Two years after taking the helm at S3R3 Solutions, executive director Chris Pengra says the public development authority has evolved from a fledgling group into a key player helping shape the West Plains into one of the Inland Northwest’s premier industrial hubs.

After a pause during the pandemic, Kaiser Aluminum Corp. is rolling forward again, finishing a $25 million expansion to its Trentwood rolling mill, the latest phase in the company’s long-term investments that have infused $415 million into the Spokane Valley plant over the past two decades.

Idaho Central Credit Union has quietly become one of Spokane’s fastest-growing financial institutions. Just 3 1/2 years after opening its first branch in Spokane County, the Chubbuck, Idaho-based financial institution has expanded to six locations, including downtown Spokane, North Spokane, Spokane Valley, Airway Heights, Liberty Lake, and the South Hill.

When a building is torn down in Spokane County, permit fees collected from the demolition are redirected to a fund that helps preserve the facades of historic structures that still remain. 

A state investment aimed at adding and retaining high-value manufacturing jobs complements a $30 million private investment for an expansion at Mercer Mass Timber LLC in Spokane Valley, a move local leaders say will anchor the company’s future in the region and strengthen Washington state’s manufacturing industry.

After securing two dozen U.S. Department of Energy projects, Spokane-based Johnston Engineering PLLC is expanding its footprint by building a new 11,500-square-foot headquarters on the West Plains and preparing to increase its staff as clean-energy work accelerates.

As the American political climate becomes increasingly polarized and a decline in civil dialogue sows greater division across the country, Gonzaga University has been quietly working on the creation of an on-campus institution intended to serve as a regional hub for practicing civil discourse, engaged discernment, and the pursuit of the common good.

Burnout is emerging as one of the most significant health challenges in today’s workforce, as employees struggle with blurred boundaries, chronic overwork, and the rapid pace of technological advancements and artificial intelligence.

Spokane-based Eye Consultants PS has opened a new clinic and is preparing to open a surgery center in Spokane Valley, to expand patient access to cataract and vision care.

Inland Northwest employers are reevaluating plans to hire international workers after the federal government abruptly raised the H-1B visa fee to $100,000 per worker, local immigration attorneys say.