Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from November 2008

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from November 2008

North Dakota-based MDU Resources announces another quarter of record earnings.(Financial report)
November 3, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff MDU Resources Group, Inc. announced another fiscal quarter of record earnings Oct. 31, posting $118.2 million in third quarter consolidated earnings, up from $104.3 million in the year-ago period. Its second quarter...

Idaho-based Mountain West Bank reports lower earnings.(Financial report)
November 3, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Mountain West Bank reported after-tax earnings of $6,932,681 for the first nine months of 2007, down 34.8 percent from the year-earlier period. Total assets rose 15.4 percent from a year earlier, to $1.161 billion. ...

Idaho Smart Growth Awards to be held in Boise November 12.
November 3, 2008... Byline: IRB Staff Idaho Smart Growth will present its annual Grow Smart Awards Nov. 12 at 5 p.m. at The Rose Room in downtown Boise. The program will include a panel discussion with past winners, including Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney , Steve...

Idaho workers responding to Internet ads were cheated out of wages.
November 3, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff At least two dozen Idaho workers who responded to Internet job advertisements from companies distributing promotional material door to door have been cheated out of wages over the past six months. The Idaho Department...

Brown Mackie College campus in Boise fills education niche.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone While only in session for about two months, the new Brown Mackie College campus in Boise has already enrolled well over 100 students and is rapidly filling its 26,000-square-foot site with high-end equipment,...

Woodriver Cellars near Eagle broadens palate.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Woodriver Cellars owners plan to expand the renamed winery and event venue's offerings and broaden its appeal. Operators of the enterprise, located on Idaho 16 on the west side of Eagle, formerly The Winery at...

Treasury to invest in banks in Idaho.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Twenty banks, including a handful that field major operations in Idaho, plan to participate in the U.S. Treasury Department's Capital Purchase Program. Published reports say the Treasury will invest in Idaho market...

Zions Bank public information officer in Boise details Treasury program participation.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Jennifer Gelband, Zions Bank public information officer in Boise, discusses how the U.S. Treasury's recent investment in Zions, through the agency's Capital Purchase Program, impacts the bank. What's the purpose of...

Boise commercial real estate firm reports industrial vacancy rises as Valley economy stays soft.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Industrial vacancy increased from 7.7 percent in August to 7.8 percent in September, the highest vacancy rate seen in the Boise area since July 2005, Boise-based Thornton Oliver Keller Commercial Real Estate said in a...

Commentary: What lessons await us from '08 election?
November 3, 2008... Byline: Steve Ahrens Every election is a de facto graduate-level poly sci course. Lacking a crystal ball, we learn most about each campaign in retrospect. When the votes are in, we can sort out strategies that worked (or didn't). We can...

Convention center planners in Boise mull financing options.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg Back in 2001, when the Greater Boise Auditorium District purchased the land some describe as the gateway to downtown, the agency envisioned a shiny new convention center adorning the property by 2003. That expected...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: November 3, 2008.
November 3, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Keller, Young & Grover, a Certified Public Accounting firm at 913 W. River St., Suite 410, Boise, on Oct. 31 joined the regional public accounting and business advisory practice of Eide Bailly LLP, one of the country's 25...

Bid Briefs.
November 3, 2008... North Junior High School, 1105 N. 13th St., Boise, plans a gym expansion and fire-protection upgrade. Details of the 8,000-square-foot project are available from Sletten Construction, 11770 President Drive, Suite C, Boise, Idaho 83713. A bid...

Contracts Awarded.
November 3, 2008... Micron Technology Inc., Boise, is the owner for a Micron building remodel at 2805 E. Columbia Road, Boise. Cost not listed. Bob Cafferty Builders Inc., Kuna, is the general contractor for alterations to the Supervalu Data Center at 250 E....

Movers in the Treasure Valley find ways to deal with economic changes.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Amanda Rodgers For many people, the price of gas and the current economy threw a wrench in their plans. For others, the plunging housing market made matters even worse. But what about those people who make a living dependent on...

SCORE selects Norm Beckert as its newest Idaho director.
November 3, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff C. Norman Beckert has been named the new Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) district director for the state of Idaho. In this position, he will coordinate with area chapters to manage and elevate the state's...

Building Permits.
November 3, 2008... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 02298-alteration    not listed    Bar S Construction...

Idahoans on the Move: November 3, 2008.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Appointments/Promotions Hummel announces employee promotions Hummel Arch-itects and Hummel Interiors, an architecture and interior design firm, has announced the recent promotions of John Day,...

Fiscal conservatism keeps Boise startup debt-free.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Gaye Bunderson Andy Steider of Sound Media specializes in low-voltage, limited energy audio/visual installation work. Or, as he explains it for the layman, Our stuff you can plug into the wall and it works. He launched his...

Idaho farmers hope lower diesel prices hold.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson A drop in diesel prices came too late for some Idaho farmers. We pretty much have used the fuel we needed this year, said Leland Tiegs, manager of Harvest Farm Co., a diversified grower of row crops in Nampa. If it...

Law broadens protections for the disabled at work; ADA Amendments Act takes effect Jan. 1.
November 3, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin Businesses across the country are quickly trying to adjust to a broad expansion of the Americans with Disabilities Act that will provide greater protections against workplace discrimination for the disabled starting...

Idaho Water Board to unveil aquifer management plan at Boise meeting this week.
November 4, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report A long-term draft plan to reduce water conflicts and manage water supply and demand in the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer (ESPA) will be reviewed when the Idaho Water Resource Board holds its work session and meeting...

Paper and packaging manufacturer Boise Inc. improves in quarter.
November 4, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Paper and packaging manufacturer Boise Inc. on Nov. 4 reported net income of $4.4 million, or 6 cents per diluted share, for the third quarter 2008, an increase of $22.5 million over the net loss of $18.1 million,...

World's largest NAND Flash memory makers suffer in third quarter.
November 4, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone The world's largest NAND Flash memory makers suffered deep single quarter losses in the third quarter of 2008, according to new research from DRAMeXchange, an international clearinghouse for information on the memory...

Stock Building Supply closes four Idaho operations.
November 4, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg Stock Building Supply, based in Raleigh, N.C., will close four branches in Idaho by the end of next week. The Idaho closures come as part of a nationwide company restructuring, which will shut down 86 facilities and lay...

Students from University of Idaho redesign Basque block.
November 4, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Fifty students from University of Idaho and seven Boise State University students recently completed a redesign of Boise's Basque block. Their ideas for the area will be on display at the Basque Museum Nov. 6 at 5...

Groupware Technology opens Boise offices.
November 5, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Groupware Technology Inc., an information technology solution provider, will expand its operations in the West with the opening of a Boise office. The West Coast solution provider, headquartered in the Silicon...

Ada County voters approve increase to vehicle registration fees.
November 5, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone It might have been the last item on Tuesday's ballot, but it was a top priority for the Ada County Highway District. With the overwhelming approval of an increase to vehicle registration fees Nov. 4, ACHD officials...

Boise-based Micron Technology subsidiary wins first-ever Environment at Work award.
November 5, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Crucial.com, a division of Micron Technology-owned Lexar Media, received the city of Meridian's first annual Environment at Work award this week, recognizing the company's waste reduction measures which resulted in the...

Idaho Water Resources Board's East Snake Plain aquifer management draft draws support, some concerns.
November 5, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson The Idaho Water Resource Board today is considering a draft plan for managing the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer. The Comprehensive Aquifer Management Plan (CAMP) for the Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer, which lies in...

Nampa-based MPC Computers reportedly cutting more jobs.
November 5, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff MPC Computers is laying off more workers today, KTVB reports. The Nampa-based PC maker already underwent a round of cuts in mid-October, culling about 200 jobs from its Nampa and North Sioux City, S.D. plants. Today's...

Verizon's purchase of Alltel may bring minor changes for Idaho customers.
November 5, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin The Federal Communications Commission approved Verizon Wireless' $28 billion acquisition of Alltel Corp. on Tuesday, though the agency toughened conditions on the merger that could lead to minor changes for some...

Idaho's Rep. Mike Simpson honored for voting record.
November 6, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Congressman Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, was given the National Association of Manufacturers Award for Manufacturing Legislative Excellence. The NAM Award honors federal lawmakers who vote consistently in support of...

Economist: Recession will end, but not for a while.
November 6, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson The U.S. economy will recover eventually, in part because of recent federal government intervention in the financial sector, said Quincy Krosby, chief investment strategist for The Hartford. Even if the government gets...

Mountain Home auto dealership wins appeal against software firm.
November 6, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report A Mountain Home auto dealership won an appeal last week against a California software company that leased it a defective software system, according to a press release from law firm Stoel Rives LLP. In an Oct....

Boise chamber sees silver lining in election status quo.
November 6, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin Officials at the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce see some advantages in trying to get their legislative agenda passed in 2009 with what looks to be a stalemate in the state Legislature from Tuesday's election. ...

Idaho's Sen. Mike Crapo: Prepare for big changes in national energy policy.
November 6, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Coming in the wake of Tuesday's historic national election, which saw dozens of his Republican colleagues swept from power, U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said big changes are coming that will deeply impact state and...

Idaho-based MPC Corp. announces Ch. 11 bankruptcy filing.
November 7, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report MPC Corp. announced today that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, though the company said its operations are expected to continue during the reorganization process, according to a statement on its Web site. ...

Registration deadline nears for Governor's Workforce Summit in Boise.
November 7, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Registration for the Governor's Workforce Summit will close Nov. 10. The conference, which brings together civic, academic, economic and work force development professionals, will take place from Nov. 19 to Nov. 21...

$60,000 donation helps Idaho Foodbank with rising costs.
November 7, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Wal-Mart said today it plans to give $60,000 to the Idaho Foodbank to help fund its Backpacks for Kids program, which provides children with meals to take home from school on the weekends. While the backpacks full...

Energy technology center opened at Idaho State University.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Officials from the Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho State University and Partners for Prosperity will cut the ribbon on the new Energy Systems Technology and Education Center at ISU's Pocatello campus Nov. 7. The...

Idaho unemployment rises for eighth straight month.
November 7, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff The financial crisis tore ever deeper into the Idaho economy in October, driving the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate to its highest level in five and a half years, the Idaho Department of Labor reported. Idaho...

Banner Bank to participate in Treasury capital-purchase program.
November 7, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Banner Bank parent Banner Corp. received preliminary approval to participate in the U.S. Treasury Department's Capital Purchase Program. Banner plans to issue $124 million in senior preferred stock, with related...

Northwest Nazarene University investment managers shine.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson We could use some good news about investors and investments. The new issue of Northwest Nazarene University magazine The Messenger includes a story on the NNU Student Managed Fund. Students earned a cumulative return...

Colliers International closes Ketchum office.
November 7, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Commercial real estate firm Colliers International has closed its office at Second and River streets, Ketchum. The market has been very slow, and we don't see it dramatically improving in the near future, said...

Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Hospital now Idaho Elks Rehabilitation System.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Gaye Bunderson In 1947, a concern for polio victims prompted the building of a convalescent care facility by the Idaho State Elks Association. War and materials shortages hampered building efforts, but with ongoing work by the...

High-tech at Idaho's St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center puts health care on cutting edge.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center places a premium on high-tech health care. Ranked by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine as one of the nation's 100 Most Wired hospitals four years running, Saint Al's is home...

Primary Health Medical Group begins construction of new State Street clinic in Boise.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Primary Health Medical Group broke ground Nov. 4 on a new clinic at 6052 W. State Street in Boise. The more than 13,000-square-foot clinic, being built on State Street near Ellen's Ferry Drive...

Idahoans in the News: November 10, 2008.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Appointments/Promotions Keynetics promotes three Technology company Keynetics has announced the promotion of employees Joel Martindale, Jim Gasaway and Rich Stuppy. Stuppy has been promoted to...

Building Permits.
November 10, 2008... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 02340-sign    Rimrock Development    Lytle Signs...

Idaho business owner Lee Cotton helps keep homes energy efficient.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Amanda Rodgers Regulating energy use has become an important endeavor for many. The best place to start is in the home. Lee Cotton, founder of the new business Comprehensive Heating and Cooling Consulting in Meridian, helps...

Meridian-based DBSI announces Ch. 11 bankruptcy filing.
November 10, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff DBSI Inc., the national real estate investment and management firm based in Meridian, announced this morning that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company, which includes subsidiaries such as Kastera...

Idaho energy czar highlights power transmission needs.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone Like the nation as whole, Idaho is facing a number of acute energy challenges, and we're going to have to get used to changing the way we do things. That was the theme of a keynote address given by Idaho Office of...

Qdoba takes over TCBY space in downtown Boise.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg The strip mall at Broadway and Main streets in downtown Boise has seen some changes lately: In addition to Aladdin Traditional Egyptian Cuisine shutting down a few weeks ago, TCBY closed its doors for good Saturday...

Idaho city brings in poultry breeder Hy-Line North America.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson The state has stepped in with a half-million-dollar nest egg, per se, to help the City of Burley bring poultry breeder Hy-Line North America to the region. Burley officials on Oct. 30 received a $500,000 Rural...

Idaho attacks foreclosure epidemic.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg When the Pew Center on the States released a study in late April investigating each state's response to the foreclosure crisis, it lumped Idaho in with a group of nine states that had done nothing by the end of 2007. It...

Boisie-area marketing agencies feel mixed effects from current economic downturn.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin The economic slowdown has caused some uneven effects in the Treasure Valley marketing industry, with many agencies holding steady and others laying off employees and working under clients' shrinking budgets. ...

Verizon's purchase of Alltel may bring minor changes for customers.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin The Federal Communications Commission approved Verizon Wireless' $28 billion acquisition of Alltel Corp. last week, though the agency toughened conditions on the merger that could lead to minor changes for some...

Ada County OKs increase in vehicle registration fees.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone It might have been the last item on Nov. 4's ballot, but it was a top priority for the Ada County Highway District. With the overwhelming approval of an increase to vehicle registration fees Nov. 4, ACHD officials are...

Clean coal draws interest, questions from Idaho's energy leaders.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone In his first campaign for the presidency, George W. Bush made it clear he would pursue the development of clean coal technology as an antidote to the nation's strategically tenuous dependence on foreign oil. On...

Idaho Business Review's Best Places to Work survey begins for 2009.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report For a second year in a row, the Idaho Business Review and POPULUS are looking for the best places to work. This is a great way to show off how your company functions at its very core, said...

Potato scientists join University of Idaho at Kimberly, Aberdeen.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Potato growers in the southern part of the state will be getting help from two new University of Idaho College of Agricultural and Life Sciences in its potato program. University officials...

Economist: Recession could last longer than expected.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson The U.S. economy will recover eventually, in part because of recent federal government intervention in the financial sector, said Quincy Krosby, chief investment strategist for The Hartford. Even if the government...

Case of Gem Noble rehab project in downtown Boise appears headed for conclusion.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Simon Shifrin Gary Christensen strolled over to the tall north-facing windows that look out onto a courtyard filled with locust trees inside one of the nine unfinished condominium units inside the 106-year-old Gem Noble building in...

Collection Bureau Inc. in Nampa busy in tough economy.(Company overview)
November 10, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Jon Carter knew he was buying a proven business in a challenging industry. Now he's piloting the Collection Bureau Inc. family of companies through a consumer credit market that got rougher since he took the helm. ...

Boise-based Debt Reduction Services to expand U.S. footprint.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Boise-based Debt Reduction Services Inc. looks to add offices in the eastern U.S. I am now based in New York to expand our East Coast presence, President and CEO Joseph Cestaro said. The nonprofit credit counseling...

Commentary: Idaho didn't feel 'Obama Effect'.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Steve Ahrens Nationally, the 2008 election truly was, as pundits repeat ad nauseam, historic and transformational. Election of Barack Obama as president was an earthquake rattling both the racial and political landscapes. But...

Boise Real Estate Briefs: November 10, 2008.
November 10, 2008... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Expetec Technology Services LLC of Treasure Valley is expanding within the University of Idaho business incubator complex at 1904 E. Chicago St., Caldwell. The business occupies Suite C, and plans...

Bid Briefs.
November 10, 2008... A Holiday Inn Express hotel is planned in Boise, at a site yet to be announced. Details of the four-story, 65,000-square-foot project are available from Jansen Construction Co., 418 Beavercreek Road, Suite 104, Oregon City, Ore. 97045. A bid...

Contracts Awarded.
November 10, 2008... Engineered Structures Inc., Boise, is the general contractor for expansion and remodeling at Winco offices, 650 N. Armstrong Place, Boise (negotiated). Cost estimate: $5.2 million. Datum Construction Management Inc., Boise, is the general...

Idaho-based Idacorp earnings rise in 3rd quarter.(Financial report)
November 11, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho Power Co. parent Idacorp Inc. on Nov. 6 reported third-quarter net income of $51.7 million or $1.14 per diluted share, compared to $28.9 million or 65 cents per diluted share a year earlier. The Idaho Power...

Boise-based Scott Hedrick Construction hired for Tamarack winterization.
November 11, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg Though the Scott Hedrick Construction office at Tamarack has been shut down for months because of the resort's financial issues, the company is still seeing some work on the site. It's been hired by the court-appointed...

Elmore County planning and zoning commissioners reject nuclear plant rezone.
November 11, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone A proposed nuclear power plant in Elmore County hit a snag late last week when planning and zoning commissioners voted to recommend rejection of an application from developer Alternate Energy Holdings Inc. to rezone...

Default filings reach record in Idaho's Treasure Valley.
November 11, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Default filings totaled 575 in October in Ada and Canyon counties combined, IdahoDataProviders.com reported. The 22.6 percent increase from September's 460 filings marked the highest month-to-month gain ever...

Idaho Smart Growth names award winners.
November 11, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Tomorrow, Idaho Smart Growth will recognize development projects by entities across the state for their efforts to promote healthy community growth in their fourth annual Grow Smart awards. The honorees are:...

Idaho Transportation Department says investigation continuing into I-84 bridge collapse.
November 12, 2008... Byline: Zach Hagadone The investigation into a bridge collapse that injured 14 workers along I-84 late last month is still ongoing, Idaho Transportation Department officials said, but work has proceeded in areas unaffected by the incident....

Elmore-Ada Water Project eyes three sites.
November 12, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Limited water availability means limited land and economic development on desert land between Boise and Mountain Home, but a recently completed study identifies alternatives for boosting water availability. ...

Planned community in foothills north of Eagle moves forward.
November 12, 2008... Byline: Dani Grigg Plans have undergone a little shuffling at Avimor, the planned community in the foothills north of Eagle. With Ada County homes selling at a slower pace (494 homes sold in July 2008 compared to 1,149 when the...

Idaho Congressmen honored for support of U.S. manufacturing.
November 12, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff All four members of Idaho's U.S. Congressional Delegation received the National Association of Manufacturers' 2008 Award for Manufacturing Excellence. Winners of the award support key federal manufacturing votes 70...

Idaho Fall-based International Isotopes announces 3rd quarter and nine-months 2008 financial results.(Financial report)
November 12, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff International Isotopes is looking to continue plant expansion in Idaho Falls during the next year. Site study and initial design and licensing activities for the new facility are proceeding on schedule, according to...

United Dairymen wrap up three-day meeting in Idaho.
November 12, 2008... Byline: Brad Carlson Hal Harris and Peter Matousek set up an exhibit booth at the event's trade show. They work for Select Sires in Logan, Utah. The company is involved in genetics for artificial insemination of dairy cows. We want to...

Direct Mortgage gets cease-desist order from Idaho Department of Finance.
November 13, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report The Idaho Department of Finance on Nov. 12 issued a cease-and-desist order against Boise-based mortgage broker DMI Funding Inc., doing business as Direct Mortgage, for violating laws that cover handling documents...

Idaho ranks 15th in foreclosure rate.
November 13, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report Idaho ranked 15th in the rate of foreclosure filings in October, with one for every 525 households, up by 9.4 percent from September and up 95.5 percent from a year earlier, Realtytrac.com reported Nov. 11. ...

North Face store opening in Boise nears.
November 13, 2008... Byline: IBR Staff Report The North Face plans to open its 24th retail store Nov. 21 in a two-level, 8,665-square-foot space in The Mode Building, 802 W. Idaho St. in downtown Boise. The San Leandro, Calif.-based company said in a release...