Kootenai Health Announces $57 Million Expansion

Kootenai Health announced plans to break ground on a $57 million, three-story expansion by late summer or early fall of 2014. Kootenai estimates it will add between 100 and 150 new positions related to growth and expansion by 2018. The project is expected to require 400 to 450 construction workers from start to completion. As Kootenai has grown its services to care for the patients and families of northern Idaho, patient volumes have grown. Additional space is needed to accommodate this growing number of patients and also make room for improvements to the existing facility. For more information about the expansion, visit www.kh.org.

StanCraft Outgrows Post Falls Facility

StanCraft, custom builder of wooden speedboats, has outgrown its 17,000-square-foot facility in Post Falls, Idaho and it plans to move next year to a 72,000-square-foot complex the company recently bought in Coeur d’Alene. The company has doubled the size of its workforce in the last two years, now employing 50 people. To learn more, read the Journal of Business article.

Western Construction Wins Contract for Port of Clarkston's Sustainable Business Park

A Lewiston, Idaho firm won the bid to build the first phase of the Port of Clarkston’s sustainable business park. Under the $2.13 million contract, Western Construction and its subcontractors will install roads, sewers and water lines for about half of the 100-acre park near Clarkston Heights. Port officials expect the project to be finished by June and hope to attract environmentally-friendly companies such as jet boat manufacturers and suppliers. To learn more about the business park, visit http://portofclarkston.com.

INW in the News: Business Xpansion Journal, "Cleantech Opportunities on the Rise"

Business Xpansion Journal recently featured the strong cleantech industry in the Inland Northwest's Palouse Knowledge Corridor (PKC). As highlighted in the article, "public and private investments are taking existing strengths in scientific research and turning clean technology theory into practice." The article discusses how groups like the Inland Northwest Economic Alliance, companies such as Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories and institutions like the University of Idaho and Washington State University are among the many interconnected organizations that make the PKC a desirable place for cleantech activity. Click here to read the full article.

Alliance Data Retail Services Expands with New Facility in Coeur d'Alene

Alliance Data Retail Services, which manages more than 130 private label and co-brand credit card programs for many of today’s most recognizable brands, will hire approximately 200 customer care employees in a new 44,500 square-foot facility in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which is scheduled to open in June. As part of its long-term growth plan, Alliance Data is hiring customer service representatives to serve its rapidly expanding portfolio of branded credit card programs and its renewal of agreements with existing clients. Alliance Data Retail Services is a business unit of Alliance Data Systems Corporation, a leading global provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions. To learn more about this expansion, visit www.alliancedataretail.com.

SRM Spokane Expands to Inland Northwest

SRM Spokane recently expanded to the region, bringing eight new direct and high wage jobs and more than $2 million in annual economic impact. SRM Spokane is a reproductive endocrinology and infertility practice located in Spokane Valley. Learn more at www.srmspokane.com.