Some observers of the wood products industry are expecting to see modest growth in U.S. housing starts in 2018, which would drive demand for timber and forestry products and services. Joel White, executive officer of the Spokane Home Builders Association

Strong activity in the real estate sector will continue on into 2018, some industry professionals say. Larry Soehren, president and CEO of Spokane-based commercial real estate and property management company Kiemle & Hagood Co., says the overall commerci

Following the trend of recent years, retailers here are again predicting sales growth for 2018. However, with income growth for the region remaining low, some industry representatives and observers remain skeptical as to how long this period of gains will

Despite difficulty finding qualified workers, the construction industry here will continue its overall strong economic momentum into 2018, say some industry professionals. James T. 'Tim” Welsh, CEO of Spokane-based contractor Garco Construction Inc

Despite the ongoing prospect of changes to the Affordable Care Act, health care administrators in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene continue to drive operations in growth mode. Providence Health Care, the Inland Northwest's largest provider network, has tr

Cheryl Kilday, president and CEO of Visit Spokane, says the tourism-promotion organization is expecting modest growth in tourism here in 2018. 'We've got a good number of convention groups coming in,” Kilday says. 'Since the expansion of the Sp

Bank, credit union, and investment market executives here remain mostly bullish about the coming year, despite possibly growth-dampening effects of anticipated Federal Reserve rate hikes and potential impacts of tax reform. Earlier this month, the Fede

Sam Wolkenhauer, Post Falls-based regional labor economist with the Idaho Department of Labor, expects Kootenai County's economic growth will slow slightly in 2018. 'But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the economy,” Wolkenhauer sa

Employers are expected to add about 5,000 jobs countywide in 2018, which would be similar to this year's expansion pace, says Doug Tweedy, the Spokane-based regional economist for the Washington state Employment Security Department. At that clip, total