Northwest Business Development Association, the Spokane-based nonprofit that puts together government-backed loans for small businesses, says its loan volume in the federal fiscal year that ends today was looking to be nearly double what it was has

Seeking to get more value out of its vast timberlands, Spokane-based Potlatch Corp. plans to sell this week a conservation easement that will cover almost 23,000 acres of its forests near North Idahos St. Joe River for $4.1 million.The sale a

For 20 years of Mick McDowells working life, what he did for a living depended on what day it was.From 1975 to 1996, he was a city of Spokane firefighter who would work the standard firemans schedule at the time: 24 hours on duty and 48 not

Invigorated by new leadership and armed with new strategies for recruiting employers here, the Spokane Area Economic Development Council says interest in the Spokane area is on the rise.A year ago, the EDC was talking with about six to 10 that

Economic-development leaders here were disappointed when Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. opted recently not to lower a gangplank here and instead set compass for Springfield, Ore., with plans for a reservation call center that would employ

Downtown Spokanes largest office buildings climbed in value by a combined 16 percent over the past six years, the Spokane County Assessors Office says.The combined assessed value of 14 of downtown Spokanes more prominent multitenant to in

Sterling Financial Corp., the Spokane-based parent of Sterling Savings Bank, ended a brief involvement in the property-and-casualty insurance business by selling a small Billings, Mont., agency to an affiliate of a large Utah insurance buyer, LLC,

Jones & Mitchell Insurance & Risk Management Inc., a 94-year-old Spokane insurance brokerage, says it has built its business by making steady progress each year and diversifying to protect itself during tough times. Jones & Mitchell has about a

Health savings accounts, made available just late last year, already are growing in popularity as an alternative to conventional health-insurance plans.With health-care insurance premiums continuing to climb and more information about health or

C.W. Products Inc. has been around for 57 years, but the small, Spokane Valley maker of pallets, custom crates, and other wood products has undergone a lot of change in the last 14 months.Since June 2003, the company has changed hands and has a