BUSINESS NEWS
Coast River Business Journal
February 2021 • 13
Business in Brief
Linh DePledge the new manager of Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa
Gearhart — Coast Family Law in Gearhart hired Marco
G. Garza, Esq., as an associate attorney in January. Garza will
focus on domestic relations matters, including divorce and child
custody. After majoring in political science at Syracuse Univer-
sity, Garza attended Duquesne University School of Law in
Pittsburgh, where he was a member of the Hispanic American
Bar Association. He has worked with the constitutional cham-
ber of the Supreme Court of Costa Rica and did an externship
for DLA Piper in Cologne, Germany, working with the Eastern
Farm Worker Association.
Marco Garza
Columbia Memorial Hospital’s Medical Group & Urgent
Care hires new staff
Nye becomes United Way’s new director
ASTORIA— At the end of January, Jennifer Holen stepped down from her fi ve-year tenure as execu-
tive director of United Way of Clatsop County. The new executive director will be Kassia Nye, the organi-
zation’s former workplace campaign coordinator.
Holen left United Way in order to turn her attention toward her family’s restaurant, Nekst, which offers
global street food next door to the location of their previous restaurant, Baked Alaska.
Holen started volunteering for United Way in 2005, then served on the board of directors for seven years
before she became executive director in 2015. During her time in that position, Holen and the board cre-
ated the fundraiser Iron Chef Goes Coastal, which has raised more than $750,000 over the years. The Asto-
ria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce awarded Holen with the 2018 George Award for her commu-
nity service.
Nye has also raised money for nonprofi t organizations for about 20 years. Nye previously worked with
the Columbia Memorial Hospital Foundation, running its annual gifts program before becoming interim
director. She is also the president of the Astoria Parks, Recreation and Community Foundation, which
raises funds for scholarships for the aquatic center and youth sports, as well as local trails. She started at
United Way in October and became the executive director Feb. 1.
For more information, visit clatsopunitedway.org.
Q: Should I paint the cut surfaces of my
trees when I am pruning?
based research has found that sealing pruning cuts
A: University
seals in more pathogens than it keeps out. Trees compartmentalize
wounds quite well on their own and do not benefit from pruning
sealers. Make your cuts at the best angles to prevent standing water
on the wound. Frequently sharpen and disinfect your pruners to
protect your trees from disease-causing pathogens. Alcohol or 10%
bleach work well. Don’t prune in the rain as that encourages the
spread of dormant pathogens. Stop in soon for pruning guides,
pruners and saws.
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1978 - 2020
Linh DePledge
SEASIDE — Dr. Whitney Latham, DO, joined Columbia
Memorial Hospital Medical Group & Urgent Care in Seaside
as a full-time pediatrician. She specializes in newborn care,
early childhood development, nutrition and wellness.
After Latham earned her doctor of osteopathic medicine
degree from Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sci-
ence, she worked there as a clinical associate professor of pedi-
atrics and provided outpatient and nursery care. She was also
a pediatric hospitalist for the St. Francis Children’s Hospital.
During her residency in Oklahoma, Latham was an attending
physician for Dr. Emily Pirmann, who is now a pediatrician at
CMH in Astoria.
The hospital has also hired two nurse practitioners for its
Whitney Latham
urgent care clinics.
Kelly Cerutti is a new primary care provider at the Warren-
ton Primary Care Clinic. Cerutti worked as a nurse for more than a decade before earning a master’s in
nursing from the University of Alaska. She previously worked at Kahuku Medical Center in Kahuku,
Hawaii.
Michelle Powell is a new provider in the Astoria, Warrenton and Seaside urgent care clinics. Powell
has nearly three decades of nursing experience. Most previously, she worked as a nurse practitioner for
East Alabama Medical Center. She has also worked as a fl ight and travel nurse.
WE ARE OPEN!
ASTORIA — Linh DePledge is the new general manager of
Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa, a luxury hotel that sits over the Colum-
bia River on historic pier pilings. DePledge will oversee all func-
tions of the hotel.
Vesta Hospitality purchased Cannery Pier Hotel in 2019. Accord-
ing to Mark Hemmer, president of Vesta Hospitality, DePledge is an
ideal general manager because of her experience, passion, creativ-
ity and community engagement. DePledge replaces Don West, who
retired after 15 years in the role.
DePledge started working for the hotel in 2019 as the director of
sales and marketing, leading a rebranding effort and a group sales
program. Before that, she gained 20-plus years of executive experi-
ence in hospitality, internet services, insurance and real estate. She
also oversaw four hotels during her tenure as Adrift Hospitality’s
director of operations and marketing.
DePledge, of Astoria, is also involved with the Astoria Down-
town Historic District Association’s business development com-
mittee and the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce’s
Lower Columbia Tourism Committee.
Marco Garza joins Coast Family Law
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