Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from June 2009

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from June 2009

9th Circuit lifts stay on Simplot's Smoky Canyon mine.
June 5, 2009... Byline: Mark Mendiola The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Thursday, June 4, lifted a stay on preparatory expansion work at the J.R. Simplot Co.'s Smoky Canyon Mine, which company officials said would have forced the layoff of 114...

Boise Inc. regains compliance with NYSE.
June 5, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Boise Inc., a manufacturer of packaging products and papers, received notice from the New York Stock Exchange that the company's 30-day average share price met the requirements to restore compliance with the $1.00 minimum...

In Idaho, May jobless rate hits 22-year high.
June 5, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Nearly 5,600 Idaho workers lost their jobs last month, sending the forecasted seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for May to 7.8 percent - a 22-year high. Preliminary estimates found 38,000 fewer jobs across the state...

Meridian suspends fire, police impact fees on commercial permits.
June 5, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Meridian City Council, in an effort to help foster commercial development, on June 2 approved a resolution waiving the requirement for payment of fire and police impact fees on all commercial building permits. The...

Idaho to lead return to good times.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone Taking another look at the underlying data, Boise State University urban scholar and technology entrepreneur Chris Blanchard is less enthusiastic about a report released by Moody's Economy.com last week that predicts...

Night of the living debt: Claims, counterclaims dominate court dockets.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Angela Riley Zombie debts keep rising from the dead and, some attorneys say, are haunting consumers and our courts. Their numbers are uncertain, but their ability to inflict harm is great and, like their namesake, they are...

Boise firms say learn how, when to shed bad debt.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin Automated Office Systems of Boise has some leverage over customers who aren't paying their bills since the company services the copiers and mailing machines it leases. Then again, there's a client like the real...

Boise-based Micron to sell bulk of ownership in Aptina Imaging.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone Less than a year after acquiring it as a wholly owned subsidiary, Micron Technology announced on June 1 that it has signed an agreement with Riverwood Capital and TPG Capital to sell 65 percent of its ownership in...

Boise mayor hopes 'Green House' incubator sparks innovation.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin Boise Mayor Dave Bieter announced the creation of new business incubator to support local alternative energy startups during his State of the City address June 3. The Green House will fill a soon-to-be-vacant...

Forum in Boise to address pitfalls for homebuilders in recovery.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg The new home market is starting to recover, one Treasure Valley analyst says, but builders need to be careful about where they build. We're trying to recover and come out of this horrible real estate market we've...

Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo predicts short-lived economic rebound.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo admitted to feeling a little dispirited these days during a morning gathering May 29 with Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce officials. When somebody asks how I'm doing, I generally say, 'Other...

Simplot mine, plant face possible layoffs in Idaho.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Mark Mendiola The J.R. Simplot Co. this week will notify 78 employees at its Pocatello fertilizer plant and 36 workers at its Smoky Canyon Mine of impending layoffs after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on May 21 reimposed a...

Idaho energy sector wages still almost twice average.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone Though suffering declines from a slumping computer chip market and ongoing housing crunch, Idaho's energy sector is still a vital part of Idaho's economy, according to a study released by the Idaho Department of Labor...

Idaho National Laboratory, contractors hiring through June 10 job fair.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho National Laboratory and its contractors are participating in a job fair at Eastern Idaho Technical College June 10 as they consider expanding payrolls to meet demands of the federal stimulus package for...

Sparrow Hawk office project in Meridan lures businesses following rent decrease.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Prices have been reduced at the Sparrow Hawk suburban office complex in response to the market downturn. The site is on the north side of Franklin Road between Eagle and Locust Grove roads, Meridian. Rents and...

Commentary: Internet revolutionizes lobbying tactics.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Steve Ahrens Lobbying - the gentle (sometimes) art of persuasion - is an essential part of our political system. The basic elements are the same today as they were way back when experienced lobbyists and legislators, in the...

Commentary: IdaVation inspiring Idaho innovations.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Ben Quintana "Drop the Silicon Valley envy, advises Brad Feld, a rock star venture capitalist and triumphant entrepreneur from Boulder, Colo. Feld was featured as the keynote speaker at IdaVation, the annual education and...

Placement firm plans employment fair in Garden City- with traditional jobs.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Not even longtime career-placement specialist and positive thinker Becky Gates liked what she saw at a recent Boise-area job fair, which she said was long on commission sales positions and short on jobs that pay a...

Sorrento holds groundbeaking for Nampa expansion.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Sorrento Lactalis on May 29 broke ground on a multimillion-dollar expansion of its whey drying operations in northeast Nampa. The Canyon County Planning and Zoning Commission in mid-March approved the expansion, which...

Mortgage industry in Idaho cleans house.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Consider the present upheaval in the mortgage industry as a sifting the chaff from the wheat kind of process. With the impurities weeded out of the industry, the businesses and individuals still standing are stronger...

Apartment lenders in U.S. remain cautious.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Fannie Mae, a key player in financing apartment projects, is paying special attention to U.S. cities like Las Vegas that have been particularly hard-hit by the real estate downturn. Boise is not on this watch list,...

Boise-based TitleOne adds share in tough market.(Company overview)
June 8, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson TitleOne Corp. is adding staff and revenue. A surge in mortgage-refinancing activity and an improving home-sales environment are helping, as are market-share gains in a contracting competitive environment, President...

Idahoans in the News: June 8, 2009.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Promotions New York Life Insurance promotes Ellis to partner Alayna Ellis has been promoted to partner of the Idaho General Office of New York Life Insurance Co. In this capacity, her main responsibilities will...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: June 8, 2009.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Bodybuilding.com expanded to 21,184 square feet in the Cedar Point Building, at Silverstone Park in the southeast quadrant of Eagle and Overland roads, Meridian. The Sundance Co. handled the transaction. Shamrock...

Bid Briefs.
June 8, 2009... Whittier Elementary School portable classroom building projects, Boise. Bids 2 p.m. June 9 to Boise School District. Vallivue School District office addition, Caldwell. Bids 2 p.m. June 9 to Vallivue School District. Kootenai County...

Contracts.
June 8, 2009... Hi Grade Underground has been awarded the contract for Deer Flat water line construction, Kuna. Bid not listed. Richard B. Jordan is the apparent low bidder for a meter pit installation project, Kingston. Bid not listed. Interstate...

Building Permits.
June 8, 2009... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 00817-addition    Old Boise LLC    not listed    106...

No. 2? No way, says Apria Healthcare in Boise.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Scott Graime, patient care coordinator at the newly opened Apria Healthcare office in Boise, said that, for his firm, being No. 2 is pretty much uncharted territory. It's unusual to be the underdog, Graime said. ...

Recession stifles Idaho's 2008 gross state product.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The total value of Idaho goods and services rose just 1.2 percent in 2008 as the onset of the national recession offset productivity gains in the first half of the year, holding gross state product to its smallest annual...

Idaho Department of Environmental Quality eyes Moscow redevelopment site.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality seeks public comment on a draft work plan to clean up contamination at the former Jackson Street Silos site at 625 S. Jackson St., Moscow. The site is slated for redevelopment...

Boise-based A10 Capital completes 'sign of times' apartment financing deal.
June 8, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise-based A10 Capital on June 8 announced that its Lending Group provided financing for the purchase of a defaulted loan secured by a large apartment complex in the western U.S. A10's customer is an opportunity...

Ada County to present power line project to residents.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho Power's Gateway West power transmission line project will be the focus of a town hall meeting at Kuna High School on June 11 hosted by the Ada County Board of Commissioners. Idaho Power, Rocky Mountain Power and...

Construction spending in Idaho falls in April.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Cities and counties across Idaho issued permits for building projects worth $90.6 million in April, down 36 percent from March valuation. That's according to new numbers from Wells Fargo, which collects permit...

Kendrick farmer earns recognition for precision agriculture.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Kendrick farmer Robert Blair was named Precision Farmer of the Year by the PrecisionAg Institute last week, in the Ohio-based organization's third annual PrecisionAg Awards of Excellence. Blair earned the award in...

Idaho Labor Dept., libraries join forces to help workers.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho Department of Labor and public libraries throughout the state are collaborating to assist workers in identifying their future career paths. Libraries will receive a year's subscription to the department's...

Idaho Department of Insurance warns agents of telephone scam.
June 8, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho Department of Insurance is warning insurance agents to look out for a telephone scam designed to get them to cough up personal information. The department says scammers are posing as insurance department...

Treasure Valley foreclosures jump again.
June 9, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff After a refreshing breather in April, Treasure Valley foreclosure filings took off on a race for the record books again in May. The number of foreclosures started in May jumped to 784, up from 712 in April and just...

Elmore nuclear plant debate tabled to June 15.
June 9, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone Though at times they seemed close to a vote, Elmore County Commissioners backed away on June 8 from making a final decision on Alternate Energy Holdings' request to rezone 1,300 acres of agricultural land near Hammett...

SBA honors Boise-based Zions Bank as First Mortgage Lender of Year.
June 9, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The U.S. Small Business Administration recently honored Zions Bank as First Mortgage Lender of the Year. The recognition reflects Zions' performance in making first mortgage loans in conjunction with SBA 504 projects for...

Thornton launches Zoliath.com in Boise.
June 9, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Tim Thornton, partner and retail property specialist with Intermountain Commercial Real Estate in Boise, has launched Zoliath.com. The online venture is an Internet-based commercial real estate services platform. ...

Boise City Council to consider $2M in stimulus money.
June 9, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Boise City Council will discuss how to how to dole out $2.04 million in federal economic stimulus money at an afternoon meeting June 9. A group of city staff, meeting at least weekly since March, has assembled a...

Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick joins Obama in call for fiscal discipline.
June 9, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick and other members of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition joined President Barack Obama at the White House today for an announcement about a new push toward fiscal discipline. Obama...

Meridian acute care hospital names new executives.
June 9, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Complex Care Hospital of Idaho has announced the appointment of a new CEO and director of business development. Dave Fenello, formerly of Kindred Hospital in Las Vegas, will take the reins as chief executive, and Steve...

Four rural Idaho projects to receive $9.75M in stimulus funds.
June 11, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Four projects that will boost wood-to-energy or biomass potential in rural Idaho will receive $9.75 million in federal economic stimulus money. Idaho Rep. Walt Minnick announced the stimulus money, which will come...

Idaho rural communities receive state grants for job growth.
June 11, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Fifteen cities and counties are set to receive almost $500,000 in grant funds from the state of Idaho, commerce department officials announced on June 11. The Gem Community Grants - an extension of the Idaho Rural...

Boise's Chef Lou's closes, Napoleon's to shut doors June 13.
June 11, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Chef Lou's at 8th Street has closed at 409 S. 8th St., Boise. The restaurant is for sale through Laska Co., Boise, a sign on the Chef Lou's door reads. Also in downtown Boise, Napoleon's Retreat is going out of...

Idaho Falls job fair draws 2,000.
June 11, 2009... Byline: Mark Mendiola Perhaps nothing more vividly illustrated the anguish of the deepening recession than the more than 2,000 people who lined up outside the Eastern Idaho Technical College in Idaho Falls on June 10, in hopes of getting...

Boise chamber announces small business awards.
June 11, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Great Western Barbecue Supply LLC (1-10 employees) and McMillen Engineering & Construction LLC (11-100 employees) are Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award winners, the chamber announced June...

Input sought on Idaho housing, community recovery spending.
June 11, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho Department of Commerce through June 19 will accept public comment on its amendment involving housing and community development activities under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Community...

Two Idaho companies request modified air permits for expansion.
June 12, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Two southwest Idaho companies have requested changes to their air quality permits from the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. Americrete Ready Mix, which does business in Nampa as G & B Redi-Mix, asked DEQ for...

Comment sought on employment services in Idaho.
June 12, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The public can comment through June 22 on proposed changes to the Idaho Department of Labor's Workforce Investment Act and employment and re-employment services programs for 2009-2010. The Workforce Investment Act...

Hoku Scientific struggling to finance Pocatello plant.
June 12, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The sun may be setting on the $390 million polysilicon plant that Hawaii-based solar firm Hoku Scientific is trying to build in Pocatello. According to its fiscal 2009 earnings reported, released June 11, Hoku...

Three more Idaho stimulus projects awarded.
June 12, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Bids on three more stimulus-funded road projects were opened last week. Sletten Construction of Great Falls, Mont., submitted the low bid of $21.6 million for the Dover Bridge replacement on U.S. 2 in northern Idaho....

Developer takes advantage of low costs to begin residential development in Boise.
June 12, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Ted Mason Signature Homes is at work in Boise on the first four townhomes of a 67-townhome community called Ambleside. The development is north of Fairview Avenue off Shamrock Street, next to the Steelwood Enterprise...

Amalgamated Sugar buys building for new Boise HQ.
June 12, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Amalgamated Sugar Co. LLC purchased the 25,696-square-foot Spectrum View Building at 1951 Saturn Way, Boise, for its new corporate headquarters, according to a release from Colliers International, a commercial real...

Idaho attorneys warn trademark owners to register marks with Facebook.
June 12, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Local attorneys are urging trademark owners to register their marks with Facebook before the social networking site allows members to select usernames for their profiles starting on June 13. Intellectual property...

Commercial vacancies decrease in Treasure Valley.
June 15, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff For the third month in a row, vacancies in unanchored Treasure Valley retail properties decreased in May, according to a new report from Thornton Oliver Keller. The report called that decrease an indication that the...

Idaho 'navigator' job-assistance program for disabled nets top honor.
June 15, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff A statewide team of specialists who help workers with disabilities find jobs has received the highest award possible from the International Association of Workforce Professionals. Gordon Graff leads Idaho's Disability...

Boise-based St. Luke's names new chief executive.
June 15, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Boise-based St. Luke's Health System has selected a new president and CEO, hospital officials announced on June 15. David Pate, who is both an M.D. and J.D. degree holder, comes to St. Luke's from unaffiliated...

Idaho gov. appoints new travel council members.
June 15, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The Idaho Travel Council has two new members, the Idaho Division of Tourism reported on June 12. Diane Newman, currently the director of Sales and Catering at the Best Western Burley Inn & Convention Center in Burley,...

Idahoans in the News: June 15, 2009.
June 15, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Promotions/Appointments Linda House transitions to new job at St. Luke's Health System Linda House will transition from her role as director of physician relations within St. Luke's Physician Services to system...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: June 15, 2009.
June 15, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Primary Health Medical Group on June 1 opened a 13,000-square-foot medical clinic at 6052 W. State St., Boise. It replaces the Primary Health Medical Group Wellness Clinic off Veteran's Parkway and the Specialist Center...

Contracts.
June 15, 2009... Lurre Construction, Inc., is the apparent low bidder for work on taxiways at the Caldwell Airport, Caldwell. Bid: $522,169. Granite Excavation is the apparent low bidder for work on taxiways at McCall Municipal Airport, McCall. Bid:...

Bid Briefs.
June 15, 2009... Sand shed construction, Malta. Bids 2 p.m. June 15 to Idaho Transportation Department Purchasing. Sand shed construction, Grangeville. Bids 5 p.m. June 15 to Idaho Transportation Department Purchasing. Sand shed construction, north...

Building Permits.
June 15, 2009... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 00251-alteration    Boise City    King Excavation  ...

Executive suites in Boise prove to be wise choice in tough times.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Simon Shifrin Chad Vincent, owner of Renaissance Remodeling, has found a bit of financial stability and a way to pay off the mortgage on his company's 2,500-square-foot office by leasing space to startup companies and small...

Out-of-work Boise couple falls back on natural skills.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Sarah Hilbig considers herself one lucky woman. Last October, her husband Paul got laid off from his job at Kastera Homes. He had worked there for four years as director of land acquisitions, but the...

Watch out, Superman! Boise startup firm develops 'stronger than steel' Power Cordz cable for bikes.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone Tony DuPont is one of those soft-spoken inventors who solves a small problem, but opens the door for big advances. For starters, his company, Io DuPont, has engineered a new type of bike cable called Power Cordz,...

2,000 turn out for Idaho Falls job fair.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Mark Mendiola Perhaps nothing more vividly illustrated the anguish of the deepening recession than the more than 2,000 people who lined up outside the Eastern Idaho Technical College in Idaho Falls on June 10, in hopes of getting...

Ambleside townhomes planned in NW Boise.
June 15, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff A new upscale residential development is on its way to a neighborhood off of Fairview in Boise. Ted Mason Signature Homes is at work on the first four townhomes of a 67-townhome community called Ambleside. The...

Kowallis, Mackey to shed their Commercial Real Estate Services brokerage in Boise.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Doug Kowallis and John Mackey are shedding their NAI Kowallis & Mackey Commercial Real Estate Services brokerage in Boise to cut expenses and concentrate on their longstanding Kowallis & Mackey Commercial Development...

OSHA cites Spokane-based construction company in bridge collapse.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Zach Hagadone Graham Construction & Management, of Spokane, Wash., is facing a $25,200 fine from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, stemming from the October 2008 collapse of the Robinson Road bridge which injured...

Commentary: Unemployment stats distract from issue: people.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Robb Hicken For Chad Dryden, editor of laid-offloser.net, life is moving along slower than he'd expected. An exceptional writer whose talent has furnished him with numerous writing awards, Dryden had worked with the state...

Idaho Smart Growth announces annual Grow Smart awards program.
June 15, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff Idaho Smart Growth is now accepting nominations for its fifth annual Grow Smart awards. The awards recognize the innovative work of communities, builders, planners, architects, organizations and developers whose work...

Retailer OKC-based Hobby Lobby headed for Meridian.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Brad Carlson Oklahoma City-based retail giant Hobby Lobby plans a 55,000-square-foot store in CentrePoint Marketplace, in the northwest quadrant of Eagle and Ustick roads, Meridian. Construction is expected to start by the end of...

Southfork Landing draws builder interest in Garden Valley.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg Developers at the 868-acre Garden Valley community Southfork Landing say they hope to add to their collection of homes this summer. Right now four homes stand on the property, three occupied by homeowners and the...

Lawsuit-stricken Blaine County development OK'd.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg Four and a half years, 30 hearings and one lawsuit into the process, the Blaine County commissioners at the end of May approved a new subdivision south of Bellevue. Plans for the 4,600-acre development on a historic...

First Idaho stimulus contracts given.
June 15, 2009... Byline: IBR Staff The first of Idaho's $150 million of highway projects was awarded to Orofino-based Debco Construction. The U.S. 95 Moscow Mountain passing lane project north of Moscow in Latah County is expected to use 50 people for up...

Employers can help troubled workers, says Redmont Health Services director in Boise.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Is physical pain more societally acceptable than mental pain? Is a bruised knee something it's all right to talk about, while depression over a job loss should be kept to one's self? Not according to Jeff...

Executive office suites a business-space alternative in Eagle.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Michelle D. Guyer is the general manager of Capitol Business Centres at 776 E. Riverside Drive, Suite 200, in Eagle. She has worked for the company since 2005 and has more than 25 years experience in office...

Remodeling contractors in Idaho more likely to sway homeowners with reliability, quality.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg If every homeowner gave his or her remodel project to the lowest bidder, Keilty Remodeling would be out of work. The company almost never puts in the lowest bid on a project, said office manager Chris Keilty, who is...

Idaho Gov. Otter order bars illegal workers from stimulus projects.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg In an effort to make sure all $1.24 billion of Idaho's federal stimulus money finds its way into the pockets of taxpayers, Gov. C.L. Butch Otter signed an order that, among other provisions, attempts to bar illegal...

IHFA funds go to Idaho cities, groups for home rehab work.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg Idaho has embarked on a home rehabilitation program which has administrators building a plane while flying it, as one program leader put it. The Idaho Housing and Finance Association has authorized 10 cities and...

Ammon works through backlog of infrastructure jobs.
June 15, 2009... Byline: Dani Grigg In Ammon, the new-home market has been assaulted on two fronts lately: the economic downturn and an infrastructure backlog. With water and sewer systems lagging behind growth rates, homebuilders have had to wait for...