Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from August 2004

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from August 2004

Roaring Springs Water Park invests in future.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Roaring Springs Water Park owners aren't looking for a quick buck, according to general manager Lee Hovis. "The park doesn't make a whole lot of money, or hasn't yet," Hovis said, "but it's a long-term...

Surviving Boise Cascade may do well as forest firm.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The buyers of Boise Cascade's forest and timber businesses stand to do well with a natural-resources-based firm based in Boise, the company says, and at least one analyst agrees with that outlook. BCC plans to sell...

Idaho Power rate increase nudged to 5.7% by PUC.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has raised Idaho Power's average rate increase by about half a percentage point, to 5.7 percent. The commission partly granted and partly denied Idaho Power's request for...

Commentary: Explorer's pitfalls aren't easy to avoid, but choices exist.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Rick Edvalson No doubt the shareholders of Microsoft were happy with the $75 billion special dividend the company recently announced. Although I don't own any of its stock, I too am a stakeholder in Microsoft, and I would have...

Idaho outlook gains a little; 1.6% job growth forecast.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson The economic outlook for Idaho has improved marginally since spring, with job growth this year now estimated at 1.6 percent, compared to 1.2 percent in April, according to the state's quarterly Economic Forecast....

Civic Partners rejects University Place claims.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson The president of Civic Partners Inc., Steve Semingson, has rejected claims by the University of Idaho Foundation that Civic Partners owes the Foundation $7 million in connection with the abortive University Place...

Mixed project set for State and Glenwood streets.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Construction of a mixed-use development, long planned for 25 acres near State and Glenwood streets, could begin in March 2005. Shadow Hills Square, a retail, office and apartment project, is planned for the north...

Office vacancy rates inch up in Boise area.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Job growth is helping Boise-area office leasing largely keep pace with brisk construction, but vacancy rates remain above traditional comfort levels. Colliers International pegged average vacancy at 16.8 percent in...

Wright Bros. group plans 2nd Eagle bldg.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction is expected to start in October on the second of three buildings being developed by a unit of general contractor Wright Bros. The Building Co. on East State Street in Eagle. Kittyhawk Investments,...

Treasure Valley mortgage offices to change hands.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Three Treasure Valley home-loan offices will change names under a plan by GMAC Mortgage Corp to acquire Pacific Republic Mortgage. No changes to the companies' Treasure Valley offices are planned, said GMAC...

Office bldg. planned on Vista Avenue near Overland.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson A 4,000-square-foot, single-story office building is planned for Vista Avenue south of Overland Road in Boise. Gregory Swanson of Meridian has applied for a conditional use permit to build the project, and it was...

Niche-oriented designs, tenants favored by office developers.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Office developers increasingly favor niche-oriented building designs and locations as they face a leasing market that has been more active lately but continues to report relatively high vacancy rates. Mid-year...

Extended Systems posts losses for qtr., year.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Extended Systems Inc. reported a net loss of $188,000, or a penny a share, for its fiscal fourth quarter ended June 30, on revenues of $7.8 million. The company noted that a product-line rollout was delayed and...

Northwest Nazarene Univ. offers Certified Business Manager review courses.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Northwest Nazarene University will offer review courses for the Certified Business Manager (CBM) Exam via a blended learning model. Students graduating from NNU with a bachelor's degree will have the opportunity to pursue...

Mercy Housing Idaho awarded grants.
August 2, 2004... Byline: Staff Mercy Housing Idaho received four major grants during June National Homeownership Month. Mercy Housing received $75,000 from the Sisters of Mercy's McAuley Ministry Fund of Omaha, $10,000 from Wells Fargo Foundation and...

CEO confronts changes in industry at helm of St. Luke's Regional Medical Center.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert The health industry wasn't always where Ed Dahlberg saw himself. "It was a little bit of a diversion," said Dahlberg, president and CEO of St. Luke's Regional Medical Center. "I was going to be an architect." ...

Some Idaho employers set to add workers.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson The employment outlook for Idaho this year and next remains one of cautious optimism, with non-farm job-growth rates of 1.6 and 1.7 percent, respectively, foreseen by the state. While that's better than last...

Boise-based Qwest adds Idaho staff to serve DSL demand.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson Qwest Communications Inc. has added staff in the past 2 1/2 years even as its number of residential phone lines has decreased, said Idaho President Jim Schmit, Boise. Statewide employment is 1,840, up from 1,650...

Georgia-based TSYS Technology Center adds services and staff.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson It was a good first year for the TSYS Technology Center in Boise - and not just because it ended with news that TSYS would get a business boost from a recent bank merger. The news: As a result of Bank One's recent...

St. Luke's and St. Alphonsus medical centers plan for staff growth.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert At St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, which operates facilities in Boise, Meridian and Blaine County, employment is up by 4 percent over last year, and a small increase is expected this year. Spokesperson Beth Toal...

Boise-based The Bagmaker plans new location, larger HQ.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The Bagmaker, which has broadened its focus and grown since changing hands four years ago, plans to double the size of its Treasure Valley plant. The maker of bags, harnesses, slings and specialty garments - for...

Payette-based Teton Machine Co. serves nationwide clientele.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Teton Machine Co. has added equipment and employees to meet the increasingly complex needs of a nationwide clientele that it serves from a seemingly remote location. "Most people are surprised to learn that Teton...

AMI Semiconductor nets 18 cents a share in 2nd. qtr.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson AMI Semiconductor Inc., which went public last fall, has reported pro forma second-quarter net earnings of $15.4 million, or 18 cents a share, on record sales of $134.5 million, up 24 percent from a year earlier. ...

Women's Business Ctr. in downtown Boise seeks new fund source.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Small Business Administration funding to the Women's Business Center in downtown Boise ended in July. The WBC, which had anticipated changes to funding but expected that it would be eligible for sustained funding,...

Idacorp gets back in black for 2nd quarter.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Idacorp Inc., parent company of Idaho Power, earned $13 million, or 34 cents per share in the second quarter, compared to a year-earlier loss of $879,000, or 2 cents per share. Analysts polled by Reuters Estimates...

Washington Mutual to close five Idaho-based commercial loan offices.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Mutual will close commercial banking centers in Boise, Nampa, Caldwell, Idaho Falls and Twin Falls between late August and late October. WAMU said in a statement that it plans to close 53 commercial...

Business filings rise 9% in fiscal year, Idaho Dept. of Finance reports.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho Department of Finance received more than 122,000 submissions for business filings, licenses and registrations in the fiscal year ended June 30, up 9 percent from the previous year. Department Director...

Idaho Housing & Finance Assn. loan total slumps; other mortgage rates cited.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Housing & Finance Association single-family home loans dropped 38 percent from fiscal 2003 to '04, but President and Executive Director Gerald Hunter isn't surprised or concerned. "The decline was...

Idaho Housing & Finance Assn. evaluates downtown housing throughout the state.
August 9, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho Housing & Finance Association, which has used tax-credit financing on more than 160 Idaho apartment complexes since 1972, sees some sluggishness and some opportunity in the market. High apartment vacancy...

Meridian may ease commercial zoning.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson On several once-quiet Meridian streets that have become arterials with the city's hectic growth, homeowners have tried - unsuccessfully - to rezone their properties for commercial use. But now, Meridian planners...

Wineries confront spud image.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert A lot of people think of Ste. Chapelle Winery as the "major competitor" in the Idaho wine industry, winemaker Chuck Devlin said. He sees things a little differently. "I invite these people to walk the wine...

Hoff Companies buys assets from Door Supply.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert In an acquisition that could add $3 million in revenues to Meridian-based Hoff Companies, the company has acquired assets of Door Supply Inc.'s Boise operations. Hoff Companies, a manufacturer and wholesaler of...

Dry Koenig fruit brandies fill a niche.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Hear the words "fruit brandy," and you might expect some sweet, artificially flavored concoction. But the fruit brandies made by Koenig Distillery at Sunny Slope, near Caldwell, are neither a typical brandy nor a...

Rate hike impact viewed as minimal.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The Fed's quarter-point increase in short-term interest rates will have little impact on commercial and construction lending, two bankers and a commercial mortgage broker say. The Federal Open Market Committee...

H&W Computers celebrates 25th anniversary.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert When Mary Chaffin introduces herself as the president of a software company, H&W Computer Systems Inc., she's often asked what kind of software the company makes. "I usually say that we develop system software for...

MPC Computers named vendor in $3 billion contract.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Nampa-based MPC Computers announced last week that it is one of seven computer manufacturers to be awarded part of a three-year contract worth more than $3 billion by the Western States Contracting Alliance. WSCA...

Vacuum systems retailer moves operations to Boise.
August 16, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Coltrin Central Vacuum Systems Inc. plans to move from Meridian to an 18,500-square-foot building in west Boise, according to documents filed with the city. The company, which sells, services and installs...

Travel Council awards $2.4 million for promotion.
August 16, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Idaho Travel Council recently awarded $2.4 million in grants to 31 regional travel committees and chambers of commerce around the state or advertising, brochures, websites and research promoting cities and...

Plastic-bag maker's Jerome plant to employ up to 200.
August 16, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Hilex Poly Co. plans a Jerome facility that it said would expand its Western presence. The Hartsville, S.C., maker of plastic bags and films aims to start production in Jerome in the fourth quarter, and hire...

Idaho-Mexico trade luncheon set Aug. 24.
August 16, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Hewlett-Packard Co. plans to host a luncheon with the trade delegation from Idaho's "sister state" of Jalisco, Mexico at noon Aug. 24 at Boise Centre on the Grove. Speakers and panelists are to include Jose...

Angel group to scrutinize firms at Aug. 26 event.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Selected entrepreneurs are slated to meet with accredited "angel" investors Aug. 26. It will be the second meeting hosted by Boise Angel Alliance, which made its official debut June 24 when it heard presentations...

Cheese plant slated at Burley spud site.
August 16, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Gossner Foods Inc. plans to open a production facility in part of the former potato-processing complex that J.R. Simplot Co. donated to the City of Burley this year. The Logan, Utah-based cheese processor plans...

Commentary: Windows fix finally ready - but when will we get it?
August 16, 2004... Byline: Rick Edvalson We had some strong breezes here in Boise last week - probably caused by the collective sigh of relief from tens of thousands of programmers in Redmond, Wash. They had just finished work on Windows XP Service Pack 2,...

Cartridge World Idaho plans more outlets.
August 16, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Cartridge World Idaho, which entered the market in late July by opening a 1,200-square-foot store in the Meridian Crossroads shopping center, plans more Idaho outlets. Matt Rissell, president and Idaho...

WGI's net slips 7%; '04 outlook increased.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Group International Inc. reported net income of $13.3 million, or 53 cents per basic share, in the second quarter, down 7 percent from $14.3 million, or 57 cents per share, a year earlier. The exercise...

WGI may benefit from resurgence in construction.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Commercial construction is gaining momentum, which ought to help heavy construction and engineering firms like Washington Group International, a veteran industry analyst says. Private-sector construction has lagged...

Eagle Precast moves from Eagle to Caldwell.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Eagle Precast has relocated its Treasure Valley concrete operations from Eagle to a 34-acre site in west Caldwell, where limited production started this month. The company's products include pre-cast concrete...

Building to start in Nampa business park.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert A Nampa business park planned half a mile south of Interstate 84 on Franklin Boulevard could get its first building by mid-October. Containers West Inc., a transportation service that handles import and export...

Shopping ctr. in Twin Falls gets $600K renovation.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Owners of the shopping center said to be the oldest in Twin Falls are more than halfway through a $600,000 renovation, and vacancy has dropped significantly. Lynwood Shopping Center, at the northeast corner of...

Boise developer finds niche filling neighborhood holes.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Ken Miller Boise homebuilder David Hale is the first to admit not everyone admires his work, but he believes he's filling a critical need in the city's housing market and giving homebuyers a chance to live in established...

Riverfront Plaza aims to revitalize Fairview and Main corridor.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Ken Miller Developers of the old Black Angus restaurant site on east Main Street in Boise expect to begin construction on their new Riverfront Plaza office building in the next few weeks with an eye toward late-winter completion....

Commercial construction boom keeping Scott Hedrick Construction busy.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Ken Miller Scott Hedrick is a busy man these days. His Boise-based construction company had as much work as it could handle building commercial projects in Eagle and in other Valley cities, but then McCall's building boom fell...

Boise's Hummel Architects gets Orchid Award.
August 16, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Hummel Architects PLLC, Boise, has announced that it has received a 2004 Orchid Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation from the Idaho Historic Preservation Council for the Simpson and Co. Building in Twin...

Commentary: Termination clauses - a necessity in construction.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Arnold Wagner Many construction contracts contain provisions which permit the parties to terminate their relations under certain circumstances. These provisions are widely referred to as "termination clauses" within the industry....

Statewide construction value jumps 17 percent.
August 16, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho construction volume is exceeding the projections of one economist, who wonders if the growth can continue at the same pace. Construction value in 57 Idaho municipalities topped $779 million through April, up...

New Integrated Design Lab opens in Boise.
August 16, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Architects and engineers in Idaho now have a resource close to home to help them incorporate high performance building practices into their commercial building designs. BetterBricks, a nonprofit initiative of...

Boise's urban renewal agency develops series of buildings on Front Street.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Scant leasing of Courthouse Corridor buildings doesn't seem to worry urban renewal officials or the developer, which is pressing ahead with tenant negotiations. Civic Partners Inc., in conjunction with the Capital...

Two bldgs. slated at Boise's Eagle-State complex.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Two two-story buildings totaling nearly 28,000 square feet are planned by separate developers in the Eagle River Development east of Eagle Road and south of Idaho 44 (State Street). The Stonewycke Building, a...

Boise tea merchant appeals to exotic tastes.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert "I've got a different tea to drink every day," said Dave Carlin, who opened Urban Tea House on Ninth Street near Bannock Street the first week of August. Urban Tea House stocks 329 varieties of tea - black, green,...

Boise-based Baird's Dry Cleaners plans Fairview production building.
August 23, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Baird's Dry Cleaners plans to build an 8,500-square-foot production center on the north side of Fairview, east of Curtis Road, Boise. An 1,800-square-foot building on the site, which includes a Baird's...

Insurer United Heritage profits from property and casualty market.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson United Heritage, a life insurer for 60 years, is getting strong growth from a niche-oriented property and casualty insurance enterprise it started fairly recently. At the same time, United Heritage ads seen on TV...

Commercial insurer moves from Boise to SilverStone complex in Meridian.
August 23, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Continental Western Group planned to move its Rocky Mountain region office from Emerald Street in west Boise to a building in the SilverStone complex, Meridian, on Aug. 23. The commercial insurance provider...

Ada County apt. vacancy declines at last, quarterly study says.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The apartment vacancy rate in Ada County dropped 1.6 points from the first quarter to the second quarter, possibly indicating tightening at last of an overbuilt market long seen as soft. Apartment vacancy averaged...

Boise-based PR firm of Scott Peyron & Associates moves offices.
August 23, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Scott Peyron & Associates, a Boise-based public relations firm, recently moved from North Ninth Street to a two-story building of 9,000 square feet on the south side of Main between Second and Third. The firm,...

Hansen-Rice plans office building near S. Roosevelt in Boise.
August 23, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report An 11,300-square-foot office building is planned next year on Pasadena Street, near Roosevelt Street north of Interstate 84, by Parkview Developers LLC, according to an application submitted to the City of Boise....

Ada commissioners avoid vote on Sunday retail liquor sales.
August 23, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson For political reasons, the Ada County Commission has decided informally not to vote on the county-option Sunday liquor law enacted by the 2004 Legislature - leaving the issue up to public initiative. "If we do...

'Green' buildings topic of conference in Boise.
August 23, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Designing buildings that are energy-efficient and environmentally friendly will be discussed at a meeting this week in Boise. A U.S. Green Building Council conference is slated Aug. 24. Sessions from 7:30 to...

SunCor backers tout studies saying it won't affect services.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson A group planning 684 housing units in the foothills north of Eagle last week unveiled studies on anticipated fiscal and traffic impacts that it said show the proposed development would not have a negative impact on...

Court asked to return Boise Tower site to the city.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson The Capital City Development Corp. last week filed a motion designed to reclaim the Boise Tower site at Eighth and Main streets from would-be developer Rick Peterson - partly in order to determine whether other...

Idaho Independent Bank to expand Ketchum office.
August 30, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho Independent Bank plans to convert its Ketchum loan-production office on West First Street to a full-service branch this fall, and add three to five staff members. "We are quite optimistic about the...

Commentary: Spammers lurk online, 'phishing' for suckers.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Rick Edvalson My luck has changed! In two weeks, I have gone from the guy who never wins anything to the man who won an iPod and 11 international lotteries. My lottery winnings now total 21 million dollars, 10 million Rand, and 2.3...

Coldwater Creek net rises; more stores planned.
August 30, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Coldwater Creek Inc. reported net earnings of $3.4 million, or 8 cents a share, for its fiscal second quarter ended July 31, compared to a net loss of $1.4 million, or 4 cents a share, a year earlier. Recent...

St. Al's plans health clinic at Tamarack.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and Cascade Medical Center plan to establish Tamarack Medical Clinic at Tamarack Resort by December. The clinic, being developed to serve resort visitors and Central Idaho...

Rapid Refill Ink plans Valley units.
August 30, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report Rapid Refill Ink, which refills and sells inkjet and laserjet toner cartridges, plans to open a 1,750-square-foot outlet near Franklin and Meridian roads in Meridian on Oct. 4. The store will start with four...

Commercial bldg. planned south of Cole and Overland.
August 30, 2004... Byline: IBR Staff Report An 11,536-square-foot, one-story commercial building with room for six to eight tenants is planned for a 1-acre lot on Cole Road south of Overland Road. Project developer Roger Michener said he plans to apply...

Micron's foray into flash cards won't be unique.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Micron Technology's plans to produce NAND flash memory may help diversify the company. But NAND seems unlikely to provide an escape from tough market conditions that plague the DRAM industry. NAND, which is used in...

Custom clothier James returns to serve clients.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise might not seem a large enough market for a custom clothier. And after Alfi Galely closed her 4-year-old Tom James Co. office in November 2002 to start a family, the company wasn't quick to reopen it. But...

20,000-sq.-ft. building due at SilverStone.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson A commercial real estate brokerage and a construction company plan to develop and anchor a 20,000-square-foot office building in the SilverStone development at Eagle and Overland roads in Meridian. DK Commercial...

Big-lot, 'small-scale' development planned near McCall.
August 30, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson A development planned for the DeBoer family's River Ranch property is "upscale, yet decidedly small-scale," to preserve open space on the 435-acre site along the Payette River, the owner says. The project includes...