Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from May 2004

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from May 2004

Outlet mall still seeks big fish to lure more traffic.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert A deal with a large tenant that Boise Factory Outlets hoped to have lined up by now hasn't closed but may still happen, according to owners of the southeast Boise mall. A spokesman for Canterbury Real Estate, which...

Idaho outlook slips just a bit, state says.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson Idaho's economy looks slightly slower than it did at the beginning of the year, according to the state's latest Economic Forecast, with a job-growth rate of 1.2 percent projected for 2004, down marginally from the...

J.R. Simplot sees better times, despite spud, beef issues.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson Things are looking up for J.R. Simplot Co. Demand for frozen french fries has stabilized, cattle prices have improved, and the fertilizer side of Simplot's business is going great guns. And, while Japan and...

Wendy's operator plans two Meridian retail projects.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Dale Nagy, who owns and operates 14 Wendy's restaurants in the Treasure Valley, plans to start building a Wendy's and two multi-tenant retail buildings this month on the west side of Eagle Road, south of Fairview...

Meridian Chamber to honor entrepreneurs, small businesses.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Becky McKinstry, owner of year-old consulting firm Open Lines Inc., has been named 2004 Business Person of the Year from the Meridian Chamber of Commerce. The chamber will honor McKinstry and a handful of companies...

AmeriTel Inns opens in Bend.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson AmeriTel Inns Inc. recently opened its 10th hotel, in Bend, Ore., and "will probably add one or two properties a year for the foreseeable future," company partner and President Bruce Black said. The Boise-based...

TitleOne plans 2nd Nampa office.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson TitleOne Corp. will open a second Nampa escrow office around June 1. The Boise-based real estate title and escrow company, founded in 2000, already fields a Canyon County office and "title plant" of county real...

Commentary: Microsoft's error messages - Is anyone getting them?
May 3, 2004... Byline: Rick Edvalson I wonder whether pedestrian buttons really do anything or not. Nevertheless, because it is generally in my nature to follow directions, when the sign says, "To Cross Street, Push Button, Wait for Walk Signal," I do...

Building Materials Holding Corp. nets 31cents a share in 1Q.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson Building Materials Holding Corp. last week reported first-quarter earnings of $4.2 million, or 31 cents per diluted share, up sharply from the year-earlier net of $600,000, or 4 cents a share. Sales increased...

Boise State University buys ex-Office Depot center.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise State University last week announced an agreement with the family of Ron Yanke to acquire Capitol Village shopping center at Capitol Boulevard and University Drive. Yanke, a longtime Treasure Valley...

Three-building complex planned in Eagle.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson A complex of three commercial buildings totaling 17,300 square feet is planned in Rocky Mountain Business Park, north of State Street in Eagle. Called Eagle Pointe Shopping Center, it would be built on a 2-acre...

Zilog announces June closure of Nampa plant.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Zilog Inc. has announced that it will close its remaining Nampa manufacturing site and lay off 147 manufacturing and support workers. The move, set for June 23, is the final step in the company's strategy to...

Extended Systems loses $2.1 million due to Pumatech suit costs.
May 3, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Extended Systems Inc. reported a net loss of $2.1 million, or 14 cents per share, for its third quarter ended March 31, compared to a net loss of $648,000 a year earlier and net income of $459,000 in the previous...

Security at Iraq power projects shielded U.S. workers, WGI said.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson Washington Group International has not been directly impacted by escalating strife in Iraq, due to security measures it took at its projects there, a company official says. The recent violence has caused no...

In Twin Falls, officials strive to lure 300 'jobs-with-benefits' before '06.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The Twin Falls City Council recently approved a strategic plan that calls for, among other things, adding 300 well-paying jobs to the local economy by the end of 2005. "We want to target higher-paying...

Arts enrich economy in Boise, study says.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert The artists may be penniless and the organizations nonprofit, but the fine arts in Idaho help power the economy. A study published in 2003 and conducted by Americans for the Arts examined the economic impact of 33...

Caldwell YMCA work to begin soon.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of Caldwell Family YMCA is expected to get under way this month, about a year after a fund-raising campaign for the $13.5 million project began. CM Co., Boise, will oversee construction of the...

Health care, education lead job prospects for grads.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert College and university career counselors say this year's graduates are headed for an improved job market. Boise State University and Albertson College of Idaho reported greater numbers of job listings. More...

Peter Schott's restaurant to become Borton's Steaks.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Peter Schott's restaurant, which originally opened in 1978 in the Idanha Hotel, is under new management, transferring to new ownership, adopting a new menu and taking a new name. Jim Borton Jr., the restaurant's...

Call center for CitiCards takes shape at Silverstone.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of a CitiCards call center is expected to conclude by early October in the Silverstone Business Campus, south of Overland Road and east of Eagle Road, Meridian. Clayco Construction Co., based near St....

Idaho Export Council plans World Trade Day May 13.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert The Idaho Export Council is inviting business leaders to discuss global issues at World Trade Day, a conference slated for May 13 and 14 at Northwest Nazarene University's Helstrom Business Center in Nampa. Four...

Studio Collective group helps artists develop business skills.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert A 2-year-old organization, Boise Open Studio Collective Organization, is teaching artists to think like business people. BOSCO's efforts are anchored in an event to be held for the second year this June in which...

Cherry Plaza owners seek another 'mid-box' retailer.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Several businesses have come, gone or changed in Cherry Plaza recently, but owner Rick Clark believes these developments are well-timed. Albertsons anchors the L-shaped center of 120,000 square feet, at Meridian...

Author to keynote Hewlett-Packard human-rights award lunch.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Phoebe Eng is slated to keynote the Hewlett-Packard Co. Award for Distinguished Leadership in Human Rights program at a luncheon May 19 at the DoubleTree Riverside Hotel, Garden City. Eng wrote Warrior Lessons, a...

Idacorp nets 51cents a share in first qtr.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Idacorp Inc. reported first-quarter earnings of $19.7 million, or 51 cents per share, compared to a loss of $3 million a year earlier, as Idaho Power Co. saw demand increase due to colder weather and the addition of...

Apartment vacancy drops slightly.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Vacancy rates in Ada County apartment complexes dropped slightly, but remained high, in the most recent quarter. Vacancies averaged 10.7 percent as of late April, according to an Ada Real Estate Surveys report that...

Warm Springs subdivision may get 2 retail buildings.
May 10, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert The developer of a subdivision proposed on the north side of Warm Springs Avenue intends to incorporate two commercial buildings into the project in a bid to ease traffic concerns. Sol Vista Subdivision is planned...

Market booms in New Meadows area.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson J.I. Morgan Inc., a logging contractor and builder of logging roads, has become part of a central Idaho growth industry: subdivision development. The New Meadows company employs about 50, down from about 70 five...

Golf courses grow apace with central Idaho.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Carey McNeal has been making improvements to MeadowCreek Golf Resort, and further developing its residential component, since his family acquired the New Meadows property in 1999. McCall, with its popular...

Bonds crucial for Nampa's future, new mayor says.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Mayor Tom Dale hopes that Nampans - faced with a welter of primary candidate yard signs, billboards and mailers - will remember to vote "yes" in the May 25 bond election. The outcome will determine the fate of road...

Meridian gets Idaho's first 'high-field' open MRI.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Advanced Open Imaging spent three months - and $2.5 million - preparing its 3,500-square-foot Meridian office. Now Advanced offers "Idaho's first high-field, open MRI in SilverStone Corporate Center, southeast of...

Idaho's small business index drops to 97.5 in April, Zions Banks says.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The Zions Bank Small Business Index for Idaho fell to 97.5 in April from a revised 100 in March, as unemployment dropped and business operators prepared for rising short-term interest rates. Idaho unemployment, the...

Boise-based WGI earns 52cents a share as revenues rise 14.7%.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Washington Group International Inc. earned $13.07 million, or 52 cents per share, on revenues of $754.2 million in its fiscal first quarter, ended April 2. Earnings rose by 2.3 percent from $12.78 million, or 51...

Idaho fares well in growth rate of businesses owned by women.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson A recent Center for Women's Business Research study ranked Idaho fourth in the nation in the rate of growth for businesses owned by women. Wells Fargo sponsored the study, which measured growth of privately-held...

Despite global turmoil, foreign markets beckon, speaker says.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Despite "all kinds of things going on" in the global economy, investors should not ignore international markets. That's the advice that Tim McAvoy, principal in Marvin & Palmer Associates Global Equity Management,...

Look out for glitches caused by Outlook's nickname list.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Rick Edvalson My wife rolled her eyes as she handed me the phone - a sure sign that a telemarketer was on the line. "This is Rick," I said. "May I speak to Fredrick?" she asked. "That's me," I replied. "Huh?" she...

Micron stock gains on upgrades, despite Rambus suit.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Micron Technology Inc. stock rose early this month as two analysts' upgrades appeared to outweigh a downgrade as well as a lawsuit against Micron and other memory chip companies. JMP Securities upgraded Micron from...

Micron unveils new chip for camera cell phones.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Micron Technology's imaging group is set to unveil its latest image sensor for cameras built into cellular phones and PDAs. The sensor is Micron's second mobile imaging product and marks a stronger presence for the...

Boise architectural firm to utilize passive-solar design on Broadway Avenue office.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert A Boise architectural firm plans to feature passive solar energy-conservation techniques in a new Broadway Avenue office. Insight Architects followed energy-efficient principles in designing two small office...

Collision-repair business opens in Garden City.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The former Lithia Collision Center building on Chinden Boulevard west of Glenwood Street, Garden City, soon will house a small but growing auto-body repair business. Custom Collision Inc. leased the...

Wells Fargo to sponsor "Broadway in Boise" productions.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Wells Fargo & Co. will sponsor Boise State University's 2004 to 2005 "Broadway in Boise" series at the Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts. "Wells Fargo is proud to sponsor Broadway in Boise and have...

Homebuilding stays strong in Southwest Idaho.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Ken Miller Southwest Idaho home builders say they view the peak of the 2004 residential construction season with surprising optimism and some even predict a silver lining in the inevitable Fed interest rate increase and...

Boise, statewide permit values dip.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The value of building permits issued by the City of Boise is down by 17 percent through April, for both the calendar year and fiscal year, the city's April Construction Report says, and a similar picture was painted...

Boise contractors struggle to adapt to soaring steel prices.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Ken Miller Just as last year's soaring wood prices made life difficult for homebuilders, volatile steel prices are dragging the rest of the construction industry on a wild ride as contractors struggle to adapt to dubious supplies...

Hopkins Financial finds niche in loans for mid-sized commercial projects.
May 17, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson In 1983, long before Wall Street embraced the sub-prime mortgage market, Hopkins Financial started arranging home loans that didn't conform with traditional lenders' standards. That business remains significant,...

Research demand boosts business for Boise-based Clearwater.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Clearwater Research Inc., a long-established Boise company that conducts polls and surveys and analyzes their results, plans to add jobs. President and owner Steve Swann said he expects to add 35 computer...

Offices planned on Five Mile Road in Ada County.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Six one-story office buildings are planned on 2.15 acres of unused farmland on South Five Mile Road north of Victory Road, according to an application filed with Ada County. The site is between Five Mile Church of...

Meridian-based Rampage Gaming plans Boise site.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Rampage Gaming, a Meridian-based online and network video gaming business, plans to open a Broadway Avenue gaming center near Boise Avenue by June 15, according to the owners. Rampage has secured a lease on the...

Hewlett-Packard reports strong second quarter.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Hewlett-Packard Co. reported earnings of $884 million, or 29 cents per share, for its second quarter ended April 30, on $20.1 billion in revenue. Earnings rose 34 percent from the year-earlier quarter while...

Senior community, offices, planned in south Meridian.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson A senior community and professional office development are planned on 9.5 acres in southern Meridian. Spring Creek Senior Living Community and Spring Creek Professional Office Park will be bordered by Idaho 69 /...

Commercial building planned for Winding Creek site in Eagle.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson A 5,100-square-foot commercial building with two stories and late-19th-century design features is proposed on part of the Winding Creek development site in Eagle. Applicant Mark Butler of Land Consultants Inc.,...

St. Luke's Regional Medical Center buys 14 acres in Eagle.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson St. Luke's Regional Medical Center recently purchased 14 acres on the south side of State Street across from The Home Depot in Eagle. "We are looking at building an additional outpatient facility," St. Luke's...

SCP Global Technologies opens European sales office, consolidates manufacturing in Boise.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson SCP Global Technologies Inc., which develops wet-processing equipment for semiconductor manufacturers, announced that it is establishing a sales, service and support office in Stuttgart, Germany. The office "will...

Home Federal Savings changes reorganization plan.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Home Federal Savings board members revised the institution's plan to reorganize and to issue stock. The board last week approved converting Home Federal to a mutual holding company, and selling less than 50 percent...

1st phase of Ahavath Beth Israel campus in Boise nearly complete.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Ken Levy Ancient traditions have been combined with new technology in the new Ahavath Beth Israel campus on Latah Street in Boise. The relocation and expansion of the congregation's facilities began in May 2003, and included...

Boise mayor, community leaders take pro-business stand to D.C.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Fifteen business and community leaders, including Boise Mayor Dave Bieter, advocated several pro-business policies during meetings with members of Idaho's Congressional delegation May 11-12 in Washington, D.C. The...

Boise-based Fisher's launches new Lanier-brand company.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Fisher's, a Boise-based supplier of copiers and document-management equipment, has launched a separate company to sell and service Lanier equipment. Digital Printing and Imaging (DPI) operates at 595 E. 42nd St.,...

Twin Falls-based Fastenal plans to move its Boise store to Orchard Street building.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Fastenal, which markets industrial and construction supplies including fasteners, plans to move its south Boise store by June 1 from Airport Way to a 5,100-square-foot building on the east side of Orchard St., just...

Retail building planned at I-184 Towne Square off-ramp in Boise.
May 24, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of a multi-tenant retail building of 21,000 square feet is planned at the northeast corner of Cole Road and Denton Street, next to the Interstate 184 Connector off-ramp at Boise Towne Square mall. "As...

Assessment trends mixed for Ada Co. commercial property.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson For the second year in a row, Ada County commercial property owners aren't necessarily seeing double-digit percentage gains in valuation from a year earlier. "Overall, things are probably more status quo than...

Downtown Boise mixed-use 'Blocks' project scaled back.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert A planned mixed-use project that would have spanned two blocks in downtown Boise has been split up, and the developer plans to start work on a less ambitious office building in June. Boise-based developer Oaas...

Retail, office bldg. planned on Overland Road.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson Patrick McKeegan Architects, Boise, is designing a mixed-use office / retail building planned on Overland Road, east of Orchard Street in Boise. The structure could be two or three stories depending on the...

Amalgamated Sugar leases more Boise office space.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson Amalgamated Sugar Co. LLC, which is continuing a phased relocation of corporate headquarters from Ogden to Boise, recently leased more Boise office space. The sugar-beet processor leased more than 5,700 square...

Build-A-Bear plans Boise Towne Square store.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Build-A-Bear Workshop has plans to open a store this October in the Boise Towne Square where patrons can make their own stuffed animals. The store is slated to open eight months after the closure of Bearmakerz...

Caldwell medical plaza planned.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson The three-story Logan Medical Plaza is planned on the north side of Logan Street between Kimball and Arlington avenues, Caldwell. Several medical, dental, and related service providers have shown strong interest...

MPC Computers featured on CNN's Dobbs program.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Lora Volkert Nampa-based MPC Computers was recently featured on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight in a segment for the show's "Exporting America" series. The brief segment, which aired May 20, highlighted the decision by MPC's...

3rd Canyon Park bldg. slated in Nampa.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Steven Anderson Boise developer Oaas Laney plans to start construction on a third office building in front of the Idaho Center in Nampa this fall. Foundation work is likely to begin this summer in preparation for the...

Building planned at 11th & Myrtle draws interest from medical offices.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson A three-story office building planned on the south side of downtown Boise has drawn strong interest from medical and dental practices, developers say. Construction of 11th & Myrtle Professional Center is expected...

Caldwell taps developer input, considers new park impact fees.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson An ad-hoc committee studying whether Caldwell should charge an impact fee for new parks and trails probably will get more representation from real estate and development interests. "We are in the very early stages...

Commentary: Text messaging's next wave could be just a 'flip' away.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Rick Edvalson Despite its many failings, email has become an essential part of my life. Except for those times when a message must be delivered immediately, email is perfect for communicating with people who use computers - and...

Idaho Public Utilities Commission okays reduced power-rate hike.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved an average 5.2 percent general rate increase for Idaho Power Co. customers effective June 1, rather than the 14.5 percent increase the company requested. But the...

Idaho River Sports heads to water with building purchase.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson Aiming to add storage and showroom space at the same time it gives customers a chance to try before they buy, Idaho River Sports owners recently acquired a building on the west side of downtown Boise near public ponds....

Ada County commercial-assessment trends mixed.
May 31, 2004... Byline: Brad Carlson For the second year in a row, Ada County commercial property owners aren't necessarily seeing double-digit percentage gains in valuation from a year earlier. "Overall, things are probably more status quo than...