Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from August 2007

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from August 2007

Coeur d'Alene council offers Duck Valley tribe assistance.
August 1, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken The Coeur d'Alene Tribe has given $25,000 in aid to the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation after the 1,000-square-mile Murphy Complex Fire damaged transmission and power lines, along with...

Retired Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court appointed as hearing officer in water disputes.
August 1, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Gerald F. Schroeder, former Chief Justice of the Idaho Supreme Court, has been appointed as the independent hearing officer for the Thousand Springs area and the Surface Water Coalition water delivery calls as part of...

Boise State University to get funding for West Nile virus research.
August 1, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Boise State University researchers may be getting nearly a million dollars to develop a vaccine for humans against the West Nile Virus. Last year, Idaho had the most cases of West Nile Virus in the country. The...

Idaho Business Review's parent company goes public.
August 2, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Dolan Media, the parent company of the Idaho Business Review, went public today. The Minneapolis-based firm's shares opened on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DM, with an...

Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry focuses on eliminating personal property tax.
August 2, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry is urging the Idaho Legislature to pass streamlined sales tax legislation in the next session -which would allow the state to begin collecting sales tax on Internet sales....

Printer dangers listed in latest study.
August 2, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken A study from the American Chemical Society's Environmental Science & Technolgy Journal has classified HP's laser printers as office environmental polluters because of the hazardous toner particles that escape. ...

Idaho Public Utilities Commission grants United Water authority to serve Trailhead.
August 3, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has determined that Boise-based United Water Idaho, and not the City of Eagle, should be allowed to provide water service to the Trailhead Community north of Eagle. The developer...

Va. company completes application for Idaho nuclear plant.
August 3, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The Idaho Energy Complex is ready to move forward with its plans to build the first commercial nuclear reactor in Idaho. Alternate Energy Holdings - the Va. company behind the Idaho Energy Complex - issued a...

Idaho's Dept. of Education has a new Web site.(Website overview)
August 3, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken The State Department of Education unveiled a new Web site this past week. Check it out at www.sde.idaho.gov The new site was designed to be user-friendly so anyone interested in the department iof education could...

Boise-based Washington Group International to Construct Uranium-Enrichment Facility.
August 4, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Group International recently received a cost-reimbursable, task-order contract by Louisiana Energy Services (LES) to provide construction services in building a uranium-enrichment facility near Eunice, N.M....

Caswell passes U.S. Senate confirmation.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken James L. Caswell, a veteran public land manager, has received Senate confirmation as the next director of Interior's Bureau of Land Management. Caswell has headed Idaho's state Office of Species Conservation, which...

Idaho's July unemployment rate drops to 2.3 percent.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff An influx of thousands of firefighters combined with students and others taking advantage of thousands of new jobs pushed Idaho's seasonally adjusted employment to a record low for July with demand for...

Idaho Business Review asks Idaho Supreme Court for stay of judgment.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The Idaho Business Review has asked the Idaho State Supreme Court to stay the enforcement of a judgment against the paper, pending the IBR's appeal of the case to that court. The Idaho Statesman sued the IBR...

Boise-based WGI shareholder opposes merger.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson A major shareholder of Washington Group International wrote in a July 26 letter to board members that he plans to vote against the proposed buyout of the Boise company by San Francisco-based URS Corp. David Einhorn...

634 Idahoans qualify for restitution from Ameriquest.
August 6, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff A nationwide settlement with Ameriquest Mortgage Co. netted nearly $400,000 in restitution for Idaho consumers, the state Attorney General's office and Department of Finance announced recently. A statement from the...

Southfork Landing in Garden Valley sells out first phase.
August 6, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Southfork Landing, an 868-acre residential community planned in Garden Valley, recently sold out the cabins and lots in its first phase of development on its first day of sales, according to a press release. The...

For firefighters in Idaho, it's not all about the money.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Between wildfire-related messages on a two-way radio, Lawrence Stillwell says he could have retired a decade ago. The U.S. Forest Service manager from Michigan oversees the Bruce Meadows Spike Camp. The camp is...

Kempthorne to be based in Boise during August.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne plans to operate from a Boise office this month. Kempthorne last week said that he would occupy an office at the state headquarters of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in...

Canyon County close to approving planned community ordinance.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert A proposed planned community ordinance in Canyon County could pave the way for development of more than 640 acres. The proposed ordinance is similar to existing ordinances in surrounding counties. Commissioners are...

Idaho home sales continue to slide.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho isn't immune from fresh U.S. concerns about weaker home sales and suspect creditworthiness among borrowers. Last week, national reports stated sales of new homes fell significantly more than expected from May...

Boise firm does what Apple won't: track a stolen iPod.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky When Dateline NBC wanted to do a hidden-camera report to catch iPod thieves in the act, the network turned to a Boise technology company for help. According to a statement from NBC, the iPod's iconic status has...

Spring job creation strongin Idaho; some sectors down slightly.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken When Tim Hansen took over as owner and president of Alloway Lighting, at 15th and Grove streets, he was optimistic about wholesale growth. Alloway had been a longtime supplier of commercial and residential lighting...

Treasure Valley home inventory problematic, but improving.
August 6, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Treasure Valley new home closings surpassed new home starts last quarter, a sign that the housing market is regaining its balance, according to Metrostudy, a leading provider of market information to the housing industry....

Boise Real Estate Briefs: August 6, 2007.
August 6, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Walgreen's, a pharmacy and general merchandise retailer, leased 14,800 square feet in CentrePoint Marketplace at the northwest corner of Eagle and Ustick roads, Meridian. Move-in is anticipated next spring. Todd...

Bid Briefs.
August 6, 2007... Fire Station No. 1 remodeling is planned in Post Falls. Project details are available from H2A Architects PA, Dale Hickman, 420 E. Indiana, Suite 100, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814. A bid opening is scheduled at 2 p.m. Aug. 7. Cost range:...

Contracts Awarded.
August 6, 2007... H. A. Anderson, Boise, was awarded a contract for a Juvenile Corrections Center 24-bed mental health facility addition at 1650 11th Ave. N., Nampa. Cost estimate: $3,139,000. Benchmark Construction, Nampa, was awarded a contract for a fire...

Building Permits.
August 6, 2007... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 01916-sign    not listed    Idaho Electric Signs  ...

Workplace drug testing: Enough already ... right?
August 6, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Drugs? Yes, most business leaders have heard more than they want to when it comes to drug testing, but it's something that will not go away, expert Dennis Richardson told a group of small business executives. ...

The company car says it all.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky What does your car say about you? Or your business? For the folks at BlueLine Grassroots Marketing in Boise, the company car is another opportunity to get people talking about their brand. While...

Congress may eliminate 'Hummer tax' on SUVs.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Hoping to acquire a heavy-duty sport utility vehicle for your business? Better hurry. The current tax code allows for businesses to deduct $25,000 on the purchase of a new vehicle weighing more than 6,000...

The impact of fire in the Middle Fork Complex near Garden Valley.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson An incident command post of more than 600 people in Garden Valley serves as the management and supply hub for the Middle Fork Complex of fires. Its population is nearly double that of Garden Valley and neighboring...

Boise Place developer declares Chapter 11.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Bankruptcy sometimes is a tool that's used when things don't go the way you want them to go. That's the explanation developer Gary Rogers gave KTVB last November when the IBR reported that he and his development firms...

Western States Cats plans to expand Meridian plant.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Western States Cat plans to nearly double the heavy-equipment maintenance operation at its Meridian headquarters by early next year with the addition of five large service bays totaling almost 30,000 square feet...

Micron plans to lay off another 130 workers from its Boise facility.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Micron intends to lay off another 130 employees from its Boise facility by the end of the month. After reporting a quarterly loss of $225 million earlier this summer, Micron announced it would begin laying off...

Idaho Business Review parent company Dolan Media goes public.
August 6, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Dolan Media, the parent company of the Idaho Business Review, went public today. The Minneapolis-based firm's shares opened on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol DM, with an initial public offering...

Correction.(Correction notice)
August 6, 2007... An IBR article on immigration in the July 30 edition should have stated that U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, voted in favor of moving ahead with federal immigration reform legislation and that the bill requiring people to prove lawful presence...

Aspen insurance requirements top Boise State Univ.'s stadium project.
August 6, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Insurance requirements for the Aspen are far greater than one of the tallest construction projects currently under way in downtown Boise - the Boise State University stadium expansion. According to bid...

Boise-based Washington Group earnings down, revenue up.(Financial report)
August 7, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction and engineering company Washington Group International Inc. on Aug. 6 reported second-quarter earnings of $10.7 million, or 35 cents per share, compared to $28.7 million, or 94 cents a share, in the...

Griffin named interim president for College of Western Idaho in Nampa.
August 7, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Dennis Griffin has been named as interim president for the College of Western Idaho in Nampa. As former executive director for Boise State University West Campus, Griffin becomes the first employee of the newly...

West Coast-based Pacific Ethanol, Inc. announces 2Q financial results.(Financial report)
August 9, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Pacific Ethanol, Inc. shows sales are up 145 percent over the second quarter of 2006 and that the gross profit margin has improved by 3 percent to 10 percent. The ethanol producer raised sales by 122 percent selling...

Boise's Capital City Development Corp., Aspen resolve insurance dispute.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert A dispute between the developer of the 17-story Aspen condo project and Capital City Development Corp. was resolved today, enabling construction to continue. Early drafts of an access agreement with CCDC required...

Neighbors hold up Capitol Terrace project in downtown Boise.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert The Capitol Terrace Apartments project has been on hold for months because neighbors of the project refused to ratify an agreement they had said they would approve. Residents of the Washington Mutual building next to...

New Boise Airport director selected.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Boise Mayor Dave Bieter has appointed Richard McConnell to run the city's airport, according to a statement from the mayor's office. McConnell will start work the first week of September, pending confirmation from the...

Gottschalks Inc. appoints Famalette as chair; reports lower sales.
August 9, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Gottschalks Inc. has finalized its management promotions and reports that store sales for the month of July decreased 5.5 percent from the same period last year. The company operated three fewer stores in the month and...

State board approves U of Idaho Sandpoint campus.
August 10, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Idaho's State Board of Education approved a new University of Idaho campus in Sandpoint, the university said in a statement. The development is a private-public partnership between the University of Idaho and...

Washington-based Avista Utilities proposes $1 surcharge to residential customers.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Customers of Avista Utilities have until Sept. 7 to comment on the company's request to increase its surcharge to cover extraordinary power supply expenses, the Public Utilities Commission said in a statement. ...

Idaho State University given $587K NSF grant.
August 13, 2007... A $587,410 grant from the National Science Foundation will allow Idaho State University to build a new laboratory equipped with sophisticated measuring instruments. This will allow researchers from many disciplines to complete analyses that...

Boise business owner says SBA still key to business startups.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Doug Baker, whose Boise company Panorama Enterprises has 10 Moxie Java coffee shops and a decade-long track record, said Small Business Administration-backed loans played a key role in getting the business off the...

SBA lenders in Boise eye interest rates, economic conditions - Focus.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Tracking recently higher interest rates as well as some softening in the commercial real estate segment are among challenges for the people who help businesses line up U.S. Small Business Administration-backed loans....

New military loan helps service members get into business quicker.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Military people are the client base for a new type of loan backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA rolled out its Patriot Express Pilot Loan Initiative June 13, on the eve of Flag Day. In a statement,...

Building Permits.
August 13, 2007... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 01956-sign    not listed    Lytle Signs Inc  ...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: August 13, 2007.
August 13, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff The former Peregrine Cove Apartments in Eagle, owned by 727 E. State Street LLC, has been renamed Rock Pointe Apartments. Owners of the 88-unit complex on 4.86 acres said in a statement that they are completing a $300,000...

Bid Briefs.
August 13, 2007... The College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls plans a Health Science and Human Services Building. Details of the 68,000-square-foot project are available from the Idaho Division of Public Works, Architect Elaine Hill, 502 N. 4th St., Boise, Idaho...

Contracts Awarded.
August 13, 2007... Okland Construction, Salt Lake City, is the construction manager for the Hyrum Manwaring Student Center at the Brigham Young University Idaho campus in Rexburg. Cost estimate: $15 million to $20 million. Big D Corp., Salt Lake City, was...

Study by SBA measures employee turnover between large, small companies.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken A new study by the Small Business Administration shows that size matters in determining employee compensation and job tenure. In a release from the SBA, the study found that all other things being equal, employees...

Boise-based Capital City Development Corp., Aspen resolve insurance dispute.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert A dispute between the developer of the 17-story Aspen condo project and Capital City Development Corp. was resolved last week, enabling construction to continue. Developer Scott Kimball's lender had refused to...

Better Business Bureau, KeyBank of Boise names finalists in ethics award.
August 13, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff The Better Business Bureau and KeyBank have named the finalists for its annual Integrity Counts! awards. The awards honor businesses that are recognized by their customers, employees, vendors and the community as...

Boise-based Washington Group earnings decline; gains in new contracts.(Financial report)
August 13, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Group International Inc. reported second-quarter earnings of $10.7 million, or 35 cents per share, compared to $28.7 million, or 94 cents a share, a year earlier. Boise-based Washington Group attributed...

Reeling in the dollars in Idaho.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Southern Idaho is a large region when you look at a map. It cuts across from Boise to Idaho Falls. This is something that Jan Rogers knows all too well. Rogers fields questions day in and day out about the Boise...

Idaho Assn. of Commerce focused on eliminating personal property tax in 1 year.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry is urging the Idaho Legislature to pass streamlined sales tax legislation in the next session - which would allow the state to begin collecting sales tax on Internet...

Best Bath threatens Kuna with lawsuit.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Best Bath Systems' owner is threatening to sue the city of Kuna for denying the company a building permit for its second phase. Owner and CEO Gary Multanen said the city should be obligated to issue the permit...

Energy Policy Act offers incentives for nuclear power in U.S.
August 13, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Renewed interest in low-cost, low-emission energy solutions are not the only thing fueling a renaissance in nuclear energy. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 offers several financial incentives for the development of nuclear...

Hoff Building geothermal conversion part of 'green up' effort in Boise.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson When you're replacing things in an office building, a 78-year-old boiler is a good place to start. It took months for owners of the 14-story Hoff Building to remove the bulky boiler and replace it with a system now...

Walt Mott optimistic at helm of new commercial real estate firm in Boise.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Promontory Enterprises LLC President and CEO Walt Mott said the recently formed commercial real estate development and brokerage firm's outlook is strong following some early business-growth challenges. He started...

Utah-based entrepreneur hopes gift card scores big.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Rick Carpenter It's amazing what you find in your backyard. Sometimes literally. I've never played Fantasy Football but my neighbor has come up with a product that might just entice me to do so. David Clemons, CEO and...

Idaho's energy future looks green.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The Idaho Energy Complex is ready to move forward with plans to build the first commercial nuclear reactor in Idaho. Alternate Energy Holdings - the Virginia company behind the Idaho Energy Complex - issued a...

Geothermal plant production in southeastern Idaho remains on track.
August 13, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Construction of a geothermal power plant in southeastern Idaho is proceeding on schedule and on budget. The company has assembled a team of technicians for the ongoing operation and maintenance of the power plant. The...

Interview with Jim Ellick: Director Idaho Department of Commerce.
August 13, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Jim Ellick became the Director of the Idaho Department of Commerce on July 1, after the Department of Commerce and Labor was split into two departments. Ellick spent most of his career in Silicon Valley, where he...

Leading providers deliver fantasy football gift cards to retail stores nationwide.
August 14, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken ProfitWing Inc., a new media company, and three leading fantasy football leaders, has an exclusive agreement to distribute the nation's first fantasy football gift card to retail outlets this month, a press release...

Idaho Department of Finance shows business filings grew.
August 14, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Continued growth in the financial services in Idaho was strong according to the Department of Finance. More than 152,000 business filings, licenses and registrations took place through the fiscal year ending in June....

Boise-based Washington Group International lands nuclear work in China.
August 14, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Group International said it has been selected by a Chinese nuclear venture to provide management consulting services. Nuclear Power Qinshan Joint Venture Co. Ltd. tabbed the Boise-based engineering and...

Bend, Ore.-based Cascade Bancorp approves share buyback.
August 15, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Cascade Bancorp said Aug. 13 that it received board approval to buy back some of its stock. The board of directors authorized Cascade to acquire up to 5 percent of the company's issued and outstanding common shares...

Idaho Public Utilities Commission approves amendments to wind projects.
August 15, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has approved changes in two contracts between Idaho Power and a wind developer that allows the developer about another year to get the Elmore County wind projects online before...

'Wallbreaking' planned Thursday at Collister library in Boise.
August 15, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert The city of Boise plans to mark the beginning of remodeling construction for a neighborhood library in the Collister Shopping Center at Collister and State Street at 11 a.m. Thursday with a wallbreaking ceremony. ...

SBA sets regulatory fairness hearing in Boise.
August 17, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho small-business owners will be able to take up their concerns about federal regulations at a Boise hearing set up by the U.S. Small Business Administration. SBA National Ombudsman Nicholas Owen is scheduled to...

Colliers opens Nampa office through Needs Real Estate merger.
August 17, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Colliers International has opened an office in Nampa. In temporary quarters now, Colliers plans to open in the Premier / TitleOne building, near the Idaho Center, with five full-time brokers Oct. 1. The...

Boise-based PakSense monitors perishable item's temperature.
August 20, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson So far, temperature-monitoring labels designed by Boise-based PakSense (www.paksense.com) have shown up on a banana, inside a sandwich wrapper, and taped under a live lobster's claw. PakSense labels monitor a...

N. Idaho adjudication public meetings planned.
August 20, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff A series of informational public meetings have been scheduled by the Idaho Department of Water Resources from Aug. 20 to Aug. 22 in five Northern Idaho cities to inform water rights holders about the scope and procedures...

Farm computer, Internet use rising in Idaho.
August 20, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Computer usage on Idaho farms grew in the past two years. So did the percentage of farmers tapping high-speed Internet service. Eighty-three percent of Idaho's farms own or are leasing a computer this year, up from 75...

Riverside Medical Center in Boise submits its hospital design to city.
August 20, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The 24 physicians who plan to own and operate a surgical hospital have submitted designs review to the Boise Design Review Committee. The physicians have named the new hospital Riverside Medical Center. The...

Interview with Jamis Buck: Software programmer at 37signals.
August 20, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky A programmer at one of the biggest small software companies is helping rewrite the rules - from his home in Idaho Jamis Buck is a programmer at 37signals, a small software company whose eight employees collaborate...

Commentary: How to tell if you're Republican or Democrat.
August 20, 2007... Byline: Steve Ahrens Ran into a friend - ummmmmm, let's just call him Stanley - at Cabela's. As we shook hands, I could see something was troubling him. So I asked what was on his mind, figuring right away it was something more than...

Idaho's broadcasters honored for excellence.
August 20, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho's radio and television broadcasters recently were recognized for their contributions in the field during an annual conference in Sun Valley. This year's judges for the awards were members of the Indiana...

Leadership and management - not always the same thing, according to Boise businessman.
August 20, 2007... Byline: Gaye Bunderson In this edition, the Idaho Business Review is introducing a question-and-answer series in which we'll tap into the knowledge of Idaho leaders and ask them to share what they've learned through years of work and life...