Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from July 2003

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from July 2003

Former Boise-based furniture company to become mini-mall.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The owner of Snake River Pool & Spa has purchased the former Madison's Fine Furniture building at Orchard and Clark streets and plans to relocate his business there and turn the building into the Orchard Center Mall....

Boise Towne Square sees few changes a year into new ownership.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A year after its acquisition of Boise Towne Square, the mall's new owners say customer traffic remains strong while prospective tenants continue to knock daily on its doors. General Growth Properties, a...

Mediation, arbitration getting more common in Idaho and in nation.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Something happened on the way to court: Many disputes were first settled in mediation or arbitration. These alternative forms of dispute resolution have become increasingly common in Idaho and nationally. A recent...

Boise developers plan commercial condos and storage complex near downtown Star.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Two multi-tenant commercial buildings and a self-storage facility are planned just east of downtown Star. Plans for Estrella (Spanish for star) Subdivision call for two commercial buildings of 6,250 square feet...

Boise symposium speakers all want cooperation among tech firms, researchers, and government.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Computer chips and transistors will continue to become more important in business and general society, and engineers will keep making them smaller in size and larger in capability -- if high-tech companies,...

Preparations for Boise Intermountain Venture Forum begin as market shows signs of life.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Up to 15 companies will be selected to make presentations to venture capitalists at the fifth annual Intermountain Venture Forum-Boise, slated Oct. 1-2 at Boise Centre on the Grove. Entrepreneurs seeking financing...

Boise-based Scandia Health Systems plans to grow following acquisition of Vico Products.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Scandia Health Systems, a Boise-based company that manufactures steam and sauna products, recently acquired most of the assets of Vico Product Manufacturing Co.'s. sauna heater business. "This acquisition allows us...

Boise-based Extended Systems working with Avaya Inc.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Extended Systems Inc. in late June entered an agreement to provide its OneBridge Mobile Platform technology to Avaya Inc. Boise-based Extended said in a statement that its products will be built into Avaya's...

Salt Lake City developer plan car wash & Subway on Ustick in Boise.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A car wash with an adjoining Subway sandwich shop is planned later this year on Ustick Road in Boise. According to plans filed with the City of Boise, Mike Drury of United Business Brokers, Salt Lake City, hopes to...

Boise-based Metro Express Car Wash planned for Front Street.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A Metro Express Car Wash is planned for the north side of Front Street, between 13th and 14th streets in Boise. According to plans filed with the City of Boise, applicant Bill Martin of Eagle was granted Design...

Boise developers plan warehouse in Gillwood Subdivision.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Construction of a warehouse with office space is planned south of Interstate 84 in a former gravel pit. According to plans filed with the City of Boise, Gillwood Partners was granted Design Review approval June 11...

Commentary: National no-call list could foretell anti-spam action.
July 7, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson Use the Internet to protect your privacy? I know that seems like an oxymoronic proposition, but it's possible. Unfortunately, I am not talking about eliminating that plague of the Internet itself, unsolicited...

New Micron chips target 'imaging' market.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller Four months after introducing a chip-based image sensor, Micron Technology Inc. is preparing to roll out a higher-resolution device in the next few months and a then a third, even crisper one by year's end. The...

Analysts see opportunity, competition in image-sensor business.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson For Micron Technology Inc., the imaging business is a long-term investment, two analysts said last week. "The image-sensor business of Micron long-term certainly promises significant potential opportunity," said...

Whitetail builds on legacy of Shore Lodge.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Formerly Shore Lodge, the property now called "Whitetail: A Club for All Seasons" was closed in September 1999 for extensive remodeling into a luxury, destination resort. In late 2001, -- while the project was...

Hyde Park Place marches on to projected early '04 completion.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin After a construction delay earlier this year, Hyde Park Place, a condominium complex in north Boise, is under way and on track to be finished by early next year. Developer David Southers, managing member of Hyde...

Boise Cold Storage gets new owners.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise Cold Storage Co., which stores large quantities of food and also makes ice, has new owners. Kent Johnson and his son Tim Johnson own TFJ Enterprises Inc., which recently purchased Boise Cold Storage from Tim...

Commercial, town home project proposed in W. Meridian.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Commercial buildings and town homes are proposed on 11 acres at the southeast corner of Ten Mile Road and Pine Avenue, in western Meridian. If approved by city officials, The Courtyards at Ten Mile "will be a...

Whitetail resort in McCall - angling for smaller fish?
July 14, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Owners of Whitetail, an upscale lodging, dining and golf resort that opened on Payette Lake a year ago, are broadening their marketing in an effort to keep the doors open year-round. Whitetail reopened May 15,...

Extended Systems complies with rules requiring independent boards.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Five of the eight members of the Extended Systems Inc. Board of Directors resigned from the board recently to comply with upcoming changes in corporate governance rules. The Nasdaq stock market, on which Extended...

Nampa aims to attract companies with high-tech system for city info.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Economic-development tools soon will be added to the City of Nampa's Geographic Information System. The GIS -- which uses the satellite-based Global Positioning System and specialized computer hardware and software...

Developer mulls design changes for Cathedral Place.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Cathedral Place, an apartment and parking complex planned in north Boise for a year and a half, probably will move forward with several design changes, but a new timetable for the project has not been set. Boise...

14-acre complex set for Meridian, Overland roads.
July 14, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A $10 million commercial development comprising 11 buildings, tagged Southern Springs, has been proposed for the southeast corner of Meridian and Overland roads in Meridian. Boise-area developers Roger Michener and...

Construction projects in City of Boise drop by 6 percent during first half of the year.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The total value of construction projects in the City of Boise dropped by 6 percent during the first half of the year. Boise approved $188 million in construction projects, compared to $199 million in the first...

Idaho begins to implement contractor licensing for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller A new law to regulate and license About 1,000 Idaho heating, ventilation and air-conditioning contractors officially took effect three months ago, but the state Division of Building Safety is already working on the new...

Commentary: Online auctions offer much, require caution.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson My daughter-in-law is into it. So is my son's best friend -- and the guy that I bought a used motorcycle from. It seems that everyone these days is into online auctions -- eBay especially. While there are other...

McCall-based Grace Furniture leases space for new store in downtown Boise.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A McCall-based furniture retailer has leased ground-floor space in the Empire Building at 10th and Idaho streets in downtown Boise and plans to open in the fall. Empire Building owner Jim Tomlinson of Tomlinson &...

Construction to start on Boise State Univ. West Campus in Nampa.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson After a delay of more than a year, construction of the first classroom building on the Boise State University West Campus site in Nampa is slated to begin next month. The three-story building of about 66,000 square...

Boise commercial and residential interior designers see economic improvement in their industry.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Ken Levy Commercial and residential interior designers are seeing signs of economic improvement in their industry, while turning to natural elements in their design motifs. Some designers are going out of the Boise area for...

Ga.-based Total System Services launches Boise center; ex-Sears workers become staff.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Total System Services Inc., a Georgia-based credit card data-processor known as TSYS, last week opened a technology center in Boise staffed by former employees of a Sears Roebuck center that closed at the end of...

Boise developer files $10 million claim over Tower building permit.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Boise Tower developer Rick Peterson has reserved his right to sue the Capital City Development Corp., and the city itself, over the stalled Tower project, parties to the dispute confirmed last week. Peterson's...

Boise River Fest loses money, but will be back in '04.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Staff The 2003 Boise River Festival lost $160,000, but Festival organizers say they plan to bring the event back again next year. According to a news release issued last week by River Festival president Beth Knox, the...

Boise-based Thomas Forest Products acquires former Croman mill.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson JM Thomas Forest Products, which distributes building materials to retail lumber yards, has purchased and occupied the former Croman Corp. sawmill property on Yamhill Road in east Boise. Thomas parent company,...

Idaho's hospital construction boom and service expansion include rural areas of state.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson This time, a boom in hospital construction and service expansion isn't excluding Idaho's rural areas. Ten to 15 years ago, small-town hospitals struggled to attract physicians, let alone find money to buy and make...

Bankruptcies increase faster in Idaho than US; State sees 9 percent increase over 2002.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Bankruptcy filings in Idaho grew faster than in the US. The increase was more than officials expected during the first half of the year. U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boise saw 4,822 Idaho cases through June, a 9.2...

Commentary: Construction scheduling should be for real, and be documented.
July 21, 2003... Byline: David Merrell Major construction contracts and most public works contracts require contractors to submit and maintain schedules. Construction management training teaches that such schedules, which are created to determine the...

Boise Cascade-OfficeMax deal seen as strategic repositioning.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Staff Boise Cascade Corp's. plan to buy OfficeMax generated some favorable reviews, and some questions about how BCC will be structured in the future, among analysts last week. BCC announced July 14 that it would acquire...

Idaho wine lover turns passion into profession.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin For Trisha Elrod, wine isn't just a passion -- it's a profession. Since 1989, the Boise woman has earned her living as a wine wholesaler, one of a dozen distributors operating in the Treasure Valley. Her accounts...

Boise Cascade Corp. reports $3.9M net loss for second quarter.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Staff Boise Cascade Corp. reported a net loss of $3.9 million, or 12 cents per diluted share, for the second quarter, compared to net income of $3.2 million, or break-even on a per-share basis, in the second quarter of 2002. ...

Wash. Wine Industry Foundation offers vineyard marketing workshops throughout Northwest.
July 21, 2003... Byline: Staff A workshop is planned in Caldwell next month to help Northwest vineyard and winery managers develop marketing plans and managing contracts. The Washington Wine Industry Foundation (WWIF) is offering four educational...

TableRock BrewPub & Grill plans revamp, expansion.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin TableRock Brewpub & Grill on Capitol Boulevard, which dates from 1991, plans to remodel and expand over the next year, adding an espresso shop and a rooftop eatery.TableRock owner Mike Fitzgerald said the project is...

Micron, Extended keep stock-option plans.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise's two public technology companies don't plan to follow Microsoft's lead and phase out their employee stock option plans anytime soon.Micron Technology Inc. doesn't plan to change its plan, "though we are staying...

Work begins on Krispy Kreme in Meridian.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Staff After months of delays, construction of Idaho's first Krispy Kreme doughnut shop in Meridian, at the southwest corner of Fairview Avenue and Eagle Road has begun, and opening is planned for October.Ramona Thornton, a...

SBA: More loans, smaller loans.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The Boise region of the U.S. Small Business Administration approved more loans, but smaller loans, in the first three quarters of its fiscal year, compared to a year earlier.For an SBA loan, the borrower puts down 10...

Ex-Ridley's at Cole & Ustick to be razed.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A decrepit grocery building at Evergreen Plaza at Ustick and Cole roads is to be razed soon, although the City of Boise doesn't expect to build a branch library on the site for several years.The vacant...

Work begins in Star on 120-acre complex.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of a mixed-use development of 120 acres has begun on the north side of the Boise River in Star.Pinewood Lakes is to include 258 homes, a 5-acre commercial development tabbed for neighborhood services, 43...

Finalists for Idaho Woman Entrepreneur announced.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Staff Six finalists have been named for the 2003 Idaho Woman Entrepreneur of the Year award, according to Brian Hunt, publisher of the Idaho Business Review. The annual awards program, now in its fifth year, recognizes Idaho's top...

Retail, office complex going up in Caldwell.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Construction has begun on a $3 million retail and office complex, on Blaine Street near Georgia Street in Caldwell, slated for completion in November.Called The Willows, the two-story, 24,000-square-foot building is...

Caldwell Economic Development tabs new director.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Staff The Caldwell Economic Development Council recently named Stephen Fultz as executive director.He replaces Al Ames, who remains with the council as special projects manager.Fultz, 44, previously worked as executive director of...

Parcel & Post owner buys Boise Box Office.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Tim Snooks, who owns shipping agent Parcel & Post, recently purchased a second shipping and mailing business in Boise.He acquired Boise Box Office, on Broadway Avenue at Front Street, on July 7 from Dave and Jeannie...

Prospering Idaho Banking targets Overland for branch.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson An increasingly robust Idaho Banking Co. plans to build a Meridian branch office, starting in September.The Boise-based bank, founded in 1996, reported strong results for the first half of 2003 after completing "a...

WaMu Home Loan unit to move, grow.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Staff The Washington Mutual Home Loan Division has leased new Treasure Valley quarters.The division leased a space of about 4,600 square feet in the Silverstone Point building, constructed recently in the Silverstone Corporate...

Idaho Independent Bank net rises 30% in 1st half.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Staff Idaho Independent Bank reported a 30 percent increase in net income through the first half of the year, compared to mid-2002 figures.The bank logged $2,417,184 in net income through June 30.Total loans, including loans held...

Hansen-Rice lands contract to build distribution center.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Staff Nampa-based Hansen-Rice Inc. has been awarded a contract to build a distribution center for Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in Grandview, Wash.The 880,000-square-foot food distribution center for is on a fast-track schedule for...

Idaho Manufacturing Conference is slated.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Staff The 2003 Idaho Manufacturing Conference is slated Sept. 8-9 at Boise Centre on the Grove.TechHelp, which is based at Boise State University and consults with manufacturers around Idaho from four offices, will present the...

Albertsons President Lynch quits.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Staff Albertsons Inc. announced last week that Peter L. Lynch has resigned as president, chief operating officer and director, to pursue other interests.Larry Johnston, Albertsons chairman and CEO, will assume the additional...

Caldwell to get archery pro shop.
July 28, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Longtime bowhunter and competition archer Dave Priest is targeting the Caldwell market.He recently opened Archery Addiction and Sportsman Supply, an archery pro shop and indoor range, on Cleveland Boulevard west of...