Banking & Finance

Washington Trust puts focus on women in leadership

Women now occupy 60% of bank's leadership roles

August 12, 2021

With a combined 78 years of experience in the banking and finance industry, Katy Bruya, Alicia O'Mary, and Carolyn Stewart of Washington Trust Bank all say that if it's up to them, they'll never have another employer.

Financial institutions thrived in first half of 2021

Despite start, INW bankers brace for potential effects of COVID variant, inflation

August 12, 2021

Virginia Thomas

Some bank and credit union executives here say that while they're wary of the effects of the COVID-19 variants and of the threat of inflation, 2021 has so far been a year of growth in most product areas.

Banking AI in the Inland Northwest

New platform a starting point to automation of other services, systems

August 12, 2021

Natasha Nellis

Two Inland Northwest credit unions are turning to artificial intelligence to make credit and loan decisions, a move representatives say will make the process more accurate and efficient, while opening up employees to more engagement with customers.

Foundation here back to granting travel wishes

Nonprofit forced to cancel trips during pandemic; boosted other programs

July 29, 2021

Lonna Smith

March 2020 is a month that many will never forget. It was in March of 2020 that the World Health Organization declared that we were facing a pandemic outbreak called COVID-19. There were mask mandates, quarantines, and an immediate and radical change to

In planning, focus on controllables; ditch 'what ifs'

Financial management takes long-term strategy

July 29, 2021

Ben KlÃ¼ndt

There is always something to hold us back, someone telling us there's too much risk involved. We can't control the outcome enough. What if we fail? The game of 'what ifsâ€ can turn into a death spiral if we let it. Learning to control the

Retirement expectations, reality often don't align

Dollar-cost averaging can increase savings in long-term strategy

July 29, 2021

Sarah Carlson

Will your retirement dreams match your reality? That's perhaps the most critical question to ask people who are currently retired. Is your retirement what you expected, or is it something else? For more than 30 years, the Employee Benefit Research Ins

Journal's View: ARP funds provide regional transformative opportunity

~

July 29, 2021

Journal of Business Staff

Government leaders here are faced with the enormous task of deciding what to do with more than $200 million in American Rescue Plan funding coming collectively to Spokane County, the cities of Spokane and Spokane Valley, school districts, and other local

Spokane economy grew for some in pandemic year

Hospitality, retail sectors still lag in job numbers

July 29, 2021

Patrick Jones

What a difference a year makes. In May 2020, U.S. employment had slipped over 25 million from its February 2020 peak. The nation was lurching toward the largest quarterly drop in gross domestic product in history with a 32% decline. Washington state's

Continuous Composites secures $17M in financing

Company looks to double workforce within the year

July 29, 2021

Natasha Nellis

Coeur d'Alene-based additive manufacturer Continuous Composites Inc. has secured $17 million in funding that CEO Tyler Alvarado says will help the company double its workforce and bring its product to market within the next year. The financing round

Executive Pay sees double-digit increase

Leadership changes, strong market performances lead compensation escalation throughout pandemic

July 29, 2021

Linn Parish

Executive pay at Inland Northwest-based publicly traded companies increased by double digits during the pandemic year of 2020, a Journal of Business analysis has found. The surge in total compensation for executives occurred during an unusual