Agricultural industry observers here say there's a bit of trepidation in the air concerning 2009, following a year that saw both prices and yields drop for wheat, dried peas, lentils, and chickpeas, all among the Inland Northwest's primary will be
Tourism is expected to slow further in Spokane and North Idaho in the coming year, though event bookings remain strong, observers say.Harry Sladich, president and CEO of the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, says a downward trend
The Kootenai County economy won't be as vibrant in 2009 as it was earlier this decade, but business advocates there aren't anticipating a bust either."Things have slowed down, but we're faring a bit better than most of the country," says Coe, of
High-tech manufacturers here are casting a cautious eye on 2009, and indicate that they plan to stay as lean as possible to be ready if sales growth, which already is beginning to soften, turns to a decline.For one such company, the economic its
Retail sales are expected to remain relatively flat here next year, though they could rise or fall slightly, economic observers here say.Randy Barcus, chief economist for Spokane-based Avista Corp., says he's more optimistic about retail sales a
Spokane-area bankers, whose prospects rise and fall with the regional economy, say they're peering into a clouded crystal ball as they make projections for 2009."It's probably the first time in my career that I would have to say I have no idea
The Spokane area's health-care sector is expected to be fairly strong in 2009, with added hiring and sizable capital expenditures, although huge government budget woes have hospital executives concerned about reimbursement levels. "The issue us
Real estate industry insiders are optimistic that the relatively resilient economy here can carry the residential and commercial real estate sectors through the national recession. The residential sector is expected to bottom out here and perhaps a
Commercial construction in the Inland Northwest is likely to slow somewhat in 2009, and no significant improvement is expected in the already lagging residential-construction sector until the second half of the year at the earliest, industry here a
Employment in Spokane County is expected to remain flat or contract slightly next year, after falling by about 320 jobs—or just 0.1 percent—in the latest available figures for this year.Doug Tweedy, a regional labor economist here for
_web.webp?t=1764835652)