Monday, October 12, 2009

Everyone’s Italian today! It’s Columbus Day, the 517th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ discovery of the new world. Italians around the world are celebrating their countryman’s success, even though he was working for Spain when he discovered America. At Cassano’s Italian Grocery and their restaurant, Mission Bistro, the weekend Columbus Day celebration continues through today with special prices on selected items of their wide variety of imported Italian food products. They invite everyone to come be a Cassano Paisano as they celebrate Columbus Day at the store, 2002 E. Mission at Napa.

Mike and Ellena Conway and daughter Natalie of Latah Creek Winery have introduced a new wine, Petit Verdot. This unique bottling is the first in their series of Winemaker Reserve Reds, commemorating the 25th anniversary of the winery. The Conways were one of the early founders of the wine business in the Pacific Northwest. Petit Verdot is relatively rare because these grapes are typically used in Bordeaux-style blends. It’s available for tasting and for sale along with all of their award winning wines at Latah Creek Winery and gift shop at 13030 East Indiana. Their website is latahcreek.com.

Heather Brown and Ruthanne Eberly first met while in high school working as maids at Whistlin’ Jack Lodge in Chinook Pass. Now the two women are in business together running a professional maid service called Maid Naturally, for homes and offices in the Spokane area. As the name implies, their business is different, in that they use all natural cleaning products that they have developed. Being concerned and responsible moms, Heather and Ruthanne created a full line of natural products containing no harmful chemicals that they would be comfortable having in their own homes. They offer "A Home Spa Collection" line of products including Home Clarifying Cleanser, Home Exfoliating Cleanser, Home Glass Toner, Home Cleansing Masque, Home Aromatherapy Cleanser and Stainless Steel Massage Oil. The non-toxic cleansers work just as well or better than commercial products; their customers say they are more effective. Maid Naturally employs a staff of ten in their licensed, bonded and insured cleaning business and product manufacturing. They sell their products retail in Spokane at Yokes, Huckleberry’s, Rocket Market and the Eco Depot. They’re also distributed in 15 states as well as sold nationally from their website maidnaturally.com. The phone number is 509-879-2217.

Nosey Parker® LLC, a publication, website and endorsement company that promotes retail-relationships marketed to women, announces that the company has successfully registered the Nosey Parker® name, through the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The name Nosey Parker® is an English term for "overly curious" and is used in England, however it is uncommon in the United States. Margaret Croom, the creator and publisher of the Nosey Parker® Guidebook, filed for U.S. Trademark in January and was notified in September that it was officially hers! In addition to the popular guidebook, Nosey Parker® offers a web site presence for all members at noseyparkerinw.wordpress.com. And, each week subscribers receive an email announcing timely, updated need-to-know information about offerings from NoseyParker® listing companies and other businesses in the community that market directly to women. The Nosey Parker® Guidebooks can be found at various locations, mentioned on the website as well as all Yokeʼs Fresh Market stores. Proceeds from the sale of the guidebook at Yokeʼs benefit the Toni Marie Boutique at Sacred Heart Hospital, which was named for the late Toni Marie Robideaux. A new Nosey Parker® guidebook has recently been completed for Oklahoma City and will debut in that market soon. You can get more information about Nosey Parker by calling Margaret Croom at 509-714-1172. You can also follow NoseyParker on Facebook and Twitter: NoseyParkerINW.

Two University Presidents will hold a fireside chat on the theme of "Reinvention: A New Prescription for a Healthy Economy" this Wednesday at Greater Spokane Incorporated's Annual Meeting. Guest speakers Dr. Mark Emmert, President of University of Washington, and Dr. Elson Floyd, President of Washington State University, will share their ideas on the roles education and the University District will play in a healthy economy for the Spokane region. The luncheon meeting will take place at the Spokane Convention Center on Wednesday, October 14 from 11:30am-1:00pm. You can sign up by registering online at www.greaterspokane.org and by clicking on "events."

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Shawna Sampson has been hired as the development director for SpokAnimal. Sampson has previously worked in several other non profits in the Spokane Area, and as development director is responsible for the direction and coordination of fundraising strategies, as well as developing giving programs and cultivating donor relations. She can be reached at ssampson@spokanimal.org.

Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living Magazine presents their Best Of Spokane/CDA Party at Isabella’s, 21 West Main, Wednesday Oct 14, from 5:30 until 8 pm. It’s a chance to mix and mingle with the winners, have a drink or two, some appetizers and meet the editors, writers and advertisers from Spokane’s premier city magazine. Copies of the new "Best Of" issue will be on hand to see who readers chose for Best Restaurant, Best Downtown Shop, Best Jewelry, and even the Most Needed Improvement and Best New Thing Discovered About Spokane as well as 115 other categories. It’s a magazine release party not to be missed; 5:30 Wednesday at Isabella’s.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and many Spokane area businesses will be recognizing the value of hiring individuals with developmental disabilities tomorrow at the October 13 Hire Ability Day Luncheon at the Davenport Hotel. This complimentary luncheon, highlighting the various employers and employees in our community working with persons with developmental disabilities, is the perfect opportunity to learn more about how businesses can benefit from hiring employees from this underutilized segment of the workforce. Hire Ability Day starts in the morning of October 13 with 20 to 25 participants going to 20 to 25 different workplaces throughout Spokane. Each participant, accompanied by a job coach, will tour the job site and learn about the business from a host or guide representing the company. From learning how to assist with animal care at an animal hospital to assisting with data entry duties at a regional bank, participants will experience a variety of job skills. The noon luncheon in the Pennington Ballroom at The Davenport Hotel provides employers with perspective and anecdotal examples from business leaders who have had success working with this segment of the workforce. It also provides an opportunity for employees with developmental disabilities to meet prospective employers who support their efforts to find meaningful and sustainable work in our community. For more information, contact Brian Nichols, program manager, Spokane County Community Services Development Disabilities office at 509-477-2029 or visit hireabilityday.org.

Financial advisor Craig Landron has joined Vorpahl Wing Securities, with offices in suite 205 of the Fernwell Building, 505 West Riverside at Stevens. Landron, who is also an accomplished jazz musician, was formerly with Northwest Investment Advisors. The phone number is 509-747-1749 and the website is vorpahlwing.com.

Valpak, owned in the Inland Northwest by Val (short for Valpak) Workman, has announced that iPhoneTM and iPod® touch users can now access money-saving coupons using the free Valpak App from the App Store, making saving easier than ever. Users of the Valpak app can: Access to more than 17,000 offers; search savings by categories of dining, auto, beauty, health, shops, leisure, home, professional and general; use your phone's GPS to locate savings around you which are automatically sorted by distance; click on a coupon and you can use phone's mapping function to get directions; view multiple discounts and tap business phone numbers making it easy to call for more information The Valpak App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. For more information on Valpak of the Inland Northwest, contact Val Workman by phone at 509-892-6334 or by email at val@valpaknw.com.

After a competitive review process, Magner Sanborn, a full-service advertising, brand design and marketing communications firm in Spokane, announced it has been awarded the contract for creative services and media planning for Amtrak Cascades. Magner Sanborn will work with Amtrak and the Washington State Department of Transportation on the marketing and advertising for the Amtrak Cascades train service, which operates between Vancouver, BC and Eugene, Oregon. Additionally, Laurie Pierson has been hired as director of media planning for Magner Sanborn.

Spokane’s Chris Majer, who has spent the last quarter-century helping individuals and organizations embrace and create success, has written a new book, "The Power to Transform: 90 Days to a New You." In it Majer gives readers the missing resource to start living the life they have chosen instead of living the one they’ve been given. Sharing the methods that he’s developed with athletes, CEOs and organizations, Majer now tailors it for individuals so that they can realize their untapped potential. He has two upcoming Spokane events where he’ll be discussing his book and signing autographs: 7pm on October 23 at Auntie’s Bookstore downtown and 2pm on October 24 at Hastings on the South Hill. For more information about the book go to www.thepowertotransform.net.

Spokane area Safeco® Insurance agents are donating $25,000 to The Salvation Army and Second Harvest Inland Northwest. The grants, part of a summer campaign Safeco sponsored to support the work of more than 70 independent agents in Spokane, will help meet rapidly increasing demand on The Salvation Army and Second Harvest. Safeco encourages its local agent partners to be active contributors to the communities they serve. The Agent Giving Program recognizes outstanding local insurance agents and their community commitments. Spokane-area independent agents making donations are: Fidelity Associates, a fifth-generation family owned South Hill personal and business insurance and financial services agency, donated $5,000 to The Salvation Army. North Town Insurance, a North Side life, business and property-casualty agency, donated $5,000 to The Salvation Army. Buck & Affiliates, a full-service personal and business insurance agency with North Side and Airway Heights locations, donated $5,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank. And Safeco Insurance, which has a large customer service center in Liberty Lake, donated $10,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Riding a surge of transfer and returning students, Eastern Washington University is experiencing record enrollment to start the 2009-10 academic year. With enrollment numbers now final, EWU has 10,504 full-time equivalent (FTE) students, 379 more than last fall quarter. This also tops the previous record of 2006, when the number of FTEs at Eastern totaled 10,288.

Project Beauty Share wants to know what’s in your makeup bag? Beauty lovers kick off Project Beauty Share Month this October by opening up their makeup bags to local women’s shelters. Project Beauty Share is a year-round initiative to collect beauty products and distribute them through local agencies to women whose circumstances do not allow them to afford these items. Project Beauty Share knows the beauty is in the giving. To toast Project Beauty Share Month, Project Beauty Share invites you to a Beauty Bash on October 22 at The Make-Up Studio, 216 N. Bernard, in downtown Spokane. Join your fellow beauty lovers for a glass of wine, some light bites and a beauty drive. Project Beauty Share extends the evening’s invitation to all beauty lovers, requesting they bring their new and gently-used beauty, cosmetic and toiletry products for donation. In addition to sharing beauty, guests will be treated to in-store specials on The Make-Up Studio beauty products, a gift basket raffle with proceeds benefiting the Project Beauty Share network of women’s agencies, and the opportunity to mingle with representatives from the agencies. Raffle tickets for the gift basket giveaway will be sold all day on October 22 at The Make-Up Studio, 216 N. Bernard, for $1.00. Donors who bring in products for the beauty drive on October 22 will receive a complimentary raffle ticket. For more information on the Beauty Bash, please contact The Make-Up Studio at 509-455-7430, or julie@themakeupstudio.net, or go to www.projectbeautyshare.com.

Downtown Spokane has an indoor secure bike parking arrangement that’s open to the general public and it’s full of style. For just $1/day, bicycle commuters can now use the City Ramp garage for secure, card-checked, attendant monitored parking. Owners of the art deco-style garage say they plan to add more infrastructure as use picks up, like hanging racks and even showers. Check it out at the corner of 1st and Stevens. To learn more, visit http://cyclingspokane.blogspot.com.

The business thought of the week is from B.C. Forbes, founder of Forbes magazine: "Diamonds are just lumps of coal that stuck to their jobs."

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