Health care, manufacturing, tourism, and real estate are among current growth industries in Kootenai County that are expected to continue to improve in the new year, sources in North Idaho say. Alivia Metts, Post Falls-based regional labor economist for

The wood products sector is expecting continued, steady improvement next year, largely due to anticipated ongoing recovery in the U.S. housing market, industry observers say. Shawn Church, editor of Eugene, Ore.-based Random Lengths, a publication that t

In some sectors of the Inland Northwest economy, activity levels are returning to prerecession levels, welcome news that comes none too soon for economic observers. In overall employment, Spokane-area economists are expecting job growth next year, though

Proto Technologies Inc., a Liberty Lake prototype manufacturer, has experienced growth this year in revenues and its client base, says Rory Nay, the company's president.The company, located at 22808 E. Appleway, makes custom parts, models, and a

Airway Heights-based Wemco Inc., a light industrial equipment manufacturer, is starting a $6 million project to build a new production facility on a 10-acre parcel on the West Plains, says John Rouse, the company's vice president.The project is

Lambie Engineering LLC, of Spokane Valley, is hoping to revolutionize the way companies fabricate parts through the concept of lean manufacturing. One of the tenets of lean manufacturing, says Lambie Engineering President and owner Ken Lambie, a