Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from March 2006

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from March 2006

Harley dealer in Boise plans 'majestic' move.
March 6, 2006... Byline: Rick Carpenter The owners of High Desert Harley-Davidson have purchased land and plan to construct a $7.5 million building near the Majestic Marketplace adjacent to Interstate 84. Dave and Bob Thomas bought the former Cycle...

Chicago developers purchase Block 44 in downtown Boise.
March 6, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Chicago-based Baum Bros. LLC acquired and plans to renovate Block 44 in downtown Boise. The company bought 11 of the 12 lots in the block bordered by Idaho, Bannock, Eighth and Ninth streets, said Baum Bros....

Boise-based Meuleman Mollerup buys BoDo office/condo.
March 6, 2006... Byline: Rick Carpenter A Boise-based law firm specializing in business, real estate and construction law has announced plans to move its offices to the BoDo development. Wayne Meuleman of Meuleman Mollerup, formerly Meuleman Miller,...

American Cancer Society honors First Lady of Idaho.
March 6, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report The American Cancer Society will honor Idaho's First Lady, Patricia Kempthorne, with the Hope Award, at the organization's annual Daffodil Ball: A Gala for Hope, on April 1 at the Doubletree Riverside Hotel in...

Boise firms to teach in new Boise State University program.
March 6, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Businesspeople who sign up for Boise State University's new executive MBA program may find themselves learning and working at Micron or Simplot. Representatives from several companies will assist professors with...

New bank headed for Driggs.
March 6, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report A new bank is proposed in Driggs, near the Wyoming border. The Idaho Department of Finance recently received an application by First State Bank of Idaho. First State Bank of Idaho would be a wholly owned...

Construction begins this summer on Hunter's Point in southwest Nampa.
March 6, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Hunter's Point, a 300-acre planned-unit development slated off Middleton Road in southwest Nampa, will feature 600 homes and an 18-hole golf course by a noted course designer. Construction will start in April on...

Coalition proposes Idaho Power rate case settlement.
March 6, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho Power, staff of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission and representatives of various customer groups last week filed a proposed stipulation with the commission that could settle the company's general rate...

Group withdraws plan for River Street condos in downtown Boise.
March 6, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Capital City Development Corp. plans to seek new development proposals for the former Associated Distributing site on the south side of downtown Boise. A group that planned a multi-story condo project there...

Gated townhome community proposed for Meridian.
March 6, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Casa Meridiana would be Meridian's first gated community if the city approves plans for 32 townhomes on 7.5 acres at the southeast corner of Victory and Locust Grove roads. "We're targeting a group looking for...

Pocatello-based AMI Semiconductor a finalist for magazine's innovation award.
March 6, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Pocatello-based AMI Semiconductor was named a finalist for EDN Magazine's Innovation of the Year Awards. EDN, a technical journal focused on electronic design, uses the award to honor engineering professionals...

Taking Notus: Developers investing in small community.
March 6, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Notus has been noticed. Developers, homebuyers and commercial real estate investors have been busy lately in the town of 500, five miles west of Caldwell on U.S. 20-26 and the Boise River. Notus offers affordable...

EPA settles Bown water issue in Boise.
March 6, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached a settlement with Conger Management Group for violations of the Clean Water Act during construction of the 35-acre Bown Crossing development on East Boise Avenue...

Office Value building in Meridian renovations set.
March 6, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report The new owner of the Office Value building in Meridian plans to renovate it. Dave Buich of Eagle recently acquired the 23,000-square-foot building on the south side of Fairview Avenue west of Eagle Road. ...

Boise Cascade Holdings LLC earnings rise for quarter, year.
March 6, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise Cascade Holdings LLC reported $121.4 million in earnings for 2005 including $22 million in expenses for special items, and $42.6 million in the fourth quarter, including $47.2 million in income for special...

All sites sold in Rocky Mountain 3 business park in Eagle.
March 6, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Rerport Dave Evans Construction plans to start building the 5-acre Rocky Mountain 3 business park this month in Eagle. Owner-occupants and investors purchased all 10 buildings planned in the park, on Iron Eagle Drive...

Boise-based Camille Beckman owner committed to mom-and-pops.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Whenever Susan Roghani needs a little direction for a major life decision, she often grabs a spiral-bound notebook and starts making lists. That's how, in 1986, she came to found bath and body products company Camille...

Rising defaults? Mortgage payments increase, but home sales remain strong.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Mortgage defaults and foreclosures may rise this year, but a strong housing market will limit any increase, according to loan specialists, a regional economist and a title company official.Defaults and foreclosures...

Developer plans upscale office space in Boise Cascade.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson The regional development firm buying the Boise Cascade Co. headquarters building in downtown Boise plans upscale office space for multiple tenants on the top two floors.Rafanelli & Nahas, Boise, expected to finish...

Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce hosts Ada County growth address.
March 13, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Regional growth issues affecting Ada County will be discussed at the second annual State of the County Address from 7:30 to 9 a.m. March 15 at The Grove Hotel in downtown Boise.County-elected officials plan to discuss the...

Boise-based radio host Petso speaks his mind.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson You don't know how a stock will perform in a given week, but you can count on Dave Petso to speak frankly about personal finance and publicly traded companies.Petso, 44, started a Boise radio show on 580 KIDO-AM 15...

Idaho Governor Kempthorne proclaims March 20-24 Entrepreneurship Week.
March 13, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Gov. Dirk Kempthorne proclaimed the week of March 20-24 Entrepreneurship Week to celebrate Idaho's rich history of entrepreneurialism and to encourage future innovators to launch their businesses here.The week will...

Records plant growing at Alliance.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Managers of Alliance Title & Escrow Corp.'s central records plant in west Boise expect the for-hire administrative operation to keep growing.Alliance grew its Centralized Title Plant - a collection of real estate...

Southeast Nampa retail center planned.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Developers are targeting a growing section of southeast Nampa for more retail space.Plans for the 57,000-square-foot Southside Station Retail Center at the southeast corner of Greenhurst Road and Southside Boulevard...

Idaho Falls-based Bully Dog Technologies fulfills need for speed on Internet.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Ken Levy Imagine downloading more horsepower for your diesel engine on demand from the Internet.Daryl Klassen and family from Idaho Falls-based Bully Dog Technologies did, and their Triple Dog Downloader is boosting some diesel...

Northcity Mortgage Inc. of Boise to expand.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Northcity Mortgage Inc., Boise, will triple the size of its office when it relocates in early May, CEO Jacob Nordby said.The mortgage brokerage plans to move from 5201 W. Overland Road to a 4,500-square-foot building...

Coeur d'Alene-based Coldwater Creek Inc. earnings jump for quarter, year.
March 13, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Coldwater Creek Inc. earned $18.9 million in the fiscal fourth quarter ended Jan. 28, or 20 cents per share, a 65.5 percent jump from $11.4 million a year earlier.Net sales increased by 41 percent, from $204.1 million to...

Chubbuck-based Premier Technology finds niche in products for nuclear waste cleanup.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Premier Technology is going nuclear.The Pocatello firm designs and manufactures custom equipment such as radiation-shielding windows, barriers and lead shielding for walls and doors in nuclear facilities. It makes...

Boise Metro Chamber offers 7-step program for business addicts.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Deciding that your business plan doesn't cut it - at least in its present form - represents one way to succeed in the "Seven Steps to Entrepreneurial Success" course.Some entrepreneurs moved ahead with plans to launch...

Consolidating health care triggers boon for attorneys.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Declines in Medicare reimbursement are causing medical providers to look for new sources of revenue.And that's causing a surge in business for health care attorneys.Some Boise health care attorneys say they see a...

Brokers see continuing rise in business sales, valuations.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Business brokers expect more gains in unit sales and average valuations this year.Unit sales and valuations sagged for nearly two years following 9/11, then rebounded. Now, demographic and financial-market trends...

Financial Analysts exec: Ethics battle ongoing.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Financial analysts can do their part to make the world's investment markets more ethical.That's the view of Bob Luck, a Chartered Financial Analysts Institute executive who delivered presentations in Boise March 14 to...

Annual Kickstart entrepreneur event in Boise to educate entrepreneurs.
March 20, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report The second annual Kickstart entrepreneur event, to be held March 22-24, will include seminars, speed dating for startups, and an address by author and venture capitalist Bo Peabody. Peabody, the author of Lucky or...

American Hospital Association: Medicare regs difficult to wade through.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert One of the benefits to combining small practices into one large medical practice is that medical providers can spread out administrative costs related to dealing with Medicare regulations.According to the American...

Waterfront at Lake Harbor in Boise gets new owner, renovation plans.
March 20, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report A Nevada group that recently bought The Waterfront at Lake Harbor office-retail building in northwest Boise plans to start a $500,000 to $600,000 renovation next month.Emerald Assets, Minden, Nev., acquired the...

Eagle-based developer plans Caldwell triplexes.
March 20, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Eagle-based developer and builder Renny Wylie last month secured preliminary-plat approval for triplexes on 10.8 acres east of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Caldwell.Plans for the Aspen Park complex call for 34...

Boise-based ProClarity benefits from Microsoft partnership.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert A partnership between ProClarity Corp. and Microsoft is beginning to pay off for the Boise-based business intelligence software firm.Late last year, Microsoft put out a new version of its SQL Server, a data management...

Boise-area firms seek employees, survey says.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise-area employers expect to hire at a healthy pace in the second quarter, a new survey by the Manpower Inc. staffing firm said last week.Thirty percent of companies surveyed plan to hire more employees from April to...

Idaho Business Review heading to bigger office in downtown Boise complex.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho Business Review plans to move to the BoDo complex in downtown Boise.The newspaper leased 5,300 square feet in the lower level of the former Ninth Street Warehouse, 418 S. 9th St., and will move in by early...

Garden City-based Fisher's names Chris Taylor CEO, president.
March 20, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Fisher's, the major office-equipment dealer based in Garden City, recently named Chris Taylor president and CEO.He succeeds Gregg Alger, who served as CEO for 13 years and recently sold his interest in the...

Ex- exec of Portland-based Fred Meyer named grocery CEO by Albertsons' buyers.
March 20, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report A former Fred Meyer Inc. CEO will run Albertsons' grocery operations, the group buying Albertsons Inc. said last week.Robert Miller served as CEO of Portland-based Fred Meyer from 1991 until Kroger Co. acquired...

Idaho maintains pace as third fastest growing state in nation.
March 20, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho continues to be the third fastest growing state in the country, according to information released by the U.S. Census Bureau. It grew by 2.4 percent last year lagging behind only Nevada and Arizona. Population...

Work starts on Waterfront site in Garden City.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Developers aiming to transform the former site of a Garden City meatpacking plant into 17 acres of riverfront housing and commercial space started building infrastructure recently.The Waterfront District LLC plans the...

Client education crucial for landscapers.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Ken Levy From the simple to the sophisticated, landscaping design helps provide a sense of place, whether in a subdivision, a public park or a retail and office building."Everyone looks to outwardly project a site as different in...

Networking key to Idaho AGC Young Constructors Forum.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Gaye Bunderson In construction, as in other industries, it's often about who you know as well as what. Those all-important networking contacts can help move a business along or foster a career.A group of Treasure Valley people in...

Idaho engineers earn American Council of Engineering Companies awards.
March 20, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho engineers were honored earlier this month for their achievements during the annual Idaho Engineering Excellence Awards Competition. Sponsored by the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Idaho,...

Big-ticket commercial projects lead Boise-area construction.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise construction value increased by 14 percent last month, from a year earlier, to $35.3 million.Commercial project value nearly doubled - $14 million compared to $7.6 million in February 2005 - more than offsetting...

Benefits of energy-efficient homes touted at conference in Boise.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Ken Miller There are a lot of ways to save energy when building a new home, but the lure of a $2,000 Department of Energy tax credit for certified energy-efficient homes may help convince more builders and consumers to jump on the...

Treasure Valley market offers product diversification.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson People looking to buy a new home in the maturing Treasure Valley market can choose from an expanding variety of options.Choices range from urban condos and suburban townhomes to sizable houses in master-planned...

Housing inventory boosts Idaho's statewide availability.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho's housing market will stay strong this year, the CEO of the Idaho Association of Realtors predicts."It's still rock-solid," said Alex LaBeau, based in Boise. "We have a lot of people entering the industry" as...

Commentary: Are planned communities jumping ahead?
March 27, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert One man's holistic development is another man's sprawl.That's the case with planned communities, like Avimor, the 830-acre development proposed east of Idaho 55 in northern Ada County, and The Cliffs, a 707-acre...

CLARIFICATION.
March 27, 2006... Byline: IBR A March 20 article in the Idaho Construction Review about landscaping trends said that work in Eagle's Tuscany Lakes Subdivision was done by Franz Witte Landscape Contracting. The original landscaping work, including several...

Are planned communities truly self-sustaining?
March 27, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert Perhaps the most controversial claim made regarding planned communities is that they are self-sustaining. Are they? We examine that question by looking at various factors affecting the self-sufficiency of two planned...

Lot supply lags behind new-home demand in Treasure Valley.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Veteran land broker John Starr got involved in some 4,000 development-suited acres changing hands in the Treasure Valley in the past year.But even that sizable total fell short of demand for new housing, said Starr, a...

8th Street Wine Co. to open in Boise at Broad Street in BoDo.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert A restaurant, retail wine store and boutique winery, 8th Street Wine Co., is planned to open in June in the former Milford's Fish House space on Broad Street in BoDo, formerly the 8th Street Marketplace.The restaurant...

Nampa-based MPC releases two new computers.
March 27, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Nampa-based MPC Computers last week unveiled two new products, the TransPort T1300 notebook computer and the ClientPro 585 desktop computer.The TransPort T1300 has Bluetooth wireless connectivity; a Trusted...

Downtown condo market in Boise getting 'deep' on pent-up demand.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Downtown Boise's residential condo market figures to grow substantially this year as developers and urban planners seek to accommodate pent-up demand.Three projects started recently: Steve Hosac's 77-unit CitySide...

Interview with John Holland: Holland Realty Inc., 26 years in business.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Lora Volkert John Holland, 54, started Holland Realty Inc. 26 years ago with two years of experience and a used typewriter. His company grossed more than $1 billion in 2005. He represents one of the largest residential real estate...

Chilali condos move ahead in Sun Valley.
March 27, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Building construction started recently on a Sun Valley condo project to offer units from nearly $1.5 million to $2.4 million.Barclay's North, of Everett, Wash., plans to open the 21-unit Chilali Lodge Condos at Sun...

Associated General Contractors of America economist to speak March 28 on materials costs.
March 27, 2006... Byline: IBR Staff Report Most construction materials costs will keep rising this year, according to Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America. Simonson, scheduled to speak at the AGC Idaho office at...

Townhome, medical complex to start soon off Franklin Road in Boise.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Developers plan 40 townhomes and five commercial lots in the first phase of Englefield Green, a mixed-use and medical-office complex near Bishop Kelly High School in Boise.Vision First LLC, Eagle, expects to complete...

Idaho business groups praise Kempthorne, Risch.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Brad Carlson Leaders of two of the state's largest business lobbies lauded Gov. Dirk Kempthorne for his recent federal cabinet appointment and said his immediate replacement would keep business interests in good hands.President...