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Ethos West Construction, Inc., eases construction burden, builds lasting relationships

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – After working for mid-sized building contractors since the early 2000s, three longtime friends and colleagues were inspired to start a company that focused on building lasting relationships while easing the burdens that inevitably come with construction projects. Saul Whitworth, Kenny Nichol and Elke Stevens started Ethos West Construction, Inc., to extend their…

Food hall nurtures post-Covid aspirations for couple and community

PULLMAN, Wash. – DJ Goldfinger and Molly Golden have a heart for large-scale hospitality whose innovation and service attract first-time customers and then convert them into lifelong fans. The partners – in marriage and business – had worked 15 years at the popular college dance bar Stubblefields when it was forced to close in August…

New owner inks robust impression with balance of print, manager skills

SPOKANE, Wash. – Marquez Henderson’s interest in printing began in the mid-1990s when he used desktop publishing and graphic design to help produce his school newspaper. Employed later by a Business Cards Tomorrow printing franchise in Florida, he especially enjoyed the computer technology aspects and completed a software development degree while working. He also enjoyed…

Ann Zimmerman

Ann Zimmerman was born, raised, and has lived most of her adult life in Pierce County. Her background is in accounting and finance. She earned her BA in Accounting from Western Washington University and received her Master’s degree in Accounting and Tax from Washington State University. Ann has over thirty years of experience in business…

New survey finds growth, succession planning and cybersecurity are top priorities for WA businesses

SPOKANE, Wash.—Attracting new customers, planning for retirement and protecting against cyberattacks emerged as three top-of-mind priorities for small business owners in a new small business needs assessment commissioned by the Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and Washington State Department of Commerce. The survey, which was conducted by Washington State University’s Social and Economic Sciences…

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Duncan brings 20+ years’ experience to SBDC advising in Chelan and Douglas counties

WENATCHEE, Wash.—The Washington Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is pleased to announce that Kirk Duncan is available to work with small business owners in Douglas and Chelan counties who want to start, grow or buy/sell a business. Duncan, who was a successful small business owner for more than 20 years, joins Ron Nielsen, the Washington…

Family grounded for flexibility, growth with SBDC assistance

WASHOUGAL, Wash. – Family-owned Green Flush Restrooms builds flush restrooms in efficient, environmentally sound, accessible modules. Over 10 years, father and son Ken and Kyle Earlywine likewise have fashioned the components of good business practice into a company that continued to provide work for its three employees and associated supplier businesses through the Covid-19 pandemic…

Entrepreneur turns challenge to opportunity with SBDC advising

RICHLAND, Wash.–Joselyne Hernandez and her father, Jorge Hernandez, started The Black Woodpecker construction company in 2018, a goal Jorge had been working toward for nearly a decade. In the late 1990s and 2000s, Jorge had been a foreman at one of the biggest construction companies in Arizona, but when the recession hit he was out…

Ellensburg cidery receives 2020 SBA Rural Business of the Year award

ELLENSBURG, Wash.—Wheel Line Cider, an Ellensburg-based cidery, has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Seattle District Rural Small Business of the Year. The public got its first taste of Wheel Line Cider at the Windfall Ciderfest in Ellensburg in 2018, but owner Susie Jensen has been planting rootstock, tending her expanding orchard on…