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In the News: March 12, 2009

March 10 / Avista's Clark Fork operations resume after spill Avista Corp. said it will continue cleanup operations and monitor conditions in the Clark Fork River in North Idaho and western Montana as its Noxon Rapids and Cabinet Gorge
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March 12-30, 2009

Meetings & Events The Spokane chapters of Toastmasters International will hold public speaking contests on Saturday, March 14, at 9:30 a.m., at the Argonne Library, 4322 N. Argonne, and at 10 a.m. at the Otis Orchards Library, 22324 &
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Auburn company finds uses for scrap timber left in woods

Forest Concepts makes structures, straw aimed at preventing erosion
Jeanne Lang Jones
Auburn's Forest Concepts LLC was started by three guys and a chain saw, Jim Dooley jokes.In 1998, Dooley, a former Weyerhaeuser Co. executive and forest engineer, teamed up with two other Weyerhaeuser alums, Ken Chisholm and John "Jocko" Burks a
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Manufacturing group provides dark outlook

All 12 areas measured in survey show declines, underlining challenges
A sharp, precipitous slide has gripped the manufacturing sector and will pose consistent challenges for at least several more months, a recent survey indicates.The quarterly analysis is called the Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Survey on the a for
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—Staff photo by David Cole

Growth by diversifying

Wilbert Precast, once known for burial vaults, now makes a host of concrete products
David Cole
Wilbert Precast Inc., a longtime Spokane-based manufacturer of concrete products, says it's holding its own amidst a tough economy because it has been quick to expand its offerings as opportunities arise, giving it a diverse product line upon which
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—Staff photo by Jeanne Gustafson

'First responders' scramble to help area manufacturers

Assistance organizations in region say demand for help is growing
Jeanne Gustafson
Two federally funded organizations that assist manufacturers here say the tough economy is driving more such companies to seek their help because of diminishing sales.The two organizations, Mukilteo, Wash.-based Washington Manufacturing which an
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Equipment leasing demand grows, as do credit concerns

Enterprising Capital sees applications triple; others say reasons to lease remain
David Cole
Demand from businesses that are interested in leasing equipment has been growing briskly in recent months, as borrowers seek alternatives to the battered loan market, but credit standards for leasing also are tightening, those in the industry of in
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RiverBank cuts loss, grows loans, deposits, and assets

Three-year-old boutique institution anticipates smaller gains this year
Kim Crompton
RiverBank, which opened for business here in 2006, posted a loss of $282,000 for 2008, according to data it has filed with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.That's improved, though, from a loss of $797,000 in 2007, and President and CEO Duane a
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Intermountain to talk about TARP program

Bankers also will seek communities' ideas in town hall meetings
Richard Ripley
Intermountain Community Bancorp, of Sandpoint, says it will hold town hall meetings in March in 19 communities it serves across Idaho and Eastern Washington to talk about how it will use money it has received from the U.S. government and also to in
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TARP won't have a big loan impact

Long-term outlook falls to 'D,' lowest in history of the quarterly survey
Most lenders across the nation don't believe the federal Troubled Asset Relief Program will have a significant impact on lending, according to the latest quarterly Lending Climate in America survey conducted by Phoenix Management Services, a Chadds
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