Monday, October 5, 2009

Rob Brewster, Spokane developer and owner of Conover Bond, restored the 1917 vintage Arctic Building at 700 Third Avenue in Seattle into a truly remarkable landmark hotel that opened in July of 2008. The 120 room Arctic Club Hotel breathes character and excitement of the Alaska explorers and adventurers of the early 1900’s; and has a domed ballroom that is reminiscent of the Davenport’s Hall of Doges for its old world elegance and style. The lobby is filled with antique photos of the original members of the Arctic Club and the Polar Bar looks like you’d find some of them there, telling stories about their days in the Klondike. Victor, the Polar Bar’s bartender is a bit of an adventurer himself, having served in the Soviet Army in Afghanistan. The hotel’s restaurant, Juno, is one of Seattle’s premier dining spots. The Arctic Club Hotel is managed by Hilton. The website is www.arcticclubhotel.com.

Washington Trust Bank, founded in Spokane over one hundred years ago, has been in the Seattle market for about 10 years; they have two business offices rather than branches, one in downtown Seattle the other in Bellevue with a total of 40 employees. The Seattle area business makes up about 25% of Washington Trust’s assets.

Sterling Savings Bank has 36 branches in Western Washington, including one at 4th and Union in downtown Seattle.

And century old Spokane law firm Witherspoon Kelley recently opened a Seattle office in the 2 Union Square building to serve Western Washington clientele.

Game on! Kimmel Athletic Supply Co., a 40-year old Spokane business, has opened a Seattle Division with five employees to serve Western Washington. Kimmel provides equipment and uniforms for team sports, such as youth, high school, college, as well as adult recreation leagues and even corporate apparel. Complete equipment for Football, Basketball, Baseball, Running, Aerobics, Soccer, Track & Field, Volleyball, Softball, Wrestling, Cross Country, Tennis, Lacrosse, Cheerleading and plenty of fitness equipment. Kimmel has 3 retail stores: in Spokane at 202 East Mission, in Coeur d’Alene at 405 West Neider and in Yakima. They also have wholesale divisions in Texas and now in Western Washington. The Spokane phone number is 509-326-7710 and the website is www.kimmelathletic.com.

CORRECTION: Luxury Bath will have an open house at the new showroom, today from 8am to 6pm. Luxury Bath is the new name for Washington Bath, located at 15320 East Marietta. Owner Alan Hansen changed the name because of the company's introduction of the line of Luxury Bath brand of tubs, showers, and roll-in and walk-in tubs. The open house date was incorrect in last week’s newsletter.

A new owner has purchased the 50,000 square foot Empire Ford showroom, service shop and parking facility at 423 West 3rd at Stevens. NAI Black Realtor Chris Bell declined to disclose the buyer pending due diligence. The buyer was top bidder in an online auction with a bid of $1.1 million.

Spokane’s 5th annual Fall Festival of Homes set an attendance record their opening weekend of more than 4,500 attendees, making it the largest show in Washington in 2008 and now 2009 with homes valued at any price range and in every neighborhood. The show concluded this past weekend.

Thanks to Washington Trust Bank! They are the presenting sponsor of Christmas Tree Elegance 2009 produced by the Spokane Symphony Associates as a benefit for the Spokane Symphony Orchestra. Kat Langenheim and Cheryl-Anne Millsap are the event’s co-chairs. The anticipated event is December 1-12 at The Historic Davenport Hotel. Reservations for the style show luncheons and the Gala dinner dance begin November 2. More sponsors are needed for this important Spokane event. Contact Susan Kennedy or Char Wyatt at Symphony Associates 509-458-9686 (TREE).

Congratulations to the Davenport Hotel and Tower for being awarded the Smart Meetings Magazine Platinum Choice Award. The Davenport Hotel and Tower was in the Top 100 Western properties and venues. Smart Meetings magazine, a monthly travel trade magazine, made the announcement last week of this year’s winners for its sixth annual "Platinum Choice" award. This prestigious award recognizes excellence in service and amenities among meeting facilities in the Western Region (the 14 western states, Western Canada and Mexico). Winners are chosen by Smart Meetings readers and editorial staff. The Davenport Hotel and Tower met strict industry standards for over-all guest experience, including ambience, amenities, facility quality, guest services, meeting space, restaurant and dining facilities, staff attitude, technical support and recreational activities. Out of thousands of properties, only 100 are chosen, so congratulations to the Davenport Hotel and Tower!

GoWireless, Inc. has opened a new location at 1431 N Liberty Lake Road, in Liberty Lake.

Lilac Services for the Blind needs your help! The organization has been awarded a matching grant from The Gibney Family Foundation of $11,000 for new computers using the soon-to-be-released Windows 7 operating system. All of Lilac Services’ computers are outdated, with some being over 10 yrs old. So far they have matched 20% of the goal, and they are asking for contributions to the matching fund. They need to raise $9,000 more to match this grant by the end of this month. Your donation will help buy new equipment that will allow them to instruct clients on up-to-date computers and software. The new computers will also allow Lilac Services for the Blind to remotely access clients’ computers in the 14 counties they serve, saving travel time and costs. If you can help contact Mathew Plank, Director of Marketing & Development, Lilac Services for the Blind, 1212 North Howard Street, Spokane, WA 99201, 509-328-9116. E-mail is mathewp@lilacblind.org and the website is www.lilacblind.org.

Associated Industries extends an invitation to join them for their first annual Associated Industries Bright Promise Program Recipient Reception, October 15th from 3 to 5 pm at their offices, 1206 North Lincoln, Suite 200. This special event congratulates the scholarship recipients of the Bright Promise program.

Numerica Credit Union recently hired Kylie Trout as the new branch manager for the Coeur d’Alene branch. Trout has ten years of management experience in both the hospitality and financial industries. She graduated with an associate’s degree from North Idaho College in 2000.

Numerica also hired Christina Burns as a new employee in the position of Business Banking Officer. Burns has 20 years of experience in the financial industry. Her experience includes management and executive levels of business development, personal banking, and commercial lending. She graduated from the University of Portland’s Northwestern Intermediate Banking School in 1998.

Reservations are now being taken for the YWCA Women of Achievement Luncheon, scheduled for Wednesday, October 28th at the "Old" Spokane Convention Center. The guest speaker will be Alison Levine, Team Captain of the first American Women’s Everest Expedition and is a groundbreaking polar adventurer. Levine has overcome a childhood heart condition, a career on Wall Street and became the founder of the Climb High Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of jobless women in Africa. The annual Women of Achievement event celebrates the accomplishments and contributions of women who have made a difference in the areas of Arts & Culture, Professional, Community Service, Science and Racial Justice in our community; also honored is a Young Woman (high school senior). All proceeds directly benefit the over 20,000 women and children helped by the YWCA of Spokane each year. Suggested donation of $125 paid or pledged at the benefit luncheon is greatly appreciated. For reservations or sponsorship opportunities, please call 509-789-9305.

The American Advertising Federation of Spokane Presents "Managing Your Brand via Social Media" the October lunch program and workshop next Friday, October 16 at Global Credit Union Auditorium, 1520 W Third Ave. Featured speaker is Kent Lewis of Anvil Media. Topics include:
- Three Critical Elements of a Successful Social Media Marketing Campaign
- Integrating Search and Social Media into your Marketing Mix
- Building and Managing your reputation through LinkedIn and Twitter profile Optimization
- Six Social Media Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Blogs, LinkedIn and MySpace.
Lunch and networking begins at 11:30am, program runs from 12-1pm, workshop immediately following at 1:30-4pm. Cost for members is $60 for lunch and workshop, $10 for lunch only. For non members, $75 for lunch and workshop, $20 lunch only. Register online at www.spokaneadfed.com. For more information, email saf@spokaneadfed.com or call 509-328-5855.

NAWBO, the National Association of Women Business Owners will hold their annual Leadership seminar and annual meeting this Thursday, October 8 at the Lincoln Center. The theme for this year's event is "Live Your Dream" and includes a seminar by Dr. Laura Asbell starting at 3 pm, followed by a networking event and dinner with Beverly Kuykendall as keynote speaker and special guest Kay LeClaire, the Spokane woman who summited Mt. Everest earlier this year. You can register online at www.nawbonw.org or call 509-468-0510.

The First annual Columbus Day celebration at Cassano Grocery and Mission Bistro will be this Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11 at their new location, 2002 E Mission at Napa. This will be a great event featuring delicious grilled Cassano Italian sausages, spaghetti & meatballs, Italian desserts, coffee drinks and more. Live music will play both Saturday and Sunday, plus there will be special menu items at Mission Bistro and special prices on Italian grocery items at Cassano's. Hours are 10am-8pm on Saturday and 10am-4pm on Sunday. Enjoy a fun event the Italian way at Cassano Grocery & Mission Bistro. For more information, call 509-747-3888.

With the increasing challenges of the economy and the job search, the 6th annual Wardrobes for Women is assisting women in their careers or career search by selling clothing at a fraction of the cost. The event will be held October 15–17 at The Lodge at Spokane Falls Community College. The sale is free and open to the public beginning on Friday and continues through Saturday with the following times: Friday, October 16: 8am–7pm and Saturday, October 17: 8am-12pm. Wardrobes for Women is a career ware sale benefiting the Inland Northwest Health Service (INHS) Foundation. Each year, donated clothing is sold for a fraction of the retail price to local women who, despite working hard in a variety of professional capacities, struggle to afford rising retail prices. Items remaining after the sale will be donated to charitable organizations within the community. Direct proceeds will benefit the INHS Foundation which supports St. Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute, Northwest MedStar, Community Health Education & Resources (CHER) and Team St. Luke’s. For more information on this event and others supporting the INHS Foundation, visit www.inhs.org/foundation or call 509-473-6099.

Photographer Diane Maehl is moving her studio downtown to 168 S Division. Maehl has been operating out of her South Hill home for over 25 years. Diane Maehl Photography’s new location is a 1,000 square foot space and will include a studio area and gallery. Within in the same building, Urbanna Natural Spa & Salon, owned by Linda Biel will opening later this month.

The business thought of the week is from Michael Jordan: "You have to expect great things from yourself before you can do them."

For more information about advertising on this newsletter, which is read by over 5,000 business people each week, please call 509-838-4080 or e-mail us at info@clarkadspr.com.

If this "How’s Business?" report was forwarded to you, and you would like to have your own copy e-mailed every Monday morning, please sign up at the bottom of this newsletter or go to www.clarkadspr.com, and click on How’s Business? Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Be sure to catch “How’s Business?” Friday mornings at 8:55 on KXLY News Radio 920 and Sunday mornings at 7:30 on KXLY TV News 4’s Good Morning Northwest Sunday.