Regional Voices: Darryl Potyk – University of Washington-Gonzaga University Regional Health Partnership

Regional Voices: Darryl Potyk – University of Washington-Gonzaga University Regional Health Partnership

Dr. Darryl Potyk is in charge of medical education at the University of Washington-Gonzaga University Regional Health Partnership, and is a clinical professor at the UW School of Medicine (UWSOM).

What brought him to Spokane: I moved here from Southern California in 1994 because of Spokane’s great medical community, and an opportunity to be involved in medical education full time. Medical education here has really grown and evolved in the last couple of years, but many people don’t realize it’s been going on in our community for a long time.

Prior to assuming leadership of the UWSOM-GU Regional Health Partnership’s program in mid-February: I had been involved in medical education in Spokane for the past 23 years in a variety of different roles, including residency program director and chair of the medicine department at both major hospitals. My role with UWSOM’s Spokane program increased in 2013 when I became the assistant clinical dean.

Ways the program has changed: When I started, there were 20 first-year students here, and they all went to Seattle for their second year. Now we have 60 first-year students and 40 second-year students, along with 30 students who do their entire third and fourth years here. We plan to continue expanding.

The next phase: The University of Washington’s partnership with Gonzaga University will be transformative. Combining our experience and expertise is already helping us better educate the next generation of healthcare professionals and address the workforce shortage in Eastern Washington.  While many of our doctors come here from other states, we need to train our own. Students often stay where they train, so greater exposure to Eastern Washington will help reduce the shortage. We are asking the Legislature to fund an additional 20 students over the next biennium, which would benefit the community in many ways.

Broader impact: Our work with Gonzaga University will serve as a springboard for many collaborations – various offshoots and related businesses that enhance medical education.  We are truly on the cusp of something great that will impact social and economic aspects of our region!

Career opportunities: In addition to medical education, the University of Washington also is engaged in dental education through RIDE (Rural Initiatives for Dental Education), and the MEDEX program, which trains physician assistants. As medical education grows, so will opportunities in nursing, radiology tech, OR tech, and physical/occupational/speech therapy.

Ways Spokane has changed since 1994: We’ve become more sophisticated without losing our small-town benefits. Spokane is growing, and our healthcare community is at the center of the next big thing.

Looking ahead: Spokane has so much going for it, it needs to take pride, build on its strengths and avoid comparing itself to other communities.

Perks of living here: I consider it a privilege to work for a leading medical school in such a supportive environment.  And I appreciate the abundant ways my family and I can enjoy the outdoors: cross-country skiing at Mount Spokane in the winter; biking, boating and paddle boarding in the summer.  Combine that with short commutes and a friendly community – I couldn’t ask for more!

Regional Voices: Demitriy Oberemok – TDR Logistics

Regional Voices: Demitriy Oberemok – TDR Logistics

Demitriy Oberemok and his brothers Tim and Roman own TDR Logistics, a Spokane-based shipping company and fourth-party logistics provider with its own fleet of trucks. Among Dmitriy’s responsibilities are logistics operations, warehousing, transloading and marketing

A new beginning: Our family emigrated from Ukraine because of our religious beliefs.

First impressions: One of the biggest things that stood out was North Idaho’s Silverwood Theme Park. Not having those kinds of attractions in Ukraine – seeing them only in movies – it definitely made an impression.

The long haul: Our father started his own business in 1998, buying cars at auction and hauling them across the United States. We delivered the cars and drove home empty until one of our customers told us that if we had freight insurance, we could return with a full load. That made our family business much more profitable.

Branching out: My brothers and I launched TDR Logistics with just one Dodge pickup and one car trailer. Today we own a large fleet of trucks and provide fourth-party logistic solutions to manage any of our customers transportation needs.

Why Spokane: Spokane’s labor and living costs are cheaper than Seattle’s, and operating from here is more efficient. Our location is strategically great. We can ship by air, rail or truck nationwide or overseas. We consider anything that’s manufactured and shipped nationwide as a potential business opportunity, due to our cost-efficient services.

Community assets: Spokane is a great place to raise a family. Lots of organic food, endless outdoor activities – five ski resorts within a two-hour drive.

What Dmitriy likes most: The climate and the outdoors. I have two boys and one girl, and we love to go camping.

Where he takes visitors: My favorite things to do with guests is take them boating on Lake Coeur d’Alene or four-wheeling in the mountains.

Katerra announces new Cross-Laminated Timber plant in Spokane Valley, WA

Katerra announces new Cross-Laminated Timber plant in Spokane Valley, WA

Katerra, a leading edge construction technology company, has announced a new venture in Spokane Valley, Washington.   The company purchased a large site where they will build a 250,000 sf manufacturing facility for production of mass timber products, including cross-laminated timber (CLT) and Glulam.  Mass timber is the future of high performance materials that are considered the three “Es”: efficient, economical and environmentally friendly.

The company will hire more than 200 employees, including staff in research and development, engineering, planning and production.  The plant is located adjacent to class one rail lines and within minutes of Interstate 90, which will enable products to get to market very quickly.

Greater Spokane Incorporated, Spokane County’s economic development organization, along with public and private partners, toured multiple site options, and assisted Katerra with review of more than 50 local, state and federal incentives.  Funds were secured from Governor Jay Inslee’s office and the Washington State Department of Commerce to help with the project.   Additionally, GSI staff assisted Katerra in networking with key industry contacts throughout the region.

The project will have a substantial economic impact on Spokane County:

·         150 construction-related jobs

·         250,000 sf advanced manufacturing facility

·         200+ regular fulltime positions, with benefits

·         Annual economic impact is calculated at more than $50 million

You can read Katerra’s full press release announcing the new manufacturing facility on their website.

Regional Voices: Bob Memmer – SmartRecruiters

Regional Voices: Bob Memmer – SmartRecruiters

Bob Memmer is senior vice president/commercial sales for software maker SmartRecruiters, a San Francisco-based company with offices in Spokane and other cities around the world. SmartRecruiters has more than 700 clients, include Visa and Skechers. “Companies love us,” says Memmer, “because we help them grow by achieving hiring success. Our buyers believe you are who you hire.”

What brought him to Spokane: I grew up in the flatlands of the Midwest, and fell in love with this area during a visit in 1994. My wife and I moved here two years later.

Workplace changes: SmartRecruiters recently moved into an historic downtown building, and expect to grow this branch from 10 people to about 25 over the next couple of years. We anticipate opportunities in software sales, pre-sale engineering, renewals and marketing.

Why Spokane: We have great talent, great universities, and an affordable cost of living.

Spokane’s other asset: People make a community, and the people here are amazing. They focus on maintaining a great work/life balance and healthy lifestyle.

Room for improvement: We need to do better promoting the area’s strengths in areas of technology. I’d also like us to do more to attract ethnic diversity. This is an amazing place to live. Let’s share it with the world!

New businesses that would be a good fit: The hot topic in Spokane and Coeur d’Alene is robotics. We already have great infrastructure in place, and the right people to make it happen.

What Bob likes most about living here: The summers are incredible. But I love winter even more, since I’m a skier.

What he shows out-of-town visitors: My home ski mountain – Schweitzer – in the winter, and Lake Coeur d’Alene in the summer.

How he relaxes: My brain gets a break when I’m skiing, boating or playing golf with my family and friends.

Regional Voices: Bill Savitz – Ignite Northwest

Regional Voices: Bill Savitz – Ignite Northwest

William “Bill” Savitz is CEO of Ignite Northwest, a nonprofit foundation that aids emerging tech companies through its business accelerator education and access to capital.

Deep roots: My best memory of growing up here are the lifelong friendships I’ve made with people who share the same interests. And as a cyclist, golfer and devoted skier, I’m always happy for company.

Prior to joining Ignite Northwest in 2014: I was the CEO and a partner in Garco Building Systems until we sold. After that, I oversaw business development and government affairs for Garco Construction.

Evolving mission: When I arrived at what is now Ignite Northwest, we were Innovate Washington, a public-private entity and former state agency. When the state component ended, we rebranded our private foundation side to Ignite Northwest. As the only accelerator in the area, our purpose is to help companies that are past the incubation phase move into a position where they can attract investment and grow.

Current focus: As the new Washington State University Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine ramps up its educational and research platforms, opportunities for commercialization based in research will arise. Our role is to nurture these startups they as mature and spin out of the university system, and also work with tech startups coming from other sources in the broader community.

 Other career opportunities in Spokane: In my former role as a steel fabricator and building manufacturer, we offered opportunities ranging from shop laborers, welders, fitters and metal benders to drafters, engineers and marketers, as well as accounting and executive positions. So there are plenty of good-paying jobs in local industry. Another area that is really providing opportunities is healthcare and life sciences – particular with WSU’s College of Medicine coming on line.

 Getting our act together: The past ten years has seen tremendous growth downtown, particularly in the University District. Yet as recently as two years ago, the entrepreneurial community here was still somewhat disjointed. Today we have all the elements necessary for startup businesses to grow and mature.

 Spokane’s assets: We have excellent restaurants, sports teams, community events like Bloomsday and Hoopfest, cultural elements like the Spokane Symphony and live theater – virtually anything you could want in any urban environment. And our natural environment is as good as it gets. Where else can you leave your office and ten minutes later be on the river in a whitewater raft or on a great mountain bike trail?

 Community goals: We’re unlikely to become a tech-Mecca like the Silicon Valley or (Seattle’s) South Lake Union, but we can certainly be a smaller-scale innovation center. I would love to see the University District and surrounding areas develop into technology parks where innovative companies want to set up shop.

 Other businesses that would fit well here: Aerospace suppliers, manufacturers and any other companies with warehouse operations that demand convenient freight logistics. Also, any businesses that rely on life science research should definitely consider us.

What Bill shows out-of-town visitors: I like to bring them from the airport directly downtown to Riverfront Park, and watch their expression when they first hear the roar of Spokane Falls, especially during spring runoff.