Advertising site offers online business guide Jeff Johnson and Chris Garras, two longtime Spokane radio station managers, have started a venture here called Adserveo.com, which they say provides Internet-based advertising for community-minded businesses.
Johnson says the business launched its Web site, www.adserveo.com, in January, and was profitable by February. It has added a membership director to bring in more advertisers and currently lists 68 member businesses and 81 member nonprofits on its site. The cost of membership ranges from $100 to $500 per month, determined by the size of the business or organization.
Johnson says the business plans to make its Web site more interactive for members and intends to hold member networking events. Eventually, he and Garras want to find licensees or partners to launch Adserveo.com in other cities.
Most recently, Johnson was the local general manager for Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast Corp., and Garras was general manager of KXLY Radio Group here and also manager of a family antiques business.
Katze Boutique moves to north Spokane spot
Barbara Katze, the owner of Katze Boutique, says she has moved her longtime Spokane business to a leased space at the Heritage Square retail center, at 9307 N. Division, from its previous location downtown.
The specialty clothing store is located in a 1,400-square-foot space at Heritage Square, which Katze says is about the same size as her previous location, at 824 W. Sprague, but with plenty of free parking. Katze Boutique, which has been in business here since 1988, carries several brands of clothing, in addition to clothing that Barbara Katze designs herself. She also makes jewelry that she sells at the shop.
Katze says she made the move because her lease at the downtown location had expired, and she was concerned about the possibility of her rent increasing during the economic downturn.
Valley dentist moving into new space in July
Dr. James Howard, a Spokane Valley dentist, plans to move his office in July into 1,800 square feet of leased space in a 6,000-square-foot building that Spokane orthodontist Pramod Sinha is building at 13904 E. Broadway. McCloskey Construction Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on Sinha's building, which is still under construction.
Howard specializes in oral medicine, a field of dentistry that focuses on non-surgical care of patients with disorders affecting the maxillofacial region.
Copeland Architecture designed his new office, which will include two exam rooms, Howard says. The dentist plans to move to the new location from his office at 1512 N. Vercler.
Howard says he will maintain his staff of three employees. He says he chose to move his office so he could have an affordable computer network and would have access to Sinha's CT scanner for diagnostic imaging that about 20 percent of his patients require.
Software consulting concern opens here
Jim Holcomb and Dale Walker have opened Caelus Consulting, at 905 W. Riverside, Suite 214, in downtown Spokane. The partners, former employees of RES Software LLC, of Spokane, purchased all rights to Caelus Management System software from that company in January. The software integrates accounts receivable, accounts payable, sales orders, and materials ordering for manufacturers.
Holcomb serves as the new venture's programmer and Walker as the consultant. It has no other employees.
Along with the purchase, Holcomb and Walker took on 12 clients, located from Arizona to Pennsylvania, that are using the software. Walker says he communicates with them by phone and the Internet and has traveled out of state to do an onsite consultation when needed.
Caelus Inc. was founded in Spokane in 1980 to sell its new manufacturing management software. The company filed for Chapter 7 liquidation in 2005.
Specialty print shop opens in the Valley
Paul and Susan Perovich have opened a Speedpro Imaging franchise at 10807 E. Montgomery, in Spokane Valley.
Paul Perovich says the new printing shop specializes in large-format digital printing, such as for retail displays, trade-show displays, building and vehicle wraps, billboards, banners, and signs.
Before launching the franchise operation, Perovich worked for Agilent Technologies, of Liberty Lake, where he was laid off from his job as a project manager. "I wanted to start and run my own business for quite some time, so it's worked out really well for me," Perovich says of his layoff from Agilent.
He says his shop will be the first Speedpro franchise in the Northwest. He also has agreed to serve as a regional development manager for the franchisor, Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Speedpro Imaging.