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Small Business Watch: February 11, 2010

February 11, 2010

Caf owner announces plans to offer classes Rita Marie's Caf, located in 1,800 square feet of leased space in an office building at 605 E. Holland, soon will start offering cooking classes evenings and weekends.Rita Schlosser, who a

Telecom company launches indoor digital sign division

Black Box's office here says moving-image, flat-screen signs well-received so far

February 11, 2010

Kim Frlan

Black Box Corp., a Lawrence, Pa.-based telecommunications company that operates a 32-employee regional office in Spokane, has launched a division that sells commercial flat-screen monitors that can be programmed to display informational and a for

DOT set to move, upgrade state line weigh station soon

Wenatchee company submitted lowest bid, $6.7 million, for work

February 11, 2010

Jeanne Gustafson

The Washington state Department of Transportation has opened bids for a project it plans to begin in the spring to relocate the weigh station on Interstate 90 near the Washington-Idaho state line. The apparent low bidder for the work is Selland of

North Idaho builder enters Spokane area

Victory Homes hopes to fill a 'void' left here by recession

February 11, 2010

Jeanne Gustafson

Victory Homes, a Coeur d'Alene-based home builder that previously had concentrated on the North Idaho market, says it's expanding into the Spokane market. The company recently began building single-family homes in the Prairie Crest development

Douglass plans apartments near Shelley Lake in Valley

Longtime developer here submits permit application to build 256-unit complex

February 11, 2010

Mike McLean

Prominent Spokane developer Harlan Douglass plans to build a 256-unit apartment complex in Spokane Valley.Douglass couldn't be reached for comment, but a building permit application filed with the city of Spokane Valley shows that the Shelley 16

Graham Construction bids lowest for Havana overpass

Spokane company submitted $6.6 million bid for project

February 11, 2010

Jeanne Gustafson

Graham Construction & Management Inc., of Spokane, is the apparent low bidder, with a bid of $6.6 million, for the second and final phase of work to construct a bridge to carry Havana Street over railroad tracks near Broadway Avenue. That phase

Giving tools spring power

February 11, 2010

Kim Crompton

North Idaho native Eric Thun says he spent enough time in the corporate world to get a strong distaste for the moving of manufacturing offshore, and came back to the Spokane area to escape that environment and hopefully do his small part to counter

U.S. Linen eyes more growth here

Richland company adds worker to Spokane branch after winning state contract

February 11, 2010

Kim Crompton

U.S. Linen & Uniform, of Richland, Wash., says it will be looking to grow its presence in the Spokane area after winning a roughly $1 million exclusive contract to supply linens, uniforms, mats, and other related rental and laundry services to goal

DOT has $83 million list of stimulus ideas

As Congress considers new legislation, state identifies eligible projects in region

February 11, 2010

Jeanne Gustafson

The Washington state Department of Transportation has prepared a draft list of $82.6 million in projects here that it would propose in Eastern Washington should more federal stimulus money come to the state for road construction projects.The a a

RiverBank posts profit; loans jump

Four-year-old boutique institution says it expects decent growth this year

February 11, 2010

Kim Crompton

RiverBank, which opened for business here in 2006, notched its first profitable calendar year in 2009, posting net income of $592,000, according to data it has filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.That was up sharply from losses of in a