Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from October 2003

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from October 2003

Pocatello-based AMI Semiconductor Inc. taps into defense technology market.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller Ask most Idahoans what Pocatello-based AMI Semiconductor Inc. makes, and expect a blank stare or head-scratching.This for a company that on Sept. 24 completed its long-awaited and by most accounts successful $600 million...

Treasure Valley commercial real estate firms report some improvement in Boise-area leasing.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Commercial leasing activity remains comparatively anemic, but recent reports from the two largest Treasure Valley commercial real estate firms show some improvement."The economy seems to be slowly pulling out of the...

Garden City auctions off former Max Foods bldg., will put proceeds toward new City Hall bldg.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Garden City has auctioned off the former Max Foods building - once tabbed for its new City Hall - and will put the money toward a municipal building planned at another site, officials said.City Clerk Sean Conklin said...

Mid-size business sales and mergers pick up in the Boise area.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson The business of buying and selling businesses appears to be picking up in the Boise area, at least from the standpoint of prospective buyers showing interest.Business brokers report renewed interest in buying small...

Carl's Jr. plans 7th Treasure Valley unit in Boise Spectrum area.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Fast-food burger chain Carl's Jr. plans its seventh Treasure Valley restaurant next summer in the Boise Spectrum area at the southwest corner of Overland Road and Entertainment Avenue.Greenstar Foods, Boise, was...

Boise-based Churro Works, a Mexican pastry eatery, to open in malls.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Churro Works, a Boise-based retailer of South American pastries, plans to open its first eatery at Boise Towne Square in November.Rich Faw, general manager for Churro Works' parent company Treasure Valley Business...

Quick-service restaurant and convenience store planned for Federal Way in SE Boise.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin An unspecified quick-service restaurant and convenience store are planned next summer at the southwest corner of East Hospitality Lane and Federal Way in southeast Boise.According to plans filed with the City of Boise,...

Commentary: Car shopping - no chore in a buyer's market.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin I dreaded it like the plague, but had no choice. The time had come to buy a new car.My enthusiasm for this chore was faint, to say the least. I'd taken great care to ensure that my beloved pickup - a '91 Chevy S-10 -...

What's more important, a pay raise or stable health benefits?
October 6, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin I would say a pay raise is more important because, since I'm self-employed now, I have my own health benefits and I know that you can go out and get your own health benefits if what your employer offers is not...

Boise-based Hopkins Financial Services buys Extended Systems building.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Extended Systems Inc. has sold its 100,000-square-foot headquarters building in northwest Boise to Hopkins Financial Services for $4.8 million, including about $200,000 in transaction fees.Extended will lease back its...

Federal agency plans expansion, remodeling of facility in Boise.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Remodeling and expansion are planned to start in November for a 30-year-old federal building in northwest Boise.The Idaho Disability Determinations Service is seeking Design Review approval from the City of Boise to...

Dixon Retail expands operating space by moving to Garden City.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Dixon Container Retail got more operating space last week by moving to a stand-alone building from smaller quarters in a shopping center.The company leased a building of 4,000 square feet on the north side of Chinden...

Homedale-based Paul's Markets to anchor Lake Hazel Shopping Center.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Homedale-based Paul's Markets plans to open its first grocery store in Boise and second in Ada County, in Lake Hazel Shopping Center - tabbed for major renovation at the southeast corner of South Five Mile and Lake...

Works starts on Farmers & Merchants State Bank in S. Nampa.
October 6, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of a 4,200-square-foot branch for Farmers & Merchants State Bank has started on 12th Avenue Road in south Nampa, across from Mercy Medical Center.Move-in is planned near the end of January, and the bank...

Work on Boise Tower starts up again.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Some construction work was done on the site of the stalled Boise tower project last week, validating its building permit for at least another six months, or until April 2004.However, the status of the unfunded $62...

SCP Global Technologies lands $25M in work.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson SCP Global Technologies has secured more than $25 million in orders for semiconductor wafer processing equipment, and says it's regaining momentum following the technology downturn of the last two years.However, SCP...

Tamarack Resort delays lot sales, but construction advances.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller Developers of Tamarack Resort near Donnelly are writing up home site reservations at the rate of about three a day and have nearly twice as many reservations as sites available for their first offering, but they've...

Inland Crane to use former Boise Cascade Corp. hangar.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Gone from the revamped and expanded Boise Airport, the old Boise Cascade Corp. hangar soon will reappear - as part of Inland Crane's new headquarters.Early next year, Inland Crane plans to move the 12,000-square-foot...

Kit Homes opens Caldwell office.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Dwayne Ward recently opened For-Ward Homes, a dealer of manufactured homes made by Kit HomeBuilders West.The dealership employs six on the south side of Cleveland Boulevard in Caldwell, between Middleton and Midway...

Skateboard binding firm takes Curtis West Tech Center space.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Nice Bindings Co., which designs and distributes bindings used in three board sports, is among eight businesses that recently leased space in the revamped Curtis West Tech Center in central Boise.Nice Bindings recently...

Moody's Investors Service cuts Boise Cascade Corp. debt to junk.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Moody's Investors Service last week cut its rating on Boise Cascade Corp. senior unsecured debt to junk status after reviewing BCC's pending acquisition of OfficeMax.Moody's cut the rating from Baa3 to Ba2, and said...

Heritage furniture store to move to El Dorado.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Heritage Reflections, a Boise retailer of colonial-style furniture, plans to relocate by next summer to a new building in the El Dorado Business Park at Eagle and Overland roads.Co-owner Ray Tomczak, who founded the...

Papa Murphy's pizza outlet planned for Emmett.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson A 7,200-square foot building for a Papa Murphy's pizza outlet and other retailers is planned at the southeast corner of 12th and Washington streets, Emmett.G.E.M. Developers LLC bought a 1-acre site. Construction was...

Extended Systems adds board members.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Extended Systems Inc. appointed several new board members in early October.They are Bob Frankenberg, chairman of Kinzan, Inc.; Ralph Godfrey, retired senior vice president and a member of the executive committee of...

Commentary: Email retention looms as potential legal issue.
October 13, 2003... Byline: Rick Edvalson If a court ordered you to produce all the email that exists in your company referring to a former employee, could you do it? I once had a job where I was responsible for local compliance with corporate document...

Boise-based Capital City Development Corp. gets first look at plans for industrial park.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Boise's future Gateway East industrial park - three years and $213,000 in the making - moved a step forward last week when consultants presented preliminary site plans to the Capital City Development Corp....

Dallas-based Tony Roma's restaurant chain to open first Idaho restaurant in Meridian.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Tony Roma's, a Dallas-based restaurant chain that planned a Boise eatery a decade ago, is coming at last.A franchisee for Roma's plans to open its first Idaho restaurant by next summer in the Central Valley Corporate...

Lowe's and Home Depot plan to open stores in Nampa; local stores prepare to battle big franchises.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Nampa's local lumber yards have faced competition from Home Depot and Lowe's since the big chains opened stores in Boise several years ago, but at least they were over in the next county.Now Stone Lumber and Lloyd...

Bodybuilding.com plans Nampa store.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Bodybuilding.com, a Boise-based retailer of sports-nutrition and weight-loss products, plans to open its third Valley store by early November near Karcher Mall in Nampa.CEO Ryan DeLuca said that tenant improvements...

Neon Plaza, near Lowe's in Nampa, signs several tenants.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Neon Plaza, under construction on the Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard in front of the Lowe's store site, will include restaurant tenants.Operators of a Primo's Pizza buffet eatery, a Quizno's sandwich shop, a Coldstone...

Home Depot work begins and Lowe's construction project continues in Nampa.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction of a Lowe's home-improvement store is well under way, and site preparation has started on a Home Depot store, both in west Nampa.Lowe's Cos. Inc, expects to open its store late this year or early next...

Nampa Planning and Zoning Comm. endorses new design ordinance.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Nampa planners on Oct. 14 moved the city a step closer to requiring commercial building projects to meet design-review standards.The Nampa Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously endorsed an ordinance that would...

Director of Wells Fargo Private Client Services advises Boise women to plan their financial futures.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson With another tax season on the horizon, and the stock market showing signs of revival, it's a good time to see if your financial plan is working, or should be re-routed, a Wells Fargo Bank official says.Carol...

Boise-based Syringa Bank stock sale exceeds expectations.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Syringa Bank, which aimed to raise $2.95 million in a stock sale that started in March, completed the sale Oct. 1 and raised more than it expected.The Boise-based bank raised $3.3 million, by selling 256,653 shares at...

Regence BlueShield of Idaho adopts HIPAA plan.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Regence BlueShield of Idaho says it will continue to accept health insurance claims that don't meet new federal HIPAA standards, and transition them to formats that comply.The transaction and code-sets rules under the...

Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce schedules Economic Outlook Forum.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin A forecast of what to expect in the economy and how that could affect businesses in the coming year is the focus of the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce's upcoming Economic Outlook Forum.Slated 7:30 to 9 a.m. Nov. 4 at...

Small business index for Idaho drops due to tighter labor market.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson One small-business "optimism" index fell recently and another rose to its highest level in years - both partly because jobs are starting to show up in the heretofore "jobless recovery" of the U.S. economy.The Zions...

Boise accountants assess impact of downfall of Arthur Andersen.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin CPA Kim Peck believes accounting firm Arthur Andersen got a bad rap.Peck, chief managing partner for Boise CPA firm Grow Rasmussen LLP, said the downfall of Andersen in connection with the 2002 Enron scandal has not...

Garden City-based Riverview Business Park receives major remodeling.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Several businesses have moved into Riverview Business Park, a sizeable office-warehouse complex under renovation in Garden City.The project involves painting building exteriors, re-paving parking lots and improving...

Industry experts predict that soaring wood prices will hurt Boise-area homebuilders.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Soaring costs of lumber, plywood and other wood products have stunned Boise-area home builders and industry experts, who are unsure if prices are on their way down."This is so shocking," said Meridian-based homebuilder...

Permit values rise 12% in Boise to $400 million.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Construction values grew during the City of Boise's fiscal year.Statistics show growth in commercial project volume, home construction, and large gains in the apartment sector during the 12 months ended Sept....

Idaho's electrical contractors face stiff competition for jobs.
October 20, 2003... Byline: Ken Miller Big jobs are scarce, the competition is brutal, and the profit margins can be too thin to bother with - yet Idaho electrical contractors say they're optimistic the state's economic recovery will bring a return to...

11-story building planned as part of Boise's $62.5M redevelopment of 8th Street Marketplace.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin An 11-story building containing a Hampton Inn & Suites hotel is planned as part of the ongoing $62.5 million redevelopment of 8th Street Marketplace in Boise.According to plans submitted to the City of Boise, a...

Wells Fargo Bank to sell former First Security building in downtown Boise.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Wells Fargo Bank plans to sell its six-story building at Ninth and Idaho streets, and consolidate downtown Boise operations in the Wells Fargo Center at Ninth and Main streets.Boise-based Tomlinson & Associates plans...

Idaho's latest economic forecast predicts slightly improved employment.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson The forecast for Idaho has warmed up slightly but remains generally tepid, despite marginally improved employment indicators, the state's latest Economic Forecast says.Non-farm job growth is expected to come in...

Kricks plan two new downtown Boise eateries.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin The Krick family plans to open two more restaurants in downtown Boise early next year.Dave Krick, proprietor of Bittercreek Ale House and the adjacent Red Feather Lounge on Eighth Street, said last week that he was...

Two fondue eateries to open in downtown Boise.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Boise's downtown dining scene will broaden next year with the arrival of two fondue restaurants.The Melting Pot, a Florida-based fondue restaurant chain with more than 70 restaurants nationwide, plans to open its first...

Chicago economist optimistic at Nampa economic forum.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Interest rates are headed higher, manufacturing employment is in a lull, and communities face increased competition in attracting businesses - it's just like 1982, a Chicago economist says.Nevertheless, Brian Wesbury...

Boise-based Vista Village to get extensive remodeling.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Vista Village is slated to get an extensive remodeling that will include some demolition and the construction of up to five new buildings for retail and residential uses.Owner Day Realty has applied for a conditional...

Ex-Hewlett-Packard and Extended Systems executive buys WRC Advertising in Boise.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Former Hewlett-Packard and Extended Systems executive Brad Surkamer has acquired WRC Advertising in downtown Boise.He bought the business at 512 W. Idaho St. on Oct. 1 from Bryant Reinhard, who started the company 24...

Associated Taxpayers of Idaho's annual meeting to focus on trimming government.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson This year's Associated Taxpayers of Idaho annual conference, set Nov. 19, is to feature a dozen speakers addressing the theme "Changing / reducing the scope of government" from a range of economic and political...

Idaho Power seeks 17.7% rate hike.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Steven Anderson Idaho Power Co. has applied to the Idaho Public Utilities Commission for rate increases averaging 17.7 percent.If approved, it would be the first hike in general rates since 1994. Idaho Power moves a portion of its...

Office building planned at Boise Spectrum area.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Steve Martin Construction of a spec' office building is expected to start next spring near the intersection of South Cole and West Overland roads in south Boise.A 25,696-square-foot, single-story, concrete tilt-up building is...

Boise-based Extended Systems' loss in quarter hits $1.4 million.
October 27, 2003... Byline: Brad Carlson Extended Systems Inc. re-ported a net loss of $1.4 million, or 10 cents per share, for its fiscal first quarter ended Sept. 30, on net revenue of $7.6 million.The company reported a $2 million loss, or 16 cents per...