Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from March 2005

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from March 2005

Caldwell increases its wingspan - Airport expansion planned with business aviation focus.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Caldwell plans to expand its airport and keep growing its business-aviation niche. Recently, the airport secured a big financial boost: Federal Aviation Administration funding of about $1 million a year for seven...

Idaho's Alcohol Beverage Control Comm. seeks to curb under-21s straying into drink 'places'.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson There's no change in enforcement of the state law prohibiting minors in "places" that sell alcohol, a state official says. That's the word from Lt. Bob Clements, the Idaho State Police official responsible for...

State: No more 'sitting' on valuable liquor licenses.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson A legal requirement that all extant liquor licenses be actively used is being enforced these days - meaning those who have been "sitting" on them as investments must get into selling drinks. Lt. Bob Clements,...

8-acre retail, office project planned for ex-BMC lot in Boise.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Three retail and office buildings are planned as the first phase of an 8-acre mixed-use development to be built on Fairview Avenue on the site of a former BMC West. The development's first phase, which consists of...

Nampa 'bars' fielded to hold licenses.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Four newly issued liquor licenses are being utilized in temporary quarters in Nampa while their owners negotiate with potential restaurant users. Dan Fuchs, one of four Fuchs brothers, said the Fuchses acquired...

NASDAQ re-lists Boise-based Extended Systems.
March 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The NASDAQ stock market was scheduled to return Extended Systems Inc. stock to "good standing" Feb. 25. NASDAQ officials in November told the Boise software company that it was out of compliance with stock...

Delta Airlines plans new Boise-Atlanta flights.
March 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Delta Air Lines announced new flights to four cities last week - including Boise - which are to be added this spring and summer. In June, Delta plans to begin nonstop daily flights between Boise and its Atlanta...

Boise's Blue Sky Bagel founder exits.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Blue Sky Bagel's founder and majority owner, Scott Lung, said it's time to hang up his apron - again. Lung's partner in the Boise bagel bakery at Fourth and Main streets, Mark Hansen, plans to buy him out in mid-...

Infinity Entertainment enters Boise video gaming market.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Infinity Entertainment, a new player in Boise's video gaming market, is planned to open April 1 in a former Schuck's Auto Supply building on Overland Road east of Orchard. Co-owner Jeremy Zollman, 26, said Infinity...

Neighborhood center slated on Victory Road in southwest Boise.
March 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff A small retail building, a professional office building and a bank are planned at the southwest corner of Victory and Cole roads in southwest Boise. The 2-acre Victory Plaza will consist of a 7,500-square-foot retail...

More shops planned near west Meridian Albertsons-anchored center.
March 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Two retail buildings, of 6,000 and 3,000 square feet, are planned next to an Albertsons-anchored shopping center in western Meridian. Brent Dixon of Portland-based High Point Equities LLC plans The Shops at Cherry...

Commentary: Passwords - don't make 'em easy for hackers.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Rick Edvalson I know of a medical office where the staff is unhappy. The reason is that the new HIPAA regulations (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) are requiring unique usernames and strong passwords for...

Developer funds feasibility study for Kuna YMCA.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The Treasure Valley Family YMCA may build its next health and fitness center in Kuna. CEO Jim Everett said Steven Ribeiro, who is developing the 68-acre Water's Edge mixed-use community in north Kuna, has offered...

Health insurance plans launched for local chambers of commerce members in Idaho.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Regence BlueShield of Idaho has launched a health insurance program for members of local chambers of commerce, and Blue Cross of Idaho is working on a chamber-targeted plan. Both insurers, acting separately, will...

Outpatient surgery center planned for Caldwell.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson An outpatient surgery center is slated to open by January off Interstate 84 in Caldwell, offering a range of same-day surgical procedures. The 10,600-square-foot Idaho Surgery Center is being built on Commercial...

Chubbuck-based Premier Technology to ramp up; seeks expansion plant site.
March 7, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Premier Technology Inc. plans to add about 125 engineering and manufacturing employees in the next three to four years, and is looking for an expansion site, spokesman Arlen Wittrock says. Wittrock said Premier,...

Sticking with an exercise regimen requires motivation.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Yoga, Pilates, and spinning are just three means of getting a good workout. Combined with that, there are options in personal training or group classes. Some people choose to utilize a group program in...

Realtors and landscape experts advise home sellers to focus on curb appeal.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller If you're thinking about putting your house on the market this spring and have followed all the advice about how to make the interior as inviting as possible to would-be buyers, real estate agents and landscape experts...

Idaho homeowners put personal touch on landscaping.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller This winter's balmy winter has Idaho homeowners itching to pull the trigger on their spring landscaping plans, and the early arrival of the 2005 spring gardening season has thoughts turning to lawns, new trees and...

Proper fitness never goes out of style.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Hundreds of people throughout the Treasure Valley are both working in and working out. Either before or after jobs, or sometime mid-day, people are going to one of the many fitness centers in the Boise area to...

Sweating can be a healthy part of good physical training, experts say.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson One thing that's inevitable with any vigorous workout is a good sweat. Sweating can be a very healthy part of good physical training, experts say, and many people today are opting to further "sweat it out" in...

Child care providers in Treasure Valley fight increasing competition and cost issues.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert It's not always playtime for those in the child care industry. Day care providers have to strike a balance between covering high labor costs and keeping rates low enough to compete not only with other day care...

Patronage picks up at hotels in Boise and elsewhere in Idaho as economy improves.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Patronage is picking up at hotels in Boise and elsewhere in Idaho, according to surveys, but operators face competition from new properties in the Treasure Valley. In the Northwest, "as the economy has improved,...

Pocatello-based AMI Semiconductor moves into automotive and medical sectors.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Pocatello's largest private employer, AMI Semiconductor, has been moving in a new direction. And the move seems to be paying off. Since Christine King became CEO in 2001, the company has made several acquisitions...

Manhattan Grill space in downtown Boise to get a new restaurant, bar and dance club.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert After sitting vacant for eight months, the Manhattan Grill space in downtown Boise's Adelmann Building is slated to get a restaurant by April 15. David Eisenhauer and Heidi Bauknecht, the owners of Addie's on...

Lodge-like car wash, offices planned for Ustick center in Meridian.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert A car wash, fuel island, coffee shop and professional buildings are planned for a 5-acre development on Ustick Road near the Cedar Springs subdivision in Meridian. Cedar Springs Professional Center is planned for...

Nampa freeway project sparks commercial interest.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Plans for a Costco-anchored development in Nampa, Treasure Valley Marketplace, are proceeding because the long-planned Karcher Interchange project will start this year. "Without the interchange, we wouldn't have...

Diamond Z Manufacturing in Caldwell buys complementary container maker.
March 14, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Diamond Z Manufacturing, Caldwell, has purchased Rule Steel, a move that increased its employment total to nearly 200. Rule, which makes steel containers, will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Diamond Z,...

Eagle River Development to get 15,000-ft. office bldg.
March 14, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report River Pointe Plaza, a two-story office building of 15,000 square feet, is planned this spring in the Eagle River Development. The building is slated on Bridgeway Place in Eagle, north of Bardenay Restaurant and...

More buildings slated near Western Electronics in Meridian.
March 14, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Meridian Tech Center, anchored by a 107,000-square-foot building that Western Electronics and DBSI Group occupy, is slated for expansion. Two more office buildings are planned in the second phase of the 23-acre...

Lowe's plans Pocatello unit for late 2005.
March 14, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Lowe's plans to start construction this month on a store in Pocatello, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Smith. The home improvement center, slated for Bullock Street near the U.S. 91 interchange with...

Meridian Planning & Zoning Commission endorses downtown bldg., subdivisions.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The Meridian Planning & Zoning Commission recently endorsed plans for a three-story building downtown and two residential subdivisions on the city's north side. Dave Buich plans the three-story building with...

Boise law firm schedules teleconference on financing renewable energy projects.
March 14, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Boise office of regional law firm Stoel Rives LLP has scheduled a free teleconference March 16 on financing wind power projects and other renewable energy projects. The teleconference, produced by the...

Blue Cross of Idaho to launch health plan for Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce members.
March 14, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Blue Cross of Idaho plans to launch a health insurance plan for Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce members April 1. The Meridian-based health insurer said it would offer Chamber Blue as low-cost coverage for small...

Boise-based electronic ID provider Biomark to branch out into cattle industry.
March 14, 2005... Byline: Ken Levy Editor's note: Idaho Innovator is a monthly IBR series, featuring Idaho innovators and their products. Biomark technicians are old hands at applying electronic identification technology to fish. But they're about to...

Sandpoint-based Coldwater Creek's quarterly earnings improve; sales soar by 21%.
March 14, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Coldwater Creek Inc. has reported net income of $11.4 million for its fiscal fourth quarter ended Jan. 29, or 18 cents per diluted share, up 78 percent from a year earlier. Net sales rose 20.9 percent to $204.1...

Idaho Power & its big customers grapple with growing drought threat.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The drop of good news in Idaho's sixth straight year of drought may be that affected parties have gotten better at handling it. "Barring a major shift in weather patterns, this will put 2005 into the record books...

Executive Profile: John Holland: From a used typewriter 25 years ago to a $700M real estate firm.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson John Holland has come a long way since buying a small real estate firm 25 years ago, when he had to buy a used typewriter on time, for $5 a month. Now, Boise-based Holland Realty Inc. is celebrating its 25th...

Boise-based Micron Technology inks pact to spur salability of 'die' products.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Micron Technology has signed a supply agreement with a company to distribute its bare die products, which could help the Boise-based company penetrate fast-growing emerging markets. Bare die - essentially Micron...

Idaho Housing and Finance Assn. boosts price, income limits.
March 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Idaho Housing and Finance Association has raised its home-price and income limits to provide additional buying opportunities as home prices rise. Qualified borrowers considering an IHFA loan can purchase...

Boise's ex-Capital City Development Corp. official Clark recovers from cycle wreck.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson On a Monday last June, Cheryl Larabee opened a board meeting of the Capital City Development Corp. with an announcement that she said would be of interest to many people in the room. The previous day, she said,...

Better Business Bureau of Southwest Idaho seeks Integrity Counts! nominees.
March 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Better Business Bureau of Southwest Idaho has begun accepting nominations for its 2005 Integrity Counts! awards, to be presented next October. Nominations will be accepted through June 3 for businesses...

Nampa-based Northwest Nazarene University students to meet with Warren Buffet.
March 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report About 40 business students at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa are to visit with famed investor Warren Buffet, chairman of Omaha, Neb.-based Berkshire Hathaway Inc., next month. Bill Russell, professor of...

Commentary: Riding herd on all those 'docs' on your hard drive.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Rick Edvalson One of the hot topics in information technology is document management. As hard drives have gotten larger and more computers have gotten networked, the volume of documents to be managed in a typical office has grown...

Mountain West plans three Treasure Valley branches.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Mountain West Bank plans to expand its Treasure Valley assets by opening two branches in Meridian and Nampa this fall and a third in Eagle when a developer is chosen. The expansion is Mountain West's largest since...

Westmark Credit Union to build branch at Silverstone.
March 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A 3,500-square foot Westmark Credit Union branch office is slated for the SilverStone development, on Eagle Road south of Overland Road, Meridian. Construction of the building and three-lane drive-through...

Ex-tire store in Boise to get casual dining restaurant.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson David Hale, a Boise infill homebuilder, recently acquired a second commercial building in downtown Boise. Hale said he plans to convert the 8,800-square-foot ex-Goodyear Tire store at 15th and Grove streets into...

U.S. News article praises Idaho tech, entrepreneurs.
March 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report U.S. News & World Report touted Idaho's entrepreneurs in a story written for its March 21 issue. "The surge (of entrepreneurialism) is being seen in some perhaps unlikely places, such as Idaho," the article...

CRI Advantage unit confirms layoffs; loss of contract blamed.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Academic Accelerator, a startup subsidiary of IT consulting firm CRI Advantage, is working to restructure after the cancellation of its largest contract, the Idaho Student Information Management System. The...

Tamarack Resort puts more residential lots up for sale.
March 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Tamarack Resort has announced plans for two offerings of residential real estate at the resort, being developed near Donnelly. Estate lots, resort-built chalets, townhomes, and custom chalet lots will be...

Boise-based Washington Group Int'l Inc.'s net rises 22% in '04 as firm forges alliances.
March 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Washington Group International Inc. has reported higher earnings for its fiscal year and its fourth quarter. WGI reported a 22 percent increase in net income for the year, to $51.1 million or $1.86 per diluted...

Good times roll on for Boise's Franklin Bldg. Supply.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller It's 9 a.m. sharp on a midweek morning and Franklin Building Supply's Boise office is a beehive. As they have been since sunrise, forklifts dart around the yard out back, while contractors work their deals and place...

Idaho contractor registration bill goes to governor.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller After years of failed attempts, backers of an Idaho contractor registration bill put a measure on the governor's desk after winning final legislative approval last week. The bill, backed by the Idaho Building...

Remodeler Joan Stephens takes turn as Nat'l Assn. of the Remodeling IndustryARI president.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Ken Levy As this year's president of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, Joan Stephens lends an experienced hand to the organization's mission to encourage industry professionalism. Even though she is only the...

Insuring your company's future takes strategic planning.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Jo Murray Companies in the construction business know all too well the pattern of family-owned businesses: less than two out of three survive into the second generation, and even fewer survive into the third. It takes a team...

Boise-area residential construction numbers jump.
March 21, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Meridian construction clicked on all cylinders in the first five months of the city's fiscal year. Boise, Nampa and Caldwell also reported gains through February - including a 94 percent jump in Boise single-family...

Idaho Capitol gets $2.1 million exterior cleanup, refurbishing.
March 28, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson The Idaho Capitol is getting some cosmetic freshening up this year from workers employed by a Utah-based firm to renew exterior aspects of the century-old structure, known to Boise residents as the Statehouse. ...

Air-freight companies serving Boise see demand soaring as economy grows stronger.
March 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Air-freight companies serving Boise see demand soaring as the Treasure Valley economy grows stronger. Pilot Air Freight, a relative newcomer, says revenues climbed 280 percent last year. The gain reflected...

BMC West plans to rehire again as it expands to accommodate Idaho's housing boom.
March 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Burgeoning BMC West, which has ramped up Idaho employment by 25 percent since 2003, plans to hire again this year as it expands to serve busy homebuilders. "The housing market is so strong now that we anticipate...

Iowa-based trailer maker says new Gooding plant may expand.
March 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson An Iowa-based manufacturer of horse trailers is galloping forward with expansion plans for its new assembly plant in Gooding. Kiefer Built LLC started production Feb. 28 in a 120,000-square-foot building on Agri...

Fourth District Court judge says apartment valuations can't include federal credits.
March 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The taxable value of a low-income housing complex can't include federal tax credits, a Fourth District Court judge said in a case involving Payette County. The Brandon Bay and Kenmare Trace limited partnerships...

NW Farm Credit plans move from Caldwell to Nampa.
March 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A 10,000-square-foot building for Northwest Farm Credit Services is to be built at the northeast corner of Franklin Road and Equine Drive, east of the Idaho Center in Nampa. It will replace the company's...

Idaho Public Utilities Commission plans hearings on United Water's proposed rate increase.
March 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report United Water's proposed 21 percent rate increase is slated for hearings in May, though written comments are due April 6. The Idaho Public Utilities Commission plans technical hearings involving company and...

Meridian-based office-products distributor Office Value to expand into neighboring states.
March 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Meridian-based office-products distributor Office Value is poised to achieve regional reach as it expands to neighboring states. Office Value recently enlarged its distribution outlet in Bend, Ore., leased a larger...

Idaho Business Review's "Accomplished Under 40" awards luncheon set for March 29.
March 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report In this week's paper, the Idaho Business Review presents its annual Accomplished Under 40 magazine, highlighting 40 of this year's noted achievers throughout the state. In those 40 pages, you'll meet business...

Employers use Idaho's online job listing service.
March 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Idaho Commerce & Labor department said it has had success with an online job listing service it introduced last year for companies looking for employees. Since July, more than 900 employers have signed up...

Nampa-based MPC Computers to be acquired by Denver-based HyperSpace Communications.
March 28, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Nampa-based MPC Computers announced last week that a small Denver software firm has agreed to acquire it. HyperSpace Communications, a 4-year-old company that makes software that speeds up links between computers...

Boise-based Extended Systems teams with Waltham, Mass.-based Novell.
March 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report An agreement between Boise-based Extended Systems Inc. and Novell Inc. will impact many Novell users, the companies said last week. Novell, which markets network servers, licensed Extended Systems' XTNDConnect...

Boise chapter of entrepreneurs' group launched.
March 28, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson An Idaho chapter of the worldwide Young Entrepreneurs Organization has been formed to help entrepreneurial business people share ideas and contacts. The fledgling Idaho chapter, formed in January, numbers just...

Conference on performance at work to be held at BSU Student Union.
March 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report "Improving Performance in the Workplace," a conference for training and development professionals, is slated from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 31 in the Jordan Ballroom of the Student Union building at BSU. The...

Idaho's Statehouse undergoes refurbishing to renew its exterior.
March 28, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson The Idaho Capitol is getting some cosmetic freshening up this year from workers employed by a Utah-based firm to renew exterior aspects of the century-old structure, known to Boise residents as the Statehouse. ...