Wiggett's Antique Marketplace in Coeur d'Alene Has Been Purchased

Tom and Patricia Power own The Cellar in downtown Coeur d'Alene, Sunshine Minting Inc., which has operations in the Lake City, along with Nevada and China, Power Audio Video, which specializes in home theater and integrated home systems, a real estate holdings company, and now have purchased the former home of Wiggett's Antique Marketplace at Fourth and Lakeside. The 27,000-square-foot building has been sitting empty for about five years. Nothing has been announced about their plans for the building.

Lighthouse For the Blind Inc. Expanding Spokane Location

Seattle-based Lighthouse for the Blind Inc., which provides jobs for blind people and others with disabilities, plans to expand its Inland Northwest Lighthouse manufacturing facility, located on Spokane's North Side, and boost its employment here. Melanie Wimmenauer, a Seattle-based spokeswoman for Lighthouse, says the organization plans to add 41,000 square feet of combined office and manufacturing space to the 52,000-square-foot facility, located in an old Tidyman's supermarket. Read from the source Journal of Business: http://jmorgan.us/XXzLue

Does Idaho Have a Software Labor Shortage: Point and Counterpoint

There was a really interesting couple of articles in the Idaho Business Review today that I think bring up some really good points.

Here is the first by Scott Ki:  For months, I’ve studied the debate on whether there’s a shortage of software developers in Idaho. I’ve decided there is a gap, but there’s also a broader issue of concern. I’ll explain.To research the labor market, I dived into academic papers, studied arguments for and against visa programs for skilled foreign workers, read dry economic formulas with regression analyses, and tracked international, national and regional statistics. But I’m not going to descend into the rabbit hole of tracking all the different arguments, because that type of analysis would be pages long. I’m going to try to keep it clean and simple.

Read more: http://jmorgan.us/YpeRRe

The second by Jake Alger brings up the fact that a lot of collaboration happens that supports growth and educational opportunities: Economic growth doesn’t occur in a vacuum. Support in the critical areas of health, education and financial independence serves as a springboard to success ― not only for individuals, but throughout our valley’s economic landscape.Businesses are uniting with nonprofits and government entities to turn shared vision — based on hearty evidence — into collaborative change.This community impact model for change saves time and talent, and forges outside-the-box partnerships. These relationships stretch across sector boundaries, in fact.

Read more: http://jmorgan.us/XXrMgT