Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from February 2007

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from February 2007

South Idaho ethanol plant to reopen.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson An English company this month plans to re-open an ethanol plant near the J.R. Simplot Co. food-processing complex in Caldwell. The plant will employ 14 people. Simplot, which operated the plant from 1985 to...

Boise-based Washington Group lands work with Exxon in Colo.
February 1, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Group International said Jan. 29 that it signed a cost-reimbursable contract with ExxonMobil for work at a natural gas production facility in Colorado's Piceance Basin region. Boise-based Washington...

Former New Orleans resident buys Boise Tour Train.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Before Don Becker got into the Boise market as one of the area's newest entrepreneurs, he had to get out of New Orleans. That is a great tourism city, Becker said, before correcting himself. At one time it was. Both...

Business Briefs.
February 5, 2007... Blackfoot awarded Block Grant to preserve jobs IDAHO BUSINESS REVIEW Idaho Commerce & Labor issued the city of Blackfoot a $500,000 Idaho Community Development Block Grant to help preserve 36 jobs and create another 26 at a local cheese...

City of Blackfoot awarded Block Grant to preserve jobs.
February 5, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho Commerce & Labor issued the city of Blackfoot a $500,000 Idaho Community Development Block Grant to help preserve 36 jobs and create another 26 at a local cheese plant. The grant financed modifications and...

Idaho Power Co. customers get retail rate for surplus energy.
February 5, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Residential and small-business customers of Idaho Power Co. who generate their own electricity and sell their surplus back to the company will continue to be paid the full retail rate rather than a wholesale rate, as...

Key Foundation gives to Neighborhood Housing in Idaho.
February 5, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff The Key Foundation recently gave a $10,000 grant to Neighborhood Housing Services for the Homeownership Program. NHS, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, plans to use the money to maintain a housing...

New magnet school in Meridian emphasizes engineering curriculum.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovksy A new school opening in Meridian this fall promises to graduate a pool of skilled engineers ready to join Idaho's work force. The new magnet school, Galileo Math and Science, will offer a project-based curriculum,...

Sarbanes-Oxley Act affecting mid-sized businesses, IT activities.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson It turns out that the federal Sarbanes-Oxley Act does more than set standards for corporate governance, accounting and auditing. The 2002 law impacts information-technology activities. Ilya Kucherenko works as an...

Idaho touted as possible player in biofuels industry.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho and the Northwest have strong potential in the biofuels industry, eastern Washington farmer J. Read Smith said. Smith was a presenter at the Harvesting Clean Energy Conference in Boise Jan. 29. He is also the...

Ada's use of eminent domain could benefit CCDC.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Capital City Development Corp. is attempting to refinance bonds issued to developer Civic Partners for property in the courthouse corridor along Front Street. The bonds, issued for approximately $20 million, financed...

Boise School District at center of odd quirk in state property tax law.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert When the Idaho Legislature voted to pay school maintenance and operations funds with sales taxes instead of property taxes, it effectively gave money to urban renewal agencies that would otherwise have gone to the...

Idaho Investment Tax Credit marks 25th year.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho Investment Tax Credit made its debut 25 years ago to encourage business development in the state. The intent was as an inducement for companies to expand their properties in Idaho, State Tax Commission Tax...

Tax credit aims to spark tech, biotech investment in Idaho.
February 5, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff A proposed tax credit aims to build Idaho's technology and biotechnology sectors while making the state more attractive to risk-capital investors, according to the co-chairman of the task force that hammered out the plan...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: February 5, 2007.
February 5, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff New Beginnings Housing, LLC purchased 3.97 acres at 3511 E. Linden St., Caldwell, for a multi-family housing development. Preferred Real Estate Group LLC co-owner Rick Sweaney brokered the transaction for the purchaser....

Bid Briefs.
February 5, 2007... Capital High School, on Goddard Road in west Boise, plans to erect a modular building moved from South Junior High School. Project details are available from Don Hutchison, Hutchison-Smith Architects, 270 N. 27th St., Suite A, Boise, Idaho...

CONTRACTS AWARDED.
February 5, 2007... Layton Construction Co., Boise and Sandy, Utah, was awarded a contract for a press box and sky suites addition to Bronco Stadium at Boise State University. Cost estimate: $32 million. Riverwalk, Eagle, is the owner, builder and developer of...

New Horizons computer training used to serve 6,900; now it's Treasure Valley operation is out of business.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert The largest provider of computer training services in the Treasure Valley closed last year, citing a poor market and tax-subsidized competition. But the remaining competition says the market is strong, and has been...

Take a class, improve your skills, be a better boss, worker -- Focus.
February 5, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Andy Lanning runs her own computer software training business - her Web site is www.AndyLanning.com - and she offers classes at Boise State University's Center for Workforce Training. She has 20 years of experience in the...

Boise-based Fisher's Document Systems finds niche in technology training.
February 5, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Technology training is a new way of doing business for Fisher's Document Systems. Most office equipment companies haven't changed their business model, said Corey Smith, vice president of innovation at Fisher's in...

Building Permits.
February 5, 2007... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 03151-tenant improvement    Statehouse Inn    not...

Idaho developers plan 23-story building at Rescue Mission site in downtown Boise.
February 9, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert and Brad Carlson The Boise Rescue Mission homeless shelter on Front Street could make way for up to 23 stories of condominiums, parking, retail and office. Clay Carley has partnered with developer Gary Christensen...

Regence BlueShield challenges Idaho lawmakers to increase physical activity.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Regence challenges lawmakers to "Move It" for better health. The Regence BlueShield Move It challenge to the Idaho Legislature kicked off Jan. 30. For the next six weeks, the health insurance company...

Idaho firm selected to help Honda Ski Tour.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Marketing agency Wirestone has been slected to handle the new Honda Ski Tour, a professional and music festival, the company said in a press release. The tour was co-founded by Kipp Nelson and Steve...

Idaho Power to buy from Oregon wind farm.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Idaho Power Company seeks approval to purchase 100 megawatts of wind from an eastern Oregon wind farm owned by Houston-based Telocaset Wind Power Producers, the Public Utilities Commission said in a...

Nampa officials accuse the Idaho Plumbing Board of being controlled by plumbing industry.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Building and plumbing officials in the city of Nampa are accusing the Idaho Plumbing Board of being controlled by representatives of the plumbing industry. The board is also under the gaze of the new administrator of...

Innovation a tough sell at Idaho Legislature.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovksy The first Ideas Innovations Idaho Day was Jan. 30 at the Idaho Legislature. The event was organized by the Office of Science and Technology to showcase the state's science and technology businesses to lawmakers. ...

Boise man teaches Maid Brigade franchises to clean green.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Russ Biaggne is making cleaning firms a little cleaner. Biaggne is the operations director of the Boise franchise of Atlanta-based Maid Brigade, and he's busily turning the entire company's 150 franchises green. It...

Boise Downtown Real Estate Symposium marks 10th anniversary.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff The Boise Commercial Real Estate Symposium marks its 10th anniversary with the 2007 edition, slated on the morning of Feb. 13 at Boise Centre on the Grove. The Building Owners & Managers Association...

State's trade reps in Asia sing Idaho's praises.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Prospects for Idaho exports to Asia appear strong this year, representatives of Idaho trade offices told a joint meeting of the Idaho House and Senate commerce and human resources committees Feb. 1. Exports from Idaho...

Precision Craft Log and Timber Homes awarded copyright damages.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Meridian-based Precision Craft Log and Timber Homes was awarded $300,000 in copyright infringement damages from an Arizona company that copied Precision's architectural designs. Precision Craft claimed that The Cabin...

Analysts have mixed outlook for Micron stock.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Micron Technology Inc. stock traded near its one-year low heading into the company's Winter Analyst Conference Feb. 9 at Sun Valley Resort. Analysts give mixed prospects for Micron, which closed at $12.97 Feb. 7. The...

Workplace drug testing programs still popular.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Business signups with DrugFree Idaho are increasing lately, despite a tight labor market, Executive Director Marianne King said. The Boise nonprofit is a third-party administrator of drug-free workplace programs. Drug...

Boise energy company receives governor's award.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff U.S. Geothermal, a Boise-based renewable energy development company, was the recipient of the Governor's Clean Energy Award at the recent Harvesting Clean Energy Conference. The award recognizes U.S....

CORRECTION.
February 12, 2007... A Jan. 22 story, ‘U of I engineering school turns 100,’ mistakenly reported that graduate enrollment in engineering programs at the University of Idaho is four times that of BSU. Graduate enrollment at Boise State is 270, while the...

Gov. Otter wants state agencies to show some business sense.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson His plan for state agencies to run more like businesses will take time to take shape, but Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter likes what he sees so far. Otter addressed a National Federation of Independent Business Idaho...

Why broadband matters: An interview with TechConnect's Rick Ritter.(Interview)
February 12, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Rick Ritter is the president of TechConnect, a public-private partnership that helps develop Idaho businesses. What does TechConnect do? How does it serve the state? The whole premise behind TechConnect is...

Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce gives Community Service Awards.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce gave four Community Service Awards for 2007. Nominees for the Distinguished Corporate Stewardship Award were judged according to their corporate ethics and values,...

Stock exchange gives extension to MPC.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Nampa PC manufacturer MPC Corp. has received a second notice of extension to bring the company into compliance with the American Stock Exchange's listing standards, the company said in a press release....

Micron stock rises from 52-week low.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Micron Technology stock showed new life in heavy trading earlier this month. Micron rose 31 cents to $13.19 on Feb. 2, after hitting a one-year low of $12.79 Jan. 31. The one-year high, $18.65, came in...

Idaho Construction Briefs: February 12, 2007.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff A Kootenai Cabin and Pool House of 6,019 square feet is planned on Loft Bay Road in Coeur d'Alene. Project details are available from Polin & Young Construction, P.O. Box 3701, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho...

Building Permits.
February 12, 2007... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 00243-sign    Meulman Mollerup LLC    Golden West...

Idaho Real Estate Briefs: February 12, 2007.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Capital Commercial Properties LLC, a commercial real estate brokerage, opened recently at 805 W. Idaho St., Suite 302. Bob Hildebran and Ramona Hildebran operate the firm. He previously worked for the...

BID BRIEFS.
February 12, 2007... A Kootenai Cabin and Pool House of 6,019 square feet is planned on Loft Bay Road in Coeur d’Alene. Project details are available from Polin & Young Construction, P.O. Box 3701, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83816-2529. A bid opening for...

Art for art's sake: Idaho artists find no shortage of homes for works.
February 12, 2007... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Like football? Boise has a great team. Enjoy theater? See a local production. Want to hang something on the walls besides the kids' scribbles? Art is almost literally for sale on the corner. Like so much else in...

Chain of Idaho Pizza Huts sold to NPC International.
February 19, 2007... Byline: John Foster A Kansas company will pay $27.1 million for 59 Pizza Hut franchises in Idaho and eastern Washington. NPC International has purchased the assets of Pizza Hut of Idaho, Rocky Mountain Pizza Huts, Northwest Restaurant...

Dickinson Frozen Foods plans to increase efficiency and output.(Company overview)
February 19, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Dickinson Frozen Foods plans to increase efficiency and output by spending $6.1 million this year at its Fruitland and Sugar City plants. "We are implementing maintenance management systems and inventory control...

Outlook for Idaho stocks.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson With several stocks of local interest trading close to one-year highs, a few analysts in Boise and the region weighed in on the companies' outlook. Idacorp D.A. Davidson & Co. analyst Jim Bellessa rates the company...

Easy being green: An interview with Boise developer Gary Christensen.(Interview)
February 19, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Gary Christensen and Clay Carley plan a mixed residential and commercial project of up to 23 stories on the site of the Boise Rescue Mission on Front Street. IBR: What are you going to do differently from other...

Capital City Development Corp. mulls parking fee in downtown Boise, debt structure changes.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Capital City Development Corp. officials are considering raising fees in downtown Boise's nine public parking garages, and refinancing some of the bond debt that funds the garages. The urban renewal agency last raised...

Mark Rivers chosen by Capital City Development Corp. to build River8.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Capital City Development Corp. commissioners unanimously chose Mark Rivers to develop its property at Eighth and River streets. Rivers' plans for his project, called River8, call for glassy oval- and U-shaped buildings...

Who owns the name River8?
February 19, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Mark Rivers' building design for his project at Eighth and River streets may be original, but his name isn't. Rival development firm the Hosac Co. holds a trademark on the name. Rivers and the...

Rival developers spar with CCDC over scope of development.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert At a board meeting Feb. 12, Capital City Development Corp. Planning Director Pam Sheldon recommended that the CCDC board choose Mark Rivers' firm, Brix/BoDo South, over its competitor for the project, the Hosac Co....

Need a smartphone? Here's what you need to know.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky How do you define a smartphone, never mind shop for one? It's a mini laptop, Angela Bettiga, Wireless USA manager said. A smartphone offers all the functionality of a PC in your pocket. It stores your contacts. You...

Design of Saint Alphonsus medical tower hides its technical creativity.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovksy Economic theory dictates that when two businesses sell the same product at the same price, the only thing they can do is compete on service. If the renovations at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center are any...

White Cloud Coffee ventures into network marketing.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson White Cloud Coffee roasts and distributes product to more than 300 grocery stores and gift shops. But after nearly 20 years in business, the founder is forming a network-marketing venture to expand the company's reach...

Idaho House, Senate returns 'certificate of need' legislation to its sponsor.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The House State Affairs Committee voted last week to return proposed certificate-of-need legislation to its sponsor, the Idaho Hospital Association. The proposed legislation would have created a seven-member board,...

Nampa Industrial Corp. sells final land holdings.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson The Nampa Industrial Corp. board in January voted to dissolve. The corporation - which since 1949 has been buying property and selling it to attract businesses and jobs - last year relinquished its final holdings,...

New tower proposed for Old Boise neighborhood.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert The Boise Rescue Mission homeless shelter on Front Street could make way for up to 23 stories of condominiums, parking, retail and office, according to Clay Carley. Carley has partnered with developer Gary Christensen...

Idaho senator's proposal aims to streamline entity transactions.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Converting or merging one business entity into another would be easier under the Idaho Entity Transactions Act, the bill's sponsor says. Whether it's a merger, interest exchange or conversion, or domestication of one...

Idaho unranked among best places for jobs.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovksy Forbes just released its list of the Best U.S. Cities for Jobs. The top spot went to Raleigh-Cary, N.C. Salt Lake City made the top 25. So did Jacksonville and Orlando, Fla. Las Vegas and Honolulu made the cut. So...

LeMaster & Daniels CPAs moves to expanded office space in downtown Boise.
February 19, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Report Certified public accounting firm LeMaster & Daniels recently moved its Boise office downtown. The firm relocated from 7091 W. Emerald St. in west Boise to a larger space in downtown Boise. LeMaster & Daniels...

META to join in marking entrepreneur week with Feb. 27 workshop.
February 19, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Report META is among hundreds of organizations around the country celebrating Entrepreneurship Week USA, Feb. 23- March 4. This month's Beyond the Bottom Line workshop will highlight the success of Boise entrepreneurs...

Boise software firm MobileDataforce lands government contracts.
February 19, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise-based software firm MobileDataforce recently received contracts from Canyon County and the city of Los Angeles. MobileDataforce makes software that allows users to fill out forms from the field on handheld...

Qwest Communications awarded large federal contract.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Qwest Communications has been awarded two contracts by the General Services Administration to provide local voice and data services to federal agencies in nine Western states. The combined value...

Micron Technology stock hits one-year low.
February 19, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Report Micron Technology traded near its one-year low last week. While they are trying to diversify away from commodity DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) chips, flash is becoming commoditized just as Micron expands its...

Capital Matrix hands out three $25,000 grants in programs in southwest Idaho.
February 19, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Report Capital Matrix has awarded grants to three economic development programs in southwest Idaho. The organization gave $25,000 each to Sage Community Resources and the city of Mountain Home, and $10,000 to Kickstand....

Idaho Public Utilities Commissioner Marsha Smith appointed to national leadership.
February 19, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho Public Utilities Commissioner Marsha Smith has been selected as the first vice president of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. Smith will also serve as co-chair of the National...

Boise-based Fireside Homes builds first LEED-certified gold-rated home in Idaho.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Boise-based Fireside Homes is building what the company says will probably be the first LEED-certified gold-rated home in Idaho. The house, a model home in Hidden Springs, incorporates extra insulation, efficient...

Engineering programs remain strong in Idaho.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Engineering isn't all microchips and software design. As long as transportation and water resources remain vital issues in the state of Idaho, civil engineers will have their work cut out for them. All three of...

Idaho's "Build our Future" program trains low-income, at-risk youth for construction jobs.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Ken Levy Here's a win-win opportunity for youth looking to get into the construction trades and for contractors hungry for workers at a reasonable introductory salary. And it's all free. Build our Future is an Idaho Dept. of...

Contractors, tradesmen should seek more training, advises Idaho state economist.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Ken Levy Contractors and would-be tradesmen alike need to stay on top of the ever-changing construction industry, according to John Panter, regional economist with the Idaho Dept. of Commerce and Labor. Additional training and...

Nonresidential building jumps in Idaho, nation.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Nonresidential construction employment jumped nationally in January, according to Ken Simonson, chief economist for The Associated General Contractors of America, and is evident in Idaho. Employment at commercial...

'Green' building takes off in Moscow, Idaho.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert It's been a slow winter for building in Moscow, but Building Official Jim Johnson said he's expecting a green spring. Last April Moscow became the first city in Idaho to implement a green building program, which...

Idaho Associated General Contractors on 2007 Legislature.
February 19, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert One piece of legislation championed by the Idaho Associated General Contractors this year has already died in committee, and another has been put off for the year. But Executive Director Michael Gifford is hopeful...

Tech investment tax credit likely to get legislative hearing.
February 23, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson A proposed technology investment tax credit will get a hearing before the House Revenue and Taxation Committee, a key proponent said. Phil Syrdal, co-chairman of the Bioscience Incentives Task Force, said Feb. 21 that...

Commentary: Digging deep south of Idaho's border.
February 23, 2007... Byline: John M. Foster I give P.R. people a hard time, but once in a while a press release comes across my desk and I have to pause. Once in a great while I read one that makes me say, Wow - that's cool. I did just that this morning after...

Idaho's Urban renewal districts may be reimbursed by tax repeal.
February 23, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovksy The House Revenue and Taxation Committee voted to hold the personal property tax bill in committee while they consider a resolution to change portions of the proposed bill. House Majority Leader Mike Moyle and Alex...

Idaho House passes real estate representation bill.
February 23, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert A bill that would require real estate agents to present all offers to their clients unanimously passed the Idaho House of Representatives. If the bill becomes law, it would prevent real estate agents from listing a...

Idaho Legislature receives air quality plan.
February 23, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovksy The Treasure Valley Air Quality Council has presented its final plan to Idaho lawmakers. The contents of the plan are designed to further the mission of the council, which is to protect, preserve and improve air...

Treasure Valley Baja Fresh Mexican Grill wins franchise award.
February 26, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff The Boise and Meridian franchise of Baja Fresh Mexican Grill recently received the quick-serve Mexican restaurant chain's 2006 Franchise of the Year award. The Meridian restaurant and two Boise restaurants competed...

Idaho TechConnect receives federal funds.
February 26, 2007... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho National Laboratory presented Idaho TechConnect with a $75,000 gift Feb. 15. TechConnect is the state's first and only public-private non-profit organization focused solely on technology. TechConnect was...

Board wants 'GARVEE' program in Idaho on fast track.
February 26, 2007... Byline: Dave Goins Sure, the GARVEE (Grant Anticipation Revenue Vehicle) roads improvement funding request dropped from last year by $152 million to $998 million. A closer look, however, shows that the Idaho Transportation Board...

GARVEE roads contract with the state of Idaho connected to 2003.
February 26, 2007... Byline: Dave Goins Of the $52.5 million contract joint venture partners Washington Group International and CH2M-Hill signed Aug. 3 with the state of Idaho for managing its $998 million Connecting Idaho roads improvement project, an...