SmartRecruiters Expands to Spokane

SmartRecruiters, Inc., a software provider of recruiting solutions, recently announced the opening of a new office in downtown Spokane. Based in San Francisco, the company’s expansion will support its rapidly growing business. The new location will employ 10 people, increasing from there to support further growth.

Software sales professionals, sales development representatives, renewals professionals, pre-sales engineers and marketing and professional services team members are all part of SmartRecruiters’ plan for the Spokane office. The regional economic impact of this project is $2.4 million.

To learn more, read the Greater Spokane Incorporated article.

Lewis-Clark State College To Expand CTE Programs with New Facility

Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) plans to expand its Career-Technical Education (CTE) programs to the Lewiston Orchards. The new $20 million, 100,000-square-foot facility will bring about new ways that LCSC can collaborate even closer with the Lewiston Independent School District, high schools throughout the region and industry.

The college was awarded $10 Million in Idaho State funds for the project. The new CTE facility will be constructed in close proximity to the recent voter-approved high school in Lewiston.

To learn more, read the LCSC announcement and watch the promotional video.

2nd Watch to Add 100 Jobs in Liberty Lake

2nd Watch Inc., a cloud computing company and provider of Amazon Web Services, expects to hire 100 new employees this year as it continues to experience sharp growth, according to the Spokane Journal of Business. The company was reported to have grown its revenues more than 1,000 percent from 2012 to 2015, a rate that earned it a ranking of 92nd on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 list published in November.

For more details, read the article or visit http://2ndwatch.com.

Lewiston-Clarkson Area Experiences Construction Growth

The Lewiston-Clarkston metropolitan area is experiencing a construction boom. The area saw a 36 percent increase in construction jobs in 2016, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. The area tied Grand Rapids, North Dakota-Minnesota area for highest increase in construction jobs in 2016.

Roughly half of the jobs were the result of large capital improvement projects by Clearwater Paper and Vista Outdoor. The other half were spread over building construction companies and specialty trade contractors. 


To learn more, visit www.lewis-clarkvalley.org or call Valley Vision at (208) 799-9083.

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories Continues to Grow in the Inland Northwest

Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) announced 100 new assembler openings and a starting wage increase to $13.50 per hour during a Community Open House celebrating the fifth anniversary of SEL Lewiston. SEL invents, designs, and builds digital products and systems that protect power grids around the world.

In addition, SEL has purchased a 28,000 sq. ft. building in Spokane Valley, Washington. SEL has leased space at the Spokane Industrial Park since opening its Spokane branch in 2012. In the past four years, the SEL Spokane team has grown from 6 to 60 employees. With an occupancy rate of 115, the new building will provide room for the company to continue to grow its presence in the greater Spokane region.

To learn more, visit https://selinc.com/company/newsroom.

Bennett Lumber Products Recognized as Small Business of the Month for February

Bennett Lumber Products of Princeton, Idaho was named by U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, as the Small Business of the Month for February 2017. Bennett Lumber will be recognized in the Congressional Record of the U.S. Senate. 

As stated by Risch in the press release, “Bennett Lumber epitomizes the entrepreneurial spirit of Idaho. It is not easy to grow and adapt in the ever-changing regulatory climate that impacts small business owners, especially those who deal with natural resources, but these challenges have not kept Bennett Lumber from thriving while at the same time making great efforts to manage land and forests sustainably. I am proud of the work that Bennett Lumber continues to do in Idaho and Washington, and am pleased to distinguish this company as the U.S. Senate Small Business of the Month.”

Led by a longtime lumberman, Mr. Frank Bennett, Bennett Lumber Products, Inc. is a family owned and operated company headquartered in Princeton, Idaho. The company has two highly efficient mills, one in Princeton, Idaho and the other in Clarkston, Washington. Bennett Lumber also owns and sustainably manages approximately 70,000 acres of forest lands throughout the Northwest.

To learn more, read the press release or visit https://blpi.com.

Qualfon Growing in the Inland Northwest

Qualfon, a global provider of contact center, back-office, and business process outsourcing services, is growing in the Inland Northwest, according to an article in the Bonner County Daily Bee. Qualfon's Coeur d'Alene office is hiring 100 people. Between the three sites in the area, the company estimates it will add 300 people within the next few months.

Graham Johnson, Coeur d'Alene site director, said Qualfon is always hiring, but it will be doubling its hiring at the Coeur d'Alene, Hayden and Liberty Lake sites as its facilities allow.