-ing Project

Center of Skagit County, $1,000 to help with the remodel and outfitting costs of Phase One of the Living Awareness program

Land Trust, $900 to make homes permanently afford-able

Elementary School, $1,000 to keep students in school, decrease truancy, drop out rates, drug dependency, gang involvement and vio-lence

Arts, $500 for the Babes in Toyland musical at McIn-

-dation, $1,500 to save local youth sports programs

Camp Inc., $2,100 for a week-long camp for local foster kids ages 7 to 11 who have a history of abuse and/or neglect in their lives

-tion, $500 for emergency veterinary grants to low income people of compan-ion animals in an attempt to keep them in the home

Nuter is Cuter! program

Council on Aging, $1,500 for fresh produce for the Meals on Wheels program

Center, $1,500 for the Pan-try on Wheels program, getting food to homebound people in need

For more information about the Local Pepsi Refresh Project, visit www.waltonbeverage.com.

NONPROFITNEWS

With Union Bank, the world can be an easy place to do business. Call us today.

Commercial Banking:

Ken Altena

Commercial Treasury Services:

Janet Davidson

Page 13: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

Contact: Shirley McFearin, Real Estate Development Manager, BrokerOffice: 360.676.2500 Cell: 360.739.2519

F O R L E A S EHarbor Mall

A558-1,900 square feet available

October 2011 BBJToday.com 13

BY ISAAC [email protected]

Jack Louws has a long resume of work in both local government and the private sector. I sat down with him after the primary election to talk about why he is running for Whatcom Count executive. He has received endorsements from Port of Bellingham Commissioner Scott Walker, Lummi Indian Business Council member Darrell Hillaire and former Whatcom County Planning Director David Stalheim.

BBJ: What do you feel are the two most pressing issues facing Whatcom County?

Louws: Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs. Jobs is number one. We can break that down into both non-agricultural and agricultural.

Then the second one that we really need to work on is the Lake Whatcom issue. It’s been with us for the last 15 or 20 years. We need to get to more project-based solutions so that we are talking about the lake in a different framework than what we are currently.

On the jobs end of it, one thing that we need to do is walk alongside of our existing businesses to make sure that they have the opportunity to thrive and survive in today’s environ-ment. Ways that we can do that with large businesses is to be working with BP and Conoco and Intalco and

Louws: ‘I bring a broad-based range of experience’ELECTION 2011

County executive

make sure that we work with them on regulations, taxes, electrical rates and do what we can to protect those businesses because those are really the linch-pins of our local economy. So we need to protect what we have first, both on the large business end and the small business end.

Small business seems to be lagging in the recovery more than big business is right now. We need to be cognizant of that fact. Two things I’d like to do: Much like the economic develop-ment investment (EDI) program now is helping out low-income housing, I would like to extend or rework that program so we could help small and medi-um businesses out through permitting processes and have the EDI fund back-fill the municipalities for impact fees that they would be charging small busi-nesses. We would be able to reduce their capital costs on projects.

Of course it takes the approval of the Whatcom County Council and EDI Board to make that hap-pen, but I’d like to enter into that conversation very quickly after the first of the year.

Secondly, I’d like to do what we did in Lynden and take council, planning commission members and interested citizens and I’d like to put a group together to work through the county code. Not necessar-ily to change the intent of the code, but to tie them all back together so that we can pull the inconsistencies out of it so that we’d be able to streamline the permit-ting process for applicants.

I’m in the manufacturing business and I’m involved in the industry. Permitting is a challenge for business-es right now, and one way we can help right now is to make that as efficient as we reasonably can. We had a lot of success with that in Lynden and I’d like to extend that to the county and work on continuous improvements.

On the Lake Whatcom issue, I think that we need to continue to work with Bellingham and the Lake Whatcom Water and Sewer District. Reading the Lake Whatcom Management Plan, a lot of the emphasis is on management and monitoring. I’d like us to shift more dollars into project-based solutions. I’d like to possibly use REET (real estate excise tax) funds and Conservation Futures Funds and identify specific projects and use those monies to buy proj-ect-specific lands so that as we go in and rebuild roads and do road improve-ments that we incorporate water quality as an integral component in each one of those projects.

Ultimately, it’s taken a lot of years to get the lake to the condition it’s in and it’s going to take a lot of years to bring it out of that. I think we just need to be more proactive with it and do what we reasonably can on an ongoing basis.

BBJ: What can the county do to help ensure that the business commu-nity here remains vibrant and varied?

Louws: One of the chal-lenges that I see is avail-ability of manufacturing

and industrial lands and options for local businesses in relation to where they locate. Along with that is doing the best that we can to keep the capital costs down for them.

If there’s specific areas where we could put the public improvements — stormwater, water, data, fiber — any areas where we could help develop some of the public infrastruc-ture and reduce the cost for businesses to move in would be great. Ultimately, we’re trying to compart-mentalize where specific businesses go to a level that I don’t think is allowing enough flexibility for busi-ness owners to make good decisions. They look at it and they go, ‘My business is growing, it’s 5-years-old, but I can’t go in and spend $250,000 an acre on prop-erty.’ We just need to leave viable options for that.

BBJ: What skills or experience do you have that makes you the better

choice for county execu-tive?

Louws: I have 29 years of private sector experience as a local business owner. Currently Louws Truss has offices in Ferndale, Burlington and Everett. I still own it and my son is running it. We have 73 employees and by virtue of being in business for the last 29 years and being suc-cessful with it, I think that I’ve shown that I do have

the private sector experi-ence to do that.

Alongside of that, I served four years on the Lynden City Council and eight years Lynden mayor. I’ve worked with budgets, I’ve worked with person-nel, and I’ve worked with the community. We accom-plished about $60 million of infrastructure projects in Lynden during those eight years.

And I think I bring to the table a broad-based range of experience that’s relevant to being the county CEO. The county has 820 employees, it’s got about a $170 million bud-get and a lot of the execu-tive’s work directly relates to managing that business. I feel that I’ve got great qualifications to be able to handle that.

Jack Louws

Page 14: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

BBJCOMMUNITY

Off Beat by Rik Dalvit

BBJVIEWSBBJNOTEBOOK

14 BBJToday.com October 2011

When I ask people what they want to see from the port in the years ahead, jobs are at the top of everyone’s list. Our community needs more jobs and they are hard to come by. Cities and the counties have to run courts, police, fire, jails and much more. It is ports that are expected to generate jobs and transportation facilities. I believe that jobs are the main purpose of a public port.

We have more than 250 businesses operating on port property and each of these businesses provides local jobs. During this economic downturn, we have worked with struggling businesses to move them to smaller spaces, or provide greater flexibility in payment plans to increase their chances of surviving this recession. Some have closed, but many others have continued or even expand-ed. Just one of our tenants, Bellingham Cold Storage, sup-ports more than 1,000 jobs in this community, and our marine trades sector supports thousands more.

Recently we kicked off a $2 million construction proj-ect in Fairhaven that will house Index Sensors, which is moving to Bellingham from Stanwood and adding 35 to 50 new jobs to the community. This work is being done in partnership with our new tenant and with Whatcom County, which provided Economic Development Invest-ment funds for support.

Another example is Seaview North, a boatyard and ves-sel service company, which has continued to increase the space it leases and operates.

Earlier this year, port commissioners decided to reduce moorage rates for active commercial fishermen in a multi-year effort to recruit more fishing boats from Southeast Alaska and southern Puget Sound to Whatcom County. This fishing season has had record-breaking success and our harbors are packed with fishing vessels. Our fish processors are incredibly busy. We are working with more than 200 marine trades businesses throughout Whatcom County to develop a marine trades directory and to promote their businesses in trade shows through-out the region, with the goal of having more people bring vessels to Whatcom County for service and repair.

We also work with small cities to help them move for-ward with their economic development projects. Each

year the commissioners set aside funds that the Small Cities Partnership Group works with to provide matching money to the small cities. These funds have helped nearly every community in Whatcom County and we look for-ward to future successes.

The port’s own construction projects provide jobs as well. We are in the middle of a $38 million airport pas-senger terminal expansion project that is generating hun-dreds of construction jobs. We are just beginning a $7.5 million dredging and dock-building project at Squalicum Harbor that will improve moorage and will provide capping material for the early phase of the Cornwall Avenue Landfill cleanup. This fall and winter we will be demolishing additional buildings on the Georgia-Pacific site and will begin early contamination cleanup projects there. These projects will provide work for demolition experts, environmental scientists and others.

We are aggressively seeking maritime businesses to use our shipping terminal and adjacent waterfront properties for interim uses that will bring us yet more jobs.

Finally, our airport provides services that support hundreds of companies in this county by providing the freight and passenger connections necessary for busi-nesses to locate and expand here. The airport is a huge economic driver.

We take our role as a job provider seriously. We look forward to new opportunities in the months ahead. Jobs are the key focus for residents in Whatcom County. Jobs are exactly what the Port of Bellingham is about.

Letters Gravel and politics

In three successive meetings over the past two years, an entire community in the Saxon Road area has appealed to the County Council to save the quality of life of its citizens, their property values, and even their basic health and well-being, all of which are fundamentally threatened by a totally unnecessary and unwarranted creation of a vast gravel mining site proposed by Concrete Nor’West adjacent to our homes. Urgent and deeply heartfelt pleas to stop this plan were made before the council by dozens of citizens of the area.

After all the testimony was given on each separate occasion, Tony Larson said little or nothing and, instead, called immediately for a vote without discussion in the council. When members called for discussion and spoke on the issue, for and against, once again not a word was uttered by Mr. Larson.

It is no secret that Tony Larson receives contributions from gravel companies. To their benefit, he ignored the heartfelt appeals of his constituents, and chose to support the gravel industry.

Paul R. Brass

Acme, WA

JOHNTHOMPSONExecutive director

Port of Bellingham

CHARLIE SHELDON

The Port of Bellingham is all about jobs

Letters to the editorThe Bellingham Business Journal accepts signed letters to the editor. The BBJ reserves the right to edit letters for style and length. Letters should be no more than 300 words.

To submit a letter, email it to [email protected] or send some good old snail mail to 1321 King St. Suite 4, Bellingham, WA 98229.

From the reporter’s deskEven if you’re the type of person who is interested in local politics, sometimes it’s difficult to keep up with all the issues. Sometimes it’s all just too... political.

The local ballot is a long one this year, with several races at the city and county level. With limited space in print, I chose to focus on the race for mayor of Bellingham and Whatcom County executive.

These positions are important because both the mayor and the county executive represent our community to the outside world. These are the people who will meet with business and political leaders. These are the people who sit down at the bargaining table. They are the face of Bellingham and Whatcom County — and that is no small task.

So how do you make a decision about who to vote for? I feel one of the best ways to learn about candidates is to hear (or read) their words directly. It shows more of their personality and their style of leadership. So I hope you enjoy the Q&As in this issue and find them helpful when it comes to casting your ballot.

Page 15: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

October 2011 BBJToday.com 15

$395,000MLS# 169879

Brand New Commercial Condo in Walton II Bldg. Offi ce, Retail, etc.

Great Lynden Site Next to Leading Shopping Center

Huge Traffi c & Ready to Build

Harris Ave. Development SiteFairhaven Lot with many entitlements

Mixed-use opportunity.Location, Location, Location!

Semiahmoo Spit – 68 Unit SiteWaterfront Site,

Curbs, Utilities, etc. in place.

Jeff Johnson(360) 319-8358

[email protected] [email protected]

Mike Kent(360) 815-3898

Saltwater Views4,000 sq ft. Located in Blaine across from

the new Jack Neiman’s Restaurant.

$650,000Medical Offi ce Building, 2220 Cornwall Avenue.

Excellent free standing offi ce building with abundant parking. Currently built out as medical offi ces, lot

have expansion potential. 2115 sq. ft. Ample Parking.Additional land available for future development.

Page 16: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

16 BBJToday.com October 2011J

BBJDATAPublic records related to business

BankruptciesChapter 7 — Straight

bankruptcy; debtor gives up non-exempt property and debts are discharged.

Chapter 11 — Business reorganization; protec-tion from creditors while business devises a plan of reorganization. Income/expense reports must be filed monthly.

Chapter 13 — Plan is devised by individual to pay a percentage of debts based on ability to pay. All disposable income must be used to pay.

The following bank-ruptcies are for Whatcom County.

Chapter 7

Gary L. Tiffany, case no. 11-20165-KAO, filed Aug. 26.

Robert A. and Erin W. Patrick, case no. 11-20198-KAO, filed Aug. 26.

Mary S. Stecher, case no. 11-20280-KAO, filed Aug. 30.

Michael J. and Sandra L. Wray, case no. 11-20281-KAO, filed Aug. 30.

Tena M. Johnson, case no. 11-20294-KAO, filed Aug. 30.

Randy R. Eidsvik, case no. 11-20346-KAO, filed Aug. 31.

Cory A. and Lisa A. Anderson, case no. 11-20422-KAO, filed Aug. 31.

Charles E. and Staci I. Weinheimer, case no. 11-20432-KAO, filed Aug. 31.

Bradley J. Martin, case no. 11-20438-KAO, filed Aug. 31.

David W. Wiggins, case no. 11-20510-KAO, filed Sept. 1.

Adrienne A. Manwaring, case no. 11-20529-KAO, filed Sept. 2.

Lindsay E. Vankatwijk,

case no. 11-20541-KAO, filed Sept. 2.

John W. and Adele L. Kirby, case no. 11-20642-KAO, filed Spet. 8.

LaurieJean R. and David A. Wright Sr., case no. 11-20676-KAO, filed Sept. 8.

Jennifer L. Fleck, case no. 11-20707-KAO, filed Sept. 9.

Karen and Dionis Agustin, case no. 11-20722-KAO, filed Sept. 9.

Justin W. Holland, case no. 11-20726-KAO, filed Sept. 9.

Kwang I. and Have S. Park, case no. 11-20728-KAO, filed Sept. 9.

Kurt D. and Dawn R. Bush, case no. 11-20732-KAO, filed Sept. 9.

Gregory A. and Peggy J. Hollingsworht, case no. 11-20741-KAO, filed Sept. 9.

Christopher J. Held, case no. 11-20868-KAO, filed Sept. 14.

John B. Sterret, case no. 11-20889-KAO, filed Sept. 15.

Laura R. Nichols, case no. 11-20913-KAO, filed Sept. 15.

Dorothy A. and Ronald E. Applegate Jr., case no. 11-20914-KAO, filed Sept. 15.

Brenda E. and Charles T. Hardwick Jr., case no. 11-20920-KAO, filed Sept. 15.

Earl W. Kale, case no. 11-20987-KAO, filed Sept. 16.

Theodore A. Hilleary, case no. 11-21052-KAO, filed Sept. 19.

Cynthia L. DuVal, case no. 11-21163-KAO, filed Sept. 22.

William P. and Tamara L. Gonzalez, case no. 11-21174-KAO, filed Sept. 22.

Michael and Melanie K. Marantz, case no. 11-21176-KAO, filed Sept. 22.

Randy C. Kallerson, case no. 11-21180-KAO, filed Sept. 22.

Randolph D. and Jennifer S. Stewart, case no. 11-21200-KAO, filed Sept. 22.

Daniel J. Pry, case no. 11-21201-KAO, filed Sept. 22.

John P. Sheehan, case no. 11-21207-KAO, filed Sept. 22.

Tabetha Brisbin, case no. 11-21219-KAO, filed Sept. 23.

Chapter 13

Vernon L. Sanders, case no. 11-20195-KAO, filed Aug. 26.

Charlene D. Paz, case no. 11-20369-KAO, filed Aug. 31.

Lisa M. Castro, case no. 11-20382-KAO, filed Aug. 31.

Stephanie L. Brendle, case no. 11-20405-KAO, filed Aug. 31.

Gordon O. and Shirley J. Maxwell, case no. 11-20423-KAO, filed Aug. 31.

Ralph B. Johnson, case no. 11-20448-KAO, filed Aug. 31.

Beau G. Hyde, case no. 11-20509-KAO, filed Sept. 1.

Gary E. and Sarah A. Kentner, case no. 11-20636-KAO, filed Sept. 7.

Cheryl M. and Faatui T. Laolagi Jr., case no. 11-20690-KAO, filed Sept. 8.

Kevin S. and Nora Weaver, case no. 11-20723-KAO, filed Sept. 9.

Jared M. Reeve, case no. 11-20764-KAO, filed Sept. 12.

Business licenses

The following business licenses are from the city of Bellingham.

Mattila Painting, Mattila Painting Inc., 10629 215th Ave. SE, Snohomish, WA 98290

Project Pendant, Alan C. Haley, 1474 Lincoln St., Bellingham, WA 98229

Babelyn S. Anderson, Babelyn S. Anderson, 2716 Victor St., Bellingham, WA 98225

El Alasan Yel Rocio Restaurant, Robles Inc., 1538 Birchwood Ave. SuiteB, Bellingham, WA 98225

Advanced Audiology & Hearing Aid Services, Advanced Audiology & Hearing, A12 Bellwether Way Suite108, Bellingham, WA 98225

Bank of the Pacific, Bank of the Pacific, 226 36th St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Wendy Helen Bartlett, Wendy Helen Bartlett, 255 N. Forest St Suite116, Bellingham, WA 98225

Memorable Events & Catering, Elenbaas & Hendricks, 5510 Nielsen Ave. Unit B, Ferndale, WA 98248

Valencia Street Suzuki Piano Studio, Kagari Tanabe, 2734 Valencia St., Bellingham, WA 98226

GMA Construction, GMA Construction Inc., 4210 B St. NW Unit D/E, Auburn, WA 98001

3six0 Music, Starvn Myouzishan LLC, 1012 W. Holly St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Bellingham Vacation Rental, Bellingham Vacation Rental LLC,1814 G St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Henze Photography, Kathleen A. Henze, 2508 Henry St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Ma’ema’e Massage Therapy, Kathleen A. Henze, 1200 Harris Ave. Suite402, Bellingham, WA 98225

Fire Protection Services, Fire Protection Services Inc., 5573 SW Arctic Dr., Beaverton, OR 97005

Sugar Shack Ice Cream, Jasmine N. Johnson, 654 Parkside Place, Blaine, WA 98230

Leap Frog Water Taxi, Leap Frog Water Taxi LLC, 355 Harris Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225

Ellyn C. Van Houten, Ellyn C. Van Houten, 2315 James St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Keiani M. Feliciano, Keiani M. Feliciano, 2207 Elm St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Complete Plumbing Repair, Complete Plumbing Repair Inc., 1009 20th St., Anacortes, WA 98221

Time in Play Cafe, Time in Play Cafe Inc., 311 E. Holly St., Bellingham, WA 98225

New World ZLD, New World ZLD LLC, 613 Canyon View Drive,

Gateway Centre Executive Suites

Virtual Office Options for EVERY Budget!

Mail - $29.95

Mail & Website - $49.95

Mail & Voicemail - $99.95

Mail & Receptions Services - $149.95

All the above + 8 hrs. Conf. time - $199.95

Conference Rooms & Executive Suites!

Receptionists to greet your clients... included!

An office that is fully furnished... included!

High Speed Internet at your fingertips... included!

(360) 685-4200 1313 E. Maple St.

Bellingham, WA 98225 www.gwcentre.com

Page 17: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

October 2011 BBJToday.com 17

Bellingham, WA

Jimmy John’s, LTF Enterprises Inc., 1204 Railroad Ave. Suite102, Bellingham, WA 98225

Mama’s, L. Peter Crandell, 1801 Fairhaven Ave., Bellingham, WA 98229

B. Davis Inc., B. Davis Inc., 1441 Terminal Ave. Suite A, San Jose, CA 95112

Jim Schmotzer & Associates, James R. Schmotzer, 3021 Tulip Road, Bellingham, WA 98225

Whatcom Falls Retreat, Whatcom Falls Retreat LLC, 2810 Iowa Drive, Bellingham, WA 98229

Elizabeth Rozier, A. Elizabeth Rozier, 420 16th St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Kimberly Kelly Design, Kimberly D. Kelly, 3 Indian Meadow Court, Bellingham, WA 98229

Psychic Rainbow, David M. Uwanawich, 4509 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98226

Pet Sitting with Love, G & T Professional Services LLC, 1575 B St., Blaine, WA 98230

Buss Mechanical Services, Buss Mechanical Services Inc., 4471 S. Henry St., Boise, ID 83709

Guide Meridian Dental Group, Aimee T. Werremeyer DMD PLLC, 3600 Meridian St. Suite120, Bellingham, WA 98225

Gathering Glass Designs, Gathering Glass Designs LLC, 114 E. Magnolia St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Jamie King Hypnotherapy, Jamie L. King, 1304 Meador Ave. Suite B11, Bellingham, WA 98229

Maestro Northwest GIS, Erickson & Tepper, 1200 Harris Ave. Suite408, Bellingham, WA 98225

Woitulewicz Enterprises, Woitulewicz Enterprises Inc., 1400 Broadway, Bellingham, WA 98225

Meili Construction, Meili Construction Company Inc., 10 Van Buren St., Eugene, OR 97402

Success Express, Success Express Sales Inc., 5775 Soundview Drive Suite103C, Gig Harbor, WA 98335

Marisel’s Cleaning Services, Marisel M. Andersen, 5050 Alder St.,

Blaine, WA 98230

Puget Sound Services, Puget Sound Services Inc., 244 Sydney Ave. N., North Bend, WA 98045

Fairhaven Gaskets, Fairhaven Gaskets Inc., 2614 Elm St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Dashi Noodle Bar, Josh D. Silverman, 208 Unity St., Bellingham, WA 98225

U. S. Gold Standard, Ian A. Fernando, 303 State St. Suite E, Sedro Woolley, WA 98284

Acute Lawn & Landscape, Acute Lawn & Landscape LLC, 3127 Bay Road, Ferndale, WA 98248

Home Visions, Connie L. Perez, 9520 2nd Ave. NW, Seattle, WA 98117

GMR Marketing, GMR Marketing LLC, 5000 S. Towne Drive, New Berlin, WI 53151

ANDCO Media, ANDCO Media Inc., 1319 Cornwall Ave Suite 200, Bellingham, WA

Lewinna B. Solwing, Lewinna B. Solwing, 2212 Jaeger St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Super Buffet, Super Buffet Wa Inc., 4151 Meridian St. Suite 100, Bellingham, WA 98226

Midvale Electric, Van de Graaf Electric Inc., 1661 Bishop Road, Sunnyside, WA 98944

Vegan Carnivore, Christa L. Delano, 1322 McLeod Road, Bellingham, WA 98226

Pettus Plumbing & Piping, Pettus Plumbing & Piping Inc., 12647 Highway 72, Rogersville, AL 35652

Geometria, Linda E. Smeins, 2532 Xenia St., Bellingham, WA 98226

Flores Painting, Francisco Flores, 2233 Woburn St. #33, Bellingham, WA 98229

Orozco Home Remodeling & Repair, Guilivaldo Orozco, 2310 Yew Street Road, Bellingham, WA 98229

All City Catering, All City Catering Inc., 3620 Irongate Road #120, Bellingham, WA 98226

Pacific Marine Electric, Sea Pilot Boats LLC, 2424 Victor St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Glass Mountain Studios, Edward T. Schmid, 927 Yew St., Bellingham, WA 98229

Carola E. Tossetti, Carola E. Tossetti, 3962 Byron Ave. #106, Bellingham, WA 98229

Physicians Software Solutions, Physicians Software Solutions, 1155 N. State St. #428, Bellingham, WA 98225

Law Office of Daniel Sobel, Daniel W.

Sobel, 1903 Broadway, Bellingham, WA 98225

Reasons & Seasons Greeting Cards, Paula J. Tullar, 5064 Festival Blvd. #1B, Bellingham, WA 98226

Hong Kong Garden Restaurant, Hong Kong Garden Restaurant Inc., 2527 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Smoke Hut, Harsharn S. Bhangav, 4220 Meridian St. Unit B, Bellingham, WA 98226

PhysAssist Scribes, PhysAssist Scribes Inc., 6451 Brentwood Stair Road #100, Fort Worth, TX 76112

Barclay Dean, Barclay Dean Inc., 11100 NE 8th St. #900, Bellevue, WA 98004

Janicki Logging &

Construction Company, Janicki Logging & Construction, 103 N. Township St., Sedro Woolley, WA 98284

Skyview Hair Salon, Skyview Hair Salon LLC, 4265 Meridian St., #102, Bellingham, WA 98226

Citrusolution, N2Deep Carpet & Upholstery, 811 SE 8th Ave., Oak Harbor, WA 98277

Laura Mackie LMP, Laura S. Mackie, 5898 N. Fork Road, Deming, WA 98244

The Underground, Brian’s Underground Inc., 211 E. Chestnut St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Kok Law Office, Kent G. Kok, 119 N. Commercial St. #260, Bellingham, WA 98225

Greg Robinson Architect,

W. Gregory Robinson, 103 E. Holly St. #417, Bellingham, WA 98225

Access Networks, Access Networks LLC, 5919 195th St. NE #7, Arlington, WA 98223

Low Voltage Securities, Low Voltage Securities Inc., 21805 116th Street Court E., Bonney Lake, WA 98391

Alternative Mechanical, Alternative Mechanical LLC, 22124 NE 114th St., Redmond, WA 98053

State Street Auto Body, State Street Auto Body Inc., 1000 N. State St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Wildroot Botanicals, Wildroot Botanicals LLC, 2427 Utter St., Bellingham, WA 98225

BBJDATAPublic records related to business

SEE DATA | PAGE 18

Page 18: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

18 BBJToday.com October 2011

Spencer Gifts, Spencer Gifts LLC, 1 Bellis Fair Parkway #206, Bellingham, WA 98226

Green Thumb Company, Green Thumb Company LLC, 5030 Waschke Road, Bellingham, WA 98226

The Green Frog, Green Frog Cafe LLC, 1015 N. State St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Oldcastle Precast, Oldcastle Precast Inc., 2808 A St. SE, Auburn, WA 98002

Cordata Green, Cordata Green LLC, 103 N. Township St., Sedro Woolley, WA 98284

Edward & Alicia Bjerke, Edward A. Bjerke, 2426 Vista Dr., Bellingham, WA 98229

Leewens Corporation, Leewens Corporation, 630 7th Ave., Kirkland, WA 98033

Andrew Howard Design Company, Andrew Howard, 1123 23rd St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Blue Tuesday, Gabriel M. Lopez, 2808 Connelly Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225

Melanie Zabel MS, Melanie L. Zabel, 409 W. Illinois St., Bellingham, WA 98225

Building permits

The following recent building permit activity includes permits for com-mercial projects in Belling-ham valued at $10,000 or more.

Accepted

4151 Meridian St. Suite 100, $13,000 for tenant improvement: minor layout changes to existing restaurant space for new tenant: Super Buffet. Applicant: Super Buffet.

2901 Squalicum Parkway, $2,200,000 for commercial renovations to existing building for acute rehab unit. Applicant: RMC Architects.

2901 Squalicum Parkway, $350,000 for tenant improvement: complete shell space for cardiac rehab center and swing space. Applicant: RMC Architects.

1015 N. State St., $12,000 to construct new roof top deck and egress stairs for future tavern.

4289 Meridian St., $40,000 for tenant improvement: interior remodel of dressing rooms in existing retail store. Applicant: JSM Installations.

OB Western Washington University, $41,000 to demo existing shed and construct new pole building for Outback Farm near Fairhaven College.

FC Western Washington University, $250,000 for food service upgrades in existing food service area on the ground floor of Fairhaven Commons building. Tenant: Aramark. Applicant: Studio Meng Strazzara.

2621 S. Harbor Loop Drive Gate 3, $5,046,761 for demolition and replacement of deteriorating marina floats at Gate 3.

Issued

AH Western Washington University, $750,000 to remodel and enlarge Arntzen Hall dinning room and kitchen. Tenant: Aramark. Applicant: Studio Meng Strazzara. Contractor: Craft Facility Management Co.

RC Western Washington University, $1,076,000 to remodel Ridgeway Commons dining hall for new food service provider. Tenant: Aramark. Applicant: Studio Meng Strazzara. Contractor: Tiger Construction LTD.

1308 E St., $13,000

Page 19: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

October 2011 BBJToday.com 19

to provide exterior accessible route of travel to lower level of building. Applicant: Whatcom County Historical Society. Contractor: Franklin Corp.

2121 Pacific St., $44,542 for new hazardous materials storage building. Tenant: Brooks Manufacturing. Applicant and contractor: RCI Construction Inc.

AH Western Washington University, $200,000 to remodel Starbucks coffee bar in Arntzen Hall dining room. Applicant: Studio Meng Strazzara. Contractor: Craft Facility Management Co.

1312 Bay St., $31,000 to install new alcove at north entry, remove metal door unit at south entry and install new awnings over both entries. Tenant: American Museum of Radio & Electricity. Applicant and contractor: Landmark Enterprises Inc.

4420 Meridian St., $927,652 for general remodel of store interior. Tenant: Wal-Mart. Applicant: PB2 Architecture. Contractor: S.D. Deacon Corp. of Washington.

511 Harris Ave., $35,000 to repair approximately 80 feet of timber bulkhead. Applicant: Port of Bellingham. Contractor: American Construction.

1 Bellis Fair Parkway Suite 206, $106,500 for tenant improvements to existing retail space. Tenant: Spencer Gifts. Applicant: Arc Vision Inc. Contractor: Hardcastle Construction Inc.

4029 Northwest Ave. Suite 202, $15,000 for

BBJDATAPublic records related to business

tenant improvement: interior alterations to incorporate portion of existing Suite 203 into Suite 202 to new call center. Tenant: NW Radiologists. Contractor: Pearson Construction Corp.

300 Harris Ave., $1,683,123 for tenant improvement: renovate concrete warehouse building for factory and office use. Tenant: Index Sensors & Controls Inc. Applicant: Mithun Architects. Contractor: Faber Brothers Construction Corp.

Tax liensA tax lien is a legal claim

filed in court by a govern-ment against a person or business owing taxes. Liens are civil, not criminal claims, and normally seek to attach money and/or property to pay the taxes. A list of liens is kept at the county courthouse show-ing whom the government is pursuing and how much is sought.

Stephen E. and Diane I. Moore, $10,153.31 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 17.

Stephen R. Mason dba Masons Land Escapes, $8,964.35 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 18.

Barleans Construction Inc., $98,407.41 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 19.

Jewel Family Services LLC, $2,794.48 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 19.

Silvia Septic Service LLC, $26,893.70 in unpaid IRS

taxes. Filed Aug. 22.

Ny C. Chung and Sam Trieu, $32,150.61 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 22.

Benjamin L. and Judy S. Banks, $1,999.57 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 24.

William and Marjorie Burkitt, $14,613.06 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 25.

John E. Zuidmeer, $82,448.36 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 26.

Enlighten Diet Inc. dba Bloom, $2,863.50 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 26.

Bryan W. Dobb, $266,353.07 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 26.

Bryan W. Dobb, $93,999.26 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 26.

Byron E. Cooper, $38,007.96 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 30.

Karen M. Erickson, $18,978.14 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 31.

Superior Slabjacking Inc., $14,359.48 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 31.

Wildwest Express Inc., $12,138.71 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 31.

Cicchittis Pizza Inc., $4,475.61 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Aug. 31.

Kenneth R. Shoemaker, $39,615.51 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 1.

John R. and Jennifer J. Perry, $30,340.19 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 1.

John R. Perry, $34,622.84 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 1.

Domenic and Gillian Scianna, $20,092.81 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 1.

Point Roberts Chevron LLC, $3,831.46 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 1.

Birch Bay Cab Company

Inc., $15,392.64 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 1.

Fairhaven Pub and Martini Bar Inc., $5,127.44 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 2.

TA Maranda Consultants Inc., $90,984.38 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 6.

Sonja L. Gunderson, $125,945.21 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 7.

Startouch Inc., $26,797.60 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 7.

Ryan Caillier dba Arlis’s Restaurant, $20,945.51 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 8.

Kenneth E. and Louisa Haveman, $13,928.95 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 8.

Impact Pavers and Walls Inc., $139,047.71 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 9.

Jonathan Y. Huston, $7,745.88 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 9.

Melanie K. McDaniel, $39,624.03 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 9.

G. Kate Alexander, $14,550.13 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 9.

Glen A. and Betty L. Friedl, $38,009.81 in

unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Sept. 13.

Liquor licensesNew applications

Zio Primo; Zio Primo LLC, Thomas R. and Jennifer L. Leyerly have applied to sell beer/wine in a restaurant at 120 Front St., Sumas, WA 98295. Filed Sept. 20.

Prospect St. Café; Wave of Flavor, Spencer D. Santenello has applied for off-premise wine sales and to sell spirits/wine/beer in a restaurant at 114 Prospect St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed Sept. 15.

The Underground; Brians Underground Inc., Brian A. Tines has applied to be a nightclub at 211 Chestnut St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed Sept. 13.

Time in Play Cafe; Time in Play Cafe, Mark S. Dooley and Hedy E. Hanni have applied to be a direct shipment receiver and server beer/wine in a restaurant at 311 E. Holly St. Suite 101, Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed Sept. 9.

Zio Primo; Zio Primo LLC,

Thomas R. and Jennifer L. Leyerly have applied to sell beer/wine in a restaurant at 206 Lincoln Circle, Sumas, WA 98295. Filed Sept. 7.

Scotty Browns; Brown’s Airport Restaurant LLC, Robert A. Walker and Caitlin R. Mattson-Walker have applied to sell spirits/beer/wine in a restaurant lounge at 4255 Mitchell Way, Bellingham, WA 98226. Filed Sept. 2.

Smoke Hut; Harsharn S. and Salinder K. Bhangav have applied to sell beer/wine at a grocery store at 4220 Meridian St. Suite B, Bellingham, WA 98226. Filed Aug. 29.

More data onlineAll public records collected by The Bellingham Business Journal can be found online at BBJToday.com.

Business licenses and building permits are updated every two weeks. Liquor licenses, tax liens, judgments, and bankruptcies are updated monthly.

Commercial Insurance Employee Benefits Personal Insurance

800.339.9270 www.theunitygroup.com Offices in Bellingham & Everett

Small company values.

Big company results.

From business to home and everything

in-between, we have the services and

product knowledge to insure the things that mean the most.

Since 1962

Over 120,000 different items, Over 125 employees,Over 1,000 years of experience, Your LOCALLY OWNED Hardware Store.

Page 20: Bellingham Business Journal, October 05, 2011

20 BBJToday.com October 2011

Behind Every

Successful Business, Is A Group Of Great

Customers.

Making Life A Little EasierMEMBER FDIC

www.wibank.com