Rogel Media Gabe Rogel captured Carl Jonson biking through the trees of Mt. Fromme, North Shore, BC. Photo credit: Rogel Media.
Happy Arbor Day everyone! Why not celebrate by relishing in the natural beauty of Whatcom County? Or, better yet, pick up a few trees, get your hands dirty and do your part to enhance the beauty around us. No matter what you choose to do, you’ll find plenty of fun Whatcom County weekend events to keep you busy. Here’s a few to get you started. Don’t forget to check our full events calendar for all the great local happenings this weekend.
Take a moment to congratulate local treasure, Mount Baker Theatre, for 90 amazing years. Their official 90th anniversary is on April 29!
WhatcomTalk aims to be your source for positive information and events happening in Bellingham, Ferndale, Lynden and throughout Whatcom County. If you have a suggestion for a post, send us a note at submit@whatcomtalk.com. For more events and to learn what’s happening in Bellingham and the surrounding area, visit our events calendar. To submit an event of your own, visit our events calendar and click on the green “Post Your Event” button.
The bike shop was designed to be simple. Photo courtesy: Mister Lost's Mobile Bike Shop.
If you live in Whatcom County, you know the dirtbag life. You’ve smelled it, at least, standing too close to someone in line at the grocery store. It’s the skier refueling from a gnarly powder day at Baker, the biker caked in Galbraith mud or the van dweller preparing for a parking lot feast.
The shop offers services like any other bike shop, except it comes to you. Photo courtesy: Mister Lost’s Mobile Bike Shop.
Meet Mike Randol, Callie Waldschmidt and their dog Dusty. Mike and Callie started as your typical dirtbags. Age: under 30. Occupation: local bike shop employees. Hobbies: biking, skiing, trying out (and falling in love with) van life, etc. Having already created a tee-shirt company, website and blog known as Mister Lost’s Dirtbag Society, however, it was not long before the couple found themselves seeking more.
After returning from a road trip (in a van, of course) and back to their bike shop day jobs, Callie recalls, “We both said, ‘We can’t do this anymore. We need to get on with the next phase of our lives.’ So I said, ‘Let’s quit our jobs!’ We didn’t have any savings or anything, so Mike said, ‘Eh, we should probably wait two years.’ But I said, ‘No we have to do it now.’”
So they did. The happy-go-lucky trio has since then turned their love of biking and inspiration from the Dirtbag Society into a business model for their current adventure: Mister Lost’s Mobile Bike Shop.
Both Mike and Callie’s “van life” experiences have been sources of major inspiration for the young business. Photo courtesy: Mister Lost’s Mobile Bike Shop.
If you are a regular on Galbraith or a loyal Kulshan customer you know the ramped up U-haul I am about to describe. The one with the rough-cut cedar siding, hand painted logo and rambunctious dog. This bike shop offers everything any other shop does but has one crucial component that makes it different from all the rest. It’s on wheels.
You forget your helmet? Mister Lost will bring you one. You’re fixing your bike but don’t want to run around town trying to find the right part? They’ll get it to you. You need a tune up and don’t have time to haul your bike to the shop? “We’ll pick up the bike, repair it and deliver it for free,” Mike explains. “Or we can bring the entire bike shop to your front door. That’s just something nobody in town offers.”
Aside from the service aspect, customers can purchase parts and accessories from the shop online. “Repair is obviously super neat but, at the same time, there is the whole consumer aspect where selling things actually makes us more money, which kind of sucks,” Callie says. This side of the business was not exactly planned but the past eight months have proven to be a rather successful trial and error for Mister Lost’s Mobile Bike Shop.
Check out the Dirtbag Society website for more original artwork, design and inspiration. Photo courtesy: Mister Lost’s Mobile Bike Shop.
The couple opened the business in August of 2016 with little to no money. Now, not even a year later, they have paid almost everything off. “Which is remarkable,” Callie beams.
The two are the only shop workers currently, so their separate roles are vital to keeping the business up and rolling. “Right now it’s kind of weird because I am doing electrical work at the same time. I am basically moving all the money I am making into the business,” Callie explains. Otherwise, “I am just kind of the silent, secret, behind the scenes worker that doesn’t work at the truck very often.”
Mike, on the other hand, spends all his time with the shop. He says, “I mainly work on bikes, sell things online, upload Instagram posts and Facebook posts, work on the website and train the dog.”
Both are certified mechanics, so they share that responsibility but both are also highly creatively driven. Every part of the business they did themselves, from the tee-shirts, stickers and logo design to the truck. “We could have hired people, which would have added to the whole sanity of things but we decided not to,” Callie explains.
The shop is still young but when asked about future plans, both Mike and Callie’s wheels were spinning. Mike speaks up over a barking Dusty, “It’s kind of crazy how we started. We did the whole thing to keep things super simple and small, super cheap with low overhead. But we are finding that we have so much business that we are running out of room to operate small and simple. The next step is inevitable, to at least have storage, but if we are paying for storage we can also double as a store front that is open several days.”
The bike shop was designed to be simple. Photo courtesy: Mister Lost’s Mobile Bike Shop.
Callie adds, “Well I’ve been a skier my whole life. Mountain biking is kind of new for me. So a mobile ski shop would be awesome.”
Being able to live a dirtbag lifestyle and still make a living is a major accomplishment and a dream for many adventure seekers. Both agree that whatever the future brings it is important to stay true to their inspirations and why they started in the first place. Mike elaborates, “I mean, it started as the Dirtbag Society and we want it to be the main goal. A lot of people start businesses so they can buy a big fancy house and they can buy new cars.”
Callie agrees, “Our business mission is to inspire people to go have fun. Our personal mission is to be able to live in our van again.”
You can find Mister Lost’s Mobile Bike Shop Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Dollar lot on the south side of Galbraith, and on Saturday nights outside of Kulshan Brewing.
Check out the shop’s website for more information, appointment scheduling, gear, membership opportunities and inspiration.
“He shows up and works with the kids,” says Heather Powell, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County. “He’s building a connection with the kids and showing them real-life opportunities.”
Mallernee, a process engineer at the refinery, moved from Ohio to Whatcom County in 2015. He was looking for a way to put down roots and get involved in his new community.
“I wanted to pay it forward to all of the volunteers I’ve had in my life,” he says. “Without those people, I wouldn’t have the success or the life I live today.”
Mike Mallernee, a BP Cherry Point Refinery employee, finds joy volunteering at the Ferndale Boys & Girls Club. Photo courtesy: Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County.
“Anytime you go into a Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County branch, you understand it is a place that makes a difference in the lives of kids in our communities every day,” says Rayanne McKeon, internal communications advisor for BP Cherry Point Refinery and member of the Boys & Girls Club Resource Development Committee.
With a long history of supporting the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County, BP invests in an organization that is investing in our kids.
When a fire resulted in the devastating loss of the Ferndale Clubhouse in January 2007, BP donated $250,000 to rebuild the building, embedding the company’s logo into the new gym floor to signify the strong community partnership.
“BP was one of the first to step up and say, ‘What’s it going to take?’” says Powell.
Community Support
“Our employees are a part of this community,” says McKeon. “We want kids to have a great place to go — a safe space that provides homework help, activities and sports. That place is the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County. The skills club kids learn stay with them for a lifetime.”
Volunteering in the teen center, Mallernee says that it took some time to make a connection. By consistently volunteering every week, he was able to break down walls and get to know the kids.
Sunaura Dowd was recognized as the 2017 Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County Youth of the Year. Photo courtesy: Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County.
“Follow-through is important,” he says. “Actions speak louder than words. I try to demonstrate through my actions that I really care about the kids.”
“BP genuinely cares about the community,” McKeon adds. “It’s important for a global company like BP to invest in the communities where employees live, work and raise their families.”
She adds that BP employees like Mallernee are encouraged to volunteer with and support a number of local charities and nonprofits such as the Boys & Girls Clubs.
BP’s employee match program makes it easier for employees to contribute and volunteer. The company matches employees’ financial contributions and converts volunteer hours into a monetary contribution.
“BP delivers on a promise,” adds Powell. “BP invests in organizations that matter to their employees, and they are definitely a company that shows up.”
Describing when BP was asked to help finance the costs of a new gym floor at the Bellingham Clubhouse, Powell says, “BP’s approach was that if the kids need it and we can create impact with it, then it should be done.”
BP is proud to return as the title sponsor of this year’s Inspire Higher Dreams Gala and invites a number of employees to attend as guests.
The Ferndale Boys & Girls Club is one of four Clubs within the Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County. BP Cherry Point Refinery employees volunteer time and donate money to this local non-profit organization, benefitting kids who live in our community. Photo courtesy: Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County.
“And when the paddles go up to give, it’s those individual employees who are also contributing,” says Powell.
Contributing Locally
In total, the businesses in the Cherry Point Industrial Zone, which includes the BP Cherry Point Refinery contributes 12,500 meals and more than 4,100 staff hours.
“It takes one company to say this organization is worth supporting,” says McKeon. “Then others are quick to follow.”
“Boys & Girls Clubs have such an important role in ensuring kids have a positive place to spend their time,” she adds. “Because our employees and their families are also part of these clubs, and it’s even more of a privilege for BP to be a part of it.”
Powell says that the consistency of BP’s support has been invaluable to the organization.
“BP makes sure that people’s families are taken care of. They really invest in the community. I hope the work we do makes them proud.”
By now you have seen the brilliant blue and green Bellingham Flag, designed by Brad Lockhart of LARIAT Creative with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership. The symbolic Bellingham community flag is seen flying high all over the city and displayed in business and car windows in the form of a sticker – as well as drawn, painted and colored by local children in educational settings.
Bob Pritchett, owner of Faithlife, was inspired by the Bellingham Community flag. With the help of Jim Sutterfield and his Signs Plus team, he made the sign a reality. Photo courtesy: Signs Plus.
On April 24, the Bellingham City Council passed the Bellingham Flag Resolution, making Lockhart’s design the city’s first ever official flag.
“I’m excited to see so many adopt it,” says Bob Pritchett, owner of Faithlife.
In fact, inspired by the community spirit and pride, Pritchett worked with Signs Plus to have a larger rendition of this iconic flag design created for display just outside of the Faithlife building in Downtown Bellingham.
The Bellingham Community flag was designed by Brad Lockhart of LARIAT Creative with the Downtown Bellingham Partnership. Photo courtesy: Signs Plus.
“We were inspired by the image of the flag as a sticker with the rounded corners,” says Pritchett. “It was like a sticker you would put on a stick pin for a map.”
With that vision in mind, the large sign was created with the pin red round top and the stick below as if to signify Bellingham’s placement on the map. And now, as a result, you’ll see local residents and tourists alike pose under the sign for a quick picture of their time in Bellingham or as a sign of pride for their community.
“I’m an enthusiastic fan,” says Pritchett of the design and purpose behind the flag – and now the large sign housed just outside the Faithlife building.
B-Town Kitchen & Raw Bar will offer the Bellingham community a fresh, fun, urban dining experience. Photo courtesy: Four Points by Sheraton Bellingham.
Providence Hospitality Group has announced the opening of B-Town Kitchen & Raw Bar, a new restaurant concept at the Four Points by Sheraton Bellingham Hotel & Conference Center, located in the former Poppes 360 space. B-Town Kitchen & Raw Bar will offer the Bellingham community a fresh, fun, urban dining experience beginning May 5, 2017. To celebrate the opening of Bellingham’s newest dining destination, B-Town will feature giveaways and an all-day happy hour including $1 oysters and signature cocktails on Friday, May 5. Celebratory $1 oysters and specials throughout the Grand Opening month of May.
B-Town’s innovative new menu promises to delight. Photo courtesy: Four Points by Sheraton Bellingham.
Conveniently located near downtown Bellingham, B-Town Kitchen & Raw Bar offers a fusion of familiar northwest coastal vibe and an innovative mod twist. One of the only raw bar destinations in the area will delight seafood lovers with oysters, clams, crab and other seasonal selections. With more than 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry, John Burns, a Seattle native and General Manager of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, leads the restaurant’s opening together with Chef Evan Morrison.
“This project has been in development for the past fourteen months and we are thrilled to introduce B-Town to our community,” Burns says. “With close attention to detail and innovation, the design and creative culinary concept has culminated into a very unique, enticing restaurant, one that we feel offers Bellingham an enduring dining destination that is second to none!”
Inspired by the land and sea, B-Town sources sustainable seafood from both local and international waters, respecting seasonality and the natural essence of the sea. Featuring seafood, poultry and beef from Pacific Seafood and Barlean’s Fisheries, as well as bread and pastries from Avenue Bread and fresh produce from Charlie’s Produce, B-Town celebrates local connections. Under the culinary direction of Chef Evan Morrison, the menu is a fusion of Pacific Northwest, Asian and Mediterranean influences, featuring fresh fish and shellfish harvested from the beds of Washington, California, British Columbia and Alaska.
B-Town Kitchen & Raw Bar will offer the Bellingham community a fresh, fun, urban dining experience. Photo courtesy: Four Points by Sheraton Bellingham.
The emphasis on local offerings extends to an impressive local craft beer selection. Enjoy draft beer from Bellingham’s top craft breweries, including Aslan Brewing, Boundary Bay Brewery, Chuckanut Brewery, Kulshan Brewing and Wander Brewing. An extensive wine list includes vintages from Bellingham’s Vartanyan Estate Winery. Add signature cocktails and you will see how B-Town Kitchen & Raw Bar can promise a one-of-a-kind dining experience to Bellingham locals and beyond.
Starting May 5, B-Town Kitchen & Raw Bar will be open from 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Four Points by Sheraton Bellingham Hotel & Conference Center, managed by Providence Hospitality Partners, is a full-service property located at 714 Lakeway Drive, Bellingham, just off Interstate 5 at Exit 253. Four Points by Sheraton is a brand of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, part of Marriott International.
Four Points Bellingham is totally smoke-free throughout its 132 guest rooms, two restaurants (B-Town Kitchen & Raw Bar and Chinuk), indoor pool, fitness area and 14,000 square feet of meeting-room space. For more information, call 360-671-1011 or 888-671-1011 or visit www.FourPointsBellingham.com.
The Chrysalis Inn & Spa is proud to announce a donation in the amount of $2,160 to Compass Health, as part of its monthly non-profit contribution program. This donation will specifically benefit the organization’s Camp Mariposa® program, a nationally recognized addiction prevention and mentoring program for youth who are impacted by substance abuse in their families.
Chrysalis Inn & Spa donated $2,160 to Compass Health as part of its monthly non-profit contribution program. Photo courtesy: Chrysalis Inn & Spa.
More than nine million children in the U.S. are living in a home with a parent who uses illicit drugs. Many of these children struggle in school, develop physical and emotional issues, are witnesses or targets of family violence or sexual abuse, and are even four times more likely to develop a future addiction of their own.
At-risk children and youth attending Camp Mariposa® have access to a safe, high-quality, specialized camp where mental health professionals and trained volunteers can assist them. People can learn more about Camp Mariposa® on the Compass Health website.
“By supporting Camp Mariposa with this generous donation, the Chrysalis Inn & Spa is providing a lifeline to some of the most vulnerable kids in our community,” said Tom Kozaczynski, Director of Development for Compass Health. “We have been able to help over 75 kids who are facing family substance abuse issues through this camp, and this donation and others like it will help even more children get the support they need.”
For more than 115 years, Compass Health has provided innovative behavioral health services in Island, San Juan, Skagit, Whatcom and Snohomish counties to children and adults from all walks of life, suffering from mental illness. Most individuals who receive their services are on Medicaid, and many are homeless. Compass Health clients and their families typically have incomes below 50 percent of the area median income, and many are living with incomes below 30 percent of the median income.
About the Chrysalis Inn & Spa:
The Chrysalis Inn & Spa, a locally owned hotel, spa & restaurant on Fairhaven’s waterfront, recently announced that it will contribute one percent of revenue from the Spa to a Whatcom County non-profit each month. Compass Health was its March donation recipient. Whatcom County Food Banks will be its April recipient.
Mark Lee, Sam Adkins, Jordan Babineaux, Paul Johns, Stephanie Ebert, Jay Ebert, Jim Sandusky and Colin McCarthy honor the legacy of high school athlete Chelsey Ebert. Photo courtesy: Ferndale Chamber of Commerce.
Spring has arrived in Whatcom County. Cherry trees punctuate gray skies and golfers head onto the green. Meanwhile, high school seniors prepare for college and fortunate student athletes win scholarships, paving the way to becoming legends like their sports heroes.
While the late Chelsey Rae Ebert never graduated from Ferndale High School, she did leave a legacy. The former high school volleyball and basketball player died in December 2007 after a battle with a rare form of cancer. She and her father, Jay Ebert, founded the Chelsey Ebert Trust that awards scholarships to female high school athletes from Whatcom County to fund their university education. Thus far, the trust has awarded scholarships to over 85 female high school athletes from Whatcom County.
Former Ferndale High School athlete Chelsey Ebert chose to create a humanitarian legacy. Photo courtesy: Ebert Family.
The Ferndale Chamber of Commerce partners with the Chelsey Ebert Trust in hosting the Chelsey Ebert Celebrity Weekend Event. The weekend includes a dinner with an auction and a golf tournament. The ninth annual dinner-auction will be held at the Silver Reef Event Center on Friday, May 12 from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. The ninth annual celebrity golf scramble will be held at the Shuksan Golf Club on Saturday, May 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. with an 11:00 a.m. shotgun start.
This year’s celebrities include Jordan Babineaux, Luke Willson, Sam Adkins, Mark Lee, Jared Zabransky, Colin McCarthy, Randal Morris, Jay Hill, Tali Ena, Jessica Hopkins (Ferndale High School graduate, LFL Hall of Fame, Seattle Mist) and Paul Johns, just to name a few. A long-time supporter and returning celebrity this year is Sam Adkins who formerly wore the number 12 jersey as a quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. The dinner, auction and golf tournament offer attendees the opportunity to rub elbows with celebrities and raise funds for university scholarships and an array of charities dear to Chelsey Ebert’s heart.
Mark Lee, Sam Adkins, Jordan Babineaux, Paul Johns, Stephanie Ebert, Jay Ebert, Jim Sandusky and Colin McCarthy honor the legacy of high school athlete Chelsey Ebert. Photo courtesy: Ferndale Chamber of Commerce.
According to Ann Serwold at the Ferndale Chamber of Commerce, “Chelsey decided at the end of her illness that she wanted to do a girl’s basketball scholarship for Ferndale as her legacy. From there it has grown to two scholarships for senior girls in any sport for every school in Whatcom County.”
While the scholarship grabs the limelight, the Chelsey Ebert Trust also donates funds to Whatcom County Veterans, the Seattle Children’s Hospital, Pretty in Pink Walk, Ferndale Food Bank and other worthy organizations. Ebert not only shone as a high school athlete, she was also on the honor roll and she excelled as a leader by volunteering in her community.
At the annual Chelsey Ebert Trust Celebrity Weekend Dinner locals mingle with stars. Photo courtesy: Ferndale Chamber of Commerce.
The athletic scholarships are competitive and recipients must meet strict criteria. “Chelsey gave us the requirements she wanted used,” says Stephanie Ebert. “The students had to have played their senior year in high school, have a 3.5 or higher GPA, no ejections, technical fouls or disqualifications and they show positive leadership.” The recipients must also have been starters, however, they did not need to be the team captain or the best player.
Colin McCarthy, Jordan Babineaux, Paul Johns and Mark Lee compete in a celebrity golf scramble. Photo courtesy: Ferndale Chamber of Commerce.
Tickets for the Celebrity Dinner are $54.44 per ticket with tables of ten for $544.44. Sponsorships range from $5,044 for the Title Sponsor which includes two ten-tops and VIP passes for the dinner and auction and two golf teams plus the company logo on all promotional material. The Celebrity Dinner and Auction Sponsorship Package costs $3,544.00 and includes the company’s logo on all the dinner and auction promotional material, a logo banner at the dinner, one golf foursome, a ten-top dinner table and 10 V.I.P. tickets to Friday’s VIP reception.
Participating golfers have a few weeks left to work on their game. Meanwhile, Whatcom County philanthropists count down the days until the event that honors a very humble young lady that excelled, not only at sports, but also as a humanitarian.
Dale Serbousek, his wife Johanna and daughters Serene and Natalie, enjoy lunch at Brandywine Kitchen on Commercial Street in Downtown Bellingham in 2015. Photo courtesy: Dale Serbousek.
Dale Serbousek is a bit of an underdog in the real estate world. Taking a job as a technical writer with Grizzly Industrial and arriving in Bellingham in November of 2000, he and his wife Johanna had only been married for a few months and had never set foot in the Pacific Northwest. “Neither of us had family here and we’d never even been to Washington,” Dale remembered, “let alone the Northwest. A friend from Spokane told me not to pass up the chance to live and work in Bellingham, so we took the plunge sight-unseen.”
Serbousek and his daughter, Natalie, enjoy a mountain bike ride on Galbraith Mountain in Bellingham in the summer of 2016. Photo courtesy: Dale Serbousek.
Dale remembers stepping off the plane in Bellingham that first dark evening. “I couldn’t see anything flying in. I thought I was in the middle of nowhere. It just smelled like Christmas trees,” he said with a laugh.
Working as a substitute teacher in California to pay the bills, Dale was always on the lookout to explore other vocations. With a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Iowa, Grizzly Industrial awarded him the opportunity to combine his unique skill-sets of writing and woodworking. “At that time, it was my dream job,” Dale remarked. He learned about graphic arts, photography, internet marketing and web design – all skills he’d further develop as he evolved into an entrepreneur within various disciplines.
Being the ‘creative’ Dale obviously is, it’s no surprise that his time at Grizzly was simply a stepping-stone to his next career adventure. Dale had a rye smile as he remembered how writing morphed into an unexpected and successful online business. “One day, I was looking online for a scratching post for my cat and I was struck with a money-making idea. Upon seeing the prices they were charging, I said, ‘I can build better cat scratchers for less money, and design them to be easily shipped and assembled by anyone.’”
Serbousek stands beside one of the cat condos he built in 2005. His online cat furniture business operated from 2002 through 2009. Photo courtesy: Dale Serbousek.
During the period that Dale would later realize was his last year at Grizzly, he moonlighted in the evenings and weekends building cat scratchers in his garage and selling them on the internet. His cat condo orders quickly went from two to three per week, to two to three per day. Realizing his window of opportunity to leap into entrepreneurship was presenting itself, he graciously resigned from Grizzly and pursued his newfound success as a home-based e-commerce manufacturer in January of 2004.
Dale and his wife Johanna had moved to Lynden, bought a house and started a family by this point. Getting the day’s cat scratchers built and shipped by noon allowed him the afternoons to peruse other avenues of entrepreneurial interest. “I’m the type of person who’s always looking to further refine my talents, not necessarily to make more money but to see how I can be put to best use in this world,” Dale revealed. Although his wife wasn’t thrilled with the idea of him exchanging his steady day job at Grizzly to make cat scratchers in the garage, she realized he was growing both financially and personally.
Carla Hasche is a proud owner of a house sold by Serbousek in 2015. Photo courtesy: Dale Serbousek.
By mid-2004, real estate was booming nationwide and Dale decided to get his real estate license. “There was a joke going around that there were more people with real estate licenses than drivers licenses,” Dale said with a smirk. He’d already been a homeowner and landlord after college, giving him a taste for how owning real estate can be a great investment opportunity. After purchasing another home in Lynden he developed a growing respect for the power of real estate equity. The decision to become a Realtor was, “totally against my personality type,” Dale said. “I’m not super outgoing. In fact, I’m actually quite introverted.”
Dale was determined to combine innovative internet marketing and the creativity skills he’d cultivated at Grizzly, to develop a career helping people buy and sell real estate. After designing, manufacturing and marketing his own line of cat scratchers, he welcomed the challenge to merge all those skills into the world of real estate.
Dale Serbousek, his wife Johanna and daughters Serene and Natalie, enjoy lunch at Brandywine Kitchen on Commercial Street in Downtown Bellingham in 2015. Photo courtesy: Dale Serbousek.
When real estate sales declined in 2008, Dale survived the downturn by educating clients about short sales and giving them an option other than foreclosure. This niche market was a way to build a network of trust with clients that were more than grateful not to lose their homes outright. Little did he know then that those same clients would return years later when the real estate market finally recovered. During the downturn, Dale was interested in helping people in their greatest time of financial need. He also saw a chance to educate homeowners and reveal options they never knew existed. As a consequence, he built a fortified business platform based more on integrity than market value.
In 2010 Dale expanded into training and coaching other real estate agents across the country. He also received his Designated Brokers license and became an independent brokerage firm. “In 2011, I left Windermere because I knew I could offer better service to a wider array of clients. I had many fellow agent naysayers, who thought I would never make it on my own. They had no idea what I was capable of when I set my mind to helping people,” he remembered.
When not engaged in real estate, Serbousek can be found racing sail boats – pictured here in 2014 at the Pitch Regatta in Bellingham Bay. Photo courtesy: Dale Serbousek.
For four years Dale worked successfully out of his home office with his company, Bellingham Select Inc. Realty, and proved any naysayers wrong. His personable approach to helping people at their most vulnerable allowed him to ride the real estate downturn and come out with more momentum, passion and excitement for helping his Bellingham clients with real estate needs.
In 2015 Dale decided the home office was getting a bit small and lonely, so he joined Broker Owner Lori Reece at RE/MAX Whatcom County Inc. There he found a group of like-minded Realtors he resonated with. “It was hard to separate work from family while I was working from the house. I literally had to lock my office door and my family would still knock,” he laughed.
Dale instantly identified with Remax’s office culture and felt at home away from home. He concluded, “After working with several real estate companies around town, Lori Reece is the most involved Broker I’ve seen. She is always in the office, door open, helping her agents be their best. She’s there because she loves it. Real estate isn’t just what she does, it’s who she is.”
When you have a Realtor whose love of what they do becomes who they are, superseding the bottom line, that type of transparency goes a long way. Dale Serbousek is that kind of Realtor – a person whose intrinsic work ethic and quiet curiosity have influenced the real estate he sells and the positive impact he has made on our community.
To talk to Dale Serbousek about your real estate needs, call 360-201-7717 or visit his RE/MAX Whatcom County website.
Comcast employees and their families turned out in force to help on Comcast Cares Day. Photo courtesy: Linda Farmer.
Comcast NBCUniversal employees from Bellingham, Burlington and Oak Harbor joined forces on April 22 for the 16th annual Comcast Cares Day, a huge volunteer project in which the company’s employees and their families give back to the community. This year more than 100 volunteers helped build a new garden for Northwest Youth Services’ We Grow Garden project, a vocational program for at-risk and homeless youth.
With more than 100 volunteers working together, Comcast Cares Day is able to tackle large projects in a short amount of time. By the end of the day on April 22, volunteers had built and filled 32 raised beds for We Grow Garden. Photo credit: Sara Holodnick.
Local and regional Comcast NBCUniversal employees built a deer fence, 32 raised beds and a market farm stand for selling produce. Comcast also provided fencing materials, SilvaStar donated lumber for the raised beds, Patricia Lenssen from The Philbin Group volunteered to create the landscape design and RAM Construction provided irrigation, soil and labor.
“This is our day of giving back to the community and helping local nonprofits,” shared Jennifer Zwick, Administrative Assistant with the Comcast Bellingham office. “I always walk away from this with such a great feeling after seeing all of my coworkers out here working so hard. It makes me proud to work for Comcast. It always amazes me how much work we get done.”
The We Grow Garden project was one of about 30 Comcast Cares projects that happened throughout Washington state on April 22. In addition to the many adult volunteers busily building garden beds, fences and the farm stand, dozens of children volunteered by painting bird houses and helping with other small tasks. “We try to make this a family event,” said Zwick. “I’m here with my mom and my daughter.”
Comcast employees are encouraged to bring their families to Comcast Cares day. Young volunteers did their part by painting bird houses and helping with smaller, kid-friendly projects. Photo credit: Sara Holodnick.
“My mom is here,” shared Heather McGuinnes, Community Relations Coordinator for Northwest Youth Services (NWYS). “She volunteers in our garden throughout the year.”
“This is amazing,” said McGuinness’ mom, Kathleen. “It’s just so fast! We were working at the table and turned around and they’d made ten more beds!”
NWYS provides housing and wrap-around support services to youth age 13-24 in Whatcom and Skagit Counties. Their mission is to collaborate with at-risk, runaway and homeless youth to foster self-reliance. Their vision is that all young people have a place to belong: to be safe, heard and valued.
The We Grow Garden project is part of NWYS’ Vocational Readiness Program. The program currently operates in a garden next to the nonprofit’s office on State Street but the organization needed to rehome the garden to make way for the 22 North Housing Development breaking ground this fall in partnership with the Opportunity Council. Northwest Youth Services was able to come to an agreement with the City of Bellingham to lease the plot of land at 1815 Ellis Street, right across the street from the Bellingham Food Bank, for a nominal fee.
Comcast volunteers joined forces with Northwest Youth Services staff and volunteers to build the new We Grow Garden site. Pictured here from NWYS: Bonnie Schultz-Lorentzen, Katie Cruickshank, Robin Meyer, Heather McGuinness, Tyson Mitchell and Ashley Winter. Photo credit: Sara Holodnick.
“The garden is an opportunity for young people to come build job skills and to have paid work,” explained McGuinness. Youth participants build skills like communication, problem-solving, teamwork, responsibility and customer service, as well as sustainable gardening practices and healthy eating. They also gain resume-worthy experience and references, a valuable opportunity for youth who may not have previous work experience.
“The program employs youth to come plant, grow and harvest fruits, vegetables and flowers, and then they get to sell what they grow at the farm stand and to a couple local restaurants,” McGuinness said. “Leaf & Ladle has been really great to work with.”
Comcast employees and their families turned out in force to help on Comcast Cares Day. Photo credit: Shawn Robins.
“We are so fortunate to have the support of our local Comcast team,” said Bonnie Schultz-Lorentzen, Vocational Coordinator at Northwest Youth Services. “Because of this support, homeless and at-risk youth will be able to participate in developing a positive, skill-building and beautiful garden for years to come.”
“It’s a great program,” said McGuinness. “We love it and the community loves it.”
The Stroke Off! is an energetic, timed painting competition featuring twelve Bellingham artists. There are two preliminary rounds where each artist has exactly twenty minutes to create their best piece of art on a canvas. At the end of the first two rounds, the crowd will then vote on their favorite artists and the top two will move on to the third and final round of the evening.
As the artists’ work, patrons move around the easels, closely observing the artists’ creative process. Acrylics and canvas will be the mediums used. The tools allowed are brushes, palette knives or any non-mechanical implements. The paintings will then be held on display for a silent auction in which all of the proceeds will go directly to the respective artists.
The Stroke Off! will start at 9 p.m. on Friday, June 2 at the Wild Buffalo. Boombox Kid will be providing the music throughout the evening as well as a dance party after the final round. The winner of the final round will receive a trophy as well as two tickets to see The Gorillaz at Key Arena on September 30.
The goal of this event is simply to bring our Arts Community together and have a great time while we are doing it. The easels and canvases will be provided by Dakota Art, so all you’ll need to bring is your paint and brushes or other tools you would like to use. I hope you’ll join us for our first Stroke Off!
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