Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from May 2003

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from May 2003

8th St. Marketplace redevelopment plans set for hearings.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Plans for a $62.5 million redevelopment of Boise's 8th Street Marketplace have moved forward rapidly and are in the hands of city planners, with public meetings scheduled this month. The first two of three new...

WaMu's new Idaho leader focuses on existing customers, staff.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Mutual has a new top executive in Idaho. Senior Vice President John Woodworth, based at WaMu's downtown Boise site, is group manager of consumer banking in the Intermountain region. He oversees retail...

Port of Subs plans 2nd Idaho eatery at Meridian Crossroads.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Port of Subs, a Reno, Nev.-based submarine sandwich chain, plans to open its second Idaho eatery by mid-July at the Meridian Crossroads center at Eagle Road and Fairview Avenue. Chain owner and founder John Larsen...

Cougar Mountain makes inroads in accounting software.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The push for greater efficiency in a down economy has benefited Cougar Mountain Software, based in west Boise. The company produces software for business accounting, managing nonprofit funds, and tracking...

Mortgage firm plans Overland office.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The first of nine office buildings for a new development planned by Dave Evans Construction on West Overland Road has been given the green light by the City of Boise. The city granted Design Review approval April 9...

Albertsons Employees Credit Union to build Meridian branch.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Albertsons Employees' Federal Credit Union plans to open a branch at the southeast corner of Eagle and Overland roads, Meridian, in mid-November. The 2,400-square-foot branch, to be built starting in late June,...

Water plant in SE Boise delayed as demand ebbs.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson United Water Co.'s plan for a $12 million water treatment plant in southeast Boise has been put on hold pending a re-evaluation of costs and demand, a spokesman for the company says. Scott Rhead, director of...

Home sales rise in Ada, Canyon in first quarter.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Home sales and median prices in Ada and Canyon counties increased in the first quarter from year-earlier levels. Some 1,415 homes were sold in Ada County, up 9.8 percent from 1,288 a year ago. The totals included...

Plexus Corp. reports large loss.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Contract electronics manufacturer Plexus Corp., which operates a plant in Nampa, reported a fiscal second-quarter loss that was more twice as high as its quarterly loss a year ago. The company said it would close...

New building in Meridian inks first tenants.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Fantastic Sam's, a hair salon, and Ladies Workout Express are the first businesses to sign leases at Linder Crossing, a new building of 14,900 square feet at the southeast corner of Linder Road and Cherry Lane in...

ProClarity grows with help from retail sector.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Anemic levels of technology spending by many corporations haven't kept "business analytics" technology company ProClarity Corp. from growing. Recent sales to a number of major retailers and consumer-packaged-goods...

Building Materials Holding Corp. reports preliminary earnings of $100K.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Building Materials Holding Corp. last week announced preliminary first-quarter earnings of $100,000, or 1 cent per share, compared to a loss of $11 million, or 88 cents a share, in the first quarter of 2002. The...

Railroad adapts to new times.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Running a railroad may sound romantic, but like most businesses it's about making a buck. In the case of the only railroad serving Boise -- the Idaho Northern & Pacific -- maintaining profitability has meant...

Office-supply stores work hard to overcome economy's slump.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Ken Levy Views among Treasure Valley office supply store operators about 2003 run the gamut from somewhat hopeful to downright pessimistic. Phil Roark, president of Office Value, Inc., Meridian, maintains a sanguine outlook...

Residential mortgage company plans 1st office bldg.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A new residential mortgage company plans to build its first office building in Boise's Century Landmark Center on Hackamore Drive, near Maple Grove Road, starting in July. The company's parent corporation, Audroc...

Mountain View Equipment to open Fruitland store.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Mountain View Equipment Co., a retailer of farm equipment, plans to open a Fruitland dealership carrying the New Holland line exclusively. Meridian-based Mountain View Equipment is slated to open in mid-May in a...

Meridian Chamber awards slated.(Brief Article)
May 5, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Several businesses and one professional person are to receive the Meridian Chamber of Commerce's 2003 Small Business Awards at a luncheon at noon May 6 at Valley Shepherd Church of the Nazarene, 831 N. Main St. ...

Crown Lift Trucks invests in market during tough time.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Crown Lift Trucks hasn't seen sales soar since opening a factory-direct branch in west Boise in early January. But strong demand for servicing forklifts and other material-handling vehicles of various types has...

Galleries endure slack spending on 'luxuries'.(Brown's Gallery)
May 12, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Boise gallery owner Gloria Brown has weathered enough economic storms through the years to know that lean times are always followed by periods of prosperity -- eventually. Brown, owner since the mid-'70s of Brown's...

High-tech layoffs dim outlook for Idaho economy.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson A "subdued" Idaho economy, hit by high-tech layoffs, probably will remain essentially flat overall during 2003, the state's latest Economic Forecast suggests. Non-farm employment is projected to grow at just 0.1...

Preco's commercial vehicle systems get insurer's backing.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Preco Inc. and Fred A. Moreton & Co. recently entered an alliance aiming to help Preco sell more of its commercial vehicle technology products while it helps Moreton enhance the safety of the fleets it insures. ...

Ada apartment vacancy hits 12 percent.(Ada County, Idaho)
May 12, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Vacancy in Ada County apartments is at its highest since statistics were first tabulated in 1975, a quarterly survey indicates. Ada Real Estate Surveys (ARES) found a 12.2 percent vacancy rate -- and it could be...

Caldwell's Kit manufactured-housing plant gets new owners.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The Kit manufactured-housing plant in Caldwell is under new, local, ownership. Kit HomeBuilders West LLC -- owned by Chuck Lawrence and Art Berry -- recently acquired the Kit Manufactured Homes Division for an...

Bekins Moving & Storage alters course, closes Boise unit.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Bekins Moving & Storage Co. has closed its Boise division near downtown and abandoned plans to build a new facility on West Gowen Road. Ken Wendland, vice president of customer care for Bekins Moving & Storage, dba...

Idacorp loses 8 cents a share in 1st qtr.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Idacorp Inc. last week reported a first-quarter net loss of $3.1 million, or 8 cents per share, compared to net income of $25 million, or 66 cents per share, a year ago. The company cited warmer weather that...

Commentary: Tips for ensuring email does what you want ...
May 12, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson Sure. Email is a great way to communicate, but it's not foolproof. For example, have you ever sent email invitations to a meeting and had someone say later that they didn't get the message? Or, have you ever received...

Idaho to get about $4 million in Wall Street settlement.(Brief Article)
May 12, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho stands to receive about $4 million in a settlement between Federal securities regulators and the Wall Street investment firms they investigated for alleged conflicts of interest. The investigation centered on...

Ethnic hungers feed demand for specialty grocery markets.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Specialty markets can take off when they meet pent-up demand, as Dan Ansotegui found out after he opened his Basque Market in downtown Boise 2 1/2 years ago. "It's been excellent," said Ansotegui, who operates the...

Some Canyon County property values soar with gains in commercial.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Assessed values for commercial property in parts of Canyon County increased substantially this year. "On 12th Avenue in Nampa and the main corridors in Caldwell, like Cleveland and Blaine, we have seen a very large...

Sportsman's Warehouse to build in Twin Falls.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Sportsman's Warehouse plans to build a 47,000-square-foot store in Twin Falls. A published bidding announcement said the retailer, through general contractor Eckman & Mitchell Construction Inc., will gather bids...

Lionbridge Technologies slates move, expansion.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Lionbridge Technologies Inc. and its computer-applications testing unit VeriTest plan to move to larger Boise Research Center quarters by early July. Lionbridge (NASDAQ:LIOX) leased 13,800 square feet in the...

Light-industrial park planned south of Nampa's Franklin interchange.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson An industrial park designed primarily for light-industrial uses has been proposed south of the Franklin Road interchange with Interstate 84 in Nampa. The 30-acre Mason Creek Plaza site lies about a half-mile south...

'Babies' unit of Toys 'R' Us planned in Meridian.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Babies "R" Us, a unit of Toys "R" Us, recently applied for a building permit for a store in the Meridian Crossroads shopping center, at the southeast corner of Fairview Avenue and Eagle Road. If approved, the...

Holland Realty opens 5th office, expands commercial presence.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Holland Realty has opened a fifth Treasure Valley office near downtown Boise and is expanding its role in commercial real estate. The company, founded in 1980 by John Holland, opened the office May 12 in a...

Lowe's plans store near Karcher Mall.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Lowe's Companies Inc. plans to build a 132,000-square-foot home improvement store on Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard near Karcher Mall, on the site of Producer's Supply Co-op, which will move. A bid announcement...

Housing provides bright spot in Boise construction stats.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Generally strong home and apartment construction highlighted a Boise construction market that saw lower overall totals in April. Single-family housing permits totaled 71 in the city limits in April, up 25 percent...

Idaho Guard getting new, $6.2 million, office and classroom center.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller Construction of the $6.2 million Idaho National Guard's new readiness center is running ahead of schedule and could be complete by year's end, the Guard says. General contractor Petra Inc., Boise, broke ground on the...

Bagel bakery slated on Broadway in Boise.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Boise is to get a third bagel bakery this summer. Alisa Tueller plans to open a bagel bakery by early August in the Ram Plaza at Broadway Avenue and Park Boulevard in east Boise. The 1,600-square-foot Boise...

RiverWalk Center gets law, orthopedic practices.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A law firm and an orthopedic practice plan to occupy parts of the second office building under construction in RiverWalk Center, on Shoreline Drive west of Americana Boulevard. Steed Construction is working on the...

Property assessments take a breather in Ada County.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Most property owners receiving notices from the Ada County Assessor's office this month won't find double-digit percentage gains from the previous year like they did last year. This year's only exception, in terms...

Capital City Development Corp. 'forbears' on Boise Tower default.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Boise Tower last week got what may be its last delay when the Capital City Development Corp. voted unanimously to negotiate a "forbearance" agreement with developer Rick Peterson. The agreement, to be prepared...

Armstrong Architects moves to Albertson building it designed.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Armstrong Architects has moved to new but familiar quarters - the three-story building in southeast Boise that the firm designed for the Albertson family in the early '90s. Armstrong occupies 3,400 square feet on...

Boise moves up with 2-level airport terminal.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Ken Levy High-tech security systems and beefed-up structural strength complement the flowing lines and open design of the $54 million-plus Boise Airport terminal, due to open June 25. The 361,000-square-foot terminal expansion...

Lumber prices hold downward trend.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Plywood prices are down from a year ago, while prices for oriented strand board and engineered lumber are generally up. Chuck Miller, president of Chuck Miller Construction in Boise, said he has not noticed a big...

Ada County golf country clubs find fairways attract tax assessor.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Golf's an expensive sport: Just ask course owners in Ada County as they receive their new tax-valuation notices in the mail. Increases of 20 percent, 30 percent, and more are common in Ada County this year as golf...

SignsInk: Established firm's way of tapping digital demand.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Demand for digital printing is on the rise, and several Boise companies have risen to the occasion. SignsInk LLC serves a growing segment of the sign trade: digital, full-color graphics that are high-resolution...

Lookin' Sporty retailer closes Northgate store because of slow economy.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Lookin' Sporty, a retailer of pro sports memorabilia, has closed its Boise store in the Northgate Shopping Center and moved its inventory to a second store in the Boise Spectrum, across from Edwards Cinemas. Store...

Smith's Home Furniture's former building gets revamped into multi-tenant complex.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A $1.2 million renovation of the west Boise building that formerly housed Smith's Home Furnishings is to yield a multi-tenant complex called Fairview Tech Center, developers said last week. Sundance Investments LP,...

Lithia Ford dealtership targets early August move to west Boise.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Lithia Ford of Boise plans to move Aug. 1 to its new complex under construction at Fairview Avenue and Maple Grove roads, Manager Mike Springer said last week. The dealership, which employs 80 in several buildings...

New Kia dealership is building in Nampa for June opening.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A new Kia dealer plans to open in the Nampa-Caldwell area in June. Wenatchee-based Kane Automotive Group 2 recently leased the former Tom Scott Honda building at the southeast corner of Cleveland Boulevard and...

New Idaho Dept. of Commerce chief brings SE Idaho perspective.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Meet Mr. Hyde. "I'd about as soon as sell as I would eat," the new director of the state Department of Commerce says. LaMoyne Hyde was appointed a month ago to succeed Gary Mahn, who stepped down at the end...

Idaho Survey Group plans move to Meridian.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Survey Group plans an Aug. 1 move to a building under construction on Watertower Lane, east of Adkins Way, in Meridian. The company leased 3,200 square feet of space in the building, which will be 6,570...

Boise-based Telemetric teams with Motorola.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Telemetric, a Boise company that designs technologies to enable power and water companies to remotely monitor equipment, has entered an agreement with Motorola. Telemetric products will be offered on Motorola's...

Commentary: Slamming the door on spammers - it's possible.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson I like the word schadenfreude. It's a German word for satisfaction that derived from the misery of others. (Schaden = sorrow; Freude = joy.) Schadenfreude precisely describes my feelings when I read recently in the...

Qwest Communuications Inc. announces new pricing for Idaho long-distance service.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Qwest Communications Inc. has announced new pricing for the long-distance service it offers to Idaho residential and small-business customers. For small businesses, the Qwest Long Distance Advantage program...

Boise Moose Lodge relocating to Calderwood Business Center.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Construction is expected to start in mid-June on new quarters for the Boise Moose Lodge and an office/retail building in the Caldwerwood Business Center at the southwest corner of Overland and Maple Grove roads. ...

Commercial bldgs., Asian eatery planned on Ustick Ave. in Boise.
May 26, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A Boise developer is seeking conditional-use approval from the city to build three commercial buildings, including an Asian restaurant, on a 7-acre parcel on Ustick Road. Ron Sargent, a partner in development...