Newsmakers

Newsmakers

• Cindy Medina, a Realtor with CENTURY 21 Home & Investment Center, just completed the Accredited Buyer's Representative (ABR) designation course.  Being a buyer's advocate allows Medina to focus in assisting buyers in finding, negotiating and sealing their real estate transactions.
   
• Gregory Pisk was re-elected vice president of the Montana Chiropractor Association at its annual convention in May. Pisk has been a chiropractic physician in Kalispell for 21 years.
   
• Dr. Kurt Lindeman of Kalispell was elected vice president of the Montana Dental Association at the group's recent annual meeting. The professional association for the state's dentists is comprised of nearly 90 percent of Montana's dentists.
   
• Jason Sanders has opened General Custard on Wisconsin Avenue in Whitefish, across the viaduct and across the street from Piggy Back BBQ. The shop features the area's first frozen custard.
   
• Jeffrey Harker, a Glacier National Park employee, recently earned state recognition for his work with the park's water systems. He earned the Operator's Meritorious Service Award from the American Water Works Association Montana Section, given for consistent and outstanding service in providing a quality water supply to the public.
   
• David Laird has been named store manager of Maurices in Kalispell Center Mall. He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the store, including sales performance, visual presentation, and personnel recruitment and training. Maurices is a leading national clothing specialty store.
• James Brown of Jensen Jewelers in Kalispell has completed the Certified Professional Jeweler course and has received certification for training in all product areas of the jewelry industry.
   
• Jim Bliss, president of TriState Restaurant Supply in Kalispell; Denise Smith, executive director of Flathead Business and Industry Association; and Jodi Smith, work force development director for Flathead Valley Community College, were among the 44 graduating members of Leadership Montana, a statewide collaboration of higher education, civic and business leaders.
   
• Mary Bang has been hired as executive director of the North Valley Music School in Whitefish. She replaces Cameron Blake.  Bang hails from Vermont and has both nonprofit experience and musical knowledge. She was associated with the nonprofit Vermont Alpine Racing Association for 15 years, where she spent 10 years as executive director and state chairman. Bang also has a background in marketing, public relations, special events, accounting, design and real estate.
   
• Beth Trueblood has joined Mountain Physical Therapy, P.C. as a new physical therapist at its Buffalo Hill clinic. She is a 1989 graduate of the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical therapy. Her experience spans a variety of settings including outpatient orthopedics, acute care, and most recently, home health. Women's health and back care are Trueblood's areas of interest.
   
• North Valley Hospital has received Avatar International's Overall Best Performer Award for a second year. The award recognizes high performing facilities that demonstrate consistency of highly rated experiences by patients throughout the organization. Avatar International is a national leader in continuous quality improvement that measures customer expectations in health care.
   
• Diane Bailey, a registered nurse at North Valley Hospital, has been awarded the 2010 Planetree Spirit of Caregiving award. The award is given to an employee who exemplifies the Planetree philosophy of patient-centered care. A Pennsylvania native, Bailey graduated with a Diploma of Nursing from Robert Packer Hospital in 1976. She moved to the Flathead Valley in 1982 and started working at North Valley Hospital. In 2007 she graduated from Salish Kootenai College with a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. In December she will graduate from Indiana State University with a master's in nursing. Bailey works on the med/surg/peds floor and assists the Birth Center when needed.
   
• Morgan Latta is a new agent in Kalispell with Farm Bureau Financial Services. He has received training in the insurance and investment products available to clients to plan for their financial future.
   
• Pierce RV Supercenter in Kalispell has purchased the Destination RVs dealership from Scott LeDuc, who has worked for 34 years in the RV business. Pierce RV has operated in Kalispell since 2006, and is part of the Pierce family of companies that has grown to include two RV supercenters, eight flooring and carpet mill outlet stores, three leasing and commercial building locations and three modular and manufactured home dealerships. Russell Pierce may be reached at 212-5682.
   
• Mona Charles has joined Big Sky Properties of Montana Inc. in Kalispell as a Realtor. Charles most recently was editor of an international airline association newsletter.
   
• Marcia Siblerud has joined the real estate firm of Big Sky Properties in Kalispell as a broker. She is a Kalispell native and has been in the real estate business since 2004.
   
• In an ongoing effort to continue leading the digital media innovations and marketing needs for the evolving businesses of the Flathead region, Hagadone Montana Publishing has separated its digital media department from the advertising departments of the Daily Inter Lake and Flathead Publishing Group newspapers. Matthew Morley will continue to be the director of digital media and will now head this independent department, increasing both its scope of services and support staff. He has been with the Hagadone Corp. for just over two years. Prior to that he lived in Couer D'Alene and was both the national online marketing director and regional design office manager of a luxury home architectual and manufacturing firm. Morley is a graduate of University of California-Davis with a degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing, and has specialized in online marketing for the last 11 years.
   
• Lauren Grabelle, an award-winning photographer, has relocated from New Jersey to open a photography gallery in Bigfork at 7984 Montana 35. A graduate of New York University with a B.A. in anthropology, Grabelle has studied photography under the tutelage of some of today's great documentary and fine-art photographers at Parsons School of Design, NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, the International Center of Photography, and the Eddie Adams Workshops. After graduation she completed an internship with National Geographic where she then worked in their documentary TV division. Grabelle can be reached at 837-3900, (732) 768-3922, or e-mail lauren@lgphoto.com; online at http://www.lgphoto.com
   
• Garyann Tamburello has joined the staff at Off Center Salon at the Loading Dock in downtown Kalispell as a nail technician. She is a Montana native. Along with doing artificial nails, she also does pedicures and manicures.
   
• Katie Chamberlain has been named the new staffing and marketing specialist at A Plus Health Care, one of the largest home care and supplemental staffing agencies in Montana. She has extensive experience in public relations, event planning, traditional marketing and interactive web marketing. Chamberlain formerly worked for the Flathead Building Association and has a degree in public relations from Iowa State University.