Idaho Business Review, Boise articles from September 2007

Idaho Business Review, Boise archives from September 2007

Idaho export sales set another quarterly record.(Financial report)
September 3, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Export sales by Idaho companies set a record for the second straight quarter, exceeding $1.1 billion during the April-June period. The back-to-back record quarters totaling $2.2 billion produced a nation-leading 25...

Commentary: Here comes the post-partisan era.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Steve Ahrens Only 32 percent of respondents on an Aug. 13-16 poll approved of the way President George Bush is handling his job. That's just 3 percent above the lowest number in his presidency, recorded in July -- bad news for...

Commentary: Sen. Craig should tender resignation.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Is it about family values or is it about sex? When a politician gets arrested, it's certainly a time for scrutiny, but get beyond the sex and the he-said/he-said of it all. While there are those who think U.S. Sen....

University of Idaho Extension to offer estate-planning workshops.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff With or without a good-sized estate, good planning makes good sense, said Beverly Healy, University of Idaho Extension educator in Ada County. It's not just about preserving assets; it's about...

Ada County apartment occupancy rates showing signs.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Ada County apartment vacancy was 4.2 percent in July, according to a real estate survey published by Hammack Management and Mountain States Appraisal. Rents ranged from $254 per month for a low-end...

Boise-based lien-collection materials seller to pay restitution.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff A Boise company that sold work-at-home educational materials will pay consumers $30,825 in restitution, Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said in a statement. The settlement resolves allegations that...

Building Permits.
September 3, 2007... BUILDING PERMITS CITY OF BOISE PERMIT/TYPE    OWNER    BUILDER    LOCATION    VALUE 02294-unknown    not listed    Idaho Electric...

Bid Briefs.
September 3, 2007... Wells Fargo Bank plans a branch office at Franklin Road and North Gate Boulevard in Nampa, near the Idaho Center. Details of the 5,100-square-foot project are available from JGT Architecture, Greg Toolson, 1212 12th Ave. S., Nampa, Idaho 83651....

Boise Real Estate Briefs: September 3, 2007.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Tuff Shed Inc. leased 14,900 square feet of warehouse / distribution space at 12008 Franklin Road, Boise. The company is a national manufacturer of storage buildings, garages and custom buildings. Steve...

Contracts Awarded.
September 3, 2007... St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center, Boise, is the owner and construction manager for a St. Luke’s hospital at Pole Line and Grand View in Twin Falls. Cost estimate: $120 million. MBA, Blackfoot, was awarded a contract for a...

Offering incentives to employees to improve health may lower cost of benefits.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Providing incentives to employees to improve their health may be the best way for businesses to manage the cost of providing health care benefits. According to a survey conducted by the Integrated Benefits Institute,...

Nampa may settle school district suit.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Staff attorneys for the City of Nampa and for the Vallivue School District on Sept. 4 plan to consider a settlement to a lawsuit the school district filed involving the city's urban-renewal plan. The proposal will...

Idaho professor to import curriculum to Macedonia.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky A business professor from the University of Idaho is traveling to Macedonia this fall to educate the country's future business leaders about the global economy. She's hopeful the university's business curriculum...

Boise attorney believes Gonzales resignation unlikely to impact Idaho directly.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Some ripple effects in Idaho, but no shakeup, likely will follow U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' resignation, said a Boise attorney and former federal solicitor. William G. Myers III is of counsel with...

Correction.(Correction notice)
September 3, 2007... When the honorees for the Idaho Business Review Health Care Heroes awards were announced in the Aug. 27 edition, the IBR left out the Educators category. Here are the three honorees in the Educator category: Educator: Jim Girvan, dean...

SBA regulatory fairness panel gets an earful from Idaho residents.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Ryan Horsley of Red's Trading Post has run a gun dealership in Twin Falls for a long time. He'd sold firearms to hundreds of people over the years without ever entering into a conflict with federal regulators. ...

LandAmerica CEO bullish on real estate -- mostly.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson As CEO of one of the country's largest title insurance and escrow companies, it's Ted Chandler's job to be at least somewhat optimistic about the U.S. and Idaho housing markets. And his outlook is positive - with...

Middleton may form urban renewal district.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Middleton has taken the first step to form an urban renewal district. The city has appointed an urban renewal board and outlined the borders of a proposed urban renewal district, which would encompass downtown...

Is Boise's downtown housing affordable?
September 3, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert After her last child moved out, Karen Riley decided her four-bedroom Meridian house was just too much. She downsized to an 800-square-foot condo in downtown Boise last May. It's fun having a smaller place, she...

Idaho leaders respond to Sen. Larry Craig's airport scandal.
September 3, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson U.S. Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) apologized for the cloud placed over Idaho after being subject to media scrutiny for pleading guilty August 8 to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct at the Minneapolis airport. ...

Parent of Idaho utility announces merger.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The boards of directors of Gaz de France and SUEZ have approved a merger between the two companies. United Water Idaho is a subsidiary of SUEZ. The new company will create a leading group in the gas and...

Alturas Analytics to expand presence in Moscow.
September 4, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Alturas Analytics will hold a ground breaking ceremony for their new facility in Moscow Sept. 6. The new $1.5 million facility will double the company's current square footage and increase their laboratory capacity...

Jury awards multi-million dollar settlement against St. Alphonsus medical center.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky A jury in Ada County has awarded $63.5 million to MRI Associates in its lawsuit against Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. According to the verdict, filed August 30, the jury found that Saint Alphonsus breached...

Idaho Self Storage Association elects officers.
September 5, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken The Idaho Self Storage Association conferences for self-storage operators in North and South Idaho met last month. Members gathered in Boise on and in Coeur d'Alene to participate in educational sessions and elect new...

Tamarack braces for possible fire dangers.(Website overview)
September 5, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Tamarack officials are reporting they are bracing for a possibility of the Gray's Creek fire spreading on to West Mountain, where the resort is located. Jessica Flynn, communications manager for Tamarack Resort,...

Michael T. Hopkins to fill Washington County seat.
September 7, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Michael T. Hopkins, a certified public accountant from Weiser, has been appointed to fill a vacancy on the Washington County Commission. In making the appointment, Gov. C.L. Butch Otter, said, Mike has the kind of...

Balihoo opens advertising search engine to media owners.
September 7, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Balihoo, developer of the advertising industry's first search engine, has expanded its beta program to include media companies, according to a press release. The previous round of beta testing was open only to select...

Minneapolis-based Dolan Media shows strong second quarter.
September 7, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Dolan Media Company, a provider of business information and professional services to the legal, financial and real estate sectors, reported an increase in the second quarter of 2007 of $37.1 million, an increase of...

Low-interest loans available for businesses affected by wildland fires.
September 7, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Economic relief could be coming to businesses suffering losses from the Castle Rock Fire. Five local businesses have already started the process of filing low-interest federal loans. Gov. C.L. Butch Otter is...

Scientists in North Idaho are changing the way municipalities deal with wastewater.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky A pair of scientists in North Idaho is changing the way municipalities deal with wastewater. Husband and wife Dave and Remy Newcombe are both recent graduates of the University of Idaho. They've taken their...

Community banks in Idaho able to market new mortgages.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson So far, community banks still can sell their mortgages into the secondary market made skittish by recent problems with subprime loans, several bank executives said last week. The recent shortage of buyers so far...

$63.5 million judgment made against St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Idaho.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky A jury in Ada County has awarded $63.5 million to MRI Associates in its lawsuit against Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. According to the verdict, filed Aug. 30, the jury found that Saint Alphonsus breached...

Mayoral candidates talk business at Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce forum.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert From mass transit to the Boise Hole, mayoral candidates Dave Bieter and Jim Tibbs outlined their goals on business issues last week at a Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce forum. When asked why he wants to run for...

Nampa-based MPC to acquire Gateway business segment.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report MPC Corporation has signed an agreement to purchase Gateway's Professional business segment. MPC is a PC manufacturer based in Nampa. The transaction is valued at about $90 million,...

Boise's Nimbus 360 increases staff in Colorado Springs office.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Boise-based Nimbus 360, a provider of visual and sound technologies, recently opened an office in Colorado Springs, Colo. Employees focus on the government sector, and to an extent on the...

Idaho State University celebrates presidential investiture this week.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report The formal Investiture Ceremony for Idaho State University President Arthur Vailas will be Friday, Sept. 14, at the university campus in Pocatello. Pocatello physician M.R. Mick Mickelson will...

Idaho businesses must recruit on 'top-to-top' levels, says state's governor.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Idaho Gov. C.L. Butch Otter, in a text prepared for an address to a private meeting of the Idaho Business Council last week at the Arid Club in Boise, advocated stronger partnerships among business leaders, educators...

Vallivue School District settles with Nampa over urban newal.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson The Vallivue School District early this year sued the City of Nampa over how the city's urban-renewal plan could affect the school district's ability to pay for future growth. Both entities on Sept. 4 agreed to...

Treasure Valley real estate out of balance, analysts say.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report The Treasure Valley real estate market is still finding its balance, according to a report by Colliers International. Land prices and unanchored shopping center rents are too high. But inventory...

Pend Oreille utility district pens agreement with tribe.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report An agreement between the Pend Oreille County Public Utility District and the Kalispel Tribe of Indians will afford a minimum of $200,000 worth of wholesale electricity for payment of flooding...

Commentary: Game's over, Mr. Craig.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken It's time to step up to the plate and take a swing, Mr. Craig. Or, it's time to give up the ball glove and call it a game. Even San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds took some bad advice, lapping up what he believed...

Despite setbacks, Idaho Chamber Alliance plans increase in lobbying efforts.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert The Idaho Chamber Alliance began lobbying the Idaho Legislature this year after the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry decided to change its rules to make chambers of commerce affiliate members, which could not...

Boundary County School District to approve emergency tax.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken More than 500 students have led the Boundary County School District board to approve an emergency tax levy. School officials in Bonner Ferry say the additional students have resulted in a shortage of books, computers...

Diversified Fuels begins plant construction east of Buhl.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Diversified Fuels, the largest fully integrated oilseed/crushing/refining/ processing operation in the Northwest, began construction Aug. 28. The new plant is located one mile east of Buhl. A groundbreaking ceremony...

D.L Evans Bank opens second Nampa branch.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken D.L. Evans Bank on Sept. 4 opened a full-service branch office on the Nampa-Caldwell Boulevard east of the Karcher Road Interchange ramp, Nampa. The bank acquired the property from the Zamzows chain of lawn, garden...

Boise Cascade LLC plans to sell paper business.
September 10, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson The Boise-based timber and wood products company said in a statement that it recently entered a purchase and sale with Aldabra 2 Acquisition Corp. (AMEX: AII) for the sale of the Boise Cascade Paper, Packaging &...

Gifford to leave Idaho Associated General Contractors.
September 11, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Michael Gifford, executive director of the Idaho Associated General Contractors, plans to leave in December to become the executive director of the Colorado AGC. The board of the Idaho AGC met today to talk about...

Cabela to open Post Falls store in November.
September 11, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Cabela's, a hunting, fishing and outdoor gear store, will open its newest destination retail store in Post Falls, Idaho. The store is Cabela's second in Idaho and the company's 24th retail location in the country....

Odom is re-elected Chair of Idaho Board of Nursing.
September 11, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Susan Odom, Professor of Nursing, is currently serving her fourth year as a Governor's appointee to the Idaho Board of Nursing. Odom was elected as Chair of the Board for the second year, as reported in a press release....

Canyon County Third District judge: Middleton real estate venture violated securities law.
September 11, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Canyon County Third District Judge Gordon Petrie, in a real-estate-related securities case, recently entered a stipulated judgment and permanent injunction against Robert Fischer of Middleton and The Babco Group LLC....

Rogers, Peterson reach tentative agreement on Boise Place bankruptcy.
September 11, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Developer Gary Rogers, whose firm Charterhouse Boise Downtown Properties recently declared bankruptcy to avoid turning over the property where the 34-story Boise Place tower was scheduled for construction, has made a...

Idaho housing construction grew in 2006.
September 12, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Despite slowdowns in some cities, Idaho housing construction grew 3.4 percent in 2006, according to data from the Idaho Department of Labor. The increase was highest in Teton County, where construction grew 7 percent,...

Horizon grounds flights; cancel 18 flights from Boise.
September 12, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Horizon Air canceled more than 100 flights including in Idaho, to give the airline time to inspect turboprop planes after manufacturer Bombardier Inc. called for the grounding of all Q400 planes with at least 10,000...

Idaho Housing steps up counseling to buyers.
September 12, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Problems with subprime and some other nontraditional mortgages moved the Idaho Housing and Finance Association to market its post-purchase and foreclosure-prevention counseling services more aggressively. The nonprofit...

Boise firm ranks in Top 10 among employee benefit brokerages for second year.
September 12, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken A Boise insurance firm has been named one of the top 10 largest and most productive employee benefit brokerages in the United States for the second year in a row. Business Insurance has ranked Western Benefit Solutions...

Potlatch Corporation to buy 179,000 acres in Idaho.
September 13, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Potlatch Corporation will be acquiring about 179,000 acres of timberland in Idaho for nearly $215 million from Western Pacific Timber. The transaction will take place in two phases, with a majority of timberlands to...

Idaho PUC grants rate adjustments for small-power producers.
September 13, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has granted a request by utilities to adjust rates paid to small-power producers so they more closely match the actual value of energy at the point of time it is delivered. The...

Louisiana Pacific's Meridian plant sold to Fiber Composites.
September 13, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Composite construction material supplier Fiber Composites LLC of New London, N.C., has purchased Louisiana Pacific's Meridian manufacturing and distribution site, including the WeatherBest brand name, Modern Plastics...

Finalists named in Idaho Supreme Court replacement.
September 14, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Two women are among the final four candidates to take the seat on the Idaho Supreme Court left vacant by the August retirement of Linda Copple-Trout, who was the first woman on the state's highest court when she was...

Potlatch Inc. moves offices to larger Spokane space, brings in financial execs.
September 14, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Potlatch Corp., the Spokane-based forest products company, has leased two floors of the Wells Fargo Center downtown and is moving its corporate headquarters there from a smaller space to make room for 25 key managers in...

Idaho Public Utilities Commission delays new area code.
September 14, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has been granted authority by the Federal Communications Commission to order most of the states' telecommunications providers to participate in a number of pooling programs that...

Idaho health professionals draft plant to share training technology.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Doctors, hospital administrators and educators from across the state met last week to discuss the role of simulation in educating and training Idaho's health care professionals. The daylong Idaho Sim Summit in...

Idaho Power increases efficiency incentives.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Idaho Power is expanding its incentive programs for new buildings and retrofit projects that make buildings more energy-efficient. Idaho Power has eliminated the cap for financial incentives to large commercial or...

Nuclear summit in Boise resolves few industry issues.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky Downtown Boise was looking a little more like a big city last week, as visitors from around the world arrived at the Centre on the Grove for GLOBAL 2007. The four-day conference focused on a single agenda: the...

Water agency to study potential SE Boise plans.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson The recently formed Elmore-Ada Water Project aims to bring a sustainable water supply to certain areas of Elmore and Ada counties while enabling Idaho to keep water resources in the state, Project Manager Bob Taunton...

Correction.(Correction notice)
September 17, 2007... An article titled “Idaho’s energy future looks green” published Aug. 13 should have read Owyhee County has accepted an application for a conditional-use permit to exempt the land where the power plant is expected to be...

Idaho-based St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center's countersuit details hospital's alleged behavior.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Eddie Kovsky An Ada County jury has awarded $63.5 million to MRI Associates in its lawsuit against Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center. Saint Alphonsus originally sued MRI Associates in 2004, alleging MRI was obligated...

Boise-based Clearwater Analytics thrives on corporate financial transparency.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Regulation-driven moves toward greater financial transparency in the corporate world are helping Clearwater Analytics. The company at 950 W. Bannock St. in Boise provides Web-based investment portfolio reporting...

New energy efficiency standards: Good for Valley builders? - Construction Review.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Some commercial contractors are optimistic that proposed Boise building requirements intended to avert climate change could be good for business. But home builders tended to view the recommendations with more...

Boise State University program provides fast-track CM training.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Ken Miller A new Boise State University construction management program that trains industry professionals who don't have the time or need for a formal degree is drawing students from across Idaho and interest from around the West,...

Extensive training, job opportunities await electricians.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Ken Levy Would-be electricians may be shocked to learn there are numerous opportunities for quality training and jobs in the Treasure Valley. Jay Hintze, president of Quality Electric in Boise, took over the business 20 years...

Michael Gifford leaving Idaho AGC in December.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert Michael Gifford, executive director of the Idaho Associated General Contractors, plans to leave in December to become the executive director of the Colorado AGC. Gifford said he is proud of what the Idaho AGC has...

Residential downturn continues in Idaho.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Lora Volkert When the housing downturn hit Caldwell late last winter, Building Official Brett Clark predicted things would be back on track by June or July. But they hadn't by August. Single-family home permits fell last month to...

Blog, blog, blog ...could turn into blah, blah, blah.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Robb Hicken Whether an uberblogger or a n00ber-blogger, entrepreneurs know the Web is the next marketplace for Internet window viewers. Still, most business blogs are created as a way to drive current or new clientele to a Web site...

Idaho biodiesel distributor reports strong first-year response.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Diesel sales are up by around 10 percent in the year since Stinker Stores Inc. started offering a biodiesel blend in the Treasure Valley. That occurred despite the loss of a major truck-fleet customer, said Charley...

Idaho to add biodiesel outlets.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report John Crockett, bio energy manager with the Idaho Energy Division, said about 50 Idaho outlets offer biodiesel, and the total is growing. Since a new Idaho biofuels infrastructure program's July...

Acute care hospital takes shape in El Dorado.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Ken Levy Long-term hospital patients will soon find centralized services at a 60-bed acute care hospital nearing completion in the El Dorado Business Park in Meridian. The 60,000-square-foot Idaho Complex Care Hospital will...

Move toward 'traditional' mortgages helps Idaho.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Marketwide problems with subprime and other nontraditional mortgages impact the Idaho Housing and Finance Association even though the nonprofit entity does not issue or buy such loans, officials said. The...

Canyon County Third District judge says Middleton real estate venture violated securities law.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Brad Carlson Canyon County Third District Judge Gordon Petrie, in a real-estate-related securities case, recently entered a stipulated judgment and permanent injunction against Robert Fischer of Middleton and The Babco Group LLC....

Orchards condominiums build-out near Allumbaugh almost completed.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Build-out is nearly complete on the Orchards condominiums on Fairview near Allumbaugh, with about two buildings in the 42-home project remaining, according to developer Mike Dixon. Popularity...

Commentary: A nuclear solution to U.S. energy needs? - The Longer View.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Steve Ahrens The just-ended GLOBAL 2007 international conference on nuclear energy in Boise focused new attention on nuclear power as the ultimate answer to the future energy needs of the U.S., and indeed the world. We already...

Sixteen innovation finalists named for 2nd annual Stoel Rives Idaho Innovation Awards program.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Sixteen innovations and the Idaho companies that created them have been selected as finalists for the second annual Stoel Rives Idaho Innovation Awards program. This program is presented by...

Business ethics: the code of values that directs decisions.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Gaye Bunderson The following is part of an ongoing series on the topics of business leadership, ethics, and longevity. This week, the IBR tapped Jennifer Anacker for her input on the topic of ethics in business. Anacker, 31,...

EPA settles with Boise-based Vanderhoef Builders.
September 17, 2007... Byline: Idaho Business Review Staff Report Vanderhoef Builders, a construction company based in Boise, has resolved a federal Clean Water Act enforcement case with the EPA by paying a $14,125 penalty. Environmental Protection Agency...