Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 8, Issue 5, May 2004

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Seattle Sun business briefs

Berkshire Grill goes smokeless

The Berkshire Grill restaurant, at 2132 N. Northgate Way, announced that it is now officially 100 percent smoke-free. General manager Joe Bergevin said the restaurant made the decision to make the change after conducting a five-month long study of the benefits and impact to the guests and staff. "We love both our smoking and non-smoking guests ... it's just that the smokers will now need to take a 'smoke-free break' while enjoying our great food, wine and service," he said. He encourages other restaurants to also go smoke-free.

In other news, the restaurant will make its television debut on Sunday, May 9, 10 p.m., as the host site for a monthly author reading series called "Books at the Berkshire." The first reading, which was taped April 27, features Timothy Egan, Seattle journalist and author who will read an excerpt from his book "The Winemaker's Daughter." The reading will be aired on Seattle Community Colleges Television (cable channel 28). The reading will also be aired a second time on Tuesday, May 11, at 8 p.m., and can be viewed on the Web as well at www.scctv.net. Taping for the show takes place at the restaurant from 3-4 p.m. and is open to customers of the Berkshire Grill. A book-signing session follows the reading. To find out about upcoming tapings, call 417-0707.

Fremont's Epicenter wins award

Fremont's Epicenter building has been honored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) with the Pillars of the Industry Community of the Year Award.

The mixed-use structure at North 34th Street and Fremont Avenue North was also named the nation's Best Mixed-Use Community at the NAHB Multifamily annual educational conference on March 29.

The Pillars awards is given based on apartment design, development, finance, marketing and management. The Epicenter won over a field of more than 300 entries, which were evaluated based on floor plans, site plans, construction quality, architectural presence and how well the buildings fit into the community.

"These are not your father's apartments and condominiums," said Jerry Howard, executive vice president and CEO of the NAHB.

The Epicenter was developed by Security Properties and designed by Bumgardner Architects.

The building is well-known for its exterior art, the most prominent piece being "Monsruang," a 65-foot stainless steel sculpture. Works by Whidbey Island sculptor Alexei Kazantsev (two 8-foot-tall concrete sculptures) and Fremont glass artist Rodman Miller (a steel and glass sculpture) were installed in early April.

The Epicenter building is located on the northwest corner of the intersection of North 34th Street and Fremont Avenue North.

Kiwanis to honor school

The Northgate-Lake City Kiwanis Club will hold a luncheon on May 11 to honor the Northwest School for Hearing Impaired Children. The lunch will be helod at Robb's 125th Street Grill on Aurora Avenue North. For more information, call Alida Fretz, the group's treasurer, at 524-6157.

WaMu branch has new manager

Jason Francis has been named the new manager at Washington Mutual Bank in Lake City. The branch is located at 12360 Lake City Way NE. For more information, call Francis at 461-4725.

Lake City Chamber luncheon, May 13

The Lake City Chamber of Commerce will present a program on "Retirement Planning for Small Business Owners" on Thursday, May 13, noon at the Lake City Elks Lodge, 14540 Bothell Way NE (Lake City Way).

The program is sponsored by Edward Jones and Lord Abbett & Co. LLC.

John Pelligrini, regional manager for Lord Abbett, will brief business owners on the 2001 tax law and how it allows them to save more for their own retirement and offers greater flexibility as to how they fund their business retirement plan. He will give a slide-illustrated presentation which presents information on al retirement plans used by small businesses, including SEP, SARSEP, SIMPLE, Keough, and Profit Sharing.

Jack Miller, investment representative from the Lake City Edward Jones office, will also participate in the presentation.

Lunch will be provided. To make a reservation, call the Lake City Chamber at 363-3287.

Masonic Lodge dinner, May 3 for U Chamber members

The University Masonic Lodge at 4338 University Way NE will host a Mexican dinner that is open to members of the University Chamber of Commerce and their friends on Monday, May 3, beginning at 6 p.m. The dinner will include a tour of the lodge and live music. "We have been thought to be a secret society, meeting behind closed doors, but we are actually a group of men trying to make a difference in our community," writes William Doell, a past master of the lodge, in a recent letter sent to chamber members. To make reservations to attend and for more information, call 632-7900 or 523-8656.

Windermere makes donations

Sales associates and staff at Windermere Real Estate's Northwest office and the Windermere Foundation have made donations totalling $2,250 to two local groups.

A $2,000 donation was made to ROAR of Washington, a Fremont-based program which offers prevention and intervention services for homeless adults and families, along with several programs aiding low-income children and teenagers. Another $250 was donated to the Royal Family Kids Camp, a camp program for abused, neglected and abandoned children.

Each time a Windermere Associate sells a home, a portion of the commission is donated directly to the Windermere Foundation.