Tainio Technology and Technique, Inc. Breaks Ground and Expands in Spokane County

Tainio Technology and Technique, Inc., a family-owned company pioneering the development of sustainable, biological agriculture and farm products, recently broke ground for the construction of its new 13,650-square-foot facility.

The building will consist of offices, laboratories, warehousing, and research and production facilities. The project is planned for completion in December of 2016. Tainio plans to bring on additional employees once the facility is complete.

To learn more, read the Greater Spokane article or visit www.tainio.com.

Accra-Fab Announces Retention and Expansion Plans in Liberty Lake

Accra-Fab announced its plans to remain and grow in Washington at its Liberty Lake facility. Accra-Fab began as a sheet metal fabricator, and has expanded over recent years to include engineering, design, prototyping, contract manufacturing, welding, finishing and assembly.

Accra-Fab has been instrumental in growing the aerospace industry in Spokane County, helping to lead the Inland Northwest Aerospace Consortium (INWAC) and driving supply chain innovations and technologies. To accommodate their growth plans, the company had been performing a multi-year business case analysis, including looking at alternate locations in Washington and Idaho.

To learn more read the Accra-Fab's press release.

LightSpeed Networks to Bring Fiber Optics to Inland Northwest

A privately owned Portland-based fiber optic company plans to expand into Eastern Washington and rural locations across the state, according to an article in the Journal of Business.

LightSpeed Networks Inc. says it will bring LS Networks to more businesses and residential customers in Spokane, Tri-Cities, and Yakima this year. LS Networks has built and operates more than 1,200 miles of high-capacity fiber broadband in Washington already.

To learn more about LightSpeed Networks, go to www.lsnetworks.net.

Alliance Data Expands in Coeur d'Alene

Alliance Data Systems Corp., the Plano, Texas-based credit-card, customer-service call center operator, has expanded its Coeur d’Alene operations, according to an article in the Journal of Business. The company moved into an additional 75,000-square-foot building and intends to add 200 more employees there by the end of 2016.

 Derrek Thomas, senior director of operations at Alliance Data’s Coeur d’Alene call center, says the company has been growing rapidly there and expects to continue doing so.

To learn more about Alliance Data, visit http://knowmoresellmore.com.

Pearson Packaging Systems Experiences Growth

Pearson Packaging Systems, the West Plains-based maker of packaging equipment, says it expects double-digit revenue growth this year and for the foreseeable future, according to an article in the Journal of Business. President and CEO Michael A. Senske says the company has experienced that sustained level of growth every year for the last eight years.

Pearson expects to hire up to four new control engineers at its packaging equipment plant in Spokane. Meanwhile, as many as six mechanical engineers could be hired at a facility it operates in Vernon, Ill., near Chicago, he says. Pearson now has an employee roster of 200 workers, up from 134 at the beginning of 2011. Roughly 150 employees are based at Pearson’s 110,000-square-foot manufacturing and assembly operations facility on the West Plains. The company employed approximately 100 workers at its Spokane operation in 2011.

Read the Journal of Business article or visit www.pearsonpkg.com.