Spokanes tight labor market, with the countys average annual unemployment rate at 5.6 percent in 2005 and 5 percent last year, hasnt spurred employers here to sweeten their benefit packages noticeably yet to attract the workers they need, say

Payne Financial Group Inc., a Missoula, Mont.-based insurance brokerage that operates a growing office here, says Spokanes strong economy has been helping drive its robust, companywide growth. At the same time, the company, which has its top

A new Spokane Valley company named Independence Home Center Inc. has opened a Fleetwood Homes manufactured-home dealership just south of Interstate 90 near Barker Road.Peter Zeman, who owns Independence Home Center, says the new dealership is a

Inland Power & Light Co. says it is considering developing a 25,000-square-foot administrative building on the West Plains, near its main warehouse and maintenance facility, and moving its headquarters there from 320 E. Second, where its offices it

Servatron Inc., a Spokane Valley-based contract electronics manufacturer, says that after experiencing flat revenue growth in 2006, it expects to make strong gains this year and is adding floor space at its plant to prepare for future company has a

TinaMarie Bell can really cut a rugliterally. On a typical day, Bell isnt gliding across dance floors, but rather is busy cutting pieces of carpet and fashioning them into rugs she has designed for homes, businesses, and vehicles.Bell owns

Sylvan Furniture Co., a 62-year-old family-owned Spokane business, is closing its doors, according to a flyer distributed by the company. The flyer, advertising a five-day liquidation sale held earlier this month, says the business lost its at

Extendicare Health Services Inc., of Milwaukee, a large operator of long-term care facilities in the U.S., including three here, says it hopes to open a 120-bed, $14 million skilled-nursing center on the South Hill.The Milwaukee-based company a

Unico Properties LLC, a Seattle-based real estate investment and operating company, says it has bought the 20-story Bank of America Financial Center in downtown Spokane, and plans to spend millions of dollars on improvements to it.Unico didnt

Olympic Foods Inc., a 41-year-old Spokane company, says it has signed a letter of intent to sell its assets to Johanna Foods Inc., a privately owned manufacturer of chilled juices and beverages based in Flemington, N.J.Terms of the tentative a