Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from February 2003

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from February 2003

Boise Research Center, topping 1M sq. ft., nears finish.
February 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson It's been 14 years since Extended Systems bought a then-remote west Boise parcel for its 100,000-square-foot headquarters Co the first building in what would become Boise Research Center. Now the nearly completed...

Tamarack Resort developers begin marketing residential lots.
February 3, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller With the biggest regulatory and legal hurdles behind them, developers of Tamarack Resort in Valley County have quietly begun marketing residential lots overlooking Lake Cascade. "We are forming a sales team," said...

Guitar shop keeps folks coming in for 'rapport'.(Old Boise Guitar Co.)(Interview)(Company Profile)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin John Pisano still enjoys a moment of giddiness when a new shipment of guitars arrives in his store. For nearly 20 years, Pisano has been selling guitars and other stringed instruments such as banjos and mandolins...

Fractions to return to NYSE, ex-chief says.(New York Stock Exchange )
February 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Don't expect recent high volumes to overload New York Stock Exchange capacity anytime soon, but get ready for those fractional quotes again. William Johnston, former NYSE president and chief operating officer,...

Mountain West Bank to add NW Boise branch.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Mountain West Bank plans to open a branch office at State and Glenwood streets in northwest Boise, its fifth in the Treasure Valley. Mountain West said in a press release that it plans to open the branch in early...

Idaho Independent Bank posts strong '02.(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Independent Bank increased its net income after taxes by more than 8 percent from 2001 to 2002. President and CEO Jack Gustavel cited the bank's "long-term strategy of disciplined growth" and its "consistent...

Idacomm aims to grow Velocitus wireless broadband service.
February 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Idacomm, an Internet-access company, continues to expand its Velocitus wireless broadband service to new markets, and aims to offer private fiber optic networks outside the Boise area. Owned by Idacorp Inc., parent...

Commercial vacancies generally rose in '02.(Boise, Idaho, 2002)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Owners of commercial buildings in Boise generally saw vacancy rates increase last year, though Boise fared better than many U.S. cities. Recent studies by Thornton Oliver Keller Commercial Real Estate and the Boise...

TableRock Printing relocates to larger Boise office space.(Boise, Idaho)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin TableRock Printing plans to relocate its Boise printing company this week to a larger office space at 11th and Grove streets. Co-owner Lisa McGee said she and her husband, Justin, planned to move Feb. 3 into a...

Boise court reporting firm relocates.(Associated Reporting Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Boise court reporting agency Associated Reporting Inc. has relocated its 12-year-old downtown Boise office to the corner of 17th and Jefferson streets. Co-owner Pam Leaton said the move, completed in late January,...

Boise adds to Gateway East Industrial Park site.(Boise, Idaho)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The City of Boise has expanded its planned Gateway East Industrial Park, near Micron Technology Inc., even though the economy remains sluggish. Boise City Economic Development Manager Jeff Jones said the city...

Commentary: Help for bleary-eyed computer users.(Column)
February 3, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson Mel was constantly angry when he was using his computer. At least that's what I thought. His head was forward, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes were narrow slits glaring at the screen. Knowing that there are both...

Planned McMillan's Corner retail center highlights family's history.
February 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Eric Davis may have spent as much time researching the history of the McMillan brothers as he did planning the soon-to-be built McMillan's Corner retail center in west Boise. Davis, principal in Boise firm Retail...

Chico's slates May opening for first Idaho store.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Chico's, a Florida-based retailer of women's clothing and accessories, appears to be headed for downtown Boise this spring for the opening of its first Idaho store. Sue Frofhiefar, an assistant to Boise appraiser...

Commentary: Dell assault may imperil HP's printer business.(Column)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Tim Rhodes On Oct. 18, 2002, International Data Corp. released its worldwide PC market share report. The report showed that Dell increased its market share over HP for PC shipments in Q3 by 1.2 million units. This placed Dell at...

At legislative lunch, lawmakers urged to cut gov't costs, not schools.
February 10, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller Idaho lawmakers have yet to warm up to Gov. Dirk Kempthorne's proposed sales tax hike to bail the state out of its fiscal crisis, but state business groups say a sun-setted tax increase would be preferable to another...

Building Materials Holding Corp. reports net earnings of $1M.(Brief Article)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Building Materials Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:BMHC) reported net earnings of $1 million, or 8 cents per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2002, substantially less than $4.3 million, or 33 cents per share, a year...

City to rule on Boise Tower loan Feb. 12.
February 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The City of Boise is to announce Feb. 12 whether developer Rick Peterson has met a Feb. 4 deadline for securing construction financing for the long-delayed Boise Tower project at Eighth and Main streets. The city...

Rubber Rainbow relocates Broadway store.(condoms and lubricants)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Rubber Rainbow, a retailer of condoms and personal lubricants, has relocated its 5-year-old Boise store in the Broadway Park Plaza to a free-standing building on Broadway Avenue near Warren Street. Owner Caryn...

Conveyor Engineering finds clients abroad.(Conveyor Engineering Inc.)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Conveyor Engineering Inc. plans to build new Treasure Valley headquarters this year, and continue its recent trend toward going to foreign fields and the mining sector for much of its work. The company designs and...

Rejection of Boise convention bonds blamed on 'tax' scare.
February 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Backers blamed "misinformation" for last week's failure of the Greater Boise Auditorium District's proposed $37.5 million bond-issue for an additional convention building downtown. Local convention officials had...

Boise retailers, marketers have differing opinions on how to promote downtown.
February 10, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin While downtown Boise retailers and marketers remain concerned about the economy, few question downtown's viability -- but many differ about how best to promote the area. Like many retailers across the country,...

Micron Technology plans $1B in capital spending for fiscal year.
February 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Now that loss-plagued Micron Technology Inc. has some product adjustment behind it and new cash in hand, how does the future look? Some analysts at a meeting with Micron officials last month in Sun Valley expressed...

Boise P&Z turns down 'bulky' Cathedral Place apts.(Planning and Zoning Commission)
February 10, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The future remains uncertain for Cathedral Place, a 139-unit apartment and parking complex in Boise's North End that was rejected last week by the Boise Planning and Zoning Commission. The P&Z voted against the...

The Emporium to close 4 clothing stores in the Treasure Valley.(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The Emporium plans to close its four clothing stores in the Treasure Valley. The Eugene, Ore.-based retailer said in a statement that it will close Boise stores at Overland and Five Mile roads and in Northgate...

Exterior insulation and finish systems failures linked to poor installation.
February 17, 2003... Byline: Ken Levy Problems with the exterior finish product known as EIFS are creating some very real headaches for builders -- from added insurance costs to outright rejection of the product for many public construction projects. EIFS...

Mold lawsuits spur discussion of possible remedies.(Hubble construction firm faces lawsuits)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Toxic mold in crawlspaces beneath houses has been a high-profile topic in the Treasure Valley recently, due to lawsuits against a major builder that prompted discussion among contractors, real estate agents and lawyers...

Nampa Hampton Inn designed with expansion in mind.
February 17, 2003... Byline: Ken Levy Foundations are poured and framing is under way on the new Hampton Inn & Suites in Nampa, just south of the Idaho Center on Franklin Road. James Talcott Construction, Great Falls, Mont., is the general contractor on...

Construction stats show signs of improvement.
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction statistics show some improvement in Boise and statewide. Construction value in the Boise city limits totaled $144.4 million through the first four months of fiscal 2003, a 29 percent increase from the...

Commentary: Cos. must be wary of phantom user accounts.(companies need improved computer security)(Column)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson Over the ages, some folks have worked very hard to achieve immortality. The ancient Egyptians perfected their embalming techniques and built amazing monuments. The modern-day Raelians claim to have cloned children to...

New building codes mean learning curve for all.
February 17, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller It's been more than a month since new and revised building codes took effect, and Idaho builders and architects are continuing their crash course on how the codes impact everything from energy standards, to accessibility...

Work to start on Boise State Univ. housing projects.
February 17, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Construction of two sizeable projects is scheduled to begin at Boise State University this spring as BSU builds to expand housing opportunities for students. Work is expected to begin in mid- to late March on a...

Wells Fargo branch rises in west Boise.(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction has started on a Wells Fargo & Co. branch bank near an Albertsons supermarket at the southeast corner of Eagle and McMillan roads in west Boise. Jim Baldwin, Wells Fargo's Boise Area president, said...

Report shows small biz owners less optimistic about prospects.(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Small business owners expressed less optimism about their own prospects as 2002 closed, according to a January report by the National Federation of Independent Business. NFIB's "Index of Small Business Optimism"...

Chip slump prods Clearwater Tech. to cast into new markets.(Company Profile)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson It's still distributing automation equipment and process controls, but Clearwater Technologies Inc. has adjusted its product and client mix in response to the downturn in the semiconductor industry. The company...

Experts says Boise commercial real estate market to remain sluggish.
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The Boise commercial real estate market probably will stay sluggish for most of this year, presenters at the Boise Commercial Real Estate Symposium said Feb. 11. A lack of job growth, reduced in-migration and...

Idaho Dept. of Commerce, Idaho State Dept. of Agriculture to sponsor trade seminar.
February 17, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Giving Idaho businesses the chance to see trends in key overseas trading markets is the focus of a workshop this week co-sponsored by the Idaho Department of Commerce and Idaho State Department of Agriculture. ...

PCS Edventures to work with U.K. group.(Engineering and Marine Training Authority)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson PCS Edventures [OTCBB:PCSV] recently entered an alliance and pilot program with the Engineering and Marine Training Authority (EMTA), an education and training charity owned by the Engineering industry in the United...

SCP Global Technologies to grow by acquisition.(SCP Global Technologies Inc.)(Mattson Technology Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson SCP Global Technologies Inc., a Boise maker of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment, has signed an agreement to buy the Wet Products Division of Mattson Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MTSN). Fremont, Calif.-based...

Cathedral Place project to be redesigned.(apartment development to be redesigned)(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The design for the Cathedral Place apartment and parking development is to be revised following a recent denial by the Boise Planning and Zoning Commission. Jim Tomlinson, principal in Boise firm Tomlinson &...

Idaho Dept. of Transportation says project may finish early.
February 17, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller The Idaho Transportation Department isn't making any promises, but hopes mild weather may speed up completion of work to widen the Connector to as early as this fall, rather than next January as scheduled. "We're...

Boise Tower permit declared invalid.(city says Boise Tower Associates did not demonstrate full construction financing)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Sixteen days after the city's "final" deadline for financing -- and 16 years after the site was cleared by the Eastman Building fire -- Boise Tower's building permit was declared invalid last week and the prospect...

Boisean finds niche in contract selling on eBay for clients.(Nancy Gordon)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Terry Rich says he was "ecstatic" when Nancy Gordon sold his 18-year-old BMW motorcycle for $4,000 on eBay for him. "Selling a performance motorcycle in the middle of winter, in Boise, Idaho, I'd probably have...

MPC Computers notches 5th profitable quarter.(Brief Article)
February 17, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson MPC Computers, Nampa, last week announced that he fourth quarter had been a profitable one, and said the company had completed "a full year of operating profit in 2002 despite the challenging year experienced by the...

Plexus Corp. lands Next Level Communications contract.
February 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Plexus Corp. will use its Nampa plant to execute a contract with new client Next Level Communications. Early this month, Next Level, whose 2002 revenues topped $57 million, selected Plexus to manufacture its...

Micron layoffs deepen gloom.
February 24, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson The Boise-area economy will be hammered by layoffs announced last week at Micron Technology Inc., but the long-term outlook may not be entirely bleak, they said. "This is not an indication of a dying industry or...

Real estate braces for impact of 1,100 workers losing jobs.
February 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Dealing with layoffs is nothing new to the Treasure Valley housing market. But dealing with Micron layoffs is. "Certainly Micron has a huge psychological impact on the market," said Alex LaBeau, government...

Meridian development plan includes much commercial space.
February 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A major development proposed in northwest Meridian would include about 1,100 dwellings and 577,000 square feet of office and retail space. Paramount Subdivision is targeted for 392 acres north of McMillan Road. It...

Boise-area apartment vacancy rate tops 11 percent.
February 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A year after reaching a five-year high, the average vacancy rate in Boise-area apartment complexes has jumped even higher. Ada Real Estate Surveys pegged average vacancy in Ada County apartment complexes at 11.39...

Soho Espresso Bar gets new owners, eyes expansion.(Ward Capital Partners L.L.C. acquires chain of coffee shops)
February 24, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Soho Espresso Bar has been sold to new owners who plan to license the Soho name to other operators and open at least one new Valley unit of their own by spring of 2004. Ward Capital Partners LLC took ownership of...

BryantIdeas opens second Boise-area shop.(printing, embroidery company opens new location)
February 24, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin BryantIdeas Inc., a 3-year-old sign designer and printing and screenprinting embroidery company, has opened a second Boise-area shop at Glenwood and Marigold streets.. Co-owners Brad and Leslie Bryant opened the...

Boise Tower developer asks city to reconsider permit cancellation.(Boise Tower Associates asks Boise, Idaho to reinstate building permit)
February 24, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Boise Tower developer Rick Peterson last week asked city officials to reconsider their Feb. 11 decision to cancel building permits for the long-delayed, 25-story project in the middle of downtown. In a letter to...

Mountain State Cellular builds corporate office.
February 24, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Boise-based cell phone seller Mountain State Cellular plans to relocate its corporate office by mid-March to the Ashland Business Park on Glenwood Street, near the Western Idaho Fairgrounds. Company owner Mark...

Commentary: Are emails a threat to language?(Column)
February 24, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Technological change often spawns worries about cultural change, sometimes with good reason. But occasionally the hand-wringing seems merely posturing. In recent months we've seen quite a number of TV...

Mountain West Bank nets $4 million.(financial data for Mountain West Bank)(Brief Article)
February 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Mountain West Bank earned a record net, after-tax, profit of more than $4 million in 2002. The bank increased its total assets by 14.4 percent to $397 million and ts total loans by 31.5 percent to $217 million,...