Networking -- August 2019

NEW HIRES

Alexandra

Mickelsen has joined PS Media Inc. in

Kennewick as a digital account executive. She is a graduate of Washington State

University and has a degree in strategic communication and a minor in business.

Dave

McClure has been named Pacific

Northwest National Laboratory’s chief audit executive. He has most

recently been an auditor on PNNL’s Audit Services team. He has more than 25

years of experience, 17 of those with PNNL, in a variety of

finance, accounting and audit positions. He earned a bachelor’s

degree in accounting from Central Washington University and is a certified

fraud examiner. As the chief audit executive, McClure will test that PNNL

follows applicable rules and regulations.  

Jhoanna

R. Jones has joined Coldwell Banker

Tomlinson Associated Brokers of Kennewick as a commercial real estate

broker/Realtor. She brings more than 15 years of banking and lending experience

within the commercial real estate industry. Originally from Colombia, South

America, her business background began when she worked for a technology company

in Japan and the U.S. She has a Georgetown University master’s in real estate

and is a certified commercial investment member candidate.

Austin

Remington has been hired as a multimedia

production artist at Focal Point Marketing in Kennewick. He has been in

the industry since 2013, serving as a marketing coordinator and a visual

communication manager. His skill set ranges from videography and

photography, to graphic design and animation.

Patricia

Hessler has joined Merrill Lynch in

Kennewick. She has been a financial advisor for 12 years and holds a bachelor’s

from Whitman College and a master’s in business administration from Washington

State University.

HONORS & AWARDS

Participants

in Leadership Tri-Cities Class 25 have been selected for the yearlong program.

They are: Ivy Anderson, Kadlec; Jennifer Behrends, Kennewick

School District; Deborah Burke, Richland School District; Michelle

Coy, CH2M Hill Plateau Remediation Co.; Ubaldina Creek, Communities

in Schools; Michele Crowley, city of Pasco; Jessie Dietrich, Lamb

Weston; Danielle Dunigan, Energy Northwest; Keeley Gant, Columbia

Basin College; Gretchen Guerrero, Visit Tri-Cities; Elizabeth

Hernandez Osorio, Columbia Basin College; Melissa Hess, Benton

Franklin Community Action Connections; Tom Kimball, Cisco Systems; Jillian

Klym, Green2Go; Neilan McPartland, Numerica Credit Union; Michael

Peterson, NE Technical Services; Anneke Rachinski, Columbia Basin

College Foundation; Dr. Bradley Sainsbury, Lifetime Dental Care; Eric

Smith, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; and Dana Storms,

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Pasco,

Kennewick and Benton City wastewater treatment plants received outstanding performance awards from the state

Department of Ecology. The state evaluated more than 300 plants operating in

Washington to determine if they were meeting the state pollution limits and

permit requirements, which include: monitoring, reporting, spill prevention

planning, pretreatment and operational demands.

Susan

Mendenhall, local franchisee of the two IHOP

Restaurants in the Tri-Cities, has been named the 2018 IHOP Northwest

Franchisee of the Year. Mendenhall has been operating these restaurants since

2001 and became the owner in 2010. Susan, her husband Russ, and their three

children have lived in Kennewick since 1994.

Fat Olives restaurant in Richland was included in the August issue of Wine Spectator magazine for being among the best Washington restaurants for wine selections. J.D. Nolan is the owner and wine director.

Knutzen

Engineering of Kennewick has

been recognized as a top-performing engineering firm for 2019. PSMJ Resources

Inc., an advisory services group, highlighted successfully managed firms

demonstrating outstanding achievements in areas such as profitability, overhead

management, cash flow, productivity, business development, staff growth and

turnover. The Circle of Excellence represents the top 20 percent of

participants in PSMJ’s annual survey, based on 13 key performance metrics.

John Miller,

a supervisor at Lourdes Counseling Center for 25 years, has been recognized as

the hospital’s 2019 LifePoint Mercy Award winner for demonstrating compassion

and unwavering commitment to help others. The award recognizes one employee

from each of LifePoint Health’s hospitals who profoundly touches the lives of

others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was

founded.

A&E

Towing Plus LLC of

Kennewick was honored as one of the largest towing and recovery fleets

by American Towman Magazine during a special luncheon at

the seventh annual American Towman Showplace-Las Vegas in May. The

winners received a custom-crafted commemorative coin featuring original artwork

celebrating their Towman 100 status.

Petersen

Hastings of Kennewick has been included in the

listing of Financial Advisor Magazine’s Top RIA Ranking with $670 million

assets under management at the end of 2018. The ranking is based on total

discretionary and nondiscretionary assets reported on Form ADV. Petersen

Hastings is the only firm in Eastern Washington to be recognized in the survey,

according to a news release.

PROMOTIONS

STCU credit union has expanded its senior leadership team from

seven positions to 11. The new senior leaders are: Robyn Galtieri has

been promoted to vice president of retail services. Hired in 1998, she became

director of the credit union’s Contact Center and operations in 2016.

Brian Scott has been promoted to vice president of accounting

and finance. He came to STCU in 2003 and was promoted to director of accounting

and finance in 2015. Rich Lentz has been promoted to vice president of

consumer lending. He joined STCU in 2005 and was promoted to director of consumer

lending in 2015. Scott Rabe has been promoted to vice president

of digital development. Hired in 1993, he was promoted to director of project

management and software development in 2012. Four vice presidents have been

promoted to new positions within the senior leadership team:  Patricia Baughman’s new title is chief

development officer. She came to STCU in 2018 as vice president of

organizational strategy and product development, bringing 20-plus years of

senior leadership experience. Tammy Fleiger’s new title is senior vice

president of operations. Hired in 1990, she was promoted to vice president of

operations in 2011. Laura Wood’s new title is senior vice president of

human resources. Hired in 1998, she was promoted to vice president of human

resources in 2016. Patricia Kelly’s new title is senior vice president

of information technology. Hired in 2000, she was promoted to vice president of

information technology in 2016.

Alma Carrillo

of Focal Point Marketing has been promoted to media and finance

director. She has been with the Kennewick business for more than two years. She

began her career as a media specialist and quickly moved into the media buyer

position. For the past nine months, she has worked closely with outgoing Focal

Point Marketing founder Theresa Long. Carrillo grew up in the Tri-Cities and

lives in Pasco with her family.

Jill Adcock of

Richland was recently promoted to director of compliance, privacy and quality

at Chaplaincy Health Care in Richland. She also recently earned a

certification in health care compliance, or CHC, through the Health Care

Compliance Association. Last year she earned a certification in health care

privacy compliance, or CHPC, also through the association. She’s worked at the

nonprofit for more than 14 years.

 Billie Williams, former chief operating

officer and human resources director at The Marcus Whitman Hotel &

Conference Center in Walla Walla, has been promoted to general manager. She

has replaced Dan Leeper, who left the company at the beginning of July to

pursue other outside interests. She joined The Marcus Whitman hotel team in

2003.

DONATIONS

McCurley Subaru

donated gifts of blankets, arts and crafts kits and cards of encouragement to

benefit cancer patients at Kadlec Clinic Hematology and Oncology in

Kennewick on July 18 as part of a partnership with the Leukemia & Lymphoma

Society.

Piton

Wealth of Kennewick raised $5,005 for Tri-County

Partners Habitat for Humanities during its third annual Kennewoodstock

backyard benefit concert featuring singer-songwriter James Lanman. More than

100 people attended. Piton Wealth matched all ticket sales from the concert.

Dutch Bros Pasco and Richland raised $3,726 for the Allergy and Asthma Network in

honor of Colby Prince, a Dutch Bros employee who died in June following

complications related to asthma. Pasco and Richland Dutch Bros locations

donated $1 from each drink sold on July 8.

GRANTS

 United

Way of Benton and Franklin Counties awarded grants totaling $42,448 to

three agencies focused on services to improve parenting skills, provide support

therapy for autistic children and prevent youth violence. Previously, the

funding was awarded to programs administered by Lourdes Counseling Services.

The original two-year grant was through June 30, 2020. When Lourdes was bought

last year by for-profit Life Point Health, the program became ineligible to

receive the rest of grant. United Way and its board of directors requested

proposals from local nonprofits offering mental and behavioral health services.

The grants will support the following programs:

Parent

Child Interaction Therapy: $16,448.

Catholic Charities Serving Central Washington will buy audio equipment and

supplies for use in real-time coaching of parents of young children with

behavioral problems. A therapist observes parent and child interactions through

a one-way mirror and provides recommendations and strategies to the parent

through a connected earpiece.

Child

Developmental Training for Parents of Autistic Children: $15,000. The Children’s Developmental Center will use

this funding to provide individualized treatment plans and therapies to address

the needs of autistic children and provide training for parents to work with

their child at home.

Youth

Violence Prevention Project:

$11,000. Domestic Violence Services of Benton & Franklin Counties will

provide weekly interactive education groups for at-risk youth, ages 10-18. The

groups focus on helping participants make thoughtful decisions, improve

self-confidence, and navigate peer pressure and conflict to prevent violence,

victimization, depression, and anxiety.

BOARDS

Eric

Pearson, president and chief executive

officer of Community First Bank in Kennewick, was named to the Washington

Bankers Association board of directors for the 2019-20 year. The board sets

policy for the WBA and manages its resources. Board officers are nominated by

their peers. Pearson was one of seven bankers from across the state who

received an appointment at the association’s annual convention July 10-12 at

Suncadia Resort in Cle Elum. He is one of two members on the board from Eastern

Washington.