CANDIS OLIVER
Coldwell Banker Seal recently announced the hiring of Candis Oliver as a broker in its Vancouver West office as part of the company’s new Home from Service program. Oliver is the first female veteran to be hired at the company since the program launched in May.
Home from Service honors retired service men and women and recognizes the highly sought-after, marketable skills they’ve acquired in the military.
Originally from Mt. Angel, Oregon, Oliver served in the U.S. Army for four years, stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. She is now active in the National Guard Reserves and, according to the company, is excited about the prospect of building her own business using skills she honed through her military service.
“I knew immediately upon meeting Candis that she would be a great fit, and we are excited about her contributions going forward,” said Pam Saunders, principal managing broker of CB Seal Vancouver West. “And I must say, [I’m] proud our office is the first to hire a female veteran as part of [the Home From Service] program.
“Candis’ recognition of the importance of operational procedures, and the tenacity she gained through military service, are perfect attributes for the types of skills needed to be successful in real estate,” Saunders added. “She is a longtime Vancouver area resident, and so has a thorough knowledge of the area and is well connected. We have no doubt she will build a thriving practice.”
YVONNE PAYNE & HAROLD FAIRES
Yvonne Payne of Ebony Notes and Harold Faires of Wendel Family Dental Centre are now Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (GVCC) Red Coat Ambassadors.
Payne is a Vancouver-based classically trained and jazz pianist that specializes in providing music for weddings, corporate, social events, functions, parties, hotels and restaurants. She attended the University of Washington and for the past eight years has been an accompanist for the Vancouver Public Schools.
Faires has been an active chamber member since 2013 representing Wendel Family Dental Centre. His duties include marketing for the practice’s multiple offices throughout Clark County. In 2015, the business received the Angie’s List Super Service Award for outstanding customer service. Faires is a longtime resident of Vancouver.
The GVCC Ambassadors are a volunteer team managed by Barb Holbrook to champion business growth and development.
MEHRDAD SHOJAEI
The Salmon Creek Hospital Foundation recently elected Mehrdad Shojaei, M.D., to its board of trustees. The Foundation advocates and raises funds for Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center.
Shojaei is a board-certified hospitalist at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center. Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, he received his medical degree from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Tabriz, Iran. After practicing family medicine in Iran for 10 years, Shojaei completed an internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, and then moved to Vancouver as a locum tenens physician before joining the Legacy Salmon Creek staff.
At Legacy Salmon Creek, Shojaei serves on several hospital committees and is also an active supporter of the Legacy Salmon Creek Healing Garden fundraising project – a 12,000-square-foot peaceful and restorative space that will provide stress relief for patients, families and staff through specialty gardens, bubbling fountains, benches, tables and a labyrinth with a circular path.
LISA CARTWRIGHT
The Hazel Dell/Salmon Creek Business Association has appointed Lisa Cartwright, assistant executive director of the Southwest Washington Contractors Association, to its board of directors.
Cartwright participated in organizing the Hazel Dell Parade of Bands this year. She lives and works in the Hazel Dell/Salmon Creek area and has been the assistant executive director for the Southwest Washington Contractors Association (SWCA) for 20 years.
Her duties at the SWCA include fundraising, membership services, supporting the SWCA Foundation, bookkeeping and managing the association’s online plan center.
CODY KENT & AMIANA McEWEN
Otak Inc., an urban design, engineering and planning firm, recently added Cody Kent and Amiana McEwen to the firm’s Vancouver office.
Kent joined the firm as an assistant stormwater planner. He earned a bachelor’s degree in geology from the University of Wyoming and a master’s degree in climate and society from Columbia University. He also earned a certificate in geographic information systems from Portland State University. Kent is a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve, and served four years on active duty.
McEwen joined the firm as a civil engineering technician. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in environmental science from the University of Portland. Additionally, she is pursuing an advanced degree in civil engineering with a focus on water resources. Her past experience includes working as an environmental scientist and a field biologist.
LUKASZ KALTUR, MIKE COBLENTZ, MIKE LASKOWSKI, BRANDON JACKSON & JENNIFER VELAZQUEZ
Sigma Design, a Vancouver-headquartered product design and engineering firm, recently hired the following new employees to its ever-growing team: Lukasz Kaltur as on-site services delivery manager; Mike Coblentz, electrical engineer; Mike Laskowski, test technician/engineer; Brandon Jackson, mechanical engineer; and Jennifer Velázquez as a test operator.
Kaltur brings experience as a recruiter and account manager to the company. His experience includes sourcing, interviewing and selecting candidates for appropriate technical positions; gathering and analyzing job market data to advise customers and candidates; managing customer projects; utilizing strong coordination efforts with database systems; managing customer accounts; and preparing and negotiating services contracts with customer base. He holds a bachelor’s degree in technical management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In his new role, Kaltur provides account management services for existing and future client staffing needs.
As an electrical engineer, Coblentz has developed and designed display systems for commercial and military avionics, control systems for high voltage power conversion projects, complex algorithms for power control and fault detection, custom digital and analog hardware for data acquisition and communication, digital logic for fault-tolerant fast switching supplies, and software for military microgrid application. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Penn State University.
With experience and education in mechanical engineering, Laskowski has assisted in designing metal cast parts and molds, and developing and documenting the design of a new truck dash. Additionally, he has assisted in developing a fluid dynamometer by designing the fluid circuit and performing the Arduino programming. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Portland.
With background as a mechatronics reliability engineer and printhead R&D reliability engineer, Jackson has more than five years of experience in 3-D modeling and drafting using SolidWorks, CATIA, NX and Auto CAD programs. He has improved product reliability through creation of test equipment, interpretation of warranty data, root cause analysis, FRACAS, 8d reports. He holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Oregon State University.
Velazquez brings experience as a rework/assembly operator to the team at Sigma Design. In her new role, she provides support to the company’s engineering team regarding daily builds on a variety of project types at Sigma’s east manufacturing facility in Vancouver.
