Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from June 2008

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from June 2008

Employers can help more people claim tax credit.
June 1, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report A seminar slated June 5 will cover a federal tax-credit program that employers can offer to qualifying employees. The free seminar on the Advanced Earned Income Tax Credit program is slated from 9:30 to 11:30...

Kiplinger's names Boise fourth best city to live, work and play in.
June 1, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Boise chalked up another spot on a national best cities list - this time coming in at No. 4 on Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine's Top 10 2008 Best Cities to Live, Work and Play, announced today. The magazine -...

Lee & Associates expands into Idaho.
June 1, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg Lee & Associates recently acquired The Winder Company, which has been involved in countless office, retail, industrial and land projects over the last 29 years. The large national commercial real estate firm will open up...

Micron, Intel unveil new memory chip.
June 1, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Computer giants Intel and Micron, according to a release, stated it has created the industry's most advanced NAND memory chip. The new 34 nanometer (nm) NAND memory device is the first sub-40nm multi-level cell...

Ben Quintana takes on Boise Valley Economic Partnership responsibilities.
June 1, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Ben Quintana has been named a director of Business Development for the Boise Valley Economic Partnership in Boise. Quintana, manager of the Chamber's Boise Young Professionals (BYP) and former director of the...

Washington Division unit in Boise to manage Hanford tank cleanup.
June 1, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report URS Corp.'s Washington Division, Boise, is part of the team that the U.S. Department of Energy picked to manage cleanup of underground waste tanks at the Hanford nuclear site in southeast Washington. The $7.1...

Idaho metal recyclers: One man's junk.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin Some Idaho metal recyclers are making investments in new equipment and operations, spurred by unrelenting high prices for metals and long-term changes in consumer behavior that are leading more people to avoid paying...

Innovator addresses IdaVation conference in Garden City.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone More than 100 of Boise's best and brightest entrepreneurs gathered early Thursday morning at the Garden City DoubleTree to hear a breakfast keynote by business innovator Gary Hoover, founder of Internet-based...

Commodity prices pressure water program in Idaho.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson A program that pays farmers to take acres out of irrigated production isn't as widely used as state water officials hoped, thanks to high commodity prices. The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, funded by...

Lighting the way for pilots.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin Mike D'Amico was landing his experimental single-engine plane at dusk at the Caldwell Airport a few years ago, when he hit a burst of headwinds that slowed his aircraft. As D'Amico flew against the strong airstream...

Study by Idaho Smart Growth challenges infill assumptions.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg When up to 60 high-density housing units were proposed on farmland on Boise's Central Bench Rim in the mid-1990s, the neighbors were not pleased. The neighborhood formed an association, and 32 people testified against...

Twin Falls home sales rise in '08.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg The number of homes sold in Twin Falls County has increased substantially since the beginning of the year, offering mixed signals about the housing market's prospects. In 2008, the number of homes sold increased from 39...

AFI Packaging selects site west of Caldwell.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson AFI Packaging, a contract manufacturer of allergen-free food products, by late August plans to set up operations on 1.8 acres on Idaho 19, west of Caldwell near Greenleaf. The new company initially will employ 15...

TNG merger with Orange County-based Synoptek to boost IT outsourcing.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Orange County-based systems consulting and IT outsourcing firm Synoptek has acquired longtime Boise area Web site development and computer networking company, The Network Group, in a merger both parties say will...

Sage Community Resources fills financial gap for start-ups in Idaho.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg When North American Foods' potato processing plant closed in Glenns Ferry earlier this year, 110 people were suddenly unemployed. It was devastating to a city with a population of 1,611. Department of Commerce...

Sage Community Resources fills financial gap for start-ups.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg When North American Foods’ potato processing plant closed in Glenns Ferry earlier this year, 110 people were suddenly unemployed. It was devastating to a city with a population of 1,611. Department of Commerce...

Developers of Nampa golf course file for bankruptcy.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin The developers of the Hunter's Point golf course and housing community in Nampa have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, saying the weak economic climate and the squeeze on home mortgages has dried up the company's cash...

Correction.(Correction notice)
June 2, 2008... An article in the May 25 issue under the headline “Bank of the West opens branch” should have read that the Bank of the West opened a branch at 1630 S. Wells Ave., Meridian, on May 21.

Boise-based WaterCooler opens doors.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone When most people look at a run-down warehouse they don't think tech hive, but that's what developer Mark Rivers has created with the WaterCooler at 1401 W. Idaho Street in downtown Boise. Touted as the world's...

Alliance Title consolidates units on Emerald St. in Boise.
June 2, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Alliance Title & Escrow Corp. is consolidating several Boise departments, due in part to the sluggish housing market. The privately held company based in Boise leased 11,400 square feet in the 21,000-square-foot...

Horizon Air makes changes to Idaho flights.
June 2, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho-based Horizon Air travelers will have to get accustomed to schedule changes after the carrier announced on May 27 that it would be undertaking a major reorganization of is Idaho service. Horizon representatives...

Boise-based U.S. Geothermal to explore Nevada hot spots.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Boise-based renewable energy company U.S. Geothermal, Inc. entered into a joint venture agreement with Gerlach Green Energy LLC to explore the Gerlach geothermal system in northwestern Nevada. U.S. Geothermal is...

CCDC adopts new sustainable development policy in Boise.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin Boise's urban renewal agency adopted a new sustainable development policy on May 27 that gives priority to projects that make efficient use of natural resources and energy. The policy directs the Capital City...

Commentary: 2008 primary: Re-learning old lessons.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Steve Ahrens Right before an election, you'll often hear some political sage wisely aver that Well, we'll all be a lot smarter after next Tuesday's voting. In other words, after they know the results, wannabe political...

Commentary: Making life easier sometimes exposes us to real life.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Robb Hicken I was almost convinced two weeks ago to begin doing all my banking transactions online. Cash has always been the preferential manner of paying for things. I'm not much into credit and have a hard time with banks...

Boise State brings wind power to rural schools.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone While it may be true that energy sustainability begins at home, it can get a big boost in the classroom. That's what Boise State University is hoping to do with help from a three-year, $41,000 per year Department of...

Idaho loses innovative icon.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Agribusiness icon J.R. Simplot, Idaho's self-made and personable billionaire, died May 25 at his Boise home. He was 99. Mr. Simplot was a dynamic individual who had foresight, longtime Simplot family friend Velma...

J.R. Simplot Co. Pres. Hlobik: 'He was one of those people who seemed like they could live forever'.
June 2, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Simplot Company president and CEO Larry Hlobik expressed regret at the passing May 25 of founder J. R. Simplot and sent condolences to family members. This is a sad day for our employees, all Idahoans, and especially...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: June 2, 2008.
June 2, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff The U.S. Government leased 7,150 square feet at 8455 W. Emerald St., Boise, for the 2010 Census. Diane Kiehn and Jennifer McEntee of Grubb & Ellis Idaho Commercial Group represented the property owner. Millennium...

Bid Briefs.
June 2, 2008... A Spectrum Pointe retail building shell is planned on Overland Road in Boise. Details of the 5,700-square-foot project are available from Rimrock Construction, Phillip White,  11635 S. 11635 S. 1100 E., Suite 100, Draper, Utah 84020. A bid...

Idaho Attorney General Wasden to answer NAAGing questions.
June 2, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff From clotheslines to reactor cores, energy issues shift ceaselessly across a broad and increasingly complex landscape. Midway through his second term, Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden makes his first City Club...

Contracts Awarded.
June 2, 2008... MBA General Contracting LLC, Blackfoot, is the new general contractor for the Bingham Memorial Hospital medical office building at 98 Poplar St., Blackfoot. Cost not listed. North River Construction, Coeur d’Alene, is the general...

It's not home ... but it's close.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Businesses can turn a profit while also providing a service essential to the well-being of society. That's what many assisted living facilities in the area attempt to do. Six years ago, Garold Maxfield saw a need...

Elderly living long and well - with assistance.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Megan Plantenga has been an associate of Valley View Retirement Community, a Boise senior care facility, for six years. With a professional background in sales, she began her employment with Valley View in its...

Memories motivate women to open elder-care facility.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg Dayna Wilhite-Grow grew up down the street from her grandma. As Grandma grew older, she got sick. The family tried to keep her at home as long as possible, but eventually the care was beyond them and they had to move her...

Building Permits.
June 2, 2008... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 01084-sign    Sundance Investments LP    Aim Sign...

Regulators approve Idaho Power rate increases.
June 2, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Idaho Power customer bills went up Sunday after state regulators approved rate increases to the Power Cost Adjustment that will effectively raise the amount all customer classes have to pay by an average of 10.7...

TechLaunch business competition in Idaho winners announced.
June 3, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff The winners of this year's Entrepreneurial Idol business competition were announced on Tuesday: Caring Technologies, a Boise-based healthcare technology company; agricultural technology firm Syeapps, Inc. of Twin Falls;...

Remodeled homes tour showcases projects in Boise.
June 3, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg Local remodeled homes will strut their stuff at a tour hosted by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry this weekend. The tour goes from 11am to 5pm both June 7 and 8 and will feature 15 homes in the...

Boise mayor lays out major goals for city.
June 3, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin Boise will build a whitewater recreation park, erect a new signature library, revive a trolley system in the city and secure local option funding for public transportation, in the next three years, Boise Mayor Dave...

Minimum wage to step up in July.
June 3, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff State and federal minimum wages are scheduled to increase another 70 cents an hour July 24, providing a mid-summer boost of up to 12 percent in the paychecks of tens of thousands of low-paid Idaho workers, the Idaho...

Idaho Energy Complex: Nuclear complex reps to hold public meetings.
June 3, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff A series of hearings are the next steps in the development of the Idaho Energy Complex - a proposed 1,600-megawatt nuclear reactor in Elmore County The first will be Tuesday, June 10, at the Mountain Home Junior High...

Unclaimed funds list made available for public in Idaho.
June 3, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho taxpayers have until June 30 to see if the state owes them unclaimed funds. The Idaho State Tax Commission said in a release that more than $1.8 million of the state's total of $48 million in unclaimed money...

Electric cars come to Treasure Valley.
June 4, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone As gas prices nudge their way into the $4 per gallon zone, electric cars are gaining in popularity. Once considered cost prohibitive or unrealistic by auto execs and many motorists, zero emissions, slow-speed vehicles...

Buck Knives cuts 23 jobs in Post Falls.
June 4, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg As announcements of job cuts from major auto and airline companies come pouring in, a 23-employee cut by Buck Knife doesn't seem too extreme. But in a 200-person company, that loss is painful. Buck cites the slowing...

Downtown Boise Association moves Alive After Five indoors.
June 4, 2008... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report The Downtown Boise Association has canceled the outdoor version of this week's Alive After Five, but the band, the Pieta Brown Trio, will perform at the Bouquet (1020 W. Main Street) in Boise....

CSC Building to be remodeled.
June 4, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Starting on Monday, portions of the CSC building (formerly known as the Chandler Supply Company) will be renovated and demolished, according to a company spokeswoman. The CSC building is located on Orchard and...

Idaho-based Agrium to add jobs.
June 4, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Agricultural chemical producer Agrium plans to add 17 jobs expected to pay nearly $24 an hour on average, with benefits, the Idaho Department of Labor said in a release. The southeastern Idaho company could receive up...

Idaho Falls-based biogas company fills orders.
June 4, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Intrepid Technology and Resources Inc., a renewable biogas alternate energy and soil amendment company, has filled its first product shipments in the Idaho Falls area. Jack Haffey, CEO of Intrepid, stated, it...

Agreement struck to keep Navy nuclear fuel research at Idaho National Laboratory.
June 4, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report U.S. Naval nuclear operations are set to stay at the Idaho National Laboratory beyond 2035, according to an agreement signed by state and U.S. Navy officials Governor C.L. Butch Otter said in a release the deal...

Chapter 11 is over for Boise Place.
June 4, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Jim Pappas put an end to developer Gary Rogers' plans to build a tower on the hole at the heart of Boise's downtown during a hearing on Wednesday. The judge rejected a disclosure statement...

Keystone Automotive Operations opens Burley facility.
June 5, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Keystone Automotive Operations, Inc. opened its 25th receiving and distribution building on June 2 in Burley. The 13,000 square-foot facility will open with a four-state delivery base - including Idaho, Utah,...

International Isotopes to expand I.F. facilities, add jobs.
June 5, 2008... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report International Isotopes Inc. announced Wednesday it will be constructing a facility to process depleted uranium hexafluoride tails from uranium enrichment operations. Company officials said...

Idaho woman sentenced for unemployment benefits fraud.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Department of Labor investigators identified more than $7 million in fraudulent unemployment benefit claims, which carried more than $1 million in penalties, in fiscal 2007 and fiscal 2006. One recent fraud...

Eagle-based high-tech tracking firm announces new president.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Eagle-based high-tech tracking company Sky Detective said Thursday that sales director Todd Kleperis had been appointed president of the company. His depth of experience in the international as well as domestic...

Idaho growth rates revised downward.
June 6, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report The pace of Idaho's real economic growth in 2006 was significantly reduced by the U. S. Bureau of Economic Analysis on June 5, the Idaho Department of Labor said in a release. Idaho's growth estimate for 2007 was...

Grants offered to expand use of electronic medical record systems in Idaho.
June 6, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Health Information Collaborative, a public-private partnership based in Seattle, is offering grants of up to $20,000 each to physician clinics and hospitals in Idaho to support increased used of electronic...

New companies looking at eastern Idaho, one expands.
June 6, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Five new companies are looking to move into the area, but Eastern Idaho economic planners are being tight-lipped about the details. I don't really want to say right now because things can always change, said...

TechLaunch competition winners in Idaho announced.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone The winners of this year's Entrepreneurial Idol business competition were announced on June 3: Caring Technologies, a Boise-based health care technology company; agricultural technology firm Syeapps, Inc. of Twin...

Appraisers getting an earful.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Residential property appraisers encounter more people in bad moods lately. This appraisal was extremely below value and I was not made aware of this before inspection, a customer wrote in an e-mail to Boise-based...

Building Permits.
June 9, 2008... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 01155-sign    not listed    Yesco    5874 W...

Josh Mercaldo: conduit, partner matrix, strategist and Mesch Media principal.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Josh Mercaldo, 30, got what he calls the entrepreneurial bite while working his first job just out of college at a Boise company called MediaPhex (now Wirestone). The Idaho State University graduate with a degree in...

Chapter 11 a no-go for Boise Place.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Jim Pappas put an end to developer Gary Rogers' plans to build a tower on the hole at the heart of Boise's downtown during a hearing on Wednesday. The judge rejected a disclosure...

Corporate internships fill specialty pipeline in Idaho.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Internship programs play an increasingly important role in corporate efforts to fill unusual or otherwise specialized jobs. Potlatch Corp. employs a geographic information systems intern who helps map the...

Confidential tax settlements in Idaho available to all.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Corporate tax breaks that Idaho granted confidentially for the past 17 years made news recently, after a longtime auditor for the state Tax Commission released a report contending that the practice cost the state...

State and federal minimum wages to step up in July.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson State and federal minimum wages are scheduled to increase another 70 cents an hour July 24, providing a mid-summer boost of up to 12 percent in the paychecks of tens of thousands of low-paid Idaho workers, the Idaho...

Eastern Idaho planners see potential business moves.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Five new companies are looking to move into Eastern Idaho, but they're being tight-lipped about the details. I don't really want to say right now because things can always change, said Bannock Development...

Idaho Supreme Court to hear legal notices case.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin The Idaho Supreme Court is scheduled this week to hear an appeal of a judge's ruling on whether publishing legal notices in the Idaho Business Review provides sufficient legal notification. The appeal stems from a...

Portico development takes shape in Meridian location.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg Gardner Ahlquist Development will break ground this week on another building in The Portico at Meridian, located at Franklin and Eagle. Construction began in November on the first buildings in the 24-acre development,...

New turbine goes online at Evander Andrews plant in Mountain Home.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Idaho Power Co.'s new 170-megawatt gas-fired Danskin CT1 power plant at Evander Andrews Power Complex in Mountain Home went on-line less than a month ago, but since the Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved a...

Regulators approve Idaho Power rate increases.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Idaho Power customer bills went up Sunday after state regulators approved rate increases to the Power Cost Adjustment that will effectively raise the amount all customer classes have to pay by an average of 10.7...

Fred Meyer planned at corner of Chinden, Linder in Eagle.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg A new Fred Meyer store has been proposed at the northeast corner of Chinden and Linder in Eagle. It will anchor the 40-acre Eagle Island Marketplace, developed by the Eisenberg Company of Phoenix. The...

Buying in bulk not the only answer.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Robb Hicken A good friend of mine gasped with disbelief. She said that in her position at Peasley Transfer she had an opportunity to walk across the street to the gas station with one of the truck drivers who makes deliveries for...

Keystone Automotive Operations opens Burley facility.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Robb Hicken Keystone Automotive Operations, Inc. opened its 25th receiving and distribution building on June 2 in Burley. The 13,000 square-foot facility will open with a four-state delivery base - including Idaho, Utah,...

Lakemoor developer keeping his options open in Eagle.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise-area developer Dennis Baker is moving ahead with plans to develop the retail component of Lakemoor, a commercial and residential project slated south of downtown Eagle. Poag & McEwen on May 29 said it put its...

Boise mayor lays out major goals for city for next 3 years.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin Boise will build a whitewater recreation park, erect a new signature library, revive a trolley system in the city and secure local option funding for public transportation over the next three years, Boise Mayor Dave...

Research grant aids Kimberly-based soil restoration firm.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone With help from a National Science Foundation grant, a Kimberly-based company is researching new methods of arid land restoration that it hopes may help bring back to life thousands of acres of wildfire-ravaged and...

Canyon County deputies invest in new stun gun.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Canyon County Sheriff's patrol officers will soon be equipped with a new type of electronic immobilization device. Lt. Daren Ward, of the CCSO, said the department has purchased eight Stinger S-200 stun guns, with...

Taxpayers in Idaho have until June 30 to see if they're entitled to 'unclaimed' money from state.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho State Tax Commission said in a release that more than $1.8 million of the state's total of $48 million in unclaimed money will go to the state general fund on July 1, the first day of the new fiscal year. ...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: June 9, 2008.
June 9, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff RMT Equipment (Rocky Mountain Turf) purchased the 8,216-square foot former Carpet Time industrial / retail building at 2150 S. Century Way, Boise, near South Cole Road. The business plans to use the building and 1-acre...

Contracts Awarded.
June 9, 2008... Hill Construction, Meridian, is the general contractor for an addition at Boise New Hope Church of Nazarene, 8585 W. Overland Road, Boise. Cost not listed. RJ Development Services LLC, Olympia, is the owner, builder and developer of an...

Bid Briefs.
June 9, 2008... A Phones Plus retail center is planned at 1700 Northwest Blvd., Coeur d’Alene. Details of the 3,010-square-foot project are available from Polin & Young Construction, P.O. Box 3701, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83816-2529. A bid opening for...

Boise-based Albertsons LLC sheds 49 Florida stores.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Albertson's LLC said it accepted an offer from Publix Super Markets, Inc. to purchase 49 of the company's stores in Florida. Boise-based Albertsons LLC said in a release that it expects the asset transaction to...

WOW Logistics expands Jerome distribution center.
June 9, 2008... Byline: Robb Hicken WOW Logistics is expected to expand its 307,000-square-foot distribution center in Jerome. The $4.5 million expansion began in April and will add an additional 127,00 square feet of public warehousing space bringing...