When Nancy Spada bought a piece of Mata Ortiz pottery at a Spokane auction in 2000 she didnt know that it was made by some of the poorest people in North America.She just knew it was high-quality craftsmanship and that she wanted more. She of

Pullman-based developer K. Duane Brelsford plans to make a bold entrance into the Spokane market this year with up to three projects that together would cost more than $20 million.The prolific developer is well known in the Palouse, having more

Nearly halfway through his first year at the helm of Empire Health Services, the turnaround specialist whos serving as the organizations CEO says its headed in the right direction.Empire, which owns and operates Deaconess Medical Center &

Spokane-area developers say the downtown-area housing market here is strong despite comments from a partner in a Los Angeles-based company that pulled out of a proposed mixed-use project in Spokanes city center recently.Marshall Chesrown, the

XN Avionics LLC hopes to take flight, figuratively speaking, once it moves into a planned larger hangar-office complex at Spokane International Airport thats expected to be completed by fall.In the meantime, the 16-month-old subsidiary of XN

Though a federal investigation into 401(k) plan administration nationally could end up helping the 900-plus employers here that offer such plans, industry sources say employers might see more impact simply by making careful choices when setting up

Straining under the effects of the national recession, Spokane-based North Coast Life Insurance Co. suspended quarterly dividend payments on its preferred stock indefinitely two years ago.It expects to restore those dividends at the end of this

Washington Trust Bank has posted net income of $29.3 million for 2004, up 15.1 percent from $25.5 million in the previous year.The Spokane-based banks assets grew to $2.5 billion in 2004, up 12.3 percent, and it also reported substantial in a

Action Mortgage Co. the real estate lending subsidiary of Spokane-based Sterling Savings Bank, has ridden Sterlings rapid growthlast year making $1.16 billion in loansand now is looking to expand in areas its parent doesnt in 1987, Action I

If population surges and a hot real estate market werent proof enough, banking activityspecifically sharply rising loans and depositsprovide further evidence of rapid economic growth in Kootenai County. Three Coeur dAlene-based banks in