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Weighing cost of doing business

August 15, 2013

Gov. Jay Inslee was in New York recently for the world rollout of BMW's new electric car, the BMW i3, which is partially built in Washington. We are all justifiably proud of our state's role and see the car as a harbinger of Washington's economic a

Dog training service here to expand with new facility

I-Guard builds complex at Spokane Valley site for added pet services

August 15, 2013

Treva Lind

Otis Orchards-based I-Guard International K-9 Services LLC, which specializes in breeding and training German shepherds and other dogs for service needs, is constructing a $1.2 million facility in the Spokane Valley to expand its Lungu, who owns in

Miller Paint plans to open store in Spokane Valley next March

Portland-based chain hopes to find additional locations for outlets here

August 15, 2013

Mike McLean

Miller Paint Co., a Portland-based paint-store chain, plans to open its fourth outlet in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene area next spring, says Steve Dearborn, the company's CEO, who adds that by then the company hopes to identify more potential store a

Hayden homebuilder erects $7.4 million rental complex in Cd'A

Viking Construction starts work in Cd'A on 70-unit Fairway Meadows project

August 15, 2013

Mike McLean

Prominent North Idaho homebuilder Viking Construction Inc. has started work on a $7.4 million, 70-unit apartment complex in northwest Coeur d'Alene, says Scott Krajack, an executive with Viking Construction.The project site for the complex, to a

Inland Power to ponder rate increase for spring

Spokane-based co-op's wholesale power cost to rise about 9 percent

August 15, 2013

Treva Lind

Inland Power & Light Co., the Spokane-based electric cooperative, will absorb a 9 percent average wholesale power rate increase this fall, and any hike to its members' rates likely won't happen until spring, says CEO Chad Jensen."We don't that a

Agricultural land sales have slowed, Farm Credit Services says

Separately, Spokane-based lender reports drop in net

August 15, 2013

Treva Lind

Northwest Farm Credit Services says agricultural land buyers appear more cautious, and the association's recent land value survey found that Northwest land sales activity slowed in the second quarter of 2013.Separately, the big Spokane-based net

Staying in tune for a century

August 15, 2013

Treva Lind

Through 10 decades of shifts in popular music, Spokane-based Hoffman Music Co. has stayed in tune with what customers need for instruments, ranging from swing bands of the 1930s to the high school clarinet player of today.While pianos were the a

Downtown Spokane Partnership seeks gateways consultant

Beautification projects could gear up in spring at high-traffic off-ramps

August 15, 2013

Jessica Valencia

The Downtown Spokane Partnership is seeking requests for qualifications for a design project that would beautify land around off-ramps from Interstate 90—often called gateways, says Marla Nunberg, the organization's vice president. The DSP,

EWU eyes $25 million upgrade to student union building

Architectural, engineering firms sought for predesign of student union project

August 15, 2013

Mike McLean

Eastern Washington University is considering a $25 million renovation and upgrade of the student union building on its main campus in Cheney, says Troy Bester, senior project manager for the university.EWU, located 17 miles southwest of Spokane,

Business text app developer to ramp up

Spokane startup receives capital infusion, looks to increase its presence

August 15, 2013

Linn Parish

Spokane-based startup Business Texter Inc., which has developed a mobile application for sending and receiving texts in large quantities, has received a fresh infusion of capital and is ramping up its operations.Company co-founder and CEO Aaron