inside inside - Business Examiner

Transcription

Q&A
A conversation with Marla
Schimke, vice president of
marketing for Zumobi. 6
Business to Business
Happiness ... what does
it mean to you? 3
$2.50
INSIDE
February
January 9,
18,2012
2013| |Volume
Volume28
29 No.
No.14
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13 9
Is it a real problem for real estate in the South Sound?
The housing industry has had to defeat
a variety of obstacles to start its climb
back up to pre-recession levels. But a new
enemy may lie on the horizon, and it even
has a shady name to go with it: shadow
inventory.
According to Glenn Crellin, associate
director for research at the University of
Washington’s Runstad Center for Real
Estate Studies, “shadow inventory” represents properties that have been taken back
by the lending institutions, but for whatever reason, have yet to be put back on the
market.
The term has become a bit of a real estate buzzword recently, fueled by speculation that banks are holding back a flood of
distressed inventory, laying in wait for improved selling conditions before letting such
properties hit the market. So many properties hitting the market all at once, some
experts predicted, would send home prices
hurtling in reverse, damaging the finally recovering housing market.
“If they all came on the market at the
same time when there is a healthy inventory level, it would have the impact
of pushing prices down,”
Crellin said. “How
quickly (banks) will get those properties onto the market to help stabilize
the market is hard to tell.”
So are fears of this threat to
the housing industry founded?
Crellin and others around
the South Sound real estate
industry say no. For starters, according to Crellin,
housing levels are low
right now and could probably use more listings.
Phil Harlan, practicing broker at Keller Williams Olympia, said agents
throughout the South Sound
are aware of the shadow inventory and will continue to
watch the situation.
“If (shadow
inventory) all
came on the market at
the same time ... it would have
the impact of pushing prices down.”
See Shadow
inventory,
Page 7
- Glen Crellin, Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies
Could Cherry Point project cause Kent ‘terminal’ problem?
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Increased coal traffic on railroad could lead to road congestion issues for distribution center
INDEX
The proposed coal export terminal in Cherry Point would mean
an increase in coal train traffic through the BNSF railway corridor
(shown approximately in orange) that travels through Kent.
year mined from Montana and Wyoming
would be hauled to the terminal along the
Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail line –
and therein lies the potential problem.
The rail corridor that the coal trains
would travel extends from the two inland
states and winds through Idaho and Washington before climbing up the Puget Sound
coast, passing through Tacoma, Kent, Seattle, Everett and Bellingham before reaching Cherry Point. The opening and operation of such a high capacity terminal would
inevitably lead to an increase in coal train
See Terminal concerns, Page 4
IN
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Q &A...................................................
Featured
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For The Record.................................
Featured
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20
People
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Record.................................
the Move.........................20
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Q&A...................................................
& Heard.................................219
Scene &onHeard.................................
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21
Cherry Point is over a hundred miles
from south King County, but recent developments there have attracted the attention of some in the Kent business community.
That’s because the Whatcom County
site, already home to the largest oil refinery in Washington, may soon be home
to the largest coal export facility in North
America. The proposed Gateway Pacific
Terminal, to be operated by global maritime service provider SSA Marine, would
handle import and export of up to 54 million dry metric tons per year of bulk commodities. Up to 48 million tons of coal per
PRSRT STD
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TACOMA, WA
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Happiness ... what does it mean to you?
Did you know that over half of Americans today claim that they are not happy?
Now, I’m not sure what that means
within their context, but I do understand
my definition of happiness, and I too must
admit that in the last couple of years my
“happiness” is waning.
That’s not because I don’t have an amazing life. Great job(s), perfect marriage,
amazing eight-year-old, and I’m blessed to
have enough money to do things in life like
travel and drive a nice car, etc. Please know
that I am not ungrateful for all of these
amazing blessings that I have surrounding
me; however, I have come to realize that
they are not what drives “my happy.”
So, you ask, where is this all coming
from? Especially those of you that know
me well, as I’m a goofy, bit off-the-wall and
usually fairly carefree person.
Well, I watched the movie/documentary
“Happy” this weekend. “Happy” is a 2011
feature documentary film directed, written,
and co-produced by Academy Award nominated film-maker Roko Belic. It explores
human happiness through interviews with
people from all walks of life in 14 different
countries, weaving in the newest findings of
positive.
If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it. For me, this was amazing timing,
as I’m struggling more and more with what
By Stephanie Schramm
Business Examiner
Sales and Event Manager
I hear my generation call “balance.” Balance of work, family and play.
We are becoming more and more like
the Japanese culture. The Japanese have
a word for when you’re extremely out of
balance: They call it karoshi. This literally
means “working yourself to death.”
It’s happening a lot there, and I’m sad
to say that America is not far behind. We
(including myself recently) put so much
weight on money, community stature and
material things that we forget to enjoy what
we already have. This is indeed making us a
very unhappy society.
So what are the solutions that I have
learned and am hoping to put to work to
turn this unbalanced life around, you ask?
1. Enjoy the things that you already have.
2. Surround yourself with friends and
family to give love and joy: the whole “it
takes a village” scenario. It’s been proven
time and time again that those who have
large families and actually spend time with
them are all happier people, even when you
consider the family drama.
3. Give back to those who are less fortunate. This is one area I’m proud to give
myself an A on already. I do a lot of charity work, and I love every minute of it. Now,
I’m going to include those who I love most
in my life to join me in this work and, again,
make it a village effort to double the joy.
Notice that none of these solutions include the words “stop working.” Or “cut
your hours.”
That’s what I thought for a while I was
going to have to do, as I am running myself ragged. Instead, though, work hard. Put
an honest day’s work in. And when you’re
done for the day — be proud of the work you
did today and BE DONE.
Go home. Enjoy what’s around you.
Recharge so you can do a great job again
tomorrow. (OK, so here’s where I fail miserably. I NEVER shut work totally off. It’s
a Saturday at 4 p.m. and it’s my wedding
anniversary. I’m home with a horrible cold
and I’m currently writing this, so case in
point. But hey, I didn’t say I was going to
master it immediately.)
So, with that cruel fact staring me in the
face, I’m signing off. I will not be signing
back in tomorrow on Sunday. I will see/talk
to you all on Monday.
Wishing you your Happiness.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Homeless, business can coexist
(Editor’s note: The comments function
of
BusinessExaminer.com/community
is meant to encourage conversation and
spark ideas about business issues in the
South Sound. The feature is free and open
to members of the public who register their
basic log-in information. Comments should
be concise, on topic and avoid attacks,
profanity or abusive language or content.
Comments that are deemed to violate this
policy are removed. Comments made on
the site are included in the print edition
to further promote debate and discussion
about local business issues.)
I read your article dated today (“Homeless shelter in downtown Kent?,” Feb. 4) in
the Business Examiner.
It concerns me that the business community is portrayed as being in favor of
something that it has previously made no
effort to put into place, especially since this
same business community, seemingly in
large part, has great concerns about the effects homelessness is having on their business right now and the effect that has been
present for some time.
The amount of finger-pointing attributed
to the business community in this article
worries me. Frankly, business is but one aspect of what makes a community and brings
value to a region. The reality is that, right
now, there is a problem the business community itself describes that chills clients and
customers from coming to downtown Kent.
The process to address this outreach — also
a remedy — began before the January 2012
date in this article, and, since the 2011 effort
to find a place for the homeless, there has
been little direct cooperation via the business community except that such an effort
move the homeless somewhere else.
The reality is those who are homeless are
free and have the same rights to be downtown as anyone. If I thought that the effort
via the business community was wholly for
the sake of the homeless, I’d stand beside
them.
But they are quite clear; that is, it is
about business first and foremost.
As I said, business has made no effort
to address what it has called an enduring
problem. Trying to enforce civility laws will
simply make life for everyone harsher.
For me, what is written here takes some
of what the businesses say and puts it into
the category of being self-serving. I understand that business is livelihood for most,
and that thinking about self is what we all
do to some extent. But such a proposal to
have a day center and shelter proximate
to downtown homeless foot traffic actually
improves these very businesses opportunity for that livelihood. The myths being circulated about panhandling and so on after
such a center is created are hypothetically
self-serving and ignore how civility itself
issues from efforts like the proposed center. It truly makes me wonder how limited
a definition of “revitalization” must be at
work.
I happen to think, and it is based on
working in far more settings where business
is present and there are also those who are
homeless, that the proposed project at a location that is proximate to where those who
are homeless feel at home will be a success
for them and for the business community.
I wish this view had been included. It is,
as far as I can tell, wholly absent.
The Rev. Bill Kirlin-Hackett
Director, The Interfaith Task Force
on Homelessness
In residence at
St. Luke’s Lutheran Church
Bellevue
Letters to the editor
Letters to the editor submitted for publication
are used on a space-available basis. Submission does not guarantee publication, although
the BE strives to include as many voices on
business-related issues and topics as possible.
Letters should be clear, concise, to the point
and include name, title, business name and
location. Anonymous letters will not be accepted. Please also include a photo and short
bio if applicable.
Be sure your name and address are on the
back of any pictures and include a SASE if you
would like pictures returned. E-mailed materials are preferred.
Submit items to the Business Examiner,
P.O. Box 1575, Tacoma, WA 98401, Fax: (253)
404-0892, or by e-mailing items to: sdunkel@
BusinessExaminer.com.
Highlight the local connection, if it is not
obvious. For additional information, call (253)
404-0891.
continued from page 1
traffic along this corridor. It’s an increase,
some in Kent worry, that could have disastrous effects on the local economy.
“As a large distribution area, we are concerned over the impacts of freight mobility
in Kent,” said Andrea Keikkala, director
of the Kent Chamber of Commerce. Last
month, Keikkala sent an email to several
area publications, including the Business
Examiner, detailing the Chamber’s concerns; much of that message was centered
around the possible impact that increased
coal train traffic could have on Kent’s status as a major distribution hub.
Asked if she felt that the negative impact on Kent would be larger than on other
communities because of that status, Keikkala answered with certainty.
“I believe Kent will be more adversely
affected than other areas, given that we
are the fourth largest
manufacturing
and distribution area
in the United States,”
Keikkala said. “We
have a plethora of
large national companies headquartered in
Kent and a large infrastructure of warehousKeikkala
es and manufacturers
in the Kent Valley. Our quick and easy
access to key transportation routes and
proximity to both the Seattle and Tacoma
ports is imperative.”
Keikkala referred back to figures she
raised in her January email: initial estimates of 18 coal trains per day, each up
to a mile and a half in length. Estimations
in crossing delays ranging from one to
two hours of additional delay every day
in Kent. A cost of $21.90 per hour due
to congestion, per the 2012 Washington
State Congestion Report.
Do the math, and it adds up to a lot of
subtracted dollars for Kent, according to
Keikkala.
“Considering … around 100,000 vehicles being affected, many with more than
one occupant, the cost of delay could be estimated to be in the millions of dollars to
Kent residents and businesses alone,” she
said.
Keikkala framed the Chamber’s attention to the Gateway Pacific Terminal
proposal as concern rather than outright
opposition, given the projected economic
benefits the facility could provide the Puget
Sound region. Whatcom County’s employment numbers, for example, would get a
1,250-job shot in the arm if the terminal
reached full operations; those permanent
jobs, according to the terminal project’s
website, would pay an average of over
$75,000 annually.
The forecasted economic upside isn’t
limited to Whatcom County. The state and
local tax impact for a two-year construction
period is projected at $92 million, and the
local and state tax revenue once the facility
is at full operation is predicted to be around
$11 million annually.
Still, Keikkala is not alone in raising her
worries over the Gateway Pacific Terminal
proposal. People up and down the Sound
have voiced fears about the environmental
effect that increased coal train traffic would
have, including over 2,000 who packed the
Washington State Convention Center in
downtown Seattle during a public hearing
in December. Even before that, the issue
caught the eye of state Senator Joe Fain,
R-Auburn, who helped bring it to the Kent
Chamber’s attention last fall.
And while the project is still in its early
stages (the draft of the environmental impact study, according to the Washington
Department of Ecology, won’t be issued
until 2014), Keikkala said it was of paramount importance to take quick action.
“We want to make sure to give our
membership a voice in this process early
and bring it to the attention of the Kent
residents and business community as soon
as possible,” she said. “One of the Kent
Chamber’s grounding reasons for existing
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Photo Courtesy sxc.hu
Terminal concerns: Railroad location could lead to big traffic snarls
If the Gateway Pacific Terminal proposal is approved, Kent could be seeing a whole lot more rail traffic — in the form of trains bearing coal from Montana and Wyoming — pass through Kent Station.
is our efforts in grassroots lobbying. Notifying our membership and unifying with
one voice is our strongest key in our efforts
to affect change for our community.”
Keikkala said that a couple of the
Chamber’s members have voiced their
own anxieties about the Cherry Point proposal, but so far, Kent’s businesses themselves have been largely silent — at least
publicly — about the issue. Several national firms with large presences or distribution centers in Kent, including Oberto, Office Depot and The Home Depot, declined
comment or did not return phone calls to
the Business Examiner. Others contacted
said that the issue has yet to reach their
radar, although a few business owners
speculated on the fallout.
“It would affect other companies way
more than it would affect me,” said Adam
Rosellini, president of Rossellini Distribution. “I don’t know how much the trains
affect our particular trucks. We only have
a couple of trucks, but it’s simple to do the
math. If you have a big company with 20
trucks that are spending 10 minutes each
a day waiting for a train to go by, then it
would have a major financial effect.”
See Railroad, Page 5
Railroad: More info needed
Ken Sharp, owner of Minuteman Press
and board member of Kent Downtown
Partnership, believes that lack of concrete
information is fueling the silence.
“Until it actually happens or gets really
close, a lot of people don’t worry about
it,” Sharp said. “I haven’t heard a lot from
businesses yet. It’s all so uncertain. Nobody has specific data. We don’t know how
long the trains are or how many trains
there are going to be. We don’t have really
good studies. We only have estimates as to
what the impact is going to be.”
Sharp, though, agreed with Keikkala that
the issue is one that shouldn’t be ignored.
“Cities like Kent don’t overly want any
kind of interruption to their attempts
at growth,” Sharp said. “If you get these
trains, then businesses may say, ‘Hey,
I’m not going to be here because you always have to deal with the trains.’”
Sharp has a unique perspective as an
entrepreneur, having recently moved his
business from one of Kent’s busiest thoroughfares to a location on the other side
of the train tracks.
“My business, up through last year, we
were located on Central Avenue,” Sharp
said. “Now we’ve moved to 228th. Just
that has been a noticeable impact to our
business. We get more people coming in.
It’s easier for us to make deliveries because
we don’t have to worry about the traffic on
Central Avenue and things like that. Well,
Central Avenue would be really impacted
by these additional trains. I think it’s going to add to that exact congestion.”
Concern over the project, he said,
shouldn’t be exclusive to businesses in the
distribution sector, since the railroad effectively bisects Kent’s business community.
“I’m on the west side of the railroad
tracks,” Sharp said. “What that means to
me is, the more problems we have, the less
likely I’m going to be going over to Central
Avenue and places like that. When the traffic flow is messed up, you tend to alter your
driving plans or shopping plans. It would
T H I S
impact those places I do business with.”
Sharp, who served for a year and half
on a citizen committee to help prioritize
road projects for the City of Kent, said that
plans had been put forward to add overpasses to local rail crossings long before
the Cherry Point proposal surfaced. As
always, however, cost and geography became hurdles in the plans.
“There are some (overpasses) currently,”
Sharp said. “There were plans to do further
overpasses. The problem, when we were
studying it, is they’re extremely expensive
to do. I can’t remember the figure, but it
was just astronomical for each one for all
the work that goes through it. Even with
grants from the federal government or the
state, it’s pretty expensive for a city.
“Just as an aside, you’ve got James
Street, which is a main thoroughfare east
and west, but you can’t (build an overpass)
there because essentially you would have
traffic bypass Kent Station,” Sharp added,
referring to the 18-acre retail center in the
city’s downtown area.
The hope now, Sharp said, is that awareness of the problems the Cherry Point terminal project might pose grows within Kent,
stressing the need for a unified message.
“We’ve got to step up and say, ‘Hey,
we’re worried about this,’” he said. “If we
don’t, nobody else will.”
For now, Kent’s Chamber remains the
most proactive local group in voicing its
opinion. Some ideas have been “thrown
around” to mitigate the potential impact
on the city, Keikkala said, but so far, nothing concrete has been proposed, and she
did not give any further details.
According to Keikkala, though, the issue will remain near the center of the
Chamber’s radar until the business community’s needs are addressed.
“This is very high on the Kent Chamber’s
priority list,” she said, “as the ramifications of
this project without proper mitigation plans
will be detrimental to the Kent community.”
Takeout
can eat up your
savings.
Reach content manager Arnie Aurellano at [email protected]
W E E K
A fifth grader tells
South Sound Business Report co-host
Holly
Peterson
about his experience
at Junior Achievement’s
BizTown
program. Business
Examiner
Media
Group’s TV program followed South
Sound kids as they
experienced for a day
the grown-up world
of business.
Want to hear what the kids had to say? Catch
South Sound Business Report can be seen
on Seattle’s KSTW
CW-11 this Sunday
at
9 a.m. — or scan the QR code on the right to watch the episode on your mobile device!
Pack your own lunch instead of going
out. $6 saved a day x 5 days a week x
10 years x 6% interest = $19,592. That
could be money in your pocket. Small
changes today. Big bucks tomorrow.
Go to feedthepig.org for savings tips.
Q&A
Marla Schimke,
Vice president of
marketing for Zumobi
Advertising apps are the nifty new way for
companies to connect with consumers. Why
do they work? Just ask one of the national
“2013 Mobile Women to Watch.”
Why is mobile advertising so important right now?
Mobile influences our lives like never before, providing an easy way for us
to consume media, work on the go, research information in an instant and stay
in constant contact with our friends and
families. Because mobile usage is so prevalent in today’s society, there is a vast opportunity for marketers to reach people as
they traverse the globe and go about their
daily lives.
Our industry is just now diving deep
into the real potential of mobile advertising. We are helping advertisers and
publishers think about the possibilities
beyond mobile banners to enable native
opportunities that are truly optimized on
mobile devices. Our goal at Zumobi is to
captivate consumers with brand-integrated experiences on mobile, as it has become
the screen of choice in 2013 and beyond.
For those who don’t know about
Zumobi, explain in a nutshell what
your company does.
Zumobi is a cutting-edge mobile media company that spun-out of Microsoft
Research in 2006. We work with top media brands to publish mobile apps while
partnering with some of the world’s biggest brands to provide rich media advertising campaigns.
What does that really mean? Here are
a few examples of innovative experiences
that can be enabled through our ZBi platform:
• Drop a hint — A unique way to help
demystify the gift-giving process, by clicking on a simple customized button in the
ad, smartphone consumers can send their
loved ones a text or e-mail with a hint to
purchase the gift they crave.
• Gift concierge — Gift Concierge helps
consumer’s find the perfect present within
a mobile ad. Brands engage with consumers providing them the opportunity to link
directly to the item they want to purchase
online or get directions to the closest retail
store.
• Save the date — Sophisticated calendar integration ensures that the interested
consumer will never miss a purchase opportunity at a big sale, movie premiere or
special event as their calendar is marked
with their special date.
“In the last 16 years, the
world has purchased
1 billion smartphones,
and it is predicted that
the next billion will be
sold in the upcoming
two years. “
Who are some of your major clients, and why are they interested in
this technology?
Media companies report that visits
from mobile phones and tablets have
more than doubled in the last 12 months
and now compose 20 to 30 percent of
overall traffic across the Internet. Major brands and publishers like American
Express, Motor Trend, and NBC News
come to us because we are a driving force
behind this trend. Building on our years
of experience integrating compelling advertising into top mobile apps, Zumobi is
uniquely positioned to help brand advertisers reach and engage with their audiences. Brands can leverage the power of
the premium apps on the Zumobi network
and take advantage of the innate features
of ZBi media ad platform to drive successful mobile campaigns that combine video,
user-generated content and social media
on smartphones.
Who are some of the main markets for mobile advertising? And
who are some of the more unusual
new targets you’re trying to reach?
In the last 16 years, the world has purchased 1 billion smartphones, and it is
predicted that the next billion will be sold
in the upcoming two years. That being
said, anyone can benefit from advertising
on mobile.
Zumobi has a series of apps that are
intended for various audiences. Premium
apps like our Good Housekeeping, Today Show Recipes, Dwell, and Parenting
Ages & Stages apps cater to mobile moms,
while our set of SportingNews apps focus
on sports fans, and our Motor Trend, Automobile, and MSN Autos apps are meant
for auto enthusiasts. News is also a big
trend. NBC News is definitely one of our
most successful apps.
Which industries would benefit
from mobile advertising that aren’t
using it right now?
I feel like most industries and big
brands are utilizing mobile already; however, many aren’t leveraging the power of
the native device capabilities. All industries can benefit from providing more immersive and native mobile advertising experiences versus running the basic banner
ads that are so prevalent today.
In some cases, mobile advertising is a
missed opportunity. The Super Bowl TV
ads are a good example. Top brands that
ran commercials during the Super Bowl
could have continued consumer conversations by incorporating a mobile call-toaction in their television ads. How many
of you were on your phone or tablet device
following the expert commentary, sharing
content or posting comments about the
game while you were watching the Super
Bowl? I know I was.
What are one or two of the more
unusual apps your company is
working on, and what are their purposes?
One of the more unique apps that Zumobi currently has is Ski & Snow Report,
which enables people to receive weather
updates and snowfall information on their
favorite ski resorts around the country.
See Q&A, Page 8
Shadow inventory: Number of bank-owned homes still unknown
“It’s not something to be terrified of,”
Harlan said.
He agrees if the banks dumped their entire inventory, it would depress the market.
He believes, however, that the evidence says
they won’t be doing so.
“I think the banks are smarter than that,”
he said.
Harlan used Thurston County as an example. The county has 278 bank-owned
properties, only 66 of which are on the market. He did say that the banks have slightly
ticked up the number of houses they have on
the market in the last year.
“They are recognizing the foundation,
at least in this area, is firming up and they
can put a few more on without hurting the
market,” he said. “It may take a year or 18
months to get through the inventory so we
are back to 2009 levels, but it makes sense
to meter them.”
Distrust remains
That’s not to say that some distrust
doesn’t exist. Sharon Wilson, a broker with
ReMax Professionals Tacoma, doesn’t believe the banks are keeping their housing inventory off the market to benefit the public.
“Whatever they do will be very good for
them,” she said.
Wilson said her hesitancy to trust the
banks really stems from the fact that she feels
the money they received from the two bailouts wasn’t used to help homeowners.
“They did nothing but good things for
themselves,” she said.
While Brad Tower, president and executive director of Community Bankers of Washington, doesn’t counter the fact that holding
on to some of their inventory is good for the
banks, he doesn’t believe there is anything
wrong with what the banks have done so far.
Tower said it’s true that there are a number of properties that are in foreclosure or going through the process of foreclosure. But,
he added, banks have every reason to want to
get their housing inventories off their books.
“Banks have been trying diligently to
improve the ratios on their books,” he said.
“Banks don’t like to own properties. They
like to rent money. That is the nature of our
business.”
Still, Wilson is not alone with her negative sentiments towards the banks. So why
do many in the real estate industry have animosity towards the banking industry?
Dick Beeson, principal managing broker
at ReMax Professionals in Tacoma, gave a
short answer: “They certainly didn’t enamor
themselves with us.”
He went on to say that, beyond what Wilson explained about the bailouts, changing
regulations have also been problematic.
“The regulations around them are very
difficult and very confusing, and they change
all the time,” he said, though he added that
things seem to be getting better. “They
couldn’t get their act together and they didn’t
put a lot of energy into it until the last year.”
Even so, Beeson said he’s not concerned
about shadow inventory either, simply because of its size.
He said that, as of Feb. 7, 1,364 properties
in the Northwest Multiple Listing Service are
bank-owned homes or condos. That’s out of
18,449 that were active as of the same day.
One thing that should be noted: Part of
the reason the shadow industry earned such
a colorful moniker is because the banks’ inventories may not be in the NWMLS system.
“It is very poorly measured. We don’t
know how large it is,” Crellin said about the
shadow inventory. “We know there is still a
significant amount of properties in the State
of Washington that are in jeopardy of foreclosure.”
Short sales
While the standard definition for “shadow
inventory” revolves around the homes banks
own, Harlan said there can be a second definition that includes the homes that the banks
could potentially own in the near future because of pending foreclosures.
But, Beeson said, he believes many of the
homes that might have gone into foreclosure
a couple of years ago will likely go up for
short sale.
A short sale is where the owner typically
bought the home during the peak years
of 2004 to 2007, and now, the price of the
home has been adjusted down on average 30
percent. Since the sellers owe more money
than what the home is worth, they have to
ask their lender or bank to allow them to sell
the house and be forgiven for the amount of
debt above the selling price they owe.
A couple of years ago, Beeson said, brokers
felt lucky if they had at least a third of their
short sale proposals approved by the banks.
The situation now, he said, has improved and
is probably up to a 75 percent approval rating.
“They were showing the world in some regard they were going to be hard nosed,” he
said about the banks. However, he added,
the banks likely were losing money on homes
that could have been sold via the short sale
process rather than going the foreclosure
route.
In the future
The shadow inventory may sound like a
dark cloud hanging over the real estate recovery, but for the most part, those in the industry are seeing sunny skies ahead.
“Washington in general is outperforming
the nation as a whole, particularly the Seattle
market,” Crellin said.
Harlan said prices continue to go up
around the South Sound.
“That’s a good sign that stabilization of
the market has happened,” he said. “Buyers
are recognizing (that), by the end of 2013,
we might see interest rates tick up a bit. The
window may be closing.”
Mark Wambold, branch manager of The
Legacy Group, said the mortgage industry
is aware of the shadow inventory, but ultimately, he believes the housing market is
rebounding.
“We have a shortage of inventory on the
market,” he said. “We are optimistic that
may start accelerating the appreciation and
we can start getting better appraisals.”
Wambold believes the housing inventory
will tick up not just because of new foreclosures, but because more people are going to
want to sell their home and buy a new one.
“It perpetuates the process,” he said.
Reach writer Breanne Coats at bcoats@
BusinessExaminer.com
Bank-owned properties in the South Sound
County
Residential-Bank Owned
Notice of Trustees Sale (Auction)
Thurston
278
588
Pierce
1000
1000
Mason
233
241
Lewis
37
40
It is interesting to note that of the 278 bank owned properties in Thurston County, 66 are currently active on the market and 68 are pending sale, which yields 144
bank-owned but not being actively marketed.
Nonprofit teaches young men to earn a positive dollar
Athrettis Brown (left), founder of Young Business Men, believes it’s important he networks and builds
relationships with different business community members, like Dorian Waller (right).
While sitting in jail, Athrettis Brown
took a survey of his life. The results were
not what he wanted.
He realized quickly that not only was
he making decisions that cast him in a bad
light, but he was also planting negative
ideas in his young nephews’ minds.
“I knew I needed to stay on the straight
and narrow,” he said.
Brown cut all his gang ties and planned
for a better future.
As he expected, his sister’s sons would
not only come to look up to him, but they
also came to him when they were in financial need. Rather than simply handing
them money, however, Brown decided to
take a stand and told the boys they needed
to work for the money. Because of this, the
boys learned to raise money to buy things
like groceries and shoes for school.
This basic concept of hard work paying off has grown from something Brown
taught his nephews into a launching pad
for Young Business Men, a nonprofit that
teaches at-risk youth financial education
and responsibility.
Growing up, Brown said, he learned
that the only way to make money was to
either break into houses or to sell drugs.
He wants to give his nephews and the
other young men in Tacoma other paths
to take.
“The ultimate goal is to show them they
can earn a positive dollar,” Brown said.
“We try our best to make them entrepreneurs and business owners.”
The first step with any YBM participant
is to build a relationship with him, so he
trusts the advice Brown and others give.
See Young Business Men, Page 14
Q&A: Honor
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Toll Talk
LAW & LEGISLATION
Does a better road transportation budget mean
future fees for I-5 in the
South Sound? 10
February 18, 2013 | Business Examiner | 9
Small businesses speak out
Key concerns of this legislative session are over-regulation and large tax burdens
With the biggest “small business” legislative days of the 2013 session just past,
owners and employees weighed in on their
top points of contention for the present biennium.
Heading the list is the fact that, according to a recent State Auditor’s office
report, small businesses are required to
jump through nearly 1,400 licensing and
inspection hoops within 26 different government agencies before they can even get
up and running, or make any improvements.
“Small businesses’
biggest concerns are
that they’re being
over-regulated,
and
the tax burden on
them,” said Rep. Gary
Alexander, R-Olympia, who is also the
auditor for Thurston
County. “As a whole,
Alexander
they feel hard-pressed
to comply with all of these regulations.”
At the Small Business Administration’s
district office in Seattle, director Nancy
Porzio agrees.
“The burdens brought on by regulations
are cumbersome to small businesses,” she
said. “What we’re hoping for this session
is for the Legislature to reduce some of
those regulatory pitfalls, so that our small
businesses have more chance to thrive.”
See Small Business, Page 10
At the National Federation of Independent Business’ Legislative Day event in Olympia, state government leaders, business owners and workers came
together to discuss key legislation that could affect their industries.
Workers’ comp overhaul plans fuel big debate
Businesses in Washington are on the
hook for more than $110 billion to rebuild
the state’s Labor & Industries reserve fund
in the next decade.
That is, unless workers, employers
and the Legislature can come to terms on
where to implement cutbacks to rebuild
the funds.
“We need the Legislature’s help if we
are to avoid the prospect of 10 years of
approximately $100 million-per-year surcharges on the premium taxes that employers and employees pay into the system,” said Kris Tefft, government affairs
director and general counsel for the Association of Washington Businesses. “We
need to go further.”
Reformation of the state’s Workers’
Compensation circuitry is the big idea to
cut costs, at this point.
For many industries, the sentiment is
that the system has long been overly complicated and prohibitively costly, even
after the latest reforms in 2011. On top
of this, without further workers’ comp reform legislation this year, businesses will
have to fork out that $110 billion tab.
Hence, the issue is turning into the
Holy Grail of hopes for rebuilding L&I
funds.
Five workers’ comp bills, in fact, were
the gauntlet thrown down last month by
Sen. Jenéa Holmquist Newbry, R-Moses
Lake (see sidebar on page 11), as part of
a pro-jobs package by the Senate Majority
Coalition Caucus.
Proposed changes to streamline the
system range from a new time-loss benefit formula, an employer reimbursement
reworking, and elimination of age limits.
A fifth bill deals with scheduling medical
examinations and rehabilitation assessments.
“These bills will provide the savings
and reforms employers need to create
and preserve jobs, protect workers and
employers from rate increases, and provide injured workers the options and help
they have never had access to before,” said
Holmquist Newbry.
However, not everyone is in agreement
that the bills bring enough changes, or the
The Association of Washington Business — the organization that serves as the state’s Chamber of
Commerce — held its Legislative Day events in the capital last month. Workers’ comp legislation is a
topic of concern for many South Sound business owners and union leaders.
right changes, into the system, much less
that the bills are viable enough to shake
out enough reserve funds for L&I.
Organized labor, for one, opposed all of
the new bills.
Representing the 3,000 employees
See Workers’ Comp, Page 11
Toll talk
Does a Legislature gung-ho on a better road transportation budget mean future fees for I-5 in the South Sound?
With all the scuttlebutt about toll rates
for the new viaduct and 1-90 floating
bridge in Seattle, South Sound businesses are wondering if this region isn’t next
to be tapped for tolls along I-5.
“I think we might be looking at that
in the not-too-distant future,” said Rep.
Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, and
chair of the House Transportation Committee. “We have to do whatever we can
to make our existing pavements and exits
better.”
Primary locales of concern include
where the trifecta of traffic merges SR
16 and I-705 with I-5 around downtown
Tacoma; where SR 18 cuts away toward
Auburn in Federal Way; where SR 512
blends with I-5 near Lakewood; and the
entire stretch of exits south from Berkeley through DuPont at Joint Base LewisMcChord. Future plans for these sectors
may include either tolls or changing HOV
lanes into tolled “hot lanes,” similar to
those already in place along SR 18.
“It’s certainly on our radar,” said
Washington State Department of Transportation spokesperson Patricia Michaud. “We have all this need (for traffic
and road improvements), but we don’t
have the funding. So the question is,
‘Where do you get that?’”
WSDOT and the Transportation Committee have indeed in past years looked
into the potential effects of tolling I-5 in
the South Sound to fund road improvements, and Clibborn said that a re-examination of the situation is indeed likely
looming.
“Those studies haven’t been dusted
off until recently, but now that we have,
we’re seeing if that revenue stream can
be used to make trips along I-5 more efficient,” she said.
Currently, for the South Sound, the
Legislature is looking at a transportation package that includes tolls along the
SR 167/SR 509 corridor to create a new,
more efficient freight route. The goal is to
make more efficient transit between I-5
and the ports of Tacoma and Seattle, as
well as to smooth out traffic flow along
what’s now a daily drive-time tangle
there on I-5.
However, Clibborn noted that, be-
Will South Sound commuters and businesses have to worry about tolls in the future? The Legislature is currently looking at a package that includes tolls
along the SR 167/SR 509 corridor to create more efficient transit between I-5 and the ports of Tacoma and Seattle.
cause “tolls don’t really raise taxes,” in
addition to all of the new user fees being
implemented into this biennium’s longhaul transit plans, the state is also looking at implementing another $1 billion in
gas taxes.
And for the slow-down slog through
JBLM, “hot lanes” won’t be likely fundraisers for much-needed peak-time lane
additions, in part because the cost is just
a drop in the bucket when compared to
major projects like the viaduct. Instead,
the Transportation Committee is considering hardening the shoulders of the
highway through that sector, so that even
trucks could use them as extra lanes during accidents and times of congestion.
“Improving that stretch of I-5 is cer-
tainly in my plans,” Clibborn said, “but it
will not be tolled.”
If the state were to look at future toll
implementation along the JBLM and other hot-point sectors of I-5, Michaud said
that it would be a long-term process that
would involve much public input.
“If we did go down that path, because
we’re going through this with I-90 right
now, we would start a study that includes
an environmental assessment of impacts,” she said. “It’s a long process and
would have to go to the Legislature next
session. Then it’s up to them if we move
tolling forward.”
Besides the question of whether there
will be tolls and hot lanes on overly congested routes, though, businesses here also
wonder what impending rates might be.
For Seattle, current plans for peak
drive-time viaduct tolls range from a high
of $3.25, which some say will scare drivers away to further congest city streets
and slow I-5, to a low of $2.25, which others say won’t raise the magic $200 million needed to fund the project.
As for other corridors where tolls and
hot lanes are in the works throughout the
state, Clibborn said she’s pushing to get
“real numbers” for rates versus revenue
in the coming weeks. The committee is
aiming to finalize its transportation plan
before the end of the legislative session.
Reach writer Holly Smith Peterson at
[email protected]
Small business: Higher minimum wage makes it tough to meet obligations
However, regulatory cutbacks are just
one main issue of contention in the works
this session for local companies, says the
Washington state branch of the National
Federation of Independent Business.
According to the NFIB, which held its
lobbying day in Olympia on January 30,
a recent member survey illuminated five
major areas of state business concern,
including the new health care mandate
and workers comp, both of which stand to
raise small business costs at every level.
Initially, though, owners are indeed
talking regulations and taxes. For the latter, specifically, worries abound that the
$800 million “temporary” tax increase ad-
opted in 2010 — including the 20 percent
increase in business and occupations tax
on service-oriented companies — won’t
expire this July as planned.
“Obviously, budget
and tax issues continue to be our first and
foremost concern in
our members’ needs,”
said Patrick Connor,
Washington
state
NFIB
spokesman.
“What we would like
is for the Legislature
Connor
to balance the budget without increasing taxes, and for the
2010 tax package to expire, as Gov. Inslee
promised.”
The solution to many budget and tax issues comprises another hot-listed item on
the state’s small business agenda: passing
the proposal for a 2/3 vote to raise taxes.
The initiative, which has been on the table
in five previous sessions, has been voted
down every time by legislators.
“It’s high time to give the voters, particularly those concerned with business in
our state, a chance to say yes or no to what
happens in the tax realm,” said Connor.
“Hopefully, the sixth time’s the charm.”
Regarding regulations, the NFIB found
that small businesses are also concerned
that they’ll be facing additional workplace
mandates the state Legislature has been
considering in recent years, such as another hike in the minimum wage.
“As the minimum wage continues to
escalate, it’s tough for businesses to take
care of their other employee obligations,”
Alexander said.
At the Association of Washington Business’ legislative day on Feb. 7, though, gubernatorial chief of staff Mary Alice Heuschel said that Gov. Inslee’s main goal for
the next four years is job creation, rather
than deregulation.
However, adding to this, gubernatorial policy director Ted Sturdevant said
that Inslee is indeed looking to work with
business leaders to fix existing regulatory
sticking points, and that he is aiming to
positively impact the economy through
See Small Biz, Page 14
of the state’s Association of Western
Pulp and Paperworkers, lobbyist Sean
O’Sullivan said that his group particularly
opposes the large reforms presented in SB
5127 and SB 5128.
“We’ve heard a lot of talk about budgets
and money, but let’s give some credit to the
workers, and the sacrifice they make every
single day,” O’Sullivan said. “They deserve
good workman’s comp, so don’t chip away
at it till you mess with the safety net. Figure
out ways to cut the budget and save money
in other ways, but please don’t do it off the
broken backs of our members.”
Katherine Mason, a Washington-based
attorney who represents injured workers,
also has particular concerns about SB 5127
and SB 5128.
“We will end up shifting responsibility
for who pays for that medical care from the
responsible parties, the people who bought
the insurance in the first place, to either
private insurance, employment, Medicare,
Medicaid, or charity care,” she said. “And
that’s not fair. That’s not the responsible
way to go forward.”
Washington State Labor Council 3rd
district vice president, Bob Guenther, of
the International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers, said the sweeping reforms presented in all five bills could be questionable
for many industries.
“In the last 50 years, we can see how far
we have come,” Guenther said. “But let’s
have incremental change, not wholesale
change.”
Cody Arledge, a lobbyist for the Sheet
Metal Workers 666 and the 38,000-member UFCW 21, said that although his unions
were on board with nine of the 10 pieces
of workers’ comp legislation in 2011, they
want more discussion to figure out if the
new bills will realistically bring savings.
“There’s not one of us employees that
don’t want to see our employers be successful,” said Artlidge. “So, although we’re in
opposing all of these bills … we are partners
in this, and I think we have demonstrated
this in the past.”
Many leaders in both business and government for Washington state, though, not
only agree that the workers’ comp system
could provide revenue for L&I through re-
form but also agree that many points in the
new bills will be helpful to workers.
Rep. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, pointed
out that when it comes to providing workers comp programs, it’s not all black-andwhite.
“There’s a tendency for some to look
at safety net issues as a quid pro quo, but
many social benefits are hard to quantify and put a cost to,” he said. “So, when
we look at many social programs, do you
think that it’s fair that somebody with family responsibility — who’s lost their earning power due to no fault of their own on
the job — should have the support system
there for their family, who is otherwise going to have to go on socialized public dole?”
And from the Washington Policy Center, Center for Small Business director Erin
Shannon said that owners of local companies are desperate for relief.
“Businesses are facing pensions that are
90 percent higher, and will have a 40 percent increase, in the next years,” Shannon
said. “(These bills) are good public policy
and will improve our small business climate.”
Trent Haus, a government relations analyst in Lacey, added that the bills will keep
the market competitive and reduce pressure on employers.
For the Washington Farm Bureau, labor
issues policy analyst Scott Dilly said that
the bills are a good first step.
“Agriculture makes up 13 percent of
the state’s economy and supports 140,000
jobs, and we need these bills to provide
more certainty and (security) to farmers,”
he said.
Ultimately, said Sen. Karen Keiser, DKent, what’s required to smooth out the
workers’ comp system while simultaneously
rebooting L&I reserves is simply more work.
“I don’t think we’ve really had an opportunity to ask questions and delve into
the substance of the bills,” she said. “And,
frankly, without having Labor and Industries at the table providing real information
about the consequences of these bills, about
the history of rate increases, about the history of the retro program and refunds … All
of these pieces need to be worked through.”
[email protected]
IN
Workers’ comp: Opposition
to bills is strong, optimistic
is coming
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Workers’ comp bills in the works:
Senate Bill 5112 would allow
claims representatives for retro employers and groups to schedule independent
medical examinations and vocational
rehabilitation assessments, subject to
certain conditions.
Senate Bill 5124, a wage simplification bill, would change time-loss benefits of injured workers from a complicated process that uses a sliding scale,
to a flat rate, with a monthly minimum.
Senate Bill 5126 would allow an
employer, L&I, or self-insurer to reimburse itself from a third-party recovery
for bills paid on behalf of an employee.
Senate Bill 5127 would eliminate
age restriction for settlement proposals,
and does not impact payment of medical bills resulting from the injury; its
aim is to allow structured settlements
on compensation.
Senate Bill 5128 gives workers of
any age the opportunity to enter into
“voluntary settlement agreements,”
provides for light-duty work assignments for able workers, and commissions outcome studies on the measure.
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Young Business Men: Participants learn to earn and save
Brown will then try to help that youth find
either part-time work or side jobs. Finally, the youth will actually practice saving
money and spending money where he believes it is best spent.
For example, Brown said, many of the
participants pay for their own cell phones.
He has helped them make sure they get
the right package so they can afford to pay
every month.
Justice Phillips, a.k.a. J.J., is a YBM
participant who admitted that, before
starting the program, he would “blow
off” any money that he managed to make.
Now, Phillips said, he manages his money
by only allowing himself to take a portion
for spending and saves the rest.
The YBM work experiences have given
Phillips the entrepreneurial bug. When
asked what kind of business he will own,
he just shrugs his shoulders, but he’s clear
he wants to be a business owner.
“You can’t be rich and lazy,” Phillips
said. “If you work for yourself, you become
Small biz: Growth is key
workforce education and regulatory reworking.
A major part of that reworking will be
for the state’s new health care exchange,
which the NFIB says “threatens to undermine the private health insurance market,
limit choice and variety of coverage available to small businesses and their employees, and increase the cost of coverage.”
That’s a true concern being expressed
by small businesses, Connor said, since
the development of the health care exchange will take its $50 million commitment just to get it started and the stores
open — without including doctor’s visits,
prescriptions, and other expenses.
“Those costs will all be passed onto the
businesses, through different types of fees
and higher taxes,” he said. “All of which
we will oppose.”
Ultimately, Porzio said that small businesses are hoping that the Legislature
will encourage banks to continue making
loans for small business growth and expansion. Encouragement in that arena has
already come through several FDA new
loan programs that support local community banks in providing funding to local
companies.
“We’re seeing a little bit of a positive
turnaround there, and we’d like that to
continue,” she said. “Any efforts the Legislature can do to support that will be helpful to our business communitites.”
[email protected]
more wealthy.”
To make up for the fact that he is not a
trained financial expert, Brown embedded
himself into the community.
“I’m not fluent on all that, but I associate with all the right people,” he said,
adding YBM has already had some professionals from the financial industry speak
to its participants and is open to having
more.
Understanding business, though, is
just one of the four YBM program objectives. The other three are education (the
group asks participants to get a minimum
3.0 grade point average), community service and physical fitness.
The group of about 16 young men meets
throughout the week, including physical
training sessions with Josh Gray, YBM’s
fitness instructor.
“I just want to give them an experience
I didn’t have growing up,” Gray said. “I
never had a personal trainer.”
While many of YBM’s participants
dream of eventually becoming professional athletes, Brown said that it’s important
that they still learn about business and financial management.
“Our program is designed to give them
something to fall back on,” he said.
The community service component is
included because Brown believes it’s critical to be a positive part of the place you
live.
“It gives them more of a voice,” he said.
“You are making yourself look good, so
you should also make your community
look healthy and good.”
Athrettis Brown is trying to give at-risk youth in
Tacoma opportunities he didn’t have growing up.
This month, YBM entered the actual
classroom to begin a 16-week program
at Stadium High School. Brown said the
goal is to have at least 15 young men in the
classroom by March.
The hope, Brown said, is to have the
program expand not just to high schools
around the South Sound, but eventually in
other areas as well.
“My ultimate goal is to be similar to the
YMCA,” he said, adding that he also would
like to see participants graduate from
YBM with $5,000 to $10,000 they could
use to start their own business.
To accomplish all of this, Brown is
relying on community members and local businesses to provide opportunities
for his program’s participants. That opportunity need not come in the form of
a full-fledged part-time job, according to
Brown; perhaps, he said, a business could
adopting a YBM member and give them
enough odd jobs in a month to earn $100.
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Absher rebuilds
PROGRESS
Retirement of key
executives sparks change
in leadership at Absher
Construction. 17
P U YA L L U P
February 18, 2013 | Business Examiner | 15
Two siblings, one system, thousands potentially walking
New invention could help stroke and cerebral palsy patients
Sibling love has created a chain of events
that could eventually result in stroke victims and children with cerebral palsy walking again.
Since he was a child, Dr. David G. Embrey was inspired by his younger brother
Paul Cameron, who had cerebral palsy.
Paul died in 2008 without ever getting to
take a step.
“It was a very bittersweet passing,” Embrey said, adding that one sister named her
child Cameron to honor their brother while
another became a speech and language pathologist so she could help children with
cerebral palsy. “Although Paul didn’t recognize anyone or speak or walk, he has had a
worldwide impact on our family that then
rippled out to the rest of the world.”
Embrey, the research program coordinator with the Children’s Therapy unit
at MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital in
Puyallup, said he has been using this passion his brother created for 38 years. But it
wasn’t until Aug. 31, 2004, when Embrey
claims he had a divine vision, that he discovered a new path for himself: that of an
inventor.
While trying to figure out how he could
get a child with cerebral palsy to walk like
other children, Embrey watched a healthy
child walk using muscle detection technology called surface eletromyography.
The answer became clear to him.
He noticed the way that the healthy
child’s leg muscles moved in a normal pattern while walking. Children with cerebral
palsy and adults who have strokes, on the
other hand, have muscles that don’t react
in the normal pattern that allows them to
walk.
Embrey decided he needed to find a way
to make these patients’ muscles contract in
a more uniform way. Enter the Gait MyoElectric Stimulator, which stimulates the
muscles that lift the foot and drive the body
forward while walking.
“It was so simple, it was astonishing,”
Dr. David Embrey said it was divine intervention that lead him to creating the Gait Myo-Electric Stimulator, a device that can help stroke patients walk.
he said, adding that he looked around and
found that no one had developed a system
to do what his would. “That’s how I became
an inventor. This is the first opportunity I
had to take something that was a vision and
... potentially take it to market.”
Before this invention could even be pur-
sued, though, Embrey needed to design a
research project to test the idea and then
find funding for it.
This is where another bond of sibling
love entered into the scenario.
Florence Hillard’s brother suffered a
stroke in the 80s. Hillard acknowledged the
care her brother received at Good Samaritan by making provision in her will to establish a trust in support of stroke research and
education at the hospital.
It was the Hillard Trust that ended up
See Invention, Page 17
New developments on the horizon in Puyallup
Housing development in Puyallup was
put on pause during the recession, but
some have decided it’s time to press play.
“We are seeing an uptick in single family
residential,” said Tom Utterback, the city’s
development services director.
Specifically, Utterback said, there were
twice as many single family residential permits issued in 2012 than in 2011.
“The sales have seemingly picked up
enough (that) we are doing permits,” he
said. “In the last month, two major projects
have come in.”
The man behind these two projects –
Puyallup Highlands and Stuart Crossing – is
“Puyallup has actually been a pretty good
market through the
downturn. It’s definitely
a place you will continue
to see things happen.”
- Kurt Wilson
Kurt Wilson.
“The housing demand is coming back and
we are seeing the demand for building lots,”
Wilson said. “There are a couple of opportunities in Puyallup that made sense, and we
are moving forward with those.”
Wilson found investors and has been purchasing partially constructed projects throughout the area. However, he said, there are not a
lot of these types of projects left out there, since
housing construction is picking up.
“We are behind the curve in creating new
lots because lots haven’t been put into the
hopper here,” he said. “Things have been absorbed slower than normal, but nothing has
been put back in to build up the lot inventory.”
Puyallup was attractive to Wilson because
he believes homebuilders will want to buy
plats of land there.
“Puyallup has actually been a pretty good
market through the downturn,” he said. “It’s
definitely a place you will continue to see
things happen.”
Stuart Crossing will have about 350 lots
on about 60 acres, and the newly completed
phase of Puyallup Highlands added about 80
lots to the overall project.
A builder is already looking to close on the
Puyallup Highlands lots, Wilson said, adding
See Puyallup, Page 16
Puyallup: Infrastructure grants helping with road projects
Cultivate Puyallup program eliminated
The newly completed phase of Kurt Wilson’s Puyallup Highlands project added about 80 lots to the
division.
that the builder is undergoing the due diligence period as of the beginning of February.
As of Feb. 5, Stuart Crossing was still going through the entitlement process, after
which Wilson will move forward with phase
one of the project. Construction had actually begun at the site of Stuart Crossing before, when it was supposed to be the home
of an assisted living community.
“It’s kind of a blight down there right
now,” Wilson said. “I’m hoping to get that
first phase on the way as soon as possible.”
Rather than going the assisted living
route, Wilson said he would be doing more
straightforward single-family products
rather than the mixed-use, age-restricted
products that were originally planned.
However, Wilson said he would still be
able to use some of the initial infrastructure.
Other activity
Besides seeing housing development
pick up, Utterback there has been other development happening in Puyallup during
the last year.
The Puyallup City Council voted last
June to eliminate the economic development program, Cultivate Puyallup.
Utterback said Cultivate Puyallup
was a two-part program that combined
a downtown long-term development
plan and a plan for the potential transfer of development rights.
“There were changes on the city
council,” Utterback said. “The new
council looked at it and felt they didn’t
want to expend the staff time and effort to work on it at this time, mostly
because of the transfer of development
rights.”
Katie Baker, associate planner for
the City of Puyallup and Cultivate Puyallup project manager, said that when
“Puyallup kept pretty busy,” Utterback
said. “Even during some of the lowest years
(for most) jurisdictions, we had some pretty
major projects going on.”
While Utterback said the private sector
has maintained development in the city
during the last few years, the city has been
focused on “maintaining strong services
and infrastructure.”
The City of Puyallup previously received
a Local Infrastructure Financing Tool grant
from the State of Washington. The cities that receive this grant can be awarded
money for up to 25 years if they meet cer-
the city stopped the program, it didn’t
really affect a lot of things.
“By council ending the program, it
kept things the way they are currently,
for better or for worse,” she said. “Really, they didn’t feel it was the right fit
for this city.”
There are a couple of components of
Cultivate Puyallup that are left standing.
Baker said there is a draft Environmental Impact Statement that other
developers could reference, but they
will need to do their own.
Also, someone could eventually use
the same language the staff had come
up with for a draft code for a transfer of
development rights program.
tain requirements.
Puyallup has been able to meet these
requirements, and the city is using some of
these funds to work on a road connection
project near South Hill Mall.
Utterback said the city can continue to accrue LIFT grant money and is in the process
of figuring out where else to apply the funds.
“That’s been a positive for the city,”
he said. “We want to make sure we put it
where it makes the most sense.”
Absher Construction rebuilds after key executives retire
Dan Absher believes every business is always in the state of transition.
This philosophy may explain why Absher Construction started planning its most
recent transition of leadership years ago.
All of this planning finally came to a head
at the end of 2012, when former Absher executives Tom Absher, Greg Helle and Brad
Sayre all retired.
“After 20 years as company leaders, my
partners were ready to move on to the next
chapters of their lives, and we worked cooperatively over a long period of time to facilitate the change as smoothly as possible,’
said Dan, the company’s president. “The
next step is to get a lot of the financial burden from this transition out of the way and
figure out what the next transition step is,
keeping the focus on being family-owned or
employee-owned.”
Being family-owned is a significant part
of Absher Construction’s identity, and
maintaining that was important to those
who remained, according to Dan.
“We decided we wanted to do everything
we could to keep the company family-owned
or employee-owned, but for sure keep it locally-owned,” Dan said. “A lot of companies
in our industry have been bought out by big
national corporations, and we didn’t want
to do that.”
Dan said he and the former leadership
team were inspired in the early 90s to plan
ahead for their retirements because of how
his dad and Helle’s father planned for theirs.
When the three partners decided they
wanted to retire at the same time, they set
a date out into the future so they the transition could be smooth.
“As time does, it got here pretty quickly,”
Dan said of the retirement date. “It honestly
took all of us by surprise. This is what we
were talking about, and now, it’s here.”
Knowing it would need to replace four
critical people within the company Absher
Construction hired Chief Operating Officer
Rich Begert in 2010 to work side by side
with the retiring executives during the two
years preceding their departure.
Begert said it immediately struck him
that the company would have to overcome
the obstacle of all three board members
wanting to leave at the same time.
“To overcome that, (Dan) announced
(the retirements) to the company two years
ahead of time,” Begert said. “We were transferring responsibilities throughout that period of time.”
Absher further reinforced its management team by promoting long-term employee Curt Gimmestad to director of operations,
and adding corporate secretary responsibility to general counsel Dennis P. Greenlee
Jr. and corporate treasurer responsibility to
Chief Financial Officer Lane Tanabe.
“Since we were well-prepared and have
great people, I don’t think it’s been a great
burden for the company to address. I think
the company does miss seeing them,” Dan
said. “For me, it’s a bigger change than I
anticipated. If you work that closely with
people for that many years when that many
people leave at the same time, it’s kind of a
lonely feeling.”
Company first
One of the reasons Absher Construction
had to have a strong transition plan in place
was that the people involved were either
family or close family friends.
“On one hand, it’s easier because we are
family, because we know each so well,” Dan
said. “On the other hand, it’s more complicated because we are family.”
Begert said it was important that no one
had any hard feelings when plans were put
into place and carried through.
“One thing that was challenging about
this situation was all of them retired because they knew it was the best thing for the
company,” Begert said. “They put the company ahead of themselves.”
Dan explained that his fellow leaders
were probably too young to retire – between the ages of 51 to 61 – but they wanted
to give other employees of the company the
chance to be in a leadership position.
Since the board members were retiring
earlier than they probably anticipated, Dan
said it was important that part of the discussions around the transition plan included questioning what each departing partner
was going to do moving forward, so they
wouldn’t feel abandoned by the company.
“It’s really good for each person to address what are they going to do with their
life and have other plans and goals to keep
them engaged,” he said, adding that if the
company can help them figure out those
goals, it’s a win-win for both.
To make sure everyone is respectful of
each other and the company’s best interest
are kept in mind, Dan said it was important
to bring in an outside perspective to the negotiations.
Begert was involved in the discussions
and said the board of directors’ experience
with company transitions was invaluable.
However, while family dealings can get
messy, Dan said everything went well.
“I’ve worked with those guys for 30
years, great partners, and the company
would not be where it is without them,” Begert said.
As far as timing goes, Dan said the board
members tried to take that into consideration.
“The state of the economy was not ideal,
but I’m not sure you can ever find the ideal
time,” he said. “There is a bit of leap of faith
that the timing works out, but you can’t
know at the time.
Towards the future
Absher Construction reached its peak
about five years ago, but then the recession
hit.
“We saw pretty early that the economy
was going into recession, so we had some
significant downsizing early,” Dan said.
“We’ve remained stable but not as big as
five years ago. We’ve done well through the
recession and are sized appropriately to
take advantage of the growth we are seeing
happening in the next couple of years.”
During the recession, Begert said, the
company’s education and federal work
ticked up, but recently the housing and
health care sectors have been improving.
“We are fairly diversified, which is beneficial in this environment,” he said.
Invention: Dream of working with children fuels inventor
funding Embrey’s research project.
Finding this money was a relief for Embrey, who admits the business side of the
medical field is not his specialty.
“I don’t do money,” he said, adding that
even his wife of 40 years, Barbara, takes
care of their finances. “Good Sam has been
supportive in providing that background
for me.”
Embrey admits that he is now wellknown for saying that “God will provide”
when the hospital’s president asked about
funding the research he needed for his project.
“I’ve never worried about the money,” he
said. “I’ve never been rich and I don’t plan
to be rich, but God’s provided the money to
do this work.”
Once the study was done, Embrey analyzed the data and published his results. At
this point, he said, the two “critical details”
that come next are FDA approval and finding a business partner that can manufacture and market the system.
Product development
A U.S. patent was issued for the Gait
MyoElectric Stimulator on July 13, 2010.
However, the newer device, called the Gait
MyoElectric Stimulator II, is currently in
the patent review process.
Embrey admits that his first design for
the Gait MyoElectric Stimulator was rath-
The first study focused on chronic
stroke patients — those who had a stroke
at least a year before the study took place.
Now, Embrey is using this remodeled device in a new study on acute stroke victims,
patients who recently suffered a stroke.
“In our current study, we are testing
their function at the beginning of rehab
and after rehab, comparing those with
our electrical stimulation system and
without,” he said. “We’ve had significant
improvements in walking endurance and
walking speed, quality of life and muscle
strength.”
Dr. David G. Embrey’s brother, Paul Cameron
(above), had cerebral palsy and never walked.
MultiCare support
er crude. He said the team didn’t want to
dive into the aesthetics and the details of
the system if the overall concept of stimulating the muscles didn’t prove to be true.
“When we saw the proof of concept was
effective, we developed a new system,” he
said.
The first change the team made was
eliminating the original switch mechanism, which didn’t give accurate timing
to the process. Now, another mechanism
triggers the stimulation, but Embrey said
he couldn’t reveal details about it until after their patent was approved.
Other changes to the device included
making a more comfortable wave form,
making it essentially wireless and making it possible for people who can’t walk to
wear it and still reap the benefits.
Developing the system, conducting
studies and dealing with other aspects of
his invention takes up about a third of
Embrey’s time. MultiCare, though, has
been supportive of his efforts, he said.
Marianne Bastin, director of Pediatric Therapy Services at MultiCare Health
System, added that Good Samaritan Hospital’s Children’s Therapy Unit has been
supporting clinically relevant research for
more than 25 years. Specifically, she said
clinical experts work with Embrey on the
very specific needs of each individual.
“Our ability to ask and answer questions that matter to one particular child
helps not only that child, but many others
who have similar issues,” she said. “(Embrey’s) ability to think about the big questions – and yet bring that big question into
focus for one child’s benefit – is exceptional, and is the driver behind the work of the
movement lab.”
Bastin said that since the staff members
at CTU are all dedicated to improving the
lives of children, there is a definite buzz
about the Gait MyoElectric Stimulator.
“(Embrey’s) recent invention, we believe, will have widespread benefits for
children and adults in the future,” she
said. “We are very proud of his leadership
in this area.”
It’s taken more than eight years to make
it almost to the finish line, but Embrey is
still motivated by his brother to keep moving forward with this invention.
“The next step for me is to find some
funds to do a study on children with cerebral palsy,” he said. “The possibility of
doing this work with children of cerebral
palsy is still my greatest dream.”
And if his passion ever needs a pickme-up, Embrey can always turn to statistics. He can easily quote off the top of his
head that 3 million Americans suffer from
a stroke and could potentially benefit from
his system. Meanwhile, he said, every year
about 100,000 children in the United
States are diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
“If we can create a system that will help
them walk better, it opens a tremendous
market and our ability to help thousands
of children and adults,” he said.
AroundtheSound
TUESDAY, FEB. 19
BizTech Talk Forum
BizTech Talk Forum, 4:15-6 p.m., Garfield Bookstore Community Room (208)
Garfield Street, Suite 101, Tacoma. A partnership with the PLU School of Business
to facilitate monthly executive forums with
a focus on helping Presidents and CEO’s
to share valuable information concerning
technology and business trends to grow
their businesses.
Branding Yourself
Through LinkedIn
Branding Yourself Through LinkedIn,
5:30-8:30 p.m., The Washington Building,
16th floor conference room, 1019 Pacific
Ave., Tacoma. Hands-on workshop to get
started or tweak your existing profile based
on the latest practices. The class is geared
towards beginning to intermediate user of
LinkedIn. Register by emailing Marlynn
Haslund at [email protected].
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20
State/Regional Ed
Discussion
“Breaking the Monopoly of Mediocrity”
Tour, Institute for a Competitive Workforce, hosted by the Tacoma-Pierce County
Chamber of Commerce, 3 p.m., Hotel Murano, 1320 Broadway, Tacoma. Part of a
cross-country tour to discuss education
reform and inspire local leaders across
America. First segment will be screening of
film “Won’t Back Down,” followed by keynote address and moderated panel discussion on education changes and the skills
gap as it relates to Washington’s manufacturing sector.
Distinguished Leader
Awards
Thurston County Chamber, 5:30 p.m.,
Saint Martin’s University Norman Worthington Center, 5000 Abbey Way SE, Lacey.
Presented by West Coast Bank, the 12th annual leadership celebration will begin with a
reception, followed by dinner and a program
honoring leaders who demonstrate outstanding initiative, inspire others and make
a significant impact in the Thurston County
community and beyond. Honorees are Patty
Belmonte, executive director of the HandsOn Children’s Museum; Virgil Clarkson, Lacey mayor; and Dr. Gerald Pumphrey, recently
retired president of South Puget Sound Community College.
THURSDAY, FEB. 21
Tacoma Rotary
Rotary of Tacoma #8, Noon - 1:30 p.m.,
Landmark Temple Theatre, 47 St. Helens
Avenue, Tacoma. Speaker will be Ben
Bakkenta of the Puget Sound Regional
Council.
Launch & Grow
Business Launch & Grow Workshop, 14 p.m., Bates Technical College, 1101
South Yakima Ave ., Tacoma. Learn how
to launch and grow your small business,
or learn how to make your existing business more successful. Interactive group
class covering all subjects regarding starting and running a business from identifying your market and customers, sales and
marketing, financial management, and
how to find funding. SEAP approved.
Chamber After Hours
Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, 5- 7
p.m.,
Apollo Spas, 6111 Tacoma Mall
Blvd., Tacoma. A monthly networking
event where you will have the opportunity
to meet & mingle with small, medium, and
large Chamber member businesses.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 27
University Biz Breakfast
University of Puget Sound Business
Breakfast, 7:30-9:30 a.m., The Harbor
Dining Room at Bell Harbor, 2211 Alaskan Way, Pier 66 Seattle. Keynote speaker
Kenneth Willman will give a talk titled
“Around the World in 18 Years: Reflections and Projections from a Career in
Global Finance.” He also will address the
efforts by Russell Investments to build
the financial services sector in the Puget
Sound region.
Crown In Town
Crown In Town Award Ceremony, 3-5
p.m., McGavick Conference Center, 4500
Steilacoom Blvd SW Lakewood. Hosted
by KIRO FM’s John Curley. Join Crown in
Town and The Business Examiner Media
Group in saluting “the most celebrated
businesses in our community.”
THURSDAY, FEB. 28
Planning Open House
Community open house kickoff, City of
Tumwater and Thurston Regional Planning Council, 5:30-8:30 p.m., South Sound
Manor, 455 North St. SE, Tumwater. The
first of three open houses to learn about
the Tumwater Brewery District and help
shape its future. Meeting is designed as “a
preliminary visioning effort.” The Tumwater Brewery District Planning Project will
examine 300-acre district surrounding the
historic Tumwater Brewery to develop a
long-range vision for the District.
Submit calendar items to [email protected] or post items at BusinessExaminer.com/calendar.
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LAW FIRMS
# Partners
# Paralegals
1
1
Gordon Thomas Honeywell
1201 Pacific Ave Ste 2100
Tacoma, WA 98401
(253) 620-6500 | (253) 620-6565
[email protected]
GTH-Law.com
51
25
29
102 William E Holt, Managing Partner/
Chairman of Board
2
2
14
16
47 Carl R Peterson, Managing Partner
5
19
18
10
38 H. Andrew Saller Jr, Sr Managing Partner Corporate/business management, real estate, government,
school administration
1990
4
6
17
8
10
7
17
8
13
12 Campbell Dille Barnett & Smith PLLC
317 S Meridian
Puyallup, WA 98371
8 Curran Law Firm
555 West Smith St
Kent, WA 98032
NR Luce Lineberry & Kenney PS
4505 Pacific Hwy E Ste A
Tacoma, WA 98424
15 Connolly Tacon & Meserve
201 5th Ave SW Ste 301
Olympia, WA 98501
16 Law Lyman Daniel Kamerrer & Bogdanovich PS
2674 RW Johnson Blvd SW
Tumwater, WA 98512
(253) 848-3513 | (253) 845-4941
[email protected]
CDB-Law.com
(253) 852-2345 | (253) 852-2030
[email protected]
CurranFirm.com
(253) 922-8724 | (253) 922-2802
[email protected]
LLKLawFirm.com
(360) 943-6747 | (360) 943-9651
[email protected]
OlyLaw.com
(360) 754-3480 | (360) 357-3511
[email protected]
LLDKB.com
10
5
10
31 Gregory A Jacoby, Pres; Joseph P
Zehnder, Attorney; Barbara Jo Sylvester,
Attorney
37 Michael M Hanis, Sr Partner; Cynthia A
Irvine, Co-Managing Partner; Patrick M
Hanis, Partner; Mark W Prothero,
Partner; Gregory F Cromwell, Partner;
Gregory L Girard, Partner
22 Bryce Haggard Dille, Managing Member
1925
5
(253) 572-4500 | (253) 272-5732
[email protected]
Eisenhowerlaw.com
(253) 383-3791 | (253) 383-6377
[email protected]
VJGLaw.com
(253) 627-1181 | (253) 627-2247
[email protected]
McGavickGraves.com
(253) 520-5000 | (253) 893-5007
[email protected]
HIPLawFirm.com
24
3
Eisenhower & Carlson PLLC
Tacoma, WA 98402
Vandeberg Johnson & Gandara LLP
Tacoma, WA 98402
McGavick Graves
1102 Broadway Ste 500
Tacoma, WA 98402
Hanis Irvine Prothero, Attorneys at Law
6703 S 234th St Ste 300
Kent, WA 98032
10
7
7
21 Theresa Ahern, Managing Partner
9
3
9
21 Kenyon E. Luce
8
3
7
18 Stacie-Dee Motoyama, Managing Partner Personal injury, family law, estate planning, bankruptcy,
business, real estate
1972
8
7
2
Government liability, insurance, land use, employment
1981
18 Bean-Gentry-Wheeler & Peternell
910 Lakeridge Way SW
Olympia, WA 98502
13 Rodgers Kee & Pearson PS
324 W Bay Dr NW Ste 201
Olympia, WA 98502
NR McFerran & Burns, PS
3906 S 74th St
Tacoma, WA 98409
NR Worth Law Group
6963 Littlerock Rd SW
Tumwater, WA 98512
21 Connelly Law Offices
2301 N 30th St
Tacoma, WA 98403
NR Vander Stoep Remund Blinks & Jones
PO Box 867
Chehalis, WA 98532
(360) 357-2852 | (360) 786-6943
[email protected]
BGWP.net
(360) 352-8311 | (360) 352-8501
[email protected]
BuddBayLaw.com
(253) 471-1200 | (253) 284-3855
[email protected]
MBLawyers.com
(360) 753-0948 | (360) 705-3021
[email protected]
WorthLawGroup.com
(253) 593-5100 | (253) 593-0380
[email protected]
Connelly-Law.com
(360) 748-9281 | (360) 748-3184
[email protected]
VanderStoep.com
8
5
3
Real estate, business, healthcare, debtor-creditor, labor/
employment, personal injury
1988
7
3
6
14 Donald L Law, Partner; Don G Daniel,
Partner; W. Dale Kamerrer, Partner; Guy
M Bogdanovich, Partner; Jeffrey S.
Myers, Partner; Elizabeth A McIntyre,
Partner; John E Justice, Partner; Julie
Kamerrer, Attorney
16 Mark L. Wheeler Jr, Co-Managing
Member; Mark A. Peternell, CoManaging Member
13 C Scott Kee, Managing Shareholder
6
2
16
26 Martin Burns, Managing Partner; Edward Real estate, business, estate planning, civil litigation, tax
M. McFerran
deferred exchanges, short sales and distressed property
1987
6
0
6
12 Cynthia S. Worth, Senior/Managing
Partner
1998
6
1
8
14 John R. Connelly Jr, Sr Mgr
5
4
4
9
22 Hillier Scheibmeir Vey & Kelly PS
PO Box 939
Chehalis, WA 98532
NR Phillips Wesch Burgess LLC
724 Columbia St NW Ste 140
Olympia, WA 98501
27 Taylor Law Group PS
6510 Capitol Blvd SE
Tumwater, WA 98501
29 Jay A Goldstein Law Office PLLC
1800 Cooper Pt Rd SW Ste 8
Olympia, WA 98502
NR Ascher & Denton PLLC
2401 Bristol Ct SW Ste A101
Olympia, WA 98502
NR Jessica Jensen Law PS
2604 12th Ct SW Ste B
Olympia, WA 98502
33 Manza & Moceri PS
2928 S Union Ave
Tacoma, WA 98409
(360) 748-3386 | (360) 748-9533
[email protected]
5
4
3
8
(360) 742-3500
[email protected]
Pwblawgroup.com
(360) 705-9000 | (360) 705-0389
[email protected]
Taylorlawgroup-ps.com
(360) 352-1970 | (360) 357-0844
[email protected]
JAGLaw.net
(360) 357-8669 | (360) 357-9623
[email protected]
AscherDenton.com
(360) 705-1335 | (360) 570-2038
[email protected]
JessicaJensenLaw.com
(253) 473-2771 | (253) 471-1815
[email protected]
Manza-Moceri.com
5
3
2
9
Richard G Phillips, Sr Partner
Real estate, land use, construction
2012
4
0
2
8
Thomas J. Taylor, Sr Managing Partner
General, personal injury, family law, real estate, probate,
adoptions, estate planning, and business law
1978
4
1
3
7
Jay Goldstein
Business, real estate, land use, construction, timber, tax, estate 1994
planning, probate transactions and litigation
3
2
1
4
Melissa Denton
Family law, divorce, paternity, child custody, child support,
restraining orders
1990
3
1
4
7
Jessica McKeegan Jensen, Attorney at
Law
Business law, real estate/land use, wills, trusts & estates,
uncontested family law
2008
2
2
4
8
John Stephan Moceri, Attorney; Patrick
T. Manza, Attorney
NR Retacco Law Offices Inc PS
30640 Pacific Hwy S Ste C1
Federal Way, WA 98003
NR Albert & Slater PS
33650 6th Ave S Ste 102
Federal Way, WA 98003
34 Swigart Law Offices PS
329 E Main St
Auburn, WA 98002
NR Seifert Law Offices PLLC
112 E 4th Ave Ste 200A
Olympia, WA 98501
NR Law Office of C Edward Adams
7512 Stanich Ln Ste 2
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
NR Law Offices of David Smith PLLC
201 St Helens Ave
Tacoma, WA 98402
NR Bottimore & Associates PLLC
201 St Helens Ave
Tacoma, WA 98402
NR Acebedo & Johnson LLC
1011 E Main Ste 456
Puyallup, WA 98372
(253) 941-1161 | (253) 839-1941
[email protected]
RetaccoLaw.com
(253) 838-0678 | (253) 838-4681
[email protected]
ToughDivorces.com
(253) 939-4556 | (253) 939-4559
[email protected]
SwigartLaw.com
(360) 357-7087 | (360) 705-1163
[email protected]
SeifertLaw.com
(253) 853-4171 | (253) 853-4172
SensibleLegalSolutions.com
2
2
1
3
Vincent Anthony Retacco, Partner;
Wendy Elizabeth Retacco, Partner
1949
Personal injury including wrongful death, workers
compensation, malpractice, automobile accident, pedestrian
accidents, slip/trip and fall, construction site negligence, bicycle
accidents, trucking accidents, traumatic brain injury
Plaintiff personal injury/wrongful death, product liability
1972
2
1
1
4
Gary R.W. Slater
Family law, personal injury, probate, estate planning
1974
2
2
2
4
James A. Swigart, Senior/Managing
Partner
Business/corporate law, LLCs, real estate, estate planning,
probate
1982
2
1
3
5
Lisa Seifert, Owner
Legal services for immigration and visas for business and
families
1989
2
0
2
5
C. Edward Adams, Owner
Personal injury, divorce & family, bankruptcy, DUI, traffic, wills/ 1998
probate, aviation
(253) 272-4777 | (253) 461-8888
[email protected]
DavidSmithLaw.com
(253) 272-5653 | (253) 272-5720
[email protected]
BottimoreLaw.com
(253) 445-4936 | (253) 445-9529
[email protected]
AcebedoJohnson.com
2
1
2
7
David C. Smith
Business & corporation, bankruptcy, civil litigation, computer/
technology, contracts, real estate
2000
2
1
2
4
Leslie R Bottimore, Owner
Estate planning, Probate, Guardianship, Business, Real estate,
Family law, Personal injury
2004
2
2
1
3
Pierre E. Acebedo, Esq; Cindy A
Johnson, Esq
NR Amer & Young, PLLC
222 E Main St Ste M
Auburn, WA 98002
NR Law Offices of Karl Zeiger
1902 Meridian S
Puyallup, WA 98371
NR Valerie V Staley
102 5th St NE
Auburn, WA 98002
(253) 833-3004 | (253) 833-0899
[email protected]
AmerYoungLaw.com
(253) 841-1000 | (253) 840-0766
[email protected]
Karlzeiger.com
(253) 288-0488
VstaleyLaw.com
2
2
2
4
Saphronia R. Young, Founder, partner,
principal
Contract law, real estate and environmental law, occupational 2005
licensing representation, anti harassment & protection orders,
business law, estate law (probate & simple wills), litigation,
homeowners associations
Business transactions, construction law, civil litigation, estate 2009
planning, mediation, employment, bankruptcy.
1
0
2
3
Karl Zeiger
Personal injury
1982
1
0
2
3
Valerie V. Staley, Owner
Family law
1985
2011 Company Name
Rank Rank Address
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
Phone | Fax
Gen Co Email
Web site
# Emps
# Attorneys
Ranked by total number of attorneys. Figures as of October 2012.
Sr / Managing Partner(s)
Areas of Practice / Service
Year
Est
Business, commercial and complex litigation, employment, real 1894
estate, land use, energy/renewable energy, environmental and
natural resources, civil rights and personal injury, trusts &
estate planning, tax, appellate, and mediation.
Business transactions, commercial litigation, real estate, land 1914
use, employment, banking, family, estate planning
Litigation, estate planning, family law, real estate, business,
corporate, employment, personal injury
Personal injury, bankruptcy, business, family, criminal defense, 2003
immigration, construction, wills, estates, real estate,
homeowners associations, landlord, tenant, traffic infraction
defense, litigation, employment law, administrative law
Commercial, business entities, estate planning, probate, 1031 1931
exchanges, personal injury, divorce, escrow, real estate,general
litigation, adoptions, home owners associations, foreclosures
Business, real estate, bankruptcy, employment, estate planning, 1948
family, home owners association, municipal, school, personal
injury, medical malpractice
Estate planning, personal injury, family law, business
1967
General practice, real property, business, construction, probate/ 1977
estate planning, personal injury, family and criminal law
Estate planning, business planning, estate and gift taxation,
probate, corporation formation, tax liabilities, and litigation
Personal injury, government liability, wrongful death, traumatic 2006
brain injury, spinal cord injury, insurance bad faith, product
liability, sports injury, civil rights, medical malpractice
Scott E Blinks, Sr Managing Partner;
Corporate, business transactions, estate planning,
1882
David A Jones, Partner; Rene J. Remund, administration, trust, civil litigation, elder law
Senior/Managing Partner; J Vander
Stoep, Partner
William T. Hillier; Mark C. Scheibmeir
Business, corporations, real estate, banking, municipal, estate 1938
planning
Ranked by total number of South Sound attorneys then by year opened.
Information is based on data provided by a representative of each company or respective Web site. PCBE Inc. dba Business Examiner makes every attempt to publish accurate and factual information on its lists, however, accuracy can not be guaranteed. It is not the intent of this list to
endorse the participants, companies, or individuals or to imply a specific level of quality in the companies listed. Please send any updates, additions, corrections, or deletions to [email protected].
FortheRecord
New Business Announcements
Listings are prepared from information supplied by new
businesses and published as a service to the local business
community by the BusinessExaminer. Submit form at www.
Domino’s Pizza
16929 SE 270th Place, Covington 98042
Steven Alexander, franchisee
With a renewed focus on the art and skill of pizzamaking, Domino’s is introducing its Pizza Theater store
design, where customers watch their pizza being made
and interact with crew members. Dunham Construction
of Maple Valley built the Covington location’s new look,
which has hardwood floors, a chalk wall and a cold case
featuring fresh-made salads, milk, cookies, cakes and
other desserts.
Bankruptcy Filings
Listings are selected from files at Clerk of U.S. Bankruptcy
Court, Western Washington District, Tacoma. Commercial
and business bankruptcy filings from the local area are reported
here. Chapter 7 is business liquidation. Chapter 11 is for reorganization. Chapter 13 is an individual debt repayment plan.
James Edward Russom
dba Weathershield Exteriors LLC
22019 112th St. E, Bonney Lake
Secured Debts: $0
Priority Debts: $35,000
Unsecured Debts: $139,345
Assets: $68,369
Chapter 7 Case #13-40597 1/30/2013
Rhett Joel Mills
fdba Mills & Associates
219 W. Summa St., Centralia
Estimated Liabilities $50,001-$100,000
Estimated Assets $50,001-$100,000
Chapter 13 Case #13-40593 1/30/2013
Richard C. Pierson
fdba DCD Corps.
aka Morning Thunder Espresso Co.
6626 Rehklau Rd. SE, Olympia
Estimated Liabilities $100,001-$500,000
Estimated Assets $100,001-$500,000
Chapter 7 Case #13-40600 1/30/2013
Cottage Meadow LLC
dba single asset real estate 10821 Valley Ave. E,
Puyallup
420 E. 18th St., Tacoma
Estimated Liabilities $0-$50,000
Estimated Assets $0-$50,000
Chapter 11 Case #13-40656 1/31/2013
James B. Clauson
dba J’s Inc. / Office Furniture Source
dba J’s Upholstery Inc.
dba J’s Upholstery
dba First Choice Office Furniture
dba Jae’s Upholstery Inc.
dba Office Furniture Source
fdba Js Inc
fdba First Choice Home and Office Furniture LLP
fdba Js Upholstery
fdba First Choice Office Inc.
307 M St., Centralia
Secured Debts: $536,117
Priority Debts: $0
Assets: $403,985
Chapter 7 Case #13-40665 1/31/2013
Richard David Combs
dba Dependable Bldg Services
fdba Precision Caulking and Restoration
3836 152nd St. Ct. E, Tacoma
Assets: $268,225
Chapter 7 Case #13-40661 1/31/2013
Russel A. Johnston
fdba Leaf ’s Deli
17308 87th Ave. Ct. E, Puyallup
Assets: $217,785
Chapter 7 Case #13-40652 1/31/2013
Tyler J. Gillis
dba Sound Retaining Walls
233 Berkeley Ave., Tacoma
Priority Debts: $0
Assets: $237,813
Chapter 7 Case #13-40669 1/31/2013
Tommy Chang Yoi Yoo
fdba Chase Station Inc.
fdba Tanglewilde Valero
fdba Tanglewilde Chevron
fdba Chace Station Inc.
1403 Lebanon St., Lacey
Secured Debts: $0
Unsecured Debts: $1,406,099
Assets: $18,570
Chapter 7 Case #13-40717 2/4/2013
Robyn Meda & Roger William Bauer
fdba Mickrob Gifts
PO Box 634, Yelm
Priority Debts: $0
Assets: $177,871
Chapter 7 Case #13-40747 2/6/2013
Russell J. Nation
dba Nation Enterprises
PO Box 1404, Shelton
Priority Debts: $0
Assets: $177,761
Chapter 7 Case #13-40735 2/6/2013
Mark J. Foster
dba Frank’s Meat Market
fdba Norton Meats Inc.
PO Box 121, South Prairie
Priority Debts: $99
Assets: $44,708
Chapter 7 Case #13-40764 2/7/2013
Hugh M. Witt IV
fdba Olympia’s Consulting Firm
4570 Avery Lane #260, Lacey
Priority Debts: $0
Assets: $357,021
Chapter 7 Case #13-40797 2/8/2013
Lawsuit Filings
These cases involving local businesses have been filed in Superior
Courts. Plaintiff listed first. Readers are cautioned that claims in
these actions have not been proven; they are alleged to be causes
for action and truth will be determined at trial. Information is
from public record, as maintained by Clerk of Superior Court.
Thurston County
MC Squared Inc. vs Union Capital Group LLC, Associated Environmental Group LLC, Michael S. Chuna
Plaintiff provided engineering services to defendant
Union beginning in July 2006 for project known as
Union and Capitol. Despite submission of regular invoices, there remains $103,857.47 balance due and this
lawsuit seeks judgment with interest, costs and attorney
fees. 1/16/2013
BS Kang Inc. vs Kyu Ki dba Young Cleaner, dba
Young Alterations & Cleaners In June 2008, plaintiff entered Business Opportunity Purchase and Sale
Agreement with defendant Yi, to pay $95,000 for the
goodwill of Century Cleaners and an additional $90,000
for an Agreement Not to Compete within 5 miles for
60 months. Lawsuit claims that Yi is violating this restriction by operating a competing business, EUN dba
Young Cleaners, less than a mile from the business that
plaintiff purchased. Asks court to issue preliminary injunction to prevent said competition and award damages, with attorneys’ fees and costs. Court did grant that
request Feb. 1 pending show cause hearing. 1/17/2013
ProBuild Company LLC vs Northwest Roof Care &
Construction Inc. Lawsuit seeks to collect $11,352.86
due on open account, plus interest, costs and fees.
1/20/2013
Valley Nut & Bolt Co. Inc. vs Northwest Metal Fabrication Inc. dba J L Brooks Welding Collection filing seeks $35,458.73 past due on account, plus interest,
costs and fees. 1/20/2013
Hawks Prairie Center LLC vs Randy W. Fiscus Breach
of lease complaint filed for real property at 8221 Martin Way E, Olympia, under lease signed in March 2004.
Premises were assigned to Charles Kennedy in 2006
and plaintiff consented. Defendant’s sub-tenants have
now abandoned the premises and not paid rents and
additional charges as required by the lease. This filing
seeks to collect $20,857.56, plus costs, fees and interest.
1/28/2013
Dirt and Aggregate Interchange Inc. vs Boss Construction Inc. Breach of contract lawsuit alleges
$13,285.32 due on contract for subcontract in Nov.
2010 to provide and install guardrail components to
Vail Road South to Bald Hill Road project. Also seeks
to collect interest, costs and fees. 1/28/2013
Sherwin Williams Co. vs Craig Reynolds Cholski dba
CRC Painting Collection lawsuit seeks $2,093.20 past
due balance on account for merchandise purchased and
received, plus interest, costs and fees. 1/28/2013
Verizon Long Distance LLC vs State Dept. of Revenue
Complaint for tax refund and notice of appeal for defendant’s audit for Jan. 2003 through June 2010 which
claimed $8,911,981.17 was due and was paid. Dispute
centers around collection of retail sales tax on long distance services marketed unlimited long distance calls
through Freedom plans that were sold to residential
customers. Audit found that the exemption from sales
tax for residential service required that such must be
specified in tariff filing with Wash. Utilities and Transportation Commission. Petition cites prior court ruling
that found the exemption applied to all “customers who
do not have their phone associated with business use.”
Asks court to order refund of $8.9 million tax paid with
interest, costs and attorneys’ fees. 1/29/2013
Artistry in Iron Inc. vs Olympic Wholesale Bldg Supply Inc., Allan L. Kravitz Plaintiff has manufactured
custom iron fabrications for defendant for over 20 years
and full payments of invoices is due within 30 days.
Filing states that defendants have failed to pay the last
seven invoices and lawsuit seeks to collect $13,827.74
plus $197.98 interest, costs and attorney fees. 2/5/2013
Pierce County
Golden SJ Construction Inc. vs Song Woon Yi, Joe Yi
Insurance Agency Plaintiff contracted in Aug. 2012 to
renovate a professional services building at 7803 Pacific
Ave., Tacoma, purchased by defendant for his insurance
agency. Dispute arose over the use of one-half inch or
five-eighths inch gypsum sheetrock for fireblocking
materials. Job was allegedly bid for the lesser, which
was installed and meets city code, according to filing.
Defendant’s mother inspected the sheetrock after it has
been fully installed and demanded that it be replaced
with the thicker dimension material, and defendant Yi
agreed. Plaintiff did the new work and submitted an additional invoice of $11,190 for this, which remains unpaid along with substantial balance due on the original
contract. Lawsuit seeks to collect $29,428.83 principal,
plus interest, costs and fees. Defendants’ counter-claim
asserts that 5/8 drywall was demanded to comply with
building codes requirement as well as the contract. Also
alleges that plaintiff never completed the work, but instead left a substantial punch-list of items that it refused
to perform. Defendant asks to receive damages while
plaintiff should recover nothing, but be required to pay
costs and attorney fees. 12/12/2012
Manor Hardware Inc. vs Michael J. Sweet dba MS
Construction Complaint for money due on contract
seeks $9,507.86 plus $3,387.26 collection charge, interest, costs and fees. Lawsuit specifies request for reasonable attorney’s fee of $1,003,387.26 without explaining
further. 1/20/2013
Pitney Bowes Global Financial Services vs Law Offices of John A. Sterick P.S. Filing claims unpaid business debt of $46,816.93 is due, plus interest, costs and
attorney fees. 1/22/2013
Alaska Cascade Financial Services Inc. vs Home
Team Northwest Construction LLC Agency seeking
to collect $1,495 due on account to Northwest Architectural Products Inc., plus interest, costs and fees.
1/23/2013
Alaska Cascade Financial Services Inc. vs Hops Construction LLC Collection agency seeking $2,583.42
unpaid balance due on account to Alpine Sand & Gravel Inc., plus $897.28 collection charge, interest, court
costs and attorney fees. 1/23/2013
Sherwin Williams Co. vs Torbin B. Crowder dba 3rd
Generation Builders Collection filing seeks $3,172.60
unpaid for merchandise received, plus interest, costs
and fees. 1/23/2013
Meridian Place LLC dba Meridian Shops LLC vs
Roger Holmstedt Action filed to collect on personal
guarantees for commercial space lease signed by Jolly 3
Inc. in April 2006. Lawsuit claims rents were not paid,
space was transferred to Garlic Jim’s Franchising Corp.
without proper assignment and $146,285.56 in damages are due. Seeks to collect with interest, costs and
fees. 1/23/2013
Alaska Cascade Financial Services Inc. vs Nicholas
C. Arena dba Saddle Creek Construction Collection
agency seeks $1,963.74 owed to S & E Electric Inc. for
labor and materials supplied, plus interest, costs and attorney fees. 1/23/2013
Puyallup Professional Plaza LLC vs Transformation
Salon and Spa LLC, Steve Hurter Breach of lease complaint seeks $174,080.36 for alleged nonpayment of rent
and other charges at 8112 112th St. Ct. E, Suite. 8114-B,
Puyallup. Defendant Hurter guaranteed the five-year
lease at signing in March 2011 and tenants have since
expressly repudiated the contract by abandoning/vacating the premises and failing to pay the rent. Seeks to
collect with interest, costs and fees. 1/25/2013
Gig Harbor Marina Inc., Stanley D. Stearns vs Jamie Radcliffe, Red Rooster Cafe LLC Breach of
lease complaint alleges nonpayment of rents due
since term began in July 2011 so that balance due
at Nov. 2012 exceeded $30,000. Plaintiff found prospective new tenant and proposed to defendant that
all of cafe’s equipment be transferred to Marina in
exchange for termination of lease and forgiveness
of outstanding debts. Defendant Radcliffe refused
to sign, instead posting a message on Red Rooster
Cafe LLC’s Facebook page in Dec. 2012 claiming
that the lease had been revoked prematurely. This
resulted in supportive third parties making comments that included false personal attacks toward
plaintiffs and agent. In early Jan. 2013, Radcliffe allegedly sent notice of termination of lease and vacated the premises taking all personal property that
was subject to Marina’s security interest. This filing
states that defendants continued to make defamatory comments and false statements about plaintiffs
on gigharborpatch.com and Facebook, plus a separate blogspot.com post, and refused request to issue
a statement correcting the false statements. Breach
of contract claim seeks $34,231.73 plus interest,
costs and attorney fees. Also seeks recovery of all
secured items of equipment linked to debt, damages for defamation and an injunction prohibiting
defendants from continuing to engage in the acts
of false and defamatory comments. Also preventing
defendants from selling, destroying or otherwise
secreting the personal property that is secured to
the alleged debts. 1/28/2013
Casey R. Ingels, Maxwell’s LLC vs Forecast Approach LLC Defendant was retained by Maxwell’s
LLC to run all aspects of the downtown Tacoma
restaurant and at least two other concept locations,
including ‘concept, design, construction, budget,
expenses, accounting management, bookkeeping,
personnel management, payroll, taxes, licensing,
etc.’ in 2007. Plaintiff Ingels claims he personally
contributed more than $100,000 to secure restaurant equipment for use at the two other locations.
Filing states that more than $1.4 million was spent
in concept, design, management, equipment and
operational costs, but defendant failed to meet any
of the duties agreed upon. Toward the end of 2010
and early 2011, lawsuit claims it became obvious
that Forecast was substantially in breach by failing
to pay vendors, state and local taxes (including payroll taxes), adequate supervision of premises, etc.
Breach of contract claim alleges that defendants
directly benefitted from more than $1.2 million,
which plaintiffs are entitle to have returned. Further seeks damages for alleged negligent misrepresentation as to defendants’ expertise to manage and
operate all aspects of a restaurant as agreed. Claim
of fraud is alleged against defendant for failing to
inform plaintiff the actual amounts of costs for
operations and other associated costs related to defendants’ services. Specifically, lawsuit alleges that
defendant knowingly collected amounts from vendors, suppliers, designers and artists, then marking
up each additional service for submission to plaintiffs and pocketing the difference as well as billing
plaintiffs for all services provided. 1/28/2013
Associated Petroleum Products Inc. vs Tronsdal
Air LLC, Curt Tronsdal Confession of judgment
filed with court to record $20,000 debt owed by defendant to be paid over three years, plus interest.
Court judgment entered. 1/30/2013
Stoneway Electric Supply Co. vs Cowlitz Electrical Contractor Inc., Brian N. Smithlin Action
filed to collect $1,655.21 balance due on account
for electrical materials and supplies received, plus
unpaid service charges. Seeks to collect against contractor’s bond and personal guarantee, with interest, costs and fees. 1/30/2013
Seattle Ace LLC vs Alamo-Spanaway LLC, Alamo
Renton LLC, Donald F. Gaube Complaint for
breach of lease assignment and assumption agreement and breach of lease guaranty and agreement
arises from June 1999 commercial space lease at
Spanaway Village to Seattle Ace as tenant. Defendant Gaube arranged for Alamo-Spanaway to accept assignment of that lease for $250,000 plus
$5,000 per month commencing May 2012, which
landlord did accept even as it did not release Seattle
Ace from its obligations under the lease. AlamoRenton and Gaube did provide guarantees of the
Alamo-Spanaway obligations. Commencing May
2012, defendant Alamo-Spanaway failed to make
timely payments under the lease and is in breach
of its obligations to plaintiff. Despite demand from
landlord and from plaintiff, defendants breach continued up to Jan. 2013 issuance of Three Day Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate. Lawsuit seeks to collect
$117,198.08 in arrearage under the lease. 2/4/2013
First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co. as successor in
interest to Venture Bank vs Bradley W. Bolte
Complaint on commercial guaranties seeks to recover deficiency balances on two separate loans
granted by Venture Bank to defendant’s company,
Goldmark Homes in 2008 and 2009. Both loans
subsequently went into default after Goldmark
failed to make the required payments 2/5/2013
Girard Wood Products Inc. vs Harbor Paper LLC
Collection lawsuit seeks $5,737.60 unpaid balance
for wood pallets ordered by Hoquiam-based defendant, plus $114,684.41 outstanding balance due on
contract. 2/5/2013
Sadlier Enterprises Inc. dba Johnstone Supply
Co. of Tacoma vs Island Risers LLC Collection
filing seeks $13,293.67 due for construction materials unpaid, including principal, service charges and
returned checks. Also seeks for pre-judgment interest, costs and reasonable attorney’s fee. 2/5/2013
Ralph’s Concrete Pumping Inc. vs Keystone
Construction Co., Han Kim
Complaint
against contractor to collect and for lien foreclosure due to nonpayment of $14,139.72 due
on account for concrete pumping services.
2/6/2013
Sherwin-Williams Co. vs Castle Custom Mechanical LLC, Debra Lynn Downs Collection
filing seeks $3,860.12 due on account for merchandise received, plus interest, costs and fees.
2/6/2013
Jonathan Cho, Myung Cho, Cho’s Family Inc. vs
Charles Park, Alder Parks Store Inc. Plaintiffs
purchased in Oct. 2010 a business and real property at 50110 Mountain Hwy E, Eatonville, known
as Alder Parks Store. Defendant sellers had advertised the real property as zoned for commercial
use and it has three structures: a mobile or manufactured home, a store and a storage shed. Shortly
after closing on the purchase, plaintiffs learned of
several deficiencies of the property, including that
is was not zoned for commercial use. Also discovered the sellers had installed a new septic system,
including a pump installed without a permit, and
that the system was pumping into an unapproved
drainfield on a neighboring lot. Additionally, the
existing holding tank is not sufficient to support
the store. Pierce County Health Department cited
plaintiffs for installation and repair to a septic system without permit and issued a “Do Not Occupy”
notice on the residence. Plaintiffs have worked
with officials and septic designers to correct the
problems, incurring additional costs and losing
business, thus diminished profits while their store
was closed. Seeking damages for breach of contract, fraud/misrepresentation, plus costs and attorneys fees. 2/7/2013
SceneandHeard
1. The first ever “Reach Higher” Tacoma
Community College Foundation Luncheon, held Friday, Feb. 8 at the Opgaard
Student Center, raised over $58,000 for
the school.
1
2
2. Sound Glass recently celebrated its 30year anniversary since opening in Lakewood. The company opened for business
on January 13, 1983 and has served over
150,000 homeowners, contractors and
businesses since. Shown on top is the current facility; the photo below is from when
the company first opened 30 years ago.
3. At the Kent Downtown Partnership’s
business breakfast at the ShoWare Center
on Friday, Feb. 8, Barbara Smith of the
KDP recognizes the city’s Department of
Public Works for its recent efforts.
3
4. Patricia Lecy-Davis, vice president of
the Go Local board, welcomes businesses
to the Tacoma Shift Happens event on
Monday, Jan. 28 at the Greater Tacoma
Convention Center.
4
Scene & Heard is a feature in the Business Examiner that strives to
promote business and community events as well as community
awards around the South Sound. Photos submitted for this section
are used on a space-available basis. Be sure submitted photos include
caption information that describes the event and lists the names of
the people in the photos. Photo credits are also appreciated. Submit
items to the Business Examiner, 1702-B Tacoma Ave. S., Tacoma, WA
98402, Fax: (253) 404-0892, or by e-mail (preferred) to: news@
BusinessExaminer.com. Highlight the local connection if it is not
obvious. For additional information, call (253) 404-0891.
COME SEE WHAT
LEARNING
LOOKS LIKE
SPRING VISITORS DAY
Friday, March 1, 9 a.m.
Girls & Boys
Pre-K - Grade 12
Bus Service
CHARLES WRIGHT
ACADEMY
CHARLESWRIGHT.ORG
PeopleontheMove
Promotions, hires and recognitions in
South Sound
n Jamie Gregory, a longtime Pierce County
resident and community volunteer, has joined
Wesley Homes retirement communities and
health services as the major gifts officer for
Wesley Homes Foundation. Experienced with
not-for-profit organizations, Gregory brings
five years of campaign and major gift work. His
experience also includes 25 years in sales and
marketing in both medical and education fields.
n Graphic designer
Heather Golbienko and
administrative coordinator Bethany Doane
have been added as fulltime team members at
JayRay, a branding, advertising and strategic
communications
firm
in Tacoma. Before joining JayRay, Golbienko
was the graphic designer
for a home remodeling
company, while at the
same time completing
her degree at the International Academy of
Design and Technology
in Seattle. Doane, on the
other hand, was previously the finance billing
manager at McGladrey,
Golbienko
Doane
a national assurance, tax and consulting firm,
overseeing the client billing function for McGladrey’s offices in the western United States.
Doane earned her bachelor’s degree in finance
from the University of Washington with a minor in marketing.
n At its Jan. 25 annual
meeting in Seattle, Associated General Contractors of Washington
elected Butch Brooks,
owner of Brooks Construction Management
in Fife, as its 2013 President. Brooks is a former
Brooks
Fife City Council member and Mayor Pro-Tem. Other South Sound
contractors elected to AGC’s Board of Trustees
are John Korsmo of Tacoma’s Korsmo Construction, Inc., and Steve Barger of Puyallup’s
Northwest Cascade, Inc.
n Kent R. Hojem, CEO of the Washington
State Fair in Puyallup, was elected president of
the Western Fairs Association at the annual
conference in Reno in January. The board of
directors elected Hojem, who will hold the position for one year. Hojem has been with Washington State Fair since March 1996 and has
served as CEO since January 2005. He serves
on the board of directors and is treasurer of
Int’l. Association of Fairs and Expositions. He is
also serving on the board of Washington State
4-H Foundation, Tacoma Regional Convention
+ Visitors Bureau, Puyallup/Sumner Chamber
of Commerce, Communities In Schools of Puyallup, and the Fred Oldfield Western Heritage
Museum, among others.
n Michael R. Sand,
president of Timberland Bank, recently announced the addition of
Todd Van Cise as a commercial loan officer with
the bank’s business banking division. Van Cise is
headquartered at the TaVan Cise
coma office to serve clients throughout Pierce and South King County.
Van Cise has over 10 years experience in banking, most recently with West Coast Bank. Van
Cise is affiliated with the South Center Rotary
Club, where he serves as program director.
n McGavick Graves, P.S., is pleased to welcome retired Judge Rosanne Buckner to the
law firm. Judge Buckner will draw upon 32
years of experience as a judicial officer in offering arbitration, mediation, and related services.
Her practice also will include civil litigation
consultation and representation. The firm also
is pleased to announce that Brian L. Green
has been admitted as a shareholder of the firm.
Green joined the firm in 2006 and his practice
focuses on business, real estate, and creditors’
rights.
n University of Puget Sound President Ron-
ald R. Thomas has been
elected to the board of
directors of the National
Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. Since assuming the role of president
at Puget Sound a decade
ago, Thomas has served
in numerous positions
Thomas
representing the higher
education sector. Thomas is a current member
of the executive committee of the Annapolis
Group, a consortium of about 130 national independent liberal arts colleges.
n Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced
the hiring of Kendee Yamaguchi as Director of Policy, Legislative Affairs and External
Relations at the Attorney General’s Office.
Yamaguchi will lead Ferguson’s governmental
affairs team, advising the office on legislative issues, policy and external relations. Previously,
as the executive director of the Washington
State Commission on Asian Pacific American
Affairs, Yamaguchi served as a small agency
cabinet member and advised the Governor,
state agencies, the Legislature and local government on policies, plans and programs.
Submit items for People on the move –
including promotions, recognitions and
new hires – to news@BusinessExaminer.
com.
SouthsoundSelling
Pushy, assertive, obnoxious or professional?
Sales reps get a bad rap for trying to sell
too hard.
You’ve heard the term “pushy salesman”
or “aggressive salesperson” or even “obnoxious salesman.” And salespeople go to great
lengths not to be perceived as pushy, or aggressive, or obnoxious, so they (maybe you)
go to the opposite end of the spectrum and
try to be or be known as professional.
BEWARE and BE AWARE: A professional sales call is okay, but boring. Professional meetings typically have no outcome.
Or worse, they result in never-ending followups, void of sales. Here’s a good way to think
about professionalism: Your customer must
see you as a professional person. It’s more of
a look on your part and a perception on the
part of the customer. In today’s world of selling, professionalism is a given. Your words,
actions and deeds take over from there.
Professionalism is not bad, but professionalism alone will not net sales.
MAJOR AHA! Between pushy, aggressive, obnoxious, and professional lies a middle ground – a ground where sales are made.
It’s known as assertive.
CAUTION: Assertiveness is not a word –
it’s a strategy and a style. It’s not just “a way
in which you conduct yourself.” Rather, it’s a
full-blown strategy that has elements to master way before assertiveness can begin and be
accepted as a style of selling.
Request for
Qualifications
and Proposals
1.18 acre Waterfront
Development Site located
on 1.5 miles of prime master
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is a unique shoreline
development opportunity
for residential/multi-family,
office and/or retail adjacent
to major public investments.
The Foss Waterway
Development Authority
is issuing the RFQ/P
effective February 12, 2013.
Responses to the RFQ/P
are due by 5:00 p.m.
on March 15, 2013.
For a copy of the RFQ/P
call 253-597-8122 or
1-888-328-8122 or e-mail
[email protected].
We know how to make
deals that make sense.
By Jeffrey Gitomer
Buy Gitomer
President
BEWARE and BE AWARE: Assertiveness is a GOOD style of selling as long as you
have mastered the elements that make “assertive” acceptable on the customer’s part.
So where does assertiveness come from?
• The root of assertiveness is belief: your
belief in what you do, your belief in who you
represent, your belief in the products and
services that you sell, your belief in yourself, your belief that you can differentiate
yourself from (and not compare yourself to)
your competitor and your firm belief that
the customer is better off having purchased
from you. These are not things you believe in
your head. Rather, these are things you must
believe in your heart. Deep belief is the first
step in creating an assertive process. Until
you believe, mediocrity is the norm. Once
you believe in your heart, all else is possible.
• Have an attitude of positive anticipation.
In order to be assertive, positive attitude or
YES! attitude is not enough. You must possess an “attitude of positive anticipation.”
This means walking into any sales call with
a degree of certainty that the outcome will be
in your favor. It means having a spirit about
you that is easily contagious, a spirit that
your customer can catch, and buy.
• Total preparation is the secret sauce of
assertiveness. This must include customerfocused, pre-call planning, as well as creating the objective, the proposed outcome, for
a sales call. Most salespeople make the fatal
mistake of preparing in terms of themselves
(product knowledge, literature, business
cards, blah, blah). The reality of total preparation means preparing in terms of the customer FIRST. Their needs, their desires, and
their anticipated positive outcomes – their
win. If these elements are not an integral part
of your preparation, you will lose to someone
who has them.
• The assertive equation must also contain
undeniable value in favor of the customer.
This is not just part of preparation, this is
also part of the relationships you have built
with other customers who are willing to testify on your behalf, and other proof that you
have (hopefully in video format) that a prospective customer can relate to, believe in,
and purchase as a result of.
REALITY: It’s not about changing your
beliefs, it’s about strengthening your beliefs.
It’s not about changing your attitude, it’s
about building your attitude. It’s not about
changing your preparation, it’s about intensi-
fying your preparation. It’s not about adding
value, it’s about delivering perceived value.
BIGGER REALITY: When you have
mastered belief, attitude, preparation and
value as I have just defined them, then and
only then, can assertiveness and assertive
selling begin to take place.
BIGGEST REALITY: Incremental
growth in belief, attitude, preparation, and
value offered will lead to assertive sales calls
and an increase in sales.
YOUR STATURE IS THE GLUE: Your
professional look, your quiet self-confidence,
your surety of knowledge and information
that can help your customer, your past history of success, your possession of undeniable proof and your assertive ability to ask
your customers to be responsible to their
customers and their employees. (Responsibility is an acceptable — and assertive — form
of accountability). No customer wants to be
accountable to a sales rep – but EVERY customer has a MISSION to be responsible to
his or her customers and co-workers.
When you combine your belief, your attitude, your preparation, your value, and your
assertiveness, the outcome is predictable: It’s
more sales.
Jeffrey Gitomer is president of Charlottebased Buy Gitomer. He can be reached at
[email protected].
LET’S KEEP THE
ECONOMY
MOVING.
At Pacific Continental Bank,
we’re invested in growing local
businesses. The best way to do
that is by making money available
to fuel business expansion.
Contact our Tacoma business-banking
experts to discuss your loan needs today:
Susan Moblo, 253-552-4802
Thomas Kuljam, 253-522-4803
therightbank.com
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