Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from April 2009

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from April 2009

Treasure Valley mayors cite barriers and solutions to downtown development.
April 1, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg Five Treasure Valley mayors gathered at an Urban Land Institute panel this morning to discuss smart development of downtown areas. Participants included mayors Phil Bandy of Eagle, Dave Bieter of Boise, Tom Dale of...

Taiwan picks Elpida as tech partner in DRAM consolidation, door may be open for Boise's Micron.
April 1, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Taiwan government has chosen Japanese memory-chip maker Elpida Memory, Inc., rather than Boise-based Micron Technology, to act as strategic technology partner to Taiwan Memory Co., a state-led company created...

Swan Falls hydro project comment sought by Idaho Dept. of Environmental Quality.
April 1, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality seeks public comment on its draft certification that Idaho Power Co.'s Swan Falls hydroelectric project meets state water quality standards. State certification is...

Idaho House committee approves bill to conform to tax law changes.
April 1, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Report The House Revenue and Taxation Committee approved a bill this morning that would adjust the state's tax code to match changes to federal tax laws approved as part of the federal economic stimulus package. The...

Idaho Finance Dept. sues Seattle mortgage broker.
April 2, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho Department of Finance recently filed a civil lawsuit in the Ada County District Court against Access Mortgage Company Inc., a Seattle-based mortgage broker that has conducted business in Idaho. Access violated...

Langley Gulch Power Plant topic of April 2 open house in New Plymouth.
April 2, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho Power is hosting an open house in New Plymouth on April 2 to inform Payette County residents on its proposed 300-megawatt natural gas-fired Langley Gulch Power Plant. The new power plant, which would be located...

Idaho's new Dept. of Insurance consumer guide compares company complaints.
April 2, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho Department of Insurance has a new tool for checking up on auto, home, and group and individual accident and health insurance companies. The consumer complaint comparison guide lists the 20 most-used...

Idaho State University names five professors as 2009 Outstanding Researchers.
April 2, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho State University has named five professors as 2009 Outstanding Researchers, and will recognize one as the 2009 Distinguished Researcher at commencement on May 9 in Pocatello. Honorees are Karl Madaras-Kelly, an...

Idaho-based Avimor developer to sell housing projects.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg The Phoenix development company SunCor is expecting to sell a majority of its assets, including Idaho planned community Avimor the company announced last week. The sale includes $400 million of housing projects, golf...

Idaho's Water Supply Committee takes up improved outlook April 9.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Idaho's water-supply outlook, improved by four major storms in March, is slated to be addressed by the Idaho Water Supply Committee at a meeting at 10 a.m. April 9 at Idaho Department of Water Resources...

N. Idaho firm picked as SBA regional exporter of the year.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Bullet Tools, the north Idaho company that makes the Magnum Shear flooring cutter, has been named northwest regional exporter of the year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Based in Hayden,...

No bull: Greenleaf dairy presses on in tough times.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Another capacity expansion at Vermeer Dairy is on Mike Vermeer's mind, but 2009 might not be the best year to proceed given the big drop in milk prices from last year. I might, he said. Things have to improve. One...

U of Idaho virtual technology program aids microbiology research.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone What if doctors could perform surgery from thousands of miles away? Or an architect could walk into a virtual building plan and move beams and joists to test for structural integrity? What if you could meet with...

Investors fret over Meridian firms' collapse.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin Roughly 40 Treasure Valley investors are reeling from the collapse of a Meridian-based investment fund promoted as a way to capitalize on the under-served market of bridge and gap lending to builders and developers in...

Idaho Falls-based International Isotopes opts to locate new plant in N.M.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone International Isotopes, an Idaho Falls-based firm that specializes in products for the nuclear medicine industry, has selected a site in Lea County, N.M., for construction of a depleted uranium de-conversion and...

Idaho-based Micron ends busy second quarter with $751M loss.(Financial report)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone Micron Technology's most recent fiscal quarter has seen continued declines in both demand and prices for its memory products, the closure of its 200 millimeter dynamic random access memory fab in Boise (and the...

Bill Joos joins Entrepreneur Bootcamp at Boise State University April 13.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Entrepreneurs continue to start businesses during recessions - and to make some fundamental mistakes when they speak to venture capitalists and customers. That's the observation of Bill Joos, head of Palo Alto,...

Fifth + Main project gets OK from Boise Historic Preservation Commission.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson The Boise Historic Preservation Commission by a 6-1 vote March 30 approved Clay Carley's proposal to develop a four-story building at the southwest corner of Fifth and Main streets. The building, to be called Fifth...

Small-business lending shows signs of thawing.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Entrepreneurs can get financing for business ventures that have solid prospects, despite the down economy. The U.S. Small Business Administration recently rolled out policies that aim to provide more protection to...

Mara McMillen named '09 Idaho Small Business Person of Year.
April 6, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Mara McMillen, president of McMillen Engineering and Construction LLC, has been named the U.S. Small Business Administration's 2009 Idaho Small Business Person of the Year. McMillen Engineering and Construction is a...

Commentary: Protecting your niche in a dour economy.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Robb Hicken I recently took a flight to Salt Lake City on business. It was the normal, everyone in a hurry to get out of Boise Airport and get on their way. In the name of disclosure, the Idaho Business Review provides free...

Treasure Valley mayors discuss road to downtown vibrancy.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg Winston Churchill once said, We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us. At an Urban Land Institute mayors' forum April 1, ULI Vice Chair Derick O'Neill suggested that the same could be said of...

Tax Foundation leader Hodge urges cuts in Gem State tax rate.
April 6, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Now is a good time for Idaho to make its tax system more competitive. Although Idaho, like every state, is struggling to weather the current economic storm, now is the right time to take stock of your competitive...

CEO of Idaho Falls-based Melaleuca Inc. says revenues, sales force on rise.(Financial report)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Melaleuca Inc., the Idaho Falls-based wellness products company that employs more than 3,400, last year posted $887 million in worldwide sales, about 25 percent of which came from overseas, President and CEO Frank...

State, Idaho Power agree to settlement of Swan Falls dispute.
April 6, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho Power and state officials announced March 26 the settlement of a 2007 lawsuit filed by the utility because of disputes over a 25-year-old agreement that controls the company's use of water from the Snake River for...

Loan regulation reform: Changes lead to adjustments for title industry.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg With new changes to federal real estate loan regulations, consumers looking to buy or refinance a property will better be able to shop the complicated loan market. These changes will mean adjustments for local...

Q&A with Curt Chambers, VP and county manager of First American Title Company in Ketchum.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Curt Chambers is the vice president and county manager at First American Title Company at 120 Second Ave. North in Ketchum. He was asked a series of questions by the IBR about the state of the title industry in his...

Building Permits.
April 6, 2009... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 00873-addition    Torch 2 Inc    CCMI LLC    610 S...

Idaho Business Review Business Briefs: April 6, 2009.
April 6, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Blue Cross of Idaho receives excellence award Blue Cross of Idaho announced it has received a Brand Excellence Award from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association for attracting the highest percentage of members in...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: April 6, 2009.
April 6, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Schooner's Bar leased 3,000 square feet of retail space at 1314 1st St. S., Nampa. Jeff Needs of Colliers International handled the transaction. Bear Paw Custom Covers, which offers custom manufacturing and repair...

Idahoans on the Move: April 6, 2009.
April 6, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Promotions/Appointments S1 IT Solutions appoints Springgate V.P. of services S1 IT Solutions, a ConvergeOne company, has announced the appointment of Scott Springgate as vice president of services for ConvergeOne,...

Bid Briefs.
April 6, 2009... Lincoln Way underpass improvements at U.S. 95 and Interstate 90, Kootenai County. Bids 2 p.m. April 7 to Idaho Transportation Department. Ustick and Linder roads intersection improvements, Meridian. Bids 2 p.m. April 7 to Ada County Highway...

Contracts.
April 6, 2009... Dahles Redimix has been awarded the contract for anti-skid material for district six, Custer. Bid not listed. Stevens & Sons has been awarded the contract for Well 7 Riverside, Homedale. Bid not listed. H-K Contractors Inc. is the...

Micron ends busy second quarter with $751M loss.(Financial report)
April 6, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone Micron Technology’s most recent fiscal quarter has seen continued declines in both demand and prices for its memory products, the closure of its 200 millimeter dynamic random access memory fab in Boise (and the...

Eat a healthful supper with Boisean's help.
April 6, 2009... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Americans do lots of eating, but very little eating right. Kaylan Vialpando of Boise wants to change that with an online newsletter she calls Serving Supper. She is the author of two cookbooks - Cooking IQ and Eating...

Les Bois Park bids under review by Ada County Board of Commissioners.
April 7, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Les Bois Park operating proposals were opened by the Ada County Board of Commissioners April 7. Earlier, Sacramento-based Capitol Racing, which had operated the horse racing facility since 2005, told the county that it...

Idaho ranks 21st for construction job losses.
April 7, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The number of people employed by the construction industry in Idaho dropped from about 47,000 to about 40,400 between February 2008 and February 2009, according to numbers released by the Associated General Contractors of...

Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Idaho names new chief executive.
April 7, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center has selected Sally Jeffcoat as its new president and chief executive officer, hospital board of trustees chairman Brent Lloyd announced in a release on April 7. Jeffcoat comes...

Robert Capps takes over 'Boise Hole' after no bidders show.
April 7, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin Nobody showed to bid on the hole at Eighth and Main streets during a foreclosure sale today, putting the long languishing downtown Boise property in the hands of lender Robert Capps. Capps, CEO of Capps Holdings...

City of Nampa laying off 16.
April 7, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The City of Nampa plans to lay off 16 employees. The work force reductions, slated across city departments, are a direct response to slowing demands and declining revenue and are expected to carry the city through the...

Jim Kempton takes helm as Idaho Public Utilities Commission president.
April 7, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Jim Kempton was elected April 6 to a two-year term as president of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. Appointed to the commission by Gov. C.L. Butch Otter in 2007, Kempton takes office from Mack Redford, who will...

Albertsons to drop online shopping in Boise and Portland.
April 7, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Albertsons food and drug chain on April 25 will discontinue online shopping service in Boise and Portland. The company notified about 1,600 customers of the move, which will not produce layoffs, media reports said....

Top Idaho engineers earn recognition in awards ceremony.
April 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Report Winners of the Idaho Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) Competition, an award given at a state level, have been announced. This year, Idaho had two award winners that went into the national competition and...

Commentary: Saturday night party politics.
April 8, 2009... Byline: Michael Tomlin Sometimes party politics is just that - talking politics at a party. This happened Saturday night at the home of a friend, a diverse and eclectic group of multi-generations, broad income range, greenies and gunners,...

Foreclosures in two Idaho counties up again in March.
April 8, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg For a third month in a row, the number of foreclosure starts in Ada and Canyon counties broke records last month. March saw 795 foreclosure starts filed, compared to 720 in February and 602 in January, according to a...

Boise-based M2M Comm. signs Idaho Power deal.
April 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Report M2M Communications, a Boise company that supplies Web-to-wireless monitoring and control solutions, recently signed a contract with Idaho Power to provide irrigation load control services utilizing M2M's Lodestar...

Utah Region finalists named for entrepreneur award.
April 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Report Several Idaho companies have been named among the finalists for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Utah region. These entrepreneurs make a tremendous difference within our communities and...

Idaho-based Johnson Thermal lands California contract.
April 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Report Johnson Thermal Systems (JTS) Inc., a small, specialty industrial engineering and manufacturing firm in Caldwell, recently was awarded a $3.2 million contract to manufacture bio-gas conditioning skids for Los...

Boise-based Micron opts out of Taiwan Memory, $450M stock offering fuels talk of acquisitions.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone Micron Technology, its Taiwanese partner Nanya Technology and their joint venture Inotera Memories will not take part in a Taiwan government-led effort to consolidate that nation's memory chip industry, the company...

In Boise, Qwest Communications brings customer service to Twitter.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone For telecom firm Qwest Communications, the center of the Twitterverse is on the seventh floor of the One Capital Center in downtown Boise. It's there, in the Colorado-based company's Boise call center, that four...

Eagle winery Wood River Cellars releases new ruby-style port.
April 9, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Eagle winery Wood River Cellars recently unveiled a ruby-style port made from a blend of 2008, 2006 and 2005 vintage Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec grapes. Our 'flagship' grape, the Malbec, is featured in this...

Bill to hike gas tax by 2 cents fails in the Idaho House.
April 9, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin The Idaho House voted 37-32 today to defeat a bill that would have raised the state's gas tax by 2 cents per gallon. The measure would have raised $18 million annually as part of Gov. C.L. Butch Otter's bid to...

U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirms judgment against Boise Tower Associates.
April 10, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff A federal appeals court has upheld a judgment against Boise Tower Associates, the one-time developer of the hole at Eighth and Main streets, in the company's long-running dispute with the lender that backed out of the...

Idaho House committee approves liquor license reform bill.
April 10, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin A House committee narrowly approved a bill on April 9 that would reform the state's liquor license system. The House Judiciary, Rules and Administration Committee voted 8-6 to back Gov. C.L. Butch Otter's reform...

Stimulus funds to help Idaho Dept. of Environmental Quality reduce diesel emissions.
April 10, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has received $1.73 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for projects that reduce diesel emissions. Idaho's share of the funds, which are part of an $88.2...

Idaho House approves $82 million in bonds for road projects.
April 10, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin House lawmakers voted 39-29 today to approve another $82 million in bonds for highway projects next year. The measure authorizes the next round of Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle (GARVEE) bonds as part of the...

Nampa-based Northwest Nazarene University launching nursing school.
April 10, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff A nursing and health sciences school is slated at Nampa-based Northwest Nazarene University. The School of Nursing and Health Sciences, effective July 1, will consist of the nursing and kinesiology departments, NNU...

Study: Wine industry contributed $73 million to Idaho economy in 2008.
April 10, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho's wine industry in 2008 produced $52 million in revenue - up from $15 million in 2002 - and accounted for 625 full-time equivalent jobs representing $19 million in wages. The results, which also say the industry...

Back to work: Idaho lawmakers feel pain in personal businesses, too.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin As the Idaho Legislature debates pay cuts and layoffs for state employees and the first-ever decrease in public school spending in the face of steep revenue declines, some lawmakers are facing similar decisions to...

E. Idaho transportation co-op concept attracts stimulus funds.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson The part of Idaho near Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks is long on destinations but short on public transportation to get people to them, partly because distances are considerable and demand is hard to...

Idaho to receive $16.9M in energy efficiency grants.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone State and local officials are beginning the process of deciding how to spend more than $16.9 million they will receive through the federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. The grants,...

Avimor developer to sell housing project in Ada Co.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson The Phoenix development company SunCor is expecting to sell a majority of its assets, including Idaho planned community Avimor, the company announced recently. The sale includes $400 million of housing projects,...

Idaho-based J.R. Simplot attorney says ruling could lead to layoffs.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Mark Mendiola A J.R. Simplot Co. attorney says if a federal appeals court agrees with environmentalists to temporarily block the 1,400-acre expansion of Simplot's Smoky Canyon Mine in Idaho near the Wyoming border, almost immediate...

Sandpoint-based Intermountain Community Bancorp officials evaluate requests for TARP capital.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Intermountain Community Bancorp leaders went to the people for advice about how to spend the bank's new federal money. The Sandpoint-based company, in a dozen meetings around its market area, was prepared to field...

Caring Technologies to host telehealth summit in Boise.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone University representatives, medical professionals, military officials and policy makers will come together in Boise on April 23 for a two-day summit on the use of telehealth technologies for the diagnosis and...

Commentary: Will newspapers survive a format rebirth?
April 13, 2009... Byline: Steve Ahrens The daily newspaper a dying institution? No way. That's as unthinkable as... as General Motors going bankrupt! Oops... the old saw As General Motors goes, so goes the nation, turns out to be painfully accurate....

Lessons to be learned: Idaho deans examine effects of economic crisis on academia.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Gaye Bunderson When the dust of the current economic crisis settles, the lessons learned from it could be invaluable to America's next generation of business leaders. Those leaders are being trained right now in colleges and...

College of Western Idaho leases Boise building.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson The College of Western Idaho is adding a Boise location. The Nampa-based community college leased a 52,260-square-foot building at 1360 Eagle Flight Way, in the 45-acre Blackeagle complex at Overland and Maple...

Idahoans in the News: April 13, 2009.
April 13, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Promotions/Appointments Klaas, Ratto promoted at Syringa Bank branches Syringa Bank has announced the promotions of Logan Klaas to human resources manager and Lou Ratto to senior vice president and southwest Idaho...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: April 13, 2009.
April 13, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff CompUSA Retail Inc. leased 6,654 square feet in Silverstone Park's Cedar Point Building, 2090 S. Silverstone Way, Meridian. Move-in was in March. The Sundance Co. handled the transaction. The company is launching sales...

Bid Briefs.
April 13, 2009... Big Country Communications facility, Coeur d’Alene. Bids 2 p.m. April 14 to Polin & Young Construction. HVAC work awarded previously. Morrison Center fire alarm system, Boise State University. Bids 2 p.m. April 21 to Idaho...

Contracts.
April 13, 2009... Repipe-California, Inc., is the apparent low bidder for CIPP rehabilitation in Coeur d’Alene. Bid: $138,335. 3H Construction is the apparent low bidder for curb, gutter and sidewalk replacement in Idaho Falls. Bid: $35,693. ...

Building Permits.
April 13, 2009... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 00310-alteration    Fred Meyer Inc    not listed  ...

Idaho man creates remedy for skin ailments.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Like the patriarch in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding who thought a spray of Windex could cure anything, Royce Garner thinks he's got a homemade remedy for a host of complications. He calls the product Toe Juice....

Positive signs surface for Treasure Valley real estate market.
April 13, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Spring has hit the Treasure Valley real estate market, and home sales are starting to climb. According to numbers from the Intermountain Multiple Listing Service, in Ada and Canyon counties the number of sales climbed...

Social media being used to inform public on proposed nuke plant in Elmore County.
April 13, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Supporters of a proposed nuclear power plant in Elmore County have set up a Web site, Facebook page and Twitter feed to provide information. Interested persons in the proposed Alternate Energy Holdings Inc. plant can...

Idaho House passes bill to encourage employers to let workers keep guns in cars.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin The Idaho House voted 50-19 today to give legal protections to employers who let workers keep guns in their cars. Rep. Jeff Thompson, R-Idaho Falls, the floor sponsor, said the measure would encourage companies...

Sandpoint considers temporary ban on drive-throughs.
April 13, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg A proposal before the Sandpoint City Council would ban new drive-through windows while the city works on a new zoning plan. City Councilman John Reuter, who supports the proposal, said his concern about...

Meridian-based Ron Minegar Real Estate to join with Keller Williams.
April 13, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Meridian-based Ron Minegar Real Estate announced that as of April 1, the firm will begin operating under the Keller Williams Realty family of companies. An association with Keller Williams will allow us to continue...

Key4Women program to lend another $3 billion.
April 14, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff KeyBank aims to lend another $3 billion to qualified women-owned businesses by 2012, the bank said in a release in which it also announced that it reached its earlier goal three years ahead of schedule. ...

Boise's Better Business Bureau to offer free financial advice.
April 14, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Better Business Bureau has partnered with a dozen financial advisers to offer free one-on-one advice from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.on Friday, April 17, at the BBB offices, 4355 Emerald, Suite 290, Boise. Finances are...

Nampa forum brings health leaders together for talk on 'health care realities'.
April 14, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone America spends more than any other country to keep its citizens healthy, yet our health outcomes are far from world-class. Obesity is an epidemic, smoking is on the rise, child immunization rates are low and the ranks...

Entrepreneur Bootcamp panelists in Boise: Stick with fundamentals.(Discussion)
April 14, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Entrepreneurs starting or growing businesses can succeed in a tough economy and tight financing environment if they stick to the fundamentals, panelists said at an Entrepreneur Bootcamp April 13 at Boise State...

Bose-based BMHC receives loan extension.
April 14, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Boise-based residential construction supplier BMHC said today it should be able to stay afloat with the extension of a $20 million loan authorization from its lenders. The authorization was revised to allow the...