Sublime Salon has merged with Club Biella Day Spa and has moved to 1506 Pacific Ave. in downtown Tacoma.

The merger brings Club Biella 10 new professionals who offer a range of services, including hair coloring, design, hair extensions, hair straightening, nail care, esthetician and massage.

Valley Cities Counseling & Consultation has recognized Federal Way City Manager/Police Chief Brian Wilson with its 2010 Community Achievement Award for Collaboration.  

Valley Cities is a community behavioral health center with outpatient clinics in Auburn, Federal Way, Kent and Renton. Wilson is chair of the organization's board this year and has served on the board since 2001.

Life Christian Academy's gifted program, EXEL, has been selected to receive a "Best of Washington" award from the Washington Federation of Independent Schools.

The federation, an umbrella group representing more than 500 private schools, said the Tacoma school was cited for its "rigorous academic environment that allows students to be challenged at a level that keeps them engaged with their intellectual peers and growing at their own pace."

Saint Martin's University will host Dr. E. Gerald Meyer, professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Wyoming, at 7  p.m. today in Harned Hall Room 110 in Lacey for a presentation about "The Hydrogen Economy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." For more information, contact Arwyn Smalley at asmalley@stmartin.edu.

The Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance is hosting the ninth Annual Aerospace Conference in Lynnwood tomorrow and Feb. 10. The event will feature speakers from Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, EADS, G2 Solutions, Holder Aerospace, Leeham Co, Lockheed Martin, Moss Adams and Vaupell. Click here for more information.

City University of Seattle will offer the first online program for school principals and program administrators to earn their Washington certification beginning this fall.

The online principal certification is the only program of its kind offered by a state-approved institution. The program also addresses national standards established by the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium.

Community Health Care of Tacoma has been selected as the 2009 facility winner of the Warren Featherstone Reid Award.

The award, which was created by the legislature during 1994, is given annually to health care providers and facilities in Washington State who exhibit exceptional quality and value in the delivery of health services.

The Conference Board Employment Trends Index rose during January for the fifth consecutive month. The index now stands at 93.2, up 1 percent compared to December's 92.3, but down 0.7 percent compared to January 2009.

"The continued rise in the ETI makes us more optimistic that job growth will resume in the first quarter of 2010," said Gad Levanon, associate director of macroeconomic research at The Conference Board. "The improvement is widespread across all eight components. In particular, Friday's large decline in the number of involuntary part-time workers was the first time this component showed a strong signal of improvement."

Tacoma Goodwill Industries is hosting a Super Refund Refund event that will provide free tax preparation for qualified taxpayers, including eligibility for a tax refund through the Earned Income Tax Credit from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Milgard Work Opportunity Center, 714 S. 27th St. Call Kim Houg (253) 573-6813 for information or an appointment. Child care is available.

Savor the sights and sounds of the world without leaving the state during the Ethnic Celebration from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St SE, Olympia.  The event is free and will include music and dance presentations on two stages by 24 local and regional performing arts groups. Click here for a complete schedule of events.

The University of Puget Sound has taken the No. 4 spot among small schools in this year's rankings of Peace Corps volunteer-producing schools.

The college has 20 undergraduate alumni serving in the volunteer program, which provides services in more than 70 countries worldwide. UPS has placed in the top 10 since the Peace Corps started producing its annual report during 2001.

Optimism among small business owners showed no significant change during January, despite improved business owner outlook for revenue, capital spending and cash flow.

The latest results of the quarterly Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index show optimism came in at negative 16, a one-point decrease from the previous survey (conducted during October 2009), and 130 points lower than the index high of 114 (conducted during December 2006).

The Carol Milgard Breast Center has been awarded the highest quality review possible by the Food and Drug Administration for adhering to the most rigorous quality and safety standards set forth by the Mammography Quality Standards Act.
 
Only 78 percent of all U.S. mammography centers have received the "All Items in Compliance" rating.

Weyerhaeuser Co. today reported a net loss of $175 million for the fourth quarter 2009, or 83 cents per share, on net sales from continuing operations of $1.5 billion.
 
Last year, the Federal Way-based company reported a fourth quarter net loss of $1.2 billion, or $5.73 per share, on net sales from continuing operations of $1.8 billion.

MultiCare's Steam Plant has been honored with a Silver Award in the energy category from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Washington.

The award was presented to Wood Harbinger Inc., an engineering company in Seattle that designed the mechanical and electrical systems for the facility.

Margo Willis has been elected president of the National Women's Council of Realtors. She is an associate broker at Crescent Realty in Spanaway and has more than 16 years of experience in real estate and management. When installed at the annual conference during November, she will become the first president of the council from Washington.

The Seattle Aquarium Society has named Joel Baker Ph.D. the recipient of this year's Conservation Research Award. The award includes a $10,000 research grant given in Baker's name to the Seattle Aquarium Research Center for Conservation and Husbandry. Baker has extensive experience in studying urban waterways. His research focuses on pollutant transport and fate in natural waters and the accumulation of chemicals in aquatic food webs. He is an environmental chemist and engineer and is a faculty member in the Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program at the University of Washington Tacoma, and holds the Port of Tacoma Chair in Environmental Science. In addition, Baker is science director for the Center for Urban Waters, a research partnership between UW Tacoma, the City of Tacoma and the state agency Puget Sound Partnership.

"More certainty" and "more stability" in the market contributed to a boost in activity during January, according to officials from Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Brokers reported an increase of nearly 27 percent in pending sales (purchase offers made and accepted, but not yet closed) compared to December and a 28 percent jump from 12 months ago.

Valley Community Bancshares Inc., the parent company of Valley Bank of Puyallup, today reported earnings of $2.1 million, or $1.84 per diluted share, for the year that ended Dec. 31, 2009, compared to $2.4 million, or $2.10 per diluted share during the previous year.

The Board of Directors also approved a $1 per share cash dividend payable to shareholders of record on Dec. 31. The dividend represents the 36th consecutive year of payment.

Businesses with less than 50 employees cut 12,000 jobs during January, the smallest decline since July 2008.

And, according to payroll giant ADP, small businesses in the service sector added jobs for the second consecutive month, posting an increase of 16,000. However, that increase was offset by a decline of 28,000 jobs in the goods-producing sector.

An online community has been created to bring together stakeholders concerned with the West's working forests, from timber communities and recreation enthusiasts to loggers and educators.

One Voice for Working Forests includes a blog and pages on Facebook and LinkedIn, but its focus is to be a gathering place for supporters of working forests to exchange ideas and discuss their thoughts about forestry issues.

Three nonprofit organizations and two businesses will be recognized for excellence at the fourth annual Nonprofit Excellence Awards Luncheon presented by The Nonprofit Center on Feb. 24 at the Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center.

The Jane T. Russell Excellence in Governance Award will be given to the Board of Directors of Palmer Scholars. The award is presented to a nonprofit board demonstrating exemplary practices in one or more of its primary governance responsibilities.

The Association of Washington Business recognized 18 businesses and nonprofit organizations today for their commitment to workplace safety, job training and advancement, and innovative benefit and compensation programs.

This year's Better Workplace Awards were presented to Acme Concrete Paving Inc. (Spokane), American Distributing (Marysville), Andelcare (Bellevue), Birds Eye Foods (Tacoma), Cairncross & Hempelmann P.S. (Seattle), Check Masters (Lynnwood), Columbia Vista Corp. (Vancouver), Concur Technologies (Redmond), Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Renton), Haskins Steel Co. Inc. (Spokane), Humanix Staffing & Recruiting (Spokane Valley), Marine View Beverage Inc. (Sumner), Medical Imaging Northwest (Lynnwood), Pacific Power (Yakima, Sunnyside and Walla Walla), Skils'kin (Spokane), St. Luke's Rehabilitation Institute (Spokane), Sterling Savings Bank (Spokane), Tenaska Ferndale Cogeneration Station (Ferndale).