Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from April 2005

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from April 2005

Meridian's urban-renewal agency plans to redevelop downtown.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Meridian's 3-year-old urban-renewal agency has big plans to upgrade the downtown of the city just west of Boise - where the population has ballooned 60 percent, from 35,000 to an estimated 56,000, in five years. ...

Condo bldg. planned for downtown site in Boise.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Steve Martin Construction of another 45 to 50 residential condominiums could begin this winter in downtown Boise if its developers have their way. Developer Bill Clark said late last month that he plans to file an application...

California co. acquires long empty Max Foods bldg. and adjacent retail center in Garden City.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson A California-based owner of shopping centers plans to convert a long-vacant supermarket building in Garden City into a multi-tenant retail center, and remodel adjacent shop spaces. The R.B. Cos., Calabasas, Calif.,...

Idaho women inspire each other to pursue and excel in law careers.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert The practice of law is based on legal precedents. And so, it seems, is the practice of law by women in Idaho. "Women set their goals by what other women have done," said Deb Kristensen, the third female president...

Small business award nominations sought by Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce.
April 4, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Nominations for the 2005 Small Business of the Year awards are being accepted by the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce this month. The annual awards, usually presented in three size categories, are intended to...

Boise-based Micron Technology's net grows despite slow season.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Boise-based Micron Technology last week announced fiscal second quarter earnings of $117.9 million, or 17 cents per diluted share, in its second quarter, compared to a loss of $28.3 million, or 4 cents a share, a year...

Idaho entrepreneur's firm trains translators for medical, legal venues.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson At first glance, the interpreting venture R&M Executives seems to be a successful entrepreneurial venture. Its founder, Mona Luedtke-Rains, has parlayed it from a one-person startup seven years ago into a...

Women in law - A long road to equality, eminence.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert "I don't know why you should go to law school. You should just quit and get married." Those words of advice from her college advisor prompted Deborah Bail - who became Idaho's first female district judge in 1983 -...

Boise-based Lee Pesky Center students advance to national competition.
April 4, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Lee Pesky Learning Center has been selected to advance to the final round of the National Business Plan Competition for Nonprofit Organizations, sponsored by the Yale School of Management - Goldman Sachs...

Hotel added to project plans for 62-acre retail/office development in Meridian.
April 4, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Meridian City Council has approved preliminary plans for a 62-acre retail and office development at the southwest corner of Eagle Road and Pine Street in Meridian. The only major change made to the original...

Proposed retail, office, and residential project in Boise scaled back.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson A 9,000-square-foot garden center would anchor a mix of retail, office and residential uses proposed at the southwest corner of 36th and Catalpa streets, Boise. The Terteling Co. Inc. expected to submit development...

Basque eatery slated for Grove in Boise's 'Basque Block'.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert A Basque restaurant, to be called Leku Ona Restaurant and Lounge, is planned for the northwest corner of Sixth and Grove streets, according to documents filed with the city of Boise. Artiach Properties, which owns...

Idaho entrepreneur speaks at awards luncheon, offers advice on how to become successful.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Becoming a successful entrepreneur is not about excellence, it's about energy - and tenacity. That seemed to be Mark Solon's message at last week's Accomplished Under 40 Awards luncheon, sponsored by the Idaho...

Bronco Motors builds Nissan store, plans Hyundai in Nampa.
April 4, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of a 23,000-square-foot Bronco Motors Nissan building began recently near the Idaho Center in Nampa. The dealership's 16 employees will move from a leased facility on the Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard in...

Northwest Nazarene University event April 14 to feature health care costs.
April 4, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The fourth installment of Northwest Nazarene University's Business Enrichment Series will feature presentations on "Health Care Costs in the 21st Century." Workshops will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. April 14, in...

Increase in chip shipments boosts Idaho's '04 exports.
April 4, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho exports rose by 39 percent to more than $2.9 billion in 2004, following the nearly 50 percent jump in '03, the state Department of Commerce and Labor has reported. Nationally, exports rose 13 percent in...

Hewlett-Packard officials plan to offer voluntary severance to some employees.
April 4, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Hewlett-Packard officials said last week the company would offer voluntary severance packages to some of its employees this month. Employees in "select job categories" in the company's imaging and printing...

Boise-based Washington Group International heads into 3rd year on projects in Iraq.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Washington Group International remains heavily in-volved in infrastructure projects in Iraq, but doesn't expect the volume of Iraq work this year to equal last year's half-billion-dollar total. Tom Zarges,...

Condos eyed for project in downtown Meridian.
April 11, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A three-story, 55,000-square-foot mixed-use building, possibly containing residential condominiums, is planned for a downtown Meridian site now home to a Double D pet and ranching supply store. Development firm...

Boise-based Foerstel Design to double space.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Foerstel Design, a Boise graphic design firm, plans to double the size of its office on Walnut Street, near Park Boulevard and the Boise Greenbelt. Hosford Architects, Boise, designed the planned 2,450-square foot...

Ski season - no records this year in Idaho.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller As Idaho ski hills wound down their 2004-05 season with a late rally to help offset disappointing winter weather, the startup Tamarack Resort near Donnelly prepared for another big construction season. Tamarack CEO...

Downtown Boise's Ex-First Security building redevelopment nears finish.
April 11, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Redevelopment of the former First Security Bank building at Ninth and Idaho streets in downtown Boise is expected to be finished early in May, developer Jim Tomlinson says, and a restaurant has been signed. The...

Boise Cascade Holdings LLC posts '04 sales, earnings gains.
April 11, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise Cascade Holdings LLC last week reported net income of $94.2 million for 2004, compared with a $47.4 million net loss in 2003. Results included $69.4 million in net income for Jan. 1-Oct. 28, when the...

Boise-based Trancite Logic Systems navigates crime scenes electronically.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Editor's note: Idaho Innovator is a monthly IBR series, featuring Idaho innovators and their products and services. When the Office of Highway Safety wanted its accident reports in an electronic format, it hit a...

Commentary: Sleuthing out the nest of spyware on your PC.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Rick Edvalson Computer viruses have not gone away, but they seem to be mostly under control. Right now, it seems to be spyware that is running wild. A large study done last year found that a third of all computers had spyware...

Entrepreneurs told of resources at 'Kickstart' event in Boise.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Running a business would be much easier for Idaho entrepreneurs if they were aware of all the resources surrounding them. That was a message from speakers at a panel discussion held last week at Kickstart, an event...

Tech consultant to speak at National Ass'n of Women Business Owners in Boise.
April 11, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A consultant who has coached the executives of several Silicon Valley firms is slated to speak to the Southern Idaho chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Cecilia Hayes' workshop,...

Large youth 'ranch' eyed near Marsing.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson A 4,000-acre youth ranch with more than a dozen buildings and up to 420 employees is planned in Owyhee County. Team One Ranch for Youth would cost over $90 million at completion, including land acquisition and the...

Boise-based Washington Group International rated 'buy' as company inks more contracts.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Group International Inc. has landed several major contracts and increased its project backlog at a time when heavy construction is accelerating nationwide. U.S. nonresidential construction increased by...

Rising interest rates haven't spoiled party yet.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The slow rise in interest rates hasn't slowed banks' growth in the still-expanding Treasure Valley economy, bankers say. Pat McMurray, Idaho region president for Wells Fargo, doesn't expect business loans to taper...

VA-based Nextel Partners' CFO Rowan expects growth.
April 11, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Nextel Partners Inc., which recently opened another Treasure Valley office, has more growing left to do, the company's Idaho-native vice president and CFO says. "We are still growing among the fastest in the...

D.L. Evans Bank to enter Nampa market.
April 11, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report D.L. Evans Bank plans to open a Nampa branch in leased space within two months, and construct a new branch building in Nampa within two years. The bank leased 2,000 square feet of space at 12th Avenue Road and...

Intellectual property law looms as growing niche among Boise law firms.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Though high tech has been a Treasure Valley sector for three decades, intellectual property law - the area of law that protects the industry's inventions - took longer to bloom. Considering that Micron received...

Executive profile of John Stellmon, president and CEO of Regence BlueShield of Idaho.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson John Stellmon's law background serves him well as he deals with the regulatory complexities that running a health insurance company entails. But the Regence BlueShield of Idaho president and CEO sees himself at...

Meridian planners favor split downtown corridor.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson A panel studying ways to unchoke traffic in downtown Meridian favors a north-south "split corridor," and likes widening Meridian Road the least. But all alternatives will be considered and discussed in public...

Idaho's 2005 legislative session wins praise from business groups.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Business lobbyists term this year's legislative session one of the most productive ever. Lawmakers and Gov. Dirk Kempthorne hammered out several new business tax-incentive packages, set the stage for funding major...

Idaho's unemployment insurance fraud rules to be tighter under new state law.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Unemployment benefit recipients and businesses that pay into Idaho's unemployment insurance system face stricter standards starting July 1. Recipients caught defrauding the system must return overpayments,...

Electronic Data Systems Corp. plans more hiring at its Boise call center.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Electronic Data Systems Corp. made job offers to 65 people at a career fair April 9, but the company, which was looking for up to 150 employees, will have to hold another fair, said Kelly Allen-Draves, a human...

3-story building with condos slated for 5th & Broad streets in Boise.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A residential condominium building is planned for next year at the southeast corner of Fifth and Broad streets, near Julia Davis Park. The three-story, 24,274-square foot building will have 24 spaces of...

Idaho Housing & Finance Association chosen for state's new highway-funding plan.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Look for a familiar label on new bonds for state highway projects: The Idaho Housing & Finance Association. It's the latest piece of good news for IHFA, which is benefiting from slightly higher interest rates among...

More buildings, tenants slated for Eagle River project.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson A two-story office building of 22,400 square feet is planned in the growing Eagle River Development in the southeast quadrant of Eagle Road (Idaho 55) and Idaho 44, Eagle. Eagle River LLC Managing Member Chuck...

Work begins on 2nd bldg. at McMillan, Eagle complex in west Boise.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Construction of a 7,200-square-foot building for up to six shops has started in the McMillan's Corner development at the southeast corner of McMillan and Eagle roads in west Boise. Engineered Structures Inc.,...

Human Resources Association of the Treasure Valley plans conference for April 20.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Devon Hansen, noted for her work with survivors of the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing in 1995, is slated to deliver the keynote address at the April 20 Conference of the Human Resources Association of the...

Plans announced for McCall, Idaho to get hometown bank.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Plans have been announced for Idaho First Bank - which if approved would be the first bank chartered in McCall in nearly a century. Organizers plan the bank on East Lake Street. Idaho First is envisioned as a...

Small Business Administration's Boise office reports 74% rise in loan volume.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The U.S. Small Business Administration's Boise district office reported that loan production and aggregate loan value rose in its fiscal first half. SBA's Boise district office handled 321 7(a) loans from...

Boise-based American Semiconductor's 'fabless foundry' acts as outsourcing pipeline.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert American Semiconductor Inc., a Boise technology firm, seems to have built its business around a paradox. The company does business as a foundry (manufacturer) for semiconductor companies that want to outsource...

Pocatello-based AMI Semiconductor reports 42% growth in pay, benefits.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report AMI Semiconductor has increased wages and other compensation to its 1,000 Pocatello employees by 42 percent over the last two years, the company reported. The Pocatello-based custom semiconductor manufacturer...

Boise Metro Chamber of Chamber plans June trade show.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce plans to host its Business to Business Trade Show from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 16 at the Boise Centre on the Grove. About 50 companies have reserved booths, according to Scott...

Commentary: Downtown Boise - truly a place to work, shop, live and play.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Karen Sander In 1987, forward thinking, local officials, downtown business and property owners formed the Downtown Boise Business Improvement District (BID) to revitalize downtown Boise and created the Downtown Boise Association...

Commentary: The sweet smell of progress: Construction crane sightings translate into success.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Boise Mayor David Bieter Is it just me, or has something happened to downtown Boise recently? On Capitol Boulevard, major portions of the $62 million BoDo mixed-use development have suddenly thrust up from the ground, a...

Commentary: Boise's downtown growth, vitality visible in many areas.
April 18, 2005... Byline: CCDC Exec. Director Phil Kushlan At Capital City Development Corp., Boise's redevelopment agency, we are almost always glad to see construction activity in downtown Boise. It is one sign of the kind of vitality that we have come to...

Residential dwellings on rise in downtown Boise.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Steve Martin That sound you hear if you stroll through downtown Boise isn't just hammering on steel girders or the footsteps of busy workers and shoppers. It's called momentum, and it won't be easing up anytime soon - if...

Housing projects stimulate Boise market.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Steve Martin Here's a breakdown of some of the projects with residential components recently completed or planned in the near future in or near downtown Boise: * Hyde Park Place - 12th and Fort. Fully residential, 64,000 square...

Boise's downtown transportation needs are focus of study.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Angela Jones, Special to the IBR Downtown Boise transportation systems are undergoing an intense study to determine current transportation patterns and anticipated changes in those patterns over the next 20 years. Based on the...

Downtown Boise redevelopment project leads retail surge.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Angela Jones, Special to the IBR The ongoing redevelopment of the 8th Street Marketplace and its transformation into a retail and commercial anchor is highly anticipated by the surrounding business community as the dawn of a new era...

Downtown Boise's diverse restaurant scene proves draw for diners.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Downtown Boise's restaurant scene is surprisingly eclectic. There are eateries that feature a variety of American cuisine, from Shorty's Diner to The Sports Zone to Moon's Kitchen. Asian cuisine is also...

Idaho muralists transform Boise's public spaces.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Karen Bubb, Boise City Arts Commission Public Arts Over the last two decades, Boise's most prolific muralist, Fred Choate, periodically updates his landmark work at the corner of 11th and Idaho to reflect the evolution of the chic...

Traditional blueprint industry shifts to cleaner and more adaptive technologies.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller Not so long ago, a visitor to a blueprint company could be greeted by the acrid stench of ammonia - one of the ingredients in the chemical process used to produce old-style building plans, cranked out on special...

Idaho cities face increasing wastewater issues.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller They're construction projects that only a public works engineer can love. Wastewater treatment plants don't draw near the interest of new office buildings or retail space, but for local governments they're critical...

Treasure Valley contractors battle rising rates, cost spiral.
April 18, 2005... Byline: Ken Levy Treasure Valley general contractors seem hopeful about their prospects for 2005, but rising interest rates and other economic pressures temper their optimism. "We are excited about where the economy is headed right...

Treasure Valley construction stays strong through March.
April 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Construction has been strong around the Treasure Valley, fueled in part by job growth, but interest rates loom on a darkening horizon. Continued increases in short-term interest rates to control inflation will...

Hybrids get hot: Gas/electric autos spur interest as fuel prices rise.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Rich and Cheree Eveland had been looking for a year or more at options for replacing their aging Plymouth Grand Voyager minivan. The Voyager had served them well as a kiddie hauler, taking them and their two...

Ford offers hybrid SUV - if you can find one.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson The lone SUV hybrid available, the Ford Escape, has only recently made its appearance in Idaho, where a few people have snapped them up. They're hard to find because Ford chose last summer to introduce the...

New tactics may move empty plants in Boise.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Industrial property brokers have broadened their ap-proach to finding buyers or tenants for three vacant big-box sites in the Valley. More than 800,000 square feet of industrial space is contained in the former...

Ada Country residential lot prices on rise.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson If you think gas prices are going up, take a look at lot prices. The average price of an unimproved home lot in Ada Country hit nearly $100,000 in the first quarter, up 23 percent from $80,695 in the opening...

Downtown Boise housing called key to growth.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert "I think your suburbs are still winning." That's the verdict delivered by Larry Beasley, co-director of planning for the City of Vancouver, B.C, Canada, to a workshop audience at Boise City Hall last week. He...

Boise lawyers offer free advice April 29.
April 25, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Ask-A-Lawyer, an annual event providing free legal service to small businesses and members of the public, is slated for 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 29. Forty lawyers plan to answer questions over the phone to...

Golfers find business-to-business on the links: Tournaments take planning, need sponsors.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Running a business golf tournament or outing is a lot like hitting a golf ball: You've got to get everything lined up first. Despite the quickening pace of business, leisurely local golf outings remain vital to...

Renamed Boise State University center broadens business offerings.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Boise State University has broadened its business outreach program to colleges other than the College of Business, aiming to provide more comprehensive non-credit services to business executives and entrepreneurs....

Idaho Power seeks 6.3% rate increase.
April 25, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho Power Co. has proposed a 6.3 percent average rate increase, which would take effective June 1. The company told the Idaho Public Utilities Commission it could have applied to raise rates by 11 percent,...

Commentary: Choosing a color laser printer for less than $500.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Rick Edvalson The last time we wrote about color laser printers, the purpose was to take note of new models costing less than $1,000 - about half of what they cost a couple of years earlier. A little more than two years later,...

Boise poised to do 'great things,' speaker tells Downtown Business Association.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Downtown housing is looking up, Boise officials say. At the Downtown Business Association's annual meeting, Mayor Dave Bieter cited two projects under way - BoDo 8th Street Marketplace and construction of the...

CEO of St. Alphonsus in Boise says medical technology will be costly.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert "The good news is we can live forever bionically," says Sandra Bruce, president and CEO of Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. "The bad news is we haven't figured out how to pay for it," she told Boise Metro...

Patience, prudence may prove best investment advice.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller Investors watching stock markets slip to new lows for the year are turning understandably nervous about the health of their portfolios, but experts say this is no time to bail on stocks and it may even be a good time to...

Cash management not just for the big businesses anymore.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Treasury management - traditionally a big-business, big-bank phenomenon - has become more accessible to smaller players. Businesses and banks of all sizes get involved with "treasury" tasks ranging from...

Brick-and-mortar banks - They're here to stay.
April 25, 2005... Byline: Ken Levy By Ken Levy Special to the IBR Electronic banking services are growing, but never fear: Financial institution leaders say brick-and-mortar banks aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Today, electronic banking...

Commentary: What are your thoughts regarding the privatization of Social Security? (An IBR Question).
April 25, 2005... Byline: Steve Martin Something must be done to change the system. It most definitely will not survive in its current state. It is my opinion that privatization in some form will be our best option. President Bush, love him or hate him,...