People in business
• D. Laurence Meixner has been named president and CEO of Sharp Laboratories of America in Camas. Meixner is responsible for all of Sharp’s U.S.-based R&D initiatives, and will lead efforts supporting four of Sharp’s core disciplines: consumer systems and technology; digital imaging systems; advanced video and display technology; and material and device applications.
o Theron Park is the new chief executive of Providence Portland Medical Center. Park, who has served as chief executive of Providence Milwaukie Hospital for the past three years, will assume his new duties in early April. Park will lead a team of 4,500 employees and medical staff members who serve 90,000 patients annually.
o Ashley Swanson is joining The Columbian as the newspaper’s new features assistant, succeeding Matt Wastradowski as he transitions to become the paper’s social media coordinator. A Vancouver native, Swanson is a recent graduate of Linfield College, where she majored in creative writing, was president of the video production club and wrote for the school’s literary magazine. As an intern for Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Art Beat last summer, she wrote, blogged and produced videos to accompany the OPB TV program.
o Marty Rifkin, CEO of Northwest Natural Products, received the Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support for his employees who serve in the Washington National Guard. The Washington committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve honored Rifkin earlier this month.
• Marc Timm has been appointed to lead First Independent’s commercial banking group. Timm has more than 28 years of experience in lending and risk management for banks in the Pacific Northwest.
• David Nierenberg, an activist investor and Camas resident, has been appointed to the board of directors of RadiSys Corp. The Hillsboro, Ore. company makes hardware components and software used in a wide variety of wireless, video, and other electronics devices. He has been a long-term investor in RadiSys and currently owns about 19 percent of the company’s stock. Nierenberg is the founder and president of Nierenberg Investment Management Co. and also is a board member of Electro Scientific Industries, based in Portland, and other private companies.
• Gloria Howell of Stevenson has been awarded the “Local Heroes” award by the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The award highlights efforts by citizens to make government more open and more accountable. Howell used Washington’s public records law to reveal that the Skamania County auditor routinely charged taxpayers for thousands of dollars in unauthorized expenses, including $15,000 for college tuition and $39,000 for out-of-state travel, according to ASNE. The auditor has resigned, and is being investigated by a prosecutor, who will decide whether to file charges.
New business news
• Resource Staffing Services Inc. is opening a Vancouver office this spring at 2501 S.E. Columbia Way, Suite 240. The staffing company will host an open house, 3:30-7:30 p.m. April 12 at Beaches Restaurant, 1919 S.E. Columbia River Drive. The company plans to specialize in hiring in areas of managed services, logistics and distribution and packaging production. RSSI is a privately owned, Women Business Enterprise-certified company, founded by Jennifer Wall in 2003 and headquartered in Portland.
Other business news
• Highland Terrace Nursing Home is breaking ground this month on a new wing to house 19 private rooms, a cafe and lounge and a family visiting area to the facility at 640 N.E. Everett St., Camas. Work on the $5 million project is expected to finish early in 2012. Bellingham-based Exxel Pacific is the project’s general contractor. Highland Terrace is managed by Kirkland-based Eagle Healthcare Inc.
• Family law firm Stahancyk, Kent & Hook was recently honored by Oregon Business Magazine by being named one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon by the publication. This is the first year the company has made the list. They are ranked 31st out of 100.
• West Coast Self-Storage recently announced the grand opening of its newest location in Vancouver at 501 S.E. 164th Ave. Festivities will begin with complimentary food and wine-tasting, property tours and raffle prizes at 4 p.m. March 31, followed by the ribbon-cutting at 5 p.m. The storage company has locations throughout Washington and Oregon.
• RLK and Company, operators of Timberline Lodge, together with the Mount Hood National Forest and the Friends of Timberline, a nonprofit group dedicated to the preservation of Timberline Lodge, have been selected to win a 2011 Oregon Heritage Excellence Award. The three-way partnership is being specifically recognized for its long-term collaborative stewardship of Timberline Lodge, a National Historic Landmark and for defining public/private partnerships at their best. The Heritage Programs Division of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will be presenting the award at the Heritage Excellence Awards reception on April 8 as part of the upcoming Oregon Heritage Conference in Astoria, Ore.
• Family-owned and operated Tsugawa Nursery in Woodland is celebrating 30 years in business. George and Mable Tsugawa moved to Woodland and started selling berries on their family farm. After opening a nursery, other family members were soon involved in helping out. Now a fourth generation is working at the nursery. There will be special workshops, sales and treats today to celebrate the nursery’s anniversary.
• Southwest Washington Medical Center has set a record in funds and pledges from its 2011 Employee Giving Campaign. With support from almost 1,000 Southwest employees, the campaign raised $222,596 for medical center departments and programs. Departments can use their foundation funds in a variety of ways, often funding high-priority equipment or projects that weren’t included in the medical center’s annual budget.
• Doug and Nilda Loriz, owners of DNA Family Games LLC, are happy to announce that their new word game, “Bull’s-eye,” is available for purchase at http://www.dnafamilygames.com. The word game is played with letter cards and a board. The couple attended the New York Toy Fair 2011 for the first time and were able to successfully exhibit their word game.
The Columbian welcomes submissions about Clark County residents or businesses, as well as regional business events. Information must be received by noon of the Tuesday preceding the intended Sunday publication date. Send to mary.ricks@columbian.com or fax 360-735-4491. Sales awards are not published.
