Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from July 2005

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from July 2005

Boise Cascade aims to sell downtown headquarters.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise Cascade Co., downsized from its $8.2 billion predecessor, aims to sell its airy, five-story downtown building but remain a tenant there. Chairman and CEO Tom Stephens said the $5.7 billion company's wood...

Analysts turn in mixed views on outlook for Boise-based Micron Technology stock.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Analysts gave Micron Technology Inc. stock mixed reviews even though the company recently reported a big loss. Boise-based Micron lost $128 million, or 20 cents per share, in its fiscal third quarter on just over...

Boise-based Micron Technology moves to shrink chip components, upsize wafers.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Bigger and smaller both can be better for Micron Technology. Micron is converting to bigger silicon wafers that will yield more chips. And the company has invested in ways to make its manufacturing process...

Meridian Planning and Zoning Commission mulls apartments, Walgreens.
July 4, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Meridian Planning & Zoning Commission has endorsed a multi-family housing development and set aside a proposed Walgreen's drugstore for further review. Both projects are planned off Ten Mile Road. The...

Sparks fly over Hailey airport.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Pat Murphy In the 1970s, and again in the early '90s, officials in the Wood River Valley flirted with the idea of building a new, larger airport 25 miles south of the existing one in Hailey. Friedman Memorial Airport, just east...

Analysts praise Boise-based Micron Technology's efforts to diversify products.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Micron Technology's moves to diversify into the flash and image sensor markets are a step in the right direction, analysts say. Micron has a strong strategy to enter the NAND flash memory market, said Joseph...

Qwest: Idaho's new deregulation law doesn't mean instant rate hike.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Qwest Communications Inc. won't increase the rates it charges Idaho consumers and small businesses for basic phone service this year, even though a new telecom-deregulation law allows increases. The law, which the...

Commentary: Perils to guard against at public Internet places ...
July 4, 2005... Byline: Rick Edvalson According to the AAA, a lot of us will be traveling this summer, despite the painfully high gas prices. That means that for many people, the next few months will be a prime time for sightseeing, for visiting family...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: July 4, 2005.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The group that owns Holiday Inns in Ontario, Ore., and Pocatello plans a Candlewood Suites extended-stay hotel in Meridian's SilverStone development. TQ Properties LLC plans to build the three-story, 123-room hotel...

Boise law firms that split march on to serve specialties.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Breaking up isn't always a bad thing for local law firms. A handful of firms that have gone through splits this year said they didn't lose business after going their separate ways - or if they did, they've already...

Software, electronic documents found to save time, personnel.
July 4, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Attorneys' briefcases are starting to get a little lighter. Electronic documents are becoming a larger part of legal practice in Boise, with federal bankruptcy court requiring electronic filing for most cases. ...

Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry presents HP with award for aiding environment.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry (IACI) has presented HP with the 2005 Environmental Excellence Award at its recent annual conference in Coeur d'Alene. The criteria for the IACI Environmental...

Chicago-based Baum Bros. LLC plans new look for Karcher Mall in Nampa.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Karcher Mall's new owner plans to court a mix of national and local retailers, and possibly to develop "nontraditional uses," to reduce the high vacancy in the Nampa complex. Chicago-based Baum Bros. LLC bought the...

Engineering Solutions plans HQ near Fairview & Eagle Road in Meridian.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Idaho Staff Report Engineering Solutions Inc., a land-use planning and civil engineering firm working on several large mixed-use projects, plans to build its own office in Meridian. The firm will own and occupy a...

Idaho National Laboratory research yields better scanning technology for shipped cargo containers.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Rick Carpenter Technology refined at the Idaho National Laboratory near Idaho Falls may be commercialized to help detect traces of nuclear material as well as the contents of shipped cargo containers. Even before 9/11,...

Learn more about the Idaho National Laboratory, owned by the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Rick Carpenter About the INL: The Idaho National Laboratory is one of 10 national labs owned by the U.S. Department of Energy. The lab, which stretches over 570,000 acres, employs more than 3,300 people, including...

Spokesman for Idaho National Laboratory talks about INF's efforts to establish culture of openness.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Rick Carpenter If you signed up to hear retired Vice Admiral John Grossenbacher speak at the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday, you'll probably hear the new director of the Idaho National Laboratory speak candidly...

Retail, office buildings planned for Fairview Avenue in west Boise.
July 11, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Two 6,000-square-foot retail buildings, and sites for two small office buildings, are planned on the north side of Fairview Avenue west of Five Mile Road in west Boise by Tim Opp. "Hopefully we will be on the...

Micron Technology Foundation helps fund Boise State Univ. engineering Ph.D. program.
July 11, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A $320,000 grant from the Micron Technology Foundation to Boise State University will enable the BSU College of Engineering to initiate a doctoral program in computer and electrical engineering. The foundation...

Qwest offers DSL service in Kimberly, Idaho.
July 11, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Qwest Communications International Inc. recently launched Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) broadband service in Kimberly, near Twin Falls. The move follows Qwest's upgrades to the local telecommunications network....

Downtown Boise 'circulator,' better bus system seen as vital.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Imagine riding a commuter train from Nampa or Meridian to Boise. Then imagine getting off the train and having to walk two miles into downtown to do a little shopping. Planners hope to secure funds to start a...

John Grossenbacher, new Idaho National Laboratory chief aims to give 'jewel' new stature.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The former commander of the U.S. submarine fleet recently took the helm at the Idaho National Laboratory west of Idaho Falls, and he hopes to steer INL to greater visibility. "We've got to de-mystify the Lab," said...

Commuter rail for Valley? - Planners eye options.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Commuter rail between Ada and Canyon counties may seem like a far-off vision, but transportation and planning agencies hope to start buying the tracks soon. However, some agency representatives say federal funding...

Boise-based Norco Inc. upgrades acetylene plant.
July 11, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise-based welding, safety products and medical supplier Norco Inc. is building a larger acetylene gas plant on Production Street, east of the Boise Airport. Construction of a 6,000-square-foot building started...

Crane operator at Banner Bank construction site in downtown Boise loves life at the top.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Norbie Henscheid doesn't have to crane his neck to see what's going on at the Banner Bank construction site in downtown Boise. That's because he's the crane operator. What Henscheid really likes is getting...

Hewlett-Packard's Boise site termed one of most inventive.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Hewlett-Packard's Boise site has secured a good reputation in the huge corporation as one of its research and development hotspots. HP officials see a lot of value in the Idaho operations, even though company-wide...

Idaho property-tax panel schedules public meetings around the state.
July 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report An interim legislative study committee charged with evaluating property taxes in Idaho has scheduled a series of meetings around the state for gathering comments from the public. The Interim Committee on...

SBA schedules hearing in Spokane about excessive enforcement of federal regulations.
July 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A hearing to collect comments from small business owners and others concerned about excessive enforcement of federal rules and regulations is scheduled in Spokane this week. The SBA hearing is slated for 9 a.m....

Idaho Shakespeare Festival expands its repertoire to include musicals.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert A funny thing happened on the way to this year's Idaho Shakespeare Festival season. They're doing less Shakespeare - only two of five plays on the '05 marquee. The season includes She Stoops to Conquer, by...

Another Cambria Suite hotel planned northwest of I-84 in Boise.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert A 116-room Cambria Suites hotel is planned northwest of the Interstate 84 - Vista Avenue interchange. The four-story, 78,200-square foot hostelry - one of the first four hotels to open under the Cambria Suites name...

U.S. Small Business Administration's Boise office loan totals grow 17.6%.
July 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The U.S. Small Business Administration's Boise District Office approved 62.5 percent more SBA 7(a) loans and 17.6 percent more SBA 504 loans in the first three quarters of its fiscal year than in the year-earlier...

14,500-ft. bldg. due by Oct. at Central Valley in Meridian.
July 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Rafanelli & Nahas expects to complete the 14,500-square-foot Mountain View Business Center office building in Meridian by Oct. 1. The Boise-based commercial real estate developer and manager expects to sign...

Central Paving Co. in Boise makes lowest bid on Karcher Road interchange project.
July 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Central Paving Co., Boise, is the apparent low bidder to oversee construction of the Karcher Road interchange with Interstate 84 in Nampa. The company's bid, $30,019,003, came in at 95 percent of engineers'...

Commentary: Adware and spyware - the battle for control rages.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Rick Edvalson One man's meat is another man's poison. This is nowhere more evident than in the current fight over the definition of spyware. At its worst, spyware exploits security holes to install itself surreptitiously on...

Sterling Savings Bank considers expanding its Boise-area presence.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Sterling Savings Bank aims to grow its Boise-area presence. Chairman and CEO Bill Zuppe said Spokane-based Sterling "couldn't be more pleased" with early performance at the business-banking center it opened in the...

OSHA partnerships credited for reduction in construction site accidents.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller A surprise visit by a federal safety inspector is about as unwelcome as a thunderstorm at a typical job site, but thanks to new partnerships between contractors and inspectors, Idaho construction accidents are on the...

Ontario contractor's company grows from small housing projects to big contracts for building stores.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Angela Jones Ty Frazier knows something about perseverance. For years, the Oregon-born man paid his dues working for construction companies in Oregon and Idaho, including a job with Smart Homes in Sun Valley as a project...

Nampa transportation projects designed to ease congestion.
July 18, 2005... Byline: Ken Levy Nampa is on the road to transformation with two major transportation projects worth more than $33 million. The widening of just over a mile of Garrity Boulevard, at $15 million, will take the two-lane road to four...

Boise-based Positron Systems lands contract with Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.
July 18, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise-based Positron Systems, a provider of advanced nondestructive and material characterization testing, has been awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. The contract requires Positron to...

Boise Weekly thrives by serving city's alternative market.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson When Sally and Bingo Barnes bought Boise Weekly four years ago, they knew what they were getting into. Boise's alternative weekly was losing about $50,000 a month, and some advertisers were dropping out because...

Blue Sky Bagels plans 2nd outlet in Meridian, more to open in the future.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert The new owner of Blue Sky Bagels wants to reposition the bagel bakery as a Treasure Valley chain. Mark Hansen, who took over the bagel shop this spring, plans to open up a 2,500-square-foot Blue Sky Bagel in...

Boise developer plans another Eagle Road complex.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Winston Moore says hospitality and retail occupants are likely in a 15-acre development he plans off Eagle Road south of Interstate 84, tagged Grandview Station. Veteran Boise developer Moore said a 95-room Towne...

Boise impact of Hewlett-Packard's 14,500 job cuts seen as moderate.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Hewlett-Packard's announcement last week of plans to cut 14,500 jobs - about 10 percent of its workforce - isn't likely to have a great effect on HP engineers in Boise. But the Boise site's sizable marketing staff...

Idaho fund-raising group to honor philanthropic, charitable deeds.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Rick Carpenter Six individuals and three foundations will receive top honors at the Ninth Annual Idaho National Philanthropy Day luncheon Nov. 16. The Association of Fundraising Professionals Idaho Chapter sponsors the luncheon...

Boise office-space survey shows higher buildings have lower vacancy rates.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The higher the downtown building, the lower its vacancy, a Boise office-space survey shows. Office vacancy averages 5 percent in downtown buildings with at least five floors, compared to 14 percent buildings of...

Developers plan more commercial projects at Eagle Road and Pine Avenue, Meridian.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Developers plan more commercial projects at Eagle Road and Pine Avenue, Meridian. Ron Van Auker, a Meridian-based developer, plans office, manufacturing and retail buildings on 34 acres in the southeast quadrant,...

Metro Express Car Wash and Carrabba's Italian Grill are slated for Eagle & Pine in Meridian.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson A Metro Express Car Wash and a 6,000-square-foot building for Carrabba's Italian Grill are slated at the northeast corner of Eagle Road and Pine Avenue, in the Eagle & Pine Crossing development, Meridian. ...

City planners want Dave Evans Construction to partly redesign Eagle office project.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Dave Evans Construction plans a dozen professional office buildings in Rocky Mountain Business Park, but the Eagle City Design Review Board says Evans must partly redesign them. Evans aims to construct 60,000...

Boise-based Blackfin Technology expands, buys building.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Blackfin Technology, a Boise software company, plans to move its operations from the 8th Street Marketplace to larger quarters at Fairview Avenue and 17th Street. The 5-year-old technology firm recently purchased...

Idaho bankruptcies rise by 11.25 percent in 2nd qtr.
July 25, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho bankruptcy filings increased by 11.25 percent in the second quarter to 2,759, compared to 2,480 in a year earlier. U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Boise saw a sizable batch of new cases compared to the first...

Boise construction volume highest since '01.
July 25, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise construction volume topped $247 million in the first half of the year, the highest first-half total since the $295.4 million recorded four years ago. Big gains in commercial and single-family home...

Organizations face new federal records-destruction rule.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson A new federal rule changes how businesses must destroy documents that contain personal information. The new provision of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), which took effect June 1, mainly aims...

Experts say summer's the time for small businesses to do a 'financial check-up'.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller The arrival of summer means the strongest part of the year for many small businesses, but those who advise them say it's also the most important time for a "financial check-up" to see if you're on the right track so far...

Leasing vs. buying - Time is key to choosing.
July 25, 2005... Byline: Ken Levy Whether you choose to buy or lease vehicles or business equipment often depends on how long you plan on using them. Leasing may be advantageous over the short term, but those who plan to keep or use their vehicle or...

Boise-based Alpha Lending launches two real estate funds.
July 25, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise-based Alpha Lending LLC has announced the launch of two real estate funds designed to meet private investor needs throughout the Pacific Northwest. These enterprises have already funded more than $10...