Barry Baker, longtime head of prominent Spokane-based general contracting company Baker Construction & Development Inc., says he doesn’t need to go into the office every day, but now he’s having too much fun there to stay away for long.

Phyllis Campbell, 2026 Spokane Journal of Business Icon, led an accumulative 50-year career in banking, philanthropy, and board service across the Inland Northwest and western Washington. 

A new gathering place in downtown Spokane aims to offer more than just an average cup of coffee. Instead, Good Medicine Apothecary & Culture Lounge is meant for cultural exchange, conversation, and a curated listening experience.

From a service clerk in Montana to the leader of a regional grocery chain in Spokane, Jeff Philipps says his legacy was built by consistently restocking a few simple ideas: "Businesses succeed when they invest in people, and communities grow stronger when leaders choose to give back." 

Elaine Couture, former regional chief executive at Providence Health & Services who retired in 2021, is currently living her "best life," staying active and involved following a move to Arizona three years ago. Despite her relocation, her impact on the Spokane community remains anchored in the medical institutions she helped lead and expand over a distinguished 34-year career.

The Spokane Colleges Foundation has named Paul Read, publisher of the Spokane Journal of Business and Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, as the 2026 Distinguished Alumni of the Year.

A handful of companies across Eastern Washington and North Idaho have raised millions of dollars in recent months, with the majority of funding falling outside the traditional angel- or venture-backed technology, health care, and consumer industries.

An 87,000-square-foot industrial multitenant warehouse building is under construction at Spokane Valley-based Crown West Realty’s Barker Logistics Center project in Spokane Valley.