Latest News

WashTrust posts sharply lower profit for '09

Balance sheet displays 'positive' trends; capital ratios exceed guidelines

February 25, 2010

Washington Trust Bank managed to make a profit last year, although the just under $3 million in net income it posted was less than a fifth of the $15.8 million in profit that it logged in 2008.As of Dec. 31, the Spokane-based bank's loans were a

Making the write turn

February 25, 2010

Mike McLean

John Ferrell and Joe Wing started "turning," or making components for, pens as a hobby. Now, as business partners, they're hoping to turn a profit.Ferrell and Wing opened JJ's Pen Place LLC this year in the Eagle Plaza, at 14415 E. Sprague, they

Olive Garden to open at Northpointe

Restaurant chain applies for building permit, plans $1.3 million restaurant

February 25, 2010

Jeanne Gustafson

The operator of the Olive Garden Restaurant chain has applied for a permit to build a $1.3 million "new Olive Garden" at the site of a former Hollywood Video Store near Northpointe Plaza.The operator, GMRI Inc., of Orlando, Fla., submitted an a

Rendering courtesy of Russell C. Page Architects PS

Vandervert groups plan Tri-Cities projects

Apartment complex, hotel, office development worth $34.3 million combined

February 25, 2010

Mike McLean

Ownership groups led by Spokane developers Dick Vandervert and Lowell McKee plan to start work soon on three major commercial projects in the Tri-Cities area with a total value of $34.3 million.The planned projects include a hotel and an office

IT-Lifeline, Red Lion eye disaster plan

Hotel would be makeshift call center for customers that lose data operations

February 25, 2010

Paul Read and Paul Read

Liberty Lake high-tech concern IT-Lifeline Inc. is working with Spokane-based hotelier Red Lion Hotels Corp. to offer call-center operators the space and equipment needed to get up to hundreds of workers back on line within 48 hours if their a an a

Commerce park planned at Playfair

Scafco would occupy first building to be developed at long-closed horse track

February 25, 2010

Mike McLean

A development company headed by the president of Spokane-based Scafco Corp. wants to develop a commercial and industrial park with up to 800,000 square feet of floor space and 800 parking spaces, at the former site of the Playfair horse racing in a

Office project planned on West Plains

Investor group to develop $11.5 million structure next to Airway Heights

February 25, 2010

Mike McLean

A Spokane-based investor group plans to develop an $11.5 million office building on the West Plains and expects to begin work on the project soon, says Lowell McKee, one of the investors.The planned two-story, 47,000-square-foot structure, to be

Combined MSA stats now likely

Spokane, Kootenai joint 'statistical area' could boost region

February 25, 2010

Jeanne Gustafson

In a move that observers say would give the region more muscle in attracting business and funding, the federal government appears likely to combine Spokane and Kootenai counties into a combined statistical area in 2013, after the 2010 Census is of

Photo courtesy of Hollister-Stier Laboratories LLC

Hollister-Stier grows work force

Drug maker cites revenue growth; outlook less clear

February 25, 2010

Kim Crompton

Hollister-Stier Laboratories LLC, the Spokane-based contract drug manufacturer, has added about 70 employees here over the last year, and has experienced double-digit revenue growth in its fiscal year that ends March 31, but likely will see smaller

Economic gale winds make good investment calls tough

Applying sharp hindsight, analysts wince at some of their worst misses

February 25, 2010

Personal Investing

Smart investment calls aren't so easy to come by.They require insight, patience, and a bit of luck. Once they pan out, however, they are fondly remembered for a long time.Some bold calls made during the market plummet of 2008 proved highly an