Tommy Percell joins Bayfield Realty
Tommy Percell will be joining the team at Bayfield Realty.
Born and raised in Bayfield, Percell is familiar with the unique needs of a small agricultural town. Having grown up in Bayfield, he has a firsthand perspective on the importance of family values and a firm respect for the environment and surroundings. Percell spent several years living and working in San Jose, Costa Rica and Las Vegas.
Percell is currently serving both buyers and sellers and can be reached at 317-5877 or email tommy@bayfieldrealty.com.
Thrive! recognizes local employers
Thrive! La Plata County Living Wage Coalition has reached an important milestone.
Twenty La Plata County employers have been certified as living-wage employers through the coalition’s Employer Recognition Program. A living wage in La Plata County is currently calculated at $12.40 an hour for a single person.
The employer recognition program was launched in June. Its immediate goal is to reward La Plata County employers that pay a living wage by providing them with the public recognition they deserve. The program’s long-term goal is to promote just wages and a sustainable economy in La Plata County.
For a list of Certified Living Wage Employers, visit www.ThriveLaPlata.org. To learn more about how a business or organization can become a certified living-wage employer, call Maureen Maliszewski at 903-0957.
Alpine Trust announces promotion
Alpine Trust & Asset Management announces that Julia Prejs has received a promotion.
Prejs has nearly 10 years of experience in the many facets of wealth management, with a focus on a holistic approach to managing financial issues that impact clients. Before joining Alpine Trust & Asset Management in 2013, she was a member of the Client Service Associate Advisory Council at Morgan Stanley in New York City. Prejs earned a degree from the University of Maryland and holds the Certified Investment Management Analyst designation, administered by Investment Management Consultants Association and taught in conjunction with The Wharton School of University of Pennsylvania. She is based in Telluride and is responsible for client portfolio management in the Durango and San Juan Mountain regions.
For more information, visit www.alpinebank.com.
Gervais & Associates announces promotion
Gervais & Associates, P.C., CPAs announces that Rachel A. Bell has been promoted to tax manager.
Bell is a tax accountant with 11 years of experience, seven of those in public accounting. After working for several years in the Denver area, she has been back in Durango since 2007. Bell obtained her degree in mathematics from Fort Lewis College, her master’s degree in accounting at the University of Colorado at Denver and most recently earned her master’s degree in taxation from the University of Denver. She has been a licensed certified public accountant since May of 2007.
Gervais & Associates serves businesses and individuals with income-tax advisory and financial-consulting services. For more information, call 385-1002 or visit www.gervaiscpas.com.
Owner completes advance training
Patricia Kelly – the owner and operator of Lashes and More, 2929 Main Ave. – announces that she just completed the advanced training for the “Volumation Eyelash Extension Class” in Denver.
Kelly is an advanced and directory listed lash stylist with Xtreme Lashes.
For more information, call 946-1415.
Starting a business workshop to be held
The Southwest Colorado Small Business Development Center will sponsor a half-day workshop titled “Starting Your Business” from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Durango Public Library Program Room, 1900 East Third Ave.
This course is designed to help people navigate through the steps they need to take to start a successful business. Presenters include a small-business specialist, marketing expert, small-business banker, an attorney and an accountant. Topics to be covered will include: business planning, legal structure, taxes, marketing and market research and finance options. The fee for the workshop is $25 or $20 for Chamber of Commerce members.
To register, visit https://clients.coloradosbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=170340015. For more information, call 247-7009.
Know Your Dough receives contribution
Know Your Dough – a local nonprofit providing financial literacy for youth and young adults – announces that it was the recent recipient of a donation in the amount of $1,600 by Gervais & Associates.
Know Your Dough plans to expand its financial-literacy programs locally, and contributions like these are what make that possible.
To have Know Your Dough present a program to an organization or school, email Allison Andersen at Allison@know-your-dough.org or call 779-0607.
Ultimate Mountain Living opens
Ultimate Mountain Living opened for business on Nov. 8 at 858 Main Ave. featuring gaming tables and billiards, unique high-end furnishings as well as high-end patio furniture.
Ultimate Mountain Living is the exclusive distributor in the Four Corners of Brunswick as well as Olhausen billiard tables. In addition, Ultimate Mountain Living features a range of products in the showroom, such as foosball, shuffleboard, air hockey and items suited to “man caves.” Come spring, Ultimate Mountain Living will add several exclusive lines of high-end patio furniture, including OW Lee, Tommy Bahamas and Homecrest. An additional unique offering is the indoor-outdoor furniture and furnishings crafted from Bali boat wood – or wood actually recycled from old fishing boats from Bali. Next year, owner Sam Christensen hopes to schedule a number of demonstrations and instructional opportunities, featuring billiards professionals and more.
Interested community members are encouraged to sign up for email alerts at www.ultimatemountainliving.com or follow Ultimate Mountain Living on Facebook.
Ultimate Mountain Living is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 247-1461.
Durango Rocks event seeking nominations
Durango Chamber of Commerce’s Durango Rocks is accepting nomination forms for the annual awards event.
Nominations are sought for Citizen of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Morley Ballantine Award, Business of the Year, Green Business Leadership Award, Non-Profit of the Year and Barbara Conrad Award.
To make a nomination, visit www.durangobusiness.org/External/WCPages/WCWebContent/WebContentPage.aspx?ContentID=478.
Sheila Casey receives award
The Rotary Club of Durango recently presented its new Community Service Award to director of La Plata County Senior Services, Sheila Casey.
Under her 15 years of leadership, Senior Services has greatly expanded its offerings. There are now three senior centers located in Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio, where seniors aged 50-99 come to socialize, receive information and participate in activities to maintain health, wellness and independence. Activities include zumba, tia chi, computer classes, bridge, line dancing, fitness classes and more. Through a staff of 35 employees and 250 volunteers, Senior Services serves nearly 43,000 meals annually, provides 1,400 hours chore services at homes, transports seniors to doctors and shopping, delivers meals on wheels and provides income-tax assistance and Medicare counseling. More than 11,000 seniors are served throughout La Plata County.
The club’s dinner meetings take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Strater Hotel, 699 Main Ave. Visitors are welcome. For more information, call Bruce Rodman at 385-7899.
Architectural firm announces new hires
Steve Eccher Design & Planning, a full-service architectural firm in Durango, welcomes new members to its team.
Dallas Bankston, a Dolores native, has joined Steve Eccher Design & Planning as a senior project manager. Bankston comes to the firm with more than 10 years of architectural design experience in the Denver and Los Angeles areas. He brings a specialization in commercial design with several years of experience within the automotive sector, as well as a strong background in restaurant and commercial kitchen design.
Bankston joins executive assistant and creative director, Erika Shisler, a Durango native, who recently joined the firm from New York City with eight years of visual and creative design experience and a passion for interiors.
For more information, email office@sce-design.com.
Herald Staff
