Archive for June, 2012

Murry Chiropractic & Associates, owned by Theresa Murry, is having an open house to celebrate its 11th anniversary 4-7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26. Catering will be provided by Soy House, LaPatisserie and Murry herself. There will be free fitness assessments, free weight loss consultations and discounts for attendees.

Murry Chiropractic offers onsite chiropractic and therapeutic massage. They specialize in auto and work injuries as well as headaches and back pain. They are located at 412 Girard St.  in Bellingham, two blocks north of the Bellingham Library.

Here’s the latest list of companies that have registered to do business in Bellingham (June 12-18). Most are new businesses in the area, while some are existing companies that have changed ownership/location:

Molly Lange, 118 E Magnolia St., Bellingham

Back in the Black Inc., 3635 S Pebble Pl, Bellingham

ProjectCorps , 1325 4th Ave #1925, Seattle

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Courtesy picture from Haggen of its Meridian store

Haggen is celebrating a grand re-opening of its Meridian and Snohomish stores 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 23. Both stores were revamped to reflect Haggen’s Northwest Fresh branding.

Activities at the grand opening events include a grocery giveaway, a scavenger hunt and a food drive.

Between now through October,  Haggen plans to rebrand as many as 10 Haggen stores to the new Northwest Fresh concept.

Here’s a Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification for Parsons Technology Development and Fabrication. According to the Tri-City Herald (link), the entire facility is closing.

Company: Parsons (Pasco) will lay off 103 employees,
effective August 19, 2012
Date of Notification: June 20, 2012

Gas prices continue to tumble in Bellingham, according to AAA Washington.

On Thursday, June 21 the average price for a gallon of gas in the Bellingham metro area was $4, down 22 cents from a week ago and down 40 cents compared to last month. Bellingham’s gas price is still the highest among Washington’s major metro areas, but not by much – the next highest price is $3.97 in Yakima. Vancouver, Wash. had the least expensive gas, coming in at $3.82 a gallon.

The average price for a gallon of diesel fuel in Bellingham on June 21 was $3.95, down 53 cents compared to a month ago. The metro area with the least expensive diesel fuel is in Tacoma, at $3.93 a gallon.

Here’s a news release from the Rockefeller Foundation showing a state-by-state look at how people were hit by the latest economic downturn:

WASHINGTON, DC — The Rockefeller Foundation & Yale University professor Jacob Hacker released “Economic Insecurity Across the American States,” a state-by-state report of economic insecurity over the last generation and during the recent economic downturn.

Using the Economic Security Index (ESI), the study reveals that Washington has the fourth-lowest rate of economic insecurity among states in terms of average level of ESI from 2008-2010.

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According to its Facebook page, the strawberry field is open for picking at Boxx Berry Farms. The strawberries are ready just in time for the farm’s strawberry festival, which takes place June 23-24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

News release from the state:

Washington’s average annual wage grew by 3.6 percent in 2011, according to the state Employment Security Department.

The annual average went from $48,162 in 2010 to $49,894 in 2011. The average weekly wage rose from $926 to $959.

The average annual wage is used to calculate unemployment benefits for jobless workers. The minimum weekly unemployment benefit, calculated at 15 percent of the average weekly wage, will increase by $5 to $143, for new claims opened on or after Sunday, July 1. At the same time, the maximum weekly benefit, calculated at 63 percent of the average weekly wage, will increase by $21, to $604.

Much of the wage increase was driven by a 7.5 percent increase in the number of insured workers earning more than $75,000. Overall, the number of workers in Washington covered by unemployment insurance grew by 37,764 in 2011, and earnings grew by $6.6 billion.

The three industries with the highest wage growth in 2011 were the information sector, with wage growth of 9.5 percent; company management, up 7.9 percent; and manufacturing, up 5 percent.

In addition to unemployment benefits, the average annual wage is used in computing employers’ unemployment taxes. Beginning in 2013, employers will pay unemployment taxes on the first $39,800 paid to each employee, up from $38,200 in 2012.

The state average wage also is used by the Department of Labor & Industries in calculating worker’s compensation benefits.

Several Whatcom County companies landed on a list of largest private companies in Washington.

Last week the Puget Sound Business Journal released a list of the 100 largest private firms, based on 2011 revenue.

Haggen Inc. was the highest ranked among Whatcom County firms listed, coming in 11th overall and generating $630 million in revenue last year. According to the listing, Haggen has about 2,800 employees.

Bellingham-based Exxel Pacific ranked 79th overall, generating $97 million in revenue last year. The peak number of employees last year was estimated at 105.

IMCO General Construction Inc. of Ferndale ranked 88th, generating slightly more than $76 million in 2011. At its peak level last year, IMCO had 179 employees.

Lynden-based Peoples Bank ranked 91st overall, generating nearly $69 million in 2011. Last year the bank had 381 employees at its peak level.

Topping the overall list was Saltchuk Resources Inc. of Seattle, which has a group of 20 companies in the transportation, fuel distribution and real estate industries. It had $2.2 billion in revenue last year. Darigold of Seattle ranked second, with about $2.1 billion in revenue.

Jon Edholm, finance manager at the Community Food Co-op, looks over the new solar panels at the Bellingham Cordata store

The Community Food Co-op will be saving significant money with the recent installation of a large solar energy array at the top of its Bellingham Cordata store.

The new solar installation will generate enough energy to offset about 4 percent of the annual energy usage, saving the store about $8,000 a year. The installation will generate enough electricity to equal the power to run about three average homes, according to a news release from the co-op.

Later this fall a flat-screen panel will be installed on the main floor of the Cordata store that will show results of the solar energy production. Shoppers will be able to view online numbers displaying the amount of energy output from each panel on our roof at various times of the day.

The Community Food Co-op is a consumer-owned grocery store serving Bellingham and Whatcom County. For details, visit communityfood.coop.