Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Chad Heimbigner, P.E., LEED AP has joined Coffman Engineers. Chad received his degree in Civil Engineering from University of Idaho in 1996. He has over 13 years of professional civil engineering experience. Chad has worked on projects in several markets including retail, manufacturing, K-12 and higher education, government, military, airports, commercial, health care, public welfare, entertainment, recreation, multi-family and single-family residential, assisted living, and tribal projects. For 30 years, Coffman Engineers has collaborated on large, small, and diverse projects from commercial to industrial work as a prime or sub-consultant with offices in Spokane and Seattle, Wash, Los Angeles, Calif., Anchorage, Alaska, and now Honolulu, Hawaii. You can follow them on Twitter@CoffmanEngineer.

On Wednesday, February 17, more than 34 volunteers from the City of Spokane and Qwest will present the Junior Achievement curriculum in the classrooms at Holmes Elementary School in Spokane’s west central neighborhood. Volunteers from the City of Spokane and Qwest will spend their day at Holmes Elementary School, sharing their business experience, bringing the real world to students, opening their minds to their potential, and preparing them for the world of work. From 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., the volunteers will teach five hands-on lessons to each classroom at Holmes. Through a variety of highly interactive activities (different for each grade level), students learn about their future role as consumers, workers and citizens in society. Steve Barnes, Principal of Holmes Elementary, shared some very interesting statistics about his school. Holmes Elementary has more than 400 students in Kindergarten thru sixth grade. Some 92% of the students are on the free or reduced lunch program: this high poverty level makes them a Title One school. Over 50 students at any time are homeless, and they have a 54% mobility rate, which is the highest in the district. On the other hand, Holmes has also won the Distinguished School Award (only one of 3 selected in the State of Washington) and the school has an 86% reading proficiency among fourth graders.

This year the Inlander commissioned Anemone Paper Flowers to create the cover for their 2010 "Best Of" issue which comes out March 18. You can vote for your favorite businesses, people, events, media (except for best business e-newsletter which isn’t a category yet) by going to inlander.com.

Owners of Arbor Crest Winery are grateful for the support the community has given them through the tragic Cliff House Fire, December 23rd, 2009. Jim van Loben Sels reports that every day since the fire they have received calls offering to assist in any way possible. They are planning on a comprehensive remodel due to the extent of the damage. The goal is to restore the exterior of the Cliff House to its original status. They will not start construction until late March, or early April, however they are very active now in planning, and restoring some of the critical infrastructure; water, electrical, phones. Construction start to finish is estimated at 7-9 months, which would put a grand re-opening around the one year anniversary of the fire. Although the iconic Cliff House has burned, the good news is that Arbor Crest’s event programs, Sunday concerts which start in June, private event program and private wine tours will continue without skipping a beat. They have alternate plans in place to accommodate for those events that would have normally used the Cliff House and they report they are gearing up for one of their best retail seasons on record.

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The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the long-awaited Main Market is 1pm today at 44 W. Main. Mayor Mary Verner and Main Market Co-op Board president John Grollmus welcome a special guest artist, and invite the community to celebrate Spokane’s only consumer food co-op. A full week of activities, February 15–20, 2010, each day highlighting local producers, educational programs and giveaway drawings. Open and welcoming to all guests and customers, co-op members receive discounts to attend the ticketed events. The open to the public ribbon cutting takes place after more than two years of planning and construction, and the active investment of time, money and heart by Main Market Cooperative staff, Board and most importantly the member-owners. The gathering at 1pm today marks the culmination of work to transform a Goodyear Tire business into a thriving natural foods grocery. Built to the US Green Building Council L.E.E.D. Gold specifications, the past and the present marry under this new roof. Main Market Co-op provides fresh, local produce, bulk foods, chef prepared take-away items, quality local baked goods, and a range of additional groceries, personal, home and pet care supplies. All sourced with sustainability in mind. In addition to highlighting the season’s finest foods, the new store provides a host of educational programs, a rooftop garden, space for special events, rentable freezer lockers, ways to connect directly with local producers and a seasonal outdoor seating area. Bike, dog and even some car parking (even an electric car plug-in) are all available on site!

"Know Your Heart – Save Your Life", a Healthy Woman event sponsored by Deaconess Medical Center and Valley Hospital & Medical Center will be Wednesday, February 17, from 5-7 p.m. at Deaconess Health Education Center, 910 West Fifth Ave. This will be a fun, educational evening about caring for your heart, including "Everything You Wanted to Know About Heart Disease But Were Afraid to Ask" with Dr. Bryan Fuhs, Spokane Cardiology, and an informal discussion and Q&A session about women’s heart disease. Other topics discussed will be on personal experiences of women who suffered and recovered from heart disease, information about carotid artery screenings, Free cholesterol screenings and Free blood pressure checks. There will be drawings, giveaways and refreshments. There is no cost but space is limited so registration is encouraged. To register, call Healthy Woman at 509-473-2650 or email hollanjj@empirehealth.org.

The new Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County Mead site, set to open in March in the old Mead Middle School, will be dedicated in honor of an inspirational educator who left a rich legacy of love for children and who touched the lives of so many, Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer. Lisa, the daughter of Ted and Mary Kay Stiles, was a beloved teacher at Shiloh Hills Elementary who lost a long and brave battle with breast cancer in January of 2006. Lisa was known for her impassioned excellence and encouragement, support, and going the extra mile for her kids EVERY time. For a Club whose mission is to help every child reach their full potential, they could not think of a more fitting person to dedicate their Club to as they expand their mission in north Spokane. The new Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer Branch will cover roughly 20,000 square feet of space in the old Mead Middle School and will offer a Gymnasium, Kitchen and Nutrition Center, Game Room, Computer Education and Technology Center, Recording Studio, Performing Arts Center, Science and Discovery Center, Teen Center, Fine Arts Center and a Community Resource Center. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Spokane County is a youth development agency serving youth between 6 and 18 years of age in Spokane County. The Lisa Stiles-Gyllenhammer Branch will be open from 3:00 - 7:00 pm Monday-Friday during the school year and 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. in the summer, and charges a yearly membership fee of $10. For information about the Club or to learn about how you can help, call Ryan Davenport at 509-489-0741 or visit www.bgcspokanecounty.org.

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At the annual Go Red for Women luncheon on February 10, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association presented its Silver Performance Award to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center. Julie Berdis, RN, stroke coordinator, accepted the award, which recognizes hospitals for their success in using "Get With The Guidelines" to improve quality of care for heart disease and stroke patients. The goal of Get With the Guidelines is simple: to help hospitals save more lives by optimizing care for coronary artery disease, heart failure and stroke patients. The program helps maximize continuing quality of life for those patients and their families through improved outcomes and a reduction in recurring events. The Silver Performance Award is conferred on hospitals that have achieved 12 consecutive months of 85 percent adherence to performance measures.

Spokane Public Library and Spokane County Library District are sponsoring the community’s second Big Read, a country-wide initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. Spokane’s Big Read officially kicks off a month-long celebration with its inaugural event today featuring special guest Mary Badham, the actress who played Scout in the 1962 film version of "To Kill a Mockingbird." The casual gathering takes place in The Lincoln Center’s Monroe Ballroom (1316 N. Lincoln St.). Open and free to the public, doors open at 5:00 pm and Ms. Badham’s presentation will begin at approximately 5:45 pm. Free hors d’oeuvres will be served along with a no-host bar. A variety of other events will take place during the month. A list of all program dates, times and locations can be viewed at www.scld.org and www.spokanelibrary.org.

The University of Phoenix announces two promotions: Bryn Boorman has been promoted to the post of Operations Supervisor for the University's Spokane campus. And Kristina Reiner has been promoted to the post of corporate education manager for the University's Spokane campus.

Through the ceremony of the Winter Blessing, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and staff at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel will take time this month to recognize tribal culture and the significance of the winter season. The Winter Blessing is free and open to the public. Storytelling will be the focus, including a video of the late Lawrence Aripa, well known throughout the Northwest for his Coyote stories. The event will also include drummers, dancers, a display of historical artifacts, and offerings of frybread and huckleberry jam. Each session will be blessed with a smudging of sweetgrass smoke. Sessions will be held from 1-2p.m. on February 25th and 26th, the session on the 27th, a Saturday will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Interested individuals or groups can make reservations by calling 800-523-2464.

The business thought of the week is from Ralph Marston, author and publisher of The Daily Motivator: "Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude."

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