Dec. 1, 2008 at 2:24pm

Former WaMu employees eligible for assistance

Washington Mutual employees who are receiving layoff notices from JPMorgan Chase are also receiving information from state and local layoff-response officials about unemployment benefits and job-search assistance that are available to them.

Leaders from the state Employment Security Department's mass-layoff unit and the Seattle-King County rapid-response team met recently with JPMorgan officials to plan informational sessions that will supplement the company's own severance and employee-assistance efforts.

A series of one-hour sessions will be held on Dec. 12 for Washington Mutual employees who are being laid off in the next few months.

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Comments (0) | Posted in Banking/Financial Services, BE Daily, Human Resources , Lacey, Lakewood, Lewis County, Mason County, Olympia, Pierce County, South King County, Tacoma, Thurston County, Tumwater, Workforce by Breanne Coats | Email Breanne

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Dec. 1, 2008 at 12:23pm

Russell lookalike site violated state law

A California man's mirror-image version of Russell Investments' site violated the state's anti-phishing law, said the Washington Attorney General's Office.

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Comments (0) | Posted in Banking/Financial Services, BE Daily, Law and Legislation, Tacoma, Technology by Breanne Coats | Email Breanne

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Dec. 1, 2008 at 12:19pm

Saint Martin's paving the way for professional teachers

Saint Martin's University will host information sessions on its Secondary Teacher Alternate Route Program at 7 p.m. Dec. 8, Jan. 21 and Feb. 4 at the university's Norman Worthington Conference Center, located at 5300 Pacific Ave. SE. Saint Martin's STAR Program provides working professionals with an intensive alternative route to becoming a secondary school teacher in Washington.
 

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Comments (0) | Posted in BE Daily, Education, Lacey by Hilary Reeves | Email Hilary

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Dec. 1, 2008 at 11:48am

Construction spending dips in October

Private nonresidential construction spending decreased 0.7 percent in October compared to September, according to today's release by the U.S. Census Bureau. Total nonresidential construction spending rose 8.3 percent since last year and remained fairly flat in October – down 0.1 percent to $725.7 billion, while private nonresidential construction put in place rose 9.1 percent during the year to reach $417.7 billion.

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Comments (0) | Posted in BE Daily, Building by Hilary Reeves | Email Hilary

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Dec. 1, 2008 at 10:30am

Around the Sound

Business-related events

Business owners not previously able to afford health insurance for their employees have a new tool available to them – government subsidies for employee health insurance. The state's Health Insurance Partnership combines public and private resources to help small employers and their employees purchase health insurance in the marketplace. A free educational workshop on HIP is being offered Thursday between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. at the Phoenix Inn Suites in Olympia. Employers eligible for the subsidies are those: not currently offering health insurance; have between two and 50 employees; and have workforces that have half of their workers earning less than $10 an hour. The workshop is being sponsored by the Thurston County Chamber affiliated Chamber Benefit Services Fund, a leader in small business health insurance solutions. The event is held in cooperation with the Washington Health Care Authority and Choice Regional Health Network. Reservations are requested at (360) 357-3362 or www.ThurstonChamber.com.

The Lakewood Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring its annual Holly-Jolly Christmas Auction on Thursday between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the Great American Casino. For $20 admission, guests can enjoy a lovely plated lunch, visit with Santa, enjoy holiday music, as well as take advantage of shopping for family, friends, co-workers and employees in a casual setting. Reservations are required, call (253) 582-9400.

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Comments (0) | Posted in Banking/Financial Services, BE Daily, BE on the road, Building, Charities/Non-profits, Education, Health care, Human Resources , Lacey, Lakewood, Law and Legislation, Lewis County, Manufacturing/Trade/Transportation, Mason County, Military/Security, Pierce County, Retirement and Investing, South King County, Startups/Minority Businesses, Tacoma, Technology, Thurston County, Tourism, Retail and Hospitality, Tumwater, Workforce by Steve Dunkelberger | Email Steve

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Dec. 1, 2008 at 10:18am

BE part of the conversation

Comment about the news

Visit BusinessExaminer.com and voice your thoughts on today's news and read comments from other people in the South Sound's business community. The BE blog also offers RSS functions so you can see only the local or industry business news that you want, as it happens.

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Comments (1) | Posted in Banking/Financial Services, BE Daily, BE on the road, Building, Charities/Non-profits, Education, Health care, Human Resources , Lacey, Lakewood, Law and Legislation, Lewis County, Manufacturing/Trade/Transportation, Mason County, Military/Security, Olympia, Pierce County, Retirement and Investing, South King County, Startups/Minority Businesses, Tacoma, Technology, Thurston County, Tourism, Retail and Hospitality, Tumwater, Workforce by Steve Dunkelberger | Email Steve

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Nov. 28, 2008 at 10:36am

Boeing union contracts set for Monday vote

The outcome of union contracts covering nearly 20,400 engineers and technical workers at The Boeing Company will be decided on Monday, when the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace counts member ballots.

Two contracts are involved in the negotiations. The first covers 13,898 engineers in the SPEEA Professional Bargaining Unit. The second contract covers 6,576 technical workers in the union's Technical Bargaining Unit. While the majority of workers are in the Puget Sound region, the contracts cover employees in Oregon, Utah and California. Both contracts expire Dec. 1.

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Comments (0) | Posted in BE Daily, Law and Legislation, Manufacturing/Trade/Transportation, Pierce County, South King County, Workforce by Steve Dunkelberger | Email Steve

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Nov. 28, 2008 at 10:35am

Port wants plans for East Bay

Port of Olympia officials have issued a request for qualifications from development firms and potential end users for mixed-use development of six parcels in the East Bay District, the downtown Olympia waterfront property adjacent to State Avenue.
 
"Given the location of these parcels, particularly with their close proximity to the planned public plaza, expanded children's museum, and LOTT's educational facilities, we are pleased to be placing the remaining East Bay District properties on the market to ultimately determine the interest and capabilities within the development community to advance the redevelopment program," said Commission President Bill McGregor.

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Comments (0) | Posted in BE Daily, Building, Law and Legislation, Manufacturing/Trade/Transportation, Olympia, Thurston County, Workforce by Steve Dunkelberger | Email Steve

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Nov. 28, 2008 at 10:34am

Discounts on electronics, toys bring early shoppers

Consumers looking for the best deals of the year braved the elements this morning, forming lines outside their favorite stores hours before doors even opened. Anxious to entice shoppers with bargains and deep discounts, some retailers opened their doors as early as midnight, though most stuck to 4 or 5 a.m. openings.

"When it comes to offering deals to bring customers into stores this weekend, retailers are holding up their end of the bargain," said National Retail Federation President and CEO Tracy Mullin. "The deep discounts on the hottest holiday items may have been just enough to get the attention of those consumers who were on the fence about braving the crowds and the cold."  

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Comments (0) | Posted in BE Daily, Charities/Non-profits, Tourism, Retail and Hospitality by Steve Dunkelberger | Email Steve

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Nov. 28, 2008 at 8:30am

Business school is now in session at BE

Streaming video covers business topics

The Business Examiner has added a feature to its Web site that features expert advice from the PBS show Small Business School as well as links to gain free access to full shows featuring a range of business topics. New tips will be added each business day.

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Comments (0) | Posted in Banking/Financial Services, BE Daily, Building, Charities/Non-profits, Education, Health care, Lacey, Lakewood, Law and Legislation, Lewis County, Manufacturing/Trade/Transportation, Mason County, Military/Security, Olympia, Pierce County, Retirement and Investing, South King County, Startups/Minority Businesses, Tacoma, Technology, Thurston County, Tourism, Retail and Hospitality, Tumwater, Workforce by Steve Dunkelberger | Email Steve

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Plenty more in the Archives