Attorney Schultz pares back practice, moves

Spokane attorney Mary Schultz, who emphasizes medical negligence and employment discrimination legal work, has changed the name of her firm to Mary Schultz Law PS and has pared it down to a one-lawyer practice.

Formerly known as Mary Schultz & Associates PS and located on the penthouse level of the Davenport Tower, at 111 S. Post, Schultz says, "The office has gone through a variety of evolutions. I started on my own and evolved to a practice having six associates, and now I am working on my own again. I prefer to do my own work and connect with the client directly."

The firm employs two long-term support staff.

Schultz commutes to 150 acres of forest and wetlands she purchased south of Spokane, where she has a new office in a 6,200-square-foot building that currently is being remodeled. She continues to live in Spokane.

She bought the land over a period of years and the primary real estate agent was Barb Christensen, of Coldwell Banker Tomlinson. The interior remodeling is being handled by Ralph McDaniel, of McDaniel Custom Homes Inc., and Cycrest Systems Inc., of Spokane, wired the building. Copper Creek Landscaping, of Mead, will do the landscaping.

Schultz says there's less justification for a traditional law office.

"I really want to focus on the electronic medium," she says, and Spokane County Superior Court is one of few that doesn't take electronic filing but is moving in that direction. She says a lot of lawyers now are doing much of their work at remote locations.

—Audrey Danals
Law firm here leases, moves to new space

Annan & Associates, a 27-year-old, one-attorney law firm here, has leased and moved into about 1,000 square feet of space in the Northpointe Professional Building, at 9524 N. Nevada, on Spokane's North Side.

Lisa Anderson, longtime legal assistant and office manager at the firm, says the move was prompted by the long commute to the firm's former office at 5915 S. Regal on Spokane's South Hill, where it had been located for about eight years.

Ned Annan, the lawyer who owns the firm, and Anderson, the only other employee, both live closer to the firm's new office, located the second floor of the Northpointe building, which is near the intersection of Nevada Street and Holland Avenue.

"We specialize in worker's compensation and personal injury, and Annan is able to practice in both Washington and Idaho," she says.

The firm moved in late June, Anderson says.

Jon Jeffreys, of NAI Black, handled the lease transaction.

—Audrey Danals

Auto repair shop opens on Hamilton

A new automotive-repair shop has opened on Spokane's North Side.

The new business, Rusty Muffler, specializes in replacing mufflers, worn brakes, shocks, struts, exhaust systems, and doing oil changes and other automotive repair and maintenance work.

Owner Russ Seaton launched the business early this month at 2605 N. Hamilton, in about 4,300 square feet of space that has been empty for about two years, but previously had housed A-1 Radiator for about 40 years.

Seaton, 45, has been working on cars since he was 17 years old. At 21, he subleased a store in the Seattle area. At 26, he opened Pro Muffler & Brakes, also in the Seattle area, and expanded it to five stores, eventually selling them to the managers. He most recently was the manager of 14 Bucky's Muffler Brakes & Radiator stores in the Seattle area.

"I've been doing this for 27 years, and this will be the eighth shop I've owned and operated," he says.

Seaton moved to Spokane for the slower pace and to be around family. He says the cost of living and the traffic on the West Side were factors in choosing to relocate to Spokane.

Seaton says he's spending $20,000 to $30,000 on new equipment and some remodeling, and he says the shop will have three employees in addition to him. He says he plans to open another shop in Medical Lake, though he hasn't secured a location yet. He also plans to expand to other parts of the Spokane area if the market warrants it.

Dave Crosby, of eXp Realty, represented Hector Sierra, the owner of the building on Hamilton, in lease negotiations. Ryan Towner and Jim Orcutt, both of NAI Black Commercial, represented Seaton.

—Audrey Danals

MAGnificent Signs inks LED supplier

Spokane-based MAGnificent Signs has begun carrying electronic signs manufactured by Corona, Calif.-based Vantage LED.

MAGnificent Signs owner Michael Glen says Vantage offers a high-quality, American-made product that's relatively easy to use. The old LED, or light-emitting diode, signs had a more complicated software program that was more time consuming and less reliable, he says.

LED technology is used in electronic signs to provide bright displays. Comparing them with the old-style, lighted signs, which used 20-watt bulbs, the new LEDs use about a half a watt, or are 40 times more energy efficient, says Glen. The LEDs have a 100,000-hour half-life, meaning until the bulb is half as bright as it was new.

Glen has been in the sign business for 24 years and has owned MAGnificent Signs for seven years. The company has one employee in addition to its owner, and also supplies conventional signs, building signs, monument signs, and directional signs. Some of the company's clients include Spokane-based Froyo Earth Inc., Haskins Steel Co., and Spokane Teachers Credit Union.

—Audrey Danals

Pediatrician opens clinic in Post Falls

Kootenai Kids Pediatrics, a new pediatric health care practice owned by Ken and Laurie Akey, has leased and moved into a 1,500-square-foot space in Post Falls.

The office, which previously housed a chiropractor's office, is located at 761 N. Thornton, a few blocks east of the state Highway 41-Mullan Avenue intersection.

Ken Akey is a board-certified Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics pediatrician and has been practicing for 36 years, and the Akeys have been working together for 31 years. He previously was with Lakeside Pediatric, in Coeur d'Alene, for a short time after moving here from Southern California, where the couple had a practice.

"There are only two pediatric practices in Coeur d'Alene, and we feel there is a huge need," says Laurie Akey, who is the practice's office manager.

The clinic will employ two people in addition to the Akeys initially, but the practice is hoping to expand when business increases, she says.

The practice will take all insurance plans and offer newborn care, well-child care, immunizations, acute same-day sick visits, developmental delays, and nutrition is discussed at most visits. The clinic is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The office space didn't need much remodeling, but the work included creating two waiting rooms to separate patients who are sick from those who are well.

—Audrey Danals

Young investment firm to relocate downtown

Ten Capital Investment Advisors LLC, a young Spokane-based investment firm, has leased space in the Chase Financial Center in downtown Spokane and says it will move there later this summer.

The firm is taking about 3,000 square feet of skywalk-level space in the high-rise building at 601 W. Main. The new location is west and north one block from Ten Capital's temporary, leased quarters at 510 W. Riverside, where the firm began operating last January.

Steve Larsen, president of Ten Capital, says he started the company with Tim Mitrovich, CEO and chief investment officer, and Tyson Blake, senior financial adviser. Of the decision to team up, Larsen says, "Individually, there was too much in the industry to keep up on, and by partnering, we could deliver a higher level of service and knowledge for our clients."

The firm has eight employees and plans to add more by the end of the year.

Larsen is a certified public accountant and a certified financial planner who previously operated Larsen Financial, of Spokane. Mitrovich has 15 years of experience in the investment industry and previously was with Richards, Merrill & Peterson, of Spokane. Blake had been with Prominence Financial, of Spokane.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission-registered investment firm has more than $100 million in assets under management, and its customers include business owners and high net-worth professionals.

The new office space is going through a remodel, says Larsen. The contractor for the remodel is Construction Associates, of Spokane, and Jon Jeffreys, of NAI Black, handled the lease transaction.

—Audrey Danals