Business Pulse March | April 2024

37TH ANNUAL

CELEBRATING THE BEST OF WHATCOM BUSINESS

START-UP OF THE YEAR

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

EMPLOYEE AND PUBLIC SERVICE AWARDS

PLUS:

The nuts and bolts behind the growing numbers of women in the construction industry

Council explores solutions to waterfront noise

Mayor Kim Lund accepts challenge to make Bellingham better for business

Water rights and other policies are making it hard to farm

PULSE

Your local business news brought to you by WHATCOM BUSINESS ALLIANCE

VOL. 49 | NO. 2

PUBLISHER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

GUEST COLUMNISTS

ART DIRECTOR GRAPHIC DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY

WBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

BOARD CHAIR: Josh Wright

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE:

Gov’t & Public Affairs, bp Cherry Point; John Huntley President/CEO, Mills Electric Inc.; Doug Thomas, President/CEO, Bellingham Cold Storage; Josh Turrell, Partner, Larson Gross PLLC

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Jane Carten, President, Saturna Capital; Bryant Engebretson, Managing Principal, Tradewinds Capital; Jon Ensch, Commercial Banking Officer, Peoples Bank; Mitch Faber, Partner, Adelstein Sharpe & Serka, Jim Haupt, General Manager, Hotel Bellwether; Sandy Keathley, Former Owner, K & K Industries; Tony Larson, Founder, WBA; Sarah Rothenbuhler, Owner/CEO, Birch Equipment; Patrick Schuppert, Commercial Banking Relationship Manager, Wells Fargo; Billy VanZanten, CEO, Western Refinery Services

For editorial comments and suggestions, write info@whatcombusinessalliance.com. The magazine is published bimonthly at 1225 Roeder Ave., Ste. 108, Bellingham WA 98225. (360) 746-0418. Yearly subscription rate is $25 (US). For digital subscription, visit businesspulse.com. Entire contents copyrighted ©2023 Business Pulse. All rights reserved.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Business Pulse, 2950 Newmarket St., #101-173, Bellingham WA 98226

Cover Photo by Sattva Photo

17

IN THIS ISSUE

11 WOMEN IN CONSTRUCTION

The first in a two-part series explores the growing number of female construction workers in Washington — among the highest in the nation.

17 COUNCIL EXPLORES OPTIONS TO SOLVE NOISE ORDINANCE

The challenge is creating a solution that people can live with.

21 PERSONALLY SPEAKING

Mayor Kim Lund talks about making Bellingham a better place to live, work and do business.

17 21

COLUMNS

60 Councilmembers

Mark

65 Putting

67

71 Will WA Cares program

27

CELEBRATING THE BEST OF WHATCOM BUSINESS

28 START-UP OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Sasquatch Pest Control Neeter House of Luxury Black Noise Records Plantage

36 SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR FINALISTS Elements Hospitality Comphy Co HighCraft Cabinets Northwest Navigation

44 BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Kent Bouma, WECU

Billy VanZanten, WRS

Tiera Nipges, Pacific Facility Solutions

Ty McClellan, Hardware Sales

52 EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Karen Dykstra, WRS

54 PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD

Steve Sundin, City of Bellingham

56 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

John Ferlin & Mimi Brooks Ferlin, Brooks Manufacturing

2023 3Cs Awards

The “3Cs” Awards were born out of a desire to celebrate team members who were living out our values: Character, Chemistry, and Competency. To simplify: be a good human, get along with other humans, and learn and do your job well.

Congratulations to our 2023 recipients!

Brian Schneider (left, Character)

Sarah Dalrymple (middle, Competency)

Loren Honcoop (right, Chemistry)

WHATCOM BUSINESS AWARDS BLACK & GOLD GALA

Celebrating the best of Whatcom business with our 37th annual event!

There are hundreds of champions who are contributing daily to economic development in our region. This month, we celebrate those who take risks every day, invest in our community and provide employment, mentorship and inspiration.

Throughout the year, we bring you the best of Whatcom County business. At Business Pulse, we strive to publish the hard work and accomplishments of business leaders and entrepreneurs in our community, recognizing achievement and those aiming for greatness. We are inspired by the notion that business success and community prosperity go hand in hand.

We will recognize a host of leaders on March 15 at our 37th Annual Whatcom Business Awards Black & Gold Gala at Semiahmoo Resort. Nominees for Start-up of the Year are Black Noise Records, Neeter House of Luxury, Plantage and Sasquatch Pest Control. For Small Business of the Year, nominees are Comphy Co,

Elements Hospitality, HighCraft Cabinets and Northwest Navigation. The Business Person of the Year nominees are Kent Bouma (WECU), Tiera Nipges (Pacific Facility Solutions), Billy VanZanten (WRS) and Ty McClellan (Hardware Sales).

In recognition of exceptional work at all levels, we will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to John Ferlin and Mimi Brooks Ferlin of Brooks Manufacturing, a third-generation local business. The Jon Strong Employee of the Year award will cel-

ebrate Karen Dykstra from WRS, and the Public Service award will be presented to Steven Sundin from the city of Bellingham. Read the inspiring stories of our awards finalists in our featured articles.

This issue of Business Pulse presents good business policy and calls out inhibitors. Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy writes about how a proposed change to the noise ordinance in Bellingham could impact local businesses. Careers under construction: Washington has one of highest percentages of women in construction roles in the nation, writes Heather Lea. Lorraine Wilde interviews Mayor Kim Lund; discover how she intends to bring her experience and local roots to the mayor’s office. AWB President Kris Johnson outlines new proposed regulations and higher taxes on businesses in the legislature. Fred Likkel from Whatcom Family Farms describes increasing difficulties in the ag business and local farmer resilience, and finance guru Devin Wolf, principal and financial adviser at Financial Plan Inc., has an

Last year’s Business Person of the Year award winner, Marv Tjoelker (Larson Gross).

excellent column on putting your cash to work!

Our gala event celebrates those who make a positive impact in our region. Join us and celebrate the winners making a difference every day. We realize that there isn’t just one winner. Next year, you can honor candidates by nominating them for excellence in 2024!

You’re the best of Whatcom business. Let’s celebrate and move forward to spring with economic progress and success together!

Barbara Chase, Executive Director Whatcom Business Alliance

MAY 15

Whatcom Business Conference Hotel Bellwether

For more information, go to: whatcombusinessalliance.com

VSH CPAs announces Dowdle’s promotion to senior assurance manager

VSH Certified Public Accountants recently announced the promotion of Robert Dowdle, CPA, MPAcc, to senior assurance manager. Dowdle began his journey at VSH CPAs as an intern in 2017, and he has consistently shown expertise and commitment in accounting since then. Before this promotion, he contributed to the firm in his role as assurance manager, particularly in assurance engagements and financial statement reporting, focusing on nonprofit organizations, employee benefit plans and large businesses.“

Robert’s elevation to senior assurance manager is a testament to his outstanding leadership and deep analytical acumen,” said Kathy Herndon, a partner at VSH. “His ability to navigate complex projects with precision and insight makes him an invaluable asset to our audit and assurance team and clients.”

Dowdle is a magna cum laude graduate of Western Washington University, where he was recognized as the outstanding graduate in the accounting program. He further honed his expertise with a master’s degree in public accounting from WWU. Dowdle is actively involved in the professional community and is affiliated with the Technology Alliance Group for Northwest Washington.

For information about VSH CPAs, visit https://vshcpa.com/.

Regional Economic Partnership welcomes new director of economic development

Tyler Schroeder has been hired as the new director of economic development for the Regional Economic Partnership at the Port of Bellingham. Schroeder is currently the deputy executive for Whatcom County and will remain in this position until May 2024 to ensure a smooth and stable leadership transition.

“I hate to lose such a valuable member of our team, but this is a huge win for our community,” said Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu. “Building a strong and resilient economy is a top priority, and hiring Tyler as the director of economic development shows we mean business.”

Schroeder, a Western Washington University graduate, has two decades of experience in Whatcom County government, and he has been part of senior leadership at the county for nearly 15 years. During this time, he worked extensively on economic development initiatives, including infrastructure investment, recruiting job-creating industries and supporting small business growth.

“Tyler has in-depth knowledge of the resources necessary to advance a sustainable economy, including land use, infrastructure, permitting, workforce development, housing, financing, educational programs and partnership opportunities,” Sidhu said.

As Schroeder finishes up his work at Whatcom County, he is looking forward to focusing full time on economic development initiatives, he said.

“The Regional Economic Partnership has been a very successful model, and I see tremendous opportunities to build on this strong foundation,” Schroeder said. “I’ve been fortunate in my role as deputy executive to work with the REP team on projects like transportation infrastructure, rural broadband, business recruitment and financing for strategic projects.”

The REP is located at the Port of Bellingham as a one-stop shop for recruiting business and industry, helping local companies grow and generating quality job opportunities throughout the county. The organization is jointly funded by the Port of Bellingham, the city of Bellingham and Whatcom County to increase the efficiency and coordination among agencies.

Schroeder’s future leadership of the REP fits well with the agenda set forth by Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund.

“Tyler understands the importance of a holistic approach towards economic development,” Lund said. “He recognizes immediate opportunities like placemaking and events in downtown Bellingham and has experience working on more challenging solutions, like the need for diverse housing and reliable and equitable

Kevin Coleman

Robert Dowdle

Leah Ormesher

internet access for all. I look forward to working with Tyler to elevate and make tangible progress on the city’s economic priorities.”

Visit https://www.portofbellingham.com/154/Economic-Development to learn more.

Coleman promoted to executive director of Bellingham SeaFeast

Bellingham SeaFeast drew an estimated 13,000 people during its free weekend celebration last October on the shores of Squalicum Harbor. Its first Industry Square and Expo Hall drew more than 80 vendors, and guests enjoyed more than 1,200 pounds of traditional Lummi barbecued salmon.

Coleman started three initiatives in 2023. He introduced the Keep It Simple Seafood video series, collaborating with local chefs, restaurants and the fishing community to demonstrate simple and delicious recipes. The Boat to Table program provided free seafood meals to 420 people in need while partnering with other organizations to teach people about seafood, how to prepare it and its nutritional value, especially in lower-income and food desert areas. Also, a monthly radio show, “Love Your Waterfront,” now airs monthly on KMRE 88.3 FM in collaboration with the Working Waterfront of Whatcom County.

Bellingham SeaFeast will return Oct. 5-6 this year. Visit https://bellinghamseafeast.org/.

Barron KARES launched to support nonprofits with donations, exposure

A commitment to sharing kindness and appreciation throughout Northwest Washington has sparked Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing to launch a new program, Barron KARES.

Barron plans to shine a spotlight each month on a different charity or nonprofit organization that holds high esteem among Team Barron and within the communities it serves. Barron KARES (Kindness, Appreciation, Response, Empathy and Service) provides a charitable donation of $110 on purchases of select products, such as tankless water heaters, heat pumps, solar installations and generators.

The company’s goal is to donate more than $10,000 each month to a worthy recipient, according to CEO Brad Barron.

“Setting each donation at $110 carries a significance rooted in the wisdom of our owner John Barron’s mentor, who advised, ‘Go above and beyond your call of duty — push past 100%; give 110% every time.’ This philosophy of exceeding expectations has become a guiding principle for us,” Brad Barron said. “With Barron KARES, we see our commitment as more than a monetary donation. It represents a dedication to making a tangible, positive impact on the causes and individuals we support. By featuring a different charity or nonprofit each month, we hope to help illuminate organizations that

align with our values and resonate with our team and communities.”

Barron said February’s featured organization was Skookum Kids, a local nonprofit that builds resilient communities to help children thrive while in foster care. People wishing to suggest future recipients may email BarronKARES@barronheating.com.

For information about Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing, visit https://www.barronheating.com/.

Administrative professional hired at RMC Architects

RMC Architects recently hired Leah Ormesher as an administrative professional. She graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2012, earning a Bachelor of Arts in humanities while minoring in marketing and cinema studies.

Ormesher’s deep appreciation for all forms of art and her inclination to incorporate art into her own life drew her to RMC’s creative environment. Her detail-oriented organizational and planning skills will help keep the office running smoothly, and she will assist with marketing, including proposal development, and social media.

For information about RMC Architects, visit https://rmcarchitects.com/.

Modernization project begins for Bellingham shipping terminal

The Port of Bellingham is pleased to announce the start of a transformative two-year project to modernize and enhance the Bellingham Shipping Terminal.

The Bellingham Shipping Terminal Modernization Project will remove historic contamination from the Whatcom Waterway to restore water depths for ship access, install a state-of-theart stormwater system, fortify the main dock, and stimulate job creation throughout the region.

The $27.5 million project is supported by a $6.85 million U.S. Department of Transportation Port Infrastructure Development Program Grant.

“This investment is part of an ongoing effort started many years ago to develop an active deep-water port as the centerpiece of a vibrant, mixeduse waterfront,” said Port Commission President Ken Bell. “When the Shipping Terminal Modernization Project is complete, we will finally have the maritime infrastructure necessary to meet the needs of the modern shipping industry and create working waterfront jobs for our community.”

“This project is a big win for Whatcom County’s working waterfront,” said ILWU Local 7 Longshoreman Joe Schmidt. “Washington is one of the largest domestic and international gateways for cargo in the United States, and the Bellingham Shipping Terminal is one of only 11 deep-draft seaports in the state.”

ILWU Local 7 is located in Bellingham and supports operations at the shipping terminal by providing the workforce necessary to load and unload cargo. ILWU Local 7 recently registered eight permanent longshore workers, bringing the total to 18. An-

ticipating increased terminal activity, the ILWU has added 30 new casual positions, increasing the labor pool to work cargo vessels.

Key features:

Increasing navigation depth: The project will remove high spots from the Whatcom Waterway and deepen the navigation channel from 26 feet to 35 feet, allowing larger vessels to safely access the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. Approximately 22,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment will be removed and disposed of at a certified upland disposal facility.

Strengthening the main dock: Approximately 140 feet of deteriorating and damaged wharf structure will be removed and replaced, ensuring the central terminal’s capacity to handle heavier cargo and equipment, including the port’s 124 metric ton mobile harbor crane. Fortifying the main dock will allow the terminal to handle a wider range of cargo and support more efficient loading and unloading while ships are at the dock.

Protecting the environment: Historically, industries along Bellingham’s waterfront discharged pollution into the Whatcom Waterway. Approximately 22,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment will be removed as part of this project and disposed of at a certified upland facility under oversight of the Washington State Department of Ecology. Rebuilding the main dock will result in a state-of-the-art stormwater management system in which all stormwater from the new dock will be captured and treated onshore, reducing the environmental impact of terminal operations and safeguarding Puget Sound.

Supporting jobcreation: This project will generate a substantial number of construction and consulting jobs throughout its duration. Once complete, the movement of cargo through the Bellingham Shipping Terminal will support long-term, family-wage jobs. A new study from the Washington Maritime Federation pegs the economic impact of Washington state maritime industries at nearly $46 billion and over 170,000 jobs. In Whatcom County, over 6,000 jobs are created or supported by the marine trades, representing 7% of the total workforce.

“Cleaning up historic contamination and managing our facilities to the highest environmental standards are key goals for the port, and this project accomplishes both,” said Port Director of Environmental and Planning Services Brian Gouran. “Removing 22,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment continues the work we started in 2016 when we successfully completed one of the largest cleanup projects in state history in the Whatcom Waterway. Rebuilding the central portion of the main terminal dock to capture and treat stormwater onshore is a bestin-class solution and the preferred approach of environmental permitting agencies.”

In-water dredging work will occur from January to mid-February and again from August to October, with the work windows limited to protect salmon. When in-water work stops, construction crews will focus on upland work to strengthen the main dock.

Project is expected to be completed in spring 2025.  To learn more, visit: https://www.portofbellingham.com/ bstworks.

The nuts and bolts behind women in the construction industry

Females in construction are growing in numbers

Heather Lea

Sweat, smiles, tattoos and tools; it’s just another day on the job for Whatcom women working in the trades. Whether they’re running a contracting company or are out there in the field, females building careers in construction are growing in numbers, both statewide and nationally.

According to the Construction Industry Training Council of Washington, which provides information on career training and continuing education, the percentage of female construction workers in Washington is among the highest in the United States. Impressive.

However, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics stated in 2022 that less than 15% of construction workers in the country were female.

There is surely room to expand those numbers — especially given that women make up 50% of the entire workforce in the U.S. and that the country has a significant construction labor shortage. Craftworkers are aging out of their positions or retiring, and few are stepping in to fill their place. If jobs in the trades are going unfilled, it makes sense to broaden the outreach.

And that’s exactly what organizations like the Washington chapter of the Associated General Contractors is hoping to accomplish alongside local businesses, such as Dawson Construction, with the Celebration of Women in Construction, hosted annually in March by AGCW and the Puget Sound Chapter of the National Associa-

PHOTO:

tion of Women in Construction. The event, which coincides with Women’s History Month, is open to all genders and serves to highlight the achievements of women in every aspect of the industry.

But many industry leaders agree that encouraging females to apply for positions in the trades must start earlier — in schools and at the dinner table, for example.

“Encouraging girls to take shop classes and learn some carpentry/ home improvement skills would help (them) learn, ‘Hey, this is kind of fun, and I can do this stuff,’ and would bring more women into the trades,” said Pat Rose, former owner of Rose Construction.

Parents are starting to realize there are options for their kids that don’t include getting a degree. Mike Rowe — known for his work on “Dirty Jobs,” a Discovery Channel series in which he apprentices himself out for undesirable work — made a bold claim recently about how a four-year degree is essentially a money grab that leaves kids with a six-figure debt, when they could be entering the trades and making six-figure incomes within a few years’ time.

It’s no surprise women see the wisdom in this. But do they feel comfortable and welcomed into the business of running power tools and leading teams of men on construction sites?

Currently, fewer than 1.3 million women work in the construction industry nationally, just under 11% of the total workforce. This is a 3.5% increase from 2022 and an impressive 53% jump in the past decade, according to Bureau of Labor statistics compiled by Fixr.com. It is unclear what

defines “working in the trades,” but the assumption is that these positions include everyone from on-site or inthe-field labor workers, plumbers and electricians to related occupations in finance and legal, as well as project managers, engineers and presidents.

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research states that women are increasingly being promoted to higher-up leadership positions and going even further to become construction business owners.

Despite these encouraging statistics, our gender remains underrepresented in the field, raising the question: Why? After all, we’ve seen women in trades for half a century or more.

During World War II, due to most American men serving overseas, women took over the mechanical and technical jobs. When the war was over, the men returned to those jobs, but a handful of females decided they liked working in the field better than staying home and remained in their positions in the trades. They fought for more education and opportunities, and although they had some success, such as founding the National Association of Women in Construction in 1953, construction remains one of the most male-dominated industries around.

Inspiring women to apply for these jobs means they need to feel safe, excited and motivated.

Challenges for tradeswomen

Sadly, we’re not yet at the point where men and women make equal wages. In general, the average pay ratio in the U.S. between women and men is 82.9%, meaning women earn just under 83 cents for every dollar earned by a man. However, the good news

is, in construction, the gap is “only” 95.5%.

Women still face gender biases and career advancement barriers, but anyone who might say women are not as strong as men — or any female feeling this herself — should consider the advancement of technology. Many tools are no longer manual, and a lot of the physical parts of the job are now easier.

Women also can take on supervisory roles and other positions that are not as physically demanding but that are still required and looked for in the labor force.

Managing subcontractors and payment collection can be an area of struggle for women, due to antiquated biases, such as expecting men to be operating such businesses. Child care is another dilemma, but even the trades have work-from-home roles, such as construction software development or the management of online construction-related courses.

For a broader overlook with an honest, in-depth look into the lives of tradeswomen, the National Center for Construction Education & Research has published a white paper titled “In Her Own Words: Improving Project Outcomes” that outlines 176 interviewed females working in the industry. It is available for free at https:// www.nccer.org/in-her-own-words.

Encouraging females into the construction industry

Why do we need more women in construction? Aside from the nation’s significant labor shortage, women can help bring a missing perspective to the workplace, with thoughtfully diverse and out-of-the-box thinking. For example, how often does the construc-

tion industry consider its non-male clients — the ones perhaps making the lion’s share of decisions about the home they are building and/ or decorating?

“In the home remodeling part of the business, [being female] was an advantage, usually,” Pat Rose said, “as the women clients often felt more comfortable with a woman contractor, and some of the men seemed to feel more comfortable with a woman contractor, too.”

Why do we need more women in construction? Aside from the nation’s significant labor shortage, women can help bring a missing perspective to the workplace, with thoughtfully diverse and out-of-the-box thinking.

women throughout their careers in construction.

How about women in hiring positions who can reach out to and attract a more distinct and unique team player? For example, Dawson Construction hired Loretta Guerra as vice president of people and administration specifically to focus on improving diversity, attract new talent to the company, and retain the talent the company does have by investing in training and career goals.

Construction is an industry that thrives and functions on problem-solving and multitasking — skills many females come by naturally.

Women in the trades can also become role models, mentors and/or recruiters for younger females who don’t want office work and want good pay. When women support one another, the result can be inspirational and less competitive.

Company culture plays a huge role in attracting women to positions in the trades, and it’s for the benefit of all involved.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, the construction industry needs more than two

million additional workers in 2024. This creates a huge advantage for anyone looking for well-paid work. For example, in Whatcom County, the starting wage for an apprentice is a minimum of $25 per hour — regardless of gender or ethnicity.

If you’re a company, or a tradesperson yourself, give prospective team members a tour of your business or a-day-in-the-life perspective at your workplace.

What more can be done?

Read more articles like this; search for and join likeminded social media groups; find a mentor; become a mentor; reach out to companies where females are valued and empowered; listen to podcasts; attend female-specific events; volunteer for building programs and community-run projects; join organizations and associations that encourage females in the trades; look for outreach programs; go to career fairs; and, if you’re in the business, use more women in promotional material and content.

Lance Calloway, northern district manager of AGC, states that many construction firms have initiated proactive measures: recruitment strategies, targeted outreach, workplace culture and inclusivity programs and mentorship opportunities to support

Still, more companies could improve on the above and take after organizations like AGC of Washington, which has developed its Culture of Care initiative whereby “an intentional and practical culture shift toward diversity and inclusion can positively impact company profitability by improving employee productivity, recruiting and retaining top talent, increasing innovation and creating a safer workplace.”

Workplace behavior and harassment training is also essential for prospective team members, so women don’t feel intimidated, terrorized or bullied while trying to do their jobs.

And let’s not forget the importance of good male role models within the industry, for they are pivotal advocates, business leaders and company owners who can help provide opportunities for women to further themselves and be heard.

I’m interested:

Where do I start?

Contact local resources, like whatcomlocal.com, and search for titles like plumbing or construction. Call or email commercial construction contractors and ask about new hire opportunities or about getting placed in an apprenticeship program.

Those not sure whether committing to construction trades is for them can try volunteer work first. Through Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program, applicants can build on site, under trained professionals. No experience necessary. Register at https://

www.hfhwhatcom.org/get-involved/ women-build.

For those who want to be more involved but don’t know where to start, good places to look are Chuckanut Builders, Exxel Pacific, Dawson Construction and other Whatcom County businesses known for fostering good working relationship with their female cohorts.

Chuckanut Builders has a list on its website of local women-owned businesses that may also have great networking opportunities. Visit https://www. chuckanutbuilders.com/2019/02/19/ women-in-the-construction-industry/.

Dawson Construction office employee base is 32% women (well above the industry average) and is on par with the industry average for women employed in the field. Dawson Construction started its Women in Con-

struction group in 2023 and is the title sponsor of the AGC 2024 Celebration of Women in Construction.

Exxel Pacific has its female employees attend career fairs, hosts Women of Exxel events, and volunteers at events like Camp buildHER.

Position choices are almost limitless, and can include: tradesperson, construction manager, team member, architect, engineer, executive, consultant, electrician, safety inspector, fire marshal, pipefitter, equipment operator, traffic control worker — even project drone pilot.

Whether you’re already wearing a hard hat or just dipping a steel-covered toe into the waters, consider looking for a mentor who supports females in construction — or become one yourself. Mentors come in all shapes, sizes and colors, from CEOs, presidents

and business owners to other females working in your desired field.

Keep events like Celebration of Women in Construction in mind for March 2025, and mark June 1, 2024, on the calendar as the deadline for Whatcom County’s apprenticeship in construction pre-application program. Visit https://nwagcapprenticeship.org.

Finally, for anyone looking for formal training, Bellingham Technical College offers foundation scholarships for women pursuing trades training.

Whatcom Community College has a trades program, and Whatcom County offers a contractor apprenticeship program.

Apprenticeship and Non-Traditional Employment for Women offers pre-apprenticeship training programs in construction (https://anewcareer. org), and Western Washington Uni-

versity has online construction training and a program in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (https://careertraining.wwu.edu/ construction-and-trades-programs/).

Lynette Brower, director at Northwest Career & Technical Academy, said there is no current plan for construction at the Washington County Skills Center. However, she said, “the programs might morph and change. HVAC-R, maritime and welding would be the most closely aligned programs.”

Brower added that NCTA does currently run a construction program at the Anacortes location, and there are young women in the program.

Also look for places that offer on-the-job training, such as Rose Construction.

Female-friendly resources

In addition to the companies and organizations listed above, join or keep your eye on the following:

AWC (Association of Women Contractors) — https://awcmn.org/

BIAWC (Building Industry Association of Whatcom County) — https://www.biawc.com/

CITC (Construction Industry Training Council) — https://www. citcwa.org/

NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction) — https:// www.nawicpnw.org/

NW Washington Construction

Career Day — May 23

PWC (Professional Women in Construction) — https://pwcusa.org

WCOE (Women Construction Owners & Executives) — https:// www.womenbuildamerica.com

Washington Women in Trades —

https://www.wawomenintrades.com

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) - Women and Minorities in Construction — https://wsdot.wa.gov/business-wsdot/equal-opportunity-contracting/ diverse-business-programs

2024 Northwest Washington Construction Career Day — https://www. constructionfoundation.org/wfdevo/ northwest-construction-career-day/

Podcasts to check out

Ambition Theory “focuses on strategies and thought leadership around creating a workplace where everyone is welcome and everybody can thrive.”

Design Voice Podcast “seeks to elevate and amplify the voices of women in the architecture, engineering and construction professions.”

The Constructrr spotlights companies and gives “voice to the individuals that are uniquely influencing the construction industry.”

The Nuts & Bolts Podcast is “your ultimate guide to navigating and succeeding in the construction industry.”

Remodel Your Life “talks to women working in the skilled trades and breaking down barriers in non-tradi-

tional careers.”

Space to Build “promotes the opportunities and challenges that exist in our industry through the lenses of women in construction.”

There’s no better time …

“The mindset for many years is that the trades is a male-only field,” said Rob Lee, CEO and general manag-

er at BIAWC. In Washington state, we are seeing more and more female ownership of construction/remodeling companies, (and) they tend to seek and hire females to round out their workforces.”

Although women are still underrepresented in the construction world, there are more women in Whatcom County in the trades than you might think. And additional females entering the industry will only help change things like gender pay gaps, a lack of resources and the overall limitations put on women through stereotyping and biases.

Companies in the trades that are hiring are desperate for women, people of color and unconventional applicants. Chances are, if you’re hoping to become a tradesperson or fill another sought-after role in construction, you will likely have few obstacles in your way — if you are willing to start anywhere and learn.

And remember, not all the above career choices mean you will be in the field or on the job site every day, and many of these positions don’t require a college degree, which means education costs less. A lot less.

Plus, you can start earning a minimum of $25 per hour right out the door of any trade school.

More females in the trades means more opportunities for important resources to be found, shared, cherished and experienced.

Isn’t it about time we hammer home the concept that trades roles and construction is a career choice for women as well? ■

Stay tuned for Part 2 — Nailing it: Women in construction challenging stereotypes — in the May/June issue of Business Pulse.

Stop that noise!

Hey, we’re working here!

Cheryl Stritzel McCarthy

An ordinance being developed by the Bellingham City Council would prohibit “construction and industrial noises” between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. that “unreasonably disturb” people in residential areas. Why? Residents of South Hill and other neighborhoods objected to crashing sounds coming from Bellingham Shipping Terminal, where ABC Recycling occasionally loads scrap metal into ships for overseas transport.

As of this writing, an agreement between ABC Recycling and the longshoremen’s union has activity ceasing at midnight instead of their previous 3 a.m. stoppage. Also, Rob Fix, executive director of the Port of Bellingham, has proposed pausing any new ordinance until ABC Recycling loads its next ship, sometime early this year.

“To be competitive, local businesses need to have similar rules as similar businesses in other communities,” Fix said. “Shipping terminals up and down the west coast operate

24/7. Stopping work at 3 a.m. was more than reasonable for the shipping industry. The port’s tenant and the longshoremen made a generous concession to appease a few vocal folks; let’s at least give them the courtesy of seeing if the concession makes a meaningful difference.”

What’s next?

So, we’ve pressed pause for now. But what’s next?

It’s not just waterfront businesses that would be affected, Fix said.

“Any business that does shift work and makes noise will be impacted,” he said. “Folks complain when they hear a backup alarm after dark; backup alarms are mandatory. So, anyone with a backup alarm, noisy exhaust fan, machinery and any other industrial noise will get complaints. If this passes, they will have a new tool to shut down industry. They won’t stop at noise; next up will be lighting, smells

Photos courtesy of All American Marine

and sights someone finds unseemly.”

Ron Wille is president of All American Marine, a company with 65 fulltime local employees that builds aluminum commercial vessels such as ferries, scientific survey vessels and hybrid vessels. Founded in 1987, the company moved into its new-construction facility on Squalicum Harbor in 2017. Wille points out that the company is a commercial industrial operation in a commercial industrial zone, which comes with assurances that businesses can continue with their business.

“ These are long-term investments made in these businesses,” Wille said. “We go from 6 a.m. to 4:30, Monday through Thursday. We work Fridays as well.”

A 6 a.m. start would be during the quiet times outlined in the ordinance draft.

“Goods and services in the maritime

world move at all hours,” Wille said. “Boats go out to assist ships 24/7. Our business is no exception. We launch boats at high tide in early morning. You could see us at the boat ramp with trailers at 3, 4, 5 a.m. High tide doesn’t care about the hours of 10 to 7.”

Shannon Terrell is president and CEO of Brooks Manufacturing, a company whose 55 full-time local employees help make the wood crossarms that hold up power lines on utility poles. The company has been family owned and operated since its 1915 Bellingham beginning. Terrell voiced concern about the ordinance’s unintended consequences.

“ The Department of Ecology already has noise ordinances in place for Washington state,” Terrell said. “The council is being redundant from what’s already on the books, already measurable, from Ecology.”

Like Fix, Terrell said that such an ordinance would present a slippery slope.

“If this is passed, who’s to say council won’t go after an odor profile?” Terrell said. “What if work has to get done — road repair on the freeway, railroads, trains coming through Bellingham — I see us going down a rabbit hole when we don’t need to.”

Colin Bornstein is CEO of Bornstein Seafoods, a family-owned company founded in Bellingham in 1934 that sources and processes seafood via six locations on the west coast.

“All our facilities and unloading stations are on the water,” Bornstein said. “Waterfront access is key to our business to support the fishing fleets and shipping goods. We are a 24-hour operation.”

A noise ordinance like the one proposed would be concerning for the company, Bornstein said.

“ We’re a seasonal business,” Bornstein said. “We take care of vessels that come in at all hours. They have their lights on so they can dock the boat.

We’ve been at this waterfront location since the early ’50s. We’ve always mitigated any complaints, but as urban growth gets closer to the waterfront, it becomes more pertinent. Noise is a factor in all types of businesses.”

Besides providing jobs, a working waterfront gives the community a sense of charm, Bornstein said.

“We are highly regulated,” Bornstein added. “Whether it’s wastewater, stormwater, fishery issues … I’m interested in all of them and how to continue to be a good steward of our oceans and waterways and a good steward of our community. I want to continue to provide solid jobs.”

Keep working

Wille of All American Marine echoes that sentiment, saying a working waterfront adds character and flair to life in Bellingham.

“ We want to retain the working culture, the waterfront jobs,” Wille said, “but those uses and residential uses are not always going to be in harmony. When you have (residential) projects that encroach onto the industrial zone, it could lead to conflicts. Some of the issues can be negated by making sure that when you build condos on the waterfront, it’s very clear that there will be noises. Everyone in town is used to the train. Nobody’s trying to stop the train, and that’s the noisiest thing around.”

Compromise is possible, Wille said.

“ We’re happy to work with the community to create standards that people can live with,” Wille said. “We want to be part of the solution.” ■

Where to draw the line?

The Bellingham City Council is exploring its options to solve the noise issue

Michael Lilliquist

Bellingham has had noise disturbance laws on the books for a long time. Public noise disturbance laws have a long history, with a fair amount of legal precedence. That part, I hope, is noncontroversial. The question is whether noise disturbance laws can or should be applied to ABC Recycling’s noisy operations that have gone on past midnight.

The trick is where to draw the line so that it catches noisy outliers but does not also apply to the sort of industrial, commercial and maritime activity we value and that has been on the waterfront for decades.

On the plus side, I have heard opponents of ABC’s operations say they have no wish to shut down or harm the working waterfront, and I have heard supporters of jobs and industry on the waterfront agree that people deserve a good night’s sleep. The trick is where to draw the line so that it catches noisy outliers but does not also apply to the sort of industrial, commercial and maritime activity we value and that has been on the waterfront for decades. No one wants to shut down that economic activity — certainly not me.

Would the noise disturbance rules that cover ABC’s scrap metal loading also apply to the unloading of frozen seafood that occurs in the dark hours of the night? I don’t think they should, but it is a challenge to write fair and impartial rules that can make that distinction.

I have some ideas about how we might accomplish this. I have asked the mayor to convene some kind of stakeholder group or conduct outreach on the noise ordinance. I can see two benefits of public outreach. First, it would help people understand the situation and the many sides of the issue. It could direct people’s efforts not at taking sides, but at looking for a workable solution.

I know ABC understands there is a problem, and they are working on more ways to mitigate the sound. They have already agreed to cease operations at midnight rather than at 3 a.m., which is an improvement — but not enough for some folks. If they succeed in lowering the noise, then ABC should be fine even if Bellingham chooses to tighten up and clarify our noise disturbance rules.

Entangled in the noise issue are other concerns, such as polluted dust, contaminated rain runoff and a possible scrap metal shredder that would be located outside of city limits. These issues are outside of the city’s jurisdiction. For example, stormwater permits are overseen by the Department of Ecology. Similarly, ABC is operating on land that’s owned and controlled by the Port of Bellingham, a separate government entity.

Several issues and arguments are getting wrapped together. For the moment, the Bellingham City Council is looking at the one area where we have established municipal laws and clear jurisdiction.

Michael Lilliquist represents Ward 6 on the Bellingham City Council.

“I’m looking forward to inviting the community — the business community in particular — to be partners in how we are moving forward with a responsible budget that accomplishes all the important goals that we need to realize in the city.”

Responsive (and responsible) growth

Personally speaking with Mayor Kim Lund

Lorraine Wilde

Bellingham Mayor Kim Lund took office on Jan. 1, 2024, as just the second woman mayor in the city’s history. Although she is a relative newcomer to Bellingham governance, Mayor Lund brings a breadth of experience to the office. This mother of two grew up in Bellingham Public Schools and is a graduate of the University of Washington in chemical engineering. She also holds a Leading Sustainable Corporations certificate from the Said School of Business at Oxford University.

Mayor Lund’s business experience includes having served as a team leader at Intel Corporation, as executive director of the Bellingham Public Schools Foundation, and as a small-business owner.

Lund also has served on the Whatcom County Planning Commission,  the Bellingham Public Schools Sustainability Advisory Committee, and the boards of directors for Brigid Collins, Whatcom Million Trees Project, and Communitywise Bellingham.

During her campaign, Lund listed housing, community health and safety, improving public community spaces and climate among her top priorities. Here, she lays out her vision for improving Bellingham as a place to live, work and do business. She details how she will approach these challenges during the next four years.

Business Pulse: Bellingham has grown and changed significantly over the last decade, especially since the pandemic. Local business owners are also impacted by housing availability, affordability and homelessness, living wages and worker shortages, childcare availability, crime and traffic. How will you and your administration work to make Bellingham a better place to live, work and do business?

Kim Lund: I love this question. All of those things are the important ways that individual members of our community experience how city government works, either by the government working with them — or, sometimes, not

always seen as working with them.

As the executive of the city of Bellingham, I want to set a strong vision that Bellingham is going to be one of the best-governed cities and that the standard of performance is excellent for our city departments. It’s my job, specifically, to create the culture, systems and tools for that excellent work to unfold.

That has been primarily what my first month in office has been focused on: beginning the teamwork with the department heads and leadership teams of the city to begin that process of change within the Bellingham government so that we are aligned in that vision and so that we’re delivering that standard of excellence to address all those things.

We are discussing how we are work-

ing together as a fully integrated team to do this work. I think it’s a challenge for all governments, and for businesses, to tend to drift towards being more siloed in their approaches over time, and that is absolutely true at the city. We are really recommitting ourselves so that we can have fully integrated alignment across departments and service to community.

BP: During your campaign, you had said that “my job is to work myself out of my tenure as mayor.” Please tell us what you meant.

KL: It flows very much from the work that I began in these first 30 days and will continue to do, and that’s to really invest in a high-performing leadership team at the city of Bellingham. When that work has happened,

then we’re less dependent on the strong mayor system that we have and that is called for in our charter. I want to invest in my leaders at the city to be doing their very best every day as part of a high-performing team.

Right now, we’re really focusing on the kind of base of the pyramid within the leadership team on building trust. How are we establishing trust, and how is that trust leading to productive conflict and unfiltered dialogue? How are we establishing the priorities and needs of the city? How are we measuring success? How are we holding ourselves accountable for that success? How are we being courageous in those conversations about where we have been and where we’re going and how we’re going to get there?

There’s been some really excellent conversations that have taken place. It’s going great, and I feel energized and optimized by the work that’s already taken place in such a short time.

I believe the city could run with that standard of excellence, independent of who is in the office of mayor.

BP: Your goals for Bellingham include executing the city’s Climate Action Protection Plan, protecting trees and clean drinking water and ensuring climate-centered transportation planning. Can you elaborate on how these goals might affect local business owners and the economy?

KL: I think that these goals can really work together, and that they’re not at conflict. I think it can seem that they’re at conflict, but I’ll point to the plan development for Old Town, that eight square blocks that Pete Dawson, Kurt Nabbefeld and another partner are planning to do. The city is waving parking minimums to enable beautiful, thoughtful and affordable design there. And that’s one way that we’re giving developers more tools. When we create more flexibility within a lot on which we’re siting physical structures, then we can also preserve trees as we go. Working in collaboration, we sought an EDI (economic development investment) grant from the county. The EDI board will recommend that the Whatcom County Council support the Old Town development underground utilities, and then we can make investments in fiber and attract a different level of businesses into that area. We can make infrastructure investments to attract

“We can make infrastructure investments to attract the businesses that we want to bring to the community and create a more buildable and walkable neighborhood. And those are the kinds of collaborative projects that we need to do as we’re tackling our housing shortage, as we’re looking at making a more resilient community, looking at placemaking and economic development.

the businesses that we want to bring to the community and create a more buildable and walkable neighborhood. And those are the kinds of collaborative projects that we need to do as we’re tackling our housing shortage, as we’re looking at making a more resilient community, looking at placemaking and economic development. All of those are happening in synergy in a project like Old Town, and the question is, how do we bring that to scale? That’s just one tangible example of how we are doing better on all of those goals by trying new approaches. The Bellingham City Council has an ambitious target with our Urban Forestry Plan to set a tree retention

goal of 45%. That’s actually more trees, on average, than we have today. But we also have a mandate from the state to keep growing. So we’re going to have to try creative approaches to realize that goal, and something has to give. We’re going to have to give developers more flexibility so that we can do both of those things in parallel. But I believe that that is possible. We can make policy choices that enable those outcomes.

BP: Finally, how do you plan to incorporate the input of local business owners into your strategies and solutions to these challenges?

KL: I’m looking forward to establishing stronger connections, and I’m committed to ongoing dialogue with the business community. In fact, I think we have an ongoing and recurring series of meetings on my calendar already with the Whatcom Business Alliance and the Chamber of Commerce, and I’m excited to be working in partnership with the business community.

One area in particular to which I invite the business community to be a partner in is being good fiscal stewards of the city’s finances. Right now, we are looking at ongoing operating deficits. I’m looking forward to inviting the community — the business community in particular — to be partners in how we are moving forward with a responsible budget that accomplishes all the important goals that we need to realize in the city. ■

THE BEST CELEBRATION TO HONOR THE BEST OF WHATCOM BUSINESS

At Whatcom Business Alliance, we believe in celebrating the entrepreneurs and leaders, innovators and employers who make careers and livelihoods possible for thousands in our stunning Pacific Northwest place. When you’re the one out in front — investing a nest egg or millions, writing your business plan and a marketing one too, motivating your workforce while interpreting changing markets — you deserve to have your story told and a toast raised for your business acumen and belief in your community.

For 37 years, the WBA has hosted the best celebration of Whatcom business at a generous and lavish gala event, replete with drinks and dinner, high-production video spotlights and awards, and importantly, lots of recognition.

Here are the nominees from 2023: Let’s start with the bravest entrepreneurs, nominees for Start-up of the Year, those

who launched businesses in 2023. For music lovers and artists, a nationwide resurgence in vinyl records inspired a downtown Bellingham independent record label and store. On Squalicum Harbor, an established, third-generation, local jeweler set up a stunning, upscale, elegant, fine-jewelry boutique, drawing rave reviews. In Sunnyland, an experienced chef launched an elevated, organic, and local meal subscription service so that families can enjoy plant-based cuisine in their own homes. And two brothers started their family-owned, local pest control company, with hallmarks of no hidden fees, upsells, or scare tactics — transforming unfriendly situations by friendly service.

We look to Small Business of the Year nominees for their staying power. Your favorite resort, spa, or vacation getaway probably sources luxe linens from this company in Ferndale. Smart design and elegant construction — inspired by faith — fuel a Lynden-based renovation company.

Crafting custom cabinets for contractors and homeowners is the thoughtful work of another family legacy business. And only in the Fourth Corner: this business offers crewed yacht charters — through the Inside Passage, San Juan Islands, and to Alaska — aboard a restored passenger boat.

Here are the leaders who make companies successful, the nominees for Business Person of the Year. One leads a local credit union with 80 years of history of banking neighbor to neighbor. Another talent manages a favorite, longtime, local hardware business. One candidate leads a full-service facility maintenance company. The final nominee manages construction projects, asphalt paving, industrial maintenance and refinery services.

Read their stories and join us in celebrating the nominees and winners on March 15!

SPECIAL THANKS

These local businesses join WBA to congratulate this year’s nominees As part of the 37th Annual Whatcom Business Awards, we honor the innovative

TO OUR SPONSORS

for helping improve the economic and civic vitality of Whatcom County. entrepreneurs, job creators and risk-takers who enhance our community.

SASQUATCH PEST CONTROL

All in the family

Brothers bring transparency to pest removal process

Matt Benoit

Kris and Tyson Elling have made careers from getting rid of the insects, spiders and rodents that gross out homeowners and potentially destroy the structures they’ve worked so hard to obtain.

In 2022, the brothers joined forces to create Sasquatch Pest Control — a company with a memorable logo and

honest communication. Kris, 38, and Tyson, 41, previously worked together at a local pest control business in Bellingham before venturing out on their own.

“In those efforts with the other company, we kind of learned the majority of what we needed to know to do this,” Tyson Elling said. “The meat

and potatoes of the work was something we’d been doing for a long time. We can now be in complete control of our destiny.”

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic brought both brothers to crossroads in their lives in 2021: Kris Elling and his wife were considering a move to Arizona (where the broth-

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

Left to right: Kristofer Elling, Tyson Elling and Evan Friese.

ers grew up), and Tyson Elling found himself working dissatisfying jobs in Seattle because he couldn’t find better local work.

After a year and a half of saving money, Tyson decided to start his own business. When Kris found himself priced out of the Arizona housing market, he stayed in Whatcom County to join his brother’s new company.

“We were very well received by the community,” Tyson Elling said. “Things got started a lot quicker than we expected. It’s kind of been go, go, go since then.”

The company had $350,000 in revenue last year — a 140% increase from its first year in business — while having just one full-time employee in addition to the brothers. Kris said the company is hoping to hit $700,000 in revenue this year, with plans to hire another full-time pest control specialist.

Sasquatch Pest Control does all manner of pest removal, including ants, bees, spiders, roaches, termites, bedbugs and rodents. As long as it’s not wildlife — possums, raccoons and their ilk require additional licensure and protocols — they can handle it.

What makes Sasquatch unique, the brothers said, is a willingness to do things other companies aren’t willing to spend time on. The company has partnered with other local businesses to recommend one another, meaning that if Sasquatch specialists find something out of their wheelhouse, they’ll tell the customer about a solution.

“If you tap into that sense of community and let people know you’re here to do a good, honest service for them, they will definitely respond.”

—Kris Elling

“There are some things where we have to collaborate with others in order to really get that full control and actually solve the customer’s problem, rather than just mitigating,” Kris said.

Spending extra time to explain how to consistently keep a pest problem at bay so they don’t have to come back too often, Tyson added, also earns high marks from customers.

“Being able to provide the solution for our customers — and find ways to save them money — is something else that they appreciate as well,” he said.

Owning and operating their own business has given both brothers a better quality of life, they said, allowing them greater ability to handle their roles as husbands and family members without having to beg for days off from a boss.

They have big goals for the business, including a hope they might one day franchise their business across a three-state footprint.

“I don’t want to aim small,” Kris Elling said. “I want to aim very, very big.”

In the meantime, bringing on and retaining quality employees is their short-term focus.

“I don’t want people to kind of feel like they’re capped out in our company,” Kris said. “I want them to feel like there’s unlimited growth potential. If they’re willing to grow the business and put in the work, we’re willing to grow with them and try to get them to their farthest potential, up to owners.”

To anyone hoping to go into business for themselves, the brothers’ advice is simple: Learn everything you can, especially sales cycle optimization and marketing.

“What you learn very quickly as a business owner is that you can be the best guy in the field you can be, but if you can’t market correctly and you can’t reach out to your customer base and you can’t compete in the digital marketspace, you’re useless,” Kris Elling said. “The guy that’s getting found on Google is the guy that’s getting hired.”

For those who can truly connect with their service area, he added, the future will be bright.

“If you tap into that sense of community and let people know you’re here to do a good, honest service for them,” Kris said, “they will definitely respond.” ■

NEETER HOUSE OF LUXURY

Luxury

as excellence, not expense

Local jeweler’s boutique offers big-city quality

Matt Benoit

To many people, the word “luxury” is synonymous with “expensive.” But that’s not how Bellingham’s John Neeter interprets its meaning when it comes to his livelihood.

“I focus on quality,” said the 48-year-old jeweler, who has spent the past 30 years — essentially his entire adult life — in the Whatcom County jewelry industry.

Since opening in November 2022,

Neeter House of Luxury has provided the community with upscale, elegant jewelry options at a boutique showroom near Bellingham’s scenic Squalicum Harbor. The business did more in sales in 2023 than its goal for the year — more than twice as much, in fact — and has racked up more than 100 five-star reviews online.

“The community has really responded well,” Neeter said. “(They’re)

finding big-city merchandise in our wonderful town of Bellingham.”

Neeter House of Luxury offers everything from colored gemstones and diamond engagement rings to Rolex watches, precious metals, luxury bags and knives and all manner of other jewelry items. The store works to bring in fashion jewelry unlikely to be found in any other local stores. A substantial amount of money and technology was

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

BLACK NOISE RECORDS

Underground collective, independent store

Used record store upholds musical love and artistic ownership

Matt Benoit

Nico Sanchez loves records. The 31-year-old Western Washington University graduate and musician has been collecting vinyl — that time-tested medium of superior musical sound — for over a decade.

“I probably have a few thousand records at this point,” he said. “It’s hard to put an exact number on it.”

It’s that love of records, and what

they stand for, that led Sanchez to create Black Noise Records, the independent record label and store that finds its home along Bay Street inside the 1909 Bellingham Hardware Building.

Sanchez, who grew up in the Issaquah area before moving to Bellingham to attend WWU, graduated in 2016 from Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies with a degree

in music, business and cultural studies. His time studying was augmented by the creation of a Black Noise Records music label after meeting like-minded student artists creating underground, instrumental hip-hop.

“We were just kind of doing things as a collective, throwing shows together and making music together,” he recalled. “I was just looking for a

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

way to put a name behind what we were doing.”

But it wasn’t until the summer of 2021 that Black Noise took on a brickand-mortar existence. Sanchez had a friend who’d founded Bay Street’s Geheim Gallery, and when the space next to it became available for rent, Sanchez decided to take the leap. He used extra funds saved up during the pandemic, along with help from a business-savvy sister in Seattle, to open Black Noise as a used records store.

“I had seen the demand behind used records and the interest across all age ranges and demographics,” he said. “I really just tried to create something that I always felt was missing or that the Bellingham community needed.”

Sanchez said opening Black Noise also gave him a chance to provide the community with a young, minority-owned business that represents the things he likes — something he felt was previously lacking.

Black Noise buys, sells and trades used vinyl and also sells vinyl pressings of Black Noise Records artists, including Sanchez himself. Customers can find high-quality original records at affordable prices when they stop in, whether they’re a cultured aficionado or a casual music lover.

“We’re experienced and knowledgeable buyers that try and buy ethically and honestly and give people fair prices for music that’s been enjoyed,” he said. “I think we just encapsulate the kind of culture of people that love records and producing music.”

In an age of digital products and interaction, physical items such as merchandise and vinyl records are a way for musicians to take tangible ownership of their art, Sanchez said.

The people buying these products stimulate the economy of independent artists directly, as opposed to receiving a mere fraction of what major distributors or streaming platforms make when people stream their music.

Black Noise currently has four employees, though Sanchez is the only one who can be considered full time. His only goal, he said, is to continue the mission of Black Noise as a tangible testament to musical love and independent art.

Although he said an increase in sales has been present year-over-year, becoming a small business owner has not been without struggle. Sanchez said opening during the pandemic was hectic at times, and acquiring the funding, inventory and equipment

necessary was challenging. But the result, he added, was worth it.

“It’s been super rewarding and fulfilling to me, just to be able to create a community and know I’m contributing positive things to the community,” he said. “These are the kind of places that keep culture alive, that keep community alive in the area, as opposed to things like Amazon.”

Budding entrepreneurs like himself, Sanchez said, should go into business for themselves for the right reasons, seeking to fulfill needs they genuinely feel are missing from their own communities.

“Do things ethically and honestly,” he said, “and treat people well. Try to create a sense of community, and you’ll go far.” ■

PLANTAGE

The culinary evolution of feel-good flavor

Plantage’s healthy meal service keeps Whatcom families fed

Matt Benoit

Chris Wilson does not like being called a “foodie.” Whatever one chooses to call her, however, one thing is clear: Her life has been filled with a true passion for food and the role it plays in people’s lives.

Since January 2023, Wilson has served as owner and head chef at Plantage, a meal service business tucked

into the heart of Bellingham’s Sunnyland neighborhood. Plantage provides scratch-made vegetarian meal plans, picked up weekly, that are both delicious and healthy.

“The passion I want to share with the world is that plants are really nourishing and amazing and super great for the environment,” Wilson said.

“I’m really trying to bridge that gap between fine dining — elevated food, plated up with garnishes and textures and colors and flavor layers — and have this beautiful plate of food that happens to be made from plants.”

Wilson, who is originally from Oklahoma, graduated from college with a mathematics degree before en-

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

rolling in culinary school in Houston, Texas. She then entered the professional world, cheffing at multiple fine dining restaurants in the Houston area.

When she met her husband and started a family, Wilson hung up her professional chef’s apron and relocated to Seattle for five years. Six years ago, the family moved again to Bellingham, and Wilson attempted to re-enter the job market and use her math degree.

It proved more challenging than she’d hoped, and being a traditional chef as a staunch vegan represented a personal conflict of interest. Wilson wound up creating Plants 2 Plates, a local personal chef service she helmed with assistant chef Abigail Bruno.

While successful and enjoyable, the business also involved a lot of driving and food waste, Wilson said. Since becoming a mother to three boys, her food interests had also evolved — from food as entertainment and spectacle to food as sustaining nourishment.

In 2022, Wilson founded Plantage, leasing a newly built space in the Sunnyland neighborhood and spending nine months building out a new commercial kitchen there. Working with Bruno, Wilson offered her Plants 2 Plates client base the chance to be Plantage’s first customers. She expanded to fully public offerings in January 2023.

With a full-time staff of herself and Bruno, plus three part-time employees (including one of her teenage sons), Wilson has built a subscriber base of about 80 people, ranging from seniors and young adults to busy families, and

“The passion I want to share with the world is that plants are really nourishing and amazing and super great for the environment.”

—Chris Wilson

hopes to double her client base in the near future. Last year, the business had $400,000 in gross revenue.

“I’ve found (Whatcom County) to be super welcoming to small business,” Wilson said. “I feel like people here really value seeing who they’re doing business with and keeping money locally. I think it’s a great place for someone who’s passionate to start a business up.”

Plantage has a catalog of about 700 recipes, all of which were rewritten last year to be scaled up for commercial-size cooking. Its meal system changes weekly, meaning customers constantly receive new menus throughout their subscriptions. Wilson intentionally built the kitchen to be open air, so that customers can see how their food is made and prepared.

Most ingredients are made from

scratch, including cashew- and hempbased milks. All the business’s produce is organic, as is about 90% of its pantry. Plantage also seeks to generate as little waste as possible, composting most of its preparation refuse. Its packaging is also fully compostable, and Wilson provides a bin outside the building for customers to return their packaging if they don’t compost at home.

All of this results in a slimmer profit margin compared to bigger, more commercialized meal service companies that also produce a much larger carbon footprint. But Wilson’s attention to fresh and environmentally friendly details is simply part of Plantage’s overall mission.

“Everything that you get is fresh,” she said. “It’s guaranteed to last from this Thursday to next Thursday, so you can have all of your dinners taken care of for the entire week by only coming in once.”

For new small-business owners, Wilson’s advice is to be realistic about both market and risk. She originally wanted to open a café that would serve as a community gathering space, but she became aware that it wasn’t a viable option and pivoted.

“You have to look outside of what you think (your market) should be and what you want it to be and what you hope it is,” she said. “You have to get real with it and base it on fact. You can’t really do ‘build it and they will come.’ Because they may or may not come. You have to really kind of know what you’re getting into.” ■

ELEMENTS HOSPITALITY

Success is equal parts culture and business

Putting energy into a healthy society is a key element of hospitality

Tamara Anderson-Loucks

As co-owner and CEO Tim Broersma explains it, Elements Hospitality was created by accident when he recognized an opportunity to take over a remodel project for a resort in Birch Bay that hadn’t been going so well. He pitched his idea for a new business opportunity to then employer (now partner) Greg Neufeldt of Lynden Floor Design.

For several years, the two worked together, in partnership with Lynden Floor Design, to remodel vacation properties. Because the market and the work they were doing was so different, in 2007 Elements Hospitality was established as a separate company. Over the next 17 years, Elements evolved into a nationwide, multimillion-dollar organization renowned for its exper-

tise in “live environment” renovations. However, success didn’t come without significant pain — and out of the pain, a new corporate culture was born.

“It wasn’t a clear or specific vision in the beginning,” Broersma said. “It was blood, sweat, tears and hard learning. We fumbled along, figured out what we were best at, and the business grew from there.”

PHOTOS: Sattva Photo

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

As the company’s growth continued, in 2016, then-CEO Shane Bajema and then-CFO Todd Rawls shifted the company’s focus from solely an entrepreneurial business to a disciplined, more sustainable business model, building a culture that focused on the values they believed in, including honesty, integrity and compassion. They adopted a new company philosophy: “50% culture, 50% business.”

In 2017, sales doubled — and the company imploded.

Broersma explained: “We didn’t have the capacity to manage that level of growth. It caused intense stress and challenge, exposing that our newly set disciplines, goals and culture had not fully taken root.”

Over the next two years, leadership focused on stability and adhering to the principles and values established in 2016. Growth was slower yet consistent, the company made more money, and the culture and sense of identity became more intrinsic throughout the company. The adoption of this cultural shift is what Broersma says is his proudest achievement.

“The work to make this shift happen was difficult as we pushed through a tough time in our company’s history,” he said. “It took focused effort to find our company’s purpose and to help our team embrace that purpose. Because of that work, we now have a team of aligned people who fight for each other, for our culture, for their teams around the country and for our relationships with our customers.”

This culture of compassion extends beyond the workplace, with hundreds

“It was blood, sweat, tears and hard learning. We fumbled along, figured out what we were best at, and the business grew from there.”

— CEO Tim Broersma

of thousands of dollars donated to charitable organizations yearly, particularly to those with both spiritual and humanitarian sides, such as Agape International Missions and International Saints and Abolitionists, global and local organizations working to stop sex trafficking.

Elements Hospitality, co-owned by Broersma and partners Neufeldt and Brian Davidson, earned $61.5 million in revenues in 2023, a 32% increase over 2022. The company employs 76 full-time workers, approximately twothirds of them located in Whatcom County.

The company renovates hotels, resorts, timeshares and senior living facilities in the United States that are primarily owned by large real estate investment trusts, endowments and investment groups. Current projects span the country, though the majority are on the west coast and in Hawaii.

Elements Hospitality’s approach to renovation — a methodology called live environment renovation — is what makes the company unique in its industry. While most construction companies renovate in a way that disrupts their clients’ business, Ele-

ments Hospitality’s approach is different.

“We sit down with our clients and create a schedule that limits how, when and where we work, so construction impact is as limited as possible for their guests on site,” Broersma said. “The renovation may take longer, but our client is still operating; they don’t have to close rooms and lay off employees. They’re still making money, and guests don’t feel impacted. It’s a win for everyone.”

Broersma said 2024 will be a year of stabilization and balance, with a push for planned, substantial growth in 2025 and 2026. That growth includes continued staff development, the hiring of additional team members, national diversification (with an emphasis on the east coast), and opening offices in Orlando and Hawaii.

While the results of Elements Hospitality’s work have received repeated recognition on Conde Nast magazine’s list of top hotels and resorts in the country, such acknowledgment isn’t the company’s most notable accomplishment, Broersma said.

Seppi and Shawna Morris

“Our most notable accomplishment is our focus on culture and relationships, both inside and outside our walls,” he said. “We’ve built something meaningful: a family. Staff vacation together, and customers vacation with us. If someone moves or there is a problem on the jobsite, others willingly jump in to help. We’ve developed nearly 20-year relationships with corporate customers, which isn’t the norm in our industry. This is the accomplishment — it’s the dynamic that makes us successful.” ■

COMPHY CO

Sustainable luxury on a comfortable rise

From spa linens to home sleep goods, anyone can now get ‘comphy’

Tamara Anderson-Loucks

As a spa director, Mia Richardson was immersed in an industry dedicated to providing a relaxing and lavish experience for its customers.

Yet she noticed that same dedication to luxury did not extend to the linens, which were typically either hand-me-down hotel room sheets or regular home bedding sheets. Rec-

ognizing an opportunity, she set out on a path to create a new market for “spa linen,” using materials that would be pleasing to the eye, plush and soft and that could withstand the rigors of industrial laundry — yet with low environmental impact to complement the wellness industry. In 2003, after nearly two years of research and devel-

opment, Ferndale’s Comphy Co was born. Twenty years later, the company is the leading provider of luxury linens for the hospitality market.

It took Richardson and her team a year and a half to develop proprietary fabrics for a niche market like the spa industry. The linens needed to be durable, wrinkle free and able to release

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

stains from the oils and other treatment products that permeate the fabric. Yet the fabric also needed to have a luxurious feel, drape well and meet unique spa-specific design challenges.

“At the time, there weren’t products uniquely made for treatment tables,” said Richardson, the company’s founder and CEO. “So, we created accessible skirting that covered all four sides, hiding unsightly storage under the tables, and gave the tables a finished look.”

Richardson committed everything in her heart and soul — and bank account — to the fledgling company, and in the early days she temporarily moved into the warehouse, living and working the business 24/7. Comphy Co’s first customer was the Ritz Carlton, and within a year, numerous early adaptors bought into her newly created market for specialty spa linens.

crease over 2022 sales due to the company’s focus on investing in new markets rather than on revenue growth. The company employs 26 full-time staff in Whatcom County, with about 10 full-time employees located in California. Clientele is predominantly in the Americas, with customers like the Four Seasons and the Ritz utilizing Comphy Co products in their resorts worldwide. Comphy Co ships worldwide from its factory in Ferndale. The company recently merged with Coop

two brands together, will be very exciting,” Carrington said. “We have big news to announce in coming months.”

Carrington and Richardson agree that Comphy Co’s most notable accomplishments are the multiple Innovate Awards bestowed by the International Spa Association, and the company’s customer base, 97% of whom are on the Forbes Travel Guide Star Award List.

Beyond the specialized fabrics, what makes Comphy Co unique is its commitment to customer service — the foundation of the company’s philosophy.

“We help walk you through purchase decisions, work to resolve issues quickly, to make sure our clients are happy.”

— Jessica Carrington

Sleep Goods, Richardson said, to provide spa-quality bedding direct to retail consumers on a larger scale.

“If you call, you reach a live body,” Carrington said. “We help walk you through purchase decisions, work to resolve issues quickly, to make sure our clients are happy.”

As spa clients noticed the softness and quality of the linens, they reached out to Comphy Co to ask about purchasing linens for their home. To take advantage of this new opportunity, Richardson developed product lines for home-size bedding and launched first into the bed and breakfast market in 2008.

Today, Comphy Co is recognized worldwide as a leading provider of luxury linens for the hospitality industry — including spas, vacation rental properties, small boutique hotels and large hotel chains — as well as chiropractic offices and yoga retreats.

In 2023, Comphy Co revenues topped $10 million, only a slight in-

“Any business with wellness at its core or where there is a bed, we provide linens,” said Jessica Carrington, general manager of business-to-business sales. “While sheets are our core foundation, we try to be a one-stop shop for luxury linens and textiles for work or home. The recent partnership with Coop puts us on track to be a household name for sleep.”

Going forward, the Comphy Co team is focused on expanding the brand to new markets and developing new innovative textiles and products. Their goal is to be recognized as the best place to go for a good night’s sleep.

“Cross development, bringing the

Giving back to the community is another core value of the Comphy Co brand. The Comphy Gives Back program provides products like bedding and towels to shelters and clothing banks and works closely with school districts to ensure families in need have bedding and linens.

While Comphy Co’s continued success, reputation for quality and industry accolades are something any business owner would be proud of, Richardson says she is most proud of establishing a brand and creating a completely new market in the world of hospitality. Yet with all she’s achieved professionally, Richardson remains humble.

“Even when receiving recognition, it feels awkward,” she said. “It’s unique for us to talk about ourselves.” ■

HIGHCRAFT CABINETS

Cabinetmaking craft ingrained in their

heritage

How HighCraft serves its clients and honors a family tradition

Tamara Anderson-Loucks

A heritage of craft cabinetmaking that started in 1978 with Bob Van Hofwegen’s one-man custom cabinet shop, Van’s Cabinets, is today a multimillion-dollar enterprise, HighCraft Custom Cabinets, under the leadership of Bob’s two sons, Eric and Jason Van Hofwegen, and their business partner, Brad Kuik. The partners attribute the

Ferndale-based company’s success to its mission to provide a culture of excellence for both its customers and employees — a core value based on the relationship-building legacy of Van’s Cabinets. Yet had it not been for a conversation over a glass of beer, the highly successful venture would not be in existence today.

In the late 1990s, the Van Hofwegen brothers joined their father’s growing custom cabinetry business. Over the next 20 years, they honed their woodworking craft and learned the processes it takes to run a successful business and the value of building relationships. In late 2017, with Bob’s retirement on the horizon, the busi-

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

Left to right: Eric Van Hofwegen, Brad Kuik and Jason Van Hofwegen.

ness was at a crossroads.

“I’d worked at Vans for over 20 years,” Eric Van Hofwegen said. “Jason and I were doing everything ourselves, and I was getting disinterested. Brad and I met for a beer to talk about our future interests, and by the end of the discussion, the seeds were planted to combine our experience and start HighCraft.”

Kuik proposed the idea to shift to a manufacturing-focused business, still providing high-quality custom cabinetry yet on a larger scale.

In January 2018, the business partnership officially formed. The partners purchased $200,000 of equipment, leased a larger building and started hiring employees.

Today, Jason Van Hofwegen serves as sales manager, while Eric Van Hofwegen is the production manager and Brad Kuik manages business development. The company employs 17 full-time team members, all Whatcom County residents, and earned revenues just shy of $4 million in 2023, a growth of approximately 20% over 2022. The company supplies custom cabinets to homeowners and small-to-large-scale residential and commercial contractors from King to Whatcom counties, although about 90% of its revenues are generated locally.

While HighCraft has realized continued growth since its inception just five years ago, the ownership’s proudest achievement isn’t financial — it’s the creation of an entire new set of business systems, an extensive undertaking which the partners continue to refine.

Kuik explained: “All of Eric and

Jason’s knowledge was stored in their heads. We needed to establish written and visual systems and processes and assign team members to be responsible for them. As partners, we also defined our roles and stay within those roles.”

Not solely a manufacturer, HighCraft Custom Cabinets also offers design services and installation, which opens additional opportunities to build relationships with customers. It’s the partners building those relationships that makes the business unique.

“Our philosophy is to provide a very customer-focused experience, rather than a service,” Kuik said. “Our sales staff walk the customer through the entire process, from the initial meeting to pricing, design and then to production. From that point, our production team works with the customer through the install. We strive to respond to phone calls and emails in minutes or hours, not days or weeks. This is what makes us unique.”

While building relationships with customers is important, the partners believe at its core, creating a culture of excellence begins with ensuring their employees know they are valued, first and foremost, as individuals. Team members are encouraged to participate in the process, provide input and offer feedback.

“You won’t find a top-down management style here,” Kuik said. “We’re not scared to have conversations about how we can do better. We want our team to love coming to work every day. If we take good care of our people, they take good care of our customers — then everyone wins.”

Currently, the company operates out of two separate locations, but the partners are actively pursuing an approximately-200,000-square-foot facility to consolidate operations. Next, they’ll be adding new equipment and scaling for future growth, with a goal to double or triple growth within five years.

HighCraft’s success has created the financial opportunities to support a variety of local charities, including Engedi Refuge, which provides a haven for women who’ve experienced sexual exploitation or trafficking. HighCraft also supports the Lighthouse Mission, which helps break the cycle of homelessness, and provides both time and money to the Technic Training Center, which teaches woodworking industry technologies to high-schoolage youth to help them develop skills for future career opportunities.

When asked what they believe is the company’s most notable accomplishment to date, the partners say it’s that they’ve maintained the culture of excellence, of relationship-building, that was important to Bob Van Hofwegen under his leadership at Van’s Cabinets.

“This business started with Bob. It’s his legacy. We try to honor that,” said Jason Van Hofwegen. ■

OF THE YEAR

NORTHWEST NAVIGATION

Life-changing experiences aboard the David B

Boutique charter company offers unique wilderness excursions

Tamara Anderson-Loucks

A combined love of wooden boats, operating passenger vessels and the great outdoors inspired the husbandand-wife team of Christine and Jeffrey Smith to found their Bellingham-based boutique charter company, Northwest Navigation, in 1998. However, launching the business was a long-term endeavor. It was a labor of love and commitment that took the

couple eight years of hard work to restore a then-69-year-old wooden tow boat, the David B, before they were able to book their first passenger charter in 2006.

Starting the business, the couple’s biggest commitment — and greatest challenge — was to acquire a suitable boat. After an extensive search, they found the 65-foot David B in Bristol

Bay, Alaska. During the lengthy restoration, both worked other jobs. Jeffrey Smith sailed to Alaska as first mate for Western Towboat, and Christine Smith operated her own landscape business.

In June 2006, Northwest Navigation launched its inaugural charter, taking passengers through the San Juan Islands. The company made its first trip

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to Alaska in July of that same year.

Today, Northwest Navigation employs three full-time staff — Jeffrey Smith, the captain; Christine Smith, the chef and naturalist (who also holds a U.S. Coast Guard 200-ton license); and a deckhand. The company had revenues of $525,000 in 2023, up 13.5% from 2022.

The company takes up to eight guests on eight-to-12-day adventure wilderness excursions through Alaska, the Inside Passage and the San Juan Islands. Its customer base is primarily passengers 50 to 70 years old, often retired, who enjoy connecting with nature. While most hail from Washington state, customers come from throughout the United States and internationally as well.

What makes cruising with Northwest Navigation unique is the company’s small-scale approach, which allows for an exceptional level of personal attention. Customers experience a more intimate interaction with nature, free from crowds and in more remote areas inaccessible to larger vessels.

“Our flexibility is also unique,” Christine Smith said. “We have an itinerary, but for example, if we come across a pod of whales, we can adjust our schedule so our customers can enjoy the experience.”

For Jeffrey Smith, the company’s most notable accomplishment was the restoration of the wooden boat, now nearly 100 years old. Christine wrote a book about the restoration: “More Faster Backwards,” published in 2011. For Christine, the company’s highlight has been the strong community

“We love experiencing nature, and our philosophy is to be able to inspire others to have similar connections and take their appreciation of nature back home with them to enrich their lives.”

—Christine Smith

of passengers Northwest Navigation has built over the years.

“In addition to going on trips, our customers also support us in other ways, like buying my books and volunteering their time to work on the boat,” she said.

Renovations to the David B take place in the off-season, November through March. This year’s projects include reconfiguring two staterooms into convertible queen or twin bed accommodations and adding a new skiff and a second generator.

The last major refit in 2008 involved the installation of an aluminum pilot house for a better customer experience. Not keen on assuming a $150,000 bank loan, the couple launched what they called their “Tin Hat Project,” a customer-funded venture through which customers could provide small loans to be paid back with interest or with the interest portion paid back through trip credit or prepayment for future trips. In less than two weeks, the Smiths received more funds than they thought they’d need.

“About one-third chose to prepay for future trips,” Jeffrey Smith said, “so very little had to be paid back as

a loan. Financially, the project was the equivalent to the company’s yearly gross revenue at the time, so for us it was a very big endeavor.”

Given the April-to-October charter season, general boat maintenance and renovations, and other revenue-generating projects in the off-season, the couple manage a busy schedule. However, Christine makes the time to serve as a board member for the Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County as board secretary, and as a board member/liaison for the charter, broker and passenger businesses sector of that organization. The Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County promotes and preserves the vitality and economic benefits of the county’s working waterfront.

When asked what the future holds, the Smiths said it’s a question they ask themselves regularly, because now that they’re in their mid-50s, they feel it is important to have an exit strategy. They hope to find someone with a passion for old wooden boats to purchase the David B.

“We have 10 years to figure it out,” Christine said. “Our goal would be to find someone to give the boat new life.”

Until that time, the couple will continue to share their love of boating and life-changing outdoor adventures with passengers new and returning.

“We love experiencing nature,” Christine said, “and our philosophy is to be able to inspire others to have similar connections and take their appreciation of nature back home with them to enrich their lives.” ■

KENT BOUMA , WECU

Transforming WECU’s business services

Whatcom native helped grow commercial banking

Mary Louise Van Dyke

Kent Bouma was ready to tread a new path when he accepted the position of business services manager for Whatcom Educational Credit Union in 2008. He grew up in Whatcom County, was a 1996 University of Washington graduate with an economics degree and had worked as a commercial loan officer with Key Bank

in Bellingham for almost 10 years.

At that time, WECU, a nonprofit financial cooperative, was launching commercial banking services with five employees and about $50 million in assets, he said. Bouma’s task called for overseeing the development and growth of the credit union’s new department.

The biggest challenge, he soon discovered, was overcoming “the perception that credit unions don’t do business lending,” said Bouma, now the WECU vice president of banking services. Quelling that initial reaction required developing a reputation for getting the job accomplished and putting WECU on the map with the local

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

business community.

Since 2008, he said, the credit union’s business division has expanded from the original five staff to 35 employees, with $500 million in assets in 2023.

WECU was founded in 1936, in the middle of the Great Depression, as Bellingham Teachers Credit Union. A group of teachers met at the former Roeder School on Dupont Street and put their money (the first credit union deposits) into a shoebox, according to the WECU website.

“It’s just cool; instead of it being stock-member owned, it’s member owned,” Bouma said.

Dedicated to local business

In addition to overseeing the growth of WECU’s business banking, Bouma said, his job involves overseeing all the businesses loans and deposits and cash management for hundreds of entrepreneurs and established business owners. That division is involved in numerous “impactful projects that benefit a lot of people” in the county, including in Lynden, Ferndale and Bellingham, Bouma said.

Bouma said he spent a month working to help launch WECU’s paycheck protection program in early 2020, just as the pandemic struck. Accomplishing this undertaking was a big deal, he said.

“I think we did a very good job, along with a lot of banks (who worked on their own projects) to get it done.”

WECU introduced a diversity loan program in 2021 to empower businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans. That program helps provide financing to those who need it

the most, in addition to working with already established businesses and housing projects.

“Seeing the vitality the division brings is extremely rewarding,” Bouma said, “working with nonprofit organizations to benefit the community in ways that wouldn’t be possible without that financing.”

“One of the things I love most about WECU is how giving our employees are.”

— Kent Bouma

His biggest joy at work, Bouma said, has been the many internal and external relationships he’s formed over the years, such as bringing the right people onto the work team and building friendships in the community.

Lynden’s Delft Square (also known as the Waples Mercantile Building) benefited from WECU financing. The historic building sat vacant for several years after an arson fire in 2008, and it required major renovations. “We worked with the owners to revitalize that building and the downtown,” Bouma said. The renovated building, which now includes the Inn at Lynden and a mix of restaurants and shops, was rededicated in 2016.

WECU ended 2023 with more than $2.7 billion in assets, a jump from $2.5 billion in 2022, Bouma said.

Community minded

“One of the things I love most about WECU is how giving our employees

are,” Bouma said. In 2023, WECU donated more than $115,600 to United Way through a workplace campaign and awarded $125,000 through its Education First Grant Program to four local nonprofits, according to the website.

In his leisure time, Bouma is the assistant coach for Lynden Christian High School’s varsity football team. He recently joined the board of Whatcom Family YMCA and sometimes volunteers at the monthly community meal held at Assumption Catholic Church in Bellingham. “I usually try to take one of my kids with me,” he said. “I’ve served. I’ve cooked. I’ve swept.”

WECU has 10 branch locations with more than 400 full-time employees who serve more than 150,000 members. Most employees live in Whatcom County, Bouma said.

Two new branches are actually outside Whatcom County — in Sedro-Woolley and Mount Vernon down in Skagit County. The credit union has a couple of large projects on the front burner, Bouma said, including exploring possible future locations to better serve members and finding ways to improve online and digital banking experiences for commercial customers.

A good choice

“I don’t have any regrets,” Bouma said. “I enjoy the path I took.”

Bouma said he started researching his goal of becoming a banker while attending college. “I interviewed a couple of bankers and saw that was something I would like to do,” he said. ■

BILLY VANZANTEN , WRS

From laborer to chief operating officer

Billy VanZanten’s far-reaching role in the WRS story

Mary Louise Van Dyke

Billy VanZanten started working as a truck driver and laborer for Western Refinery Services in 1982. His initial tasks involved cleaning tanks, installing water lines and cleaning up environmental spills at what then was the Mobil Oil (now Phillips 66) refinery in Ferndale.

At that time, the workforce at WRS included VanZanten, company founder Jerry Libolt and one other employ-

ee. He moved up the ladder to work as an equipment operator, and in 1992, he became Libolt’s first official partner, according to the company website, segueing into managing the company’s operations at the Phillips 66 Ferndale Refinery.

Today, the longtime Ferndale resident is the company’s chief operating officer, a role VanZanten hadn’t predicted for himself in those early years.

“I never thought I’d be at the top or co-own the company,” he said.

The workforce has grown over four decades to more than 250 full-time employees at the main site in Ferndale and at locations in Skagit County and Idaho. About 200 workers are based in Whatcom County, he said. WRS earned $53 million in 2023.

The company’s services range from asphalt work to civil construction,

Jonathan Hutton

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

concrete construction, technology and design services, industrial maintenance, land leveling, drone mapping, emergency response, demolition and processing, landscaping and hydro excavation.

The company recently completed the first phase of work to excavate the Swift Creek channel in northern Whatcom County, removing more than 20,000 cubic yards of material from the creek to allow for better water flow.

“We cleaned the channel out, and we’re doing a wetland restoration for the creek this spring,” VanZanten said.

VanZanten still loves the equipment side of the business and gets out of the office occasionally to visit job sites.

The company’s heavy equipment features a wide array of excavators — from a small 10,000-pound machine to an excavator weighing more than 100,000 pounds — used to dig, move material or transport loose gravel, sand or soil. The list also features dump trucks, vacuum trucks, paving equipment and a specialized hydro excava tor for soil removal, said VanZanten.

In 2023, company workers used those machines to move over 3 million gallons of water, petroleum products and other substances and complete paving jobs using 59,500 tons of as phalt and 77,200 gallons of sealcoat, among other jobs, according to the WRS Facebook site.

VanZanten meets weekly with his management team to talk about cur rent and upcoming projects, review bids, help facilitate equipment pur chases and decide how to handle sur plus equipment, among other tasks.

He likes popping in at work sites

and viewing what’s happening there, speaking with team members and finding out if anything else is needed to make the job a success. Recently, he spent 20 minutes trying out a new excavator being used at a residential job in Bellingham.

“I think the guys appreciate it,” he said. “They know I started where they are and that I know about equipment.”

Hiring is always taking place at WRS. During new employee orientations, VanZanten and CEO Ryan Likkel highlight the company’s priorities. Their philosophy is focused on three C’s (character, chemistry and competency), he said, and every year three employees who exemplify those values are honored as award recipients.

The company encourages giving to area foodbanks through food drives. VanZanten serves on several boards,

including the Bell Bay Jackson Water Association and the Western States Petroleum Association.

A company goal is to promote employees to new positions or vacancies, VanZanten said. This process allows current employees to use the knowledge, skills and experience they’ve gained in the field to take on new responsibilities, he said.

VanZanten, who will turn 62 soon, works full time and loves what he does. Even when on vacation, he said, he calls to check in and see how things are going. However, he also foresees a time — eventually — when he will start scaling down his hours and spending more time travelling or engaging in other activities, and his position as COO will need to be filled.

“If Billy’s not here,” he said, “the company will go on.” ■

TIERA NIPGES , PACIFIC FACILITY SOLUTIONS

Succesful CEO defies her own expectations

Tiera Nipges is becoming the kind of employer she wants to be

Mary Louise Van Dyke

Tiera Nipges grew up in a construction family that included business owners and entrepreneurs. She expected to own a company one day, but she never expected to achieve her current level of success as CEO and co-owner of Pacific Facility Solutions in Bellingham.

Nipges recalls a college friend predicting she would become a CEO

someday. Focused on plans to get a job in information technology after graduation, Nipges chuckled at the idea.

“I don’t know if I had the same faith in myself early on,” she said.

Achieving her master’s degree in project management from George Washington University School of Business in 2012 marked a great personal accomplishment. Nipges was the first person in her extended family to

attend college and get a degree. At the same time, she was working full time to pay for college.

“It was probably a combination of a hundred hours a week for years on end,” she said.

Pacific Facility Solutions is a family-owned and -operated, full-service facilities maintenance and construction company that specializes in —

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

but is not limited to — health care facilities. Employees are landscapers, janitors, painters, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, project managers, and asphalt and stormwater maintenance workers. The company has clients from Blaine to Chehalis.

“My parents and I started this business with about $800 combined investment,” Nipges said.

The company was formed in 2015, according to the website, and Nipges took over as CEO in September 2019. Early on, she faced a big challenge involving phone callers’ perceptions of her role there.

“I’d answer, and the caller would say, ‘oh good morning, can I talk to your boss? Can I talk to the guy in charge?’” she said. Her reply: “Well, you know, you’re in luck, because that’s me.”

In 2023, the company’s revenues were $8.2 million, with 75 full-time employees. About 60 workers live in Whatcom County, she said, and the company offers health and retirement plans for employees.

“We have become the kind of employer that I want to be, where we’re offering a competitive package to our employees,” Nipges said. “To me, that’s a huge accomplishment, to feel that I’m taking care of my employees to the best of my ability.”

Her work background includes about 18 years working in information technology for PeaceHealth and other Bellingham employers. Her prior experience — and her exposure to some “very successful, well-educated business leaders” — helped her

learn how large organizations are run, Nipges said.

“Getting to see how high-level business leaders think, how they make decisions, how they vet projects, all the infrastructure that goes into running a large organization, has really made me a good businessperson,” she said.

Nipges started out managing projects directly, but her role quickly mor-

“Our philosophy is (that) really taking care of our customers and our community and our employees brings success for all of us.”

—Tiera Nipges

phed to focus on building a business structure for growth, she said.

Achieving a black belt in lean process improvement for health care has helped Nipges examine how company policies and procedures are working and what improvements are needed to improve operations and develop a more positive work culture.

Her current focus is fixed on developing the company’s parking lot maintenance and stormwater maintenance divisions. Pacific Facility Solutions employees also are doing more jobs that involve glass installation and glazing work.

Then there’s training.

With so many different trades and disciplines within the organization, training varies quite a bit, she said. Electricians, plumbers and heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians all must be licensed

professionals.

Safety on the job site is emphasized; janitorial team members who work in health care settings, for example, are trained in infection prevention, bloodborne pathogens and proper procedures. New hires go through orientation and learn about the company’s expectations, technology and service standards.

“In the trades and construction world, there’s no end to the amount of training that people have to do,” Nipges said.

Receiving compliments from clients feels fantastic, she said, and it fills her cup to share that success directly with the team members responsible.

The company won a safety award in 2022 from Associated General Contractors.

“We have the best safety rating, essentially, we can get through (the Department of) Labor & Industries, and having won that award, I feel it was a big accomplishment,” she said.

The company is a supporter of Whatcom Food Bank and Whatcom Hospice.

“Our philosophy is (that) really taking care of our customers and our community and our employees brings success for all of us,” she said.

Nipges hopes to stabilize the company’s growth and solidify its core competencies.

“We’ve grown very fast over the past several years,” she said. “I want to slow down the growth and make sure that we’re maintaining the level of quality and service that we have founded our company on.” ■

TY MCCLELLAN , HARDWARE SALES

Strong foundation continues family history

Hardware Sales thrives under McClellan leadership

Mary Louise Van Dyke

Ty McClellan, the owner and president of Hardware Sales Inc. and Hardware Sales Rentals, represents the third generation to run the family-owned business located on James and King streets in Bellingham.

The business has grown exponentially since 1962, when McClellan’s grandparents Max and Alta McClellan ran the store with one other staff member.

From there, ownership passed to the second generation, which included the McClellans’ son and daughter, Jerry McClellan and LaDonna George.

“They built a tremendous foundation to build on,” Ty McClellan said.

Alta McClellan was given a lifetime achievement award from Business Pulse in 2003, at age 87, for her work at the store.

Ty McClellan, Alta’s grandson, began working at the store after graduating from high school. His initial tasks involved working on lawn mowers, making deliveries and sweeping the floors.

At that time, he said, he wrestled with the idea of splitting away and starting a business of his own. Eventually shelving that idea, Ty McClellan

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is still at the store some 34 years later, arriving at 5:30 a.m. and leaving at 5:30 p.m. five days a week.

“I’m obsessed with my own work,” McClellan said.

The business specializes in commercial and homeowner hardware, with an industrial sales division and a rentals department. Online and Amazon sales are handled at both a 33,000-square-foot warehouse in Ferndale and a 56,000-squarefoot facility in Indiana, he said.

Hardware Sales carries about 80,000 different items.

“Of those different products we try and carry higher-end, contractor-grade products as opposed to inexpensive,” he said. “Products … that we can sell with confidence and stand behind.”

Hardware Sales employs 140 full-timers, with about 128 residing in Whatcom County, Ty McClellan said. About 55 percent of the $70 million revenues in 2023 came from internet sales, with the remaining amount coming from in-store business. In addition to buying products, customers visit the service center with their lawn mowers, window screens and other items in need of repair.

Today, Ty McClellan oversees the day-to-day operations and is dedicated to ensuring Hardware Sales provides a positive work experience for employees as well as a good shopping experience for customers.

The company’s culture is guided by principles from lean manufacturing and “kaizen,” a Japanese term for continuous improvement. McClellan describes these processes as eliminating

waste, reducing stress and increasing efficiencies.

“Turnover is one of our toughest things,” he said. “If you have a bunch of new people, they don’t know the depths and breadths of the business. So, if you can retain them, the longer they’re here, it reduces stress and creates a better work environment.”

“I’m obsessed with my own work.”

— Ty McClellan

Increasing inventory accuracy is on his front burner right now. That subject is explored at weekly meetings with the team, with people from every single department — office personnel, freight workers, salespeople, etc. — all looking at what happens from the first step of purchasing to pricing to receiving to selling.

Listening to what customers want is a huge part of good service. If the store receives multiple demands for a new product, Hardware Sales will stock that part.

“They really tell us what we need to carry here,” McClellan said.

McClellan said the company tries to ensure that salespeople — including those who have experience in the trades, such as plumbing or electrical — always are available to answer questions.

“In leadership, we can put great people in great places, but it’s important to make sure that they’ve got that background knowledge on the products

they’re selling, know about the codes,” he said.

McClellan says the growth of Hardware Sales’ customer base is his proudest accomplishment.

“In spring, summer times we’ll have up to 2,200 customers through the till,” he said, adding the company has always experienced sustained growth since it begun in 1962.

The store faces competition from nearby Home Depot and Lowe’s, and battling those stores requires a lot of hard work over many hours to be very organized and ensure a proper place for customers, McClellan said. Parking can be a challenge, so the store is organized to help customers efficiently locate and purchase needed items.

The store’s community outreach focuses primarily on youth-based endeavors, such as Toys for Tots, sending kids from low-income families to summer camp and helping scouting organizations.

“We try to go as direct as possible to help the less fortunate,” he said.

McClellan says many businesses don’t continue long enough to make it to the third generation of family ownership. Hardware Sales staff now includes the fourth generation: McClellan’s daughter, Brookelyn McClellan, handles the marketing and social media presence.

McClellan said he looks forward to continuing to work with staff at keeping Hardware Sales a great place to be and a great place to work. ■

JON STRONG EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD

KAREN DYKSTRA , WRS

Character, Chemistry, Competency

Simple credo is Dykstra’s ‘secret sauce’ for success

Tamara Anderson-Loucks

Character. Chemistry. Competency. These are the “three C’s” — core values of WRS and characteristics the company looks for in every team member. To encourage employees to remain focused on and work toward continued growth in these areas, two years ago WRS established the 3Cs Awards, in which every team member can nominate one co-worker in each

of the three categories. WRS People and Benefits Manager Karen Dykstra has been nominated multiple times over the last two years. It’s because of her natural embodiment of character, chemistry and competency that Dykstra was nominated for and chosen as the winner of this year’s Jon Strong Employee of the Year award.

“Karen is the ideal example of our

three C’s. She’s a special person,” said Lyss Kuik, WRS marketing and communications manager. “Our people feel comfortable going to her with any questions or problems, and they know she’ll be happy to help them.”

Located in Ferndale, WRS offers specialized contracting services, including civil construction, asphalt and concrete work, industrial maintenance

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

and refinery services. The company currently employs about 250 people.

Dykstra joined WRS six and a half years ago as a timekeeper — tracking, submitting and reconciling employee hours and processing related billing for a specific division of the company. In 2019, she was promoted to payroll administrator, a role in which she managed all aspects of payroll processing and prevailing wage reporting and helped enroll team members in the company’s various insurance offerings.

The receipt of an accurate paycheck is of utmost importance to employees everywhere, but thanks to Dykstra’s dedication to accuracy and a job well done, payroll errors at WRS are an extremely rare occurrence.

Tom Carroll, asphalt operations manager, has worked with Dykstra since she first joined the WRS team.

“Karen takes her job very seriously,” Carroll said. “In our line of work, payroll is very confusing, because there are so many differing rates for the various crafts. She takes it personally to ensure every employee is paid correctly. Though her job is challenging, she is always pleasant, always positive, and always sees the best in everybody.”

For Dykstra, dedication to a job well done, in both work and her personal life, brings her great satisfaction.

“I want to serve people,” she said.

“I want to be the best I can be, and I enjoy knowing that at the end of the day, I’ve completed something, and it was done correctly.”

Leadership is where Dykstra really shines. She strives to help others succeed, teaches with patience, sets an example of how to interact with people on both a personal and professional level, and creates a supportive work environment for those around her. However, Kuik is most inspired by Dykstra’s listening skills.

“Active listening is a gift and an often-overlooked leadership quality,” Kuik said. “It’s easy to get so invested in your own projects and deadlines that you forget to slow down and truly listen to people. Karen inspires me to stop, listen, and then work on a situation or problem. I really respect that about her.”

In recognition of her contributions, Dykstra recently received a promotion to people and benefits manager, a human-resource-focused role in which she’ll manage employee benefits and the hiring process, among other duties. It’s a position her co-workers say is an excellent fit.

“Karen performs her duties with heart and doesn’t act like helping a co-worker is an inconvenience,” said Amy Wheeler, maintenance and construction administrator, who has

worked with Dykstra for six years. “She finds joy in helping others and has incredible integrity. She takes the time to get to know you and supports her co-workers professionally and personally. She’s just an awesome person, and the award is so well deserved.”

It’s apparent that Dykstra is highly respected and well loved by her co-workers. The admiration goes both ways. To Dykstra, WRS is an exceptional place to work.

“From the CEO down, I get to work with incredible people who truly love their work and support and lift everybody up,” she said. “The culture we have here is one of the strengths of this company. The three C’s are part of the hiring process to ensure who we hire is a good fit. It makes for a very cohesive work environment.”

When asked what employees can do to stand out in the workplace, Dykstra said she believes it’s important to come to work prepared to focus on the day, do your job to the best of your ability, ask for help when needed, be open to feedback, and own your mistakes. Though she follows this advice herself, she also believes in honoring a basic credo.

“Treat others how you would like to be treated,” she said. “Follow that in life, and you’re going to go far.” ■

The Jon Strong Employee of the Year award is given to a full-time employee of a Whatcom County business who shows consistent integrity, commitment, professionalism and teamwork. The award is named after longtime Whatcom Business Alliance employee Jon Strong (1947-2019).

STEVEN SUNDIN , CITY OF BELLINGHAM

Having as much fun

as a city planner

can

Steven Sundin is a kind, diplomatic face at City Hall

Heather Lea

Some days, Steve Sundin walks into work with the question many of us have: “What in the world is going to happen today?”

But then he shifts his perspective to this: Anything will happen.

And anything can happen when you’re a city planner. He may not al-

ways get a “yes” for a development project or a unanimous vote to protect fresh waterbodies, but the great part about what Sundin does for a living is help create a city he wants to live in.

“I’m lucky to have the job I do,” he said. “An environmental planner is up to date on the best available science

and current environmental programs and ensures that these sources of information are reflected in our land use planning and specific project reviews.”

Sundin moved to Bellingham from Seattle in 1991. After graduating from Western Washington University in 1996 with a degree in regional and

PHOTO: Sattva Photo

urban planning, he was hired as a city of Bellingham intern. Two years later, he became a permanent employee and has been in the Planning and Community Development Department since. In 2017, Sundin was promoted from city planner to senior city planner.

That’s 28 years and counting in a career he came upon almost by accident. Before WWU, Sundin attended Whatcom Community College, where he was given a graduating project to study something of his choosing and submit a paper capturing what he’d discovered.

“Have some fun, keep a positive attitude, hum a song. I like to have as much fun as a city planner can.”

—Steve Sundin

“I can’t remember exactly how I decided to go to a ‘citizen visioning’ workshop that was happening as part of the city’s comprehensive planning process in 1994,” he said. “I found (the workshop) intriguing, and by the end of the quarter the paper basically wrote itself.”

An environmental planner is responsible for a variety of activities, including environmental regulations to protect natural features such as wetlands, streams, floodplains, marine, steep slopes and trees.

Planners can also be part of larger city teams as a subject matter expert, Sundin said, and should be able to convey the complexities of environmental science and regulations to the public, advisory boards, commissions and elected officials.

Being a city planner is more about a career in diplomacy than anything

else, he said.

“I’m comfortable in that environment,” Sundin said. “But being in the middle of perspectives and sometimes competing interests from both outward and internal forces can result in a little wear and tear.”

So how does he handle that?

“Have some fun, keep a positive attitude, hum a song,” he said. “I like to have as much fun as a city planner can.”

Sounds easy, but there’s more to it than that — like being fair, concise and able to convey complex information to any audience, for example.

“‘Getting to yes’ is a worthwhile mantra, but being able to clearly convey ‘no’ and why is vital,” he said.

Sundin is the recipient of the Public Service Award from Business Pulse.

“I consider it an honor, and I’m humbled that time was taken to iden-

tify and discuss me as a candidate,” he said. “I love my job and what I do and what my responsibilities are. Because of this, I don’t necessarily need accolades in this type of setting. I believe that there are others I work with at the city who would be equally deserving of recognition.”

He is also thankful for his leadership team in the department; they have been supportive of his work and, more importantly, how he goes about that work from day to day.

“This extends to my compadres across the city whom I enjoy working with and lending a hand to for their own professional efforts,” he said.

When he’s not working, you may find Steve backpacking, bicycling, playing the piano or out on the golf course. He loves spending time with family.

“(I’m) married to my best friend and (am) a parent to two awesome, now mostly grown-up, kids who are each walking their own path in school and career,” he said. “We all love our time together playing cards, spinning records and cooking up some fantastic meals during all of which we laugh, tease and converse.” ■

AWARD

JOHN FERLIN & MIMI BROOKS FERLIN, BROOKS MANUFACTURING

A story of a powerful and respected business duo

Tara Gilligan Reimer

The critical step to engineering the all-important crossarm for the common electrical utility pole is to make sure the joining — the crossarm to the pole — is permanently tight and secure. Crossing this “T” is high-stakes work. Entire towns, communities and industries depend on this crucial connection — and, in fact, thousands of these connections — for constant flows of energy to fuel schools, workplaces and regional infrastructures.

Brooks Manufacturing Co. in Bellingham produces these industry-certified and acclaimed crossarms. Crews utilize responsibly sourced, straight-

grained coastal Douglas fir with tested steel fittings. Hard-hat pros know how to make each crossarm permanently tight and secure. The company also manufactures a full complement of structural framing material for high-voltage transmission lines for the electric utilities industry.

True permanence and right fit are what Mary “Mimi” Brooks Ferlin and her husband, John Ferlin, embody not only in their third-generation ownership of Brooks Manufacturing Co. but also in their commitment to the well-being of Whatcom County citizens. For their work to engineer

strong and enduring structures in their business, work crews, family and the larger community, this articulate, business-savvy and philanthropic couple has been selected for the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from Business Pulse.

The history

The success of Brooks Manufacturing Co. can be attributed to key people having the curiosity and courage to continually adapt to new technology. Shrewd economist Mimi and trained-attorney-turned-businessman John openly laud their professionals

and crew — including a sawmill operator in an advisory role at the right time, financial investors and their board of directors — for Brooks’ staying power and stellar industry reputation.

The story of Brooks started in the early 1920s when Mimi’s grandparents, Frank Noyes Brooks and Francis Carver Brooks, having moved to Bellingham in 1919, established a sawmill in Glacier. The current site of Bellingham’s Brooks Manufacturing was acquired in 1938 by Mimi’s grandparents from the estate of Ralph Turner. Turner had operated a wood stave pipe and tank manufacturer on the site since 1915.

“Wood stave pipes and tanks were the predecessors to concrete, fiberglass or steel pipes and tanks,” John Ferlin said.

A stave is a narrow length of wood with a slightly beveled edge that, when assembled with other staves, makes a circle to form a pipe or tank. Staves, handmade by coopers to construct pipes and tanks, were used from the 1870s to the 1920s for water supply, irrigation and sewer systems.

Located on Pacific Street in Bellingham, adjacent to auto row on Iowa Street in Roosevelt’s light industrial neighborhood, the company’s iconic melamine-green buildings, emblazoned with the company’s name in 6-foot-high, black-and-white block letters, bear its history.

“Same site as 90 years ago,” marveled Mimi.

The arc of the business

After acquiring Ralph Turner’s operation, the Brooks family continued to operate the Glacier sawmill as well as the Bellingham pipe and tank oper-

ation. Upon the death of Mimi Ferlin’s grandfather in 1939, the sawmill was closed. In 1944, a huge fire burned down the entire wood stave operation. The Brooks family made a significant decision. Rather than give up and sell, they decided to rebuild the plant and ordered new machinery to add wood crossarms as another product line. World War II was winding down, and demand for electric infrastructure was gearing up.

Crossarm production began in 1946. All products were shipped by rail, with the company located on a rail spur.

Trained as an attorney, with a law degree from Hastings College (now the University of California Law School, San Francisco), John Ferlin came onboard in 1987 to manage Brooks Lumber.

At the same time, Mimi acquired ownership interest. After her father passed away in 1995, Mimi and John bought the rest of the ownership from Mimi’s mother.

Mimi had earned a degree in economics, studying at both the University of Washington and Western Washington University.

“At the time,” she said, “I was the only female in my class.”

But her singularity didn’t faze her.

“My grandmother graduated from Vassar and my grandfather from West Point,” she said. Business was regular conversation at the dinner table: “I grew up talking with my parents about wood products, strikes, forest fires and business markets.”

After college graduation, she was hired as a security analyst assistant at Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco, where she met the love of her life, John Ferlin. They moved to San Diego, where John practiced law and Mimi got a job as a portfolio manager with a bank in San Diego.

“I was privileged to learn and know how the market worked,” she said.

With Mimi Brooks Ferlin as the majority shareholder, Brooks Manufacturing was rightfully designated as a woman-owned business.

“We qualified for contracts,” John Ferlin said. “For 15 years, we were able to build more business against tough competitors.”

The married couple, with three children, emerged as a powerful and respected business duo. In separate interviews, their regard — and affection — for each other was palpable. Mimi was quick to credit her husband: “I inherited the business, but John built it.” John said, laughing, “If I hadn’t run the business successfully, I knew Mimi would have to get rid of me! I didn’t want to put her in that position. And I didn’t want to be in that position!”

The knowledge of successful business owners

Reflecting on his tenure as president and CEO through 2006, John Ferlin easily ticked off the components of running a business.

Mimi’s grandparents, Frank Noyes Brooks and Francis Carver Brooks.

“People are the key component,” he said. “We have been so fortunate to have the right people.”

His wife agreed.

“The team is everything,” Mimi Brooks Ferlin said. Both cited the current president and CEO, Shannon Terrell, as “exceptional.”

John Ferlin expanded: “You need the right policies and procedures in place. You need to know that quality comes from the top down.”

He pointed out, “We were always sufficiently capitalized.”

And he explained how he and his team managed variables out of their control, from fickle interest rates that affected equipment upgrades to changing environmental laws.

“At one time,” he said, “our annual stormwater permit cost $200. Then, the permit rose to $28,000 per year.”

He summed up: “We couldn’t control all the variables. But we tried to be the best we could be.”

The payoff and the community investment

With Mimi Brooks Ferlin’s support and signoff, her husband kept upgrading equipment, decreasing costs, acquiring raw material and expanding production capabilities.

“We wanted to be the last one standing,” he said. “We put ourselves in the position to capture market share.”

That was critical in a shrinking market, Mimi Brooks Ferlin said.

“It took a lot of guts to invest millions in Brooks Manufacturing when everyone was cutting back,” she said. “But we had a vision and a strategy: ‘I’m going to be the last one standing.’”

Across decades, Brooks Manufacturing Co. prepared well for changes,

investing in equipment and people. And then, they were the last crossarm producer left.

“There’s always a story in every business success,” John said.

“I believed in John,” Mimi said, “and I believed in us.”

As if building one business wasn’t enough, Mimi Brooks Ferlin also cultivated another company.

“I get bored easily,” she said.

In the 1990s, she put together apartment and condominium rentals and built storage units (on Brooks Manufacturing Co. property), calling her second business Brooks Property. The company currently has 150 units, residential and storage combined

“It’s all about the team,” Mimi Brooks Ferlin said. “I have a great group running this business, too.”

With a family history rooted in civic engagement, Mimi has made sure the hard-won success of Brooks has gone well beyond the boundaries of their headquarters, offices and yard of 90 years.

“My father was part of a group of businessmen who sought out industry, to create jobs for our community,” she said.

Frank Carver Brooks, along with other business leaders, helped bring Intalco and Arco to the area.

“He and my mother, Nancy Gray Brooks, knew how important good, living-wage jobs were to individuals and the community.”

Both John and Mimi have continued the Brooks family’s fierce civic engagement.

Mimi helped start the hospital foundation, part of the group that funded the new emergency department and

cancer department. She served on the hospice foundation, helping to install end-of-life care in our community.

John served on various civic organization boards, leading as the president of the Mount Baker Area Boy Scouts Council. He was a founding member and chairman of the board of Bank Northwest, established in Bellingham and later acquired by Bank of the Pacific.

The Ferlins gave a significant $1.5 million gift to Lighthouse Mission Ministries to help with the construction of the rising structure on F Street. Because of their founding and ongoing investments, a middle school house (similar to the houses in Harry Potter) is named for their family at Franklin Academy.

Mimi and John also have generously given to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Whatcom County and Bellingham Technical College.

“It’s important to invest back in your community,” John Ferlin said, “not just buy a big house for yourself. It’s incumbent upon us to contribute back and provide, not handouts, but programs to help others find a way.”

It was a gift to be able to serve, Mimi Brooks Ferlin said.

“What I learned from the Brooks family, my parents and grandparents, is that it is a privilege to help others,” she said. “You are lucky if you can leave your place in the world better than how you found it.”

And that’s exactly what Mimi and John have done. An economist married an attorney-turned-businessman, and their business acumen and passion have made Whatcom County a better place to live and work. ■

Councilmembers share priorities

Dann Mead Smith

Business Pulse recently had the opportunity to talk to the newly elected Whatcom County Councilmembers as they start their four-year terms: Mark Stremler, representing District 4; and Jon Scanlon, one of two “atlarge” councilmembers representing all of Whatcom County. Both of their terms began in January and expire January 2028.

Mark Stremler was elected in November to serve his first term on the Whatcom County Council, representing Council District 4, replacing incumbent Kathy Kershner.

He owned Stremler Dairy with his dad and he mentioned that “two highlights of our partnership were the honor of being named Whatcom County Dairy Family in 1989 and then being awarded Washington State Dairy Family the following year.” After 12 years of farming, he became a gen-

eral contractor and worked throughout the county for homeowners and local farmers. In addition, he was employed with Whatcom County Public Works. Mark and his wife of 42 years, along with their four married children and eight grandchildren, all call Whatcom County home.

Councilmember Stremler is a member of the Public Works and Health Committee and the Climate Action and Natural Resources Committee. He also represents the County Council on several community boards and committees, including the Bellingham International Airport Advisory Committee, the Business and Commerce Advisory Committee, the Northwest Regional Council, and the Solid Waste Advisory Committee.

Councilmember Stremler told Business Pulse: “I am honored that the good people of District 4 have entrusted me to represent them at council. The op-

portunity to be part of shaping Whatcom County and preserving the heritage we all appreciate is very exciting. My hope is that the passion we all have for the future of the county can play out in making decisions that affect us all. Not throwing money at problems and hoping they get better. Accountability and progress reviews built into all programs. I believe solutions can be achieved when all parties involved put forth effort and take responsibility. The future is bright if we work together.”

Councilmember Stremler’s priorities for 2024 include:

PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/Buings Studio

Councilmember Mark Stremler

This will be an ongoing column interviewing councilmembers throughout the year.

• Establishing relationships with other council members and county leaders.

• Reviewing current county policies and procedures that are linked with concerns that many citizens have conveyed in the last year, such as rising property taxes, building permit issues, public safety.

“What I have heard for the last year from citizens is a concern about high property tax and how it is being spent. The recent jump in land valuation has only added to the issue.  Incomes aren’t keeping up with inflation or the results of policy decisions.  At the council level, we can scrutinize existing and future taxes. That takes effort and attention to details. That’s what I can and will do for the taxpayers. I represent them, not programs.”

Councilmember Mark Stremler can be reached at (360) 778-5022 or MStremler@co.whatcom.wa.us.

Jon Scanlon was also elected in November in an open seat election for the At-Large, Position B seat, as the incumbent, Carol Frazey, did not seek re-election.

He served at the U.S. State Department, at humanitarian aid organizations, and as a human rights advocate. He has negotiated with countries across the Pacific Rim, helped create legislation to provide more transparency for taxpayers, and has supported countless farmers, communities, and Indigenous leaders who stand up for their rights. Jon said he “demonstrates his deep commitment to our community by his recent service on local boards at the environmental nonprofit RE Sources and the City of Bellingham’s affordable housing-focused Community Development Advisory

“With BECU, we feel like business partners.”

Board.” Jon is an avid cyclist, and he and his wife live in Bellingham.

Councilmember Scanlon is chair of the Public Works & Health Committee and a member of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee and the Planning & Development Committee. He also represents the County Council on several community boards and committees, including the Child and Family Well-Being Task Force, Council of Governments (COG), and the Public Health Advisory Board.

Councilmember Scanlon told Business Pulse: “It was honor to be sworn

into office on Jan. 8. ...I take that oath seriously and I have great respect for all who have served and continue to serve our country and our community. I sought to align my committees and advisory boards with the issues that remain my priorities:

• access to affordable housing

• access to health care, especially in unincorporated and rural areas

• ensuring that the Health Children’s Initiative (2022 Prop. 5) funds are helping families to access affordable childcare

• conducting oversight of Prop 4 funds to ensure accountability, transparency, and cost effectiveness as the county builds a new jail and behavioral health center, advocating for state and federal funding for behavioral health and substance use treatment needs in our county, and continuing to implement policies

that can help to reduce incarceration and increase public safety

• planning ahead for climate change, flooding, clean water, population growth and affordable housing through our comprehensive plan update”

He concluded with: “...I have found it to be very helpful to hear from the community ahead of making decisions. I appreciate everyone who takes the time to write or call the council, make a public comment during Council meetings, and the members of county boards and commissions who advise the Council on policy matters. I encourage anyone interested in serving the community to apply for the current vacancies in county boards and commissions, which can be found at: https://www.whatcomcounty.us/1585/ Current-Vacancies

Councilmember Jon Scanlon can be reached at (360) 935-1523 or jscanlon@co.whatcom.wa.us. ■

NEETER HOUSE OF LUXURY

Councilmember Jon Scanlon

Port releases annual economic development progress report

Report highlights include green energy, broadband expansion and business support.

The Port of Bellingham recently announced the release of its annual Whatcom County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy progress report. The report highlights the accomplishments of community stakeholders and economic development partnerships throughout Whatcom County, aligned with the goals outlined in the 2022-2026 strategy.

To review this report, visit https:// www.portofbellingham.com/1003/ CEDS.

“This progress report describes the most important economic development initiatives and partnerships in Whatcom County and details how they are advancing growth and sustainability throughout our region,” said Port Commission President Ken Bell. The port is the associate development organization responsible for economic development for all of Whatcom County and collaborates with the city of Bellingham and Whatcom County to generate a programmatic approach on behalf of the Washington State Department of Commerce. The goal of this effort is to ensure a resilient regional economy that has a dynamic

and inclusive business community, a commitment to living wage jobs and equity, and the physical, social and economic infrastructure to support it.

The 2022-2026 CEDS is an overarching countywide economic development plan, created with input from multiple stakeholders. Among those providing input were representatives of higher education institutions, business and workforce advisories and councils, the seven incorporated cities in Whatcom County, tribes, local chambers, municipalities and local area service providers.

The CEDS progress report details stakeholders’ accomplishments through the end of 2023. Each accomplishment aligns with the six subgoals within the CEDS: building and strengthening Whatcom County’s economic base; developing and enhancing critical infrastructure; developing a skilled workforce and enhancing educational attainment; creating dynamic cross-border and regional relationships; cultivating diversity, equity and inclusion; and supporting countywide economic resiliency and recovery efforts.

The CEDS is a long-term planning document that is intended to guide economic development throughout a region. Having an up-todate CEDS is a requirement to be eligible to compete for Economic Development Administration and other federal funding opportunities. It is also a requirement to be eligible for many Washington state funding opportunities. The CEDS also provides a long-term vision and plan for economic development in the region, making development more programmatic and efficient.

Put your business cash to work

High interest rates can mean more income for you

Devin Wolf

We are about one year removed from the failure of three United States banks with combined assets of $548 billion and combined deposits of $368 billion. You’ll remember Silicon Valley Bank, the largest bank to fail since Washinton Federal in 2008. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., 89% of the $175 billion in deposits held at SVB were uninsured.

So, have we taken the lessons

learned from this massive bank failure to heart, or is history doomed to repeat itself? Evidence would indicate the latter, as trillions of dollars, primarily from corporations, remain uninsured in U.S. banks.

With the FDIC insuring just $250,000 per account, why do businesses continue to hold significant assets unprotected in banks? Frankly, it’s a matter of convenience. Most businesses have high monthly cash flow needs. Whether it’s to support payroll, material costs or regular purchases, most companies find it important

With the FDIC insuring just $250,000 per account, why do businesses continue to hold significant assets unprotected in banks?

to have cash available quickly. The option of holding multiple accounts across different banking institutions (and thereby acquiring enough FDIC insurance coverage for all assets) is often seen as inconvenient and time consuming.

But there are solutions worth considering. With just a little time and effort, you can protect your assets

PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/AndreyPopov

and earn interest at the same time. The high interest rates we have seen lately provide an opportunity for businesses with cash holdings to put that money to work earning interest in

When you connect your business accounts to an insured cash program, your cash can be protected up to $25 million, far exceeding the current $250,000 per account from the FDIC.

one of several types of accounts that still allow the company to withdraw quickly enough to support everyday business operations. Even if the cash is earmarked for a known expense, it can make sense to protect the cash and have it earning interest for you.

One solution is an insured cash program, which holds relationships with multiple banking partners. The program administrator completes due diligence on the underlying banks and automatically sweeps money to different partner banks, enabling the money to maintain FDIC insurance and competitive interest rates. When you connect your business accounts to such a program, your cash can be protected up to $25 million, far exceeding the current $250,000 per account from the FDIC. Furthermore, these programs pay interest on cash, and we have seen interest rates from 4.25% to over 5% on the first $1 million.

At Financial Plan Inc., we operate as an S corporation and clear our bank accounts annually. We have made efforts to keep our money protected and working for us over the course

of the year. With cash flow planning and monthly transfers, we have been able to reduce risk and generate significant income. Your business can do the same.

Planning for your cash flow needs and utilizing the simple strategies available can go a long way toward putting your money to work and keeping you protected from whatever happens next.

Devin Wolf, CFP, is a principal and financial adviser at Financial Plan Inc. in Bellingham, where he also serves as chief financial officer. With a special focus on business owners, high-level executives and CEOs, Wolf makes a point of staying up to date on tax codes and strategies that might benefit or otherwise affect his clients. His expertise with corporate retirement plans and estate tax planning enables him to help his clients navigate complex financial situations and accumulate and transition wealth.

Our food is at risk

State policies are making it too hard to farm

Fred Likkel

The term “resilience” describes farmers overall, and Whatcom’s family farmers certainly display that characteristic. In 2023, we saw a continuing return to some normalcy after the disruptions and uncertainty stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. Berries continue to be harvested, cows continue to be milked, beef cattle are raised, and seed potatoes are grown and distributed. Our smaller farms continue to serve a growing market for locally grown food. That’s all good.

However, the story of potato farmer

Jeff Bedlington and his wife, Diana, shows the other side of family farming today. The Bedlingtons’ third-generation family farm grew specialty seed potatoes on 500 acres of farmland, serving some of the same customers Jeff Bedlington’s grandfather served in the 1950s and ’60s. A toddler grandson loves his John Deere tractor, and the Bedlingtons envisioned the fifth generation taking over. But it was not to be.

This year, the Bedlingtons pulled the plug on their farm. It seemed their only other solution was to double their acreage and significantly invest in other efficiencies, such as bigger equipment, to cover the ever-increasing costs of

farming. The uncertainty of water rights — of being able to irrigate their crops — proved to be the final straw. In 2024, all water rights holders in Whatcom County, including farmers, will have to defend in court their right to use water. Many are facing great uncertainty due to a broken promise by the Washington State Department of Ecology. They were told 30 years ago that if they had land without state-issued water rights, they could continue to farm and apply for the right to the water, and the state would eventually issue formal legal rights. But Ecology never did that. Now those farmers face fines of up to $10,000 per day for irrigating their own crops.

PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/Shaiith

There is more than enough water in Whatcom County, provided we manage it well. Most farmers take irrigation water from large aquifers with plenty to supply their irrigation needs.

Why is this now considered a problem? In recent years, state courts ruled that taking water from the ground equals taking water from streams. Because of that ruling, all users of groundwater will be sued in the proposed water rights adjudication in Whatcom County.

Our community is waking up to the reality of adjudication. More than 300 people attended information sessions in September and November hosted by local agriculture. Many realize that not only are farmers like the Bedlingtons at risk, but also nobody can be certain that the court will not disrupt their water. The solution is negotiating a reasonable settlement that allows the continued use of water and the protec-

For the future of our family farmers, citizens of all political persuasions need to understand the impacts of harmful policies — and then unite to do what is right to protect food and those who produce it.

tion of natural resources.

Water rights may be the biggest long-term threat to our family farmers, but other policies continue to make it harder to farm. Some state and environmental leaders continue to try to impose massive buffers on streams in farmland. If they succeed, an estimated 30% of productive agriculture land in Whatcom County will be lost, leaving the viability of farming very much in doubt.

Another ongoing concern is the continually increasing cost of labor. Overtime laws passed by the state

are making our farmers far less competitive while taking much-needed income away from both domestic and guest farm workers.

There is encouragement. Reasonable tribal, environmental and legislative leaders have come together to propose voluntary buffers that will help salmon and protect farmland. Farm workers across our state are starting to speak out and protest the well-intended laws that end up hurting them.

For the future of our family farmers, citizens of all political persuasions need to understand the impacts of harmful policies — and then unite to do what is right to protect food and those who produce it.

Fred Likkel is the executive director of Whatcom Family Farmers, which works to preserve the legacy and future of family farming in Whatcom County by unifying the farming community and building public support.

Thanks to our Presidents Club members for helping to create a long-lasting impact and furthering the success of our local community.

Olympia spews tax, regulation ideas

Legislators shouldn’t raise taxes when they don’t need to

Kris Johnson

The 2024 legislative session got off to a fast start in January, with lawmakers introducing hundreds of bills covering virtually every topic you can imagine — from weighty public policy issues to proposals for a state rock (Tenino sandstone) and a state clam (Pacific razor).

Unfortunately, too many of the proposals we’ve seen coming out of Olympia this year would, if approved, make it harder, more complex and more expensive to start or operate a

business in Washington.

One of the first ideas to generate headlines was a package of bills aimed at regulating gift cards, of all things. The bills would require that businesses transfer the money on unused gift cards to the state Department of Revenue, cash out balances below $50 and report consumer data to the state, among other requirements.

Gift cards have no expiration date in Washington and are popular with consumers, so it’s not clear what problem lawmakers are trying to solve. It is clear, however, that the proposals would create a variety of new problems for employers who would be

tasked with a huge new administrative burden. It would be costly for store owners in other ways, too, since they would be required to honor gift cards even if the funds have been turned over to the state. And there are fraud and security issues. Requiring businesses to provide cash on hand for unspent balances below $50 would essentially force businesses to serve as ATMs, attracting criminals and fraud.

The 2024 legislative session also has seen renewed efforts to increase real estate and property taxes, both of which would drive up the cost of housing and exacerbate the state’s housing crisis. Backers of a bill that

PHOTO: iStockphoto.com/SEASTOCK

would impose a real estate transfer tax on sales greater than $3.025 million say it targets wealthy individuals, but most transactions in that price range are either commercial and industrial properties — the places where people work — or multifamily residential properties, which typically provide the most affordable housing options in a community.

Another proposal seeks to impose rent control, which not only fails to address the root cause of the housing affordability crisis — an inadequate supply of housing — but also could deter housing investment. And there’s a renewed push to create a split roll property tax structure, which would increase property taxes for business and commercial property owners — another tax on Main Street. Lawmakers made progress on addressing

Washington’s housing crisis last year. Here’s hoping they don’t go backward this year.

On employment law, there’s a proposal that would allow striking workers to receive unemployment benefits. This is not what unemployment insurance was intended to do. The unemployment insurance fund, which is 100% paid for by employers, was created to provide benefits for people who lose their jobs through no fault of their own and who are looking for work. People choosing not to work — no matter their reason — don’t meet those criteria.

These are just a few examples of the bills we’ve seen this year that would either make it more expensive or more complicated (or both) to run a business in Washington. No doubt each of the ideas is well intentioned. Taken

individually, each of the ideas may not seem particularly expensive or cumbersome. But there is a cumulative effect on employers that legislators often fail to appreciate. Year after year, there are proposals for new regulations and higher taxes, even when the money is not really needed. Washington’s state budget has grown tremendously over the last decade. In fact, it’s more than doubled.

Thankfully, the state is not facing a shortfall in the operating budget. Simply put, legislators shouldn’t raise taxes when they don’t need to, and they should carefully consider the cumulative effect of regulation before they put new hurdles in front of employers.

Kris Johnson is president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s chamber of commerce and manufacturing and technology association.

success is essential to

Initiative 2124 asks voters to make WA Cares an opt-in, rather than mandatory, program

Elizabeth Hovde

KEY FINDINGS

WA Cares is a state-imposed program for long-term care, created in 2019 by HB 1087. The program is funded by a significant payroll tax of 58 cents on every $100 of income a Washington state worker earns, regardless of income.

A lifetime benefit of up to $36,500 will eventually go to some Washingtonians, if they meet certain health criteria, if they still live in the state and if they have paid the payroll tax for a required number of years.

This dollar amount is not typically enough to cover a person’s long-term care costs, should they need services.

• Even with its high payroll tax, WA Cares has solvency concerns.

• When a temporary and limited opt-out choice was available, nearly 500,000 workers left the program.

• Initiative 2124 would give workers a choice about whether this program is right for their individual financial and possible health needs. It would make WA Cares a voluntary, rather than mandatory, program.

In December 2023, a citizen group called Let’s Go Washington collected enough signatures to submit Initiative 2124 to the legislature. It was certified by Washington’s Secretary of State Steve Hobbs on Jan. 25. It would make WA Cares an opt-in, rather than mandatory, program.

In considering Initiative 2124, lawmakers could choose to adopt it into law, offer voters an alternative that would appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot with the original initiative, or they could ignore the initiative, in which case Initiative 2124 would appear on the ballot without a legisla-

tive alternative.

Initiative 2124 would do what state leaders chose not to do: Give workers a choice about whether this program is right for their individual financial and potential long-term care needs. Those who see the program as useful to them could elect to keep participating in WA Cares.

The key change to HB 1087 proposed by the initiative says: “An employee or self-employed person in Washington must elect to keep coverage under this Chapter. If an employee or self-employed person has elected coverage under this Chapter,

the employee or self-employed person must also have the option to opt out at any time. The employment security department shall adopt rules to implement this section.”

Aside from making participation in WA Cares voluntary, other parts of the program, such as tax rates, eligibility requirments and benefit levels, would stay the same. Lawmakers, of course, could alter the program. They have done so several times since the 2019 LTC law was passed.

Elizabeth Hovde is the policy analyst and director of the Centers for Health Care and Worker Rights at the Washington Policy Center.