Invigorated by new leadership and armed with new strategies for recruiting employers here, the Spokane Area Economic Development Council says interest in the Spokane area is on the rise.A year ago, the EDC was talking with about six to 10 that

Economic-development leaders here were disappointed when Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. opted recently not to lower a gangplank here and instead set compass for Springfield, Ore., with plans for a reservation call center that would employ

Downtown Spokanes largest office buildings climbed in value by a combined 16 percent over the past six years, the Spokane County Assessors Office says.The combined assessed value of 14 of downtown Spokanes more prominent multitenant to in

Sterling Financial Corp., the Spokane-based parent of Sterling Savings Bank, ended a brief involvement in the property-and-casualty insurance business by selling a small Billings, Mont., agency to an affiliate of a large Utah insurance buyer, LLC,

Jones & Mitchell Insurance & Risk Management Inc., a 94-year-old Spokane insurance brokerage, says it has built its business by making steady progress each year and diversifying to protect itself during tough times. Jones & Mitchell has about a

Health savings accounts, made available just late last year, already are growing in popularity as an alternative to conventional health-insurance plans.With health-care insurance premiums continuing to climb and more information about health or

C.W. Products Inc. has been around for 57 years, but the small, Spokane Valley maker of pallets, custom crates, and other wood products has undergone a lot of change in the last 14 months.Since June 2003, the company has changed hands and has a

Washington Technology Center, a Seattle-based nonprofit organization, is helping many Spokane businesses develop their big ideas.The economic-development agency, which is funded mostly through the state, provides financial and technical to that

DigiDeal Corp., the Spokane Valley maker of electronic gaming tables, has won approval from the Washington state Gambling Commission to sell its newest table for use in Washington casinos.The gaming table, upon which DigiDeals five-card stud

AmericanWest Bancorp., the Spokane-based parent of AmericanWest Bank, says it has accepted an offer to sell the former Ice World USA skating rink in Liberty Lake that it acquired through foreclosure three years ago.The skating rink, which in at