New hair salon opens at Schade Towers

A group of hair stylists who previously worked at Perala's Hair Design has opened a new salon, Tryst Hair Co., in a 2,200-square-foot space in Schade Towers, at 528 E. Spokane Falls Blvd.

That space formerly housed Perala's Hair Design, but that salon moved in January to a new location in Spokane Valley. After it moved, Tryst Hair Co. opened, stylist Patti Usselman says.

"(Some) of the current stylists who were renting from Perala's got together and decided we wanted to stay at our current location ... We contacted the building management to see if the lease was available, and of course they said it was," Usselman says.

Eight stylists were involved in the creation of the salon: Usselman, Jessica Wiswell, Tracey Crist, Tina McGovern, Desiree Tibbs, Heidi Harvison, Juan Serquinia, and Brooke MacDonald. A receptionist also is employed at Tryst.

The group of stylists decided to stay behind and open their own salon because they preferred the location near downtown and they had an established clientele, Wiswell says.

"When we decided to stay, it was basically because of the clients (and our) group is cohesive," she says.

Each stylist rents a station within Tryst, and the salon offers haircuts, perms, hair styling, and waxing services.


Landscape firm lands job, grows workforce


Ace Landscaping Corp., a growing Spokane Valley-based concern that focuses on landscape installation and maintenance, is the apparent low bidder for a one-year, $78,000 contract with the city of Spokane Valley to care for greenbelts and trees along public roadways.

The city of Spokane Valley has notified Ace Landscaping of its intent to award the bid to the business for work to begin in early March through the end of the year. The contract includes tree pruning, shrub trimming, turf mowing, aerating, fertilizing, irrigation maintenance, and weed control on city-owned strips along public roadways.

The area covered includes about 11 acres of turf, 2 acres of shrubs, and more than 530 trees.

John Baldwin, Ace Landscaping director of sales and marketing, says the company has increased its staff to 15 this year, up from about seven employees a year ago. The business, located at 16809 E. Sprague, was started in 2005 and is owned by Mark Dringle and Darrin Hatfield.

Baldwin says the company has recently won several other contracts, including landscape projects for Westview Elementary School and Freeman Elementary School. It also completed landscaping for a Panda Express restaurant, at 5016 E. Sprague, and for Pine Valley Ranch Apartments, at 3711 S. Highway 27, both in the Valley.

The year-round business also offers snow removal services in winter months.

Networking services provider on Sprague changes its name

Access Telecom Inc., a telecommunications company here, has changed its name to Access Unified Networks.

Access Unified Networks offers business-class data networking, network analysis, GPS tracking, carrier services, and high-definition video communications. The company said in a news release that it chose to change its name to better define its expertise and products.

Access Unified Networks is located at 2202 E. Sprague. It currently employs 10 people and occupies 6,000 square feet of the building the company bought in 2006, company President Kent Biel says. He founded the company in 1993.

"I believe it is essential for businesses to take advantage of technology to remain competitive in today's marketplace," Biel says. "Our new identity reflects our commitment to seek the very best products ... for our customers."

Television veterans start production company, new show

Kent Adams, a marketing and advertising executive, and Jeff Mooring, a Spokane-based actor and director, have launched a television production company here named Quicksilver Media Spokane LLC.

Adams says the company plans to create a number of television production projects, including a half-hour show called "Let's Talk Spokane," scheduled to air twice weekly on KXLY-TV beginning Feb. 24.

Adams says "Let's Talk Spokane" is being sponsored by Washington Trust Bank and will feature positive aspects of Spokane and the Inland Northwest. It also will air business success stories.

The owners are the company's only employees, but Adams says they plan to use contract employees for the video production work. Adams and Mooring currently work out of their homes.

Adams also separately owns Kent Adams Consulting LLC, a company he started here last summer to offer communication, marketing, and advertising services to businesses and nonprofits. He previously worked for about nine years mainly in sales at KHQ and Fox 28.

Choice Realty to move to larger office condo in downtown Spokane

Choice Realty LLC, a full-service real estate brokerage that's using alternative payment structures for marketing and selling real estate, plans to move by early March into a 2,200-square-foot remodeled office in downtown Spokane.

The company has bought a ground-floor space at 417 W. First and is remodeling it, for a combined cost estimated at under $250,000, says Ron McIntire, a Choice Realty principal. Hissong Design Group LLC, of Spokane, designed the space, and Charlie Roan Construction Inc., of Coeur d'Alene, is the contractor.

McIntire, who co-founded the company along with Realtor Melissa Murphy, says the new offices are being created with enough space to accommodate a staff of 20.

Launched in August, Choice Realty offers real estate service to property owners on a fee-for-service basis, at an hourly rate, and under a conventional commission model. It also represents buyers under a similar model.

The company started in a 500-square-foot space in the Spokane Entrepreneurial Center, at 608 W. Second, but the company soon took over an adjacent office there, with about another 250 square feet, as it grew from four real estate agents to its current staff of 12.

That number includes nine realtors and three support employees, McIntire says.

He says two of the realtors, Mike Eichorn and Jake Senescall, have joined him and Murphy as principals in the business.

Long-time surveyor starts own company


Post Falls resident and surveyor Chad Johnson has started his own surveying company, Johnson Surveying LLC, out of his home.

Johnson Surveying specializes in boundary surveys, topographic mapping, and expert-witness surveys for residential and commercial properties. Johnson says he is the sole employee, although he sometimes hires a local subcontractor to help him in the field.

Johnson has been a surveyor for 21 years and had worked for Inland Northwest Consultants, of Post Falls, before starting his own company in January, he says.

Johnson hopes to add an office manager, two field surveyors, and a drafter to his team in the next two years. He also is working with a Web developer on a website for the concern.