Issuu

Year 21 No. 4 $1

APRIL 2013

CREATIVE SEPARATION | PAGE 22

ART ADVOCATES SEE DEMAND FOR MORE GALLERY SPACES

VIRAL MONEY | Crowdfunding raises cash, and questions

RETAIL LOSS LEADS TO EARLY JUMP IN JOBLESS NUMBERS But state economists say year-over-year job estimates show some positive signs By Evan Marczynski evan@bbjtoday.com

SEE STORY ON PAGE 6 | Christian Harkson of Disidual Clothing loads ink onto a screen in the screen-printing and apparel design company’s Bellingham facility. Disidual recently attempted to raise $25,000 for a new clothing line using the popular crowdfunding website Kickstarter. As more businesses use the digital money-raising strategy to finance expansions and new ventures, investment regulators might soon allow business owners to offer shares of their companies through crowdfunding portals. EVAN MARCZYNSKI PHOTO | THE BELLINGHAM BUSINESS JOURNAL

Bellis Fair to get first major remodel in decade By Evan Marczynski evan@bbjtoday.com

Bellingham magnet for north-of-the-border retail traffic is receiving its first major makeover in ten years. Bellis Fair Mall’s last major upgrade in 2003 brought new lighting, paint, signage, and seating areas. But the current project is larger in scope, mall managers said. The renovation to the 773,000-square-foot shopping mall will include aesthetic

updates to its main entrances, new floor tile, new food-court amenities, including a fireplace with an attached video wall, as well as redesigned restrooms and an upgraded children’s play area. “We’re excited to share the news of our transformation at Bellis Fair. By the end of the year locals and tourists alike will see a warmer more inviting center, with colors and textures of the outdoors brought inside,”Janet Hendeson, the mall’s senior general manager, said in a press statement.

ith seasonal retail workers out of holiday jobs, initial estimates placed Whatcom County’s January unemployment rate at 8.6 percent, according the figures released by the Washington State Employment Security Department in early March. That rate jumped from a revised 7.1 percent estimate last December. But rises in jobless rates are common as a new year begins, said regional labor economist Anneliese Vance-Sherman. “I would attribute a lot of that to the usual dips associated with holiday hiring and retail,” VanceSherman said. While it was a significant spike from last December, January’s 8.6 percent jobless rate was only slightly above the 8.5 percent esti-

CONCEPTUAL ARTWORK COURTESY OF BELLIS FAIR MALL

Culp Construction Company, which has main offices in Utah and California, is the project’s contractor. Culp has completed several other projects for General Growth Properties Inc., the

owner and manager of Bellis Fair, according to the construction company’s website. The contractor is working with

JOBS | Page 9

MALL | Page 3

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WORKSOURCE JOBSEEKERS FAIR WorkSource invites employers and job seekers to participate in the 2013 Whatcom Job Fair from a.m. to APR 10 2 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, at St. Luke’s Community Health Education Center, 3333 Squalicum Parkway in Bellingham. The event is hosted by the WorkSource veterans unit and is open to all businesses actively seeking employees and to all job seekers in the community. Employer exhibit tables are provided at no cost through the sponsorship of WorkSource Whatcom Career Center. WorkSource is a partnership of organizations providing valuable assistance to employers looking for workers and those seeking work. It offers job search preparation, workshops, computers for job search and career exploration, job listings and referrals, veteran services and occupational training programs. Visit www. WorksourceNorthwest. com or browse job listings at go2worksource.com. The Center is located at 101 Prospect St. in Bellingham

BELLINGHAM TECH EXPO & JOB FAIR The Bellingham TechExpo and Job Fair will be held from 1-6 p.m. on Thursday, April 18, at Fox Hall in the Hampton near the APR Inn Bellingham International Airport. Bellingham TechExpo, formerly known as Bellingham TechNight, will feature exhibitors and employers including Logos Bible Software, 3D Corporation, Varvid, abse, CSS Communications, DIS Corporation, Noel Communications, Whatcom Community College and Wolfe Internet Services plus many others. Local educational institutions will be on hand to talk to those interested in pursuing a career in technology, and officials from Bellingham/

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Whatcom County Tourism will also be present to talk to out-of-area jobseekers about the region and quality of life it has to offer. This year there will also be break-out sessions offered by select exhibitors offering insight into some of the products and services they offer. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees and jobseekers are encouraged pre-register at www. bellinghamtechexpo.com.

WHATCOM REAL ESTATE OPEN HOUSES The public is invited to attend more than 200 Whatcom County open houses from April 20-21 during Realtor APR the Nationwide Open House Weekend. The Whatcom County Association of Realtors will feature houses and condominiums for sale throughout the county. The open houses, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on both days, are listed at www.WhatcomOpens. com. “Realtor Nationwide Open House Weekend is a fantastic opportunity for those interested in homeownership to connect with a Realtor who can offer expert guidance and advice on the home buying process,” said Lisa Wright, publisher of Pacific NW Homes

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Magazine and a WCAR member. “During the weekend Realtors will be on hand to answer questions about the local housing market and answer questions from consumers concerning the home buying and selling process. Open houses are also a great way for potential buyers to get a feel for what is available in their local market.” Virtually every Whatcom County open house will have a real-estate agent present who can answer questions about the property and offer information about financing options. For more information about WCAR or the Realtor Nationwide Open House Weekend, call 360671-5477 or visit www. wcar.net.

ACCOUNTING & FINANCE SEMINAR The Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance presents the 2013 Accounting & Finance Seminar at the APR Bellingham Golf and Country Club, on April 26. The full-day event will feature discussion on topics including health care reform, the “pay or play” penalty, cloud accounting, cyber security, forensic accounting, fraud detection, lean

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The Bellingham Business Journal A division of Sound Publishing Inc.

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BBJToday.com 1909 Cornwall Ave. Bellingham, WA 98225 Phone (360) 647-8805 Fax (360) 647-0502 Circulation: (888) 838-3000, circulation@bbjtoday.com Publisher: publisher@bbjtoday.com Editorial: editor@bbjtoday.com Advertising: sales@bbjtoday.com BBJToday.com (ISSN 21620997) is published monthly by Sound Publishing Inc. at 1909 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Periodicals Postage Paid at Bellingham, WA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: BBJToday.com Circulation, PO Box 130, Kent, WA 98035.

April 2013

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MALL | FROM 1

Bellis Fair renovation should be complete by November several local construction-service providers in the renovation, which is expected to be complete by November, said Jean Marohn, marketing coordinator for Bellis Fair. Some preliminary work is already underway at the mall. Marohn said local contractors seeking

more information can email Travis Goldston, operation manager for Bellis Fair, at Travis.Goldston@ggp.com. Most of the construction will be done at night to minimize inconvenience to shoppers, Marohn said. General Growth Properties, which is based in Chicago, Ill., operates 125 regional malls in the U.S., and 18 malls in Brazil. It owns several large shopping centers in Washington state, including Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Westlake Center in Seattle, as well as the Spokane Valley Mall and Spokane’s NorthTown Mall.

#1 in Washington. #30 in the USA. A conceptual drawing shows Bellis Fair Mall’s remodeled food court, which is expected to include a fireplace and an attached video wall. IMAGE COURTESY OF BELLIS FAIR MALL

PLANNER | FROM 2 manufacturing and social media. More information on speakers and registration is online at www.aswa115. org.

DIRTY DAN DAY IN FAIRHAVEN The 11th annual Dirty Dan Day Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.on Sunday, April 28, on the Fairhaven APR Village Green at the corner of 10th Street and Mill Avenue.

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As a celebration of Fairhaven’s community founder, Dirty Dan Harris, the family-friendly event features food and games including a cupcake eating contest, a salmon toss, music, and an uphill piano race that takes place at “high noon.” The popular feature event is the Chuckanut Chowder Cook-off, with local restaurants vying for the title each year. Tickets for chowder sampling and voting will be available for $10. The cook-off takes place from 2 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. A beer garden will also be open from noon to 4 p.m.

The event is produced by the Old Fairhaven Association, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting and preserving the historical character of the Fairhaven Districts. Sponsors include Avenue Bread, Bornstein Seafoods, Dirty Dan Harris Steakhouse, and Vis Seafoods. More information is online at www.fairhaven.com.

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Who’s news in Bellingham & Whatcom business PeaceHealth doctor published in national peer-reviewed journals Dr. Rob Olson, an obstetrics hospitalist with the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, has been published in two peerreviewed medical journals, Contemporary OB/GYN and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Olson is a national leader in the field of OB/GYN hospitalists— physicians who focus on labor and delivery and emergency department Rob Olson support. His article, “The OB/ GYN hospitalist: less burnout, more bal-

ance?,” was published in the December issue of Contemporary OB/GYN. Earlier this year, his article, “OB/GYN hospitalists: can we improve safety and outcomes for patients and hospitals and improve lifestyle for physicians?,” was published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Olson became a OB/GYN hospitalist after spending 28 years in private practice.

Sherman hired as education director at Upfront Theatre Oona Sherman has been hired as the director of education at The Upfront Theatre in Bellingham. Sherman will oversee both the adult and youth programs for the School of Improv at the Upfront Theatre, improving

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and expanding the current programs and systems, and providing instructor training. She will also develop applied improv programs in areas such as anti-bullying in the schools, self-esteem and communication workshops, continuing education programs for instructors and therapists, as well as other program and curriculum development projects. Sherman is an artsbased educator with more than 14 years of experience in curriculum development, teaching, and Oona Sherman leadership training. She has a master’s degree in transformative learning and human development from Antioch University Midwest, and has served as adjunct faculty there in the Individualized Master of Arts program. She also has a bachelor’s in literature and creative writing from University of California, Santa Cruz. In addition to her work at the Upfront Theatre, Sherman teaches improv classes at Whatcom Community College in the Community Education Program, has served as faculty at the Chuckanut Writer’s Conference, and also works within the community to bring arts-based training into schools, businesses and nonprofit groups. She has also been a member of the Upfront Theatre’s Mainstage since the theater opened in 2004.

Aase of Corion Landscape earns industry certification Jennifer Aase, an account manager for Corion Landscape Management, has earned a certification recognizing her expertise of maintenance practices for trees and shrubs. Aase completed a course to earn the Landscape Industry Certified Horticultural Technician designation from the Professional Landscape Network, known in the Jennifer Aase industry as PLANET. The international association serves lawn care professionals, landscape management contractors, design/build/ installation professionals and interior plant-scapers. Aase, who has been with the company for eight years, oversees field operations, manages enhancement work and builds client relationships. Corion Landscape Management, found-

ed in 2001, is based in Ferndale.

Former Downtown Partnership director joins US Bank Rob Camandona, former executive director of the Downtown Bellingham Partnership, has joined U.S. Bank as an assistant vice president and relationship manager. Camandona is based in U.S. Bank’s downtown Bellingham office on Holly Street. He manages the bank’s commercial clients in Bellingham and northwest Washington. Camandona had been Rob Camandona the executive director of the Downtown Bellingham Partnership since 2011. The organization acts as an advocate for downtown stakeholders, and runs the monthly Art Walk events, as well as the Downtown Sounds summer concert series and the Bite of Bellingham food festival. The Partnership’s marketing manager, Amy Vergillo, is currently serving as interim executive director. Details of the organization’s future leadership will be worked out by its board of directors over the next several months, according to Vergillo. In an email, Camandona said he was grateful for his time with the Partnership. Prior to taking the executive director position, Camandona worked at Banner Bank, where he was a relationship manager for commercial lending. He has also previously served as president and CEO of Toad Mountain Coffee, as well as manager for Holland America Line. He graduated from Western Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.

YWCA names new honorees for NW Women’s Hall of Fame Vi Zurline, who started Bellingham Travel & Cruise in the 1960s, was among four Whatcom County women inducted into the YWCA Northwest Women’s Hall of Fame during its 15th annual celebration dinner on Sunday, March 24. Zurline was honored for her role as a model and coach for emerging women entrepreneurs, civic leadership and her support of Western Washington University women athletes. Other honorees included: - Sister Brigid Collins (1918-1990), a

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PEOPLE | FROM 4 past administrator at St. Joseph hospital administrator and renowned advocate for services supporting healthy women and children. Collins is being honored as a Legacy Awardee. - Melinda Shenk, founder of Marianne’s House that bears the name of her late sister, Marianne Barden. The day activity center works to enrich the lives of adults with developmental disabilities. - Cyndie Shepard, volunteer director of Compass 2 Campus, a program that introduces middle school students to higher education and provides WWU student mentors for them through 12th grade. The honorees joined 53 contemporary Whatcom County women and 11 from the late 19th and early 20th centuries who have been inducted into the Northwest Women’s Hall since it was founded in 1999. The Northwest Hall Steering Committee is an independent volunteer organization operating under the umbrella of the YWCA. For information, visit www.ywcabellingham. org.

Perkins picked as director of Whatcom County Library System Christine Perkins has been selected as the new executive director of the Whatcom County Library System, the organization’s board of trustees has announced. Perkins will begin her new position in mid-April. “It’s a great time to join the Whatcom County Library System,” Perkins said. As the assistant director of the Bellingham Public Library for the past five years, Perkins was in charge of daily operations. During her tenure, she oversaw the opening of the Barkley library branch through a public/private partnership, and also led rebranding and public relations efforts. Perkins also previously served as the director of the Burlington Public Library. She started her library career as a children’s librarian and worked her way into the position of department head for young-adult services at Jackson County Library Services in Medford, Ore., before moving into library administration.

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FINANCED BY THE MASSES Online crowdfunding is gaining popularity in small business. But some market regulators worry over the implications of viral fundraising. By Evan Marczynski evan@bbjtoday.com

fter spending six years as a supermarket meat cutter, Chad Johnson is certain that demand exists for a locally owned butcher shop in downtown Bellingham, especially one that would offer a direct supply route between Whatcom County meat producers and local customers. But in a business with thin profit margins and high equipment costs, Johnson believes asking banks or venture capitalists to help finance a start-up meat market would be extremely challenging, if not impossible. Instead, he’s turning to the Internet and the viral money-raising strategy known as crowdfunding. Using the website Kickstarter, Johnson has managed to raise more than $12,000 (as of the press deadline for this edition of The Bellingham Business Journal) that will help him purchase the equipment he needs to start his butcher shop, called Carne Bellingham. Online crowdfunding began primarily as a cash-raising vehicle for artists, musicians, filmmakers and other creative professionals. But a growing number of local entrepreneurs see the strategy as an easy and inexpensive method to raise money for new projects or inventions, generally with promises of incentives to donors, including first dibs on shipments of products or other promotional items. “More businesses are grabbing a hold of it now,” Johnson said. Yet while websites such as Kickstarter continue to build a small-business following, securities regulators and other market experts say business owners and investors should be cautious over just how deep a reach crowdfunding is given into the startup entrepreneurial world. And depending on whether the Securities and Exchange Commission acts soon on a Congressional directive to exempt crowdfunding portals from securities registration laws, that reach could extend further.

Regulators hold keys The 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act—commonly called the JOBS Act— opened the possibility for small-business owners to use crowdfunding websites as intermediaries to offer shares of their companies to investors. Current federal laws do not allow business owners to offer equity in their companies through crowdfunding sites. Instead,

those who use crowdfunding tend to ask for money to complete single projects in exchange for incentives. The JOBS Act allows companies to raise up to $1 million per year by offering shares to investors through crowdfunding websites without the need for those com(Above) Christian Harkson, copanies to register owner of Disidual Clothing in Bellwith the SEC. ingham, presses ink onto a shirt at But before this the company’s facility off of Meridcan happen, the ian Street. Disidual ran an unsucSEC must adopt cessful crowdfunding campaign rules to regulate through the website Kickstarter to the practice. The try to raise $25,000 to fund a new agency missed fall apparel line. a January 2013 deadline to do so. (Right) Harkson prepares to load ink on a screen prior to pressing. As of now, it is Harkson and business partner, not known when Brendan Pape, said even though new rules will be they didn’t fulfill their crowdfunding in place. goal, the process has other marketCrowdfunding benefits. ing advocates, a broad group that EVAN MARCZYNSKI PHOTOS | THE BELLINGHAM BUSINESS includes business franchisers, Whether the SEC will have the time, social-media marketers, commerce associa- resources and budget to enforce the crowdtions and others, believe the new investfunding rules it will likely adopt is another ment opportunity could spark job growth fear, he added. and make it easier for startups to access the money they need. It might also bring new The Kickstarter model demand for legal, financial, accounting and As one of the largest and most promimarketing services, they say. nent crowdfunding sites, Kickstarter has But a review of the recent public comments sent to the SEC regarding regulation become synonymous with digital fundraising. Hundreds of other platforms exist, of crowdfunding equity rules shows that including other popular ones such at Indinot all financial and legal professionals egogo and RocketHub. agree on how the digital money-raising Since launching in April 2009, Kickstrategy should be set loose on the world of starter claims its users—people who donate investing. to projects are called “backers”—have conBill Beatty, the securities division directributed more than $500 million to more tor for the Washington State Department than 90,000 successful projects. of Financial Institutions, said his office Creators of projects are given a page on has concerns with online crowdfunding. Kickstarter’s website to include informaHe worries about the potential for fraud should crowdfunding’s popularity continue tion, photos and videos describing how they plan to use donations. Projects must to rise and relaxed regulation makes the meet a predetermined funding goal before practice more common in the financial hitting a deadline. industry. Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing plat“We fear it will also attract the attention form, meaning that projects must reach of people who want to scam folks,” Beatty their funding goals in order for creators said.

to receive any money. Not all crowdfunding sites follow this method. Other aspects of the process also vary between different platforms. For fully funded projects, Kickstarter takes a 5 percent cut of the donations collected. Placing projects on the site is free, but project creators handle online payment processing fees, which Kickstarter says range between 3 to 5 percent of a total payment. About 44 percent of projects succeed in meeting their funding goals, according to Kickstarter. In order to attract donations, project creators offer tiered sets of incentives. These typically include actual products or promotional items such as stickers and T-shirts. On the page for Carne Bellingham, for example, Chad Johnson offers cuts of beef and home butchery classes, as well as apparel items, depending on how much money a backer is willing to give. Controversy in crowdfunding comes largely out of questions over accountabil-

FUNDING | Page 7

April 2013

FUNDING | FROM 6

Securities regulators fear that crowdfunding sites could be targets for fraud ity, since Kickstarter does not provide a guarantee that the creator of a successfully funded project will be able to deliver any incentives they promise. The site’s terms of use also place legal liability for fulfilling those promises on project creators. Financial regulators worry that should crowdfunding platforms be used by scammers to collect funds while giving nothing in return, it could leave many backers with little to no recourse other than undertaking the difficult task of trying to track down their money by themselves. The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions advises investors to be “extremely cautious” when donating money to a project through a crowdfunding platform. Bill Beatty said it is really up to the individual investors to do their homework and check the backgrounds of project creators to see if they are legitimate. According to the Department of Financial Institution’s advice, investors should assume everything is a scam until they can prove otherwise. Kickstarter says much the same thing. “At the end of the day, use your Internet street smarts,” states the site’s Frequently Asked Questions section. Beatty said this tip will become even more important as the new equity crowdfunding rules develop.

New social marketing As controversy continues over crowdfunding equity, those who have used the process to fund new products or inventions, instead of offering shares of their companies, say the digital system offers plenty of business advantages. For Charles Harris of Anacortes, Kickstarter helped him finance a new product for his startup company. But Harris said crowdfunding might actually have more value as a marketing tool. He created a Kickstarter project in February to solicit funds for his invention, Lace Anchors, which are small clips that attach to shoelaces on the inside of one’s shoes. They are designed to hold the laces taut without the need for the wearer to actually tie their shoes. Lace Anchors are marketed toward parents of young children, runners and other athletes, as well as anyone who wants to keep their shoes secure without having to deal with long, floppy shoelaces or laces

BBJToday.com becoming untied. Judging by the success of Harris’ Kickstarter project, it’s been a successful idea. He started with a donation goal of $9,500. By the end of March, when his project’s deadline hit, he had raised nearly $150,000. He said crowdfunding has allowed him to better target his marketing efforts, particularly with Kickstarter’s built-in feedback components, which have let him hear directly from customers. “It’s allowed us to find out the market of people that are interested,” Harris said.

Insight even in failure At Disidual Clothing in Bellingham, co-owners Brendan Pape and Christian Harkson saw a Kickstarter campaign as a way to raise capital to grow their company without having to give up ownership shares to an outside investor. Since founding the company in 2010 as a screen-printing business, Pape and Harkson—the two developed Disidual while they were students at Western Washington

“At the end of the day, use your Internet street smarts.” —From Kickstarter’s Frequently Asked Questions section

University—have begun expanding from a small production firm into a full apparel brand. The business partners created a Kickstarter project to fund production of a new fleece jacket and a fall clothing line. Yet after 30 days on the website, their project had raised only $13,709 of its $25,000 goal—meaning they received nothing. But despite being unsuccessful, Pape said the process has helped them realize how online crowdfunding can be useful in allowing a company to assess its position in its market, as well as helping find new ways to reach and interact with customers. And while Pape said he was confident Disidual would be able to find investors for their expansion through more traditional routes, he had some advice for business owners considering crowdfunding. He said one downfall to Disidual’s campaign was that some of the company’s fans were not aware of how crowdfunding worked. Pape believes if they had been a bit more proactive with outreach to existing customers, explaining what the Kickstarter project was trying to accomplish and how it worked, then the project might have been more successful. He also said he thinks a lot of success in crowdfunding depends on the product one is trying to develop. Crowdfunding projects with innovative gadgets or new ideas

crowdfundING KNOW-HOW WHAT IS IT? An online money-raising strategy, intially begun as a way for people to give small amounts of money to artists, musicians and filmmakers financing projects. The concept is now frequently used to assist small businesses and startups seeking investment capital to get off the ground. Where does it happen? There are hundreds of crowdfunding websites, also known as portals, that advertise investment opportunities and facilitate payment from investors to project creators. Popular ones include Kickstarter, Indiegogo and RocketHub. Why do regulators say investors should be “extremely cautious” when investing via crowdfunding? All investments have risk, but small-business investments carry greater risk than normal—nearly 50 percent of all small business fail within their first five years. Regulators stress that potential investors need to understand the risks that go along with small-business investment. Many issuers using crowdfunding portals to raise money are honest and legitimite business owners, but others might be inexperienced, and their track records could be unproven, unsubstantiated or outright fradulent. Investors might have limited legal ability to take action against issuers should investments not perform as they were represented. Due to limited regulation, investors could be left on their own to pursue private lawsuits should things go wrong. Source: Washington State Department of Financial Institutions for business seem to do better, at least on sites like Kickstarter, Pape said. “You need a hook,” he said. “You need to grab people.” Charles Harris said project creators should seek out objective feedback from other users on Kickstarter, rather than relying on friends and family to fine-tune an idea before trying to get funding. He also said that having a product already established in the retail world is a major benefit when time comes to deliver on incentives once a project meets its funding goal. For Lace Anchors, getting out enough merchandise to cover the nearly $150,000 in donations it took in through Kickstarter would be impossible if Harris had not already developed his packaging and supply chain.

“It would be an absolute nightmare,” he said. Chad Johnson agreed, and said it is important for crowdfunding project creators to know how much of their product or service they can initially produce, in order to be able to meet the demand from donors. He also said project creators should offer good incentives for donations such as actual products or merchandise instead of relying on inexpensive promotional items. Johnson said he thinks donations are easier to attract when a project has strong incentives, which give donors a sense that they are getting something of value. “People have a buy-in, and they feel some ownership, which helps it go viral,” he said.

Meat producers co-op gets $65K matching loan from nonprofit The North Cascades Meat Producers Cooperative has received a matching-funds loan of up to $65,000 from the Whatcom Community Foundation to support the organization’s effort to raise membership equity and open a new meat-processing business in the north Puget Sound area. The group has also just approved its 20th member, according to a press release. All total, its current members come from Island, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties. “We are so pleased and thankful for this financial support,” Pat Grover, the cooperative’s president. “This type of community-

based investment can send a powerful message to meat producers, the market and the community-at-large.” “It takes a lot of commitment and support from diverse stakeholders to get a cooperatively owned business started. We have had a strong level of interest from supermarkets, restaurants and institutions who are interested in accessing local pasture-raised meat. We need another fifteen to twenty members and $27,500 in equity investment to fully maximize this matching fund loan opportunity and move to the next phase of our capital plan.” The cooperative plans to offer WSDA

Custom Exempt and USDA-Inspected processing services. Its business model will feature a USDA-inspected mobile slaughter unit, which will be leased from the Pierce County Conservation District. The self-contained unit will be stationed at a farm site in Whatcom County and possibly a site in Skagit County, initially projected at six days per month. It can accommodate the harvest of up to 12 beef, 20 pork, or 30 lambs per day. The finished carcasses will then be transported in a refrigerated truck to a processing plant at a yet-to-be-determined location in Skagit County or Whatcom County.

The cooperative’s plan also includes development of meat-product brand called North Cascade Meats. The group’s board of directors has developed and agreed upon common production standards for beef, pork, and lamb that ensure animals are pasture or grass finished, no feed antibiotics or hormones are used, no petroleum-based fertilizers are used on pastures and no detrimental impacts to riparian areas are permitted. Meat producers seeking more information on the North Cascades Meat Cooperative can visit www.northcascademeats.com. —BBJ Staff Reports

BBJToday.com

April 2013

PORT NEWS

Port Economic Impact Spreads Across the Community Sponsored content provided by Port of Bellingham

PORT OF BELLINGHAM Contact: Port Administrative Offices 360-676-2500 info@portofbellingham.com www.portofbellingham.com 1801 Roeder Ave. Bellingham, WA 98225 Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm Board of Commissioners Scott Walker, District One Michael McAuley, District Two Jim Jorgensen, District Three Meetings: 3 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month. Agendas are on the Port website. The Port operates: Bellingham International Airport Bellingham Cruise Terminal Squalicum Harbor Blaine Harbor Fairhaven Marine Industrial Park Bellwether on the Bay Shipping Terminal Airport Industrial Park Sumas Industrial Park

ashington State has 75 public port districts ranging from the huge land, air and sea operations of the Port of Seattle to tiny ports operating merely a grain warehouse or a boat launch. The Port of Bellingham, with annual revenues above $20 million is among the state’s larger ports. The Port of Bellingham, a countywide port, was created in 1920 by a public vote with 77 percent of voters supporting the measure. Its initial role was focused on the waterfront and its first order of business was the purchase of Bellingham waterfront property. One of its earliest projects was to build a ferry landing on the Whatcom Creek Waterway. By 1924 the Port began developing a shipping terminal by buying the City of Bellingham’s Municipal Dock. And that was just the beginning. Today the Port is one of the most diverse ports in Washington State. With just 100 employees, the port operates all of the local transportation terminals: the rapidly growing

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Bellingham International Airport, the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, the Fairhaven Transportation Station and the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. In addition the Port’s two marinas, in Bellingham and Blaine, provide moorage to more than 2,000 boats. Its Real Estate Division manages 315 acres of property, with 180 tenants and 1 million square feet of leasable space.

How does that translate into local economic impacts? One example can be found from the Arctic Challenger project, which involved construction of an oil spill response vessel at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal last year. Shell Oil, Superior Energy and Greenberry Industrial provided on-site employment during the project ranging from 550 to 960 skilled and well paid workers. This project infused $230 million into the local economy. Marine Trades businesses represent about half of all direct jobs generated from Port operations – 2,187 out of 4,084 direct local jobs. In addition, the local marine industry supported another 1,618 local jobs through spending by these

businesses. Our local marine industry, most of it operating in Port facilities, annually spends $57.5 million locally and contributes $17 million in state and local taxes. Another example is the Bellingham International Airport, where the Port is working on a $38.5 million expansion. Two years ago the Port repaved the entire runway, which was a $29 million project. These projects employed hundreds of skilled trades people

with a tremendous economic ripple effect. And those are just construction jobs. The airport also provides ongoing employment to hundreds of people. Over 650 workers have special airport security badges for the main commercial terminal. These include people working for the airlines, airport staff and airport businesses; And there still are more aviation employees serving general aviation needs. The Port has an ongoing role in tourism, transportation, environmental stewardship and business development. Throughout all of those sectors, its biggest goal is providing quality jobs and economic development to its community. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed since 1920.

April 2013

JOBS | FROM 1

mate from January 2012. Vance-Sherman said yearover-year trends generally provide a better look at local employment, particularly when seasonal factors influence month-to-month numbers. Statewide unemployment in January was estimated at 7.5 percent earlier in March. State-level estimates are adjusted to reflect seasonal factors, while countylevel estimates are not due to their smaller sample sizes. Whatcom had the lowest unemployment estimate among counties in northwest Washington. Skagit County’s jobless rate was estimated at 10.4 percent, Island County was at 9 percent, and San Juan County was at 8.8 percent. Counties across the state posted high jobless figures in January, according to the estimates. Only three of Washington’s 39 counties kept their unemployment below 8 percent that month. More than half had jobless rates above 10 percent. In Whatcom County, the private sector lost an estimated 1,500 jobs between January and December, according to state economists. Industries that led the losses included retail (down an estimated 500 jobs), leisure and hospitality (down 200), construction (down 200), and manufacturing (down 100). The public sector lost an estimated 200 jobs. Yet all local industries, excluding government and construction, gained jobs between January 2012 and January 2013. Despite the ups and downs in construction work over the past year— estimates show the sector lost 100 jobs between January 2012 and January 2013—Vance-Sherman highlighted the industry as having been a strong job provider for Whatcom County and other counties in the state.

Whatcom County jobless rate then-and-now Jan. 2013: 8.6 % Jan. 2012: 8.5 % Jobless estimates for February were not available by the press deadline for this edition of The Bellingham Business Journal. Visit BBJToday.com for more coverage of county and state employment.

BBJToday.com

Operator of former Bayside Cafe charged with tax theft The Washington State Attorney General’s Office has filed charges of theft and 24 counts of filing false tax returns against the operator of the now-closed Bayside Cafe in Bellingham, at the request of the state Department of Revenue. The charges accuse former Bay-

side Cafe operator, James Alpha Brown, of theft of at least $286,000 in sales tax collected from customers but not remitted to the revenue department. The felony charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. According to a statement from

the revenue department, Brown told state auditors that he had undergone financial difficulties and had used the tax revenues he collected to pay family members’ salaries. The charges brought in Whatcom County Superior Court were the result of a revenue depart-

ment audit that determined Brown had reported only about 27 percent of the sales tax he had collected from 2008 through early 2012. The Bayside Cafe, which opened in 1994, closed unexpectedly last fall. —BBJ Staff Reports

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THE FUTURE

OF BUSINESS

April 2013

Opening Reception Thursday, April 25th, 5:30pm-8pm Depot Market Square

Main Conference Friday, April 26th, 8:30am-4:30pm The Leopold Crystal Ballroom Bellingham, WA

Registration The best investment you can make for valuable information on: • Achieving resource and operational efficiencies • Increasing access to customers • Accessing financial resources • Better business management Join your friends and associates for inspiration and hands-on tools for a thriving business. World class local, regional and national speakers include: • Scott Jenkins, Vice President of Operations, Seattle Mariners/Safeco Field • A-P Hurd, Vice President, Touchstone Corporation; Author, The Carbon Efficient City • Bill Taylor, Owner, Taylor Shellfish Farms • Charles Marcks, Accountant, VSH Certified Accountants • Local Government leaders including: Bellingham Mayor, Kelli Linville; Whatcom County Executive, Jack Louws; Port of Bellingham Executive Director, Rob Fix

Includes opening reception on Thursday and all Friday keynotes, breakout sessions, delicious local lunch catered by Paellaworks, round table discussions and invaluable networking time with the best local business owners in Whatcom County.

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www.sustainableconnections.org 360 647-7093, x108 “I look forward to attending the conference for the opportunity to interact with other Sustainable Connections members. For content that sparks interaction and discussion and to hear speakers and local innovators that inspire.” -Chuck Robinson, Village Books & Paper Dreams

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April 2013

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TO THE FUTURE OF BUSINESS Upcoming conference will focus on innovators holding strong through tough economy

he ninth annual Future of Business Conference is coming up on Thursday and Friday, April 25 and 26. It is a premier business educational and networking event in northwest Washington. Over the years, world class national and local speakers have given inspiring presentations that have helped to transform individuals, businesses and our local economy. This year’s conference will be no exception. We are a smarter, leaner, greener business community than we were almost a decade ago and the Future of Business Conference has played a role in this transformation. The conference continues to deliver ideas for implementing best business practices, how to achieve a robust triple bottom line (financial, social, environmental) and realize even greater success. An example of how the conference completes a feedback loop is illustrated by one of Sustainable Connections’ core focuses, the Toward Zero Waste program. This program was inspired by a presentation by Ryzex founder and former CEO, Rud Browne. His presentation illustrated how businesses can contribute to their triple bottom line by reducing their impact on the environment while also reducing their business refuse charges. An example of an individual success of this program is the local manufacturer and a Toward Zero Waste participant, Sampson Rope. They have reduced their waste costs

by $20,000 per year. Today the Toward Zero Waste program has more than 350 participants who have saved more than $2 million in garbage-collection fees. Guest coMMENTARY by

DEREK M. LONG MARK PETERSON Sustainable Connections

Due to the quality feedback received regarding the speakers, as well as the break-out and networking sessions, we have been able to provide high-value content that is most desired and relevant for the business community. For example, last year’s conference had a heavy focus on both sustainable and traditional practices to help businesses succeed while in the midst of a historic economic downturn. This year, our focus is to provide inspiration, in addition to innovative practices, to those who have weathered the downturn, so they can position their businesses to capitalize on the improving economy while keeping an eye toward sustainability. The Whatcom County business community has evolved to be more open to and champions for sustainable business practices. A recent report shows how our

business community differs from others including those already on the “green” path by the amount of commitment. The report surveyed 301 businesses at random, and it stated, “Businesses in the community clearly value environmental stewardship and suggest leadership in the area is good for business retention and attraction.” The Future of Business Conference has attracted more than 12,000 different local business professionals over the years, many who have attended the conference multiple times. This event has contributed significantly to business attitudes and behavior, benefitting our community. This year, our keynote speakers will highlight sustainable practices even further. Scott Jenkins, the vice president of operations for the Seattle Mariners and Safeco Field, will share how his organization saved nearly $1.2 million dollars over the past several years with changes to their waste and energy management processes. A-P Hurd, vice president of Touchstone Corporation, will speak to the unique economic drivers, both current and future, for our community. Our local business leader, Bill Taylor of Taylor Shellfish Farms, will discuss how his business has maintained continued success as a local company competing in an international market. The breakout sessions of the conference will provide an opportunity to gain real-

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world knowledge in a number of different topics while engaging in relevant discussions with panelist who are experts in their fields. Four focus tracks with multiple breakout sessions are available to conference attendees: Achieving Resource and Operation Efficiencies, Increasing Access to Customers, Access to Financial Resources and Better Business Management. Lunch round-table networking topics will allow for lively lunchtime discussions centered around Sustainable Connections five core program areas: Sustainable Business Development, Think Local First, Green Building and Smart Growth, Farm to Food and the Community Energy Challenge. The Future of Business Conference has been a great forum for businesses to learn about new and innovative ways to conduct business in a sustainable fashion. It is exciting to be hosting the forum in Downtown Bellingham and there is a great line up of speakers and panelists. We can hardly wait and hope to see you there! Derek M. Long is the executive director for Sustainable Connections. Mark Peterson is the organization’s sustainable business manager. The Bellingham Business Journal is a media sponsor for Sustainable Connections’ 2013 Future of Business Conference.

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BBJBUZZ

April 2013

The latest business briefs, tips and leads Bellingham Farmers Market ready to start new season April 6 is opening day for the 21st Season of the Bellingham Farmers Market. “We are really excited to have some new readyto-eat offerings, including scratch-made pies, gourmet hot dogs, organic fries, authentic Mexican favorites, roasted corn and more,” said Market Director Caprice Teske. Among the new craft vendors at the Bellingham Farmers Market this season are Sown Designs, with leather wallets, cuffs and bags; Forging Designs, with metal art pieces; Phoenix Heritage Farm, with alpaca yarn and crocheted and knit items; and Owl Baby Organics, with reclaimed wooden platters, bowls, candlesticks, and other items. The opening day will also feature the release of Sustainable Connections’ 2013 Whatcom Food &

Farm Finder, a comprehensive guide and map to local food and agriculture

TD Curran opens new location in Burlington The only certified Apple computer specialist in northwest Washington has opened a new store. TD Curran, which operates locations in Bellingham and Everett, has opened a third shop in Burlington. The company offers Mac computers and a full line of Apple products, including iPhones, iPads, iPods, peripherals and accessories. Education discounts are available for students and teachers. TD Curran also offers one-on-one training for customers. As the only Apple Authorized Service center in the region, the company can handle repairs on Apple products covered by warranty. The Burlington store is located at 1771 Burlington Blvd., near Costco’s main

entrance and the intersection with George Hopper Road. “We have many customers in Skagit County who have visited our other stores and are excited to have found an ideal Burlington location for serving them,” Troy Curran, the company’s president.

Kincora Structures design firm opens in Bellingham Kincora Structures, a full-service, design-andbuild firm, recently opened its corporate headquarters in Bellingham. The company specializes in clear-span structures covered by industrialstrength fabric. Owner Brian McCall has more than 10 years of experience in the construction industry, including six years with fabric-hybrid buildings, which can be used in a variety of applications such as equestrian arenas, warehouses, commodity storage and workshops,

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as well as in the agricultural, aviation, boating and manufacturing industries, he said. The company is online at www.KincoraUS.com.

Discount mattress chain opens in Fred Meyer Bakerview A Mattress Discounters location has opened in the Fred Meyer on Bakerview Road in Bellingham. The store offers memory-foam sleep products, including Comforpedic by Beautyrest, iComfort by Serta and Optimum by Posturepedic. It also carries brand-name mattresses such as Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Stearns & Foster, Posturepedic and Seta Perfect Sleeper. Mattress Discounters has 85 locations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and California. It is online at www.saveatmd.com.

Consultant picked to develop Washington’s marijuana market A Massachusetts company has been selected to serve as a consultant to the Washington State Liquor Control Board as the agency moves forward in implementing Initiative 502, which last year legalized marijuana in the state and tasked the board to develop means to license and regulate its sale and production. BOTEC Analysis Corporation of Cambridge, Mass., is the apparent successful vendor to provide technical expertise, the liquor board announced on March 19. BOTEC is a think tank specializing in crime and drug policy and will serve as the prime contractor to the liquor board. State officials said the company was a clear winner in the bid process, scoring highest in all four categories of consulting services the agency sought in its request for proposals: product and industry knowledge, product quality standards and testing, product usage and consumption validation, and product regulation. “This team’s lead members and subcontractors are among the world’s leading experts on marijuana and drug policy,” Liquor Board Chair Sharon Foster said.

BUZZ | Page 13

April 2013

BBJToday.com

BUZZ | FROM 12

“Their credentials speak for themselves.” According to its bid, BOTEC has “a wealth of experts in formalized cultivation and testing, quality standards, statistical modeling, policy analyses, dynamics of illicit markets, law enforcement, drug control, drug dependency economics and rule-making. They’ve occupied prestige positions ranging from presidential advisors to a Nobel laureate.” The BOTEC team will be led by Dr. Mark Kleiman, who teaches public policy at UCLA. According to a press release from the state liquor board, Kleiman is an expert in many aspects of criminal and drug policy, including probation and parole, incarceration, and marijuana policy. He coauthored the book: “Marijuana Legalization: What Everybody Needs to Know.” In its bid, BOTEC Analysis Corporation listed its blended hourly rate as $292. The rate was competitive with other submitted bids. There will be a brief protest period where unsuccessful bidders can challenge, according to the liquor board, which will move simultaneously to negotiate the contract. Additional information—including the bid from BOTEC Analysis, Inc., key team member biographies, a breakdown of the submitted bids and other documents—is available on the I-502 Implementation section of the WSLCB website at www.liq. wa.gov/marijuana/I-502.

Absorption Corp of Ferndale acquired by German buyer Absorption Corp of Ferndale has been acquired by the international strategic buyer J. Rettenmaier & Söhne Group of

Rosenberg, Germany, according to an announcement from the company. Absorption Corp develops and sells cellulose-based, absorbent products for pets and industrial applications. Its products are sustainably derived from reclaimed wood cellulose, a natural byproduct of the pulp and paper manufacturing process, according to the company. In addition to its Ferndale location, the company also has production facilities in Jesup, Ga. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Absorption Corp has been a portfolio company of the private equity firm Kinderhook Industries LLC of New York City since May 2010. J. Rettenmaier & Söhne Group manufactures organic fibers made from sustainable plant raw material for use in applications within the pet care, food, nutrition, pharmaceutical, chemical and construction industries. The firm supplies products to customers globally from its 23 facilities in 20 countries throughout the world. “Absorption Corp is very pleased to be joining forces with J. Rettenmaier & Söhne as Absorption Corp enters its next phase of growth,” said Ted Mischaikov, CEO of Absorption Corp. “I cannot imagine a better fit of corporate cultures, operational synergies and expertise.”

Haggen closing TOP Food store in Federal Way Haggen is closing another one of its TOP Food & Drug stores, this time in Federal Way. The Federal Way location is expected to end operation in April, according to the company. In January, the Bellingham-based gro-

BUZZ | Page 16

After delays, new Woods Coffee shop opens on Lakeway Drive The Woods Coffee’s newest location opened on the corner of Lakeway Drive and King Street in March. It is the 14th shop the Lynden-based coffee chain has opened in Whatcom County since the company was founded in2002. Woods Coffee initially planned to open the store last October. But weather delays and work on its recently opened location near the new Regal Cinemas theater in Barkley Village set back construction several months, the company said.

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April 2013

OFFICE COMMUNE

INNATE screen-printing company plans new coworking space in downtown Bellingham By Evan Marczynski evan@bbjtoday.com

ith their 4,000-square-foot downtown facility half empty, Corey Warren and Dylan Warnberg are seeking new office-mates—just not the conventional kind. The business partners, who co-own and operate a screen-printing and design company called INNATE, want to transform their workshop at 1420 N. State St. into a space for coworking, an increasingly popular, urban workplace model defined by its tenants operating independent businesses yet sharing office resources such as highspeed Internet, kitchens, conference rooms and other amenities. Warren and Warnberg said the plan is a way to help their company stay viable by bringing in rent money to help them pay the building’s overhead costs. But they also want to support local entrepreneurs in need of fertile ground for collaboration and partnership, which they said were both keys to getting INNATE off the ground when they founded the company nearly four and a half years ago. “We want to be a premier space for the

creative heads in this community,” Warnberg said. The INNATE space, as Warren and Warnberg are calling it, would follow several other coworking offices that have opened in Bellingham within the past year. While the model catches on locally, in larger metro areas, coworking is a hit. More than 850 new coworking spaces opened in the U.S. between February 2012 and February 2013, according to a recent survey from Deskmag, an online magazine that tracks coworking news and trends. The survey estimated nearly five new spaces open worldwide every business day. Business consultant Renata Kowalczyk partnered last year with the Bellingham firm 2020 Engineering to open the city’s first coworking space, called The Pond, on Dupont Street. Kowalczyk said that while Bellingham professionals have yet to fully embrace the workplace model, there are enough early adopters growing word-ofmouth interest and building demand for new coworking spaces. “It takes time, just like any new concept that’s being introduced,” Kowalczyk said. The INNATE space is expected to have

Dylan Warnberg puts tags on shirts at INNATE’s downtown Bellingham facility at 1420 N. State St. Warnberg and his business partner, Corey Warren, want to transform their screenprinting shop into a new coworking office space with room for up to 10 tenants, including themselves. EVAN MARCZYNSKI PHOTO | THE BELLINGHAM BUSINESS JOURNAL enough room for up to 10 tenants, including the INNATE company itself as an anchor. Warren and Warnberg are also seeking potential investors to help handle overhead costs. While much of the proposal is still conceptual, a floor-plan rendering shows half the facility split into several studio spaces, each between 100-200 square feet in size. The rendering also shows a shared conference room, kitchen, storage, as well as an “idea lounge” and a back area with a full

bathroom and shower. The coworking space, at least according to the rendering, would occupy the portion of the workshop that currently holds INNATE’s screen-printing equipment and storefront. The company’s production would be moved to make way for the coworking space if tenants begin applying, Warren and Warnberg said. The other 2,000 square feet of the work-

COWORK | Page 23

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April 2013

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Airport Ambassador Program Lifts Off April Events

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h e multi- year, $38 million expansion at Bellingham International Airport (BLI) has provided hundreds of thousands of air travelers the opportunity to experience something new each time they come to or through the terminal. Some recent changes include: • a new passenger waiting area • new cell phone waiting area • new parking lots • a new restaurant and lounge •a new ticket area to accommodate new flights and new airlines. • new baggage claim carousels And there’s even more expansion activity planned over the next few months. One of the most recent additions to the BLI experience are the friendly faces of the airport ambassadors. A joint program between the Port of Bellingham and Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, the ambassadors provide travelers assistance, directions and information resources. The ambassador program evolved from discussions between the Port and BWCT about the continued growth of passenger activity, and the opportunity to make a stronger connection between air travelers and the destination. The common goal was not only to enhance the travel experience itself, especially during the renovation, but to stimulate the economy by encouraging longer stays before and after flights, and providing reasons for return visits. The Port is focused both on providing a good travel experience and on economic development for the whole community. The Port funds the Tourism

Becca Verda, Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism Ambassador Coordinator.

Ambassador Program because it sees it as a way to encourage visitors to return to Whatcom County and explore local tourism offerings. In late 2012, Becca Verda, a Tourism Bureau staff member, took on the program research. By contacting airports with successful ambassador programs in place, she quickly developed a list of priorities, frequently asked questions, and challenges to be addressed. After initial approval by the Port, Becca became a temporary fixture at the airport in order to gauge the best days and times when trained ambassadors could provide the best assistance to the most travelers. Self-serve computer screen kiosks located in baggage claim and inside the secure passenger waiting areas supplement the actual ambassador hours each week. The need for face-to-face information and assistance became quickly obvious. In January 2013, there were more than 700 traveler interactions. By February, the number

Coming Spring 2013

grew to 900, and the Port agreed to provide funding for a yearlong program so BWCT could begin recruitment and training of a volunteer corps. At a recent presentation given to Port Commissioners by Loni Rahm, President & CEO of Bellingham Whatcom County Tourism, it was noted that “the ambassador program represents an important step in the information partnership between the Port’s transportation facilities and the travelers who use them.” This is just one of several ways BWCT and the Port work together to promote tourism. Visitor information services are provided by the Tourism Bureau at the Amtrak/Greyhound station and Cruise Terminal – which includes a volunteer concierge on Alaska Ferry days – and now the self-serve kiosks and ambassadors at the Airport. Discussions are currently underway for opportunities to incorporate boater information services at the Port’s marinas as well. Interested in helping travelers as an Airport Ambassador? To request an application, please email Becca@ bellingham.org or download the application from the Bureau’s website at www.bellingham.org

April 11-14 • 8:00 & 10:00pm Improv Comedy - Upfront Theatre April 13 • 9:00am Walk MS at the Meridian Haggen • 11:00 Antique & Collectibles Evaluation Event at the Bellingham Senior Center April 14 • 8:00am Community Breakfast at the Rome Grange • 5:30pm Phrasings in Word + Dance • 3:00pm Sharon Isbin with the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra at the MBT April 14, 15 • 11:00am Sun, 12:00pm Mon PFC's Opera in Cinema Series: Eugene Onegin at the Pickford April 16 • 9:3-am Whatcom Community Foundation Grant Awards April 18-21 • 8:00 & 10:00pm Improv Comedy - Upfront Theatre April 19 • 6:00pm Red Cross Raising Spirits! at the Bellingham Cruise Term • 7:30pm Professional Bull Riders at the NW WA Fair & Event Center April 20 • 9:00am 11th Bellingham Bay Bocce Tourn at the B'ham Sportsplex • 9:00am Fun With The Fuzz 5k at the Bellingham Police Department • 12:00pm Writers in the Limelight at the Pickford April 21 • 8:00am Community Breakfast at the Rome Grange • 11:00am PFC's Ballet in Cinema Series: Esmseralda at the Pickford • 5:30pm Phrasings in Word + Dance April 25-28 • 8:00 & 10:00pm Improv Comedy - Upfront Theatre April 26 • 7:30am AFWA 2013 Accounting & Finance Seminar at the Bellingham Golf & Country Club April 27 • 6:30pm April Brews Day at the Depot Market Square April 27-28 •10:00am CharterFest at Gate 3, Squalicum Harbor April 28 • 8:00am Community Breakfast at the Rome Grange • 5:30pm Phrasings in Word + Dance • 6:15pm Lighthouse Mission Kings Men of Song Concert at the Hope in Christ Church May 1 • 10:30am Free Concerts Bellingham Music Club • 5:00pm Fire & Ice: A Benefit for the Whatcom Museum at the Bellingham Golf & CC May 3 • 5:30pm Whatcom Community College 45th Anniversary Gala May 4 • 3:30pm Procession of the Species parade at Maritime Heritage Park

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April 1 * 6:30pm Halloween again on April Fools Day at the Cirque Lab April 2 • 8:30 Jazz Project Jazz Jam at the Boundary Bay Brewery April 3 • 10:30am Free Concerts Bellingham Music Club • 7:00pm Birchwood Garden Club's April Meeting April 4-7 • 8:00 & 10:00pm Improv Comedy - Upfront Theatre April 7 • 8:00am Community Breakfast at the Rome Grange • 5:30pm Phrasings in Word + Dance

BUZZ | FROM 13

cery chain announced the closure of a TOP location in Lacey, Wash. The Federal Way store had 48 employees. Haggen officials said they plan to work with local unions to place those employees in other company stores.

State hit insurers with more than $2M in fines last year Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler issued more than $2 million in fines against insurers, agents and brokers in 2012, according to a recent press release. The fines totaled $2,033,990. Violations

BBJToday.com included charging customers for coverage they’d never agreed to, charging unapproved rates, allowing unlicensed staffers to sell policies and failing to register with the state. “Fortunately, these cases are the exception,” Kreidler said. “Most companies, agents and brokers follow the rules.” The agency posts all

April 2013

disciplinary orders, including those that don’t include fines, online at www. insurance.wa.gov/orders/ enforcement.asp. The total for 2012 was higher than the previous year’s $1.4 million. Fines collected by the insurance commissioner’s office do not go to the agency. The money is deposited in the state’s gen-

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eral fund to pay for other state services. Over the past 12 years, Kreidler has issued more than $15 million in fines for violations of Washington’s insurance laws.

Eco-friendly laundromat planned for Sunnyland Square A new eco-friendly laundromat will soon be under construction at 810 Alabama St. in Bellingham. Q-Laundry plans to open this summer in the Sunnyland Square shopping center, occupying a retail space formerly used by Bank of America. Colleen Unema, the business’ owner and a recently retired biology teacher, has dreamt of opening an environmentally-friendly laundry facility for quite some time. She has spent the past year researching industry trends, identifying the best equipment to use and working with suppliers. “The laundry business has evolved so much over the past 10 years so it’s very exciting to bring a unique and modern laundromat experience to Whatcom County,” Unema said, in a press release. “We are thrilled to be setting up

Strong, Local Relationships “Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative is a worker-owned cooperative providing in-home care to Whatcom County seniors. It was only natural to choose WECU®, another cooperative, as our financial institution. We look forward to working with WECU® to promote the cooperative movement and to grow our business. It is reassuring to have a line of credit available for temporary cash flow purposes and possible small equipment purchases to take us to the next level when that need arises. We look forward to a long lasting, community-based relationship with WECU®. ” Dustin Wilder of WECU® with Catalina Concepcion, Nikki Kilpatrick, Alice Robb, Kathleen English and Jo Ann McNerthney of Circle of Life Caregiver Cooperative

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this business in a clean and green manner that is healthier for our customers and for the planet.” . Q-Laundry will utilize highly efficient Electrolux machines that lock for security and send text messages when cycles are complete. There will also be free Wi Fi, seating areas and onsite attendants during all open hours. In addition to handling traditional laundry items, Q-Laundry will specialize in laundering all types of adventure gear including athletic clothing, tents and camping equipment, hunting garments and more. A custom drying booth with motorized fans is being set up so customers can safely hang and air dry large items. Construction is expected to be complete by fall.

Banking program will help those without accounts or reliable finances Twelve banks and credit unions in northwest Washington have teamed up to provide banking services for people who have never had an account before or have had account problems in the past. The group aims to open at least 100 new accounts this year, and its members say the initiative will offer a second chance for people who have mismanaged accounts in the past and are denied account access and forced to rely on high-cost financial products, such as check cashing. “This program has the potential to save people a lot of money,” Anjali Englund, outreach and development coordinator at the Opportunity Council, which is helping coordinate the initiative, said. “A former client of ours was spending almost 10 percent of her income simply to access her own money by using check cashing and prepaid card services. She opened an account through Bank On North Sound and now is using the money she used to spend on fees to help pay for school.” Bank On North Sound is one of eight Bank On initiatives in Washington. More information can be found online at www. bankonwashington.org/ north-sound, or by contacting Brynn Smith at 360734-5121, Ext. 232.

Visit BBJToday.com for daily business news updates

April 2013

BBJToday.com Questions & Answers

run out of cash, then you’re in trouble.

TERRY DAUGHTERS

Do loans typically go to already established businesses, rather than startups?

Senior vice president and business team leader, Peoples Bank

s a senior vice president and business team leader for Peoples Bank, Terry Daughters oversaw new local commercial lending last year that totaled more than $180 million. But for many small companies and startups, getting bank loans or opening new lines of credit can be daunting obstacles to getting the financing they need to be successful. Yet Daughters said small-business owners and startup entrepreneurs have some reasons to feel confident, as long as they pay close attention to detail and are prepared to live and breathe their business endeavors. When an applicant presents a business plan, what do you look for? We can typically tell what kind of experience they have, if they’ve done their market research, if they know what they’re going to sell their “widget” for and what it’s going to cost to put out in the market. There’s a lot of information [commonly put] in a business plan, including your marketing plan, who’s your competition, what your sales are going to be, and if you’ve really thought about expenses. A business plan, if it’s done correctly, really lays out the whole program. Are there components that applicants tend to overlook?

When you think about going into business, you really need to understand that you need to be in for the long-term. The average success rate of a business in the first two years is about 70 percent, but when you get out to five years it drops to 50 percent. So, you’ve got to really want to live and breathe the business, and even be able to do that seven days a week, if you have to. A lot of people think you can turn it on and turn it off. But when you’re in business for yourself, you can’t do that. So sometimes business owners don’t realize the level of commitment that might be required? Exactly. The other piece that’s pretty important is their past experience and how that will benefit their success in the future. And if they understand their cash flow. You got to be able to estimate the cash needs of your business well in advance, because if you

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I think it’s real typical that the majority of our loan growth comes from existing customers, companies that have been around, have already been through the startup phase and now they’re growing their business. We typically see a lot more revenue or loan growth in existing customers than in new. The SBA [the U.S. Small Business Administration], when it identifies small business, says 93 percent of small businesses have revenues of $250,000. And 57 percent have annual revenues less than $25,000. So a start-up, when you look at revenue, is typically pretty small. When you’re looking at [Peoples Bank’s] loan generation over a year, start-up transactions are a small, small percentage. Our annual commercial lending for 2012 was about $181 million in new loans and commitments to local business. A lot of that is to existing companies that have already been in business for a period of time. When startup entrepreneurs are willing to increase the amount of personal investment into their businesses, does that make them more attractive candidates for loans? I’d say yes, it definitely helps. The more cash the owner has, the chances for survival increase. The number two reason why a business fails is because the owner hasn’t brought sufficient capital into the company to cover the potential, or eventual, cash needs. So, the more cash we see that an

individual has access to or can bring into the business, that will definitely increase their success. The best kind of cash to bring in is the kind that you don’t have to pay back right away, [for example], if you have an investor that’s willing to lend you some money and you don’t have to worry about paying them back right away. Do business borrowers need to have 100 percent collateral to get loans?

In traditional transactions, there is a buffer between the amount that’s loaned and the amount of collateral that’s required. But there’s an analysis that goes along with that thought process. It really depends on how long the company has been in business. If it’s a start-up, then yes, we prefer to have adequate collateral, because we don’t know if they’re going to be successful in their new business. So it helps if there’s 100 percent, even 125 percent collateral. Often it depends on how large the loan is, how long one would need the loan and what the loan is going to be used for. But typically on startups, we would like to see adequate collateral to support the loan request. Where you can get away from that is the fact that [Peoples Bank] is a prefered lender on small-business loans, which means that we’ve got approval from the Small Business Administration to make SBA-guaranteed loans. The SBA doesn’t necessarily have a collateral requirement. In that case, if we’re a little short on collateral, but all the other variables look good—good cash flow, good

Q&A | Page 23

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BBJToday.com

Recently filed public record information Public record information is obtained from a variety of sources. Business licenses and building permits are from the city of Bellingham. Liquor licenses are from the Washington State Liquor Control Board. Bankruptcies are from the U.S.bankruptcy court in Seattle. Tax liens are from the Whatcom County Auditor. Judgments are from the Whatcom County Superior Court. Listings are subject to change and are only current as of their filing dates. Due to space constraints, some public records might be omitted in print. All public records can also be found online at BBJToday.com. Building permits appear weekly, usually on Tuesdays. Liquor licenses appear every other week, usually on Thursdays. All other records appear monthly. For more information, please email editor@bbjtoday.com.

Business licenses 13 Nails & Salon Company, 13 Nails & Salon Company, 907 Harris Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. 2907 Mt. Baker Hwy. LLC, 2907 Mt. Baker Hwy. LLC, 2907 Mount Baker Highway, Bellingham, WA 98226. 360 Fabrication, Jordan Michael Yoder, 5141 Guide Meridian, Bellingham, WA 98226. Advanced Cleaning Products LLC, Advanced Cleaning Products LLC, 2812 St. Paul St., Bellingham, WA 98226. Afloat, Afloat LLC, 112 Ohio St., Suite 111, Bellingham, WA 98225. Albertson’s #416, Albertson’s LLC, 1650 Birchwood Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Alexandra Knezo Licsw, Alexandra M. Knezo, 3031 Orleans St., Suite 101, Bellingham, WA 98226. ALM, Andrea Lynn McKechnie, 2415 Kelly Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. Amy’s Alterations, Amy N. Nguyen, 2829 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Ashley N. West, Ashley N. West, 2609 W. Maplewood Ave., Apt. 113, Bellingham, WA 98225. B&S Drywall Construction LLC, B&S Drywall Construction LLC, 2638 Humboldt St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Bay 3 Designs LLC, Bay 3 Designs LLC, 806 Marine Drive, Bellingham, WA 98225. Bayview Home and Yard Services, Debbie Lee Schlichemeyer, 374 Sudden Valley Drive, Bellingham, WA 98229. Be Prepared Training, Russell Nolan Dzialo, 1112 E. Maryland St., Bellingham, WA 98226. Big Fresh Media, Big Fresh Inc., 1344 King St., Suite 202, Bellingham, WA 98229. Black Diamond Construction, Osiel Mazaru Gonzalez-Matar, 2719 James St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Black Pearl, Lailas Black Pearl Restaurants Inc., 1317 W. Bakerview Road, Suite 102, Bellingham, WA 98226. Black Raven Salon, Tamar Cargill, 4000 Flynn St., Spc. 6, Bellingham, WA 98229. Blair Smith, Blair David Smith, 4709 Parkhurst Drive, Bellingham, WA 98229. Boatman Tile, Brent Stuart Boatman, 3 Jubilee Lane, Bellingham, WA 98229. Bundle LLC, Bundle LLC, 907 W. Connecticut St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Canadian Friendly Business, Janet Lee Defield, 1313 E. Maple St., Suite 306, Bellingham, WA 98225. Carmen Som LMP, Carmen Andrea Som, 4152 Meridian St., Suite 105 Unit 373, Bellingham, WA 98226. Cathy C. Hedford dba Reiki Healing Portal, Cathy C. Hedford, 1116 Key St., Suite 103, Bellingham, WA 98225. Cedarside Maintenance Services, James C. Curlett, 3322 Cedarside Court, Bellingham, WA 98226. Chris 4 Math, Christine A. Elzea, 1120 St. Paul St., Bellingham, WA 98229. CK Design Divaz Home Staging, Candyce Lisa Kirbyson, 2657 N. Shore Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. College Pro Painters of Skagit, Igor Alex Samoylenko, 5019 Northwest Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226. College Pro Painters of South Bellingham, Geneva Dane Olson, 2300 Bill McDonald Parkway, Apt. 209, Bellingham, WA 98225. Convergent.io Technologies Inc., Convergent.io Technologies Inc., 5725 Schickler Lane, Bellingham, WA 98226. Creations, Jennifer Eileen Mayville, 3918 Tamarack Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. Cuc Thi Nguyen, Cuc Thi Nguyen, 410 Bakerview Road, Suite 108, Bellingham, WA 98226. Culinary Creations, Colman Management Company LLC, 1210 11th St., Bellingham, WA 98225. D&K Audio Specialties, Douglas Kenneth Ash, 624 Trout Lake Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226. Design By Kerry, Kerry Nickle Thompson, 1706 40th St., Bellingham, WA 98229. Dollar Plus Smoke Shop, Ekam LLC, 4151 Meridian St., Suite 108, Bellingham, WA 98226. Elisabeth K. Kenoyer LLC, Elisabeth K. Kenoyer LLC, 820 11th St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Enrich, Keri Colleen Ridenour, 262 E. Bakerview Road, Apt. 103, Bellingham, WA 98226.

Europa Foods, Europa Foods Inc., 3908 Meridian St., Suite 112, Bellingham, WA 98226. Evergreen Lawns, Alex John Vandergriend, 2401 Elm St., Apt. 10, Bellingham, WA 98225. Evergreen Outdoor Supply, Galen Francis Cobbs, 2317 St. Clair St., Bellingham, WA 98229. Expanding Pathways to Health LLC, Expanding Pathways to Health LLC, 2114 James St., Bellingham, WA 98225. EZ Business Solutions, Siv Kristin Spain, 2014 Julia Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Faulkner Investment Services LLC, Faulkner Investment Services LLC, 1010 Harris Ave., Suite 203, Bellingham, WA 98225. Fernando Design, Fernando Green Olvera, 1229 Birch Falls Drive, Bellingham, WA 98229. Francesca’s, Francesca’s Collections Inc., 1 Bellis Fair Parkway, Suite 326, Bellingham, WA 98226. Freehub Magazine, Freehub Media LLC, 501 Meador Ave., Suite 104, Bellingham, WA 98225. G2G Engineering, Gerald Evan Guidroz, 1032 Kenoyer Drive, Bellingham, WA 98299. Garden Green Retirement Development LLC, Garden Green Retirement Development LLC, 1210 10th St., Suite 204, Bellingham, WA 98225. Grand Illusion Floral Corporation, Grand Illusion Floral Corporation, 3634 Home Road, Bellingham, WA 98225. Gwozdz & Hanna, Richard Bernard Gwozdz, 4610 Quinn Court, Bellingham, WA 98226. H&H Acres Farm and Pet, Justin Wayne Hammer, 2764 Mount Baker Highway, Bellingham, WA98226. Hair By Charleen, Charleen L. Hess, 1322 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Half-Full Distributing, Half-Full Distributing, 107 Carter Drive, Bellingham, WA 98225. Harbor Bay LLC, Harbor Bay LLC, 514 N. State St. #101, Bellingham, WA 98225. Hard Washington, Hard Washington Cider LLC, 2726 Douglas Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Henderson Lawn Care, Douglas Edward Henderson, 1688 Sapphire Trail, Bellingham, WA 98226. Hogen & Associates, Michael Warren Hogen, 3019 Barkley Meadows Circle, Bellingham, WA 98226. Homestudies Northwest, Kristin Mail Barber, 2306 Henry St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Hoppis Real Estate LLC, Hoppis Real Estate LLC, 112 E. Maple St., Suite 102, Bellingham, WA 98225. Horne Consulting, Peter Horne, 1900 Madison St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Inspiring Events, Emily Kristine Norton, 1011 E. McLeod Raod, Bellingham, WA 98226. Intek LLC, Intek LLC, 925 17th St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Irena Rose Lambrou, Irena Rose Lambrou, 1224 Harris Ave., Suite 106, Bellingham, WA 98225. JC/DC Specialties, Judith Ann Crnich, 1025 Kelly Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. Jewell Electric, Scott Ernest Jewell Jr., 18 Green Hill Road, Bellingham, WA 98229. Jonathan Charles Norell, Jonathan Charles Norell, 826 Queen St., 98229. Junior Flooring & Construction, Jury J. Galeas Melendez, 2008 E. Illinois St., Bellingham, WA 98226. Justin Lee Ver Burg, Justin Lee Ver Burg, 5005 E. North St., Bellingham, WA 98226. Justin M. Woodum, Justin Michael Woodum, 1721 Iron St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Kara’s Beauty Barn, Kara’s Beauty Barn LLC, 1711 Pence Ave., Bellingham, WA 98226. Katherine Alena Laspina, Katherine Alena Laspina, 405 14th St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Kathryn G. Polselli, Kathryn G. Polselli, 1016 38th St., Bellingham, WA 98229. KDLR Enterprises LLC, KDLR Enterprises LLC, 1710 Grant St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Kulshan Computer Services, Kulshan Computer Services LLC, 1708 McKenzie Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Lambert Garden Creations, Sheri Maureen Lambert, 373 W. Hemmi Road, Bellingham, WA 98226.

Law Office of Edward S. Alexander, Edward S. Alexander, 1501 Eldridge Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Lembcke Insulation LLC, Lembcke Insulation LLC, 3440 E. Smith Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. LGM Outdoor Services, Benjamin Scott Sutherland, 3100 Ferry Ave., Apt. B-107, Bellingham, WA 98225. Ling Incorporated, Ling Consulting Inc., 1900 Mill Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. LJ Shepherd Photography, Leah July Shepherd, 902 N. Shore Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226. Looking Glass Salon, Looking Glass East LLC, 118 E. Magnolia St., Bellingham, WA 98225. M2M Contracting, M2M Steel Systems LLC, 1329 N. State St., Suite 204, Bellingham, WA 98225. ManPowerGroup US Inc., ManPowerGroup US Inc., 216 W. Champion St., Bellingham, WA 98225. McEathron Partnership, McEathron Partners, 910 E. Maple St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Mearns Law Group, Matthew Shelley Mearns, 4310 Columbus Ave., Bellingham, WA 98229. Megan Lynn Lee, Megan Lynn Lee, 444 S. State St., Apt. 410, Bellingham, WA 98225. Melanie Paloma Aceves, Melanie Paloma Aceves, 1415 E. Victor St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Mindoptimal, Elizabeth Ann Anderson, 3120 Squalicum Parkway, Suite 2, Bellingham, WA 98225. Misfit Pastry, Misfit Pastry LLC, 250 Flora St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Moon and Hare, Barbara Jean Simler, 1212 Old Fairhaven Parkway #D202, Bellingham, WA 98225. Moss Bags, Julie Ann Simon, 12 Clear Lake Court, Bellingham, WA 98229. Mount Baker Distillery, Mount Bakery Distillery LLC, 1305 Fraser St. #102, Bellingham, WA 98229. Never Enough Thyme Professional Gardenkeeper, Meilani Ruth Obra, 311 Cedar St., Bellingham, WA 98225. New Dawn Fashions, Christopher Ryan Schwitter, 2400 Huron St., Bellingham, WA 98229. New Worc (IV) Development and Management LLC, New Worc (IV) Development and Management LLC, 1210 10th St., Suite 204, Bellingham, WA 98225. No Code Productions, Sean Patrick Burke, 53 Sudden Valley Drive, Bellingham, WA 98229. North Liberty LLC, North Liberty LLC, 1521 23rd St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Northwest Grip, Northwest Grip LLC, 2502 Kentucky S., Bellingham, WA 98229. NVNTD Inc., NVNTD Inc., 1344 King St., Suite 202, Bellingham, WA 98229. On Point Entertainment, Tyler Shuck, 1034 24th St., Apt. 5, Bellingham, WA 98225. Orozco’s Home Remodeling LLC, Orozco’s Home Remodeling LLC, 2310 Yew Street Road, Bellingham, WA 98229. Pacific Nerdwest, Pacific Nerdwest, 207 1/2 E. Holly St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Pebble Equity LLC, Pebble Equity LLC, 4641 Celia Way Unit 102, Bellingham, WA 98226. Pedaling Home, Pedaling Home LLC, 510 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham, WA 98225. Play By The Bay Inc., Play By The Bay Inc., 1201 11th St., Suite 200-B, Bellingham, WA 98225. Polished, Joann Joy Latham, 1344 King St., Bellingham, WA 98229. Pro Draft League, Pro Draft League Inc., 1313 E. Maple St., Suite 201 #587, Bellingham, WA 98225. Rainmaker Products LLC, Rainmaker Products LLC, 3917 Silver Beach Ave., Bellingham, WA 98226. Rebecca Cairelli, Rebecca Cairelli, 3909 Silver Beach Ave., Bellingham, WA 98226. Rebecque Asher, Rebecque Therese Asher, 2412 West St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Reclamation Art and Design, Recreation Northwest, 3026 Lynn St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Red Door Catering Company, Steven James Engels, 1815 H St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Redstone Ridge Construction, Mark Aplin Wharton, 2807 Cottonwood Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Richard Sprague LICSW DCSW, Richard Roy Sprague, 103 E. Holly St., Suite 411, Bellingham, WA 98225. Rockin Locks, Linda Marie Thurber, 2846 Undine St., Bellingham, WA 98226. Sally R. Lange Family LLLP, Sally R. Lange Family LLLP, 2515 Cherry Ste., Bellingham, WA 98225. Samish Marine Services, Samish Marine Services LLC, 639 Manley Road, Bellingham, WA 98229. Sassy Eents & Entertainment LLC, Sassy Eents & Entertainment LLC, 415 N. State St., Apt. 305, Bellingham, WA 98225. Seattle Digitalize For Marketing, Ammar Al-Jaghlit, 4152 Meridian St., Suite 105, Bellingham, WA 98226. Second Wind Massage, Jacqueline Theresa Griffith, 4611 Coast Way, Bellingham, WA 98226.

April 2013 Seifert & Jones Wine Merchants, Seifert & Jones Wine Merchants LLC, 19 Prospect St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Sew!, Jennifer L. Wall, 3137 Cottonwood Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Shepherdson LLC, Shepherdson LLC, 3707 Alabama St., Bellingham, WA 98226. Shiner Distillery, Shine Distillery LLC, 2200 Queens St., Suite 16, Bellingham, WA 98229. Sole Graphics, Matthew Lawrence Bain, 12 Bellwether Way, Suite 232, Bellingham, WA 98225. Spectrum Plumbing and Heating LLC, Spectrum Plumbing and Heating LLC, 753 E. Smith Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. Starr Pest Solutions, Starr Pest Solutions LLC, 5129 Sand Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. Stephana Campion, Stephana Campion, 1344 King St., Suite 102, Bellingham, WA 98229. Steph’s Cleaning, Stephanie Cher Fehr, 667 Andy Court, 98226. Still Water Gifts LLC, Still Water Gifts LLC, 3960 Hoff Road, Bellingham, WA 98225. Tamar Lieb, Naturopathic Physician and Licensed Midwife PLLC, Tamar Lieb, Naturopathic Physician and Licensed Midwife PLLC, 2011 H St., Bellingham, WA 98225. TDS Construction Inc., TDS Construction Inc., 3960 Meridian St., Bellingham, WA 98226. The Autohaus, Executive Autohaus LLC, 1828 Franklin St., Bellingham, WA 98225. The Great Eco Fishery, The Great Eco Fishery LLC, 401 Harris Ave., Suite 202, Bellingham, WA 98225. The Kleman Agency LLC, The Kleman Agency LLC, 204 N. Commercial ST., Bellingham, WA 98225. The Natural Health Clinic, Dr. Emily Sharpe ND PLLC, 1707 F St., Bellingham, WA 98225. The Rustic Bird Chalet, David James Clayton, 200 Sudden Valley Drive, Bellingham, WA 98229. The Sisterhood, Olivia B. Hanson-Hostetter, 1215 Kelly Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. The Union Coffee House, Vanepps Incorporated, 114 W. Magnolia St., Suite 101, Bellingham, WA 98225. The Wild Goose LLC, The Wild Goose LLC, 3912 Britton Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. Therapeutic Lifestyle Change Inc., Therapeutic Lifestyle Change Inc., 3511 Chuckanut Ave., Bellingham, WA 98229. Torilynn’s Styles, Tori Lynn Salinas, 4260 Cordata Parkway, Suite 102, Bellingham, WA 98226. Tracell LLC, Tracell LLC, 1732 Iowa St., Bellingham, WA 98229. Tribeka LLC, Tribeka LLC, 424 W. Bakerview Road #105-322, Bellingham, WA 98226. Two Dreamers, Two Dreamers, 301 W. Holly St., Suite D14, Bellingham, WA 98225. Veracity Construction & Business Consulting LLC, Veracity Construction & Business Consulting LLC, 1971 Midway Lane, Suite L, Bellingham, WA 98226. West Coast Mobile Detailing, Jordan Wesley Nielsen, 334 E. Axton Road, Bellingham, WA 98226. Whatcom Information Technology Services, Whatcom Information Technology Services, 3409 Donovan Ave., Bellingham, WA 98229. Whitewater Rescue Institute, Whitewater Rescue Institute, 336 36th St. #225, Bellingham, WA 98225. Wiebe Insurance Inc., Wiebe Insurance Inc., 647 Old Samish Road, Bellingham, WA 98229. WWS Boardshop, WWS Boardshop LLC, 501 Harris Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Zephyr Painting Company LLP, Zephyr Painting Company LLP, 1422 Lincoln St., Bellingham, WA 98229.

Building permits ISSUED PERMITS 1 Bellis Fair Parkway 500, $150,000 for commercial tenant improvement: convert existing food court space to new commercial kitchen (with separate storage/cooler room at separate location: space #517): Panda Express. Applicant: Gary Wang & Associates. Contractor: Commercial Structures Inc. Issued March 12. 4040 Northwest Ave., $84,000 for commercial pool installation: interior pool and spa accessory to new hotel: Marriott Springhill Suites. Contractor: Pleasure Pools & Spas Inc. Permit No.: BLD201200463. Issued March 12. 11 Bellwether Way 207, $30,000 for tenant improvement: remodel existing offices for new tenant: Conoco. Applicant: Zervas Group. Contractor: Structuretone. Permit No.: BLD2013-00081. Issued March 12. 1305 J St., $20,000 for commercial alteration: convert back portion of store to separate tenant space identified as office (includes areas previously constructed as residential unit without permits): Malhi Office. Applicant: Haven Design Workshop. Contractor: Altama Construction. Permit No.: BLD2013-00039. Issued March 8. 3960 Meridian St. 101, $250,000 for tenant improvement: combine two existing tenant spaces into one retail store: Guitar Center. Contractor: TDS Construction. Permit No.: BLD2013-00017. Issued March 7.

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2075 Barkley Blvd. 250, $70,000 for tenant improvement: remodel newly divided space into medical office: Bellingham Spine Pain Specialist. Applicant: Ross Architecture NW. Permit No.: BLD201300076. Issued March 7. 1015 Harris Ave., $460,000 for tenant improvement: complete shell space for pizza restaurant: Fat Pie Pizza. Contractor: Pearson Construction Corp. Permit No.: BLD2013-00033. Issued March 6. 2435 Strider Lane, $88,079 for commercial tenant improvement: create office and storage space, with new second level space for water filter distributor: Bailey Liu Distributing. Applicant and contractor: Craftsman Constructing & Remodeling. Permit No.: BLD2012-00507. Issued March 1. 3011 Cinema Pl. 103, $40,000 for commercial tenant improvement: new restaurant in portion of new shell building: Subway Store #57892. Permit No.: BLD2013-00009. Issued Feb. 28. 2012 James St., $25,000 for tenant improvement: interior remodel and new opening to connect adjacent tenant spaces (formerly 2012 & 2016 James St.): Hardware Sales. Contractor: Z Construction Inc. Permit No.: BLD2013-00064. Issued Feb. 27. 2020 Cornwall Ave., $15,000 for commercial construction of two new baseball dugouts: Bellingham High School. Contractor: Arbour North. Permit No.: BLD2013-00044. Issued Feb. 27. 629 Cornwall Ave., $150,000 for commercial shell improvement: construct interior lateral resistance steel frame and related improvements (also correct deficiency related to fireproofing of previously installed steel frame at exterior wall): Bellingham Shipping Terminal. Contractor: Greenberry Industrial Inc. Permit No.: BLD201300012. Issued Feb. 26. ACCEPTED APPLICATIONS 3200 Pinewood Ave., $8.4 million for new elementary school. Permit No.: BLD2013-00102. Accepted March 15. 1020 Railroad Ave., $2,475,264 to construct partial parking garage for future multifamily building (see BLD2013-00014 for remainder of building): Morse Square Development. Contractor: Dawson Construction Inc. Permit No.: BLD2013-00092. Accepted March 15. 1103 Railroad Ave. B101, $50,000 for commercial tenant improvement to install new brewing tanks, refrigeration equipment, reinforce concrete slab, reinstall overhead door, relocate windows and remodel existing bathrooms. Applicant: Boundary Bay Brewery. Permit No.: BLD2013-00036. Accepted March 14. 1 Bellis Fair Parkway, $40,000 for commercial tenant improvement to existing Master Cuts; new interior finishes. Permit No.: BLD201300101. Accepted March 13. 1819 N. State St., $30,535 for commercial addition: add car wash canopy to automotive repair and service building. Applicant: Kingworks. Contractor: Scoboria Construction Inc. Tenant: Bruce Cox Imports. Permit No.: BLD2010-00005. Accepted March 14. 1020 Railroad Ave., $250,000 for commercial construction of parking slab with concrete wall. Contractor: Dawson Construction Inc. Permit No.: BLD2013-00092. Issued March 8. 2825 Roeder Ave., $30,000 for commercial installation of three doors in association with larger mechanical equipment installation. Applicant: Zervas Group. Permit No.: BLD2013-00094. Accepted March 8. 114 W. Magnolia St. 102, $20,000 for tenant improvement: expand existing cafe Suite 102 into adjacent Suite 101 (previously retail) space. Permit No.: BLD2013-00095. Accepted March 8. 140 E. Bellis Fair Parkway, $65,000 for new 32-foot by 72-foot storage building to support WECU financial offices. Permit No.: BLD2012-00479. Accepted March 7. 444 S. State St., $45,000 for commercial bridge installation to serve multi-unit condos. Contractor: Highline Concrete Construction. Permit No.: BLD2013-00088. Accepted March 6. 222 36th St., $29,000 for commercial replacement/construction of new garbage enclosure. Applicant and contractor: Wilcox Construction. Permit No.: BLD2013-00086. Accepted March 5. 2230 Cornerstone Lane, $15.6 million for new mixed-use building: 112 apartment units, 10,000-square-foot commercial lease space above two-level parking garage. Permit No.: BLD2012-00510. Accepted March 4. 1805 Midway Lane, $16,000 for tenant improvements: complete shell space in units 101, 106, 110 and 112 for heated storage space (does not include unit 108). Permit No.: BLD2013-00084. Accepted March 4. 810 Alabama St., $175,000 for tenant improvement: remodel office space into self-serve laundromat. Northwest Laundry Company. Permit No.: BLD2013-00028. Accepted March 1. 1421 N. State St., $258,000 for commercial tenant improvement to create climbing gym. Applicant: Vital Climbing LLC. Permit No.: BLD2013-00080. Accepted Feb. 27.

Liquor licenses NEW LICENSE APPLICATIONS Acme Diner, Acme Diner LLC; Steve Rex Brinn, Kirsten D. Barron, Don Richard Carlin, Christine A. Carlin applied for a license change to sell beer/wine/spirits in a restaurant lounge at 2045 Valley Highway, Acme, WA 98220. Filed March 20. Birch Bay Mini Mart; Mandeep Kaur applied to sell beer/ wine in a grocery store at 8101 Blaine Road, Blaine, WA 98230. Filed March 19. Homestead G and CC, Stephan Golf Inc.; Bo Stephan applied to assume a license from Homestead Golf & Country Club, The Homestead

BBJToday.com Club Inc., to sell alcohol in a snack bar at 115 E. Homestead Blvd., Suite C, Lynden, WA 98264. Filed March 13. BEVX360 Bellingham Beverage Express, Bellingham Beverage Express LLC; Craig Michael Mullarky, Laurie E. Mullarky, Amy M. Shintaffer, Dean Phillip Shintaffer and Joyce A. Shintaffer applied for a license change to sell beer/wine in a specialty shop and make growler and keg sales at 2001 Iowa St., Suite A, Bellingham, WA 98229. Filed March 12. Shiner Distillery, Shiner Distillery LLC; Kimberly Daniela Scott, Derik Don Scott, Michael Adam Talbott and Amanda Willis applied to operate a craft distillery at 2200 Queen St., Suite 16, Bellingham, WA 98229. Filed March 8. Two Fifty Flora, Misfit Pastry LLC; Arlene Mantha, Ian Mantha, Edwin Martinez and Nina Martinez applied to sell beer/wine in a restaurant at 250 Flora St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed March 6. Hard Washington, Hard Washington Cider LLC; Beauclerk Vernon Hilty-Jones, Jessaka Amy James and Nicholas Spring applied to operate a domestic winery (less than 250,000 liters) at 2726 Douglas Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed March 4. Culinary Creations, Colman Management Company LLC; Colleen Mitchell applied to sell beer/wine in a restaurant and be a direct shipment receiver (in/out of WA) at 1210 11th St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed March 1. Smart Stop Shell, Cheema Mart Inc.; Gursher S. Cheema and Harinder Cheema applied for a license change to sell beer/wine in a specialty shop and make growler and keg sales at 415 E. Holly St., Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed Feb. 28. Old Fairhaven Wines, Baetz LLC; April Nicole Baetz, Chris Frederic Baetz and Sean Patrick Baetz applied for a license change to sell beer/wine in a specialty shop, make growler and keg sales and be a direct shipment receiver (in/out of WA) at 1106 Harris Ave., Suite 4, Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed Feb. 28. Blaine Tank N Tote, Quality Gas LLC; Fereydoon Pakzad, Mahin Pakzad, Sukhwant Singh Gill and Charanjit Kaur Gill applied to sell beer/wine in a grocery store at 321 D St., Blaine, WA 98230. Filed Feb. 28. Albertson’s #416; John J. Lee and Delilah K. Lee applied to assume a license to sell beer/wine/spirits in a grocery store at 1650 Birchwood Ave., Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed Feb. 28. Bob’s Burgers & Brew, B3 Birch Bay LLC; Jerry L. Blankers, Teresa K. Blankers, Cody W. Hulburt and Erika B. Hulburt applied for a license change to sell beer/wine/spirits in a restaurant lounge and sell kegs to go at 8120 Birch Bay Square St., Blaine, WA 98230. Filed Feb. 27. M.V. Salish Sea, Pacific Cruises Northwest Inc.; Drew M. Schmidt and Nancy L. Schmidt applied to sell beer/wine at 355 Harris Ave., Suite 104, Dock A Berth 2, Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed Feb. 22. Back Porch Wine & Spirits in Bellingham, Delta Kor Inc.; Sung Lee Kim applied for a license change to sell beer/wine/spirits in a specialty shop and make growler and keg sales at 3115 Old Fairhaven Parkway, Bellingham, WA 98225. Filed Feb. 22. RECENTLY APPROVED LICENSES Old Fairhaven Wines at 1106 Harris Ave., Suite 4, Bellingham, WA 98225, was approved for a license change to be a direct shipment receiver (in/out of WA). Approved March 20. Bob’s Burgers & Brew at 8120 Birch Bay Square St., Blaine, WA 98230, was approved for a license change to sell beer/wine/spirits in a restaurant lounge. Approved March 19. Fred Meyer #25 at 800 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham, WA 98226, was approved for a license change to be a direct shipment receiver (in/out of WA). Approved March 14. Midway Gas at 6905 Guide Meridian, Lynden, WA 98264, was approved for a license change to sell beer/wine in a specialty shop. Approved March 13. Pickford Film Center at 1318 Bay St., Bellingham, WA 98225, was approved for a change in corporate officer on its license. Approved March 12. Benson Market at 2254 Douglas Road, Ferndale, WA 98248, was approved to assume a license to sell beer/wine in a grocery store. Approved March 7. Birch Bay Liquor Store at 7832 Birch Bay Drive, Blaine, WA 98230, was approve to assume a license to sell beer/wine as a specialty liquor agency. Approved Feb. 25. DISCONTINUED LICENSES None reported.

Bankruptcies CHAPTER 7 Paula Brieanna Gonzalez and Rogelio Gonzalez-Esquivel, case no. 13-12556-KAO. Filed March 21. Kelli Rae Kness Capp, case no. 13-12468-KAO. Filed March 20. Nicola M. Jack, case no. 13-12451-KAO. Filed March 19. Joel Bruce Millman, case no. 13-12409-KAO. Filed March 18. Caesar Sabino Palma and Kimberly Nicole Palma, case no. 13-12395-KAO. Filed March 18. Katrice Aileen Romero, case no. 13-12355-KAO. Filed March 15. Sean Owen Hicks and Hannah Rose Hicks, case no. 13-12342KAO. Filed March 15. Denzel Roberta Blackstock, case no. 13-12336-KAO. Filed March 15. Scott Allen Farmer and Denise Marie Farmer, case no. 13-12298-KAO. Filed March 14. Amy Josette Brace, case no. 13-12290-KAO. Filed March 14. Michael Clair Christopher and Jeanette Anita Christopher,

case no. 13-12280-KAO. Filed March 14. Jeffrey William Dodd and Nikki Corinne Dodd, case no. 13-12258-KAO. Filed March 14. Kenneth R. Singleton Jr. and Nadean Joy Singleton, case no. 13-12224-KAO. Filed March 13. Jean Marie Rider, case no. 13-12219-KAO. Filed March 13. Vera Jean Jones, case no. 13-12206-KAO. Filed March 13. Michael Dennis Ederer, case no. 13-12205-KAO. Filed March 13. Dwight Bernard Franklin, case no. 13-12202-KAO. Filed March 13. Alexander Hiram Miller and Elizabeth Claire Miller, case no. 13-12124-KAO. Filed March 11. Linda Alice Beckman, case no. 13-12086-KAO. Filed March 8. Herbert Alfred Iversen and Deanna Marie Durbin, case no. 13-12045-KAO. Filed March 8. Elizabeth Gale Waters, case no. 13-12043-KAO. Filed March 8. James Andrew Francisco Sr., case no. 13-12027-KAO. Filed March 7. George Kenneth Alex III and Dawn Marie Alex, case no. 13-12018-KAO. Filed March 7. Alice Joan Hardy, case no. 13-12016-KAO. Filed March 7. Jacob Neal Miller, case no. 13-12010-KAO. Filed March 7. Andrea LeAnna Bishop, case no. 13-11991-KAO. Filed March 7. Robert Charles Hargrove and Robyn Lee Hargrove, case no. 13-11988-KAO. Filed March 7. James Douglas Uhls, case no. 13-11987-KAO. Filed March 7. Calvin William Lorenz and Anna Marie Lorenz, case no. 13-11964-KAO. Filed March 6. Travis Maurice Ferry and Riann Marie Ferry, case no. 13-11938KAO. Filed March 6. Robert Joseph Bateman and Cynthia Mae Bateman, case no. 13-11912-KAO. Filed March 5. Regina Kay Norton and Kelly Lee Norton, case no. 13-11905KAO. Filed March 5. Kevin Andrew Kordal, case no. 13-11899-KAO. Filed March 5. Mary Jo Wigren, case no. 13-11897-KAO. Filed March 4. Rene Olive Laventure and Robert Norman Schober, case no. 13-11895-KAO. Filed March 4. Tahlissa Kabri TenKley, case no. 13-11878-KAO. Filed March 4. Eugene Yevgeniy Petriyenko and Maria Petriyenko, case no. 13-11840-KAO. Filed March 1. Mary Elizabeth Economos, case no. 13-11832-KAO. Filed March 1. Christopher John Prado and Kelly Ann Prado, case no. 13-11808-KAO. Filed Feb. 28. Rachel Ruiz, case no. 13-11801-KAO. Filed Feb. 28. Anita Arlene Palmer, case no. 13-11792-KAO. Filed Feb. 28. Kristin Lee Clausen, case no. 13-11791-KAO. Filed Feb. 28. Habib Razazi and Khadijeh Sadr Mohammadi, case no. 13-11784-KAO. Filed Feb. 28. Audrie Michelle Eason, case no. 11-11740-KAO. Filed Feb. 28. Becky Lorene Anderson, case no. 13-11700-KAO. Filed Feb. 28. Elizabeth Esther Lovett, case no. 13-11690-KAO. Filed Feb. 27. Bradley Robert O’Malley and Deborah Ann O’Malley, case no. 13-11640-KAO. Filed Feb. 26. Tracy Anne Schwent, case no. 13-11585-KAO. Filed Feb. 25. CHAPTER 11 None reported. CHAPTER 13 Steven Schaff and Katherene Mina, case no. 13-12499-KAO. Filed March 20. Ashley Kay-Hella Abbott, case no. 13-12438-KAO. Filed March 19. Carroll Renna Winkler, case no. 13-12325-KAO. Filed March 15. Jennifer Amelia Louviere, case no. 13-12154-KAO. Filed March 12. Jason Paul Schmidt and Carrie Helena Schmidt, case no. 13-11850-KAO. Filed March 3. Irina Vladimirovna Chernomorets, case no. 13-11782-KAO. Filed Feb. 28.

Tax liens HB Hansen Construction Inc., $2,575.39 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed March 1. Harkness Contracting Inc., $2,437.29 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed March 1. Ian Kirouac, $6,629.02 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed March 1. Southside Chiropractic Inc., $8,194.80 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Feb. 22. Doeden Enterprises LLC, $4,330.65 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Feb. 22. Timothy D. Knowles and Young Ok Kim, $24,918.56 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Feb. 22. Stephen H. Swanson and Sharon B. Swanson, $26,599.56 in unpaid IRS taxes. Filed Feb. 22. As of press time, some tax lien records were not yet available from the Whatcom County Auditor’s office.

Records omitted this month will be included in our next edition.

Judgments Chazzzam Signs & Graphics, $11,779.29 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 21. Harkness Contracting Inc., $22,110.13 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 21. K2B LLC, $1,111.15 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 21. La Cantina Birch Bay LLC, $7,464.89 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 21. Triple D LLC, $16,821.34 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 21. Above Down PLLC, $317.27 in unpaid Employment Security Department taxes. Filed March 20. Copper Hog LLC, $5,212.92 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 20. Ziad I. Youssef, $1,734.36 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 18. Christopher Heston and Barbara Faith Heston, $6,520.47 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 18. John J. Lira, $4,202.28 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 15. Forevergreen Construction, $1,444.33 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 13. Platinum Builders Inc., $23,400.56 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 13. Dogsport Gear USA Inc., $5,618.35 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 13. Scion Hotel Management LLC, $32,885.21 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 13. The Ridge Wine Bar LLC, $3,856.98 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 13. Dean A. Berkeley, $7,319.42 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 13. Jon Daryl Greenhalgh, $1,073.19 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 13. Trident Structural Incorporate, $5,959.31 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 13. Kenneth K. Oh and Kye S. Oh, $4,305.58 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 13. Scott D. Keller and Marnie L. Keller, $19,661.09 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 11. Edward Alex Yurgalevicz, $3,620.84 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 11. SPI International Trans, $608.92 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 8. Dee’s Country Diner LLC, $2,138.49 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 8. AMCCO Carrier LLC, $6,802.98 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 8. Performance Auto Repair LLC, $2,259.20 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 7. Cary M. McDaniel and Melanie K. McDaniel, $35,274.45 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed March 6. Jordan Frederick Barrett and Carey Lyn Barrett, $7,100.07 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 5. Renates German Deli, $899.07 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 5. Golden Specialty Inc., $2,794.60 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 5. Road Ranger Transport Inc., $4,682.44 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed March 4. Fidel Ortez, $4,445.57 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed Feb. 28. Edward L. Howe, $5,642.02 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed Feb. 27. William J. Hanegan, $2,572.39 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed Feb. 27. Murari & Scholtz, $1,337.12 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed Feb. 27. Tread Light Construction LLC, $12,127.71 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed Feb. 27. Tina M. Young and Allen R. Young, $2,203.94 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed Feb. 27. Harold Thomas Heeringa and Louise Kay Heeringa, $1,517.54 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed Feb. 26. Evergreen Taxi LLC, $9,276.83 in unpaid Department of Labor & Industries taxes. Filed Feb. 26. Stauffer Stains LLC, $2,423.28 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed Feb. 25. El Amigo Mexican Restaurant Inc., $5,967.44 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed Feb. 25. Rod’s Japanese Auto Care Inc., $13,579.11 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed Feb. 25. Bellingham Whatcom Radiator, $4,098.40 in unpaid Department of Revenue taxes. Filed Feb. 25.

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BBJToday.com will be disappointed. The key to personal branding is to work on it before it’s needed. Again, we’re talking about a proactive approach, not a reactive one. Here are seven tips for establishing your personal brand: - Identify skills and core values. Write a short and sweet personal branding plan. Start with three to four sentences about your core values and what makes you (and your business) unique. Next, add three to four sentences about how you would like to be positioned in your industry in three years. Include words you would like people to use when they describe the work you do. Add a bulleted list of your top 10 marketable skills (what you bring to the table now) and lastly, another list of three to five skills you’d like to acquire in the future (what industry experts bring to the table now that you don’t have). - Live the plan. If you wrote in your plan, “I want to be known for being compassionate and giving back to my community,” then you need to consistently seek out opportunities to make a difference. Volunteer at community events, support a local nonprofit or donate products or services to charitable causes. If you wrote the words, “I want my business to be known as a local leader in the widget business,” then study who is doing a great job with widgets globally and identify a few traits you can implement in your own company. - Use LinkedIn. Yes there are other social networks you can use, but LinkedIn can be a personal branding powerhouse— if it’s maintained. It’s a great place to build a network of contacts, document work history, showcase experiences and build your reputation. Develop a detailed profile that includes important keywords and high-

lights marketable skills identified in your branding plan. - Become an expert. Write articles that can be shared in industry newsletters and on trade association blogs. Look for opportunities to teach free workshops that showcase your knowledge while being helpful to others. Consider partnering with local community education programs that can help market and promote your seminars. - Connect in person. Sure you can use social media to network and to build your brand online but deeper, more meaningful relationships are formed when you spend time with people face-to-face. Attend networking events, go to coffee or lunch with peers; be sincere and let your personality shine in a positive way. - Never stop learning. Work to acquire the new skills identified in your branding plan; remember to update your LinkedIn profile to highlight those new marketable skills. - Evolve and Revise. Consider personal branding as something that will change and evolve over time. Review and update your skills and goals at least twice each year. The end goal with building your personal branding is to be prepared for new opportunities and unplanned career changes. Remember, personal brands can’t be bought or acquired overnight, they are earned over time. If you prove to be reliable, knowledgeable and trustworthy, people will want to support you personally (and your business). They may even a join your social networks and share recommendations, without being asked.

Patti Rowlson of PR Consulting Services is online at at www.pattirowlson.com.

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April 2013

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Downtown businesses sought to How can I produce better marketing host “parklet” this summer Ask The Experts

results on my company’s website? Guest coMMENTARY by

TYLER BYRD

Red Rokk Interactive For many business managers, it is often difficult to choose where and when and how to invest their marketing dollars. They are constantly being bombarded by new ideas and new solutions. As a result, it becomes increasingly difficult to decide where their marketing budget will be most effective. Is it upgrading the website, utilizing social media, or maybe it’s SEO (searchengine optimization) and Web banner ads? This dilemma leads many marketing managers to seek the advice from experts. However, depending on who the expert is, and what they specialize in, the answers given may often be very different. So what is the right answer? Unfortunately, no one can say with absolute certainty what the most effective marketing strategy will be for a business. As marketers, we review the situation and attempt to make the best decision possible based on our own experience and what we have seen work for other companies in similar industries. Then we work to improve. We test our ideas, track the results, refine our ideas and then test some more. When using the Internet, this becomes much more efficient. That’s not to say you should only use the Internet for marketing, only that your ability to track what is working (or not) is much easier and more accurate with analytics. Using tools such as Google Analytics, we can see what keywords or website’s drive traffic, what content our customers are most interested in, how much time they spend reading a specific page and which pages lead to the most conversions and/or sales. By using the right tools online we can see how many impressions a campaign has accrued, how many clicks to a website a campaign has delivered, and how many of those website visitors then convert into customers. This doesn’t necessarily have to occur all at the same time either. We can evaluate the life of a lead over a period of time. We will track how often they return, what

information they continue to research, whether they choose to interact via social media and if they find the website at a later time via a banner ad. If you track this information correctly, you will begin to see what drives the best results for you and your company. For instance, we know that social media converts for us at about 2.8 percent, versus referral traffic that only converts at 0.8 percent and organic search traffic that converts at 1.5 percent. The Internet and analytics also allow us to dig deeper into how well we are performing online. For example, we were able to track a client’s banner ad that we thought was underperforming. The analytics told us that the banner ad was converting 1.6 percent of the people into actual sales. During our attempt to discover what factors were affecting the viewer’s decision-making process, we decided to update the button. Online research had told us that viewer habits are affected by the location of a button as well as something as simple as its color. So, after deciding that the button location was fine, we decided to change the color of the button from blue to red. We then monitored the results. Over a relatively short period of time, we were able to see that the conversion rate for this banner ad increased from 1.6 percent to 2.6 percent, just because the color changed from blue to red. This is just one example of where examining the details and making minor adjustments lead to better results. For the marketing manager who wants to make the informed choice on where and how to spend their online marketing budget, the best advice is for him or her to be highly adaptable. In today’s ever-changing marketplace, being agile and willing to make adjustments by testing what works and analyzing what isn’t performing well is key to continually seeking better methods that will create optimal solutions. There is no such thing as a permanent plan. What worked last year or last month may not work as well the next time without constant refinement. Tyler Byrd is CEO of Red Rokk Interactive, a digital marketing agency located in Bellingham. Red Rokk is online at www. redrokk.com.

Mini-park concept proved popular last year Sustainable Connections and the city of Bellingham are looking for a downtown business to host a “parklet” this summer, after officials said a pilot project that installed one of the structures last year outside La Fiamma Pizza on Railroad Avenue received positive community feedback. Parklets convert on-street parking spaces into small parks and usually include benches, plants, bike racks and other installations. “The feedback about the experimental parklet last summer was really positive,” Darby Cowles, a project manager for the city’s myDowntown planning process. “This next phase will allow another business to reap the benefit of having expanded public space.”

Interested downtown businesses are asked to submit an application by April 15. For more information on applications, contact Rose Lathrop, Sustainable Connections’ green building and smart growth manager. Lathrop can be reached at rose@ sconnect.org or 360-647-7093, Ext. 107. The selected business will have a parklet located in front of its storefront between May 1 and October 31. There is no cost to submit an application. But the selected business will need to pay $2,100 to cover the costs of moving the parklet, any necessary repairs or cleaning, permitting assistance, and all city fees, according to the project’s request for information. —BBJ Staff Reports

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April 2013

CREATIVE SEPARATION Artists and art advocates say having dedicated gallery spaces provides benefits to both the business of art and the creative process By Evan Marczynski evan@bbjtoday.com

ince artist Chelsea Jepson launched a jewelry design company, CRJ Arts, in 2009, her downtown Bellingham home base has had to serve as an all-inone workshop, gallery and storefront. But now, with a new “micro-gallery” just across the hall from her original space, located in Suite G-19 of the Bellingham Hardware Building at 215 W. Holly St., Jepson is seeing the benefit of separating production floor from showroom when it comes to the business of art. “It really changes my business tremen-

dously to have a dedi(Above) Artist and jewelry designer Chelsea Jepson makes earrings in her downtown workshop, which is cated space to really just sit located in the Bellingham Hardware Building on Holly Street. (Below) The new CRJ Arts gallery is located down and work,” she said. across the hall from Jepson’s workshop in the Hardward Building. EVAN MARCZYNSKI PHOTOS | THE BELLINGHAM BUSINESS JOURNAL Bellingham art advocates say demand exists for more downtown spaces to Arts of Whatcom County, serve as workshops and galleries. Not only a nonprofit organization can these spaces help artists showcase work that supports local artists. and expand production, but they might According to Hart, a typialso be an effective way to revitalize empty cal downtown art gallery or downtown buildings, advocates say. workshop space will rent Yet finding ideal spots can be challengfor about $150 per month, ing. a hard expense for indeOne of the major roadblocks for artists pendent, small-scale artists. seeking gallery space is rental cost, said Aside from cost, simply Kelly Hart, executive director of Allied finding available space can also be difficult, Hart said. A number of downtown building owners likely have spaces that could be marketed to artists, but too few are taking advantage of the opportunity, she said. Not all artists need dedicated space, such as the one Jepson rents in the Bellingham Hardware Building. The benefit of having studio space really depends on the artist and the work he or she creates, Hart said. Jepson said the central location of her new gallery is key to gaining wider exposure to potential customers. Her gallery features jewelry displays, as well as some of her watercolor paintings. She recently launched a bridal jewelry line, featuring necklaces, earrings and crowns. Jepson uses a variety of materials in her pieces, including beach stones, gemstones and pearls, as well as non-traditional components such as silk, wool and toile. The new gallery gives her more display space, she said. It also gives her better control and freedom with decor and ambiance than she has in her workshop. She said that factor has come in handy during the monthly Art Walk events in downtown Bellingham, when local galleries and businesses open their doors on the first Friday evening of each month and feature work from various artists. Jepson said her sales have doubled within the past year, which she attributes to increased traffic from the Art Walks, which are run by the Downtown Bellingham Partnership. While the goal of an Art Walk is not to help artists sell their work, the recurring event has shown to be an effective way to get more people into downtown businesses and galleries, said Lindsey Payne, the Partnership’s events coordinator. “It definitely creates an avenue for artists

to get exposure,” Payne said. Jepson said her business has also been helped with new technology tools such as the mobile credit card reader produced by the San Francisco-based firm Square Inc. The Square device, a small white box that attaches to a user’s iPhone, along with the company’s mobile-payment apps, allow Jepson to take her customers’ credit cards without the need to invest in a more expensive credit-card terminal.

“It really changes my business tremendously to have a dedicated space to really just sit and work.” —Chelsea Jepson, artist

Her focus now, she said, is to get more of her pieces, which vary in price from about $65 to more than $200, into boutiques and galleries that feature jewelry. Jepson also offers consultations for custom bridaljewelry designs. She prefers the more personal aspect of small-scale boutique sales, which she said offer more opportunities for her to meet customers in person. But as her business expands, Jepson also believes the wholesale market, with large distributors, catalogs and online vendors, will play a big role in her future. She said her favorite thing about jewelry design is the never-ending challenge to come up with new ideas for pieces. “It’s a puzzle to constantly rework and re-imagine,” she said “They’re little works of art you can wear.”

April 2013

COWORK | FROM 14

Coworking office model is slowly catching on among Bellingham professionals shop is made up of three large rooms that are currently empty. INNATE occasionally uses the empty rooms for gallery shows and other community events. Kowalczyk, who has been providing coworking advice to Warren and Warnberg as they develop their plan, believes the empty side of INNATE’s facility holds more potential for a coworking space. One possible tenant might already be interested. Suzanne Blais, executive director of the Center for New Media, a nonprofit media production and distribution organization, recently toured the space. Student interns and community volunteers with the Center for New Media create a variety of news documentaries and other broadcast features. But the organization lacks its own video recording and editing studio, which Blais said makes it more challenging for its members to produce quality work. She said the INNATE space could make a great location for such a studio. Creating one inside a coworking space would help the center stay affordable and easily accessible for its interns and volunteers, she said. Blais is no stranger to the resource-sharing office model. She rents a coworking space next to Kowalczyk in The Pond on Dupont Street. Coworking is an effective and cheap way for solo professionals to have office space, Blais said. “Very few of us are floating in cash these days, and we have to be smarter with what we have,” Blais said. “Coworking is one way to do that.” Kowalczyk estimated that the standard market rate for coworking rent in Bellingham would be between $225 and $250 per

month. Coworking rents are generally allinclusive, meaning payment gives tenants access to all the amenities available in a particular space. How much Warren and Warnberg would charge tenants is one aspect among many the two will develop as they move their plan forward. Yet in a downtown district still pockmarked with vacant offices and storefronts, the coworking model could be a unique opportunity to fill empty or partially empty buildings, said Darby Cowles, a Bellingham city planner who is leading efforts to revitalize the downtown area.

“If the community will support [a new coworking space], we’ll build it.”

—Corey Warren, INNATE co-owner Cowles said coworking could be a useful solution for some of the older, historic facilities in the district, some of which have small or oddly shaped spaces that won’t likely fit traditional offices or larger businesses. “We need to think of creative solutions for how to use some of these spaces,” Cowles said. For Warren and Warnberg, opening the space is not just a business strategy. They both said it’s also reflective of their desire to bolster the spirit of local entrepreneurship. INNATE owes a lot to the Bellingham business community, Warren said. “We’re realistic in our expectations,” Warren said. “If the community will support [a new coworking space], we’ll build it.” Corey Warren and Dylan Warnberg will host an open house from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, April 5, to present more information about their plans for the INNATE coworking space and answer questions from potential tenants, investors and community members. INNATE is located at 1420 N. State St., in downtown Bellingham.

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Q&A | FROM 17 management, a well thought out business plan—we often times will go ahead and make a SBA-guaranteed loan without sufficient collateral. What factors help you determine an acceptable risk to take on as a lender? Of course, we want to see that there’s good management, but along with that is that we analyze the primary and secondary sources of repayment. The primary source is the successful operation of the new business, and because it’s a new business—if you’re looking at new business—we don’t really have a track record to analyze. So, we also look for secondary sources of repayment, like the collateral, or maybe the business has access to other assets. Risk is analyzed with many factors, but the primary and secondary sources of repayment are pretty important if you understand what those are. If you have at least one strong source of repayment, then you can often justify in one way or another that the risk is

acceptable. You’ve got to understand, in a lot of cases we’re lending out our depositors’ funds, so we’ve got to make sure that people we are loaning money to are paying us back. What do think is the most misunderstood aspect of commercial lending?

A lot of times I hear that the only people who get loans are the ones who have money. That’s not always the case. It helps if you have access to some cash, but depending on the size of the transaction and what you’re attempting to accomplish, there are other resources out there that we can bring into the picture to help mitigate some potential weaknesses. As long as we have a good understanding of how your business is going to operate, sometimes you don’t have to have money to get a loan, you just need to have some assets that will help the structure of a loan transaction. —Interview conducted and edited by Evan Marczynski

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April 2013

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