March -

March 11th - Business Person of the Year Awards Banquet
Time - 6pm
Location - The Best Western Lakeway Inn
Description - March 11 Awards Banquet Honoring Whatcom Businesses, Entrepreneurs An awards banquet to honor some of Whatcom County’s top businesses and entrepreneurs will be presented Thursday, March 11 at the Lakeway Inn & Conference Center in Bellingham. The 24th-annual Whatcom County Business Person of the Year awards banquet will honor finalists for Business Person of the Year, Small Business of the Year and Startup Business of the Year. Also, Jack Westford of Westford Funeral Home will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. A social hour starts at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Individual tickets are available for $55 apiece and eight-person tables are available. To purchase tickets, call event organizer Northwest Business Monthly Magazine at (360) 746-0418 by March 9. "The award finalists represent some of Whatcom County’s most successful companies and business leaders,” said Tony Larson, Northwest Business Monthly’s publisher. "Their contributions to our local economy and numerous nonprofit organizations are among the top reasons this is such a wonderful place to live.” Finalists for the awards that will be announced at the March 11 banquet are: Business Person of the Year – Tony Bon, president, Samson Rope Technologies, Ferndale; Wes Herman, owner, The Woods Coffee, Lynden; Nancy Jordan, executive director, Northwest Economic Council – Whatcom County. Small Business of the Year – BelleWood Acres, Lynden; FastCap, Bellingham; Fiberglass Structural Engineering, Bellingham; The Sign Post, Bellingham; Smith Mechanical, Ferndale. Start-up Business of the Year – Reset Games, Scotty Browns and Vartanyan Estate Winery, all of Bellingham. Northwest Business Monthly provides regional business coverage for an estimated 65,000 readers in Whatcom, Skagit, Island and San Juan counties. For more information, visit www.nwbmonline.com.

March 26th - Help Fill the ERV
Time -
Location - Sleep Masters - 4220 Meridian St
Description - Help the American Red Cross Mt Baker Chapter fill our Emergency Response Vehicle! We use our ERV to respond to all local disasters and it costs us $25,000 a year to keep it stocked. Cascade Radio Group will be doing a remote broadcast on March 26 at Sleep Masters. Donate $100 or more to the campaign and have your business recongnized live on the air and be entered to win 2 round trip tickets from Bellingham to Las Vegas courtesy of Allegiant Air! Come out and support your local Red Cross!

March 27th - Improv for Education
Time - 6pm
Location - Bellingham Country Club
Description - An evening of Dinner, Silent Auction, Best in the NorthWest , Dessert Dash, Entertainment and music by students and their teachers from the Upfront Theater. MC- Drew Graham. NO HOST BARYou can see the results as Communities In Schools holds their second annual "Improv For Education” event on March 27, 2010. See the students showcase their talents at the Bellingham Country Club and enjoy music, dinner, fun dessert dash, silent auction, and then the finale; a showcase of improv from four county high schools. Join others who care about kids for a laugh-out-loud evening of improv comedy performed by our own Whatcom County kids. All profits go to the kids who need it the most. People interested in learning more about CIS or attending the annual "Improv For Education” can purchase tickets online at www.ciswhatcom.org or call (360)-778-3759.

April -

April 1st - Birch Equipment Spring Kick Off
Time - 3pm - 6pm
Location - Birch Equipment 1619 Kentucky Street  |  Bellingham
Description - Get ready for outdoor projects with Birch Equipment’s Spring Kick Off Event on April 1st (no fooling!)Check out home improvement, lawn and garden equipment, and a great line-up of organic gardening products, hand tools and quirky gift items. Plus, vendors will be on hand to answer questions about equipment. This event will be designed to be fun for the whole family with boom lift rides for the kids and more!

April 18th - Organized Bride Spring Bridal Show
Time - Noon - 5pm
Location - Ferndale Events Center 5717 Barrett Road, Ferndale
Description - Practical Tips, Tasty Samples to Be Offered at Organized Bride Spring Bridal Show Advice from talented local wedding professionals and samples of delicious cakes and appetizers will be featured Sunday, April 18 at the 2010 Organized Bride Spring Bridal Show in Ferndale. The Organized Bride Spring Bridal Show will be presented from noon to 5 p.m. at the Ferndale Events Center, just off Interstate 5’s Exit 262 at 5715 Barrett Road. The show is hosted by The Simply Organized Bride.com and sponsored by the Ferndale Events Center. Attendees can gain information and ask questions at the Spring Bridal Show about the varied aspects of planning a wedding. A wide range of businesses that offer services for weddings will have booths, including florists, musicians, photographers, caterers, cake decorators, hair stylists, spas and event coordinators. The $5 admission includes 45-minute workshops planned throughout the show. Spring Bridal Show organizer Deborah Thibodeau said workshop topics would include: • How to look your best for wedding-day photos. • How to choose your floral arrangements. • How to make your own wedding invitations, favors and/or decorations. "Couples and their families can enjoy a wonderful and affordable wedding day by learning about their options and making plans well in advance,” Thibodeau said. For more information about attending or reserving a vendor booth or workshop space, visit www.TheSimplyOrganizedBride.com or call Thibodeau at (360) 527-8542.

• Haggen Food & Pharmacy Leading Efforts to Raise Funds for MS Programs, Research Haggen Food & Pharmacy stores are combining efforts with customers and vendors to support Walk MS, the largest annual fundraiser of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Haggen Food & Pharmacy and TOP Food & Drug stores have been named presenting sponsors of Walk MS, which will be conducted by the MS Society’s Greater Northwest Chapter on April 10-11 at eight sites throughout Washington. Read More...

• Mark and Sandy Hagen, owners of the Mount Vernon and Bellingham, Wash., Express Employment Professionals offices, have been named the 2010 Express Franchisee of the Year award winner. Each year, this award recognizes and honors a franchisee who excels in building brand equity and a distinguished company reputation.  Read More...

• Spring fever is hitting Birch Equipment Rental and Sales with the addition of organic gardening products, hand tools, and quirky gift items. And people attending this year’s NW Washington Home and Garden Show will get a sneak peak of them and great instruction on all of the tools and equipment available for home improvement projects this spring.  Read More...

• Birch Equipment Rental and Sales has joined two community marketing efforts that support independent businesses and a program open to the community that benefits Wade King Elementary School in Bellingham. The company has a special offer in the ‘2010 Buy Local for Less’ Coupon Book produced by Sustainable Connections. Read More...

• Birch Equipment Participating in Road Less Graveled Program Representatives from Birch Equipment Rental and Sales will speak next week to students attending the Road Less Graveled Class offered by Bellingham Technical College. The six week class helps women try out non-traditional skills and explore careers in trade and technical fields.  Read More...

• Double Barrel BBQ is proud to announce our website relaunch. To celebrate our new website look we are giving away $100 worth of BBQ. Just go to our website at www.DoubleBarrelBBQ.com to enter for a chance to win!

• 3D CORPORATION ENHANCES CERTIFICATION REPERTOIRE Network Engineer Mike McGlothern achieves Cisco SMB Specialization for Engineers Bellingham, Washington – February 2010 – Network management firm 3D Corporation announces Mike McGlothern, 3D Network Engineer & Help Desk Lead, has earned Cisco SMB Specialization for Engineers, further enhancing the company’s range of professional certifications. Read More...

• Northwest Washington Fair Building New Horse Arena The Northwest Washington Fair is building a new equestrian arena that will be completed in time for this year’s fair and draw more horse shows to Lynden. Construction on the 40,890-square-foot arena has begun and will be completed by mid-July, fair manager Jim Baron said. Read More...

• DeWaard & Bode’s Garage Sale Raises $3,300 for Bellingham Food Bank DeWaard & Bode’s garage sale Jan. 23 raised $3,300 for the Bellingham Food Bank. The garage sale at the former DeWaard & Bode store at 1815 Cornwall Ave., Bellingham, featured items no longer needed by the business. The location was vacated when DeWaard & Bode opened a new appliance/furniture store last fall at 3944 Meridian St. in Bellingham’s Meridian Village. DeWaard & Bode, founded in 1946, also has a Bellingham outlet center at 4175 Hannegan Road, just north of East Bakerview Road. For more information, call (360) 733-5900 or visit www.dewaardandbode.com.

• Haggen Food & Pharmacy Collecting Donations for Haiti Relief Efforts Haggen Food & Pharmacy stores are collecting donations to fund World Vision’s relief efforts in Haiti, which was devastated by a Jan. 12 earthquake.  Read More...

• Whatcom County Association of Realtors Names David Hovde Realtor of the Year The Whatcom County Association of Realtors on Jan. 9 named David Hovde its Realtor of the Year and honored seven other individuals for their contributions to the organization and the community in 2009.  Read More...

• Gary Honcoop Honored as BIAWC’s Builder of the Year Gary Honcoop, co-owner and president of Roosendaal-Honcoop Construction, Inc., was honored Dec. 16 as Builder of the Year by the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County.  Read More...

• Northwest Washington Fair Exhibit Receives Prestigious IAFE Award The Northwest Washington Fair recently received a prestigious award for the Cargill Nutrena Small Animal Experience that made its debut in 2009. The Northwest Washington Fair received an award for excellence from the International Association of Fairs and Expositions, which has more than 3,000 members worldwide.  Read More...

• 2009 Housing Report: Stable Sales; Single-Digit Price Declines Whatcom County’s housing market in 2009, bolstered by a strong fourth quarter, eked out a nominal increase in sales while keeping price changes to single-digit declines. Read More...

• Haggen Food & Pharmacy Collecting Clothes for Children of Families in Need Haggen Food & Pharmacy stores in Whatcom County are collecting donations for their Warm Clothes for Kids drive, which runs from Monday, Jan. 4 through Friday, Jan. 22.  Read More...

• 15% discount to chamber members on all diagnosis and repairs through the month of January at Dan's Automotive

• 3D Corporation Build Engineer achieves CompTIA Server+ Certification Network management firm 3D Corporation announces Paul Kittinger, 3D Build Engineer, has earned CompTIA Server+ Certification, further enhancing the company’s range of professional certifications. The Server+ Certification awarded by The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) recognizes Kittinger’s experience and proficiency in server technology, installations and configuration, troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrading and disaster recovery. Read More...

• Awesome Monday & Tuesday Specials at New York Pizza & Bar Mondays - ALL Shaker Martinis are only $6 and ALL Gourmet 10 inch Pizzas are only $7 on Mondays at both the Bellingham & Lynden New York Pizza & Bar locations! 
Tuesdays All drinks are only $2 and ALL 10 inch Gourmet pizzas are only $7 on Tuesdays at both the Bellingham & Lynden locations!! 

• Lydia Place Receives $15,000 Grant from Allstate Foundation Lydia Place, a nonprofit Bellingham organization providing transitional housing and programming for homeless women with children since 1989, is receiving a $15,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation. Read More...

• Birch Equipment is proud to support the annual Toys for Tots campaign with collection sites at each store. Donating is easy at Birch, which carries a fantastic selection of toys for newborns to 12-year-olds. To celebrate the season, Birch is offering customers $5 off of any purchase of $50 or more. Toy donation bins will be available through December 18.

• Whatcom County Association of Realtors Honors Michele Boudreau, Rob Greenlund. Read More...

• Network management firm 3D Corporation is pleased to announce its support for Whatcom County’s Toys for Tots program. This month, the company will be donating computer systems and the expertise of its network engineers to the local drive. 3D’s engineers have installed five computer systems for volunteers to use during the drive. Read More...

• Lynden PRCA Rodeo Donates $6,856 to St. Joseph Hospital Cancer Center. Read More...

• Lehmann’s Moving to Larger Location in December It’s unusual for an 80-year-old to experience a growth spurt, but Lehmann’s Maytag Home Appliance Center of Bellingham isn’t your ordinary store. Read More...

• Don Elliott of John L. Scott Real Estate has been elected president of the Whatcom County Association of Realtors and will be installed at its annual banquet Jan. 8. Read More...

• Network management firm 3D Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of its new business referral program, 3D Referral Rewards. With the program, 3D is offering its 3DProActive™ clients the opportunity to earn cash rewards in exchange for referrals to businesses with server-based networks. 3D Referral Rewards is a new addition to 3D’s current marketing campaign focused on featuring clients in advertising. Read More...

• Business Bank has become an Official Toys for Tots Drop-Off Location Business Bank’s Bellingham Branch has become a drop off location for the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program.  Read More...• Community Food Drive Collects More Than 215,000 Pounds for Local Food Banks Whatcom County residents and businesses again met the call to "Feed the Need” by donating 215,508 pounds of food and basic household items during the 15th-annual Community Food Drive. The Community Food Drive, conducted Oct. 12-16, surpassed last year’s record of 206,000 pounds.  Read More...

• Hilltop Restaurant Celebrating 50 Years by Announcing Plans for Blarney Stone West The Hilltop Restaurant, a Whatcom County favorite for 50 years, is adding a touch of Irish to its anniversary celebration. Tom and Barb Kilpatrick, owners of the Hilltop Restaurant the last eight years, are creating Blarney Stone West, an interactive American version of a site steeped in Irish lore.  Read More...