CHARLOTTE-Encore Products of Chandler, AZ and locally-based MetroTech Chemicals Inc. are expanding their businesses and staffs. Encore is moving into a renovated 80,000-sf warehouse on Sugar Creek Road where the work force is expected to grow to 300.

RENTON, WA-The multifamily developer is aiming high with a new project here that will feature upscale townhome-style apartments and "European flats" with rents ranging from $1,300 to $2,080 a month.

VANCOUVER, WA-City code, however, appears squarely on the side of developer C.E. John Co., which is winning key approvals toward construction on a sand-filled lot that Beaches restaurant uses for volleyball and barbecues.

SILVER SPRING, MD-Managers and shareholders buy a company spun off as a real estate operator for Choice Hotels' franchises.