Tag Archives: Christopher St.Joer

Around Idaho: October Economic Activity

Information provided in this article has been gathered from various sources throughout the state, including professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO – Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai & Shoshone counties

Kootenai County

  • Mountain Crest Development LLC plans to cut trees and begin laying road on its Canfield Mountain properties. While it is not clear at this time what plans are for the 96 acre parcels, Mountain Crest has previously sought to build a new housing development on the mountain. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press
  • The criminal justice infrastructure in Kootenai County may be expanding in two individual initiatives. The Kootenai County jail is overcrowded, and the Board of County Commissioners has begun a study to determine if jail expansion would be warranted. In a separate effort, the Post Falls Police Department has proposed creating a new substation on the west side of the city. The substation would ostensibly increase the efficiency of distributing police presence around Post Falls. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press

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Small Businesses Play Big Role in Idaho’s Economy

Small businesses are an essential component of the “American Dream” and are often viewed as the backbone of the national economy. Defined as establishments with fewer than 20 employees, Idaho’s small businesses make up the majority of the state’s private employers and support a significant number of jobs statewide. While the success of smaller employers is often cyclical with the business cycle, small businesses have played a significant role in the current economic expansion and will continue to play a critical role in driving the state’s economy forward.

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Around Idaho: September Economic Activity

Information provided in this article has been gathered from various sources throughout the state, including professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO – Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai & Shoshone counties

Kootenai County

  • Construction work is proceeding to add two restaurants to Coeur d’Alene’s Riverstone complex. Anthony’s, an upscale fresh seafood restaurant based in Seattle, is adding a stand-alone location in the Riverstone shopping complex, and Ipanema, a popular Brazilian steakhouse, is relocating to Riverstone from its current Coeur d’Alene location. Both restaurants are expected to open in the spring. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press, September 2015
  • The city of Rathdrum purchased 30 acres of land to relocate city facilities. Rathdrum’s city hall, police station, parks and recreation department and public works department are all at or near the capacity of their current buildings. The land will be developed to house the city facilities over the next five to 10 years. Source: Coeur d’Alene Press, September 2015
  • A location on the campus of Coeur d’Alene’s Lakes Middles School was finalized as the site of a new Kootenai County Boys & Girls Club. The project is now in the pre-construction phase of a roughly 20,000-square-foot building. Source: Coeur D’Alene Press, September 2015
  • The EPA fined the Idaho Panhandle National Forest $15,000 for failing to promptly report a spill of anhydrous ammonia. IPNF did not report a 1,600 pound spill of the toxic chemical in Coeur d’Alene for over two weeks, leading to fine. Source: Bonner County Daily Bee, September 2015

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Around Idaho: August Economic Activity

Information provided in this article has been gathered from various sources throughout the state, including professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO – Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai & Shoshone counties

Kootenai County

  • Hagadone Hospitality plans to build a 200-room hotel tower to adjoin with The Coeur d’Alene Resort. The new tower will bring total resort capacity above 500 rooms, which is considered a key number to book large conferences and events. (Source: Coeur d’Alene Press)
  • Viking Construction’s proposed construction of an 87-lot subdivision in Post Falls received city council approval. The new subdivision will consist of single family lots spanning 37 acres. (Source: Coeur d’Alene Press)
  • AccraFab, a Washington-based manufacturer, and North Idaho College failed to reach an agreement on the sale of 11.4 acres of land at the center of AccraFab’s effort to relocate to Coeur d’Alene. Negotiations ended after neither side was willing to concede on a $65,000 price difference. (Source: Coeur d’Alene Press)
  • The Avista Foundation awarded a $45,000 grant to Kootenai Health to expand the medical center. The grant will assist Kootenai Medical Center’s efforts to create a dedicated neonatal intensive care unit. (Source: Coeur d’Alene Press)

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Manufacturing Driving Idaho’s Expanding Economy

Best known for potatoes and dairy, agriculture has long been viewed as the staple of Idaho’s economy. While agriculture continues to play an important role, manufacturing has quietly become one of the leading industries driving the economy forward. In recent years Idaho has gained a unique competitive advantage in the industry with an increased concentration of manufacturing jobs being added to the economy. Although growth in manufacturing has struggled nationally, Idaho is poised to see continued growth in the industry.

Since the end of the recession in 2010, Idaho’s manufacturing industry has fueled the state’s economic expansion. Of the jobs added to Idaho’s economy between 2010 and 2014, manufacturing had the second highest growth rate at 12.7 percent – nearly doubling the state’s total job growth of 6.9 percent. The 6,700 jobs added in manufacturing accounted for 16 percent of the state’s total job growth since the end of the recession.

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Around Idaho: July Economic Activity

Information provided in this article has been gathered from various sources throughout the state, including professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

NORTHERN IDAHO – Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Kootenai & Shoshone counties

Kootenai County

  • North Idaho College opened its new Aerospace Center of Excellence on June 30. The center will offer training in aerospace component fabrication and testing for workers wishing to join northern Idaho’s growing aerospace manufacturing industry.
  • A dangerous fire season has overworked firefighting services. The Panhandle National Forest Service has already exceeded its average annual fire retardant use and is currently averaging six forest fires per day. Several fires have encroached on recreational areas and lakefronts, impeding are tourism.
  • Tourism in Hayden was hampered by a health advisory concerning a toxic algae bloom on Hayden Lake. People were advised by the Panhandle Health District not to swim in the lake until the problem is resolved.
  • The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an injunction that would shut down poker rooms in the Coeur d’Alene Casino. The Coeur d’Alene tribe is fighting the injunction, arguing that poker is not an illegal form of gambling because it is a contest of skill.
  • The Coeur d’Alene City Council voted to vacate a lot for the construction of a new hotel tower for the Coeur d’Alene Resort. The hotel tower will provide an additional 200 rooms, which are designed to help attract larger business conferences.

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Around Idaho: June Economic Activity

Information provided in this article has been gathered from various sources throughout the state, including professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Statewide
Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

STATEWIDE

  • The number of housing units in Idaho increased by 6,000 between July 2013 and July 2014. While about a quarter of the state’s housing units are in Ada County, nearly 3,000 of the new units were built in the county, representing about half of the growth of new housing units in the state. (From Boise State Public Radio)

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Idaho Exports Expanding

With each passing year, Idaho’s economy becomes more integrated in the global market. The impact that international trade has on Idaho’s economy is measured by the increase in its foreign trade partners, the growth of total exports, the jobs exports create and wage improvements attributed to foreign sales. Identifying these trends can shed light on how Idaho’s economy is being shaped by the global market.

Countries that Import Idaho Goods

Since 2001, Idaho has sold goods to 213 countries – an average of 153 countries every year. In recent years, Canada has been the largest importer of Idaho goods, buying close to $1.6 billion in 2013. Over the past decade, Canada has imported an average of $1 billion a year from Idaho. Continue reading →

Around Idaho: April Economic Activity

Information provided in this article has been gathered from various sources throughout the state, including professional sources, news releases, weekly and daily newspapers, television and other media.

Statewide
Northern Idaho
North Central Idaho
Southwestern Idaho
South Central Idaho
Southeastern Idaho
Eastern Idaho

STATEWIDE ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS

  • The Food and Drug Administration has approved genetically engineered foods as safe. The action covers six varieties of J.R. Simplot potatoes.
  • Idaho’s construction industry went on a hiring spree during what the National Weather Service recorded as the warmest February ever for Boise. The Idaho Business Review reported that 5,000 more construction jobs were created in Idaho in February compared with a year earlier. The 14.3 percent gain was the second highest in the country, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the growth at 3,700 jobs, and the Idaho Department of Labor estimate was 1,000.

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Eastern Idaho Labor Market Improving

The education people receive and the skills they attain greatly influence their economic well-being, but successfully navigating the labor market is no simple task, and understanding the history of eastern Idaho’s labor market, its current growth and the specific industries that are growing can make it easier.

Recent History

After several years of slow growth, the U.S. labor market appears to be picking up. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 295,000 increase in February’s nonfarm payroll employment, marking the 12th straight month payrolls grew by more than 200,000 – the first time since a 19-month run in 1993 to 1995. Continue reading →