HomeStreet Bank honored

HomeStreet Bank has received the 2015 American Bankers Association Community Commitment Award for its Hometown Home Loan Program. The award, sponsored by the ABA Community Engagement Foundation, was given to HomeStreet for its endeavors in the Affordable Housing category. HomeStreet’s Hometown Home Loan Program provides the employees of more than 175 public- and private-sector partner organizations with no-cost comprehensive financial education, down payment assistance and reduced closing costs. Since 1994, the Program has helped thousands of first-time and low/moderate-income employees of its partner organizations to become homeowners.

PNNL scientist elected

Scott Chambers, a materials scientist at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been elected to the rank of Fellow of the American Physical Society. Chambers is a Laboratory Fellow and leads a research team focused on the properties of ‘designer’ oxides-materials that combine different metal atoms with oxygen atoms into solid materials. Chambers is widely recognized as an international expert in the synthesis and properties of crystalline oxides prepared as thin films. His research focuses on the fundamental relationships between composition, structure and functional properties.

Campbell & Company recognized

Campbell & Company was honored by Access Tri-Cities’ Breaking Down Barriers Program, for its efforts and commitment to recruiting, hiring and promoting people with disabilities. Campbell & Company was nominated by Jim Bishchoff of DSHS’ Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. The Breaking Down Barriers Program is designed to ally companies, communities and employees with disabilities. It is a collaborative effort between local businesses, service providers and individuals with disabilities.

Trios adds oncology specialist

Dr. Amer S. Khouri M.D. has joined Trios Medical Group’s hematology and oncology team. Khouri’s practice is at the Trios Care Center at Spaulding at 216 W. 10th Ave., Suite 302 in Kennewick. Khouri most recently practiced as a hematology and oncology specialist at Marshfield Clinics in Minocqua, Wis., and as a hematology and oncology Locum Tenens with Weatherby Healthcare. Khouri completed a hematology-oncology fellowship at Landenau Hospital in Pennsylvania and an internal medicine internship and residency in New York and New Jersey. He has a bachelor’s degree from Jordan University Medical School in Amman, Jordan.

Design firm wins awards

National trade magazine Graphic Design USA presented Sara Nelson Design of Kennewick with five ‘Health and Wellness Design Awards.

Among the projects receiving awards were a logo developed for LifeXtend, a health supplement company, print advertising created for Royal Organic Products, and a card for Dermacare of the Tri-Cities. Awards were also received for both a website (greengourmet.net and an infographic, ‘The Perfect Potato,’ developed for Green Gourmet foods of Baltimore, Ohio. Sara Nelson Design also received the ‘Best Overall Package’ award at the Wines & Vines Packaging Expo in Napa, Calif. for a label designed for Sunshine Valley Vineyards of Napa and San Francisco. The package was designed for distribution in China.

WRPS recognized

Washington River Protection Solutions is one of eight local companies recognized by the state’s Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for recruiting, hiring and promoting individuals with disabilities. WRPS, Hanford’s tank farms contractor for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of River Protection has a workforce of more than 2,000 employees. The company has hired 35 individuals with disabilities and has a total of 123 employees who have self-identified their disability status.

Castillo promoted

Gary Castillo has been appointed as The Chaplaincy’s new executive director. Castillo has served as the acting executive director since March. Castillo has more than 13 years of professional experience in the hospice health care field. During his seven years with The Chaplaincy, he has served as Hospice director, director of operations and chief financial officers. Castillo has degrees in both accounting and finance. He currently serves as vice president of the Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization and recently completed his MultiView Hospice CFO certification.

Castillo replaces Paul Weil, who resigned in March.

La Vigne joins John L. Scott

William ‘Bill’ La Vigne has joined John L. Scott Real Estate Tri-Cities/Pasco. La Vigne has eight years of experience helping people buy or sell their home in both the Spokane and Tri-Cities’ markets.

Zimmatic hires Engelbrecht

Mike Engelbrecht has joined Irrigation Specialists in Pasco as the new general manager Engelbrecht previously worked for RDO Equipment Co. where he was the division manager of ag exports in Hermiston. Engelbrecht has also held positions with Sire Power and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Engelbrecht holds a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University where he majored in dairy science with an emphasis in agriculture business.

Kennewick educators receive awards

Two Kennewick School District employees and three Kennewick police officers are recipients of the 2015 Governor’s Lifesaving Awards for administering CPR and using an AED to save the life of a school employee. Ty Cronenwett, a teacher at Legacy High School, and Michelle Larrabee, the dead of students at Eastgate Elementary, came to the aid of an unresponsive women in a car at the Fruitland building last summer. Cronenwett, who is also a coach in the district, had received first aid and CPR training the day before the incident and immediately began performing CPR with another unidentified passerby. Larrabee was responsible for retrieving the AED unit from the school. Also honored were Joe Jackson, Holly Baynes and Rebecca Jones, officers of the Kennewick Police Department, who responded to the incident and used the AED on the woman until paramedics arrived. The woman, who survived, wishes to remain unidentified.

Phillips named principal

Rob Phillips has been named the new principal for Elementary School #15 at the Sagecrest development. Phillips has served as the principal at Washington Elementary since 2008. Prior to Washington Elementary, he was the principal at Park Middle School and Amistad Elementary. He started his career in education as a fourth grade teacher at Southgate Elementary and began his administrative career as an assistant principal and principal in the Othello School District. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Western Baptist College and a Master’s degree from Washington State University.

Travel Leaders recognized

Sondra Wilson and Julie Harrington of Travel Leaders in Richland were presented with the company’s Agency of Excellence award, signifying that they are in top echelon of Travel Leaders franchisees. To earn the distinction, each Travel Leaders agency is scored in multiple categories that reflect business growth; utilization of marketing programs; participation in key training programs to enhance client service; participation in local and national business networking meetings; and overall promotion of the Travel Leaders brand.

Black Heron makes ‘Best of Northwest’ list

Seattle’s SIP Northwest magazine placed Black Heron Spirits Vodka in its number two slot on the ‘Best Vodka’ list. Black Heron Spirits is a small distillery in West Richland. Distiller Mark Williams focuses on small batch spirits, with a list that includes four whiskeys, two vodkas and a vodka-based Lemoncello.

Rueda joins Trios

Trios Medical Group has hired Dr. Kristine Grace P. Rueda, M.D., for its family medicine team. Rueda’s practice is at the Trios Care Center at Southridge in Kennewick. Rueda completed a medical residency in family medicine through the Sacred Heart Hospital/Temple University program in Pennsylvania. She also completed medical externships in Illinois and Missouri. Rueda earned her M.D. from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, Philippines. She is board certified in family medicine.

Campbell to lead scientific society

Allison Campbell, a chemist and director of a large research directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, has been elected as the 2016 president-elect of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. Campbell will serve a total of three years, including one-year terms each as president-elect in 2016, president in 2017, and immediate past president in 2018. Campbell has served a variety of roles at PNNL since joining the laboratory in 1992. She is currently acting associate laboratory director, heading the efforts of more than 500 researchers and other staff members in the Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate.

Lindholm named president

Mark Lindholm has been named president and project manager for Washington River Protection Solutions, after serving as acting president of the company since Oct. 1. Lindholm replaces Dave Olson, who retired from WRPS on Sept. 30. Lindholm will lead the remediation of radioactive and hazardous waste tanks at Hanford. He has been WRPS’s chief operating officer since January and has more than 30 years of experience in government nuclear facilities operations, including management positions at Hanford’s Waste Treatment Plant, the Idaho Cleanup Project, and the Savannah River Site. He previously held a senior role at WRPS as the manager of single-shell tank retrieval and closure from 2008 to 2010.

Presby earns certification

Renata Presby of Meier Architecture Engineering earned her Green Belt Lean for Facilities Design Certification. Presby completed the certification training, which included four days of course work followed by successfully executing a certification project. The Green Belt Lean for Facilities Design Certification is created specifically for architects, healthcare facility designers and project owners interested in using Lead to prepare the client organization for new and remodel construction.

Almond joins West Richland Family Dental

Dr. Brad Almond has joined West Richland Family Dental. Almond graduated from the University of Louisville where he received his DMD in 2006.

KSD seniors recognized

Five Kennewick School District seniors were named as commended students in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program. The students were: Katie Wyatt of Kennewick High School and Ethan Vo, Kaitlyn Mostoller, Michael Deford and Brian Ayers, all of Kamiakin High School. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Commended Students placed among the top 5 percent of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 competition by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Fallows named to committee

The American Hospital Association board of trustees has named Meg Fallows of Kadlec Regional Medical Center to its national Committee on Volunteers.

Across the country, volunteers play key service roles to hospitals of all sizes. Not only do they provide compassionate and patient-centered service, but they also contribute thousands of hours of their own time to help meet the needs of patients.

Fallows oversees approximately 800 volunteers at Kadlec, including dozens of high school students and the 350-member hospital auxiliary.

Fallows was appointed to a three-year term to provide her community perspective on issues related to the healthcare field. Her appointment begins Jan. 1.