Vancouver skincare co. unveils new product, heads south
Muddy H20 Etc. founders Gabriela Ylonen and Heidi Nelson will introduce the Vancouver-based company’s newest product, Pit Powder, at the super-sized Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif., in March. The expo will have 17,000 exhibitors and 32,000 buyers under one roof, and is the largest trade show yet for the women, who work as jail guards for Multnomah County.
Pit Powder is a natural deodorant without harmful toxins that allows wearers to sweat scent-free.
The women make the lines of chocolate, clay and green tea face masks in Ylonen’s Uptown Vancouver basement. In February 2007, 13 retailers sold the products. Now, 34 retailers in five states, including Indiana and New York, are on board.
Battle Ground Chamber names nominees
Nominees for the 2007 Citizen and Business Person of the Year awards were recently announced by the Battle Ground Chamber of Commerce.
Citizen of the Year Nominees are Mike and Gilda Ciraulo, Tracie Gorbet, Don and Jane Higgins, LaDonna LaPossa and Alex Mintz.
Nominees for Business Person of the Year are Rick and Jan Lewis of Battle Ground Bicycles, Mike Harden of Battle Ground Printing, Al Patel of Battle Ground Best Western Inn and Suites, Ron Bertsch of Coldwell Banker United Properties, Tracie Gorbet of Curves, Dennis Pavlina and Carmen Villarma of The Management Group, Chris and Kelly Helmes of New Tradition Homes, William Pritchard of Pritchard Orthodontics and Jeremy and Heather Brown of Rusty Grape Vineyard.
Three finalists will be selected from each category and winners will be announced at a banquet Feb. 1 at the Heathman Lodge.
DESIGN + CONSTRUCTION
HHPR acquires land surveyor
Harper Houf Peterson Righellis Inc. recently announced its acquisition of Gaylord Land Surveying Inc.
HHPR is a Portland-based firm for civil engineering, planning, landscape architecture and surveying with offices in Vancouver, Clackamas and Bend.
The land surveyor’s president, Patrick M. Gaylord will join HHPR with three of his staff. Gaylord will co-manage the firm’s survey department.
$16 million contract for new WSUV building awarded
Washington State University Vancouver will begin construction in late January on the new Undergraduate Classroom building. The university awarded the project to Triplett Wellman of Woodburn, Ore., based on their bid of $16,234,328. Completion is planned for the fall of 2009. The building was designed by Thomas Hacker Architects of Portland, Ore.
The new building and its surroundings have been designed as WSU Vancouver’s first Leadership in Environmental and Energy Design certified project, earning the LEED Silver level distinction under the Green Building Rating System.
Riverview constructs Hazel Dell office
Construction is underway for a Riverview Community Bank location in Hazel Dell.
The bank’s current Hazel Dell branch will move to the new location in March. The 3,500 square-foot facility under construction is at the intersection of Hwy. 99 and 88th Street. Riverview is headquartered in Vancouver and has 20 locations in Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon.
Kitchen, bath association to publish local magazine
The Columbia River chapter of the National Kitchen and Bath Association recently announced it will launch an industry magazine in mid-2008.
Columbia River K&B magazine will be published twice a year by J.H. Publishing in Vancouver. The magazine will highlight the work of local designers and serve as a “planning notebook” for consumers who wish to find designers, cabinetmakers, product suppliers or remodelers in Southwest Washington and Oregon.
Copies of the magazine will be at local home and garden shows, and kitchen and bath retail outlets. More information is available through info@jhpubl.com.
New credentialing org launched for green builders
The Green Building Certification Institute has been established with the support of the U.S. Green Building Council to administer credentialing programs related to green building practice and standards. The website, www.gbci.org, provides credential-related information for LEED accredited professionals and interested candidates.
USGBC seeks a few good curricula
The U.S. Green Building Council is looking for proposals for the Excellence in Green Building Curriculum Recognition Awards and Incentive Grants Program, which recognizes pre-kindergarten through college-level curricula that emphasizes the importance of reconciling humanity with nature and promotes environmental health, social justice and economic prosperity.
The council will award several $20,000 grants. Submissions are due by March 17. More information is located at www.usgbc.org.
Merrill Contractors Inc. adds residential subsidiary
Longtime Vancouver contractor Mike Merrill has launched Merrill Residential LLC in response to customer demand for specialized construction services to the local multi-family and condominium market.
The company’s focus will be new construction and exterior envelope replacement work on units built in the past eight years that have begun to fail.
George E. Wespi will serve as the company’s project manager. His work experience ranges from designing specifications for submarine propulsion systems to acting as project manager of a $13 million, 336-unit apartment complex.
Merrill Residential will break ground in January on Villebois Village Condominiums, a 191-unit project in Willsonville, Ore.
BANKING + FINANCE West Coast Bank donates hundreds of teddy bears
Employees of four West Coast Bank branches in Vancouver donated more than 400 teddy bears to local hospitals this holiday season.
Donations were initiated by Justin Myers, a relationship officer in the downtown branch, and quickly surpassed his goal of 300 bears.
On Christmas Eve the bears went to Southwest Washington Medical Center, Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital, The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington and the Vancouver Police Department’s east precinct.
HEALTH CARE + HOSPITALS Home health org gets funding for telemonitors
Longview-based Community Home Health and Hospice secured $238,755 in federal funds for several telehealth monitors. The monitors transmit home health patients’ vital statistics to CHHH staff on a daily basis.
President Bush signed the 2008 Omnibus Appropriations bill in late December, clearing the way for the funds.
Eight CHHH patients currently have portable telehealth monitors in their homes, purchased with a $25,000 grant from The Health Care Foundation and a $24,000 donation from Longview businessman Gary Harold.
INNOVATION + TECHNOLOGY Washington Tech Center opens grant window
Businesses developing new technologies can now apply for a 2008 grant from the Washington Technology Center.
The center awards about $1 million each year to Washington companies that partner with researchers on commercially viable tech projects. Grants are awarded to a variety of organizations, but preference is given to companies with 250 employees or less.
Notices of intent are due March 20 and complete applications are due April 24. For application information, contact Russell Paez at 206-616-3102 or rpaez@watechcenter.org, or visit www.watechcenter.org.
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT SCORE moves in with Clark College
As part of Clark College’s long-term goal of supporting local small business, the local branch of the Service Corps of Retired Executives has relocated its office to the college’s campus.
In late December, the nonprofit association that provides coaching to small businesses moved into the T-Building, 1950 Fort Vancouver Way, which also houses the college’s Corporate Education offices.
Eventually, the college would like to acquire additional space and bring in other groups to form a small business support center, creating a one-stop shop for most services that small businesses need, said Todd Oldham, executive director of corporate and continuing education.
State: 2007 economy was healthy
The 2007 Washington State Labor Market and Economic Report, issued by the Washington Employment Security Department, said 2007 was a good year for employment, construction and professional and business services.
And although the housing market weakened, it fared better than most of the nation.
Employers could save $87M statewide
Low unemployment and a new rate structure for new businesses will save Washington employers more than $87 million in unemployment taxes in 2008, estimates the state Employment Security Dept.
The savings stem from a new law introduced by Gov. Chris Gregoire in 2007 that reduces unemployment tax rates for new businesses and lower taxes for many employers, particularly those who had few or no layoffs in recent years. The ESD is in the process of mailing tax-rate notices to more than 153,000 businesses.
But the lower tax rate will not necessarily result in a lower tax bill for employers. For example, an expanding business may have more workers and more wages on which to pay taxes.
Anonymous donor to match $100K in donations to Clark
For the second consecutive year, an anonymous donor will match up to $100,000 of gifts secured by Clark College’s end of the year appeal. The donor is a long-time Vancouver resident who is a self-described “ardent Clark supporter.”
The gift will match all donations dollar-for-dollar in the following areas: Area of greatest need, general scholarships, adult literacy, mature learning, library, business and technology, social science and fine arts, athletic scholarships, basic education, English, communications and humanities and science, health and physical education.
This is the second year the donor has stepped forward, and donations exceeded $100,000 in 2006.
