Retail sales for Spokane County and the state of Washington soared this year, but slower growth is expected in 2022, says Patrick Jones, executive director at the Institute of Public Policy and Economic Analysis at Eastern Washington University.

It has been another financially volatile year for the health care industry in Spokane. With the discovery of the omicron variant, there are still too many unknowns to forecast what is in store for hospitals in 2022, say health care officials.

Inland Northwest employers regained the jobs they shed during the pandemic-induced recession and are likely to build upon those gains in 2022, Spokane economists say. The Spokane-Spokane Valley metropolitan area had 260,000 jobs in October, the most

Cyberattacks and data breaches likely will increase in 2022, warns Heather Stratford, CEO of Stronger International Inc. 'Cybersecurity remains one of the hottest and most important issues for any executive team to tackle in 2021, and 2022 will see

The commercial construction sector had a strong start in 2021, and the 2022 construction season will bring continued growth of warehouses, manufacturing, and distribution centers, industry observers here say. Cheryl Stewart, executive director of the

Spokane-based RiverBank Holding Co., the parent company of RiverBank, has named Michael F. Wilson as its new CEO. Wilson succeeds Mark Dresback, who died unexpectedly on Nov. 4. Wilson, who most recently served as chief banking officer at RiverBank

Spokane accounting firm HMA CPA PS has acquired a smaller Spokane firm, Kavadias Group PLLC, and the combined firms will operate under the HMA name, says shareholder Kevin Sell. In the transaction, HMA has brought on all eight staff members from

The owner of downtown bar Cease & Desist Book Club has opened a baseball-themed restaurant in the Pinecroft Business Park, in Spokane Valley. Bryan Harkey opened Hark's Clubhouse Nov. 7 at 12709 E. Mirabeau Parkway, in the 1,500-square-foot former Sams

Peg Currie, chief executive of Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital and chief operating officer of Providence Inland Northwest Washington, is retiring at the end of next month. Currie is capping a 40-year health care career.

Most business sectors in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area are growing, and some are approaching recovery beyond pre-pandemic levels as we enter the new year. Job numbers in both Spokane and Kootenai counties now are exceeding pre-pandemic levels, althoug