Catalyst Winter Issue 61

Jack Heath

Washington Trust Bank

Mark Aden DCI Engineers

Dana Harbaugh NAC Architecture

WINTER 2015 #61 • $2.95 (Display Until March 15, 2015)

www.ibcatalyst.com

Three B2B winners proving business synergy = success for our region

Contents

Vol. 11 Issue 1 Winter 2015

23 2014 Best in Business-to-Business Awards We asked our readers to tell us who they appreciate doing business with, who they turn to when they need the support, resources and expertise of another business. Read on for a list of businesses that hit gold, silver and bronze with their clients in 2014 in Inland Business Catalyst’s Best of Business-to-Business Awards.

On the cover

B2B at its finest: Dana Harbaugh, president and CEO of NAC Architecture (bronze in best architectural firm); Jack Heath, president and CEO of Washington Trust Bank (silver for best business man; WA Trust won gold in best business banking and silver in best credit card processing); Mark Aden, principal and president of DCI Engineers (gold in best engineering firm) standing on the balcony of Anthony’s at Spokane Falls (gold in best restaurant for business lunch).

Photo taken by Dean Davis (gold for best commercial photographer).

departments

18 Charitable Giving

Editor’s letter 6 The BOMB 9 Travel like a pro 10 Million $ idea test 10 Business news clips 11

Get off to giving in the New Year by making informed decisions about who you support and why by doing your research first, and focusing on a charity’s overall performance.

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Business Spotlight Enthusiastic entrepreneurs Rena and Tayler McGill decided Spokane was more than just a good place to live.

The mother and son team realized the city’s location, growth and position as an emerging technology hub were the perfect motivators for starting a new business. Their online marketing venture, PokeNLink launches this year.

16 Is Your Success Lacking? 7 Senseless

Habits To kibosh now

Motivational speaker and author Shawn Anderson takes the idea of living a life you love seriously. With a mission of empowering one million people to lead a more positive and purposeful life, this 6-time motivational author shares seven senseless habits that are currently hijacking our success.

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Leadership with Colonel Brian Newberry When Colonel Brian Newberry’s time was up as Fairchild Airforce Base’s commander, the community was excited to hear he was planning to stay in Spokane as executive director of Leadership Spokane. Learn what made him stay, and what his plans are for developing leaders in our region.

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Editor's

Photo by Kelly Tareski

Letter Personal Branding:

The Who of You

W

ho are you? What would you like to be known for?

Personal branding is how we define ourselves in the workplace, while also incorporating the personal elements that make us who we are.

Letting people know who you are, and controlling how you come across, are important to being successful. Branding yourself keeps you current in your field, opens doors for you, and creates a lasting impression on potential and existing clients. By developing your own brand, you’ll have control over the initial—and lasting—perception people have of you. Your personal brand is not a tagline or an ad campaign. It’s a combination of your interests, beliefs, ethos, values, talents and skills. Kick off the New Year with personal branding on the top of your list, and follow these tips to make your brand shine: Start establishing yourself now. Just about everyone is being Googled by friends, colleagues, and potential customers these days, so make sure the content popping up in search engines is in line with your brand. You can control this, in part, by proactively building an online presence through your own website or blog. Search engines pick up social media pages, but having your own domain will produce a more finite result. By developing either a static website or a blog under your own domain name (yourfullname.com), you will own the first result for your name in Google and other search engines. Add a professionally taken picture (include a high resolution version, as well, so media has

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swift access to your preferred image when they decide to rave about you), a bio, notable projects and awards, your email address, and links to the rest of your presence online, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Giving people lots of options to contact you increases the chances they will.

Nail down your niche. Being a photographer is your profession, and you are good at what you do, but talent isn’t the only thing setting you apart from others in your industry. What do you specialize in? What is your niche? To stand out from the crowd in your profession, you need to pinpoint your specialty… is it commercial buildings, or restaurant food photography, swaddled babies, weddings, school portraits? I noticed racy lingerie images posted online from the same photographer who took my daughter’s high school dance team’s photos. I’m calling that a clash of the niches . . . and I’ll be calling the school, as well. Remember the three Cs of branding: clarity, consistency, constancy. Be clear in who you are and are not. Determine where you want to fit in, and then remain visible to your target audience. This is the age of the niche and if you can’t decide, the public will decide for you.

Don’t allow anyone’s standards to be higher than yours, and don’t allow anyone to tempt you below the high bar. If you find yourself engaging in an intense moment, and feel tempted to explode, think again. It doesn’t matter whom you work for or what is happening around you, you are fully responsible for your actions at all times and under all circumstances. Make it your mantra: with everything you say and do, you are creating your brand. You may move on from that unsavory moment, or that place of employment, but your brand will always be a part of you.

Everything you share, you perpetuate. We walk a delicate line on social media when our contacts are both personal and professional. A Facebook business contact posted one of those “People of WalMart” videos on his wall with a comment ridiculing the people in the video. Belittling and teasing or bullying others is never acceptable and it will be difficult for people to take you seriously if that is something you choose to perpetuate.

Watch your language. I’ve noticed an upswing of businesses using foul language in their promotional material. Some people say it’s edgy, some say they are being clever. There are, in the very least, a quarter of a million distinct English words. If you want to be edgy and clever, try using something you won’t hear rampant on a local middle school campus. If you aren’t too cool for school, give yourself a refresher course in definitions to break down what you are really saying. Like actions, words stick in the minds of those around you: the public, potential and existing clients, your mother.

Words don’t hurt, people do. So use them wisely. Never put anything in writing you would be ashamed of saying in front of others. Remember, if you write it, you make it possible to be passed along. Hearing negativity is one thing, seeing a conversation played out in front of your eyes is a more damaging—and potentially more permanent— insult. You may not be a Sony executive, but your impact—good and bad—is just as valuable in the line of work you do.

What is your goal as a professional? How do you want people to think of you? Make developing your personal brand a part of your daily mission. All of your time, words, and actions, whether in professional or personal settings, are developing your personal brand.

The true measure of your brand is the reputation others hold of you in their hearts and minds. How do you want your reputation— your brand—to fill the hearts and minds of friends, family, colleagues and clients?

In the new year, make an effort to do what you say you will do, to be positive in all of your interactions with others, and avoid spreading negativity. The best way to have a good brand is to be a good person.

From all of us at Bozzi Media, here’s to a happy and successful adventure in 2015.

Cheers to Good Business,

Stephanie Regalado

Vol. 11 Issue 1 Winter 2015 Editor Stephanie Regalado editor@ibcatalyst.com

Creative Director/ lead graphics Kristi Somday kristi@spokanecda.com

graphic Designer/ Traffic Manager Camille Martin camille@spokanecda.com

Photography Dean Davis Contributors Dennis Held Cheryl-Anne Millsap Tony Rubleski Renee Sande Business Development Emily Guevarra Bozzi emily@spokanecda.com

VP of Sales Cindy Guthrie

cindy@spokanecda.com

Senior Account manager Jeff Richardson jrichardson@spokanecda.com

Account managers Erin Meenach erin@bozzimedia.com

Monte Tareski

monte@bozzimedia.com

David Vahala

dvahala@bozzimedia.com

director of events & promotions Susanna Baylon events@bozzimedia.com

Operations director Kim Morin kim@spokanecda.com

accounts receivable and distribution Theresa Berglund theresa@spokanecda.com

Publisher and CEO Vincent Bozzi vince@spokanecda.com

Co-Publisher Emily Guevarra Bozzi emily@spokanecda.com

Find us on

facebook View our e-magazine ibcatalyst.com

Inland Business Catalyst magazine is published quarterly by Bozzi Media.

104 S. Freya St., Suite #209, Spokane, WA 99202-4866 Phone: 509.533.5350 | Fax: 509.535.3542 All content Š 2015. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Neither Bozzi Media nor Inland Business Catalyst magazine assume responsibility for errors in content, photos or advertisements.

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B MB ✲

business at its best

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5 Places to Clear your Mind and Open it Up for Success in 2015

By Stephanie Regalado

Y

ou’ve heard the musings that no one gets in the way of your goals and success quite like you do. Sometimes you need to break yourself out of the mania of your own ambition and breathe in a fresh perspective, because there isn’t anything quite like an open mind when it comes to developing new ideas and, well, changing the world. I like to flee to water or mountains when I need to clear my mind, so here are five of my favorite “get away and think” places, that I believe are worth a moment or two of your precious time:

1. Mineral Ridge National Recreation Trail, just east of Coeur d’Alene. A very manageable three and a half mile hike up, across and down a ridge best known for its breathtaking view of Lake Coeur d’Alene and bald eagle sightings this time of year. Mineral Ridge is located 11 miles east of Coeur d’Alene. Drive I-90 east from Coeur d’Alene for eight miles to the Wolf Lodge Bay exit (exit 22), then south on State Highway 97 for three miles.

2. Steptoe Butte State Park, near Colfax. Steptoe Butte is a 150-acre, 3,612-foot-tall National Natural Landmark. The thimbleshaped, quartzite butte looms high over the surrounding flat lands.

The park offers panoramic views of nearby farmlands, the Blue Mountains, and other neighboring ranges and peaks. An hour drive south on US-195, take exit 271 and stay left. Take a left at WA-27, signage will take you there.

3. Tubbs Hill in Coeur d’Alene.

Tubbs Hill consists of over 120 acres and is bordered by Lake Coeur d’Alene on the west, south

and east sides. There are several miles of hiking trails on the hill that provide spectacular scenery.

A 2.2-mile interpretive trail follows the perimeter of Tubbs Hill. From I-90 take NW Boulevard south, continue on as the road curves left and turns into Sherman Avenue.

Turn right on Second Street, which again curves left and hang a right into the 3rd Street parking lot.

4. Cliff Drive Overlook on Spokane’s south hill. The best overlook view of our fine city, so a great place to look out over “your people” as you plot to make yourself a household name. From downtown, head south on Stevens, take a right on Sumner Avenue, and another right on Stevens. A block down and, BEHOLD, our fine city. Worth visiting in daylight as well as after dark.

5. Walking the bridges in Riverfront Park. This 4.5-mile walk crosses 17 bridges in the heart of downtown Spokane. Start at the northeast end of the Monroe Street Bridge, making your way through Riverfront Park, and ending at the Rotary Fountain.

If you have a favorite place to clear your mind you would like to share, please send it to me at Stephanie@spokanecda.com.

High-resolution photos receive extra credit. winter 2015

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the

Million Dollar Idea?

Go from an idea to your dream business in one weekend All across America, millions of would-be entrepreneurs would love to turn their interest, hobby, or talent into a dream business . . . and Spokane entreprenuers are no exception. Unfortunately, most don’t know where to start and waste months or years without taking action.

According to Strikingly.com CEO David Chen—a serial entrepreneur who secured top White House kudos and received $1.5 million of funding for his own startup—any person with a business idea should set aside one weekend to test whether that idea might have huge potential. Here’s how:

1 2 Leadership Lessons from Ten Trailblazers

Who Beat the Odds and Influenced Millions

In

this latest book in the bestselling Mind Capture series by Tony Rubleski, you’ll get a chance to eavesdrop in and discover what 12 very different, yet highly successful, trailblazers did to achieve massive global success despite setbacks, critics, and other unique challenges during their upward climbs to amazing influence with their work on millions of people per year.

Based on in-depth recorded interviews, their stories are inspiring and loaded with valuable wisdom and tips you can use immediately to help blaze your own successful trail in both life and business.

You’ll also discover:

• Proven ways to get people to pay attention to your ideas • Why a strong mindset is essential to leadership • Proven ways to reinvent your business, life and career • Why failure is a big part of the overall success process • How to handle adversity, doubt, and critics • Ways to turn your ideas into reality and grow a business in any economy Tony Rubleski is the bestselling creator of the Mind Capture book series. He is also a keynote speaker, strategic business coach, and global event promoter. Find more information at www.mindcapture. com.

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STEP 1: DEVELOP YOUR IDEA ONLINE Instead of writing a business plan, describe your product or service on its own website (as if it already exists). Use a free or low-cost website builder (such as Strikingly.com) that lets you create a very simple site without any technical knowledge and that you can update on your own.

STEP 2: SHARE YOUR IDEA Leverage your network of friends and family on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other social networks to drive people to your new site. For your closest friends, request that they share your website link with others.

STEP 3: CAPTURE CUSTOMER INTEREST (AND EMAILS) Measure whether or not website visitors like your idea by having a strong “call to action.” For instance, if visitors are interested in purchasing your product or service, require that they first submit their email address (which you can also use for future marketing).

STEP 4: RINSE AND REPEAT If a low percentage of people seem interested in your idea, revise your idea concept and update your website accordingly. Start the process all over again with the revised idea.

By implementing these four steps in a single weekend, you can hone in on your market faster, test out multiple ideas simultaneously, and maybe even discover the next big thing. Why waste months or even years creating a product that people don’t really want?

travel like a pro

Keep Business Travel Healthy for 2015

By Cheryl-Anne Millsap

Both leisure and business travel is booming. Passenger numbers have exceeded expectations and more people are flying than ever before. With all those travelers comes a list of heath hazards: flu, colds and other health issues can arrive with you. If you are a frequent business traveler, here are some tips to help keep you healthy during 2015:

Keep your hands clean. Most airports have hand

sanitizers strategically placed throughout busy terminals.

Use them often. And remember, bathrooms aren’t the only germy spots in an airport. Escalator handrails, elevator buttons, waiting area seats and armrests, and food court countertops and tabletops are other hotspots. Carry your own sanitizing liquid or alcohol wipes and use them frequently.

Sanitize your seat. Once in your seat on the plane, use

an alcohol wipe to sanitize your tray table, armrest and other surfaces. Some experts say the little grooved knob that adjusts the airflow overhead is a place most people overlook and can harbor plenty of germs.

Give that a swipe with the wipe. Don’t forget seat pockets and seatbelt buckles.

Let the air flow. Don’t underestimate the power of moving air, especially when the passenger seated next to you is coughing or sneezing. Keep the air vent above your head open (once you’ve sanitized it) and positioned to blow on your face. This will keep air moving and possibly diminish your exposure.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. The downside of pressurized cabins, especially with the air vent blowing across your face, is a dry nose and throat. Drink plenty of water to keep your body hydrated and healthy.

Start healthy and stay healthy. Early flights can have you

at the airport before the sun comes up, so try to get to bed early the night before. And try to think healthy when you eat on the go. Avoid fast food when you can, opting instead for healthy snacks like fresh fruit and protein bars. Overthe-counter vitamin booster drinks and supplements such as Airborne or Emergen-C can’t hurt but some say taking zinc is the only way to effectively reduce the life of a cold.

Cheryl-Anne Millsap blogs about travel for Spokesman.com at www.spokesman/blogs/ homeplanet. She can be reached at catmillsap@gmail.com

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Business

News Clips

Startup Grind Spokane

New Boutique:

White Lavender

White Lavender is a romantic boutique featuring home, garden and apparel with a vintage flare. Now open in Steam Plant Square, Cathie Freed’s wonderful selection of dresses, pretty slips, flirty skirts and accessories has already gained quite a following and will soon be available online at www.WhiteLavenderShop.com.

White Lavender is located at 159 S. Lincoln St. in Spokane.

MonkeyBoy Bicycles in Kendall Yards

Spokane’s premier bicycle shop devoted to urban transportation, MonkeyBoy Bicycles offers cycle chic in Spokane. Located near the Centennial Trail in Kendall Yards, they carry city bikes, destination clothing, commuting accessories, helmets, and all the basics to get you started on your commuting and recreational adventures. Whether you are riding the Centennial Trail, commuting to work, or running errands on your bicycle, they have what you need for all your two-wheeled transportation needs. In addition to bicycles, they also carry Current Sidewalk Scooters, ELSA Kicksleds, Linus Lil Dutchi and Roadster, and KaZAM Balance Bikes.

MonkeyBoy Bicycles brings its customers high quality products, including locally made merchandise.

(509) 863-9272 | www.monkeyboybicycles.com

Regal Fabrics and Gifts

Irene Fransk is pleased to announce the opening of Regal Fabrics and Gifts, a new retail fabric and gift store at 5620 S. Regal St. on the South Hill of Spokane.

The store carries high quality quilt fabrics and notions, a full line of purse and tote hardware, custom sewing products, and offers a variety of quilting and sewing classes.

Irene has been an avid quilter and seamstress for more than 40 years and has operated an online custom sewing business for the past seven years. Opening a retail store

EXL Realty’s

Local Spokane entrepreneur Marsh Sutherland was named the new Startup Grind Spokane Chapter Director. Startup Grind is a global community of entrepreneurs holding Fireside Chats with worldclass entrepreneurs to educate, inspire and connect entrepreneurs, investors and company representatives. In other words, they are TEDx for Startups and are sponsored

by Google for Entrepreneurs.

“We believe in making friends, not contacts,” says Sutherland. “We believe in giving, not taking. We believe in helping others before helping

yourself. We are truly passionate about helping founders, entrepreneurs and startups succeed.”

Currently Startup Grind Fireside Chat meetings are held at 60 cities and more than 20 countries worldwide.​ www. startupgrind.com

grew out of her love for quilting, finding high quality quilting fabric and filling a need for the quilt and sewing community on the South Hill and the southwest of Spokane. In addition, there is a growing trend of younger people who are learning to sew and quilt, and design their own clothing and home décor.

Regal Fabrics and Gifts will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Sundays. Wine and sew class nights will be held Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Kathy Bryant

It has always been Kathy Bryant’s desire to help others live their lives on their own terms, and everything she does is in support of that goal. She turns what may be expected to be an overwhelming process into an enjoyable one, empowering clients—and their families—every step of the way as a senior real estate specialist at EXL Realty.

Bryant developed the program, “Your Life, Your Move, Your Terms.” Her mission is to give the gift of knowledge and a true sense of caring to her clients. “It is my goal to earn my client’s trust and to help however I possibly can,” she says. “I do this by being available to answer their questions, and refer them to trusted resources and support them every step of the way.” www.kathybryanthomes.com (509) 993-3538

New Beginning, New Life with Spokane Heights Detox

Spokane Heights Detox is opening a premier medical detoxification center in Spokane, in January 2015. They plan to offer a private and individualized approach to the process, where each client will be treated by medical staff, along with trained chemical dependency and behavioral health professionals. Their atmosphere is one of serenity and peacefulness, with private rooms in a state of the art facility. Offering services for alcohol abuse, opiate abuse, methamphetamine abuse, benzodiazepine abuse, cocaine abuse, or detoxification from many other addictive substances, with hands-on 24/7 medical staff, therapeutic staff, monitoring and support, catered meals/menu selection, safe environment, continuum of care planning, and same day intakes available. (509) 919-4150 | www.spokaneheightsdetox

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business

spotlight instead found my drive for business management in the technology realm.

A black belt in karate and a high interest in the economy set me on a laser-focused path in business. I was co-author of an interactive money management education program and recently partnered in the development of PokeNLink. As partner, I am responsible for post-development technology architecture and implementation.

PokeNLink

By Cheryl-Anne Millsap

E

nthusiastic entrepreneurs Rena and Taylor McGill decided Spokane was more than just a good place to live. The mother and son team realized the city’s location, growth and position as an emerging technology hub were the perfect motivators for starting a new business. Their online marketing venture, PokeNLink launches this year (2015).

You’ve both led interesting lives. Give Catalyst readers a bit of information about your background and experience.

Rena: I have 35 years experience working in new product development, operations and management, retail, and marketing strategy. As a gourmet cook, I ventured into ownership of a kitchen store for several years that ultimately morphed into a design and supply firm for the resort and timeshare market.

The development of creative, distinctive and affordable furnishings programs resulted in many industry awards. With a passion to develop a business solution that could make a difference in the community, I later went on to develop a money management education program. This program was designed to boost families struggling to keep their homes, at a time when many were looking for a solution to help avoid foreclosure.

Taylor: I have 12 years of technology and business experience with a B.A. in management and operations from Washington State University. I started college with the intent of following the path of a software programmer and

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What brought you back to Spokane?

Rena: I moved to Spokane from Seattle six years ago looking to relocate back to my home town. And as a serial entrepreneur I began looking for a new venture. I discovered a real need for a simple to use and affordable online marketing tool for small businesses and organizations. PokeNLink was born.

PokeNLink will launch in 2015.

What is it and what does it do?

PokeNLink is an online interactive marketing tool that gives businesses and organizations a community platform to engage with and market to their audience. With a PokeNLink Community, you now have an easy way to consolidate content, interaction and eCommerce into one affordable marketing platform.

We believe you need to get back to engaging your audience. When someone visits your website, how will you know who visited? How will you build a relationship with them? How will you grow and monetize that connection?

With a PokeNLink Community, you will interact within the same platform

in which you market your products and services.

Each customized and self-managed Community is boosted with forums, blogs, eCommerce, document and media downloads, multi-tier organization capability, social media feeds, and more.

It all comes with one low monthly subscription fee. We believe it’s time to get personal with business.

What is your impression of the business climate in Spokane? Is it entrepreneur friendly?

We are very proud to be doing business in Spokane. There is a real opportunity to expand Spokane into a strong technology corridor. There have been great technology products and businesses incubated or created by innovators. Seattle and Microsoft have created a very different culture on the West Side of the state, but I believe many developers are beginning to see the great benefits of a simpler lifestyle with a more affordable cost of living here in Spokane. Spokane offers great cultural, entertainment, and sports opportunities here as well. What’s not to like?

Looking forward, what would you like to do or accomplish?

PokeNLink was started with a mission to turn back the clock on relationship marketing. The small-to-medium business market struggles to compete for the same marketing dollar. In order to succeed, there is a great need to get back to the basic principles of really knowing your customer. We will have succeeded when we witness our customer’s success, one relationship at a time.

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910 N. Washington St, Suite #107 Spokane, WA 99201

Spokane’s Professional Landlord Where YOUR PROPERTY is OUR PRIORITY! Two options to serve you...

Full Service Management or Tenant Placement Only Specializing In: Single Family Rental Homes, Duplexes & Four-plexes

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Customer

Care

10 Customer Service Commandments

By Tony Rubleski, Mind Capture Group

(509) 465-9052

Info@MadisonSpokane.com

beautiful flowers for any room in your home & business

"Beautiful Flowers for a Beautiful Life"

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509.747.2101 On the top of Sunset Hill sunsetfloristspokane.com

I

t always amazes me when the topic of customer service comes up, how people take notice and jump in to share their experiences. Most of the time, they share the long list of horror stories, but on occasion they reveal how they were impressed by good service. To me, complaining is an easy way out, so I’m going to keep things upbeat related to this topic.

Great service helps drive greater profits, foster happier employees, build higher repeat business, referrals, and bottom line: happier customers. I was recently on the phone with a friend and we were discussing this very topic, when the idea hit me to create a fun and helpful list to remind each of us as to the many

benefits of great customer service.

Here they are, The 10 Mind Capture Customer Service Commandments. May they inspire and guide you to greater service, improved morale, higher profits, and happier customers in 2015 and beyond.

Thou shall never forget that the customer is our paycheck.

Thou shall memorize and always use the magic words “Please” and “Thank You” when engaging customers.

Thou shall realize that it can take years to earn someone’s business and only seconds to lose it.

Thou shall realize that we’re ALL in customer service today regardless of title or position.

Thou shall give thanks to their employer or else seek employment elsewhere.

Thou shall write thank you notes daily to show appreciation and gratitude.

Thou shall be rewarded with many referrals for exceptional customer service.

Thou shall offer solutions and not excuses to customers seeking help.

Thou shall laugh each day and smile often when interacting with customers and co-workers.

Thou shall invest in personal development to fend off negativity and gossip in the marketplace.

Book a “Party in a Box” with Bozzi Media!

Host a Release Party for Spokane CDA Living magazine.

Pick the menu, provide the venue and we bring the crowd and cover the rest!

Contact us at 509-533-5350 sales@bozzimedia.com

Best Networking Event

Tony Rubleski is the president of Mind Capture Group.

For feedback, questions, suggestions or article ideas he can be reached via email at Tony@MindCaptureGroup.com.

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Fueling

ambition

Is Your

Success Lacking?

Senseless Habits To Kibosh

Motivational

speaker and author Shawn Anderson takes the idea of living a life you love seriously. With a mission of empowering one million people to lead a more positive and purposeful life, this six-time motivational author shares seven senseless habits that are currently hijacking our success.

HABIT #1: Hanging out on Facebook.

“Facebook is a fun way to kill time,” Anderson says. “But that’s what it does: it kills time. Time that could be used to create, inspire and build.”

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HABIT #2: Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

“Filling our heads with unedifying TV doesn’t do a lot to help us achieve a better life,” Anderson comments.

“Instead, exchange an hour of TV time to build your own dream rather than a celebrity’s dream.”

HABIT #3: Staying up late.

“The surest way to be unmotivated on a Monday is to stay up late on a Sunday. Want to feel energized?

Watch a few more sunrises.”

HABIT #4: Spending money you don’t have.

“Having the freedom to do what you want in life starts with not being chained down by financial obligations. Give your credit card a rest.”

HABIT #5: Working at a job you hate.

“Nothing saps the life out of you more than working at a job you hate.

Find something else.”

HABIT #6: Hanging out with negative people.

“If you have people in your life who drain you of all that is positive, ask yourself ‘Why in the world are they even in my life?’”

HABIT #7: Pointing fingers.

“Take a massive leap forward and take responsibility for where you are in your life. It’s not your boss’s fault . . . or your spouse’s . . . or the government’s that you’re not where you want to be. It’s your own causeand-effect decisions that have you sitting where you are.”

“Why would we ever want to live a life that makes us unhappy?”

Anderson asks. “We read everywhere about what we need to do to be successful. But I believe if we just change a few of our habits, we’d be much closer to leading a life we love.”

The author of six books, including A Better Life: An Inspiring Story About Starting Over and Extra Mile America: Stories of Inspiration, Possibility and Purpose. For more information about Shawn Anderson, go to www.

ShawnAnderson.com. To contact Anderson directly, email Shawn@ ShawnAnderson.com.

Best B2B Firms 2014 Thursday, January 15th 2015 | 5-8pm

Bank of America Building | Lobby | 601 W Riverside | Spokane

Spokane area professionals will kick off the new year with a celebration of the region’s BEST B2B Firms of 2014.

This trade show and networking event will feature area businesses who are making a difference in our region. You’ll meet the best business people, best PR firms, best staffing firms, best web design firms, best office supplies, best event facilities and more at this networking event.

FREE ADMISSION!!

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charitable giving The BBB WGA recommends these tips to give wisely: Watch out for copycats. There may be hundreds of charities seeking support in the same category, and some may have similar sounding names. Don’t fall for a case of mistaken identity.

Consider the whole picture, not just finances. While financial ratios help in identifying cases of financial abuse, it’s a mistake to use them as the sole basis for making a giving decision. A good ratio does not necessarily mean a charity is well managed, honest in its appeals, transparent about its activities, and effective in achieving its mission.

Avoid being pressured. Don’t succumb to pressure to make an onthe-spot giving decision. Responsible organizations will welcome your gift tomorrow just as much as today.

Keep emotions in check. Donors need to be mindful that con artists will often strike when emotions are running high. Always take a moment to verify that your selected charity operates ethically.

Rely on rigorous evaluations. Charities can demonstrate they are trustworthy by undergoing a rigorous evaluation based on holistic standards such as the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. Get free access to BBB Charity Reports at Give.org.

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– Be Assured –

Peace of Mind With Your Charitable Giving

By Renée Sande

G

iving is at the heart of who we are. Maybe this is why, when we trust our charitable giving in the hands of someone else, we feel betrayed when we hear that the end result didn’t quite line up with our intent.

While there are many credible philanthropic organizations out there, there are also many that seem to know what they’re doing, but are seriously mismanaged; however, whether unintentionally or recklessly, the results can still be the same.

So how do you make a wise decision when it comes to your giving goals?

Vice president and director of network support and knowledge sharing at the National Council of Nonprofits, Jennifer Chandler, says there’s no better way to feel good about your gift than to get to know the charitable organization as well as you can.

“That means making informed donations by doing your research first, and focusing on a charity’s overall performance, instead of just one or two things, like overhead or fundraising costs,” said Chandler, in an interview on NationSwell.com.

Small business owner Amber Doyle agrees. She likes to keep her giving local so she really knows, first-hand, who she’s contributing to, alleviating any misconceptions.

“I like local charities where you can see them in action and the impact they have on your community,” says Doyle, from her store, Bombshell Boutique in Liberty Lake. “When you know the people involved personally, it’s easier to get the questions answered and trust how things are run. I don’t look at annual reports. The outcome of what they are doing speaks volumes,” says Doyle.

While Doyle has done her research, a recent study by the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA), found that many Americans don’t understand the big picture when it comes to donating, as 46 percent reported that looking at the nonprofit’s finances would verify their trust in the organization.

“Donors using only one piece of information may have a false sense of confidence,” says Art Taylor, president and CEO of BBB WGA, on their website Give.org.

However, it has been seen as so prevalent among donors that Taylor joined forces in 2013 with president of Charity Navigator, Ken Berger, and president and CEO of GuideStar, Jacob Harold, to try and crush the “Overhead Myth”—the false notion that overhead ratios serve as the sole basis for trusting a charity.

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non-

profit

Thank you for voting us one of the best!

2901 E. Trent Ave., Spokane, WA 99202

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Last October, they asked charities to month. help move toward a solution by demonBerger explains in his blog that how strating ethical practices, managing tothey do this can all be summed up with ward results and educating donors. the image of a tricycle.

“Based on the overwhelming response “Just as there are three wheels on a trito our [2013] letter to the donors of cycle, there are questions to be answered America, we know the nonprofit sector by the charities covering three core is hungry to dispel this myth,” says Hardimensions of their performance—reold. sults, financial health and governance,” “Our second letter, addressed directly says Berger. to nonprofits, builds on that momentum “The front wheel [results] is the by providing actionable steps so nonmost important for moving forward profit leaders can focus on meaningful and meeting the mission of the charity. and measurable results rather than misHowever, results alone are not enough. leading, simplistic overhead ratios.”

Without good financial management In fact, the trio created a website [back wheel], today's results can be tocalled OverheadMyth.com under a Cremorrow’s bankruptcy. Without good ative Commons license, where nonprofit governance [the other back wheel], organizations can print the “Actionable today's results can be tomorrow’s unSteps” for free and use it how they wish. ethical leadership scandal. Finally, you “Our campaign to end the Overhead need someone at the steering wheel who Myth and move toward an Overhead is capable, passionate, and ethical and Solution will become a dead end if we focused on data-driven high perfordon’t encourage, engage, empower and mance.” inspire the nonprofit sector to change The BBB WGA also lists the evaluacourse and begin to become more retions of charitable organizations based sults focused,” says Berger. on 20 holistic standards on their website.

So if a donor is interested in finding “Just look up a charity and quickly see out if the charity they’re interested in is if it is BBB accredited,” says Art Taylor. on the up and up, how do they go about “Our standards make it easy for donors it? to ensure they are giving their time and Charity Navigator, a nation-wide money to a trustworthy charity.” watchdog and nonprofit 501(c) (3) itself, which “works to guide intelligent giving,” takes the guesswork out of this daunting decision by assessing the most important metrics of more than 8,000 charities and posting the results online, ranking the top-performing and worstperforming charities each year, across a variety of genres of social causes.

Berger says they aim to break the information down into certain desirable or undesirable patterns of performance—such as MISSION 10 Charities Routinely in the good governance Red, 10 Charities with the Lowest Paid CEOs at the Highest-rated Charities and 10 Charities Worth good management Watching. These lists are updated on the first of every

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B2B at its finest: Dana Harbaugh, president and CEO of NAC Architecture (bronze in best architectural firm); Mark Aden, principal and president of DCI Engineers (gold in best engineering firm); Jack Heath, president and CEO of Washington Trust Bank (silver for best business man; WA Trust won gold in best business banking and silver in best credit card processing) standing on the balcony of Anthony’s at the Falls (gold in best restaurant for a business lunch). Photo taken

by Dean Davis (gold for best commercial photographer).

Best in business-to-business

awards 2014

tell to rn s r de ey tu rea of th ur o ho ertise it w d xp ske ith, t h e a ess w and e s tha nd W e n . s i Inla us ce ess ner ow ing b resour busin 14 in . s s s do 20 of rt, ine ard bus reciate suppo a list nts in ss Aw l l sma y app d the on for eir clie usine ry e th o-B eve ho th y nee Read ith ness-t e w w . h i t s e s us hen Bus ine onz nda w bus nd br est of me ey o t r m e th co th r a ’s B r l re dy, ano , silve talyst ona nt stu nsume a d s l r e go ss C co ece cle, ep sine t ar to a r er of se cy ou n B a g ort driv cha ss-t imp cordin one e pur usine to w c r B o h t h A nce be g a f ? t n o i r m s tion he nu stage includ l impo t , a are every ories of vit g t e s i t a ca ight s ion s uct ecis prod his in d T e e s l . a s p lti ch se pur ss mu terpri n o e r ac ss ine Bus

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winter 2015 photo by Dean Davis Photography

Best Florist

Liberty Park Florist & Greenhouse Dominic Alice, an Italian immigrant, opened Liberty Park Florist in 1928, and while there have been many changes over the years, the family-owned business is still growing strong to meet your floral and planting needs.

Hand picked specialties include fresh flower arrangements, unique European basket gardens, blooming and green plants, fruit and gourmet baskets, along with balloons and silk arrangements. www.libertyparkflorist. com | (509) 534-9381 Silver: Appleway Florist Bronze: Beau K Florist

Best Accounting Firm

Fruci & Associates Fruci and Associates serves an extensive clientele, ranging from single person operations to companies with hundreds of employees and millions of dollars in annual sales. Whether your company requires tax planning, accounting systems, auditing, or regulatory management advisory services, the professionals and certified public accountants at Fruci and Associates are prepared to give you and your company the personal service and dedication essential in making your business as successful and profitable as it can be. www.fruci.com | (509) 624-9223 Silver: McDirmid, Mikkelsen & Secrest Bronze: Clifton Larson Allen

Best Business Law Firm

Winston & Cashatt Lawyers Winston & Cashatt’s reputation with judges, lawyers, clients, and the community is unparalleled. That reputation has been

forged for more than 50 years by one thing: demanding excellence of themselves for each client, each case, and in every aspect of representation. www.winstoncashatt.com | (509) 838-6131 Silver: Stamper Rubens Bronze: Witherspoon Kelley

Best Credit Card Processing Company

Heartland Payment Systems Heartland is the fifth largest payment processor in the United States, delivering credit, debit, prepaid card processing, mobile commerce, e-commerce, marketing solutions, security technology, payroll solutions, and related business solutions and services to more than 300,000 businesses and educational institutions nationwide. www.heartlandpaymentsystems.com Silver: Washington Trust Bank Merchant Services Bronze: Sphyra

Best Business Banking

Washington Trust Bank Four generations of wise, practical leadership have led Washington Trust Bank to be the oldest and largest privately owned commercial bank in the Pacific Northwest.

Founded in 1902, Washington Trust now has more than 40 financial centers and offices in Washington, Idaho and Oregon with nearly 750 employees. By personally getting to know you, your business and your goals, Washington Trust Bank custom-tailors solutions that give you exactly what you need to run your company effectively and efficiently. www.watrust.com | (800) 788-4578 Silver: Wells Fargo Bronze: Banner Bank

Best

B

Best Employment Agency

Humanix Humanix offers direct hire, contract, and temporary staffing placements in the areas of management/technical, administrative/ office, and skilled trades/light industrial.

Their proven expertise and reputation in the marketplace allows them to partner with leading companies and qualified candidates to provide a wide range of career opportunities. Whether you are looking for your next Super Star or looking for your next career step, you can confidently know Humanix will make the best recommendations to meet your needs. www. humanix.com | (509) 467-0062 Silver: Provisional Staffing Bronze: Aspen Personnel

Best Commercial Real Estate Company NAI Black Founded in 1958 as James S. Black and Company, NAI Black has a nearly five-decade track record of favorable outcomes for assets entrusted to their management. Under the direction of CEO David R. Black since 1984, NAI Black has been engineered to deliver cutting-edge services to its customers and serve a wide spectrum of real estate needs. NAI Black’s commercial brokerage and property management services for owners, investors, developers, and occupiers demonstrates their broad range of expertise and market knowledge. www.naiblack.com | (509) 623-1000 Silver: Cantu Commercial Properties Bronze: Kiemle & Hagood

Best Office Furniture

Contract Resource Group Contract Resource Group is one of the largest dealerships for comprehensive commercial interiors in the Inland Northwest, serving Washington, Idaho and Montana. With architectural products such as movable walls and raised flooring systems, office furniture, healthcare furnishings, open plan

usine Keller ss La A wyer Recog llen nized as one magaz of t in provid es, Keller “K he Best Em ing hig ploym elly” W en h . is that the fir quality serv Allen develo t Law attorn ic m eys an ped h quality e to h ’s clien d a Su is is ts are legal s per La always clients. The practice thro ervice wy s. www busine ugh h provid ard wo er by local a .k e s s d imm Silver e p ll e h r il a nd sta rk, be o : Rebe llen.co ediate sophy ing ac m | (50 cc t attent Bronz cessib te 9) 777 ion, an hat still con e: Lisa a Magnuso le a trols h -2211 d he s n Dickin is prac nd trives son t to pro vide th ice today e high est

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workstations, and high density storage systems, they stand ready to support the needs in the marketplace. www.contractresourcegroup.com (509) 458-0411 Silver: Davis Furniture Bronze: Kershaw’s

Best Promotional Products

Brand It Promotional Products As a division of Brand It Advertising, the team at Brand It Promotional products believes promotional products are a key component of your organization’s advertising efforts. You can find logo products anywhere—what sets Brand It apart is their understanding of the marketing process. They help you find custom imprinted solutions that compliment your overall marketing objectives. www.branditpromo.com (509) 954-6374

Taylor Engineering is proud to have been serving our community with Civil Engineering, Landscape Architecture & Surveying services since 1985.

Best Engineering Firm

www.taylorengr.com

Silver: Cassel Promotions Bronze: Zome Design

Best Dry Cleaning

Clark’s Cleaners Clark’s Cleaners has been washing and dry cleaning Spokane’s laundry since they opened in 1978 on the corner of Mission and Hamilton in the Gonzaga neighborhood. Owner Clark Kelsey launched the company’s second store downtown near Sprague and Division in 1983. “Our goal is to offer the best quality at the best price with the best customer service,” says Kelsey. Clark’s Cleaners cleans everything from shirts to suits and other dry-clean only attire, draperies, bedding and more. www.clarkscleaners. com | (509) 487-3424

Spokane: 509.328.3371 | Coeur d’Alene: 208.664.9405 | Pullman: 509.334.5115

Silver: Scollards Cleaners Bronze: Next Day Dry Cleaning

Best Sign Company

Baldwin Signs Since 1940, Baldwin Sign Company has been creating custom sign packages for businesses locally, regionally and nationally.

Baldwin Signs is a full-service sign company offering a wide range of products and services. From design to fabrication and installation, their mission is to provide quality signs and excellent customer service. Their fabrication processes meet or exceed industry best practice for the manufacture of internally illuminated signs. www.baldwinsigns.com | (509) 489-9191 Silver: Zome Design Bronze: Mountain Dog Sign Company

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Thank you Spokane for voting DCI Engineers a Top Engineering Firm!

photo by Travis Knight

Best Office Design Company

Hurtado|Hissong Design Group Founded in 2010 by Armando Hurtado and Josh Hissong, HDG is a collaborative architecture and design studio specializing in commercial and residential projects.

“They’re masters at walking the line between pleasing the client and staying true to art and design,” quipped one client. As another client summed up this award-winning firm, “The HDG crew and the work they do is the perfect blend of professionalism, edginess and cool.” www.studiohdg.com | (509) 321-5064 Silver: Contract Resource Group Bronze: Opensquare

Best Gift Basket/Gift Service Simply Northwest Sending a custom created gift basket from Simply Northwest is a great way to increase business and retain customer loyalty. As a professional gift service specializing in unique and custom gift baskets, specialty food and wines, and handcrafted items, Simply Northwest is pleased to offer Made in the USA products from local and regional vendors here and across the country. www. simplynorthwest.com | (509) 927-8206 Silver: Graceful Gift Baskets Bronze: Edible Arrangements photo by Tony Roslund

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Best High Tech Firm

Itron Itron is a world-leading technology and services company dedicated to the resourceful use of energy and water. They provide comprehensive solutions that measure, manage and analyze energy and water. Their broad product portfolio helps utilities responsibly and efficiently manage precious resources. www.itron.com Silver: Telect Bronze: Contineo

Best Business Startup

NUDO After years of traveling, NUDO’s owners Josh and Jingou Hissong had decided that what they always missed when coming home was the food. Whether it was a hole in the wall ramen shop in Paris or a warehouse sized noodle house in Beijing, they always missed the ramen. The owners of architecture firm, HDG Architecture, and another local restaurant, Ginger Asian Bistro, the couple knew they could bring some of that flavor back to Spokane, both in the design and the menu. The interior is a mix of Japan cool, clean lines and an open street-side feel.

The food is thoughtful, simple, and pleases every palate. www.www.nudoramen.com | (509) 290-5763 Silver: Borracho Tacos & Tequileria Bronze: PokeNLink

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The WSU Martin Stadium Expansion. DCI Engineers provided the structural engineering for this project in Pullman, completed in 2013.

photo by AECOM

Best Engineering Firm

DCI Engineers Founded in 1988, DCI Engineers has earned the reputation as an innovative civil and structural consulting engineering firm that provides some of the most cost-efficient engineering solutions for today’s construction environment. Licensed in all 50 states, DCI is headquartered in Seattle. DCI has offices in Spokane, Portland and Eugene, Oregon; San Diego, Irvine and San Francisco, California; and Austin, Texas. www.dci-engineers.com | (888) 433-8130 Silver: TD & H Bronze: Taylor Engineering

Best Collection Agency

Bonded Adjustment Company You deserve what’s coming to you. Bonded Adjustment Company has been locally owned and operated since 1916. Licensed and bonded in Washington, they specialize in asset recovery for medical, dental, law and utilities; open credit accounts; bad checks and NSF; judgments; and civil restitution.

Bonded Adjustment maintains strict adherence to Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and Fair Credit Reporting Act. www.bondedadj.com | (509) 624-5181 Silver: Automated Accounts Bronze: Valley Empire Collections

Best Commercial Architecture Firm

ALSC Architects ALSC Architects was founded in 1948 with the goal of translating the needs of clients into beautiful, functional spaces. The firm has gained local, regional and national recognition for the design of innovative architecture that engages the mind, body and spirit of the people using the space. With offices in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, ALSC is primarily involved with design commissions here in the beautiful Northwest. They have also designed projects for our clients at locations throughout the United States and have recently been selected for several international design commissions. www.alscarchitects.com | (509) 838-8568 Silver: Sam Rodell Architect Bronze: NAC Architecture

Best Commercial Photographer

Dean Davis “Photography isn’t just something I do—it’s a part of who I am. And a part of me goes into every project I shoot,” photographer Dean Davis writes on his Facebook page. While his job is to capture compelling and effective images that translate equally well in print, digital, and interactive media—on time and on budget—Davis’s commitment is to provide a photography experience based on honesty, respect, and professionalism. www.deandavis. com | (509) 456-8799 Silver: Diane Maehl Bronze: Don Hamilton

Best Networking Event

Bozzi Media Release Parties As each new issue of Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living magazine rolls off the press, the crew at Bozzi Media celebrates by bringing a

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couple hundred of their readers and fans to a local business in honor of the people, businesses, and things that make Spokane a great place to work, live and play. Call the Bozzi Media offices to learn how your business can host a magazine release party in 2015. (509) 533-5350

Law Firm of

Keller W. Allen, P.C. E m p l o y m e n t L aw

Silver: GSI Breakfast and Business After Hours Bronze: Spokane Valley Chamber Events

Best Advertising Agency

Hanna & Associates Founded by Dayne Hanna 36 years ago, Hanna and Associates in Coeur d’Alene has become one of the largest branding and marketing communications firms in the Inland Northwest. It opened a second office in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to serve longdistance clients. The award-winning agency serves a broad assortment of regional and national businesses and industries. Its current client list includes Northern Quest Resort and Casino, Avista Utilities, Pita Pit USA, Heritage University and Jewelry Design Center. www. hanna-advertising.com | (208) 667-2428 Silver: Magner Sanborn Bronze: Brand It Advertising

Best Public Relations Agency

Thank you Spokane for selecting Keller Allen Best Business Lawyer two years in a row!

AV Rated by Martindale Hubbell Listed in “Best Lawyers in America”

509-777-2211 www.kellerallen.com 5915 S. Regal, Ste. 211 Spokane, WA 99223

Keller W. Allen Admitted in Washington & Idaho

Desautel-Hege Communications Desautel-Hege Communications is a fullservice public relations and marketing firm providing integrated marketing solutions.

Capabilities include advertising, public and media relations, crisis communications and plan development. Desautel-Hege provides clients sound counsel, emphasizing strategic analysis, planning and implementation based on years of first-hand experience in diverse markets. www.desautelhege.com | (509) 4442350 Silver: Clark Company Bronze: Propaganda Creative

Best Computer Repair Business

Computer Business Solutions For 35 years CBS has been serving Spokane’s IT business needs. Their monitoring and management system takes a proactive approach to system administration that is a good fit for small and medium size businesses. CBS’s certified Apple and Microsoft technicians are able to diagnose, troubleshoot, and repair most types of IT equipment. Custom servers and workstations are available to fit any capacity and budget. www.cbs-spokane.com | (509) 536-1812 Silver: Intrinium Bronze: Spokane Computing

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Thank You Spokane for your votes!

Best Printing Company

Plese Printing & Marketing “It’s all about service” for owner/president Kim Please and the team at Plese Printing and Marketing. The full-service printing company specializes in design services, sheet-fed full color printing, spot color printing, high speed digital black and white copying, high speed digital color copying, binding/finishing and complete in-house direct mail marketing. www. pleseprint.com | (509) 534-2355 Silver: Century Publishing Bronze: Lawton Printing Services

Best Restaurant for a Business Lunch

Best

Employment Agency 2014

Local Relationships. Best Talent. Great Jobs.

1.800.805.0361

w w w .p r ov i s i on a l j obs .com

509.747.3000

Downtown Spokane 502 W Riverside Ste 203

Anthony’s at Spokane Falls Anthony’s at Spokane Falls is located in the heart of downtown Spokane and overlooks the Spokane River and upper falls. Their menu features fresh Northwest seafood and produce and they serve lunch and dinner daily. The view of the cascading river gushing over Spokane Falls provides a beautiful backdrop for business meetings. www.anthonys.com | (509) 3289009 Silver: The Onion Bronze: Davenport Safari Room

Best Catering Business

Catered For You Chef Herrera is the executive chef and CEO of Catered For You, Inc., in Spokane. Together with his wife and business partner, Linette Herrera, Catered for You operates as the largest exclusively off-premise caterer in the Spokane area. The Herrera’s business philosophy is to always put the customer first, by serving outstanding foods, providing impeccable service, and paying meticulous attention to every detail. www.catered4you.com | (509) 624-9686 Silver: Beacon Hill Bronze: Red Rock Catering

edwardslalonetravel.com

THANK YOU for recognizing Edwards LaLone Travel as a leading travel agency!

Realizing Potential,

Delivering results.

Thank You for voting us

Best Commercial Realty Company Best Event Facility

The Davenport Make a grand statement by hosting your next company party at the historic and elegant Davenport Hotel which offers more than 33,000 square feet of elegant meeting space, comfortably accommodating groups as intimate as 10, to functions of up to 700 guests. The Davenport is the highest rated and largest hotel in Spokane, and the fourth-largest hotel in Washington State. www.thedavenporthotel.com | (509) 455-8888 Silver: Lincoln Center Bronze: Chateau Rive at the Flour Mill

Dave Black, CEO

Commercial brokerage, property management and development.

Best Local Business Man 107 South Howard St., Spokane, WA 99201 | 509.623.1000 | naiblack.com

Best Place to Host a Company Party

Spokane Club Located in the heart of the downtown business core, the Spokane Club offers the ideal venue for business people to meet, network, and host clients in a prestigious, casually elegant atmosphere. It’s also the perfect spot for holiday parties, awards dinners and employee appreciation events. For entrepreneurs and small business owners working from home offices, the Club provides a multi-purpose professional environment to negotiate contracts, build business connections and celebrate team successes. www.spokaneclub.org | (509) 838-8511 Silver: Northern Quest Bronze: Davenport Hotel

Best Office Building

Bank of America Building With 20 stories and 328,000 square feet of rentable space, Bank of America Financial Center, a premier Class-A, downtown office property in Spokane represents the central business district’s largest and most prestigious asset with the most spacious floor plates in the market. Among the amenities is a connecting skywalk for access to restaurants and services, on-site fitness center, after hours controlled access, and redesigned plaza and green space. 610 W Riverside Ave, Spokane Silver: River View Corporate Center Bronze: Wells Fargo Center

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T hank you f or v ot i n g f or us !

B est E v ent Fa c i l i ty

downtown s p okane ’ s p re m i er r i v ers i de e v ent c enter Located on the ground floor of the historic Flour Mill building, Chateau Rive is an elegant venue with old world charm.

The perfect venue for company parties, weddings, luncheons, meetings, retreats and trade shows.

Fo r mo re i n for m at i on o n facil ity rental rates & catering op t i o n s ,

please call 509.795.2030

p resented by

6 2 1 west m allon a v enue , S p okane , W A 9 9 2 0 1 www . c hateaur i v e . c o m

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Best Local Business Man

Walt Worthy Walt Worth is a man of vision and a successful businessman with the aptitude for bringing his plans to fruition. Best known as the redeveloper of The Davenport Hotel, Worthy’s investments and developments (many funded largely from his own wallet) have included condominiums, storage facilities, student housing, commercial buildings and office complexes. His latest venture is the city’s largest hotel, The Grand Hotel Spokane.

Silver: Jack Heath Bronze: David Black

Best Local Business Woman

Nancy Nelson Nancy Nelson joined the Humanix team in 1988 and currently serves as their president.

Her vision of strong partnerships with clients, quality placements, individual staff growth and success, and a can-do company culture are still her inspirations in leading the company. Since its start in 1986, Humanix has placed over 81,500 employees in positions ranging from temporary to executive level searches. Community is important, and Nancy is an active participant with Spokane Area Workforce Development Council, Greater Spokane Incorporated Military Alliance, and Spokane Valley Partners.

Silver: Susan Meyers Bronze: Elaine Couture

Best Trade Show Displays

Skyline Inland Northwest Skyline helps you succeed with design, service, and high quality trade show displays.

They offer custom modular exhibits and portable trade show displays to match any size and budget. From design and functionality to logistics and budget, they have you covered. www.skyline.com | (509) 892-5354 Silver: Mountain Dog Sign Company Bronze: Signs Now

Best Travel Agency

Travel Leaders The largest travel agency in the Inland Northwest, Travel Leaders assists travelers, leisure and business alike. Travel Leaders will collaborate and consult with you to find the perfect balance between service and fiscal management to create your company’s one-of-a-kind business travel program. www. travelleaders.com | (509) 462-0154 Silver: Conlon Travel Bronze: Edwards LaLone Visit www.ibcatalyst.com, for the complete list of winners.

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Three Businesses, No Waiting

By Dennis Held

R

unning two businesses might be more than most people would want to take on, but if you spend five minutes with Suzette Nordstrom, you’ll quickly realize that she isn’t “most people.” For the last ten years, Nordstrom has helped her mother run an antique store—Lillian Conn Art and Antiques—and an interior design firm—also under the Lillian Conn umbrella.

So why not three businesses? Two years ago, Lillian Conn is co-owned by Suzette’s mother, the artist Dinah Carlson; she added president and CEO of a thriving, the COO and general manager of Weldon Barber is her cousin, Tyler multiple-location barbershop Quinn. “For the last two years, since Tyler and I took business to her list, and she “When we were developing Weldon, over the day-to-day operations of Weldon, my mom’s shows no sign of slowing we wanted it to feel like a national been helping out more at Lillian Conn, which has been company had come to Spokane. We great.” down. opened a lot of stores at once, and “Last month was one The emphasis on family matters extends through the we made some mistakes at first that of our best months ever at generations, Nordstrom says. “I always wanted to be a we were able use to guide us when Weldon Barber,” and the role model to my two girls, to show them that women we opened our new locations.” future looks bright for the today can contribute, that through their work they can ten-year old company, she says. “And I get to give back to the community. I wanted to be a career-loving mom.” work with my family, which some people might The interior design side of Lillian Conn is growing, Nordstrom says. shy away from, but for me, family is of utmost “We just hired two new designers to help with our client list,” which importance.” includes “a lot of traditional restoration, often people’s second homes.”

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Suzette Nordstrom and Weldon Barber co-owner Tyler Quinn, along with barbers that have been with Weldon since the beginning, more than 10 years ago, at a ribbon cutting for their newest location.

Lillian Conn, named for Nordstrom’s grandmother on her mother’s side, features artwork by contemporary artists, including Carlson’s bronzes, and a mix of European and Asian furniture and antiques. “We like all of the continents,” Nordstrom says. “We try to educate people that’s it’s okay to mix styles, if you do it carefully.

Quality matters, so for example much of our furniture was made to last hundreds of years, by master craftsmen, and no matter where it comes from, the style is timeless.”

Education has been central to Nordstrom’s life since her childhood, which was spent partly in Spokane and partly in Colville, where her father owned a Chevron distributorship. After high school, she received her BA degree in

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w e d n e s d ay twenty fifteen chateau rive at the flour mill 7:30-9:00am WIBL Awards Nominations OPEN Established Business Owner/Leader: These women have been business leaders or owners for more than five years.

Emerging Business Owner/Leader: These women have been in business leadership or ownership roles for less than five years.

Movers & Shakers: These women business leaders are also involved in many different organizations throughout the community (volunteerism, nonprofit boards, etc).

Nonprofit Leader: These women lead nonprofit organizations in our region.

Nominations:

Email your nominations to: editor@ibcatalyst.com Deadline for nominations: Friday, January 29th Self-nominations are accepted Must include: Name of Nominee, Their Business Their Email, Category Nominees will be contacted for further information

color your

Corporate

Floral Rentals Daily • Monthly • Quarterly

(509) 230-1911 | www.paperflowers.com | 301 W. 2nd Ave

Seasonal • Wedding • Birthday • Anniversary • Branding & Favors • Gift Giving • Home Decor

n s, salo ticket ore ! t n e v ing, e and m on din es, travel servic

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thedealplanet.com

business from Eastern Washington University, where she was a cheerleader, homecoming queen and a member of the dance team.

After college, she worked in musical theater for a year, coached cheerleading at Eastern, then put her business degree to work at Nordstrom, eventually rising to assistant personnel manager. “Three and a half years after I started there, I met my future husband Bill.” The couple “moved around a lot” early in their marriage, Nordstrom says, “and by setting up new households every time, I discovered I had a passion for interior design.” That desire led to a three-year degree in interior design from the Seattle Art Institute. “I believe in education,” she says. “It’s such an central part of a person’s development.”

Both businesses—Lilian Conn and Weldon Barber—were started about ten years ago, Nordstrom says. “We had moved to Spokane (in 2001) for the quality of life: my parents were here, we both had friends here, we wanted to raise our two kids here. We moved here because we love Spokane.”

“To give credit where credit is due,” Nordstrom says, “the idea for Weldon came from my husband. He was having trouble finding a barbershop that would give him the kind of haircut he wanted, and at the same time, I was meeting with a group of women who were trying to decide how to pool our resources to help the community here in Spokane.

Bill walked in and said, if you want to empower people, come up with a way to give them good jobs, with benefits.” And the idea for Weldon Barber was born.

At first, Bill oversaw the setting up

of the barbershops, Suzette says, which began with seven locations in Spokane and the Seattle area; there are still seven shops, although some locations have changed as the business developed. “Our first Weldon was in Coeur d’Alene, but that didn’t last long. Then we had a huge space downtown, really more space that we needed, and we moved that location.”

Throughout the changes, reasonable prices, high design and high-quality service were always the hallmarks of the Weldon experience, Nordstrom says. “When we were developing Weldon, we wanted it to feel like a national company had come to Spokane. We opened a lot of stores at once, and we made some mistakes at first that we were able use to guide us when we opened our new locations.”

Both Bill and Suzette “knew about customer service” from the Nordstrom model, she says, and they knew a lot about business, but “we didn’t know enough about the industry.”

“At a conference for barbershop owners, I learned that 95 percent of the shop owners in the industry own one shop. So

we’re either crazy, or incredibly entrepreneurial.”

Throughout the difficult times, “Bill never quit, he never gave up. I give him credit for that, too,” Suzette says. “It was scary at times. But we realized that to do what we wanted, which was to take care of our employees and our customers, we had to get smarter about our spaces.”

The seven current locations provide jobs with benefits including a living wage, health and dental insurance, paid time off and flexible hours to facilitate childcare. “We’re loyal to our employees, and they are loyal to us. We have half a dozen people who have been with us the whole way, and we’re up to 70 employees after 10 years, so we feel pretty blessed,” Nordstrom says.

The company recently moved into a newly renovated “Weldon World Headquarters” building at 1603 N. Monroe St., just a block south of Lillian Conn Art and Antiques.

And after a decade, if her grandmother could see the success of her namesake business, “I think she’d be very proud to have her name on our door,” Nordstrom says.

winter 2015

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leading The

ship

Leading the Ship: Colonel

Brian Newberry

Executive Director of Leadership Spokane

M

y family and I have been in thirteen different communities through my time in the military and with the exception of my original home in Colorado, Spokane is the only place that has felt like home. Quality of life certainly is top of the list with four spectacular seasons. Frankly, it’s the biggest small town I know. Everywhere in town I go, I’ll run into somebody As your command at Fairchild AFB drew to who knows me by my first name. If I was in Abilene, Kansas, that would be no a close, what made you decide to stay in surprise, but here with a population of half a million it’s amazing. The people Spokane in a civilian leadership capacity? themselves are great too, very family oriented and patriotic. We have people on both sides of the political spectrum, but they all united supporting the prosperity of our region and standing up for America. Spokane was designated an All American City in 2004—I joked with my colleagues on my last day at Fairchild that I was going to get arrested by Sherriff Ozzie

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for updating that sign along the freeway to “2014” with a can of spray paint if I had to. All this is to say that when the role at Leadership Spokane opened up, I knew it would be the perfect way to continue giving back to this great community.

Tell us how servant leadership and lessons from your extensive military service inform your new role at Leadership Spokane.

In my mind, Leadership Spokane was a perfect fit because of its emphasis on servant leadership—that’s the model that I’ve used in the military for 23 years. I learned leadership is a contract; it is about influence through trust. You can’t influence anyone without that trust. It was once the case in the military and in business that you could pull rank to get things done, but that’s only ever been effective as a transitory, shortterm solution. To lead, you need to secure buy-in so your all-volunteer force will stick around and be motivated to succeed. High turnover slows organizations down and you need experienced talent to operate well. If you have someone’s back, they’ll at least give you their ear. Leaders need to show each employee how he or she adds value to the organization and then make that public.

Any organization is ultimately a system, and when one part doesn’t work well, it all breaks down. I was fortunate to be able to step into a role as Executive Director that has this notion of servant leadership as a philosophy, so for me it was a match made in heaven. I’m really adding to what Linda Finney has already perpetuated for over a decade. We’re inspiring diverse individuals to step up to make Spokane something greater.

What is your vision for the future of Leadership Spokane? I’m running down

three different avenues as I go forward with Leadership Spokane. First priority is strengthening our curriculum, finding new ways to impart a servant leadership philosophy with tangible skills, coupled with a dedicated curriculum about Spokane itself—we have to know our region to lead it. We’re looking to our past to capture some of the initial energy of the 1974 World Expo, where Leadership Spokane grew from, to strengthen the program. Our organization was one of the first 40 in the country to teach leadership out of 600 programs that exist today; that is a legacy of excellence I am proud to follow.

Second focus is staying better connected to our graduates. We have an amazing network of alumni and keeping them linked together is an important part of what we do—we’re stronger as leaders

and a community when we work together.

We have a fantastic pool of experience to communicate what our program is doing but we need to motivate our 1,100-plus alumni as ambassadors for us and for Spokane. I want all graduates to feel good about their connection to the program and what they’ve done since.

We’re also focused on fundraising. Most of our budget comes from tuition but we need a strong base of our community investing in Spokane’s rich future by building one leader at a time. Investing in leaders is the most valuable investment our community can make.

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Any key issues you think need leadership in the Spokane community? I think

Spokane is on the cusp of a renaissance moment akin to our time prior to World Expo. We’re seeing it in the medical district with the possibility of the new medical school. We’re looking at new transportation initiatives across the region and looking to attract aerospace. The downtown, Spokane Valley, and the West Plains are buzzing with energy like never before. I am so excited to see Leadership Spokane alumni being part of so many fresh initiatives. To that point, I was at this October’s Spokane Philanthropic Awards and I noticed we have connections to most of the winners whether directly or tangentially. That’s a point of pride and proof of what we’re doing here adds value to a community that is family.

How do you see Fairchild continuing to expand? Well I always preface that I

am no longer in command, but as I look back, I think the community needs to remain engaged with the base to ensure it’s protected like it protects all of us. Believe me, Fairchild is the front lines for our military—you can’t have an overseas fight or protect our homeland without the KC-135 tanker. We’ll likely go through another selection process in the next four to five years for the next round of KC-46 tanker bases, but in the interim, it’s important to support the base by staying cognizant of opportunities for it to meet its current mission including both the Air Guard and Survival mission. Never forget the fantastic civilian workforce that lives in this region—I believe they are the secret ingredient of why Fairchild is so successful and operates so well. Patriots abound here and that is why we call here home now. We need the community to remain engaged, vigilant and to keep fighting to support Fairchild so it can keep fighting for us. Airmen matter and so does Spokane, and certainly so does leadership.

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