Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Inc. is investing $150 million in a Post Falls manufacturing facility to meet the company's high demand for power grid protection products.

Primarily driven by outside capital and nationwide corporate interest, a wave of business acquisitions and early-stage investments has swept through the Inland Northwest this summer. From Missouri and South Dakota to Georgia and Utah, out-of-town buyers and national firms are acquiring and investing in established Spokane-area companies across a variety of industries.

Kristopher Pockell is a software engineering manager at Liberty Lake-based OpenEye by day and the co-founder of Spokane Valley-based Elixir Sauce Co. by night.

Kellogg-based Bunker Hill Mining Corp. says it plans to acquire Silver47 Exploration Corp. out of Vancouver, Canada, in an all-stock transaction valued at $163 million. The potential transaction would expand Bunker Hill's mineral projects across four states. 

ATC Manufacturing Inc. is nearly doubling its 67,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility at 1224 N. Lean with a new 57,600-square-foot expansion project.

Hotstart Inc. is making parts for engine block heating systems out of its 90,000-square-foot facility at 6715 E. Mission, where the Spokane Valley-based manufacturer has just completed a $1.1 million renovation project.

Synthetic nicotine lozenge maker Nic Nac Naturals has expanded across the U.S. and in international markets since its product first hit shelves in 2023. 

Airway Heights-based conveyor system manufacturer Remcon Equipment Inc. has hired new CEO Sean Johnston, who plans to use his background in artificial intelligence and technology to improve operational efficiency and grow the company.

Inland Northwest manufacturers are positioning the region as a hub for emerging technologies as they pursue opportunities in nuclear energy, clean energy, and photonics.

Coeur d'Alene-based Idaho Strategic Resources Inc. is drawing attention from technology and aerospace manufacturers looking for a domestic supply of yttrium, one of the world's most strategically important rare earth elements.