Couple in Valley starts roof-coating company

Empire Roof Coatings LLC, a Conklin Roof Systems provider for buildings with flat and low-sloped roofs, has opened in Spokane Valley.

Isaac Cornelius and his wife, Gail, own the business and currently run it out of their home. No one else is employed with the business yet, Isaac Cornelius says, but he does have subcontractors he works with on projects.

Conklin Roof Systems offers energy-efficient, white acrylic roof coatings and uses sustainable building materials, Cornelius asserts. The material reflects sun rays instead of absorbing them, reducing heat that could be transferred inside the structure. Cornelius got the idea to start the company from a friend in Montana who was opening a similar business.

In addition to Empire Roof Coatings, the Corneliuses own and operate Ayzan Custom Ears, which sells custom molded ear products for hearing protection or audio enhancement.

—Amanda Baker


Barkin' Lot day care opens on North Side

Holli Quinones, of Spokane, has opened The Barkin' Lot LLC, a doggy day care center, at 2114 N. Division on Spokane's North Side.

The business is located in about 1,500 square feet of leased space that a tattoo parlor previously occupied, Quinones says. She and her sister, April Ferter, will staff The Barkin' Lot full time, and their mother, Sandra Griffith, will work part time at the center. Quinones hopes to hire another full-time employee in the next four to six months.

Quinones describes the doggy day care as "homey," and says it has chairs, beds, and couches, as well as both outdoor and indoor free runs. Small dogs and big dogs play in separate designated areas, she says.

The center doesn't currently offer boarding or kenneling, she says.

Quinones has wanted to open her own doggy day care for a number of years because she loves people and dogs, she says, and recently accrued the means to move forward with that plan. Previously, she was a senior account executive for Spokane-based Bozzi Media.

—Amanda Baker

Display House's owner retires, son takes over; inventory set to grow

John A. Jones, owner and CEO of Display House Inc., at 6510 E. Sprague, says he has retired and has turned over day-to-day operation of the longtime party, special event, Halloween, and holiday decorations supply business to his son, Nicholas.

Separately, Jones says the company plans soon to expand aggressively into light-emitting diode (LED) products through a distribution agreement with a major supplier that doesn't have a sizable presence in the western U.S.

That expansion of its inventory, he says, potentially could increase its annual revenues tenfold and lead to its opening of additional, year-round stores across the state, given the rising popularity of the economical LED lighting technology.

The Display House occupies a 20,000-square-foot building at its Spokane Valley location and has operated there since 2001. Jones bought the building from Spokane County, which acquired the property for right of way for the Valley Couplet and later sold off surplus portions.

The business moved there from 170 S. Lincoln downtown, where it had been for many years, to make way for a project by Spokane developer Wells & Co. to convert several older structures near Steam Plant Square into an office-retail complex, called Freeman Center.

Nicholas Jones, now the company's vice president and chief operating officer, says that including him, the business employs 11 people, 10 of them full time. The company, however, brings on additional workers as needed during peak sales periods, when it opens seasonal satellite outlets.

—Kim Crompton

Veteran orthodontist starts her own practice

Magnuson Orthodontics has opened in the Nevada Professional Building, at 10121 N. Nevada, on Spokane's North Side. The practice offers orthodontics services for adults and children.

Dr. Shannon Magnuson owns and operates the practice, which occupies 2,600 square feet of leased space. A dentist's office previously occupied the space, Magnuson says.

She previously was a partner at Damon & Magnuson Orthodontics, of Spokane Valley, for 15 years. She sold her interest in that practice last year so she could start a practice of her own, she says.

"I had the desire to have more time to devote to individual patients," she says. "I hope to appeal to those who want personal attention and value attention to detail."

Magnuson hired Sheila Dahl as treatment coordinator for the new practice. Dahl worked in that capacity at Damon & Magnuson as well. Three other employees have joined the practice, and Magnuson says she plans to hire three more in the next year.

—Amanda Baker

House management business opens here

LeaseSource PM, which does business as Lease Source Property Management, has opened as a home-based business here.

Owner and sole employee Gary Miller, who lives near Wandermere Golf Course north of Spokane, says he decided to start the company after noticing an increase in the number of upscale homes requiring management.

"Often, these were properties the owners were unable to sell for what they believed was a fair value. ... The owners were willing to lease the homes for an extended period of time in hopes market conditions improved and (the homes) could be sold," Miller says.

His company specializes in representing properties that lease for more than $1,000 a month, with a minimum lease term of 12 months, he says. He plans to limit the company's listings to about 50 properties in the Spokane area.

Miller says he is responsible for collecting rent, handling repair issues, conducting inspections, and making disbursements on behalf of the owners when managing a property.

Previously, Miller was a corporate real estate manager at Washington Trust Bank. He says he has more than 30 years of experience in land development, construction management, and commercial and residential real estate management.

—Amanda Baker