Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from March 2003

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from March 2003

Zilog Inc. to lay off 70 at Nampa computer chip plant.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Zilog Inc. soon will lay off 70 people at its Nampa computer chip plant -- about one-third of the workforce -- but has not made a final decision on whether to close the plant, the company said. Corporate...

Nampa's Holly Plaza to get fitness center.
March 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A 21,000-square-foot commercial space in south Nampa, empty for two years, won't be vacant for much longer. Valley Total Fitness recently leased the former Super Thrift Drug space in Holly Plaza, on Holly Street. ...

Former building materials center to house Boys Ranch.
March 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson An economic development group has purchased a 13,000-square-foot building on the west side of Emmett, where it plans to execute a lease with a nonprofit social-service group that will employ 36. Shadow Butte...

Housing group plans apts. in Caldwell, Mtn. Home, Middleton.
March 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Three apartment projects planned in southwest Idaho are designed to provide affordable housing in niche markets. Caldwell-based Community Development Inc., a subsidiary of Idaho Development and Housing...

Boise-area home sales slide, Intermountain Multiple Listing Service says.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Home sales dropped seasonally between December and January in Ada and Canyon counties, but generally were above those of January 2002, the Intermountain Multiple Listing Service says. The decreases reflected...

Hubble Homes spokesman leaves to launch planning consultancy.(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Wayne Forrey has left Meridian-based housing developer Hubble Homes, where he worked as special-projects coordinator and spokesman, to build his own planning consultancy. Doing business as Pathway Planners...

Commentary: Sifting through the chaff on online health info.(Column)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson Since my wife and I have been taking OTC medicines this winter for cold symptoms, the email that my friend sent me was quite alarming. It contained a warning that phenylpropanolamine (PPA), a common ingredient in many...

The Crescent Bar moves to Franklin Road; plans expansion.
March 3, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The Crescent Bar, a landmark watering hole and restaurant where "no lawyers" roost, is moving from Orchard Street to Franklin Road in Boise this spring and expanding. Construction of a new Crescent Bar & Grill...

Tough times can be golden, Valley ad agencies discover.
March 3, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin ***** CORRECTION: A story in the March 3 issue of the Business Review, headlined "Tough times can be golden, Valley ad agencies discover," incorrectly said WHO Marketing Communications relocated to Boise from...

Outpatient imaging center continues to expand in Boise area.
March 3, 2003... Byline: Ken Levy You don't need X-ray vision to see the rapid expansion of Boise's Intermountain Medical Imaging. Since opening in August 1999 at Ninth and Myrtle streets, the company opened a second facility last June in Meridian, and...

3rd building set for Canyon Park in Nampa.
March 3, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A business park near the Idaho Center will get a third multi-story office building soon, its developers say. Boise-based Stewart Laney Oaas plans a three-story, 37,500-square-foot building on East Franklin Road in...

When workers go to war, who bears costs?
March 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson When a National Guard member or armed forces reservist receives the call to active-duty military service, what happens to his or her job and benefits? Federal law provides some civilian job protections for people...

68-acre mixed-use development planned for north side of Kuna.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A developer hopes to break ground this summer on a 68-acre, mixed-use development on the north side of Kuna with more than 400 dwelling units -- plus a Hyde Park-inspired retail / commercial component. Steven...

Trademark dispute leads to name change for Compass Inc. real estate.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Boise residential and commercial real estate firm Compass Inc. has been superseded by a new real estate entity called Sel-Equity as a result of a trademark infringement dispute with similarly named Compass Commercial...

CM Co. of Boise wins contract to build Caldwell YMCA.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson CM Co., Boise, has won a contract to build the Caldwell YMCA, on which construction is slated to begin this fall and be completed by the end of 2004, in time for opening in January 2005. CM -- which oversaw...

New game by Deal With It targets youth.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson After seven years of presenting and selling "Deal With It" card games, designed to help managers train employees, Ric Simmons heard the big question. Can you make a game that helps me talk to my child? Simmons...

Religious radio group heads for larger quarters.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of a new headquarters and studio for the "Inspirational Family Radio" group of three south Idaho religious stations is expected to be completed next month. KSPD Inc. expects an April 7 move to a...

Commentary: Wireless LAN standards multiply like hamsters.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Tim Rhodes With companies spooked by rumors of wireless LANs' lack of security, interoperability, and reliability, many wireless vendors have spent the past year trying to hammer out solutions to the wireless despair. The...

Glazed Over Donuts opens shop in Eagle.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The doughnut-hungry Treasure Valley got another source of sinful sweets last week, but it doesn't start with a 'K'. Nearly a year after it debuted near downtown Boise, independent doughnut maker Glazed Over Donuts...

Trio launches new firm, McMillen Buckley Investment Consulting.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson McMillen Buckley Inc., doing business as McMillen Buckley Investment Consulting, recently opened in Boise. The firm targets foundations, endowments, corporations and high-net-worth private clients. It is not...

Regence BlueShield of Idaho to broaden insurance offerings.
March 10, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A new plan by Regence BlueShield of Idaho aims to increase health-care benefit options and affordability for employers of various sizes, and make coverage available to many more Idaho residents. Regence Select will...

Boise Tower to be topic again at meetings.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Boise Tower, the long-planned and much-conflicted high-rise project in downtown Boise, will get another hearing next month, and another hearing after that. But whether it ever will be completed is, in the phase...

8th St. Marketplace to bloom, new owners vow.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Boise's 8th Street Marketplace, which has withered since Boise Towne Square opened 15 years ago, will blossom into shops, restaurants, offices and a 10-screen cinema if its new owners' plans are carried out this...

Theater owners mull new cinema's impact.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The impact of a 10-screen movie theater as part of a revamped 8th Street Marketplace in downtown Boise is unclear, but some Boise movie theater owners expressed doubts about the planned cinema's viability. Mark...

Idaho eyes option for covering uninsured.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Concerns about a significant segment of the population going without health care benefits aren't new, but there's no let-up in concern among people studying the issue and affected by it. Medical professionals,...

Commentary: Before donating old computer, be sure to sanitize hard drive.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson It must be something like living in a bad zombie movie. Data that you thought was dead comes back to haunt you over and over again. In Kentucky, a state auditor chose for random examination one of the outdated...

Alzheimer's facility rises in Boise.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Staff Construction has started in southwest Boise on a residential-care facility for patients with Alzheimer's Disease and dementia. Paramount Parks at Boise will be a single-story building of 19,000 square feet, with 34 rooms...

Telecom consultant recovers charges nationwide.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson There are specialists in Idaho who evaluate phone and data services and documents, but Meta Lind is doing it nationally and on a large scale from her home office in Eagle. Lind, 49, operates Meta Lind Solutions...

Commentary: Should employers extend benefits to employees called up by the military?(Editorial)
March 17, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin With a combination of strain on the economy and a pre-existing financial burden on the employer (taxes, insurance, retirement funds, etc) I believe it to be necessary for one or all of the following governmental...

Bekins Moving & Storage plans move to Gowen Road.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Bekins Moving & Storage Co. plans to construct a storage building on West Gowen Road near Production Street in Boise and relocate its facility at Ninth and River streets there before the end of the year. According...

Wonder Bread outlet slated in Boise.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A Boise man plans to start building a new Boise distribution center and retail outlet for Wonder Bread later this year on a 1.1-acre parcel on Orchard Street, two blocks north of Interstate 84, across the street from...

U of Idaho's Water Center project to start this month.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller After months of delays and despite the financing imbroglio that has snared its sister project, construction is to begin in the next two weeks on the University of Idaho's Water Center project on the east end of Front...

Boise construction stats show some gains.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Staff Boise construction statistics were up for the first five months of the fiscal year, as large gains in the apartment sector combined with small increases in most other categories. Construction value in the city limits...

Next phase of erosion-control permits delayed.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller New federal rules to further clamp down on stormwater runoff from Idaho job sites were scheduled to hit Idaho developers outside of Boise this month, but because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has yet to issue...

Looming health-info privacy issues draw little interest from businesses.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson With the first compliance deadline coming soon for new federal rules on health-care information privacy, insurance broker Michael Goss and Boise attorney Kevin West had scheduled two seminars for Treasure Valley...

Coldwater Creek reports nearly 185% jump in income.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Staff Coldwater Creek Inc. (Nasdaq:CWTR) has reported a nearly 185 percent jump in income in fiscal year 2002 (ended Feb. 1) from the same period last year, spurred by healthy holiday sales. The women's apparel company reported...

Public and commercial projects keep '03 construction outlook dim.
March 17, 2003... Byline: Ken Levy Construction values were down overall in Idaho in calendar 2002, but new work is coming in, according to Michael Gifford, executive vice president of Associated General Contractors. "There are several larger projects...

Ada County plans $6 million jail expansion.(Brief Article)
March 17, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Ada County plans to break ground this week on a $6 million, 308-bed addition to its existing jail facility on Barrister Drive near Cole Road, Boise. The two-story, 35,000-square-foot addition is planned for the...

Meridian-based Ida-Tran Freight Systems Inc. files Ch. 11.(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Meridian-based Ida-Tran Freight Systems Inc. has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, nine months after settling a legal dispute between current and previous owners. Ida-Tran is a regional...

Jamaca Me Tan to build salon on State Street.(Boise, Idaho)(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Jamaca Me Tan, a Treasure Valley-based chain of tanning salons, plans to build a new salon on West State Street, Boise. The City of Boise granted owner Darren Blaser approval of the project during a Design Review...

Furniture dealer to add 2nd Ada unit.(Wayne Eldredge)(Eldredges's Furniture and Mattresses)(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Wayne Eldredge, who is remodeling a west Boise space for an Eldredges's Furniture & Mattresses store, is adding a Meridian store. He planned to open Eldredge's Bedroom Store this week in a nearly 4,000-square-foot...

Nampa complex to get 54 more apartments.(Nampa, Idaho)(Pacific Communities of Idaho)(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Owners of the Courtyards at Ridgecrest apartment complex in north Nampa plan to build 54 more units and a community center. All 60 units in the first phase attracted tenants since opening in July on the south side...

Industrial park proposed off Robinson Road south of I-84.(Risk Unlimited)(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A 58-acre industrial park has been proposed south of the Robinson Road overpass across Interstate 84, just east of Nampa. A development group, Risk Unlimited LLC, plans the project on the north side of Airport...

Red Flag medical clinic plans new quarters.(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Boise health center Red Flag Medical Clinic plans to move by November into a new building on State Street near Collister Street, about half a mile west of its 2-year-old clinic. Chris Gilmore, owner and nurse...

Campground, boat storage planned on Lake Lowell.(Brief Article)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A boat-storage facility and "primitive" campground have been proposed on the north side of Lake Lowell, west of Nampa in Canyon County. Jeff Reding and Jamie Sexton want to develop Canyon Lake Marina on 7 acres...

Kowallis & Mackey, commercial real estate brokerage, affiliates with NAI chain.(NAI Kowallis & Mackey)(NAI Commercial Real Estate Services Worldwide)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Kowallis & Mackey, a commercial real estate brokerage, recently became NAI Kowallis & Mackey by entering a contract with NAI Commercial Real Estate Services Worldwide. NAI, based in Hightstown, N.J., serves more...

Bogus Basin resort endures 'diabolical' ski season.(Bogus Basin Mountain Resort)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller A late opening and sloppy early-season snow conditions dealt a harsh blow to Bogus Basin Mountain Resort this winter, but the Sun Valley and Brundage ski areas are eking out decent seasons, resort officials say. ...

U.S. health care 'fragile,' official tells Boise Chamber of Commerce.(Boise, Idaho)(Richard Wade of the American Hospital Association)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller The deepening health care crisis is putting a squeeze on hospitals nationwide, but Boise's two major hospitals have positioned themselves to weather the storm, an executive from the American Hospital Association told the...

Home Depot due in Eagle by mid-'04 at State Street, IH 55 55.
March 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of a Home Depot store of more than 100,000 square feet in Eagle probably will begin late this year, a company spokesperson says. Kathryn Gallagher, with The Home Depot Inc. in Orange, Calif., said the...

Albertsons' 4Q earnings slip to 54cents a share.(fourth-quarter)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Albertsons' earnings for its fourth quarter, ended Jan. 30, fell by 29 percent from a year earlier, as sales dropped by 2.5 percent, the Boise-based grocery giant said last week. Results, which met Wall Street...

Downtown buildings fare better than most.(Boise, Idaho)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson At the Sonna Building in the middle of downtown Boise, vacancy remains low despite the slow leasing market of the past two to three years. Gary Benoit -- who acquired the three-story, 48,000-square-foot building...

Good times or bad, folks still love java's jolt.(Flying M Coffee House)
March 24, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The enduring success of espresso shops in a harsh economic climate may surprise some people, but several shop owners say coffee is considered by many to be the last luxury to be sacrificed. "I think drinking coffee...

'Acreage' sales pick up after slowing early in year.(Industry Overview)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson They're not for everyone, but rural homes on "acreage" lots of 2 acres or more remain a key part of the Treasure Valley housing market in middle and high price classifications. A slowdown in sales of homes on 2- to...

Lyle Pearson Co. adds Jaguar dealership.
March 31, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Lyle Pearson Co. plans to add a $2 million addition this spring to its 10-acre Boise Auto Mall automotive complex on Gratz Drive near Franklin and Cole roads that will include Boise's first Jaguar dealership. ...

Chart House closes, makes way for Joe's Crab Shack.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The Chart House, a Boise steak and seafood restaurant, has closed after 27 years in business, and will reopen in July as seafood eatery Joe's Crab Shack. Joe's Crab Shack and Chart House are divisions of...

Eastern Idaho's Westmark Credit Union to enter Valley market next year.
March 31, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A southeastern Idaho credit union recently acquired two Treasure Valley sites, including an Eagle parcel on which it plans to build a branch office starting this summer. Idaho Falls-based Westmark Credit Union also...

Blue Cross of Idaho to offer 'affordable' health plan.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Blue Cross of Idaho plans to debut a group health insurance product designed to be affordable to more people. Features will include premiums priced 20 to 25 percent below other plans, access to physician care from...

Residence Inn planned near Boise Towne Square.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A four-story Residence Inn by Marriott is planned on the southeast corner of Cole and Denton streets, east of Boise Towne Square. The Boise Planning & Zoning Commission granted a conditional use permit March 3 to...

Extended Systems names VP of worldwide sales and marketing.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Extended Systems Inc. has moved to bolster its international marketing efforts, naming Charles Jepson vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. A member of the Extended Systems Board of Directors since...

Developer appeals P&Z denial of Walgreens store.(Hawkins Companies, planning and zoning appeal)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The Hawkins Companies, a commercial development firm, has appealed a Boise Planning & Zoning Commission ruling against plans for a Walgreens store near the southeast corner of State and 27th streets. The appeal,...

Construction set to begin on office condos in Eagle.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of a building housing seven office-warehouse condominium units is expected to start by early April in the Rocky Mountain Business Park, in Eagle. Developers plan the two-story, 21,000-square-foot...

MaggieMoo's ice cream shop due at McMillan's Corner.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The Treasure Valley will get a second MaggieMoo's ice cream shop at midsummer when a new MaggieMoo's opens in west Boise at McMillan's Corner at Eagle and McMillan roads. Franchisee Erik Bolinder planned to lease...

State charges Nampa man with securities fraud.(Idaho Department of Finance)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson State financial regulators have sued Delbert W. Gray and his Nampa-based firm, Heritage Financial Group Inc., for securities fraud. In a complaint filed in Canyon County Third District Court in Caldwell, the Idaho...

Washington Group bids for Iraq reconstruction.(Washington Group International)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Group International recently submitted bids to three U.S. agencies to participate in eventual rebuilding of war-damaged Iraq. The Boise-based construction, engineering and environmental-services company...

Boise-based outdoor goods, military surplus retailer files for bankruptcy.(Koppel's Browzeville)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Koppel's Browzeville -- an outdoor goods and military surplus retailer founded in Boise nearly a century ago -- filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy March 18 and closed the store in the Collister Center on State Street. ...

Commentary: The City of Trees embraces American fries.(Editorial)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Editor's note: In an extraordinary juxtaposition of space and time, through the magic of quantum technology, the IBR is proud to bring readers this report three months before the events described. TREES, Idaho,...

Boise-based WGI to design vaccine facility in Pennsylvania.(Washington Group International)(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise-based Washington Group International plans to design and build a $77.5 million vaccine production facility in Swiftwater, Pa., for Aventis Pasteur. Aventis, one of the world's largest vaccine suppliers,...

Retail building slated for Overland near Wal-Mart.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A California-based developer plans to construct a one-story building this spring for six to eight retail tenants on West Overland Road, near a Wal-Mart store in Boise. The City of Boise granted owner Venture...

Commentary: Online research grows easier via GuruNet.
March 31, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson "An answer is worth 1,000 links." That statement has some appeal to anyone who conducts research on the Internet. It is also the promise of GuruNet, a reference product that has recently received significant attention...

Les Schwab builds 2nd Nampa tire store.(Brief Article)
March 31, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Les Schwab broke ground earlier this month on a second Nampa tire center on 12th Avenue South near Greenhurst Road and plans to open by Aug. 1. James Peterson, assistant manager at Les Schwab's Nampa unit along...