Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from June 2005

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from June 2005

Is there a VoIP in your future? Voice over Internet Protocol sold as phone cost-cutter.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert "I call it my 'puffer fish mentality.'" Being able to make her small company look like a "big fish" was the main reason Erin Olsen, owner of computer training center PCKeys Technology Solutions, said she switched...

VoIP costs hinge on features, equipment.
June 6, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Comparing prices on voice over Internet protocol phone service can be difficult, because providers base prices on many different factors: features, monthly minutes, number of extensions, length of service contract,...

Demand for small bldgs. stays strong despite rate hikes.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Increases in interest rates on short-term construction loans hasn't kept small commercial buildings from popping up like toadstools around the Treasure Valley. Rates on short-term loans have risen in step with the...

Meridian-based Jacksons Food Stores buys fuel distributor BriCo of Idaho.
June 6, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Jacksons Food Stores family of companies just got bigger. The largest convenience store chain in the Treasure Valley, Meridian-based Jacksons, bolstered its Jackson Oil fuel distribution subsidiary by...

Developer expects summer '06 opening for hotel at El Dorado.
June 6, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Construction of a hotel with 130 to 150 rooms and a 5,000-square-foot conference center is expected to start in late summer and conclude in summer, 2006, in El Dorado Business Campus near Eagle and Overland roads....

Take your time while choosing a VoIP provider.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Voice over Internet protocol service and equipment providers said there's a lot to consider when companies plan to replace their regular phone service with VoIP. Get a demo. Look at more than one option. ...

Internet-based or proprietary options give VoIP users choices.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Despite the name, voice over Internet protocol doesn't necessarily involve the Internet. The basic technology involves changing analog voice signals into digital data packets so a phone call can move over computer...

Idaho's trade trip touted as door opener to Asian countries.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Gov. Dirk Kempthorne and other members of an Idaho trade mission delegation who stumped in four Asian countries last month said access to influential officials gave Idaho companies an edge in seeking business...

Short-term office complex opens in Boise.
June 6, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Davinci Boise, an executive office-suites and "virtual office" complex, was to open this week in a 6,000-square-foot space at Eighth and Main streets. Salt Lake City-based Davinci International remodeled the...

Commentary: Look out! - That laptop may be too hot ...
June 6, 2005... Byline: Rick Edvalson My friend showed up for our meeting the other day with his Styrofoam coffee cup in hand. Printed right across the top was the warning, "Caution! Contents may be hot." Clearly, in our litigious society, one cannot...

Economist: Higher mortgage rates would aid stability.
June 6, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Economist Kelly Matthews wouldn't mind seeing mortgage interest rates head north a bit. "I would like to see mortgage rates go to 6.25," the Wells Fargo regional economist said. "That still wouldn't seriously...

Ada County's apartment vacancy drops further.
June 6, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Apartment vacancy dropped to 7.5 percent in Ada County for the three months ended in late April, down a full percentage point from January and well below the 10.7 percent average recorded in April 2004. The...

3,200-acre mixed-use commuity planned near Emmett.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson A 3,200-acre mixed-use development near Emmett, containing 1,500 homes, two golf courses, commercial centers and public open space, is planned northeast of Emmett, on Black Canyon Reservoir. The Black Canyon...

'Eventing' gets scrutiny - Businesses analyze benefits of bashes.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert For those in the business of planning business events, business is booming. But according to some of them, executives are looking less at fancy menus and more at the bottom line. Even during the post-9/11 slump,...

Treasure Valley's Primary Health clinics sold to MDs, staff.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Thirteen Treasure Valley medical clinics owned by Boise-based Primary Health Inc. have been sold to the care providers who operate them, but will continue to do business as Primary Health Medical Group. Dr....

W&H Pacific diversifies clientele in Idaho.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson W&H Pacific - an engineering and design firm known in Idaho for its road and bridgework - finds itself with a more diverse portfolio today. Work on residential subdivisions, public buildings, resorts and airports...

Moore plans retail building on long-vacant plot near Boise mall.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Winston Moore plans next month to begin building an 11,725-square-foot retail building on one of the last vacant parcels near Boise Towne Square mall. The veteran developer, principal in W. H. Moore Co., acquired...

Got grime? It's the Grease Saver to the rescue!
June 13, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Editor's note: Idaho Innovator is a monthly IBR series, featuring Idaho innovators and their products and services. Grease - The ubiquitous, gooey, thick lubricant is the necessary curse of machine operators,...

Hark's Corner at Franklin and Linder in Meridian to be expanded.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Owners of Hark's Corner plan to expand the Meridian service-retail complex by adding condos, apartments and more commercial buildings. The development, at the southwest corner of Franklin and Linder roads,...

North Wind of Idaho Falls acquires South Carolina firm.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert North Wind Inc., an Idaho Falls-based environmental engineering and cleanup firm, recently acquired Greenville, S.C.-headquartered Pinnacle Consulting Group. Pinnacle, an environmental science, engineering and...

ImageTek opens in office in Meridian, targets growth.
June 13, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Iowa-based ImageTek, which offers document-imaging services, has opened an office with two employees in a 1,000-square-foot space on South Eagle Road in Meridian's SilverStone development. Expansion is planned....

Boise-based Albertsons nearly triples net; Shaw's acquisition credited.
June 13, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Albertsons Inc. reported earnings of $100 million in its fiscal first quarter, or 27 cents per share - up 178 percent from $36 million, or 10 cents a share, a year earlier. The company said higher earnings...

Jim Tomlinson: Developer finds time to devote to community (An IBR Executive Profile).
June 20, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Jim Tomlinson emphasizes 'Associates' when he talks about Tomlinson & Associates. "Often it's, 'Jim Tomlinson did this,' but it's Tomlinson & Associates," he said. The company works with many partners on projects,...

Spud empire? Fertilizer, veggies play growing role at Simplot.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Steak and potatoes may still be a favorite Idaho meal, but they're not the mainstay of Idaho's largest privately held company anymore. The U.S. market for frozen french fries, for decades king of J.R. Simplot...

Aaron's English Grille in Meridian to dish up English delights.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert For those who salivate at the thought of steak and kidney pie, a planned Meridian restaurant promises a taste of Britain. Aaron's English Grille and Tap House is planned to open in mid-to-late November at the...

Technology license plate designs play up innovation, patent totals.
June 20, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Winning entries in a license plate design contest have given the state of Idaho new ammunition for promoting its science and technology sector. The Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor's Office of Science...

Chamber's '05 Small Business Awards go to four Boise firms.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Four companies have been named 2005 Small Business Award winners by the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce. The four winners - honored June 16 at the Boise Centre on the Grove - and their size categories, are:...

New version of Fort Street apartment project due this year.
June 20, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Jim Tomlinson expects to revive plans for Cathedral Place, an apartment project at 12th and Fort streets. In 2001, with Boise Housing Corp. and the Cathedral of the Rockies church, Tomlinson & Associates...

Citi Cards plans 185 more jobs at SilverStone Center in Meridian.
June 20, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Citi Cards plans to add 185 jobs at its operations center in the SilverStone development, in the southeast quadrant of Overland and Eagle roads, Meridian. "Our decision to expand in the Treasure Valley allows...

Commentary: What time is it in Tipperary? - Get Microsoft to tell you ...
June 20, 2005... Byline: Rick Edvalson To ensure that we don't miss important calls from our clients, we automatically forward after-hours phone calls to our office to the cell phone of one of our managers. For a time, one potential vendor had an...

Boise's Former American Linen building to be redeveloped.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson In-fill developer David Hale plans a restaurant and office space in the former American Linen building on the west side of downtown Boise. "It's the centerpiece of the district," he said of the two-story,...

Golfer Johnny Miller to instruct at Caring Foundation golf tourney Aug. 12.
June 20, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report World Golf Hall of Fame member Johnny Miller plans to host a golf clinic during the second annual Idaho Caring Foundation for Children charity tournament Aug. 12 at BanBury Golf Club near Eagle. The event,...

Idaho Falls retail building construction begins.
June 20, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Construction has started on a 6,000-square foot multi-tenant retail building in front of ShopKo at 17th Street and Holmes Avenue in Idaho Falls. Tait and Associates, Boise, and SEZ Construction, Idaho Falls,...

Idaho-based Washington Group International lands better terms for line of credit.
June 20, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Washington Group International Inc. said it improved the terms of its revolving credit facility for the third time in less than two years. Improved terms include a significant reduction in cost, an extension of...

Nanotech experts urge caution with research dollars.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Though the Idaho Department of Commerce and Labor has embraced nanoscience as one of the state's "core competency" technology industries, industry experts urged a healthy skepticism at a recent conference. ...

Out with the old, in with the facelift: Redesigners give aging strip malls new leases on life.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller With new strip malls sprouting up around fast-growing Idaho by the week, older mini-malls are under growing pressure to spruce up their buildings to reel in lost customers. Many older malls are putting on new faces...

Cement shortages expected in Idaho.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller Idaho contractors dodged a bullet when cement supplies tightened and prices soared last year, but they're starting to feel the pinch from shortages as the 2005 construction heats up. "You're one of the states that it...

Strong remodeling market fuels subcontractors' work in Treasure Valley.
June 20, 2005... Byline: Ken Levy Remodeling firms and their subcontractors are enjoying the fruits of the ongoing Treasure Valley construction boom by offering alternatives to relocation and high-energy costs associated with commuting. "Our industry...

Idaho's Power Engineers hits top 100 on design list.
June 20, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Power Engineers, Inc. was recently ranked 97th on the Engineering News-Record Top 500 Design Firms list. Total revenue of more than $87 million, a 20 percent increase over the last year, helped the company move...

Treasure Valley construction numbers jump.
June 20, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Big gains in commercial and single-family home construction in Boise keyed a 46 percent rise in combined project value in May, to $47 million. Several other Treasure Valley cities also reported...

Nampa-based Hansen-Rice earns top metal builder recognition from magazine.
June 20, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Nampa-based Hansen-Rice Inc. has received national recognition as the top metal builder of 2004, according to Metal Construction News. Each May, the magazine publishes an annual ranking of the nation's Top 100...

Cool move: merger may help Caldwell-based Matterhorn ice cream lick the competition.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Rose Reifsnyder Caldwell-based ice cream maker Matterhorn Group Inc. hopes for more expansion following a merger with two other ice cream firms. Matterhorn, in a merger completed in February but announced only recently,...

Medical imaging: Best care - or most profitable?
June 27, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Though numbers of patients at Boise-area medical imaging clinics have been on the increase, practitioners worry that the industry may be overbuilt. "Boise is becoming saturated with MRI," said Pamela Montgomery,...

Subcontractors for Idaho Nat' Lab cleanup to be sought by site-cleanup contractor CH2M-WG Idaho.
June 27, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A $2.9 billion contract to clean up the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho through 2012 includes millions of dollars for subcontractors and suppliers. At its Subcontractor and Supplier Summit planned...

Office space due in converted houses in Horseshoe Bend.
June 27, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A former mill town about 25 miles north of Boise on Idaho 55, Horseshoe Bend, is due to get some office space. Vicki and Larry Coelho recently converted a 1,200-square-foot home at Idaho 55 and Locust Street...

Insurance companies impose restrictions on medical imaging.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Though medical imaging is one of the most profitable areas of medical practice, the industry is being threatened by insurance reimbursement restrictions. Blue Cross of Idaho last June began requiring...

Idaho retailers look forward to losing the 6th sales-tax cent.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho retailers, particularly those selling big-ticket items, have been looking forward to this week. On July 1, the state's 6 percent sales tax drops back to 5 percent. It's the start of the state fiscal year and...

Boise State Univ. construction management students pursue service projects.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Students in the Boise State University construction management program spend plenty of time working and not getting paid. They completed seven volunteer "service-learning" projects in the field in the spring...

Boise-based Preco Electronics sells Illinois facility.
June 27, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Preco Electronics, Inc., which produces vehicle communications systems for the commercial vehicle and heavy equipment industries, recently sold its Morton, Ill., contract manufacturing facility to Vansco...

Boise-based Micron Foundation helps launch Boise State Univ. Ph.D.
June 27, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A $320,000 grant from the Micron Technology Foundation to Boise State University enables the BSU College of Engineering to start a doctorate program in computer and electrical engineering. The foundation...

Boise print shops make most of new, 'colorful' technology.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson As print-job customers wonder how they ever got by without full color, several Boise printers find themselves working with a broader base of clients. Cahill Jones started BizPrint 15 years ago as a quick-print...

Meridian-based Univ. of Phoenix MBA students must find, solve business problems.
June 27, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Students in a new MBA program at the University of Phoenix will be putting aside their textbooks to earn their degrees. Instead of answering problems identified in a textbook, students in the "problem-based...

Warren Buffett tells Boiseans he'll keep Pacificorp long-term.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The Oracle of Omaha's buy-and-hold strategy appeared to play well in Boise. Warren Buffett, the billionaire also known in Wall Street circles as the "World's Greatest Investor," told an audience at a regional...

Idacomm partners with Pa. firm on power-line broadband.
June 27, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idacomm plans to beef up its Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) service, offered mainly to electric utilities, by partnering with a Pennsylvania company. Broadband Energy Networks, based in Upper Darby, Pa.,...

Boise Chamber opens Small Business Success Center.
June 27, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce has opened the Small Business Success Center, which combines an online business academy and the programs and resources of two organizations that lost federal funding. The...

Boise-based Micron Techonolgy's $128 million quarterly loss amounts to 20 cents a share.
June 27, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Micron Technology Inc. reported a $128 million net loss in its fiscal third quarter ending June 2, or 20 cents a share, on net sales of $1.05 billion. Analysts' expectations amounted to an average of 2 cents...

Commentary: Buy-Sell agreement - Don't leave the office without it.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Robert Ballard Over 90 percent of the businesses in the U.S. are closely held (nonpublic). So it's obvious how important these businesses are to the U.S. economy. However, there is always a dark cloud hanging over closely held...

Commentary: Ownership changes require identifying social contracts.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Wayne Schmaltz About 90 percent of all U.S. businesses are family-owned or controlled and at any given time 35 to 40 percent are facing the transfer of ownership issue. Most businesses owners believe a business changing hands...

Commentary: A firm that outlives its founder - it can happen.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Robert Thomas The longer a business remains in family hands, the greater the potential for conflict. Why? The number of potential successors grows exponentially with each generation, increasing the opportunities for...

Commentary: Succession planning not just for big business.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Kurt Williams Succession planning is a human resources term for "key position replacement strategies." The purpose of succession planning is to map out organization change and improve the chances of moving in the right direction,...

Commentary: A company's present, future leaders key to success.
June 27, 2005... Byline: Jerry Aldape Succession planning is one of those "proactive" initiatives that many businesses simply don't have the time to undertake. Most organizations are realizing only now that their sole competitive edge is the bench...