Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from January 2004

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from January 2004

Idaho Assn. of Commerce & Industry to target tax issues in 2004 Legislature.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson It will be at least a year before Idaho legislators decide the fate of the recently increased sales tax and a fairly new package of business tax incentives, but planning for those decisions should begin now, two of the...

Idaho's beef industry awaits outcome of mad cow disease in U.S.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Players in Idaho's beef industry can't predict how - or for how long - the discovery of mad cow disease in the U.S. will affect them. Concern continued in Idaho following the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dec....

Rampage, a net video gaming center, to open in Meridian shopping center.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin A new venue for video gaming that utilizes the Internet is planned in Meridian this month. Called Rampage Gaming, the facility is intended for public arcade use and sanctioned tournaments, according to co-founder...

Boise-based Intermountain Gas Co. sees little threat from volatile natural gas prices.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Intermountain Gas Co. and its 250,000 southwest Idaho customers have only minimal exposure to recent sharp increases in wholesale natural gas prices, the Boise company said last week. Natural gas prices surged by...

Qwest Communications adds 325 jobs in Eastern Idaho.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Qwest Communications said it is adding 325 new employees in its two eastern Idaho service centers. The new jobs will bring total employment to 311 in Pocatello and 224 in Idaho Falls. A year ago, the Pocatello and...

Idaho grocery stores recall some targeted ground beef.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho received some of the beef possibly contaminated with mad cow disease, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported last week. Earlier, Idaho grocery chains issued voluntary recalls after Dec. 23 reports that...

Sandpoint-based Coldwater Creek shifts its focus to full-line retail and closes Boise outlet store.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin Women's apparel retailer Coldwater Creek has closed its outlet store in the Boise Factory Outlets mall as part of a shifting in strategy to full-line retail stores. The 5,100-square-foot outlet store, which opened...

Idaho's "acting" Dept. of Commerce chief to stay for remainder of Governor Kempthorne's term.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Ken Miller Roger Madsen may still have "acting" next to his new title as head of the Idaho Department of Commerce, but the longtime Department of Labor director hopes to continue running Commerce for the next three years of the...

Commentary: Google grows even more useful with toolbar features.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Rick Edvalson Many organizations, recognizing the value of the Web's vast store of information, are racing to make it more accessible by the masses. In my opinion, the clear leader in this type of technology is Google. Take,...

Ketchum gets super-luxury, $3 million-plus condominiums.
January 5, 2004... Byline: Phillip Gomez A 64,000-square-foot mixed-use building that contains six super-luxury condominiums is nearing completion on the site of a former theater in Ketchum, with occupancy slated for February. The Copper Ridge condos,...

Economic outlook for Idaho inches up to 1.5% job growth in 2004.
January 12, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson The economic outlook for Idaho this year has notched up again, with job growth projected at 1.5 percent, compared to 1.1 percent for the U.S. as a whole, the state's latest Economic Forecast says. While the new...

Idaho credit unions believe their assets will grow in 2004.
January 12, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Amid a fading home refinance market and improving stock market, Idaho credit unions are taking a fresh approach to growing assets this year, industry sources agree. Two of the state's largest credit unions, Idaho...

Owner of family-owned Boise-based Main Auction believes auctions still attract many buyers.
January 12, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin They don't use a gavel anymore to signify a sale, but Boise-area auction houses and auctioneers continue to serve a necessary niche for shoppers searching for a great deal and a good time. "Auctions are very much...

Boise-based General Fir & Casualty says mad cow insurance, devised before scare, drawing inquiries.
January 12, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Two months before the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the country's first documented case of mad cow disease, Boise-based General Fire & Casualty rolled out an insurance product covering this and other...

New mayor aims to strengthen Star's communication with public service entities.
January 12, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The new mayor of Star believes the growing Ada County community must do some selling. "One of my major goals is to improve communication from the City of Star to the entities that provide services," said Nate...

Bank of America plans Family Center branch in Boise.
January 12, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin Bank of America plans a branch bank in the Family Center shopping center on Federal Way, near Gekeler Street, in southeast Boise. According to plans filed with the City of Boise, applicant Don Baker, Seattle, seeks...

Idaho Credit Union League plans Governmental Affairs Conference in downtown Boise.
January 12, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho Credit Union League plans its sixth annual Governmental Affairs Conference Jan. 27 in downtown Boise. The Grove Hotel will host the all-day conference. The Crystal Ballroom, in the Hoff Building at Eighth...

Idaho Power Co. gets approval from state to develop power plant in Mountain Home.
January 12, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Power Co. has received state approval to develop a 160-megawatt, natural gas-fired power plant in Mountain Home. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved the company's application for a Certificate of...

Wells Fargo sees '04 as 'happier' with 1.5% more jobs.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson Idaho can look forward to a year of recovery, albeit with "somewhat subdued" residential construction and real estate activity, the regional economist for Wells Fargo & Co. told a Boise audience last week. ...

Home sales in Ada rise 12% - in Canyon, 9%.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Home sales increased by more than 12 percent in Ada County and by nearly 9 percent in Canyon County from 2002 to '03, according to the Intermountain Multiple Listing Service, Boise. New construction notched the...

Best Bath floating high on strong sales.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Phillip Gomez Near the intersection of Commerce Avenue and Enterprise Street, near the Boise Airport, Best Bath Systems operates a 53,000-square-foot factory with attached showroom and offices. The company's motto is "Bathing Units...

Despite '03 legal fracas, Hubble Homes sees strong '04 ahead.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Despite lawsuits filed a year ago against Hubble Homes LLC, demand stayed strong in 2003 for homes that the Meridian-based company developed and sold, company officials say. Now, as parties in the three related...

Idaho transportation director: Idaho can learn from others states' mistakes.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Ken Miller Idaho Transportation Department Director David Ekern has been on the job only since last July, but after touring all six ITD districts and meeting with a third of the state's legislators, thousands of Idahoans, and...

Hiring plans termed modest for 1st quarter.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Hiring will be moderate in the Boise area in the first quarter, with transportation and public utilities providing most opportunities, a Manpower Inc. survey indicates. Twenty percent of companies interviewed for...

146,000-ft. Costco to anchor 75-acre retail center in Nampa.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Costco Wholesale Corp. intends to anchor a 75-acre retail center planned north of Interstate 84 and Karcher Road, east of Midland Boulevard, Nampa officials announced last week. The center will not open until the...

SCP teams with 'leading' Asian direct random-access memory chips firm.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson SCP Global Technologies, a Boise-based supplier of semiconductor capital equipment, has entered a joint development agreement with a "leading Asian DRAM manufacturer" to develop applications that overcome watermarks...

'Phishing' for suckers snags unwary, gullible Net users.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Rick Edvalson Chances are someone is phishing for you. It seems like a cutesy twist on a real word, but phishing is anything but harmless. It's actually a very effective form of identity theft - one that sometimes hooks as much as...

Kuna log hauler branches out to specialty lumber.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Phillip Gomez While Karen Wolske's husband, Albert, saws timbers at their 1-acre Kuna mill site, she makes sales calls to home remodelers and others, offering customized wood products. A.W. Logging Inc., launched nearly 20...

ISP Overarch debuts 'fixed wireless' Net.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Founders of a wireless Internet service provider say they offer "a faster and more affordable alternative," and that their system may be the only broadband available to some customers, notably those in rural areas. ...

Buy Idaho show at statehouse to feature Idaho goods and services.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Phillip Gomez Buy Idaho, a non-profit business and industry association of 1,200 members, invites Idaho business people and the public to attend its exhibition at the State Capitol Jan. 21 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. One hundred...

Psychiatry group plans building on Allumbaugh St.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Sage Health Care, a psychiatry group, plans to occupy a building of 10,500 square feet slated on Allumbaugh Street just north of Intermountain Hospital. The building will be about a third larger than the space Sage...

Pinnacle Engineers plans two-story office building.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Pinnacle Engineers, an 11-year-old Boise civil and structural engineering firm, plans to build a second office and warehouse building next year on its west Boise facility on West Executive Drive, near Cloverdale Road....

Residential builders get good news for '04.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin Residential builders probably will end 2004 smiling - again. A panel of Valley and regional economists, brokers and planners delivered the good news to about 200 people at the sixth annual Contractors Economic...

Boise construction permits see valuation dip.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise issued about the same number of construction permits in 2003 as in the previous year, but their total value dropped slightly. The city issued14,505 construction-related permits last year, a gain of less than...

Code standards fuel energy-efficient construction trend.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Ken Levy Building energy-efficient homes is more a matter of strategy than materials, according to Chuck Miller, president of Chuck Miller Construction, Boise. Energy efficiency requires much more than upgrading to a high...

M2 Automation finds success in diversifying services.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin Diversification has proven a successful business plan for a Boise-area couple entering their eighth year as owners of a Garden City company specializing in commercial installations and service for fire, security and...

Idaho Associated General Contractors elects officers, presents awards.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin The Idaho Associated General Contractors elected several new officers and presented service awards for 2004 during its annual meeting in December. Officers and positions include Mike Greiner, president, Owyhee...

Boise State Univ. housing projects remain on schedule.
January 19, 2004... Byline: Ken Levy Construction of new residential units at Boise State University remains on schedule for the fall 2004 semester, with at least one building planned to open to students this spring. Space for about 840 beds in nine...

Idaho Athletic Club acquires Total Woman Fitness club in Boise.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Athletic Club expanded again recently by acquiring a fitness center near downtown Boise. Meridian-based Idaho Athletic entered the growing women's-only fitness club market with its Jan. 1 acquisition of Total...

Commercial real estate market improves in Boise area over the past year.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Several commercial real estate firms grew, shrank or otherwise reorganized in the Boise area in the past year, but those changes had minimal bottom-line impact compared to how their individual brokers dealt with a...

Meridian-based King Menus plans move to Nampa.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson King Menus, now in Meridian, sees continued growth for its line of polyester restaurant uniforms and menu products, and plans to move to a new, $3 million plant this year in Nampa. Bob McDonagh bought King Menus...

Texas-based Hastings, a multimedia entertainment retailer, plans new store in Meridian.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin Hastings, a multimedia entertainment retailer, plans a store of about 22,000 square feet in the Fairview Lakes development, construction of which is slated to begin in February near the northwest corner of Fairview...

Retail provides most transactions as Boise-area commercial real estate market continues to grow.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise-area commercial real estate firms expect to grow revenues this year, largely due to stronger economic conditions. Officials with several firms said the market is considerably stronger than it was in the first...

Developers predict that Ketchum-Sun Valley area will boom again.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Phillip Gomez The Ketchum-Sun Valley area, with the 67-year-old Sun Valley Lodge as its focal point, once again is drawing investment and developer interest. Sun Valley Co. is about to unveil a new master plan that will guide...

Seattle-based Starbucks Coffee plans new unit in Boise's Eastgate Shopping Center.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin Starbucks Coffee plans its 10th Treasure Valley unit in the Eastgate Shopping Center at Boise Avenue and Apple Street. According to plans filed with the City of Boise, applicant Doug Tamura of Tamura & Associates...

Meridian mayor predicts continued growth for area.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Meridian's new mayor has some big, growth-related numbers to share with local and regional business leaders and planners. Tammy de Weerd told Meridian Chamber of Commerce members last week that as many as 9,500...

Retail project planned near Spectrum.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin Construction of a six-building retail development is planned this year on a 9.5-acre parcel on West Overland Road in southeast Boise, near the Boise Spectrum. Jay Blacker, director of leasing for Boise-area...

4-plexes, offices planned on Overland Road in Meridian.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Steve Martin Forty-eight fourplex apartment lots and 19 office lots are planned on Overland Road west of Millennium Way, Meridian. Dirk Marcum and Russ Hunemiller plan the development, to be called Sagecrest, on the south side...

Boise-based Windermere Group Commercial changes name to Grubb & Ellis.
January 26, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Commercial Group, which previously operated as Windermere Group Commercial, began doing business as Grubb & Ellis / Idaho Commercial Group last week. The real estate firm, based in the Cornerstone Building at...