This week’s North Olympic Peninsula business meetings (all are open to the public):
Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce — Weekly luncheon meetings are held Mondays at noon in the second-floor meeting room of the Red Lion Hotel, 221 N. Lincoln St.
However, there will be no meeting this week.
Luncheons resume next Monday, Aug. 19, with Luke Robins, Peninsula College president, as guest speaker.
Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce — Weekly luncheon meetings are held Mondays at noon at the Port Townsend Elks Lodge, 555 Otto St.
Today’s (Monday, Aug. 12) speaker will be Port Townsend sales consultant Heather Flanagan, a master-certified coach who will discuss “The Zen of Sales: How to Align Your Authentic Self and Core
Values With Successful Selling.”
Lunch at $8 will be catered by Subway. The meeting sponsor will be First Federal.
Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce — Luncheon meetings are held the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month.
This Tuesday’s (Aug. 13) meeting, “Luncheon in the Park,” will be held at Pioneer Memorial Park, 387 E. Washington St., Sequim.
Featured speakers will be Emily Westcott on Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire and Lyn Muench on the Dungeness River Festival.
Catering will be by Cameron’s Custom Catering, and wine tasting will be courtesy of Wind Rose Cellars.
Luncheon reservations closed Friday, but seats are available for those who are not having lunch.
Coffee or tea is $3. Phone 360-683-6197 or email info@sequimchamber.com for information.
Forks Chamber of Commerce — The chamber’s Wednesday luncheon meetings are on hiatus for the summer and will resume with a chamber business meeting Sept. 4.
North Hood Canal Chamber of Commerce — Representing the “Emerald Towns” of the Hood Canal, Quilcene and Brinnon, the chamber usually meets monthly on the third Monday but is on summer hiatus through August. Gatherings will resume in September with a mixer at Cove RV in Brinnon.
Port Angeles Business Association— Breakfast meetings are Tuesdays at 7:30 a.m. at Joshua’s Restaurant, 113 DelGuzzi Drive, Port Angeles.
Tuesday’s (Aug. 13) speaker will be lawyer and business consultant Phyllis E. Barnard on “The Term ‘Business Ethics’ is Not an Oxymoron.”
“Her talk to the business association supplies a thoughtful, broad framework plus practical insights and tips,” PABA said.
There is a $2.16 minimum charge by Joshua’s for those who do not order breakfast.
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Banker promoted to vice president at First Federal
PORT ANGELES — Gerad Nucci has been named vice president and lending relationship team leader for First Federal.
Nucci is responsible for coaching, mentoring and guiding the mortgage and commercial lending efforts in communities served by First Federal.
He joined First Federal in 2003 as a mortgage loan officer and was promoted to commercial lending officer in 2007.
“Gerad Nucci’s proven expertise and strong rapport with our staff, his customers and our communities make him a perfect fit for this new position,” said Chief Banking Officer Kelly Liske.
“He is committed to strengthening our communities and supporting local business by offering banking products and services that deliver superior customer convenience and choice.”
Nucci attended Peninsula College and Western Washington University with a focus on business management.
After several years of working in Seattle, Nucci and his wife moved back to Sequim in 2003 to raise their children.
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Beer garden open
PORT ANGELES — Twin Peaks Brewing and Malting Co. has opened an outdoor beer garden at its tasting-room location in Airport Industrial Park at 2506 W. 19th St.
Eight brews are on tap from 2 p.m. to close Sundays through Fridays and from noon to close Saturdays.
For more information, visit http://tinyurl.com/mx5c6rw or phone Twin Peaks at 360-452-2802.
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Hartnagel demos
PORT ANGELES — Contractors and homeowners are invited to drop in for a free Build-It Tour Demonstration Event at Hartnagel Building Supply, 3111 E. U.S. Highway 101, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday (Aug. 15).
Representatives from CertainTeed will be conducting installation demonstrations and providing information on weather-resistant WeatherBoard fiber cement siding which is available in lap siding, individual shakes and shake panels.
For more information, phone Hartnagel, 360-452-8933.
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Director hired
PORT ANGELES — Kevin Harkins has been named facilities director for Serenity House of Clallam County.
Harkins supervises repair and maintenance of a dozen Serenity House facilities in Port Angeles and Sequim, and schedules and oversees capital projects.
He retired from the Air Force after 25 years, with lengthy service overseas, as a senior operations and personnel manager.
“Besides his technical skills, Kevin has strong mentoring, personnel development and communication experience that will be a real asset as we expand the training and employment side of our programs,” said Kathy Wahto, Serenity House executive director.
Serenity House is a private nonprofit dedicated to ending and preventing homelessness in Clallam County, with a growing emphasis on empowering clients to build self-sufficiency.
Harkins said he decided to settle in Clallam County, where he spent many childhood summers visiting his grandparents, because of his love of hiking, kayaking and fishing.
He and his family live in the Joyce area.
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New practice open
SEQUIM — Lodge Chiropractic and Women’s Wellness Center is now open at The Lodge at Sherwood Village, 660 Evergreen Farm Way just off Fifth Avenue in Sequim.
Chiropractor Donna Lodge has been in practice for the past 15 years and utilizes the Sigma Instrument, meant to pinpoint misalignments in the spine and adjust the vertebrae until it is back into alignment.
Massage treatments also are available.
Lodge Chiropractic and Women’s Wellness is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.
Other hours are available by appointment by phoning 360-681-2220.
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New nail tech
PORT ANGELES — Nicole Livengood has joined Sassy Kat Salon & Clothing Boutique, 105 E. First St., as a nail technician.
Licensed since 2005, she specializes in sculptured gel nails and overlays for the hands and feet, spa pedicures, manicures and natural nail care.
Appointments are available Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
To make an appointment, phone Livengood at 360-417-0800.
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Estes staffer attends bath, kitchen show
SEQUIM — Nell Clausen of Estes Builders recently attended the National Kitchen and Bath industry show in New Orleans.
With more than 1,000 exhibitors, the gathering showcased large and small companies announcing new products and reporting new trends in the kitchen and bath market place.
“What I enjoyed most is being able to bring back valuable information to help my clients choose products and design the kitchen of their dreams,” Clausen said.
Leading trends include the continued popularity of kitchen islands, drawers instead of cabinets and induction cooking.
“The show also confirmed that people are looking for larger showers in their master bath and forgoing tubs, something I was experiencing with my clients and was confirmed by a national study,” Clausen said.
“The biggest surprise for me was seeing how far laminate countertops have come in regards to looking like natural countertop surfaces,” she said.
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Spa workers attend Vegas conference
SEQUIM — Employees of Tender Touches Spa at Cedar Creek attended the International Esthetics, Cosmetics and Spa ference in Las Vegas from June 21-24.
Owner and master aesthetician Mona Gates added to her professional education, certifying in a master class on Hungarian skin-care techniques.
Kayla Twiggs, nail artist and technician, attended advanced education classes in gel nails and designs.
In addition, Twiggs attended seminars on gloss art, product knowledge, pros and cons of electric filing, and certifying in advanced shellac systems.
Rowland, operations manger, and Lori Sue Butler, spa assistant, heard lectures on marketing, retail and skin-care cosmetics.
Tender Touches Spa At Cedar Creek, 665 N. Fifth Ave., is open Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information, phone 360-681-4363.
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Physical therapist
PORT ANGELES — Physical therapist assistant Amanda Cash has joined Adventure Physical Therapy P.S.
She currently is seeing patients at the Adventure Physical Therapy P.S. office, 116 S. Ennis St.
To schedule an appointment, phone 360-452-3529 or fax referrals to 360-452-3621.
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Architect firm makes native of PA principal
SEATTLE — Architect and Port Angeles native Bret Wiggins has been promoted to principal of the global architecture and design firm Callison.
He is the son of Glenn and Mimi Wiggins of Port Angeles.
Bret Wiggins has been with the global commercial practice in Callison’s Seattle office for 19 years.
He has been involved in the design and planning of large shopping centers, as well as retail and mixed-use projects in Mexico, Japan, China, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Canada and the United States.
He recently worked on new retail, medical, office, and parking garage expansion to University Village and the Westlake Center Mall expansion, both in Seattle, and the new retail expansion to Plaza Fiesta San Augustin in Monterrey, Mexico.
He holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Washington State University and is a member of the American Institute of Architects.
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‘Vintage’ donation
SEQUIM — Last fall, Wind Rose Cellars of Sequim partnered with the Jefferson County Library, Port Townsend Library Foundation and North Olympic Library Foundation to produce Library RE(a)D, a classic red table wine in the Italian tradition, with proceeds benefiting each library.
By spring 2013, Library RE(a)D had sold all but a few bottles.
Earlier this month, David Volmut, Wind Rose Cellars owner and winemaker, presented checks for $500 to each of the three libraries.
It was fun to create a special blend for book lovers, and it was gratifying to be able to make this donation to the libraries,” Volmut said.
Library RE(a)D sold for $28/bottle, with $6 per bottle going to support the libraries.
Librarians and Wind Rose already are talking about a new edition for fall/winter 2013.
Wind Rose Cellars’ tasting room is located at 143 W. Washington St. in Sequim.
It’s open Mondays through Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
For information, visit windrosecellars.com.
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Shoppers wary
NEW YORK — The important back-to-school shopping season has started off slowly for many retailers.
Shoppers showed they were more interested in buying discounted summer merchandise in July than in picking up new fall clothing for their children, according to figures released Thursday.
Revenue at stores open at least a year — an industry measure of a retailer’s health — rose 3.8 percent in July, the slowest pace since March, according to a preliminary tally of 10 retailers by the International Council of Shopping Centers.
The figure, which excludes drugstore chains, was below a 5.5 percent increase in June.
“This raises more concern about the back-to-school season,” said Ken Perkins, president of RetailMetrics.
“A vast number of shoppers are sticking to their shopping lists and are being very deal-driven.”
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J.C. Penney shares
NEW YORK — J.C. Penney shares jumped 7 percent after a media report that the retailer is starting a new CEO search to replace Mike Ullman.
Ullman retook the reins in April after CEO Ron Johnson was ousted after 17 months on the job after a radical makeover of the chain failed to boost results.
CNBC reported that the company is seeking a new CEO, and activist investor Bill Ackman sent a letter to J.C. Penney’s board saying the process should be sped up.
Former J.C. Penney CEO Allen Questrom said in an on air-interview he would consider coming aboard as chairman.
Shares of Penney jumped 7.1 percent to $13.71.
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Tuition bill signed
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama signed a bill Friday to lower the costs of borrowing for millions of students.
The bipartisan bill had been awaiting Obama’s signature since earlier this month, when the House gave it final congressional approval after a drawn-out process to reach a compromise in the Senate.
The bill links student loan interest rates to the financial markets.
It would offer lower rates for most students now, but higher ones down the line if the economy improves as expected.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said in the coming months Obama will lay out an aggressive plan to reduce costs for college students.
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Fewer postal losses
WASHINGTON — The Postal Service has trimmed its losses to $740 million over the last three months by consolidating processing facilities, cutting hours for workers and post offices and reducing workers’ compensation costs, the agency said Friday.
Still, year-to-date, the Postal Service had losses totaling $3.9 billion, and the agency said that without help from Congress its financial woes will worsen.
The agency lost $16 billion last year and is trying to restructure its retail, delivery and mail-processing operations.
