Monday, May 10, 2010

Of the thousands of wines tasted and reviewed by Wine Press Northwest magazine annually, only a small percentage are chosen for "wine of the week" recognition. Latah Creek's Muscat Canelli was named the Pacific Northwest Wine of the Week for May 4, 2010. The Wine of the Week is an independent opinion based on double- and single-blind tastings. Wine Press Northwest said, "A case can be made that no other Northwest winery has done so well with this grape for so long as Mike and Ellena Conway's family operation. Fruit from Phil Church Vineyards on the Wahluke Slope produced aromas of pink grapefruit, gooseberry, lychee, rosewater, apricot, pear and freshly laundered linen. It's a fun, clean and refreshing drink of more Ruby Red grapefruit, peaches, pears and jasmine with lively acidity to balance the residual sugar (4%). The wine was rated "Outstanding" by Wine Press Northwest magazine. Muscat Canelli sells for $11 a bottle. You can taste it at Latah Creek, 13030 E. Indiana Avenue. The tasting room and gift shop are open from 9 am to 5 pm daily. The phone number is 509-926-0164 and the website is www.latahcreek.com.

Nyne Bar and Bistro is about to open at 232 West Sprague in the old Sylvan Furniture warehouse building between Browne and Bernard. It's going to be a family friendly restaurant until 9 pm; then it will be an impressive night spot with live music as well as a one of a kind, state of the art, juke box. They also plan to make the spacious facility available for group events. We'll have more on their grand opening soon.

Special recognition for some of Spokane's most outstanding restaurants were awarded recently by the Washington Restaurant Association Spokane Chapter. The honors go to those industry leaders who exemplify service to customers, food quality, cleanliness and overall appearance, integrity in dealing with suppliers, participation in the WRA and community involvement. The 2010 winners are: Full Service Restaurant of the Year: Anthony's at Spokane Falls. Casual Dining Restaurant of the Year: Satellite Diner, and Quick Service Restaurant of the Year: High Nooner. Also given special recognition were two associate WRA members who show responsibility to their customers, service to the hospitality industry, association participation and community participation. Those winners are: Supplier Company of the Year: Boyd Coffee Company. Supplier Representative of the Year: Annemarie Fransk, Spokane Cash Register. The Washington Restaurant Association, in its 81st year, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry - the largest private employer in the state with an average workforce of nearly 200,000. In Washington, the more than 12,500 restaurants annually generate $12.2 billion to the state economy and contribute $635 million in state taxes.

After 30 years at STCU, including 20 years as its president and CEO, Steven L. Dahlstrom will retire at the end of the year. His replacement is Thomas A. Johnson, who has been STCU's vice president of administration since 2006 and was an STCU board member for 12 previous years. The STCU Board of Directors has approved a succession plan promoting Johnson to executive vice president starting May 24. He'll become president and CEO on January 1, 2011 - the fourth president in STCU's 76-year history. Johnson served as a vice president at Whitworth University from 1989 through 2006. He was part of the selection committee that recommended Bill Robinson as Whitworth's president in 1993, a move that helped Whitworth earn a reputation as one of the nation's outstanding private universities.

The Lilac City Tattoo Expo will be held Sunday, May 16 at the Spokane Convention Center, with 1,700 attendees expected.

According to the Spokane Association of Realtors, April home sales this year were 53% ahead of April 2009 and 25% ahead of March 2010. April's increase was the seventh consecutive month sales outpaced 2009 figures. The SAR reported 505 closed sales for April, 63 of which were new homes, the most since October of 2008.

Magner Sanborn, a full-service advertising, brand design and marketing communications firm has brought Delaney Nye back as an Art Director after his 7-month exploration through South America. He'll manage the design and execution of interdisciplinary marketing communications, including both print and online media, for a variety of clients. Nye worked for Magner Sanborn for four years after graduating from the SFCC design program, before taking a hiatus to trek around South America and blog about his many experiences at travelswithdelaney.com.

Magner Sanborn has also hired Nick Bryant as Account Executive. He'll be involved in overseeing the account management and strategic direction for multiple client accounts, as well as helping to direct social media strategies for the agency and its clients. Bryant has received his undergraduate degree from Augustana College, and is finishing his M.A. in Communication and Leadership from Gonzaga University. He started as an intern at Magner Sanborn, quickly became an all-around asset, particularly in the areas of brand management and viral marketing, and was hired before even graduating.

Some Spokane-area employees of Safeco® Insurance made good use of their time during a recent staff development meeting. The seven-member team decided to turn their team-building into a team giving operation. The seven members of Safeco's Service Operations Business Support team handmade more than 20 blankets to donate to terminally ill children and adults for the Hospice of Spokane. The team worked with local Hancock Fabric store to secure blanket making materials, and the Oxford Suites hotel gave them space in which to work over a three-day period.

All proceeds from the Delta Gamma/Liberty Park plant and gift shop sales on Thursday May 13th from 9 to 3 pm will go to Lilac Services for the Blind.

Boise auto dealer Lyle Pearson Auto Group is purchasing Spokane's Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo dealership at 1310 West Third Avenue. The new owners have over 40 years experience in running luxury auto operations; they are currently selling Jaguar, Porsche, Mercedes Benz, Volvo, Acura and Land Rover in their Boise location. Brian Cueny will serve as manager of the new dealership in Spokane. The Lyle Pearson Auto Group website is lylepearson.com.

Beyond Words is a benefit breakfast for RiteCare Spokane's Childhood Language Center being held Thursday, May 20, from 7:30 to 9am at the Spokane Club. This infomative breakfast will talk about RiteCare Spokane's Childhood Language Center, which is a valuable community resource that has been offering a family-centered approach to children's speech therapy for over 20 years. Speech therapy and family education are provided at no cost to families. Please sign up for the breakfast and help support this worthy cause, helping children in need of speech therapy in Spokane. For reservations or more information, call 509-838-2310.

Help make the Summer of 2010 one to fondly remember by supporting S.O.S. (Save Our Summer) through the Spokane Parks Foundation. This year over 48% of our youth will not swim due to regulations and cost requirements imposed by our local and state health choices. Spokane Parks Foundation is seeking both individual and corporate donations to assist the needy kids in our area to thrive and stay active through the summer months. The goal is to provide 2000 swimsuits, swimming lesson funding, day camps and summer camps. The Spokane Parks Foundation awards grants to organizations and/or individuals to improve quality of our area parks. They also provide scholarship funds for Spokane County's children in low income families for swimming lessons, day camps and all programs as listed in the Spokane Parks and Recreation guide. To make the difference for a child this summer, and for information on program underwriting, contact Toni Nersesian at the Foundation office, 509-326-5233 or visit www.spokaneparksfoundation.org. Contributions can also be mailed to PO Box 2021; Spokane, WA 99210.

Three local ad agencies have won top honors in the recent Spark Awards presented by the Spokane Regional MarCom Association. The "Brightest Spark" awards were presented to Magner Sanborn for their "Share Inspiration" campaign for Gonzaga University's 2009 fund raising campaign. The work also won the Dussault Award, a special recognition for a campaign that "enhances the vitality and vibrancy of the community." Coeur d'Alene-based Hanna Advertising won an award for the City of Spokane's "Slow the Flow" water conservation campaign. Klundt-Hosmer and the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau won for their social media "SpoTweetDeals" campaign. MarCom is made up of public relations and marketing professionals. You can find more information about the organization and a complete list of the winners at their website www.spokanemarcom.com.

NAC Architecture has promoted Melissa McFadgen and Dan Kurtz to associate principals of the firm.

The Lord Mayor of Limerick, his Worship Kevin Kiely, is leading a delegation for an official visit to Spokane on May 14 - 17 to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Spokane-Limerick Sister City relationship. Mayor Verner is honoring him at a reception on Friday night from 4-6 in the Chase Gallery in Spokane City Hall. He has been named an Honorary Grand Marshall in the Lilac Festival Armed Forces Torchlight Parade and will be riding in the Parade on Saturday night joined by Kerry Lynch, President of the Limerick Society and former Mayor Jack Geraghty. Lord Mayor Kiely is the 813 Mayor of Limerick which became a city on October 3, 1691, almost 200 years before Spokane. This is the 8th official visit to Spokane of a Mayor of Limerick City.

Douglass Properties, one of the largest local apartment and rental housing management groups in the Greater Spokane area, will open its doors to the community during their Open House, "Douglass Properties on Parade," this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 14, 15 & 16th from 9am–4pm each day. From luxurious to affordable, Douglass Properties will have over 13 of their apartment communities and rental homes, located in every corner of the Spokane and Spokane Valley, open for the public to view and walk through. Enter to win prizes such as a big screen TV, a cruise, gift cards, gift baskets and more. The more locations you visit, the more chances to win. Douglass Properties specializes in managing 29 communities throughout the greater Spokane area, offering one, two and three bedroom apartment homes. Year round and seasonal pools as well as state-of-the-art fitness centers are located at selected apartment communities. For more information and to see a list of open house communities, visit www.douglassproperties.com or call 509-710-5355.

Twelve prominent Washington wine writers are bringing Washington wine to the world through Twitter, Facebook and one hundred on location events. The June 3 event is a connection between the virtual wine tasting community using social media and wineries across the state. WAWine allows people from across the world to interact with each other while drinking and celebrating Washington wine. Wineries also use the event as a springboard to bring people together inside their tasting room. WAWine is an opportunity to learn, connect and engage regardless of where you are in the world. The event is sponsored by Washington Tasting Room Magazine and the Washington Wine Commission and will leverage the collective reach of 14 wine writers and Washington wine events, Wine Rocks in Seattle, Taste Washington in Spokane and the 2010 Wine Bloggers Conference in Walla Walla. "Hundreds of wine loving eyes will be on Washington during June. This is a perfect event to kick off the month and connect people," says the events co-creator, Josh Wade. As wine writers descend on the state, WAWine will get their palate primed for great Washington wine. The first event in the series, WAMerlot saw millions of brand impressions for Washington state merlot, over 2000 tweets from 500 people on Twitter and over 1000 people in 80 locations across the state! Leveraging the momentum from WAMerlot, WAWine will bring even greater exposure to the variety and complexity of wine that grows in Washington. Participation is simple. Visit the event site www.wawine.eventbrite.com for details and tips.

Spokane Mayor Mary Verner and members of the Stanley G. Witter, Sr. family will be featured guests at the formal ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the new Witter Aquatics Center, Wednesday, May 12, 10am at 1300 E. Mission (E. Mission & Upriver Drive). The Spokane Park Board, Parks Bond Citizen Advisory Committee and staff of the Spokane Parks and Recreation Department cordially invite the media and the public to attend the Witter Aquatics Center ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of this brand new neighborhood aquatic center which was constructed with 2007 Parks Improvement Bond funding.

The business thought of the week is from singer, songwriter, Bobby McFerrin: "In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry, you make it double. Don't worry. Be happy." If you sing that for the rest of the week, it will be a happier one….

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