Journal of Business; Spokane

2010 Agora Awards for Business Excellence: Nystrom Olson Collins Inc.

The structure's simple contemporary design contrasts with the historic district west of downtown Spokane, which the city calls "a rare and intact example of a working-class neighborhood dating from the turn of the (20th) century."

2010 Agora Awards for Business Excellence: Spokane Humane Society

To help, the organization provided more than 10,000 pounds of food in 2009, and awarded grants for emergency veterinary care and spay-and-neuter vouchers, easing the financial burden some families face and allowing them to keep their pets.

2010 Agora Awards for Business Excellence: Moss Adams Llp

Susan G. Komen Foundation, Cataldo School, United Way, Rotary of Spokane, the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox, and more. Since nearly half of Moss Adams' employees are required to travel for long work weeks, it has compensated by offering paid spouse travel, bonuses, and other extras.

Requests Soar for Foreclosure Counseling

Spokane Neighborhood Action Partners, a nonprofit human services agency here, says its housing counseling program saved the owners of 97 homes in Spokane County from foreclosure last year, and it's working with a growing number of clients this year who are at risk of losing their homes because they're behind on their mortgage payments. In addition to foreclosure counseling, the SNAP program offers prepurchase counseling, which helps first-time homebuyers qualify for favorable mortgage rates,...

2010 Agora Awards for Business Excellence: Advantage Iq Inc.

The company hopes the latter acquisition will strengthen its offerings for clients in sustainability and utility expense management and create growth and advance its future market position.

Spokane Plans $4.6 Million in Paying Work in Trio of Jobs

All three of the projects are being done because of aging road surfaces, and are being paid for with money from the city's 10-year street bond, Deasy says.

Sadler, Breen, Morasch & Colby Taps Growing Niche

The firm has grown from five attorneys and one staff member in 2007 to nine attorneys, plus about eight support staff members and three analysts, who are engineers who help prepare patent applications and can do most of the same things that the attorneys do, the partners say. If the research indicates there would be a good shot at some benefit considering the time and expense involved in securing a patent, an attorney will write up a patent that describes the invention and include careful le...

Integra Telecom Expands Its Presence in Spokane Market

Integra Telecom Inc., a Portland, Ore.-based telecommunications provider that has had a location in Spokane Valley for four years, has opened a Spokane office, has boosted its staff here greatly, and now plans to double that work force.

Work Starts On Apartment Project Worth $28.6 Million

The project site is located on 15 acres of land at 215 S. Conklin Road, just north of a single-family home development that fronts partly on Shelley Lake in the Veradale area of Spokane Valley.

2010 Agora Awards for Business Excellence: Catered for You Inc.

Executive Chef Romeo Herrera, who has more than 25 years of experience in commercial kitchens, has been featured on local television and radio broadcasts, and his original recipes have been published in "The Los Angeles Times," "The Spokesman Review," and elsewhere, the company's Web site says.

Sia Selects Contractors for Projects to Upgrade Hvac, Garage Lighting

[...] Aztech Electric Inc., of Spokane, submitted an apparent low bid of $428,000 for a project to install new conduit and wiring for the lighting system in the airport's five-floor parking garage.

2010 Agora Awards for Business Excellence: Ymca of the Inland Northwest

The expansion of its facilities and services, in part, was a response to the growing problem of obesity and the fact that drowning is the second leading cause of injury-related deaths of children here.

2010 Agora Awards for Business Excellence: Stewart & Associates Ps

The result was the firm growing from Greg and one part-time employee to 12 who now work during tax season. [...] revenues have quadrupled - and Greg has more time to spend with family.

Sirti Seeks Federal Money to Launch Green Loan Fund

The affiliate, the Sirti Foundation, hopes to secure $2.5 million in federal grant and loan funds to support clean energy technology startups, says Kim Zentz, executive director.

Johnson Readies to Take Stcu's Helm During Changing Times

STCU is preparing to implement new software on both its online banking and in branch banking systems, and is working to adapt to regulatory changes in the industry as well as help its members manage continuing economic challenges, he says. [...] fees are needed, Johnson asserts because where businesses used to have to pay for companies to collect funds on bounced checks, that cost has been shifted to financial institutions now that consumers primarily use debit cards.

Kroc Center Mulls Parking Structure

The director, Maj. John Chamness, says he has submitted a proposal to the Salvation Army's Western regional headquarters in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., to construct a parking deck, which would add 140 to 150 parking spaces atop the northwest portion of the center's 342-space surface parking lot.

Goebel Doing Tenant Work for Nordstrom Rack

General Growth Properties Inc., of Chicago, which owns Spokane Valley Plaza through Spokane Mall LLC, declines to disclose the cost of the improvements, but a city of Spokane Valley permit for the work lists a value of $1.2 million forthe project.

Kendall Yards Townhouse Sales Get Off to Strong Start

Kendall Yards is on the bluff on the north bank of the Spokane River northwest of downtown. Because the nine townhouses in the first 18 homes have sold better than the nine single-family homes, Greenstone is changing plans and will build a total of 12 townhouses in that group of residences, Hunnel says.

Banks Profits in First Quarter Triple Year Ago

Commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. reported a first-quarter aggregate profit of $18 billion, a $12.5 billion improvement from the $5.6 billion the industry earned in the first quarter of 2009, but still well below historical norms for quarterly profit, the FDIC says. To provide the funds needed to resolve failed institutions in 2010 and beyond without immediately reducing the industry's earnings and capital, the FDIC Board approved a meas...

Locking Down Loan Terms

New mortgage lending rules that require loan originators to disclose key loan terms and closing costs offer needed consumer protection, but also have slowed down the loan-approval process, some lenders here say. The rules that went into effect this year under the federal Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) require lenders to supply written good-faith estimates that spell out loan terms and closing costs in a consistent form that consumers can use to compare with terms and costs off...