Jennifer Wiebusch has spent 35 years in a fitness-related career. The Olympic Fitness instructor and personal trainer loves her job, but knows she wants to slow down a bit and not exercise for a living the rest of her life.

Three years ago, Wiebusch found the answer: personal coaching. It’s a bit different than personal training, but has one thing in common, challenging people to achieve a goal. read more »

Her entrepreneurial success in Kingston is not quite a story of hometown girl makes good, but almost.

Amy Anderson wasn’t born here, but the owner of Cup & Muffin and the Axe Handle Café sure feels like she belongs here now. She and her husband, Mark, were grand marshals for the town’s annual Fourth of July parade last summer.

For several years before that, Anderson participated in the parade by handing out coupons for a free cup of coffee at Cup & Muffin read more »

What does it mean to be certified as a Woman-Owned or Economically Disadvantaged business? And why would someone want to do it?

For Julie Tappero, it meant facing a complex process to submit a successful application. And then she did it three more times to receive additional certifications.

But it was worth it, she says, because that certification opened broad opportunities to expand the access of her business to lucrative contracts with local, state and federal governments as well as government contractors. Certification is often seen as a reliable indicator of credibility that can expand marketability. read more »

Kitsap Bank recently promoted Marni White to branch manager at the Pioneer Way location in Gig Harbor. White has been with the bank since 2011, previously as a customer service representative in South Kitsap and the Pierce County region. Last April she was promoted to a Senior Customer Service Specialist.

With eight years in the banking industry, White has served as a manager at US Bank and Wells Fargo prior to joining Kitsap Bank.

“Marni has proven herself to be an effective leader who is focused on providing our customers with the best possible customer service every day,” said Dave Jeffcoat, Kitsap Bank Vice President/Regional Operations Manager. read more »

Liberty Bay Bank in Poulsbo announced the promotion of Elizabeth Robertson to vice president.

Robertson, who’s been with the bank since 2009, and as vice president and credit administrator she leads credit analysis activities and supports overall lending administration.

Robertson has been in banking for over 17 years with experience in credit; commercial, consumer and residential lending; loan servicing and documentation; and new accounts. She has a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. read more »

Angel Wunder was raised in a family of healthcare providers — her mother was a radiologist and her father a pharmacist. Growing up around the pharmacy, she said she noticed that many people would start out with one or two prescriptions, then kept adding more — they were not getting better. She wanted to go into the medical field, but also wanted to do something to help people heal.

She started out doing marketing for a chiropractic clinic, and soon was helping patients in the physical therapy bay. read more »

It’s not quite the same as Christine McVie rejoining Fleetwood Mac for a reunion tour, but veteran mortgage loan officer Val Hawryluk says her move to manage a newly opened Evergreen Home Loans office is “kind of like getting the old band back together again.”

Coincidentally, Hawryluk began working in the mortgage business the same year that Fleetwood Mac released the classic album Rumours. read more »

When a proposed development strikes a chord with the community for one reason or another, the atmosphere can get quite passionate. For Berni Kenworthy, that kind of pressure is just part of the job. As one of four partners at Team 4 Engineering based in Poulsbo, Kenworthy is frequently the face of a new project.

“I’ve learned to get a thick skin and I’ve learned to be confident we can find a compromise,” she said.

A thick skin may be required often in her profession, which is typically a man’s arena. But Kenworthy is equally comfortable managing civil engineering projects and leading a council of up to 30 people representing area developers. read more »

Kendra Machen, a Port Orchard doula and certified birth educator, has been serving as a local resource to new moms and moms-to-be for many years. In 2007, she created Kitsap Birth Collective with the goal of connecting families and birth professionals.

In December, the Kitsap Birth Collective took off in a new way. With a group of four other doulas, Machen created a nonprofit that opened an official center in Port Orchard for birth education, classes and other activities. read more »