Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from April 2006

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from April 2006

Software company founder says Idaho should become epicenter of biotechnology research.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Imagine drinking milk or eating eggs that fight disease or even cure cancer. A local software company founder says we're on the cusp of making such biotechnology breakthroughs and Idaho should become the epicenter...

Construction costs to stay high in 2006, predicts economist.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Builders can expect most construction costs to keep rising this year, the Associated General Contractors of America's chief economist said in Boise last week. Wood prices have come down from their 2004 highs, but...

Boise-based Idacorp picks Keen to succeed Packwood as president and CEO.
April 3, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Idacorp Inc. board of directors recently named current Executive Vice President LaMont Keen to succeed Jan Packwood as president and CEO. Packwood plans to retire July 1. Packwood, 62, has served in his...

Meridian mayor expects commercial segment to expand.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd expects the city's business sector to keep growing. "We continue to move forward to nurture and create jobs within our existing and expanding business community while targeting new...

Qwest adds high-speed Internet service to Ririe, Idaho.
April 3, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Qwest Communications International Inc. recently launched high-speed Internet service in Ririe, northeast of Idaho Falls, after investing in upgrades to the local telecommunication network. "Access to a...

Cutting Edge Manufacturing Inc. acquires 6,000-square-foot building in north Nampa.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Cutting Edge Manufacturing Inc. recently acquired a 6,000-square-foot building at 625 N. Kings Road in north Nampa. The machine shop, which uses computer-numerical control (CNC) equipment to make parts for...

Harley dealers plan shop in Boise's BoDo project.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert The owners of two Harley-Davidson dealerships plan to open a boutique store in BoDo to sell clothing and collectibles. High Desert Harley-Davidson BoDo District is planned to open by the end of May or early June in...

Sierra Trading Post plans its fourth U.S. retail store in Meridian.
April 3, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Sierra Trading Post plans its fourth U.S. retail store in Meridian. The city's economic development office said in a statement that it expects construction of a 25,000-square-foot building to start this summer...

Deal with a new developer revives the long-stalled Boise Tower project.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson A deal with a new developer revives the long-stalled Boise Tower project at Eighth and Main streets downtown. Capital City Development Corp. board members unanimously approved Charterhouse Boise Downtown Properties...

Red Cliff Development plans Carlton Bay project in Garden City.
April 3, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Carlton Bay, a 34-acre mixed-use project, is planned on the southeast corner of State Street and old Horseshoe Bend Road in Garden City. The project is to consist of 12 retail and office buildings, each about...

IdaTech and Boise-based Norco sign hydrogen deal.
April 3, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report IdaTech LLC, an Idacorp Inc. subsidiary that develops and manufactures fuel cells, recently signed a supplier agreement with Norco Inc., Boise, and the Industrial Gas Suppliers Alliance (IGSA). The agreement...

Country Inn and Suites planned at Eagle, Pine.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert A four-story Country Inn and Suites is planned at the southeast corner of Eagle Road and Pine Avenue in Meridian. The hotel's developer, Mike Wendell of The Wendell Group in Minnesota, plans to start putting in the...

Wood-products company moves to Horseshoe Bend in Boise.
April 3, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson David Jones, a veteran of the southwest Idaho lumber industry, found an ideal spot to expand his specialty wood-products business: the old Boise Cascade mill site in Horseshoe Bend. "We needed room to expand," said...

Property exchange expert to present investment strategies at Boise seminar.
April 3, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report An increase in tax-deferred property exchanges in the Treasure Valley inspired Arrow 1031 Exchange to plan a Boise seminar featuring a national presenter. Betty Kincaid, 2005 national president of the Women's...

Idaho Elks Rehab administrator finds fulfillment in making patients live independently.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert In high school, Joe Caroselli had a glamorized view of the miracles of medicine. "I actually thought that with physical therapy I could take stroke patients and make them into Olympic athletes," he said. After...

Business opportunity knocks with Canadian border trade.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson The U.S. and Canada do plenty of business together, but there's opportunity to do much more, Canadian trade officials told a workshop audience in Boise last week. "We have to overcome this feeling that there is...

The Metropolitan condo construction development to start this summer in Boise.
April 10, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report David Southers expects to start building The Metropolitan residential and commercial complex this summer at Fifteenth and Idaho streets on the west side of downtown Boise. The project developer, who owns...

Idaho Falls-based Melaleuca continues 20-year growth streak, sales top $702M.
April 10, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Melaleuca, The Wellness Company, a manufacturer of 350 health and wellness products sold directly to consumers around the world, recently reached a milestone by setting a new total-sales record in each of its first...

Incentives passed for Idaho film industry.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert The Idaho Legislature has passed and Gov. Dirk Kemphthorne has signed a bill providing a sales tax rebate for film and television producers in the state. The bill provides a 5 percent sales tax rebate for film and...

Settlement reached in University of Idaho, University Place suits.
April 10, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report The University of Idaho and its foundation will split an $8.3 million settlement that puts to rest several lawsuits filed in connection with the failed University Place project. University Place was planned as...

Boise resident's latest venture: Hair today, gone tomorrow.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Wes Harris, known for latching onto promising industries early, likes his chances of succeeding with the Ideal Image Inc. laser hair-removal chain. The Boise resident recently started adding Ideal Image clinics to...

Boise-based Oliver Russell announces grant recipients.
April 10, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise-based brand marketing agency Oliver Russell has awarded $165,000 in financial grants and in-kind services to several regional charities and arts programs in its 2006 O-pen Purse grant program. Oliver...

Free workshops in Boise address senior prescription coverage.
April 10, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Seniors eligible to enroll in the Medicare Part D prescription plan by the May 15 deadline can attend free workshops this month in Boise. Medicare Today, a nonprofit organization established specifically to...

First Horizon's new office in Eagle to include district executives.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson A First Horizon Home Loans office opening soon in Eagle will house district executives as well as loan officers and support staff. The mortgage banker leased the second floor of the two-story, 22,000-square-foot...

Nampa-based MPC Computers releases new storage device, computers.
April 10, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Nampa-based MPC Computers last week introduced three new products, the DataFrame 240 iSCSI Storage Area Network, TransPort T2400 notebook computer and ClientPro 212 desktop computer. The DataFrame 240 offers a...

Cell-free coffee, wine bar part of new Kandor store in Eagle.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Customers at Amici won't have to listen to the electronic notes of The Entertainer reverberating from a cell phone at an adjoining table. Amici, a coffee and wine cafe, will be a "no cell phone zone," and signage...

Microsoft Corp. to buy Boise-based ProClarity Corp.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Microsoft Corp. plans to acquire Boise-based ProClarity Corp., which makes business intelligence software, for an undisclosed cash sum, the companies announced last week. Employment will not be significantly...

Chapala Mexican Restaurant plans eatery in Star.
April 10, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Chapala Mexican Restaurant will open at the end of this month in Star. The restaurant leased half of a new 5,000-square-foot building at Hercules Drive and Star Road in the Celestial Village mixed-use...

Idaho State Bar to recommend qualified judges.
April 10, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Members of the Idaho State Bar are to begin making formal recommendations for the candidates in contested judicial elections whom they believe to be most qualified. The Idaho State Bar plans to conduct an...

Condo developers: Boise Tower units won't flood market.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson News of the apparent revival of the long-stalled Boise Tower project generated generally favorable comments from developers participating in downtown's emerging residential condo market. The board of the Capital...

Idaho innovator thinks backwards: Lab research turns water into hydrogen.
April 10, 2006... Byline: Rick Carpenter A group of scientists at the Idaho National Laboratory are breaking down the molecules of water into the elements of hydrogen and oxygen using a new technique that could eventually mass-produce hydrogen for...

Uncovering history: Developer MacKinnon to restore historic architecture of downtown Nampa.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Laurel MacKinnon plans to uncover a little history. As she walks around four buildings she plans to redevelop on downtown Nampa's 13th Avenue, she points to a cranny in the faux stone facade that covers original...

Uncovering history: Developer MacKinnon to restore historic architecture of downtown Nampa.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert

Meridian officials assess industrial expansion.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Meridian officials want to make sure the city has enough industrial land - and that it's located in the right places. The city recently requested applications from consultants to prepare an industrial lands study...

IP service firms help increase patents, business value.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert It's not just physical. Brains really do count for something. Especially when it comes to business, said Paul Cooperrider, vice president of business development for intellectual property management firm Technology...

Kinds of intellectual property.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Patents give companies or individual inventors the exclusive right to make, sell or use their inventions. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will issue a patent to an invention if it is new or novel, useful and...

Idaho IP facts.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert In 2005, Hewlett-Packard received 1,797 patents, placing it third among the top 10 corporate recipients of patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Micron Technology was sixth with 1,561 patents. Both...

Ergonomic furniture business moves to downtown Boise.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson AD-AS, which designs and manufactures specialty ergonomic furniture, purchased and will anchor a 25,000-square-foot building at 27th and Idaho streets in downtown Boise. New pockets of demand include the radiology...

Boise-based agribusiness giant J.R. Simplot Co. shifts with market, considers adding seafood.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson As a capital-intensive business with major operations around the world, agribusiness giant J.R. Simplot Co. faces ongoing challenges in "a global economy that's getting more difficult every year," President and CEO...

Developer may turn Nampa creamery into pub.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert The Nampa Creamery could find new life as a microbrewery. Developer Laurel MacKinnon, whose firm the MacKinnon Group is redeveloping much of 13th Avenue in downtown Nampa as the Belle District, has purchased the...

Boise-based TitleOne opens its second Las Vegas-area office.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson A Boise startup that became a market leader, TitleOne Corp. is growing again - this time in Las Vegas. The real estate title insurance and escrow services company opened its second office in Clark County, Nev.,...

Boise Cascade invests $72 million in its Wallula, Wash., paper mill.(Company overview)
April 17, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise Cascade Co.'s board recently approved a $72 million capital project to expand production of pressure-sensitive paper at its Wallula, Wash., mill. The project involves adding new equipment and capability...

Idaho Economic Advisory Council hears grant requests from cities and counties.
April 17, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Idaho Economic Advisory Council plans to meet in Boise April 18-19 to hear requests from cities and counties to fund $10.3 million in economic, public facility and senior/community center projects. The...

CA-based Buckaroo Leather Products to build in Kuna.
April 17, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Buckaroo Leather Products has announced plans to build a 6,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in Kuna. The company, located in Diamond Spings, Calif., manufactures equine riding equipment ranging from bits and...

Idaho's mountain region enjoys growth in non-farm jobs.
April 17, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Mountain region enjoyed the fastest job growth of the U.S. Census Bureau's nine regions from December 2004 to December '05. Non-farm employment increased by 3.6 percent in the Mountain region compared to...

Idaho bankruptcies free-fall in first quarter as anticipated.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho bankruptcies plunged in the first quarter as expected, after huge increases late last year. Filings skyrocketed in Idaho and the U.S. last October just before stricter bankruptcy laws took effect. The...

Idaho-based Tamarack Resort's Whitewater lot sales: white-hot.
April 17, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Buyers snapped up all 44 properties at Tamarack Resort's sixth residential sale, plus nine added due to high demand. Tamarack took in $42.7 million - an average of $805,660 per property - earmarked for further...

Demand expected to stay high for building in Treasure Valley.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson General contractors and construction managers expect strong demand for Treasure Valley commercial and institutional projects to continue for at least a year. Current demand for commercial projects nearly outstrips...

Work starts on shopping center in Pocatello, Idaho.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Gaye Bunderson The first phase of construction of a major shopping center in the City of Pocatello is right on schedule. R & O Construction of Ogden, Utah, has been awarded a contract to build a Staples, Bed Bath and Beyond,...

Construction growth strong in Caldwell, Idaho.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Steady growth continues in Caldwell, the city's construction statistics show. Caldwell approved 341 housing starts in the first quarter, up from 258 a year ago. Permits for new commercial buildings totaled nine in...

Sign companies navigate diverse permitting process in Idaho.
April 17, 2006... Byline: Ken Miller Roger Huber shakes his head when he hears how many Idaho cities and counties are working to streamline their building permit processes and shorten permit reviews. If local governments can make it easier and faster to...

Financial Institutions - High tech, legislation change who we bank with, how we pay bills.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson For local bank leaders, what's not to love about the Treasure Valley economy? The growing, diversifying economy provides fertile ground for banks to grow - if they can make the right moves soon enough in an...

Online banking common, but banks still deal with structures.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Online banking has practically become a way of life for a lot of businesspeople. But for the banks themselves, it's an ongoing effort to add new Web services and try to make the sites self-supporting. Usage of...

Banks' key challenges: finding staff, tech systems.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Whether a bank just entered the Treasure Valley market or has operated in southwest Idaho for decades, finding qualified employees can be a tall order. Banks also may find it hard to get high-quality branch sites...

SBA loan volume increases in first half of fiscal year.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson U.S. Small Business Administration loan volume rose in the first half of the SBA's fiscal year in the Boise District as borrowers continued to finance owner-occupied buildings. Lenders and the SBA processed 452...

Q&A from US Bank Regional President Jim Grigsby.(Discussion)
April 24, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson James R. (Jim) Grigsby, Jr., 46, has served as regional president for U.S. Bank's Western Idaho Community Banking Region since 2000. He's based in Boise. He started his banking career in 1982 with U.S. Bank predecessor...

BBB accepting nominations for 'Integrity Counts!'.
April 24, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Better Business Bureau is accepting nominations for its annual Integrity Counts! awards through May 26. The awards are open to businesses and nonprofit organizations in Southwest Idaho and Eastern Oregon...

Nampa-based MPC Computers wins award 3 times.
April 24, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Nampa-based MPC Computers recently won the "Best Mid-Market Solution Hardware" Midsize Enterprise Innovation award for its DataFrame storage device, the third year in a row it has won the award. Senior...

FDIC: Idaho a top performer in '05.
April 24, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho remained one of the fastest-growing states in 2005, according to a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. report issued this month. The state's job-growth rate accelerated from year-ago levels to 4.9 percent in...

Banks, credit unions square off.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert A storm has been brewing between banks and credit unions over credit unions' exemption from federal income taxes and some state taxes and federal regulations. Banks claim that credit unions have an unfair...

Quarterly home sales, prices jump in Ada, Canyon counties.
April 24, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Total home sales increased by 36.5 percent in Ada County and by 42.6 percent in Canyon County in the first quarter, according to a report by the Intermountain Multiple Listing Service, Boise. Median prices...

Inc. editor features ECCO Group in book.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson There's a lot to be said for focusing on business goals other than endless growth, and now author Bo Burlingham has said it about ECCO Group, Boise. Burlingham, editor-at-large for Inc., features employee-owned...

Downtown Boise Assn. speaker: Housing, transit could make Boise thrive.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Downtown housing, transit and green buildings could make Boise a city that prospers well into the future, said Neal Peirce, who keynoted last week's Downtown Boise Association meeting. Peirce, who writes the...

Intern wins honor for designing New Orleans homes.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Rick Carpenter An intern at Trout Architects Chartered in Boise has been named a finalist in a nationwide contest to design a New Orleans housing prototype to be used with rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Byron...

Idaho Independent Bank to anchor planned six-story building on Front.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Independent Bank leased the first two floors of a planned six-story, 85,000-square-foot building to bear its name at 401 W. Front St. in downtown Boise. Brighton Corp. acquired the property two years ago and...

AMI Semiconductor sees potential in low-cost, carbon-based technology.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Carbon Valley may not have the same ring to it as Silicon Valley. But researchers at AMI Semiconductor and Idaho State University are looking at ways for carbon to be used as an inexpensive substitute for silicon...

KeyBank exec: Leasing can make sense for businesses.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Rich Terrell can help you finance an equipment purchase, but he believes more business owners should consider leasing equipment instead. "The trend both nationally and here is that demand for leasing is...

Want to enjoy retirement? Start saving now.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Some people in the financial sector put it pretty plainly when talking about the retirement savings rate of Americans. "This is a complex situation but, in general, the average American is not saving enough,"...

Words of wisdom worth listening to.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson There's one way to find out what makes Warren Buffett "The World's Greatest Investor." Fly to his office in Omaha, Neb., and ask, as Northwest Nazarene University business students did. Now, organizations in...

Idaho's export market flourishes.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Ken Levy Idaho's 2005 exports topped $3.2 billion in 2005, and most markets continue to be strong and growing, with numerous new opportunities opening up. China led the world in 2005 in importing goods and products from Idaho,...

'Windows' to your pocketbook?
April 24, 2006... Byline: Ken Miller Idaho devotees of Macintosh computers are buzzing over Apple's move to allow late-model Macs to run the Windows operating system - but experts say it's too early to know whether Apple's move will prompt reluctant...

Tips for running Windows on new Macs.
April 24, 2006... Byline: Ken Miller Thinking of trying Apple's "Boot Camp" to road test Windows XP on your late model Mac? Following are some tips and suggested minimum system requirements to run Boot Camp and Windows, according to Apple's Boot Camp...