Advertising & PR

Isaac Squyres has joined the leadership team of DaviesMoore, a marketing firm, as an equity partner.

Squyres came from Gallatin Public Affairs, where he was also a partner.

Before joining Gallatin in 2006, Squyres worked for nine years at McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations, a communications and marketing firm in Nashville, Tenn. In addition to the public affairs campaigns he managed there, he served as the senior manager of the team that designed and executed the nationwide marketing and advertising for Job Corps, the billion-dollar-plus U.S. Department of Labor job training program for economically disadvantaged youth. Squyres also designed an anti-meth education campaign that was honored by the Public Relations Society of America.

Squyres holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Davidson College in North Carolina and joins Carolyn Sali as an equity partner in the firm founded by Moore in 1998. Squyres is the current vice chairman of the board of Foothills School of Arts and Science and is a member of the board of Movies For A Cause.

Banking

Larry Ilk has joined Zions Bank as vice president and relationship manager, responsible for business development, underwriting and managing relationships with commercial banking clients. He is based in the Commercial Banking Center at 9th and Idaho streets in Downtown Boise.

Ilk brings 36 years of banking experience to Zions, most recently as vice president and relationship manager in commercial banking for Inland Northwest Bank in Coeur d’Alene. Most of his career has been spent in the Boise area with U.S. Bank and its predecessors.

Ilk earned a degree in finance from Idaho State University in Pocatello and is a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School.

Bruce Davidson has joined the Boise office of Wells Fargo Advisors LLC as a senior vice president-investments and senior financial adviser.

Davidson was a financial adviser and senior vice president-investments with UBS Financial Services Inc. He has 22 years in the industry.

A graduate of Boise State University, Davidson is involved in youth soccer and basketball and supports the Boy Scouts of America.

Education

David Tarrant has been named vice president for financial affairs at Northwest Nazarene University.

Tarrant brings a professional background in financial management and experience in private Christian higher education. He served as the vice president for finance and operations at Crown College (St. Bonifacius, Minn.) for the past five years. Before that, Tarrant worked for Whirlpool Corp. as the controller of the Canadian business unit and the director of finance for the Whirlpool brand in North America.

The vice president for financial affairs provides leadership as an entrepreneurial strategic financial planner and provides oversight of financial and operational functions including budgets, financial systems, information technology and the physical plant.

Denise Dunlap has been named executive director of the Technology and Entrepreneurial Center, a 38,000-square-foot building for emerging tech businesses in Nampa.

The TECenter is part of the Idaho Small Business Development Center, hosted by the College of Business and Economics at Boise State University.

Dunlap has 20 years of experience in the Treasure Valley, mostly in managerial and executive roles. She served as a principal and managing member of Loon Creek Capital Group, a business consultant with Areté Advisers and the president/CEO of The Network Group.

Her career history also includes director of development roles at Opera Idaho and the College of Idaho. She is active in the Boise Angel Fund, the Idaho Technology Council and various civic organizations.

As a graduate of Boise State, Dunlap returns to her alma mater. She hopes to help expand a viable entrepreneurial ecosystem in Idaho. Dunlap takes the helm as the renovation of an additional 20,000 square feet of leasable space at the TECenter nears completion.

The TECenter opened in 2003 and has housed more than 100 resident entrepreneurs who, since 2008, have generated $36 million in sales and more than $11 million in capital, creating 292 jobs.

Richard L. Stacey, partner of the Boise law firm Meuleman Mollerup LLP, was elected to the Boise State Alumni Association board of directors at the organization’s annual meeting in May.

The association engages alumni and friends to build lifelong relationships that support Boise State. Its programs include the Bronco Advocacy Network, the Legacy Scholarship Fund for relatives of alumni, and a nationwide network of chapters and volunteers.

Stacey focuses his practice in the litigation of complex business disputes, with an emphasis in representing parties involved in commercial construction projects. He has experience representing general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, sureties, and owners in all phases of litigation and in drafting and negotiating construction contracts. Before practicing law, Stacey worked for 10 years in the construction industry in general construction and construction management.

Stacey received his bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Boise State University, and his law degree with certification in environmental and natural resource law from the University of Utah. He is a member of the Idaho State Bar Association, including the Litigation, Environmental and Natural Resource Law Sections; the American Bar Association, including the Forum on the Construction Industry; and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Civil Defense Section. Stacey is a member of the Idaho Associated General Contractors and has served three terms on the board of directors of the Idaho AGC’s Construction Leadership Council.

Financial services

Jack Thomas, financial adviser, merged his firm, Cordillera Wealth Alliance LLC, with Gryphon Private Wealth Management in Eagle.

Thomas and GPWM partners Philip Oleson and Kirk Walton have 45 years of combined experience in the financial services and legal industries.

GPWM is an independent practice with no proprietary products or affiliation with any large banks, brokerage or insurance companies.

Ryan C. Warwick, CFA, has joined Rathbone Warwick & Daly Investment Consulting of Wells Fargo Advisors as a partner.

The firm’s name is the new name for what previously Rathbone McReynolds & Daly.

Meanwhile, Michael S. McReynolds, senior vice president-investments, and Kimberly L. Jaques, will go forward as the McReynolds Investment Group of Wells Fargo Advisors.

Health care

Saint Alphonsus has received the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award. The award recognizes Saint Alphonsus’s care for stroke patients.

Saint Alphonsus achieved 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke quality achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month intervals and 75 percent or higher compliance with six of 10 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke quality measures.

West Valley Medical Center was honored with an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.

The score was calculated using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. U.S. hospitals were assigned an A, B, C, D, or F for their safety.

Law

Christopher Moore has joined the firm of Wilson and McColl as an associate. His practice areas include creditor’s rights, banking and finance, commercial litigation, business law, real estate and land use law.

Moore earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Puget Sound and his law degree from Willamette University College of Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of Willamette Law Online.

In law school, Moore also worked as a clerk for a San Diego based firm specializing in credit union law.

He is licensed to practice in all Idaho courts, including the U.S. District Court for Idaho.

Recently installed officers of BLSA, the Boise chapter of NALS, an association of legal professionals are: President, Michelle Kidd, law offices of Brad Eidam; president-elect, Kathleen Johnston, Stoel Rives; secretary, Bertha (“Bert”) Barton, Thomas Development Co.; treasurer, Christy Smith, Hawley Troxell Ennis & Hawley; director of certification/education, Carolyn Puckett, Idaho Department of Correction; and director of membership and marketing, Jeri Rose.

Association members include administrative assistants, paralegals, and office support personnel. The association offers continuing education, certification programs, networking and leadership opportunities.

Other businesses

ECCO Group celebrated 40 years in business on June 11.

In 1971, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration enacted job safety legislation requiring back-up warnings on all vehicles that operated off public roads. Recognizing the business opportunity created by the requirement, Carl Peterson established ECCO in 1972 and began marketing a limited line of back-up alarms.

Today ECCO Group has manufacturing plants on three continents, maintains seven product brands and offers a comprehensive line of commercial vehicle warning equipment. The company has more than 500 employees and thousands of customers, including prominent vehicle manufacturers. In 2011 ECCO Group ranked 38th in The Idaho Statesman’s Private 75 list of Idaho’s top privately held companies.

Nonprofits

Lisa H. Eller has joined The Nature Conservancy as director of communications.

Based in Boise, Eller will oversee strategic communications to support The Nature Conservancy’s collaborative work across the state to protect land and water for nature and people.

Matt Miller, former director of communications, now serves as senior science writer for The Nature Conservancy’s World Office.

Eller has spent 10 years covering public lands, environment and education for newspapers in the West, including Colorado and Hawaii. Most recently she was a freelance contributor to Business Insider, Boise Weekly and other local publications. She received bachelor’s degrees in journalism and psychology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Amy Bartoo, community and public relations director for North Idaho Home Health in Coeur d’Alene, has joined the board of directors of the Idaho Youth Ranch.

“Amy brings to the board 20 years of experience in the fields of nonprofits and drug and alcohol prevention,” said Steve Woodworth, Youth Ranch president and CEO. “She also has served on several state, regional and community boards and committees focusing on the work of preventing substance abuse, addiction and on recovery.”

In 1953, the Rev. James Crowe and his wife, Ruby, founded the Idaho Youth Ranch near Rupert as a working ranch where troubled children could grow and learn. Today the Youth Ranch operates a range of programs around the state, including three residential treatment homes, family counseling and adoption services.

Newly elected Learning Lab board members include: Greg Donaca, CFO, Delta Dental; Brian Sahr, business development manager, Hewlett Packard; Luke Cavenar, community relations specialist for the city of Meridian; Ryan Vestal, vice president of finance at Bodybuilding.com; and Darlene Terry, a Learning Lab student.

Rick Polenske, a vice president and senior investment and fiduciary specialist at Wells Fargo, has been elected president. Community activist Anne Moree Goss was elected vice president. Laura Peterson, vice president and controller for the J.R. Simplot Co., was re-elected as treasurer. Retired educator and longtime Learning Lab tutor Lydia Powers will take over as secretary.

Jamie Cooper, CEO at Drake Cooper, has joined the advisory board.

Since 1991, Learning Lab has worked to improve basic reading, writing, and math skills for more than 3,000 adults with individualized programs that help students reach their goals. Learning Lab’s mission is to teach and encourage adults who struggle with literacy, help families discover the joy of learning so all children start kindergarten ready to read, create hope for brighter futures, and build a stronger, more self-sufficient and engaged community.

The Rev. Dr. Steven A. Tollefson has retired as senior pastor of Boise First United Methodist Church, The Cathedral of the Rockies. Tollefson has served the Downtown congregation for the last 17 years.

The Rev. Dr. Duane Anders of Dayton, Ohio has been appointed by Bishop Robert Hoshibata of the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church and will begin his role as senior pastor July 1.