D.L. Evans names Ammon operations manager

Raegan Moser

Raegan Moser has been promoted to operations supervisor at the newly completed Ammon branch of D.L. Evans Bank, 2634 E. Sunnyside Rd., part of the new Sandcreek Commons shopping center.

John V. Evans Jr., the bank's president and chief executive officer, announced the promotion in a news release. Moser holds a bachelor of business management degree from Idaho State University and comes to the job with 11 years of banking experience.

For more information, call (208) 522-0593.

Opening the Pandora's Box of unemployment insurance

I am not one to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations,  but during the hustle and bustle of my last-minute holiday shopping I have to admit I did. I was roaming the toy aisles at Target, seeking out Santa’s best find, when I overhead two sales associates stocking shelves and sharing their lives. It seemed mundane until one of them loudly said, “Yeah, well my last day is tomorrow. I already had my waiting week, so my benefits start next week.”

As a human resources/benefits professional my interest was piqued and I was eager to hear more. What benefits had she applied for? Short term disability, possibly?

The answer came soon enough, as she exclaimed, “I can’t believe it though! They are only giving me two months of unemployment! Isn’t that RIDICULOUS?”

I was ready to insert myself into the conversation and share all of my business management and HR wisdom with this poor sales associate, who clearly needed some guidance. This was more than likely a person who had been hired for the holiday season, with a temporary position due to end soon. I am sure the layoff was no surprise to her. What was surprising to me was her shock and disgust at only two whole months of unemployment benefits.

My experience in unemployment has come from years of managing and responding to claims from the employer side. As a business owner and former employee I appreciate what unemployment insurance offers to employees who have been laid off or terminated through no fault of their own.

Unemployment was designed to help keep our nation and its communities economically healthy when things go wrong in the workplace, also when businesses are forced to make tough decisions. By law, employers pay to provide this potentially small cushion of financial stability for each and every employee.

It’s safe to say, however, that in a strong economic recovery unemployment isn’t nor should it be the only option for individuals. CNN Money recently reported 2014 was the best year of job growth since 1999 in the United States, with 200,000 jobs being added in all but two months. “American businesses are on a hiring binge,” said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. “It clearly suggests the economy is on a much stronger growth track than the first four years of recovery.”

More and more jobs will continue to sprout up nationally as businesses expand and Baby Boomers exit the job market. In turn,  unemployment levels continue drop year by year. The Idaho Department of Labor recently reported Idaho’s unemployment rate at 3.9 percent, the lowest it has been in seven years.

There are still individuals collecting unemployment, but it doesn’t seem logical in a time of job growth and low unemployment. To be fair, even though the job market is growing wage increases have been slow to follow. While jobs are available, it may not mean that an individual’s skill set, experience and wage preference are a match for those jobs.

I have heard from more than a few people over the years that their unemployment benefits pay them more than jobs they could get hired for – so there is no incentive to get an actual job. Keep in mind that people on unemployment are required to seek and apply for jobs in their local labor market. The Idaho Department of Labor has beefed up its efforts making sure those collecting benefits are fulfilling these requirements. It is garnishing wages and criminally prosecuting those who do not adhere to state unemployment regulations.

As the department continues to streamline operations and efficiencies, I would anticipate a rise in these cases over time.  In turn, this should reassure businesses that seasonal sales associates will collect only what they should and encourage individuals to apply for the thousands of jobs available on the market today.

Monica Bitrick is CEO of Bitrick Consulting Group and a member of the Square One business development network.

TEDxIdaho Falls seeking presenters for Feb. 20 program

Anyone wishing to be a speaker at TEDxIdaho Falls, scheduled for Feb. 20 at the ARTitorium on Broadway, has until Tuesday to apply.

This is the second year for a TED event in the greater Idaho Falls area (last year’s was in Ammon). Organizer Brad Christensen said they hope to build on the success they had last year and offer a program full of new ideas worth sharing.

TED stands for "Technology, Entertainment, Design" and is a non-profit organization that started out with a conference in 1984. Since then its scope has become worldwide. TEDx is about local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience.

Like last year’s event, TEDxIdaho Falls will combine eight live speakers, video and discussion in small groups. Presentations will be given from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., and the event will include a light dinner at 7 p.m. Seating is limited to 100 people, who will be selected through an application process.
The application form, to be a speaker or to attend, can be found through this link. The Web site also features video from last year’s speakers.

“We are selecting speakers and topics that will expose listeners to the wealth of experience and philosophical insight that exists quietly in our relatively small community,” Christensen told the Idaho State Journal earlier this month.  “The topics are generally apolitical and focus purely on ideas — exciting ones that inspire people to action."

Web site names Ammon 'Most boring city in Idaho'

The photo representing Ammon on Wikipedia, which ought to give you an idea of how the community views itself.

Put on your flak jackets because there’s going to be stuff flying over a story that broke today. Ammon has been named the most boring city in Idaho.

This piece of news comes from the Movato Real Estate blog, a Web site based in California aimed at creating “unique, and most importantly, fun real estate related stories.” Yeah, right.

One feature of the site is what they call “Big Deal Lists.” Here’s how they describe what they did with this particular story:

“We started out at one of the least exciting places on the Internet, the U.S. Census. There, we used the 2010 U.S. Census to gather up all of the places in Idaho with populations of 10,000 people or more. Then, we used the Census and various business listings to research each of these 22 places in each of the following categories:

• Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)
• Live music venues per capita
• Active life options per capita (parks, outdoor activities, etc.)
• Arts and Entertainment per capita (movie theaters, festivals, galleries, theaters, etc.)
• Fast Food restaurants per capita (the more the more boring)
• Percentage of restaurants that are not fast food (the lower the more boring)
• Percentage of young residents ages 18 to 34 (the lower the more boring)
• Population density (the lower the better)

We then gave each a score from 1 to 22 in each of the above categories, where the lower scores were the more boring places.

Next, we averaged these rankings into one overall Big Deal Score, where the lowest score went to our winner and most boring place. Yay Ammon!”

For the sake of perspective, Idaho Falls ranked as the third least boring city in the state, which came as kind of a surprise to me. I remember all those Post Register Readers Choice polls in the early '90s, in which respondents listed “Home” as the hottest nightspot.

But a lot has changed since the early ’90s, especially in Ammon. Take a look at the population numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau:

Idaho Falls
1990 44,477
1995 48,651
2000 51,110
2005 51,787
2010 57,054
2013 58,292
Growth: 31 percent

Bonneville County
1990 72,608
1995 79,527
2000 82,867
2005 90,666
2010 104,675
2013 107,517
Growth: 48 percent

Ammon
1990 5,000
1995 5,558
2000 6,529
2005 10,798
2010 13,887
2013 14,460
Growth: 189 percent

With the population almost tripling in 13 years, it’s no wonder Ammon has an identity crisis. Moreover, if you go back to 1980, before the Grand Teton Mall and Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center were built on the southeast side of Idaho Falls, Ammon was basically one of two things: a rural community where life revolved around the schools and the LDS Church and a bedroom community for Idaho Falls.

So let’s take it easy on Ammon. We could say what Gertrude Stein said about Oakland -- "There is no there there" -- but I don't think they've ever had aspirations to be anything other that what they are. Plus, they have Chick-fil-A and Jamba Juice, and are going to be the eastern Idaho home of Hobby Lobby, so there!

The ABCs of Workers Compensation

This may seem esoteric and dry to a lot of readers, but if you are an employer you are well aware the Idaho Workers Compensation system can have a big effect on your bottom line.

Ben Page

I'll put it to you straight. For an employer, workers comp is always going to be better than the alternative — ending up in court battling it out every time an employee is hurt.

Let’s dive into a few things you should know:

1. The Idaho State Insurance Fund is not your only option.
While we’ve placed many of our clients with the Idaho State Insurance Fund because it makes sense for them, more often than not one of the other leading workers comp providers can offer a better deal. Each company has its pros and cons, and none of them are the best for everyone and every type of business. You might be surprised to know that in 2010, of the $345,569,621 dollars spent on workers comp, only about 44.5 percent of that went to the Idaho State Insurance Fund.

2. The state does not control pricing.  
Each company can offer different bottom line rates. Terms like experience mod, standard deviation, premium credits and dividends can make it hard to see what you’re really paying. A qualified agent can simplify all of this and tell what your bottom line cost is so you can accurately compare proposals from different companies.

3. Chances are you unknowingly have paid what they call a deposit.
The Idaho State Fund requires a 25 to 50 percent deposit. If you are insured with the Idaho State Fund you’ve paid a deposit on top of the premiums, even if you’re unaware of this.

4. Not all companies require a deposit.
In weighing the pros and cons of each company, make sure to factor in how big a deal it is to you to have additional money tied up in a deposit.

5. You can get cash back.  
When you switch from a company that required a deposit to one that doesn’t, you free up your deposit. Timing of the switch is important so it isn’t eaten up in early termination fees. I’ve never had anyone complain about getting a check for a few thousand dollars after switching.

6. Easier installment plans.
There are lots of different options provided by different companies. Some of the most popular include those that just bill on your actual payroll and not on estimated payroll. This helps your cash flow and eliminates a lot of the hassle.  Also, you might be able to package this with your other policies to simplify everything, including the billing.

7. Automated payroll reporting saves you time and money.
This has become very popular. It is a system where a program like QuickBooks can essentially automatically report the payroll and eliminate all the hassle. Couple this with EFT payments and you’ve just saved up to eight hours a year in time and eliminated a lot of the costly errors that can come from manually filling out these reports.

8. Online Payroll Reporting.  
Even if you don’t want to automate everything completely, maybe you’d like to get rid of old school papers and fax hassles that can suck up time. How about just reporting your payroll with an easy and quick online system?

9. Loss Prevention Resources.
Your losses can affect your rates. Some companies have incredible loss prevention resources you can use for free. This can include do-it-yourself resources or having professionals help you for free. Still, not all companies provide the same services in this area.  This is definitely something any business looking to reduce claims might want to investigate. Depending on a number of factors, a few insurance carriers offer dividend programs to certain clients that can result in a big check at the end of the year if all goes right for you and the company.

10.  Extras With Some Companies.  
Some companies offer special benefits for targeted industries. This can be something as simple as lower rates, or it can be something outside of rates. For example, there is a very competitive program for medical offices that will pay for the testing of patients in the event of a sharps incident.

Every insurance company has an “appetite” for certain types of businesses in certain types of industries. No one company is the best for everyone.  There are dozens of competitive companies in Idaho, all with their own pros and cons.

Ben Page is a commercial insurance agent with Page Insurance in Idaho Falls and a member of the Square One business development network.