It was a very good year in 2003 to be an executive of a publicly traded company.Improved share prices and stronger corporate earnings triggered hefty raises for many such executives here, and more of them saw the improved market as a good time

Two national trends are causing demand for warehouse space here to decline, industry observers say.National retailers more frequently are using huge distribution centers to ship their goods nationally or to broad regions, rather than using in &

James J. Williams, a commodities trucking subsidiary of big Spokane-based Trans-System Inc., has found a lucrative niche in hauling hazardous materials throughout the Northwest and western Canada.The operation, which now is headquartered in 40

Theres more to being a medical-evaluation company than drawing blood and asking questions of someone who is buying life insurance.While thats a good bit of business for the dozen concerns that do such medical examinations here, the scope of

Dental insurance, though perhaps not deemed as essential as medical insurance, offers a number of perks that merit its consideration as a valuable benefit, employers and insurance brokers here say.Doug Toone, owner of Spokane-based Jewelry says

Lakeshore Investment Corp., of Seattle, says it plans to develop a roughly $1.8 million retail center, named Whitworth Square, near the southeast corner of Division Street and Hawthorne Road east of Whitworth College.To make way for the center,

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., the Miami-based cruise line, says the Spokane area is among the sites it is considering for a new reservations call center.Company officials decline to disclose further details about a possible call center here, as

A company led by longtime Spokane businessman Cyrus Vaughn is developing a retail strip on Spokanes South Hill.The company, Vaughns 57th Avenue LLC, has started work on a 10,000-square-foot multitenant retail center on a three-acre site along

Walkers Furniture, a Spokane-based furniture chain, plans to open a store in Yakima, Wash., in August, is considering opening a store in southeast Washington, and plans to move its Spokane Valley store to a new location later this Walkers a of

Omega Pacific Inc., a Spokane manufacturer of outdoor climbing, rescue, and safety equipment, plans to move its operation out of the Airway Heights Corrections Center this summer into a building it recently bought in Airway Heights. The move will a