The Bellingham City Council on Dec. 6 approved a water rate for Georgia-Pacific West, Inc. that is expected to increase its water costs by 45 percent in 2000. The City Council agreed to charge Georgia-Pacific 9.5 cents per 100 cubic feet of untreated industrial water for the first 40,000 cubic feet (30 million gallons) that the company uses daily at its Bellingham facilities. The new rate will increase by 0.5 cents for each additional increase of 2,000 cubic feet of water. City officials estimate Georgia-Pacific will pay $1.6 million for water this year under the new rate, which may be changed at any time. During a 20-year contract that ended Dec. 31, Georgia-Pacific paid the City of Bellingham a flat fee for water and covered related infrastructure costs. The company expected to pay the city about $1.1 million in 1999. Georgia-Pacific used 50 million gallons of water daily in the 1970s and early 1980s, but its present consumption had dropped to 38 millions gallons daily. The company plans to further reduce consumption to 30 million gallons daily by September by investing $20 million to modernize its bleaching process. Its five-year plan calls for more major reductions, in several steps, that will reduce consumption to 25 million gallons daily by 2005. G-P has volunteered to participate with the City Council in a fact-finding forum that will help the community determine its options for future water management, says Orman Darby, the company's public relations director for the Bellingham facility. “We are eager to participate in this open discussion and to have long-range water goals set – our dependence on a reliable, economical water supply requires it. City staff last fall proposed charging Georgia-Pacific 7 cents per 100 cubic feet of water for the first 30 million gallons. However, the City Council came under intense pressure from some residents to charge the company a rate ranging as high as $1 per 100 cubic feet of water. Barkley Village Gains Arts Office, Starbucks The Barkley Village shopping center in Bellingham recently added a Bellingham Peforming Arts office and soon will have a Starbucks shop. Bellingham Performing Arts is at 2915 Newmarket St., No. 104. The Bellingham Theater Guild, Whatcom Symphony Orchestra and the Jazz Alliance have offices there. The International Film Festival, an organization still in its formative stages, plans to have its office there in the future. The Bellingham Theatre Guild sells tickets at the center from 1 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday two weeks before each show and throughout a show's run. The Whatcom Symphony Orchestra and Jazz Alliance don't sell tickets at the center at this time. Seattle-based Starbucks is opening a coffee shop at 2915 Newmarket St., No. 107, in mid-January. It already has a kiosk in the Haggen store at Barkley Village, making it a similar situation to Sehome Village on the south side of the city. Starbucks opened a shop there in October, although it also had a kiosk in the Haggen store there. Dawson Construction Plans Office/Retail Complex Dawson Construction of Bellingham is seeking city approval for the first phase of a proposed three-building office/retail complex at the corner of 32nd Street and Fielding Avenue in Bellingham. Dawson Construction plans to start with a two-story, 52,000-square-foot building at the 3.7-acre triangular site, which is behind the Sehome Village shopping center. Tentative plans call for the later construction of a 40,000-square-foot building along Fielding Avenue and 30,000-square-foot building at the corner of 32nd and Fielding. If buildings of that size were constructed, the complex would need nearly 350 parking spaces. At press time, it was possible that a planned contract for the project may have been approved by the city and Dawson Construction by the end of December, according to Brian Smart of Bellingham Planning and Development Services. No variances were being requested and the complex's proposed uses meet the criteria for the mixed-use commercial zoning that covers the property. If a planned contract is approved, the next step for the company would be filing for a building permit. A spokesperson for Dawson Construction declined to comment on various aspects of the project, such as whether it is building the complex for another company and when construction might start. Kenoyer & Co. Opens Birchwood Center Kenoyer & Co. of Bellingham has opened the Birchwood Center, an 8,000-square-foot office complex in at 1633 Birchwood Ave. Owner Jeff Kenoyer says the building has six units available that range in size from 770 square feet to 3,800 square feet. For leasing information, call Kenoyer & Co., 733-5922. DOE Fines Olympic Pipe Line $120,000 The state Department of Ecology has fined Olympic Pipe Line Co. $120,000 alleged offenses related to a 3,300-gallon oil spill at its Renton pump station Aug. 29. Ecology officials on Dec. 3 say Olympic Pipe Line operators were slow to detect the nearby spill and unable to contact company officials who knew what to do in such situations. Also, the Department of Ecology claims the company couldn't provide it complete maintenance records for the 30-year-old pump or a maintenance plan for any of its facilities. Olympic had 15 days to seek a reduction in the penalty from Ecology and 30 days to file an appeal with the state Pollution Control Hearings Board. The company hadn't made a decision as of this magazine's press time. The DOE hasn't made a decision on whether to fine Olympic for an explosion and fire that occurred after a June 10 rupture in one of company''s lines running through Whatcom Falls Park in Bellingham. The fire killed three people and caused extensive damage to the environment in and along Whatcom Creek. The decision won't be made until after the National Transportation Safety Board has determined the cause of rupture. The Majestic Seeks Variety of Events The Majestic, a facility for special events, opened in early December at 1027 N. Forest St., Bellingham (at the intersection of East Maple Street). River Oak Properties, headed by developer Doug Tolchin, bought the building in 1996 from Glad Tidings Church, which leased it until 1998. It now is available for special events such as weddings, receptions, personal and corporate events, dances and musical performances. The First Church of Christ, Scientist built the neoclassical-style church in 1916. The large room on the main floor has high ceilings, wood floors and a Steinway grand piano. It can accommodate up to 300 people for dining events and up to 450 people in a theater-style setting. The lower level is suited for gatherings of 10 to 150 people. Catering services are available. For reservations and more information about The Majestic, call Debbie Kiene at River Oak Properties, 676-0292. MB Design Launches Ocean Kayak Catalog MB Design, a Bellingham graphic design company, recently announced the release of Ocean Kayak's Catalog 2000. MB Design also created product hangtags and national advertisements to coordinate with the Catalog 2000 look for Ocean Kayak of Ferndale. The need for a smaller catalog size, with each product photograph and information on its own page, posed the most significant design challenge, according to Matt Barnhart, MB Design's founder and art director. We love to figure out how to present Ocean Kayak's product line in a new and exciting layout that is truly useful for dealers and keeps kayak buyers enthusiastic about their sport, Barnhart says. MB Design also recently completed projects for clients such as Trillium Corp., Western Washington University, Blue Sea Systems and the Port of Bellingham. For more information about the company, visit its newly redesigned Web site at www.mb-design.com or call 733-1692. DeWaard & Bode Moving Soon The DeWaard & Bode appliance store in downtown Bellingham will nearly triple its showroom space when it moves into a nearby building in the middle of January. The store is moving from 1801 Cornwall Ave. to 1815 Cornwall, the former home of Cicchitti's Pizza & Billiards. Renovation of the latter building was estimated to cost $400,000. Both buildings are owned by Cornwall Center Corp. DeWaard & Bode's showroom space will increase from 5,500 square feet to 14,000 square feet with the move. Jerry Roorda, co-owner and manager of the Bellingham store, says DeWaard & Bode now will be able to offer recliners and mattresses, as it does now at its store in Lynden's Fairway Center. The store also will be able to display more appliances and show how they would look in a home setting. Peterson Construction of Bellingham is the general contractor for the project. Haggen Opens 2 Stores
but Is Delayed in Lynden Haggen, Inc. of Bellingham opened supermarkets in Mount Vernon and Lake Stevens on Dec. 7 but hasn't yet reached an agreement with the City of Lynden to build one there. The Haggen Food and Pharmacy stores opened at 2601 E. Division St. in Mount Vernon and 8915 Marketplace N.E. in Lake Stevens. Haggen now has 24 stores in Washington and Oregon. The Mount Vernon store has more than 60,000 square feet. It includes a Peoples Bank branch, a child-care service called Just for Kids that is available to anyone while shopping at the store and a Blockbuster video store. The Lake Stevens store has more than 57,000 square feet. Both stores have a full-service “scratch bakery, a full-service food court, a pharmacy, an extensive wine department and a Starbucks coffee shop. Both will be open 24 hours every day except Christmas and employ about 200 people apiece. The Lynden City Council has been negotiating with Haggen since October on terms of purchase for two city-owned blocks downtown. Members agreed at a meeting Dec. 6 to extend negotiations with the company for another 30 days. The two sides haven't agreed on the cost of the property and the proposed supermarket's operating hours – if any – on Sundays, as well as whether a new 15,000-square-foot city library can be placed on the site next to the supermarket. Haggen officials have said the company would be willing to close the store until noon on Sundays but it was financially necessary to keep it open the rest of the day. They also have balked at decreasing the size of the proposed 60,000-square-foot store and the number of parking spaces, which would be necessary in order to place the library on the site. The City Council chose to negotiate with Haggen, although Brown & Cole Stores of Bellingham submitted a proposal that would have kept a 45,000-square-foot Food Pavilion store closed on Sundays and allowed room for a library on the site. Mousseau Opens Boo's Parlour for Pets Boo's Parlour, a full-service grooming business for dogs and cats, opened Dec. 6 in a former train car at 1215-12th St. in the Fairhaven District of Bellingham. Owner-operator Michelle Mousseau has been grooming pets for five years. She named the business after her poodle, named Boo. Boo''s Parlour is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 650-1664. Bellingham Lures
Association Executives The annual convention of the Washington Society of Association Executives will be conducted in Bellingham in the summer of 2001. The convention will be at the Best Western Lakeway Inn, which jointly with the Bellingham/Whatcom County Convention & Visitors Bureau submitted the successful bid. WSAE is the professional society representing executive directors and key managers of trade and professional associations based in Washington state. It has 262 members representing local, state, regional, national and international trade and professional associations and suppliers. The annual convention is expected to attract about half of the membership. Though a relatively small convention, the potential from hosting WSAE is great, says John Cooper, executive director of the CVB. “Our goal is to show these association executives that Bellingham and Whatcom County is a great destination for their association meetings. Hopefully, they'll like what they see and book future business. Whatcom County Cuts Funds for EDC The Whatcom County Council acted in early December to withhold $15,000 that it had budgeted for the Bellingham Whatcom Economic Development Council in 2000. The Bellingham City Council initially in December voted to defer payment of $18,750 to the Economic Development Council and $20,000 to the Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce and Industry, but on Dec. 14 reinstated those funds in the city's 2000 budget. Fred Sexton, president of the EDC, was hopeful that the County Council eventually this year will help fund the organization, which works to attract new businesses and expand existing ones in the county. Local governments throughout the state have been making budget cuts due to the passage of Initiative 695 in November. DeWitt's Furniture Renovation Nearly Finished The renovation and expansion of DeWitt's Furniture in Bellingham will be completed about mid-January. The project included remodeling the front exterior of the store and expanding it to include 4,500 square feet on the second floor, which formerly was occupied by radio station KBFW (now KIXT) 930 AM and several naturopaths. The additional space gives DeWitt's Furniture, owned by Ted DeWitt since 1976, close to 20,000 square feet. DeWitt says the additional space will allow the store to offer children''s bedroom furniture and a home office center. Also, the leather furniture gallery will double in size and be moved to the second floor. The store is located at 2309 Meridian St. in the Fountain District. Free Calendar of Festivals, Events Offered by CVB The free 2000 Calendar of Festival and Events is now available from the Bellingham/Whatcom County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The calendar includes more than 165 annual events, including the Ski to Sea Festival, the Bellingham Festival of Music, arts-and-crafts fairs, car shows, community events and more. It lists event names, dates, locations and contact phone numbers. The CVB printed 15,000 copies of the calendar and distributes them throughout the year to residents, visitors and media. They are available at the main CVB office, 904 Potter St., as well as Bellis Fair mall and the Bellingham Cruise Terminal, all in Bellingham. Whatcom County residents can call 671-3990 and others may call toll-free (800) 487-2032 for a free calendar. It also can be seen at www.bellingham.org on the Internet. Online Grocery Company Offers Home Delivery NorthwestGrocer.com, an online business based in Graham, started in December delivering groceries to homes in the Bellingham area. NorthwestGrocer.com is the first “cybergrocer to serve Whatcom County. It will make deliveries in the Bellingham area on Wednesdays for orders received by midnight Monday. The company was launched May 22 by David and Roxzan Sukola and began delivering groceries in Pierce County. Since then, it has expanded service to Thurston, King, Grays Harbor, Lewis and Skagit counties, as well as Whatcom. A $5 delivery charge is added to orders under $50 but deliveries are free for orders over $50 (excluding sales tax). Shoppers are asked when they would like to have their groceries at their home and deliveries usually occur within 30 minutes of the designated time. If nobody is home to accept the delivery, an additional $7.95 will be charged for redelivery. Jimenez Opens Mother Baby Store Barbie Jimenez opened the Mother Baby Store on Dec. 4 in the Irongate Business Park at 2183 Alpine Way, Bellingham. The retail store specializes in products for pregnant and nursing mothers and their babies. For more information, call 714-1805. Jimenez also operates Mother Baby Homecare, which was founded in 1991. It provides at-home counseling for mothers and helps them with the care of their babies. Bellingham Touted as Place for
Retirees Bellingham was listed as one of the best college towns in the United States to retire by Joseph M. Lubow in his recently published book, Choose A College Town for Retirement. Bellingham was given favorable mention based on factors such as quality medical care, vibrant cultural life, an abundance of diverse outdoor activities, an aesthetically pleasing college facility (Western Washington University) with quality educational programs and comfortable, affordable living arrangements. Lubow''s book points out in detail the many cultural amenities that are offered by academic environments, usually without the crowding, noise and relative expense of a large urban area. Lubow was among many travel writers assisted by the Bellingham/Whatcom County Convention & Visitors Bureau in 1999. For more information about the book, call (800) 962-0973, ext. 6447, or visit www.globek-pequot.com. Grant Helps Fund Study of Apple Industry A state grant and local contributions will fund a study touted as critical to the future of the apple industry in Whatcom and Skagit counties. The study will explore the feasibility of constructing a cold storage/controlled atmosphere (CA) structure and determining the crops and markets that would be served by such a facility. The project will be jointly managed by Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland and the Economic Development Association of Skagit County. The project received $30,000 from the state Community Economic Revitalization Board and matching local contributions of $10,000. Local funds were provided by Skagit County ($5,000), the Port of Skagit County ($2,500) and the apple growers of Whatcom and Skagit counties through the Northwest Agricultural Research Foundation. The CERB grant application was supported by Whatcom County, the Whatcom County Agriculture Preservation Committee and the Washington State University Cooperative Extension, WSU Mount Vernon Research Unit. Local apple growers believe a CA facility is urgently needed to maintain an industry that covers more than 500 acres in the two counties and is threatened by the apple maggot quarantine. Regulations require that Skagit County apples affected by the insect pest be kept in a CA facility for 90 days before they can be shipped out of the county. The two-county region, with its cool maritime climate, produces high-quality varietal apples such as the versatile Jonagold. In a CA facility, fruits and vegetables are refrigerated in a high-nitrogen, low-oxygen environment that extends their quality and shelf life. The local study will identify and evaluate the potential use of a CA structure for other fruits such as blueberries and raspberries, as well as vegetables, nursery stock and other agricultural products. Mall's Breakfast with Santa Helps Needy The first Breakfast with Santa event at Bellis Fair mall in Bellingham raised more than 200 toys and almost $40 in cash. The cash and enough toys for 25 children were presented to Lydia Place, a Bellingham facility that serves women and their children in transition. The rest of the toys were given to the annual Toys for Tots campaign. Breakfast with Santa on Nov. 26 drew 235 people who were greeted by the jolly fellow in red, ate with him and joined him in a parade through the mall. Bellingham Leads Club Chapter Forming A new Leads Club chapter is forming in Bellingham. Rochelle Green of Avon is organizing the chapter, which is open to business owners, manager, professionals and people in sales who are seeking to expand or start a business. During weekly meetings, each member gives a brief business presentation and exchanges leads collected from the previous week. Leads Club International has been operating for more than 20 years and has more than 300 chapters with 5,000 members throughout the United States and overseas. For more information about the new Bellingham chapter, call Green, 733-3336. SPIE Donates $5,000 to Local Organizations The International Society of Optical Engineering (SPIE), with headquarters in Bellingham, donated in December $5,000 to seven community organizations. The nonprofit technical society made the following donations: The Bellingham Herald's Lend-a-Hand program, $1,600; Interfaith Coalition, $1,000; The Soup's On Kitchen, $1,000; Bellingham Community Meals Program, $500; Social Concerns of Sacred Heart Church, $500; Bethany Christian Services, $200; and SPIE Christmas Family fund, $200. The latest award bring SPIE's total community contributions in 1999 to $8,786. Earlier recipients include the American Cancer Society, Bellingham Child Development Center, Whatcom Literacy Council, United Way of Whatcom County and Bellingham Technical College. SPIE is dedicated to advancing engineering, scientific and commercial applications of optical, photonic, imaging, electronic and optoelectric technologies. The society serves technical and business communities worldwide and has 14,200 members in 68 countries. Milk Price for Farmers
Drops to 21-Year Low The federal government's benchmark price for milk sold by dairy farmers hit a 21-year low in December. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its Basic Formula Price for the month was $9.79 per 100 pounds of milk, a one-month drop of $4.77. The price already had fallen $1.70 in October, making the two-month decline nearly 40 percent. Substantial gains in milk production throughout the country have led to the plunging price for farmers. The BFP had reached as high as $17.34 per 100 pounds in 1998. Milk became the top agricultural commodity in Washington in 1998 with a value of $848 million. Whatcom County has about 230 dairy farms. Any extended period of low milk prices for dairy farms would affect agriculture-related businesses and general retailers in north Whatcom County. Business Professional's Network Founded A Whatcom County chapter of the Business Professional's Network has been formed. The chapter doesn't have any fees or dues and allows members to exchange ideas that enable them to better serve clients. For information, call Tim Osterholm, 647-0090.
Lakeview Products N.W., a Bellingham-based sales and distribution company founded in 1992, created a new division in September. The division, Lakeview Products International, was created due to an alliance with Lemourou Group Corp. of Taiwan and its president, Simon Chen. Mr. Chen has requested that we act as his agent here in Washington state, to assist him and his company in identifying new products which he might have interest in importing from Washington state to Taiwan, says Patrick Verd, owner and president of Lakeview Products N.W. Lakeview Products International is available to any companies which may have interest in introducing their products to Taiwan or other markets in the Far East, as well as Washington companies interested in importing products from that region. For more information, send e-mail to lakeview@televar.com or call 733-7258. Walkers Raising Money at Bellis Fair Mall The Alzheimer Society of Washington, in cooperation with merchants at Bellis Fair mall, is sponsoring a fund-raising event, “Go the Extra Mile for Alzheimer's, in the Bellingham mall at 8:30 a.m. Jan. 22. The purpose of the walk is to increase awareness of Alzheimer's disease in the community and to expand the Alzheimer Society of Washington''s ability to provide service to community members. Proceeds will go to provide educational services, increase advocacy for people affected by Alzheimer's disease and support research into Alzheimer''s causes, cure and care. For more information, call Josselyn Winslow, 671-3316. Elenbaas Co. Moves Division, Adds Services Elenbaas Co., based in Sumas, is moving its seven-person Agronomy Division this month to its retail store at 421 Birch Bay-Lynden Road. The Agronomy Division, managed by Hank Roorda, offers custom application of products, as well as simple delivery of products to farms that handle their application. Elenbaas Co. bought the Lynden facility, formerly WestLyn Feed, in 1997. Besides the Agronomy Division's staff, its vehicles and equipment also will be stored there. The company also is expanding its return to seed and fertilizer sales and service to include berry and vegetable farms. It had dropped out of the fertilizer business in 1987 when four other businesses in Whatcom County offered fertilizer. Now, only one other company in the county sells fertilizer for farms. In 1998, Elenbaas reached a marketing agreement with a British Columbia company that has a fertilizer plant in Abbotsford and began selling products to dairy farms.
A new 564 area code will be overlaid Feb. 5 on the existing 360 area code that covers much of Western Washington, including Whatcom County. The second area code will mean that every local call in the region will require a 10-digit number (area code plus phone number) by July 29. From Feb. 5 until July 29, during a “permissive dialing period, residents within the 360 region will be able to complete local calls by dialing either seven digits or 10 digits. It''s anticipated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission that all phone numbers with a 360 area code will be used by September. Phone numbers with a 564 area code will become available Aug. 1. In January 1995, the 360 region was carved out of the 206 region, which covered all of Western Washington. Although the 360 area code then was expected to be sufficient for many years, a second area code became necessary due to numbers being used up by lines for Internet access, wireless phones, pagers and the growing number of alternative telephone service providers. For more information, check the WUTC Web site at www.wutc.wa.gov or call toll-free (800) 562-6150 and ask for a consumer factsheet detailing the 564 area code overlay. Ryzex ‘Recycling' Postal Service Scanners Ryzex, Inc. of Bellingham has agreed to buy from the U.S. Postal Service 10,000 barcode scanners, which it plans to refurbish and then sell. The Postal Service had used the scanners to sort and track mail containers but now is using another tracking system. A purchase price for the scanners wasn't disclosed. We hope this pilot program is just the first step toward the reuse of electronic assets worth millions of dollars annually, says Mike Fanning, who manages electronics recycling for the Postal Service. Ryzex will sell the scanners for about $600 apiece. They will be refurbished and reprogrammed so they can be used for asset and file tracking and various other applications. The scanners can be purchased by anyone but the Postal Service has arranged for special discounts to be offered to hospitals, schools, libraries and other community organizations, says Tim Ames, vice president of sales for Ryzex. Ryzex''s corporate headquarters are along the northern edge of Bellingham''s Cordata area at 4600 Ryzex Way. The company, which claims to be the largest in the world that specializes in used and surplus bar code equipment, has facilities in Canada, England, Australia and Phoenix, Ariz. It expected to gross $30 million in 1999. Our mission is to reduce the impact on our environment by extending the life of products as long as possible, says Rud Browne, founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Ryzex. Brown & Cole Employees Raise Funds The employees of Brown & Cole Stores at the company's Cost Cutter Foods stores in Whatcom County raised more than $2,000 for the local American Cancer Society during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The funds will be used for local patient services and for mammograms for local women who can't afford this service. The Brown & Cole employees raised the money by participating in “buying dress-down days and raffling a day off with pay, plus many other activities. The is the second year that employees of Brown & Cole, based in Bellingham, have worked with the American Cancer Society in Whatcom County to raise awareness and funds for the fight against breast cancer. Ofteness Moves Photography Studio Photographer Tore Ofteness has moved his studio to 1059 N. State St., Bellingham, where he will share space with Spinnaker Photo Lab. Ofteness, a longtime Whatcom County photographer, specializes in industrial, commercial, aerial and marine pictures and also shoots many of the covers for Whatcom County Business Pulse magazine. For more information, call him at 733-6743.
EventsWest.Com, producer of an online event magazine, has moved its operations this month to Bellingham. The company, launched early last year in Brookings, Ore., has assembled a database of more than 5,000 community events for the Northwest. Its main focus is to provide media with family event and activity information from communities surrounding large metro areas. The EventsWest staff gathers information through online research, phone calls, e-mail and submissions received through the online form at its Website. The service is free and press releases and photographs are welcome. All submissions are verified before being placed into the database. The company was formed as an event information news service. Its plans to provide information for newspapers and other media, delivered in the same manner as weekly television listings. EventsWest principles are Bellingham resident Cleve Canaday, who handles the business side, and publisher Jack Lawrence, who recently moved to the area and oversees content and marketing. Bellingham Windermore Office Donates $200 Sales associates and staff with Windermere Real Estate's Bellingham office combined with the Windermere Foundation to donate $200 for Thanksgiving food baskets. The baskets were distributed by local food banks. Everytime a Windermere associate sells a home, a portion of the commission is donated directly to the Windermere Foundation. Additional contributions from Windermere agents, managers, owners and staff and the general public also are accepted. For more information about the Windermere Foundation, call the Bellingham office, 734-7500. Satellite Broadcast Airing for Tax Professionals A program for area certified public accountants and attorneys, “The 1999 Individual Tax Return Workshop, will be broadcast via satellite Jan. 13 by the investment firm of Edward Jones. In Bellingham, the program can be seen from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. or noon to 2 p.m. at the Fairhaven office of Edward Jones investment representative Denise Dibbs, 1200-10th St., Suite 102 (on the first floor of the Fairhaven Village Inn). The program may be used as two hours of continuing education for CPAs and accountants, as well as credit for attorneys. Course topics will include tax form changes for the 1999 tax-filing season, planning opportunities still available in 2000 to reduce 1999 taxes and tax planning opportunities for 200 and beyond. The enrollment fee is $32, which includes admission for one person and all course materials. Reservations are required and may be made by calling Barbara Lowe, 714-8661. FilmUnderground.com Gains Partnership FilmUnderground.com of Bellingham, which offers an award-winning Website for filmmakers, announced a partnership with Mole-Richardson Co., a top Hollywood lighting company. The two organizations will integrate online products to offer visitors powerful, convenient e-commerce and content solutions. Mole-Richardson gives our loyal visitors access to top-quality products and applied expert insight on power and lighting not found elsewhere, says Glen Berry, executive editor of FilmUnderground.com. Content, products and promotional offers featuring Mole-Richardson are featured on FilmUnderground.com's pre-production and development sites (www.filmdeveloper-.com), production site (www.24fps.com) and post-production site (www.post-producer.com). Western Roofing Moves to Irongate Western Roofing Co. moved in December to 3705 Irongate Road in Bellingham''s Irongate Business Park. The company, founded in 1938, had been located on 3.7 acres at 2200 Iowa St., at the southwest corner of the Woburn Street intersection. Western Roofing owner Winton Smith says he and his four siblings decided last year to sell the property to Roger Jobs Motors, which is moving its dealership there. Smith says the Irongate site, at the south end of Irongate Road, has only two-thirds of an acre. However, the site has structures and a layout that are much more efficient for the company than its previous location. Western Roofing has 20 full-time employees and a work force that has a seasonal peak around 40 employees. County Unemployment Rate Drops Again Whatcom County's unemployment rate inched lower to 4.5 percent in November. The county's November jobless rate is lower than October (4.8 percent) and November 1998 (5.6 percent), according to the state Employment Security Department. The statewide unemployment rate fell a half-percentage point to 4 percent, the lowest November rate in the state since 1966. The half-percentage point drop from October squeezed Washington''s already tight labor market another notch, says Carver Gayton, Employment Security commissioner. “Overall, labor force growth has slowed in recent months and labor force participation rates have flattened, putting ever-increasing pressure on the pool of available workers as the economy continues to expand. Skagit County's unemployment rate for November was 5.6 percent. Tips Being Offered on Technical Writing Susan Z. Witter will present tips on the technical writing field at the Whatcom Communications Association meeting at 6 p.m. Jan. 18. Witter co-designed and teaches the Technical Communication Certificate Program at Western Washington University. The meeting will be conducted at Lucci's Bayshore Pizzeria, 2615 Harbor Loop, Bellingham, and is open to the public. Make reservations by calling Susan Davis Browne, 738-1537. WCA members are professional communicators who work as freelance writers and editors, journalists, consultants, marketers and public-relations practicioners. Dinner meetings are scheduled the third Tuesday of every month from September through May. |
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