Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from November 2005

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from November 2005

Economy surges 3.6% in '05, but Idaho sees cooling for '06.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Idaho's economy is on the boil this year, heated by hectic home building, but it's likely to simmer down sometime next year. Fueled partly by gains in the construction sector, job growth is estimated at 3.6...

Boise-based Micron said to lose ground on costs, market share.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Micron may have had a profitable fiscal year, but analysts say that doesn't mean the company is on the right track. Analysts are concerned about the company's high production costs and say product diversification...

Little upside seen for Boise-based Micron stock in near term.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The outlook for Micron Technology Inc. stock remains murky, several analysts say. Micron (NYSE:MU) was trading around $13.85 last week, compared to a one-year high of $13.76 in early October and a low of $9.32 in...

Boise-based Idacorp's 3Q net slides on reversal of tax deduction.
November 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idacorp Inc. reported third-quarter earnings of $23.6 million, or 56 cents per share, down 9.6 percent from $26.1 million, or 68 cents per share, in the year-earlier quarter. Revenues totaled $249.14 million...

Boise economist takes optimistic outlook in Idaho for 2006.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson One regional economist, Kelly Matthews of Wells Fargo & Co., takes a more optimistic view of Idaho's outlook for 2006. Matthews, commenting on the state's projection of a decline to 1.8 percent job growth from...

BlueShield to roll out Medicare Part D Nov. 15 in Idaho.
November 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report When enrollment opens for Medicare Part D on Nov. 15, Regence BlueShield of Idaho and subsidiary Regence Life and Health will offer two of the prescription drug options available in Idaho. Regence said in a...

Lured by lower costs, CA. firm heads for Boise.(Company Profile)
November 7, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert A California-based bicycle trailer and stroller company will be pedaling its wares from Boise starting in January. BOB Trailers, which employs 13, plans to move its headquarters from San Luis Obispo, Calif., and...

Arkansas firm relocates to Meridian.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Much of the gear that Tracker Radio Systems Corp. assembles and markets ends up in the hands of hunters who run hounds long-range in the South and Midwest. So why did the company recently move its U.S. headquarters...

Governor's business conference set Nov. 9 in Boise.
November 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Stephen G. Hanks, president and CEO of Washington Group International, is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at the Governor's Business Opportunity Conference in Boise Nov. 9. The 17th annual event,...

Caldwell retail buildings near completion.
November 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Tenant improvement construction began recently on two retail and restaurant buildings across Cleveland Boulevard from the Caldwell Wal-Mart. The $1.5 million project, called the Shops on the Boulevard,...

Boise-based Micron could benefit from potential DRAM market split.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Micron Technology is an example of how far Idaho's economy has come from its reliance on potatoes and sugar beets, but its core product, DRAM computer chips, has something in common with those farm products. It's...

Majestic Marketplace in Boise scheduled to be completed by end of year.
November 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Construction of Majestic Marketplace, a multi-tenant retail building and a single-tenant building in the Majestic Cinemas development on Overland Road west of Eagle Road, began recently and is scheduled to be...

Boise-based Idaho Pacific Lumber grows, but not in home state - yet.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Pacific Lumber Co. Inc. aims to grow - possibly even in Idaho. Despite its name, Boise-based Idaho Pacific generates less than 1 percent of revenues from Idaho. "IdaPac" employs 78 including 43 at its...

Expansion slated for yet-to-open assisted-living center in Meridian.
November 7, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Meridian, with a population shooting past 50,000, poses growing demand for assisted-living facilities, if the experience of one provider is any indication. The operator of the Grace Assisted Living complex nearing...

Boise chef Mortimer plans to open 'Franco Latino' in Eagle.
November 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise chef Jon Mortimer plans to open Franco Latino, a restaurant serving dishes blending French cooking styles and Latin American ingredients, in Eagle next spring. Mortimer, the owner and chef of Mortimer's...

Boise Cascade net slips on storms, prices.
November 7, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Boise Cascade Co. reported earnings of $28.5 million in the third quarter, down 19 percent from $35.2 million a year earlier. Housing markets stayed strong in the quarter, but "we estimate that the lost...

Boise developer keeps on loving the challenge of landing the big ones.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson For Winston Moore, Boise has been a happenin' place. And he's made a lot of it happen. The longtime commercial real estate developer has by his own account something over 2.5 million square feet of Class A...

200,000-ft. retail center planned for Pocatello.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson National and regional retailers have reserved space in Pocatello Square, a 200,000-square-foot shopping center unveiled for Pocatello. Ross Dress for Less, Famous Footwear and Bed Bath & Beyond are among retailers...

Commuter-rail work boosts Boise's MotivePower.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson MotivePower, the Boise locomotive manufacturer, is on a roll thanks to new contracts, and is hiring. "The outlook is as promising as I recall in this business," said Vice President and General Manager Mark Warner,...

Boise-based SCP Global Technologies shifts focus.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert SCP Global Technologies has gone from lemons to lemonade. When SCP's primary market - silicon wafer-cleaning technologies - turned sour, the Boise-based company decided to go a step further. Last June, after...

Townhomes planned on 12-acre site in Meridian.
November 14, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Townhomes, mansion-style condo buildings and single-family homes are planned on a 12-acre site in southeast Meridian. Of the 108 dwelling units that Boise-based C2B Developments plans in its Wells Street...

Idaho-based banks gain ground in market share.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Some Idaho-based banks are taking a bigger bite of the pie in the Treasure Valley, according to new federal data on deposits. Wells had a 22.2 percent share of the $6.17 billion in bank deposits in the five-county...

FDIC releases top 10 rankings of Boise banks.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff The Top 10 According to mid-year data released recently by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the top 10 banks by deposits in the Boise MSA, with market share in percent, and 2004 rank and market...

Early-November snow in ID raises hopes for 'normal' ski year.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller Early snowfalls have Idaho ski-resort operators in an upbeat mood with high hopes for a season that will make last year's low-snow setback only a memory. A post-Halloween dumping delivered such strong totals that...

Tamarack Resort's season includes continued construction.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller While skiers and boarders explore new lifts and trails at Idaho's newest ski hill, construction crews will remain busy this winter as Tamarack Resort presses ahead with an aggressive building schedule. "We do a good...

Plans unveiled for Gateway Center in Nampa.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Construction of a shopping center that will total 850,000 square feet and cost more than $100 million has begun southeast of the Garrity Boulevard interchange with Interstate 84 in Nampa. ...

Middleton Marketplace in Boise adds tenants.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Construction of the fifth of seven buildings planned in Middleton Marketplace began recently, to go along with a 6,400-square-foot building slated for completion Nov. 19. Middleton Marketplace...

Idaho innovator creates foot operated mouse.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Computer users the world over have learned to work with a mouse - a fact Boisean Becky Logue hopes will work to her advantage while marketing her invention - the R.A.T. For now, the R.A.T., known by its full name...

Investing in employee training called crucial by CEO of Boise-based WGI.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Investing in employee training and development pays off whether you're running a big corporation or a small business, Washington Group International Inc. President and CEO Steve Hanks says. Hanks, the luncheon...

Boise-based WGI hurricane relief tops $1 million.
November 14, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report More than $300,000 in employee contributions pushed donations for American Red Cross hurricane relief by Washington Group International Inc. and its foundation to more than $1.1 million. Employee donations and...

Annual conference to air property-tax issues Nov. 16 in Boise.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson Agency representatives, legislators and government officials will discuss proposed property-tax changes during the Associated Taxpayers of Idaho's annual Taxpayer Conference in Boise Nov. 16. The conference,...

Boise State University nears start of $13.5 million bldg.
November 14, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson By Brad Carlson IDAHO BUSINESS REVIEW A four-story, 56,000-square-foot Interactive Learning Center with high-tech classrooms is slated at Boise State University. BSU expects to start building the $13.5...

38-acre commercial development planned for Meridian near 1-84.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert A 38-acre commercial development is planned for Meridian, north of Interstate 84 and west of Meridian Road, off Waltman Lane. Preliminary plans call for one or two big-box retail stores, about the size of a Target,...

Medical facilities, M.D. offices planned at SilverStone Business Campus.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Three large medical buildings, including an orthopedic clinic, a neurology clinic, a quick care clinic and a diagnostic imaging center, are planned in the SilverStone Business Campus. Intermountain Orthopaedics has...

Idaho's economic health linked to education, say experts.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Economic growth predicted for next year bodes well for the already strong Treasure Valley, but attracting high-paying jobs and expanding higher education remain critical issues. That was the message that a regional...

Red Cliff Development focuses on mixed-use infill projects in Boise area.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Red Cliff Development Inc. is busy building or planning six high-density infill residential projects - half with commercial components - in the Boise area. The projects reflect a shift toward commercial and...

Fair Housing Institute speaker: Compliance in Idaho improves but topic remains timely.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson The number of fair-housing cases has dropped since a wave of claims hit Idaho apartment owners in the late 1990s, but the level of interest in the topic hasn't. Landlords and developers "are far more aware of what...

Commentary: Using unlicensed software? - It can end up costing you!
November 21, 2005... Byline: Rick Edvalson The City of Nampa has just completed a self-audit requested by the Business Software Alliance, a software-licensing watchdog group. The audit reportedly came about because of a tip from a former city employee. The...

City of Nampa completes software audit.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert The City of Nampa has completed a software audit ordered after a former employee reportedly accused the city of pirating software, a city spokesman says. The audit calculated the number of software programs Nampa...

Little bubble trouble foreseen for Idaho housing.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson There is "no great bubble in Idaho real estate prices," and even the national housing boom "is more likely to end with a whimper than a bang," Michael Parks says. Parks, who observes the Northwest economy as editor...

Retail West Properties buys third-floor eatery space in downtown Boise.
November 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Retail West Properties, a retail real estate development and consulting firm, recently acquired the former Mona Lisa restaurant space in downtown Boise. Retail West plans to occupy 1,500 square feet of the...

Apartment vacancy drops to 6.8% in Ada County, Idaho, report says.
November 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Apartment vacancy dropped to 6.8 percent in Ada County at the end of October, from 7.9 percent a year earlier, on limited construction and rising home prices. Rents rose slightly as a long-term rental...

Boise Valley Economic Partnership launches $5M initiative to attract businesses to area.
November 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report A Chamber of Commerce arm called the Boise Valley Economic Partnership last week announced a $5 million initiative with the goal of attracting businesses to the Boise area and creating 11,000 jobs and $300 million...

Clearwire offers wireless broadband in Boise.
November 21, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Clearwire, an Internet service provider that offers wireless Internet, launched service in the Treasure Valley last week. Most Clearwire customers are home consumers, but a number of contractors, real estate...

City of Boise begins revamp of permit process.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Ken Miller It's been 18 months since Boise Mayor David Bieter announced plans to help builders, architects, contractors and others more painlessly navigate the license-and-permit maze in the city's planning shop. That effort...

J Crist Gallery is first building in Boise built from ground up as an art gallery.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Gaye Bunderson A stroll through the new J Crist Gallery is meant to be more than a casual look at art on a wall. The building is the first in Boise to be specifically designed and built from the ground up as an art gallery, and...

Two rural Idaho highways due for widening work.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Ken Levy One of two sizeable upcoming state highway projects will go back out to bid after the lone bid came in "significantly above the engineer's estimate," according to Michael Maller, spokesman for the Idaho Transportation...

Relationship is key to Meridian-based Russell Corps.' success over past 30 years.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Ken Levy Long-term relationships and an involved team approach are the key to Russell Corp.'s success over the past 30 years, according to company president Neal Russell. The Meridian-based general contractor and construction...

Commercial projects boost Boise construction.
November 21, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson October was a big month for commercial construction in Boise, based in part on a major expansion at St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. The city approved nine permits worth over $1 million each, including $63.5...

Hampton Inn to boost Boise lodging.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Retailers opening in the past month in the still-under-construction BoDo project have been well received, but how will the project's Hampton Inn & Suites hotel go over in downtown Boise? The seven-story, 175-room...

Biz-Net IT purchases Phone Works.
November 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Biz-Net IT Inc. recently acquired the assets of The Phone Works from Garry Premoe and Chris Harrington. Both are Boise firms. The enlarged Biz-Net IT now operates networking and phone divisions, president...

New dean to lead fundraising for BSU business school.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert The new dean of the Boise State College of Business and Economics has a number of goals, such as launching an executive MBA program and encouraging professors to share their knowledge with the community. But his...

Univ. of Phoenix CEO touts technology as teaching tool.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Online schools are gaining prominence because they make education accessible to busy executives and rural residents who don't live near a college, says University of Phoenix President and CEO Laura Palmer Noone. ...

Kuna commercial site draws tenants, grows.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Two additional businesses have signed leases and a third is negotiating for space in Sandstone Plaza, a recently developed commercial center in fast-growing Kuna, 10 miles south of Meridian. Construction of a...

National AGC president to speak at Dec. 2 convention.
November 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Sam Hunter, president of the Associated General Contractors of America, is scheduled to speak at the Idaho AGC's annual convention Dec. 2-3 at the Boise Centre on the Grove. Hunter, who is from Raleigh, N.C.,...

Idaho-based Coldwater Creek's 3Q net rises to 20 cents a share.
November 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report Coldwater Creek reported third-quarter earnings of $12.4 million, or 20 cents per share, up 37 percent from $9.1 million, or 15 cents per share, a year ago. Net sales increased by 26 percent to $190.1 million. ...

Workplace privacy? Laws give employers wide scope to snoop.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Lora Volkert Workplace privacy may be almost an oxymoron. Whether employees realize it or not, employers can search company-owned computers, monitor Internet use, use video surveillance and listen to voice mail. "It's...

For Boise convention center, it's time to start over.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Steven Anderson The Greater Boise Auditorium District board is "back to square one" on plans for expanding Boise's convention center, says Chairman Stevenson Youngerman. Youngerman said the board directed GBAD staff to once...

Caldwell moves to revise zoning.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Caldwell is turning over a new leaf. New "city-center" zoning would allow residential and mixed-use development. It would replace downtown Caldwell's general commercial zoning, which "allows everything from...

Boise developer Bill Hodges plans move to Sun Valley.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Bill Hodges, longtime commercial and mixed-use developer in the Boise area, has been selected to open a Northwest office for Orvis / Cushman & Wakefield in Sun Valley. Orvis / Cushman & Wakefield Ranch and...

Idaho's March of Dimes to honor Colliers International's Rick Clark.
November 28, 2005... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Idaho State Chapter of the March of Dimes will honor Rick Clark, a partner in Colliers International's Boise office, at the Boise Valley Commercial Real Estate Award Breakfast Dec. 6. The event, scheduled...

Idaho-based Albertsons' 3Q net drops 30%.
November 28, 2005... Byline: Brad Carlson Albertsons Inc. reported earnings of $77 million, or 21 cents per share, for its third quarter - a 30 percent decline from $110 million, or 29 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenues totaled $9.95 billion in the...