New dental practiceopens in the Valley 

Sleep Apnea & Oral Systemic Dentistry, a new dental clinic that treats patients with obstructive sleep apnea and gum disease, has opened in Spokane Valley. 

Owned by dentist Liana Groza, the dentistry leases 860 square feet of space in the lower level of the Broadway Center, located at 12213 E Broadway.

Groza says the clinic, which opened Nov. 1, is focused on raising community awareness of new dental technologies to aid in reducing the risk of other health problems associated with apnea and gum disease, also known as periodontal infection. 

“Obstructive sleep apnea and periodontal infection are common conditions which can increase the risk for diabetes, obesity, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s dementia, depression, and other chronic illnesses,” she says.

She adds, “We hope to collaborate with other institutions and support organization to implement new protocols for the screening and treatment of these conditions before much of the systemic damage becomes irreversible.

The dentistry is open Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., as well as Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays by appointment. 

—LeAnn Bjerken

Manager buys fitness club on the South Hill

Catalyst Fitness manager Matt Griffith says he has bought the South Hill club from Joel and Kristal Hayek, who opened another fitness center in Spokane Valley. 

Griffith says he purchased the club, located in a 2,650-square-foot space in a retail center at 3209 E. 57th, for $100,000. 

“Joel approached me a couple of years ago and asked me what my long-term plans were,” says Griffith, who managed the club for three years before acquiring it. “He told me he and Kathy wanted to start a fitness club in the Valley. I gave buying the club some thought, and after that, we began working about two years ago in order to make it happen.”

Ten-year-old Catalyst Fitness, with three employees including Griffith, specializes in one-on-one and small-group training for up to eight people. 

“Small group is the way of the future,” Griffith asserts.

Members pay a monthly fee of $55 for access to work out independently, Griffith says. One-on-one workout sessions with a personal trainer, which typically last 45 minutes, range in price from $50 to $64 per session. To participate in groups of two or more, cost varies from $28 to $35 a person.

Fitness club workout hours are from 5:15 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Friday and Saturday and Sunday by appointment.

—Kevin Blocker

Financial advisers change affiliation

Spokane-based financial advisory firm Hoyt, Lewis & Associates LLC has changed its broker-dealer platform, joining with retail investment advisory firm LPL Financial LLC, a subsidiary of Boston-based LPL Financial Holdings Inc. 

As part of LPL’s broker-dealer platform, Hoyt, Lewis & Associates will provide fee-based services through independent retirement investment advisory firm Financial Advocates Investment Management. 

Prior to joining with LPL Financial, Hoyt, Lewis & Associates was aligned with Waddell & Reed Financial Inc., of Overland Park, Kan. 

Jeremy Lewis, CEO and wealth adviser for Hoyt, Lewis & Associates, says the firm has been contemplating the change for some time, completing the licensing changes in October. 

“We’re a little over three months into the process so the transition period is winding down as we get back to business as usual,” says Lewis. 

He says the decision to change platforms is meant to benefit the firm’s clients, giving them more options. 

“Ultimately, when deciding a change like this, we look at what will benefit the client,” says Lewis. “LPL’s platform gives us more options and better tools.” 

Hoyt, Lewis & Associates reported that, based on prior business, the firm managed $180 million in client assets as of Oct. 25, 2015.

Lewis says about 90 percent of its clients have decided to move with the company in its transition to the new platform.

 “Some of those clients have been with us since 1992, so I’m sure this was a big change for them,” says Lewis. 

He says many of the firm’s clients were brought on originally by his former partner Bradley Hoyt, who still works at the firm part time.

Hoyt, Lewis & Associates has a staff of six, including Lewis, wealth advisors Hoyt, Ben Kohls-Chase, CEO Noelle Seipp, and client services specialists Sherry Welch and Stephanie Jones. 

The firm occupies a 6,400-square-foot office space at 123 E. Second. 

—LeAnn Bjerken

24 Taps expansion project under way

Downtown Spokane restaurant and bar 24 Taps began work late last month to expand its current 4,000-square-foot location at 825 W. Riverside to include a 2,000-square-foot vacant storefront space next door. 

The expansion into the space at the southeast corner of Lincoln Street and Riverside Avenue will enlarge the indoor dining area, add an outdoor patio, and move the restaurant’s main entrance to Lincoln from Riverside. 

The planned entrance change also will give the business the new address of 24 N. Lincoln, echoing the business name, which co-owner Josh Blair says was mostly coincidental. “It just sort of worked out that way, but we did consider it as part of our branding concept,” says Blair. He co-owns the business with Tom Griffiths, of the accounting firm Griffiths, Dreher & Evans PS CPAs.

Originally named for its 24 different beers on tap, many of which are craft or local beers, 24 Taps has been open since August 2014. Its restaurant menu includes appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and gourmet burgers. 

Blair says the business currently has 10 employees but may consider hiring more following the expansion, which is scheduled to be completed in April. 

Last year, the restaurant completed a renovation that included dining room enhancements and the addition of a private banquet room named The Empire Club. The room is named after the original Empire Club, where Spokane business leaders would meet on the top floor of the Lincoln Building across the street from 24 Taps. 

Blair says 24 Taps allows businesses to use the room free of charge, in keeping with the original Empire Club’s purpose.

—LeAnn Bjerken