People in Business

• Physical therapist Lisa Smalley has joined the Pinnacle Physical Therapy team in Post Falls. Smalley has a 12-year background of out-patient physical therapy experience.

• Owens and Crandall PLLC, a Hayden law firm, announced it has made Regina M. McCrea a partner.
McCrea joined the firm in 2007. Before then, she practiced insurance defense litigation in Spokane.

Jacobs

• Carmen Jacobs of the Post Falls branch of Inland Northwest Bank was awarded the Christopher C. Jurey Employee of the Year Award for 2010.

• Windermere Coeur d’Alene Realty has added four new associates.
Josh Brunn has joined Windermere following work in banking, including experience as a mortgage originator, commercial loan officer and senior lending training specialist. Joan Genter joins Windermere after a real estate career in California where she was honored as Realtor Associate of the Year. Steve Rinker has lived and worked in North Idaho for 20 years. Julie Weeks worked in sales and marketing and founded Arrow Point Vacation Rentals Inc. in 2003.

• Hecla Mining Co. announced the retirement of Michael Dexter, vice president, Hecla Limited, after 25 years with the company. John Jordan will be the new general manager at the Lucky Friday mine replacing Dexter. Jordan has been the mine superintendent at the Lucky Friday mine for the past five years. He has 30 years experience in the mining industry.

• Jessica Walters recently joined the real estate team at Spokane Teachers Credit Union, serving as lending center assistant manager.
She is responsible for overseeing the day to day operations of the loan origination and indirect lending department. Prior to STCU, Walters worked for Banner Bank.

• Kimberly Banta, with Keller Williams Coeur d’Alene Realty, has received the accredited buyer representative designation.
The designation is awarded to real estate practitioners by the Real Estate Buyers Agent Council of the National Association of Realtors who meet the specified educational and practical experience criteria.

• Architect Ryan Johnson has opened Element Architecture in Coeur d’Alene, a firm he says will apply sustainable principles to the planning and design of projects.

• After spending 40 years in various Silver Valley mineshafts, Harry Franklin Cougher has won the prestigious William Lawrence Saunders Gold Medal Award for 2010. During his four-decade stint in the valley, Cougher held senior positions at all but one of the mines within the Silver Valley’s Coeur d’Alene Mining District. He spent 17 years at the Bunker Hill Co., 17 years at Sunshine Mining Co., and six years at Coeur d’Alene Mines.

Norton

• Esthetician Carrie Norton has joined Serenity Salon and Spa. She has been a cosmetologist for more than 10 years. She will be Serenity’s in-house skin care specialist. She will specialize in body waxing, facials and chemical peels.

• Magnuson, McHugh and Co., a Coeur d’Alene CPA firm, announced it has hired Korby Baker, an accountant and auditor. The firm also hired Anthony Oss as a staff accountant. The firm hired Louann Schneidmiller, a CPA, as a tax services manager. It also hired Stacy Saffeels as an administrative assistant in the audit department.
The firm promoted Chris Shipley, a CPA, from a senior auditor to audit department manager. Amy Mossman was promoted from a pension accountant to a senior pension accountant. Lisa Nyquist was promoted from administrative accountant to office manager. Michelle Carlin was promoted from an administrative assistant to an accountant.

• Scott Peterson has accepted a position as a district sales coordinator for Aflac Inc. in the regional office, in Coeur d’Alene. He will be working with area employers on current employee benefit packages using Aflac’s products as well as recruiting and training new agents.

O'Reilly

• Patti O’Reilly, a real estate agent with Century 21 Beutler and Associates, Coeur d’Alene, has been awarded the accredited buyer’s representation designation by the real estate buyer’s agent council of the National Association of Realtors.