Novayx partner appointed to head Idaho Department of Commerce

I'm going to be meeting with Jeff this morning, so there will be more. In the meantime, here is the story that broke on the wire:

Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter announced the appointment today of Jeff Sayer – an eastern Idaho businessman with extensive experience in private-sector financing, strategy and leadership – as the new director of the Idaho Department of Commerce.

Sayer will begin work Monday, October 3rd. He succeeds Don Dietrich, who resigned in August. David Fulkerson, deputy administrator and State financial officer at the Division of Financial Management, is serving as interim director.

“I am eager to reach out to every corner of our state and tap into the great ideas and incredible talent we have here. I’m passionate about the possibilities and excited to be part of a team that can help Idaho continue toward that great potential,” Sayer said.

“Jeff’s diverse, bottom-line experience in private business and his commitment to Idaho make him a great choice to join my team. He brings an extraordinary skill set to this position that’s so crucial to helping businesses create career opportunities for Idaho citizens,” Otter said. “Jeff has invaluable experience in applying responsible business principles to achieving strategic goals. He understands what employers need to succeed – because he’s been one – and he will take the reins at Commerce surrounded by like-minded colleagues throughout my Cabinet as devoted as he is to Idaho’s success and prosperity.”

Sayer has 20 years of experience in building, leading and growing companies. He most recently has been managing partner of Novayx Group, a business consultancy, and previously was president and chief financial officer for Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls. He started out as an entrepreneurial specialist with Ernst & Young in the Silicon Valley, and then was engaged in various Utah-based technology, construction, and financial services companies before settling in Idaho Falls. Sayer also served on the Governor’s Select Committee on Health Care and various boards of directors, including the Idaho Falls Auditorium District, Hospice of Eastern Idaho, and the Idaho Governor’s Cup.

J. Robb Brady, 1919-2011

Hearing about the death of a former employer, how many Americans would feel like they lost a friend? Not many, I would suppose, but J. Robb Brady was different.

Robb, publisher of the Post Register from 1977 to 1988, died Sunday at age 92. No one would say he went before his time. His rest is won, but he will be missed.

Any one of us can be good, but Robb simply was good -- although his humility would prevent him from acknowledging a statement such as this.

I came to work for the Post Register in 1981 as the paper's central Idaho staff writer based in Challis. Robb, a leading voice on environmental issues in Idaho, was concerned about the Thompson Creek molybdenum mine that was being dug between Clayton and Stanley, near his beloved White Clouds. He wanted a reporter there to keep tabs on whether the company was keeping its commitments. Robb didn't just put his money where his mouth was. He put it where his heart was.

Two years ago, while I was still working for the Post Register, I was asked to write a story about him turning 90. He didn't see the point of it, and the assignment eventually lost its shelf life. We had set up an appointment, but he had other things to do: tennis, inline skating, meeting with old friends. Most importantly, he was taking care of his wife, Rose, who was ailing.

Rose died in January this year, and frankly I didn't see Robb holding on for too long after that. They had been married 69 years. While I mourn his passing, I rejoice to think he is reunited with her -- and probably fixing a White Russian for her as I write this.

I can't imagine Robb resting in peace. He was much too active a person for that. So let's imagine the Kingdom of Heaven as he reflected it -- green hills, sunshine at Grand Targhee, good company and unlimited kindness -- and conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of his memory until we rejoin him in the fullness of time.

Caterers open restaurant downtown

The name remains 3's Co. Catering, but Christine Simon, Deana Brower and Sarah Lange have opened a location in downtown Idaho Falls, 368 A Street, next door to Great Harvest Bread Co.
"We needed more space," Simon said. "We were having to turn away jobs."

3's Co. has been catering events for ARTI and the Idaho Falls Arts Council, so the downtown location makes extra sense. They also do weddings and special events. On Oct. 12, they will be doing a food and beer pairing in collaboration with Deschutes Brewery.

Since opening Sept. 13, their cafe is open for lunch Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Starting Nov. 1, they will be open they will be open for bunch the first Sunday of every month. It will be served family style, one menu, one price.

The menu will be changing every few weeks. They plan to focus on seasonal foods made with local produce whenever possible, Brower said.

Does what they make have a name? "You can call it 'clean comfort food' or "slow food,'" Simon said. "Everything we make is fresh and made from scratch."

The downtown phone number is (208) 522-1510. The Web address is http://www.3scompanycatering.net/ and the e-mail is 3scompanycatering@gmail.com

It depends on what your definition of 'person' is

I don't usually see this as a place to comment on politics, but if a candidate makes a statement that pertains to business and I know a thing or two that might shed light, I don't mind tiptoeing into the minefield. We all need a little excitement now and then.

Mitt Romney's recent comment, "Corporations are people, my friend," left some people scratching their heads. Was he talking about people who work for corporations, or folks who sit on their boards? CEOs are people, too, dang it! Very rich people, but people nonetheless.

But on the way home from work recently I heard an item on the radio explaining "corporate personhood," both the issue and its history in this country. Was this Romney's allusion?

OK, history time. Though hardly sexy, the concept of corporations as persons with actual rights under the U.S. Constitution is a hotly debated issue, especially when it comes to issues like campaign finance and free speech.

Back in 1819, when the saber tooth tiger was still roaming Idaho (I'm kidding!), the U.S. Supreme Court decided in Dartmouth College v. Woodward that corporations were entitled to have contracts honored as if they had been entered into by natural persons. This set the legal train in motion, and the big watershed came in 1886, in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad. That decision recognized corporations as persons with constitutional rights under the 14th Amendment.

The decision was unanimous and uncontroversial at the time, but its ramifications were huge. Justice William O. Douglas wrote in 1949, "the Santa Clara case becomes one of the most momentous of all our decisions. [...] Corporations were now armed with constitutional prerogatives."

So there you have it, for what it's worth. It's Sunday afternoon, and time for rumination. We'll get back to new restaurants and businesses this week.

Like me. Follow me. What gives?

What is it that makes social media feel so desperate sometimes? I mean, I feel sort of silly asking people to become my "followers," even though that's what it takes to give this blog the veneer of legitimacy. Likewise on Facebook, I'm imploring hundreds to "Like" me.

When I think about my old Shoptalk column in the paper, I appreciate now the luxury of landing on 20,000 doorsteps every Monday. I didn't have to ask you to let me into your homes. Moreover, you were paying to have it with your Wheaties. All that is changed now.

I'm happy to report that BizMojo Idaho is on Facebook now, thanks in great part to Jared at Novayx. Without him I'd still be rooting around like a blind hog under an oak tree. Now anything I post here will appear on a corresponding FB page, and anyone who has liked my page will automatically see it. Pretty slick.

Checking the stats Saturday morning, I see we've been viewed 277 times (not counting myself) since Sept. 11, when we "went live." BizMojo Idaho now has 20 followers, whom I feel obligated to not disappoint.

Anyway, please, please, pretty please Like us on Facebook. There will be lots of good things to read this week.

Areva denies Bloomberg report that I.F. plant construction may be frozen

This link goes to my old Post Register colleague Rocky Barker's blog for the Idaho Statesman. I imagine the subject is of local interest:

http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2011/09/13/rockybarker/report_suggests_areva_may_freeze_idaho_uranium_plant_investment

Here's another link on this, from Dan Yurman's blog, Idaho Samizdat: Nuke Notes, which covers political and economic news about nuclear energy and nonproliferation issues:

http://djysrv.blogspot.com/2011/09/questions-about-arevas-committment-to.html 

Chick-fil-A plans Dec. 8 opening for Hitt Road location

Compared to a few years ago, the proliferation of restaurants around here has slowed to a crawl. Nevertheless, I was curious (as I am sure you were) to find out when Chick-fil-A will be opening at the old Fazoli's location, 3003 S. 25th East (Hitt Road).

The company's Web site (www.chick-fil-a.com) reported Nov. 17, the same day it will be opening locations in Baton Rogue, La.; Fort Worth, Texas; Fullerton, Calif.; and Aurora, Colo., but we have since learned from the franchisee that they are shooting for Dec. 8.
Chick-fil-A dates back to 1946, when S. Truett Cathy started a restaurant called Dwarf Grill (later Dwarf House) in Hapeville, Ga. His brainstorm for the chicken sandwich came from the idea of creating a quick way to serve food to workers at a nearby Ford plant (now demolished). He discovered that pressure cooking the chicken in peanut oil allowed for a fast serving time. The sandwich came with two pickles because that was the only condiment he had in the pantry when he created the sandwich.

Cathy (still the company's chairman) started Chick-fil-A in 1967. For years it was found mainly in shopping mall food courts, but since 1986 it has focused more on free standing and drive-through locations.

In 2010 it reported $3.5 billion in sales. As of September this year it had 1,583 locations in 39 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The Idaho Falls location will be its second in Idaho (the first is in Boise).