Journal of Business back issues from December 2007:
New test at Valley Hospital helps reduce surgery time
Dec 06, 2007; ... A new blood analyzer at Valley Hospital & Medical Center is helping in-form surgeons - during a procedure - whether they have successfully removed a tumor that hinders the body's ability to regulate calcium . The analyzer is used only to perform a function called intraoperative ...
Program aims to provide more health care for uninsured
Dec 06, 2007; ... A health-care network that provides free medical services and low-cost medications to uninsured, low-income Spokane County residents has recruited enough voluntary participation from health-care providers that it can take on more patients. The program, Project Access Spokane, provided ...
Spying bile duct woes with tiny scopes
Dec 06, 2007; ... Sacred Heart Medical Center is looking to a small piece of equipment it has just bought to advance its diagnosis and treatment of bile duct disorders. Three specialists here are beginning to use the device, a specially designed miniaturized endoscope called the SpyGlass, to perform an ...
U of I targets treatment of 'superbug'
Dec 06, 2007; ... University of Idaho researchers are working to develop more effective defenses against staphylococcus aureus bacteria and other deadly pathogens. One of the goals of that effort, the university says, is to create faster and more accurate identification of infection strains resistant to ...
Despite problems, the medical industry here remains a HEALTHY SECTOR
Dec 06, 2007; ... The forecast for Spokane's health-care sector looks sunny next year, with hospitals expecting steady growth and developing plans for major expansion projects. A few threatening clouds loom on the horizon, though, because of a tight labor market and shrinking reimbursements. Spokane's ...
Spokane business owners receive honors for their 'green' efforts here
Dec 06, 2007; ... Mountain Gear Inc., of Spokane, has received the Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention and Sustainable Practices for its effort in renovating a 30-year old warehouse in the Spokane Valley. Separately, the three Aamco Transmission car-care centers here are the first in the U.S. to be ...
HVAC system upgrades to begin soon at City Hall
Dec 06, 2007; ... The city of Spokane's planned major upgrade of the heating and cooling systems at City Hall could begin as early as this month. McKinstry Co., a Seattle-based mechanical engineering and consulting company that has an office here, will manage the $3.5 million project, says Dorothy ...
Keeping focus on the prize
Dec 06, 2007; ... Revett Minerals Inc. wants to be known as more than just a company that hopes to extract copper and silver from beneath a wilderness area in western Montana. Unlike many small mining ventures, the young Spokane Valley-based company already has an operating mine - located near Troy, Mont ....
Shawn Cole gets projects worth $3.9 million
Dec 06, 2007; ... Shawn Cole Construction, Inc., of Spokane, is working on or preparing to work on projects in Idaho and Central Washington with a combined contract value of $3.9 million. Also, the company expects to increase its revenues to more than $5 million this year, up from $3.5 million last year, ...
Columbia Basin natural-gas drilling cools down for now
Dec 06, 2007; ... Washington's Columbia Basin, where the first drilling projects in decades raised hopes last year for a natural-gas strike, has yet to be-come the site of a producing well, though some drillers still believe the basin has potential to yield large reserves. EnCana Corp., of Calgary, ...
Construction gets under way on golf clubhouse at WSU
Dec 06, 2007; ... A $2.2 million clubhouse is under construction at Washington State University's new Palouse Ridge Golf Club, in Pullman. Graham Construction & Management Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor on the 6,800-square-foot, single-story project. Scott Jutte, Graham's construction manager, ...
Vandervert starts Walgreens in Liberty Lake
Dec 06, 2007; ... A building that will house a Walgreens pharmacy and retail store is under construction in Liberty Lake. Vandervert Construction Inc., of Spokane, is the contractor for the $1.1 million project, says Carol Hively, spokes-woman for Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreen Co. The structure ...
Acsys to open plant in Post Falls this spring
Dec 06, 2007; ... Advanced Construction Systems Inc., a Hayden Lake, Idaho-based designer of energy-efficient building materials, says it plans to open a production facility in Post Falls that it expects will boost its employment levels and revenues significantly. The company, which does business as ...
Levernier is low bidder for EWU job
Dec 06, 2007; ... Levernier Construction Inc., of Spokane, has submitted the lowest bid, at $6.9 million, for the second phase of Eastern Washington University's renovation of Hargreaves Hall, at EWU's campus in Cheney, the school says. Levernier's bid was one of five submitted near the end of last month, ...
Global company acquires B&C Telephone
Dec 06, 2007; ... Black Box Corp., a global network-services company based in Lawrence, Pa., says it has acquired B&C Telephone Inc., a longtime Spokane-based concern that sells and services commercial telephone systems. B&C Telephone, which says on its Web site that it started here in 1984, has ...
Window maker seeks big bond for new building
Dec 06, 2007; ... VPI Enterprises LLC, of Spokane, which operates VPI Quality Windows Inc. here, is seeking approval of a $3.3 million state economic-development revenue bond to help it pay for buying and renovating its new manufacturing facility here. VPI bought the 55,000-square-foot building, at 3420 ...
NW Steel Fab to build plant in Deer Park
Dec 06, 2007; ... Northwest Steel Fabrication Inc., a Spokane-based company that makes structural steel components, plans to construct a $2.4 million building in Deer Park and move its paint and fabrication plant there from smaller quarters in Cusick, Wash. Andy James, owner of the company, which does ...
Bed-store chain owner buys another
Dec 06, 2007; ... Ken Mullinax, owner of Spokane-based Mattress Outlet Inc., has bought the assets of the Comfort World Inc. chain, which has three stores here, and says he plans to begin selling an expanded line of bedding at the eight-store chain. Mullinax says he will operate the Comfort World stores ...
West Side furniture retailer to close its two stores here
Dec 06, 2007; ... Furniture Superstore Inc., of Kent, Wash, plans to close the two retail furniture outlets it operates here and to cease operations altogether, says owner Kai Chang. The company operates a 38,000-square-foot store at 5605 E. Sprague that it opened in 2004 and a 22,000-square-foot store at ...
White Elephant part owner splits off to open boat store
Dec 06, 2007; ... A longtime co-owner of White Elephant Surplus Stores has left the well-known family toy and sporting-goods retail business to launch a new store that will sell boats and boating accessories. Ed Conley, who managed White Elephant's store in Spokane Valley and owned the two-store chain ...
The orchid doctor is in
Dec 06, 2007; ... Erin Nelson is one-part orchid placement consultant, one-part orchid plant doctor, and all-parts orchid lover. At her store, Small Hill Orchids, which she opened in February at 2207 N. Hamilton, a few blocks south of North Foothills Drive, Nelson is in her element, surrounded by the ...
Diamond store closing after 17 years here
Dec 06, 2007; ... Kantor Diamond Co., of Cathedral City, Calif., plans to close a store that it has operated here for 17 years. The store occupies a roughly 1,200-square-foot space in the Logan Center, at 1601 N. Division, where it has been located for five years. It moved there from a similar-sized space ...
Road clear for 454-lot subdivision here
Dec 06, 2007; ... A large planned unit development in the Wandermere area, tentatively named Stone Horse Bluff, appears to be moving forward again after being in limbo for years. Spokane County has approved a road plan and the vacation of two current streets for the 454-lot project that Spokane developer ...
RiverBank set to form new parent
Dec 06, 2007; ... RiverBank, a boutique financial institution that opened here about 19 months ago, has applied to the Federal Reserve to form a bank holding company. The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, part of the Fed network, is accepting comment on the application through Dec. 17, and Duane ...
Looking for opportunities in Olympia
Dec 06, 2007; ... Spokane-area business advocates say their top priorities heading into the next session of the Washington Legislature will be to protect budget items approved last year, seek more money for items that weren't fully funded, and watch for additional opportunities to fund programs and capital ...
Avista shifts, mulls own wind power
Dec 06, 2007; ... Dissatisfied with proposals it received from prospective vendors interested in providing it with long-term renewable energy, Avista Corp. says it now is looking at building its own wind-power plant to meet some of those future electrical-generation needs. "Our new strategy is to develop ...
Doctors, developers flock to medical office projects
Dec 06, 2007; ... Health-care-related real estate activity has been brisk here as doctors' groups and commercial real estate developers continue to pursue medical office building projects. Experts say they anticipate more growth in that real estate niche as Spokane strengthens its reputation as a regional medical ...
Ground Force now a global force
Dec 06, 2007; ... The growth of Ground Force Manufacturing LLC, a Post Falls company that converts large truck chassis into giant support vehicles for even bigger mining vehicles, is mirroring that of fast-growing regions of the world that are starved for commodities. The company, which currently ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Uncertainty aside, commercial-loan demand is strong
Dec 20, 2007; ... After subprime lending woes hounded the national mortgage market and hamstrung the U.S. housing industry in 2007, some uncertainty hangs over the finance sector as 2008 nears. "It's really hard to tell, frankly, from my perspective what's going to happen," says Pete Stanton, chairman and ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Tourism industry here expected to be bolstered by weak U.S. dollar
Dec 20, 2007; ... The Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area is expected to reap some benefits from the weakening U.S. dollar by attracting additional foreign tourists, industry leaders here say. Spokane might not, however, surpass the banner year it has had this year, when it has hosted several large events including the ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Lumber makers foresee little relief
Dec 20, 2007; ... The lumber industry has endured a dismal year, and expects little improvement in 2008, with demand for its products perhaps softening even a bit more as fallout continues from a sharp downturn in the new-housing market. "We are basically in the midst of the steepest decline in lumber ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Crop prices likely to remain strong next year
Dec 20, 2007; ... Experts expect agricultural commodity prices to remain strong in the coming year, though perhaps not on par with the nearly $12 a bushel the soft white wheat industry is experiencing right now, as world supplies begin to rebound and the benefits of high prices are tempered by rising production ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Residential real estate market may stabilize as other sectors stay hot
Dec 20, 2007; ... Residential real estate sales here are expected to ebb again in 2008, though the market likely will post respectable numbers given that the declines would be from a very solid 2007, industry observers say. The outlook for the commercial market next year is bright, they add. Rob Higgins, ...
2008 Economic Outlook: High-tech companies expect strong revenue growth
Dec 20, 2007; ... High-technology manufacturers in the Spokane area are optimistic about the industry's outlook for the coming year, citing rapidly rising revenues and increases in business from customers from outside the country and the region. Lee Tate, president of Tate Technology Inc., a Spokane-based ...
Warrior Electric set to open West Side office
Dec 20, 2007; ... Spokane-based Warrior Construction Inc., which does business as Warrior Electric, plans to open a small office on the West Side to keep pace with its growing workload there. Starting next month, Warrior Electric will lease a 900-square-foot office space in Everett, about 25 miles north ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Strong sectors to keep Kootenai growth on track
Dec 20, 2007; ... Despite a steep slowdown in the residential real estate market in Kootenai County, the economy there is expected to remain strong in 2008, especially in terms of commercial, retail, and tourism growth. Jonathan Coe, president and general manager of the Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce, ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Metals prices further brighten mining outlook
Dec 20, 2007; ... Roughly 1,800 people attended the Northwest Mining Association's annual convention here this month and "there wasn't an unhappy face in the joint," says Laura Skaer, the group's executive director. "It was very, very upbeat," Skaer says. "Prices are up and are expected to stay up next ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Cooler housing market, gas prices slow retail sector
Dec 20, 2007; ... Retail sales are expected to slow a bit next year from their rapid pace of the past few years, largely in response to a cooling housing market and rising food and gas prices, industry observers here say. Spokane County and the cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley all have budgeted for ...
Spot-welder producer grows here
Dec 20, 2007; ... ARC Manufacturing, a growing company here that manufactures welding units for the automotive collision-repair industry, has expanded into larger quarters and plans to hire more employees in the coming year. The company has moved most of its operations to a 12,700-square-foot plant at 314 ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Contractors optimistic despite this year's decline
Dec 20, 2007; ... Contractors and industry observers here say they're optimistic about the construction market in 2008, despite having seen building permit volumes fall sharply this year overall. Values for permits issued during the first 10 months of 2007 in Spokane County and the cities of Spokane, ...
County eyes zone change for Geiger Spur
Dec 20, 2007; ... Spokane County is evaluating an emergency zone change for land on the West Plains where it hopes to acquire right of way for the relocation of the Geiger Spur rail line. The long-awaited relocation would protect hundreds of jobs and potentially create thousands more, while resolving ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Health care to stay strong, but with some bumps
Dec 20, 2007; ... Spokane's three major hospitals say they expect robust gains next year and are drawing up plans for big expansion projects, but add that a tight labor market and declining reimbursements pose obstacles to their continued growth. "We continue to see a substantial inflow of patients from ...
New 'healthy' coffee blends to hit store shelves here
Dec 20, 2007; ... Renaissance Group of Cos., a Spokane-based broker for an Idaho maker of specialty coffee and "performance" beverages, has landed contracts-with Rosauers Supermarkets Inc. and Yoke's Foods Inc., and those Spokane-based grocers plan to start stocking the products next year. The ...
Wheatland Bank to open Yakima branch by Feb. 1
Dec 20, 2007; ... Wheatland Bank, of Spokane, has taken initial steps to enter the Yakima, Wash., market as part of its expansion in Central Washington, where it already has branches in Quincy, Moses Lake, and, as of Dec. 10, Wenatchee. The bank has hired a team of experienced bankers from Yakima to lead ...
Site-plan update proposes 45 lots at technology park
Dec 20, 2007; ... The developer of the Pacific Northwest Technology Park on the West Plains plans to divide 115 acres of land there into 45 lots zoned for light-industrial uses. The new plan would set individual lot lines, which weren't defined under the original site plan, says Damon Smith, of DCI ...
Washington Trust will open trio of new branches in Idaho
Dec 20, 2007; ... Washington Trust Bank expects to open three branch offices within the next year in Coeur d'Alene and Boise, and the Spokane-based institution is continuing to look aggressively for other new branch locations in its system, President and Chief Operating Office Jack Heath says. Also, ...
2008 Economic Outlook: A soft landing, with engine running
Dec 20, 2007; ... Expect a softening g next year in several of the Inland Northwest's key industry sectors, but remember that any ebbing we see will be from the cresting tides of what has been a robust economy here. Gone, now, are the record years in construction and employment, but the numbers expected to be ...
STCU starts branch in Liberty Lake
Dec 20, 2007; ... Spokane Teacher's Credit Union says that Vandervert Construction Inc., of Spokane, has begun work on a new branch for it in Liberty Lake that the credit union plans to open in a few months. The branch, which is to be located at the northwest corner of Appleway Avenue and Madsen Road, ...
SIA seeks bids for $12 million upgrade
Dec 20, 2007; ... Spokane International Airport says it's seeking construction bids for the $12 million second phase of a roughly $14 million upgrade to its rental-car facilities, and expects to select a contractor for the project and start construction in early February. SIA already is under way on phase ...
Boat dealer opens shop in Hayden
Dec 20, 2007; ... Northwest Boat Center, a Portland-based pleasure-boat dealer, has opened a high-end boat dealership along U.S. 95 in Hayden, Idaho. The new dealership is located on a 1.5-acre lot at the southeast corner of Hayden Avenue and U.S. 95, in the former location of North Idaho Motorsports, and ...
American Family Insurance enters Spokane-area market
Dec 20, 2007; ... American Family Insurance, a national insurance company, has opened a district office in Spokane Valley and expects to open offices for its agents in the Valley, North Spokane, and on the South Hill within the next four months. American Family Insurance opened its district office in a ...
Gift wrap goes green
Dec 20, 2007; ... Michael Miner and Kathryn Hapke-Miner are changing the idea of "re-gifting" from a social taboo to an environmentally friendly cause. To this Spokane couple, however, re-gifting is all about the wrapping, not what's inside the present. Through their company, WrapSacks Inc., the couple ...
City Wi-Fi expansion effort stalls
Dec 20, 2007; ... The city of Spokane has shelved plans to enlarge greatly a broadband wireless-communication network that covers a roughly 100-block area of downtown. "Right now I don't see that growing a lot," says Gary Brakel, the city's director of management-information services. "It was a great ...
2008 Economic Outlook: Job growth to slow in '08, but not drastically
Dec 20, 2007; ... Job growth in Spokane County is expected to soften a bit as the regional economy starts to echo the national economic slowdown, but experts here say they don't anticipate the easing to be as dramatic here as in other regions of the U.S. "I see continued slowing in the region's economy, ...
Northtown Square's plans advance
Dec 20, 2007; ... The Northtown Square boutique shopping center that's slated to replace the Wendle Ford dealership on Spokane's North Side is expected to cost about $20 million and to house 16 to 20 retail businesses, many of which will be new to Spokane, developers Chud Wendle and John Stejer ...
Growth surges in Airway Heights
Dec 20, 2007; ... Developers here say they're heading out west in search of new growth opportunities, but they're not venturing far. In fact, they've stopped right outside Spokane's doorstep, in the bustling West Plains city of Airway Heights. Projects that eventually will bring a combined more than 1,180 ...
Farm Credit harvests ag's fruits
Dec 20, 2007; ... For Northwest Farm Credit Services, these are the best of times. The federally chartered ag-lending co-operative has been growing at 12 percent to 13 percent a year for the last four or five years, and the outlook for the farmers it serves likely will remain rosy for at least the next ...