Middle Market companies report widespread need for more skilled workers

Source: Deloitte Development LLC

Here's an interesting story I found on Slate this morning and shared immediately with my friends at Eastern Idaho Technical College (and now I'm sharing it with you):

Want to help the economy? Don't get a four-year degree

The author's case is that American manufacturers are dying for skilled labor. The takeaway quote is from Chris Buch, sales manager for Omega Plastics, a Detroit-based company:

"American students need more encouragement to learn manufacturing skills," he said. "They need encouragement from higher education institutions telling them to look into manufacturing — there’s a home there for just about anybody."

A related link comes from a story July 2012 story in Bloomberg Business News: Companies Say 3 Million Unfilled Positions in Skill Crisis: Jobs.

As we debate the future of education in Idaho, these might serve as the basis for discussion. I would be curious to know how many Middle Market companies -- companies with annual revenues between $10 million and $1 billion -- there are in Idaho and eastern Idaho in particular.

The parapet of D Street: Imposing, medieval

Photo by Melissa Bristol

There's nothing like getting a different view of something. Here's the old pump tower at the D Street Underpass project looking positively medieval from down in the hole that's being dug for the new bridge's footings. Indeed, "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" fans might imagine a French soldier up there, heaping invective on King Arthur ("I don't want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough wiper. I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.") 

The project is expected to be completed in June 2014. Here is a link to information about the project on the city of Idaho Falls' Web site: http://www.idahofallsidaho.gov/city/city-departments/public-works/engineering/construction-projects.html

New Whitewater chef plans sleeker look, casual contemporary menu

Joel Henry, the new chef at Whitewater Grill

Chef Joel Henry says he hopes to have the Whitewater Grill on River Parkway opened back up by the middle of August. When it does, it will have a new menu and a sleeker look.

"We want to modernize it without making it cold," said Henry, 32, who grew up in Traverse City, Mich. It was there that he became executive chef of Poppycock's at age 21. He attended the Johnson and Wales College of Culinary Arts in Providence, R.I., but thinks there is no substitute for working in an actual restaurant kitchen.

"I believe in old-school no-frills cooking," he said. "It's a trade. You can go almost anywhere and get a job."

No-frills doesn't mean no imagination, however. "If you're not creative enough, there's no reason to be doing what you're doing," he said.

The new Whitewater menu will feature what Henry calls Casual Contemporary American food. He also plans to remodel the back of the restaurant into a tapas bar featuring small-plate dishes.

Next spring, the remodel will include the addition of a deck on the roof, where people can truly "eat by the tumbling waters." When that's finished, the restaurant will be able to handle 145 diners. Henry anticipates employing 15 people when everything is at full capacity.

To contact him, e-mail whitewatergrill208@gmail.com.

Apartments for seniors coming to Snake River Landing

Architectural drawings for Bandon River Apartments at Snake River Landing

Northwest Integrity Housing Co. and Thomas Development Co. announced today the development and construction of Bandon River Apartments, a senior apartment community located within Snake River Landing in Idaho Falls. Ground was broken in July, and the first unit is expected to open in the first half of 2014.

Bandon River will offer rental housing for eligible individuals over age 62. It is part of the second phase of residential development within Snake River Landing, following the construction of 34 single-family homes. Snake River Landing plans several other home types and residential options within its 400 acres.

“Building a new apartment community in Snake River Landing is an exciting opportunity for us to expand our eastern Idaho business platform,” said Tom Mannschreck, president of Thomas Development Co. and Northwest Integrity Housing Co.

Thomas Development Co. has developed Rosslare and Summerhill Apartments, as well as the Earl Building and 357 Constitution Plaza in Idaho Falls. “Our company takes great care to select the best locations for our apartment communities. Snake River Landing exceeds our selection criteria,” he said.

For more information about the Bandon River apartments, please call Thomas Development Co. at (208) 343-8877.

UI doctoral candidate honored for research at INL

Joshua Daw

Joshua Daw, a University of Idaho student completing his doctoral thesis work at Idaho National Laboratory’s High Temperature Test Laboratory, recently earned first prize in the Fuel Cycle Research Innovations competition for his paper, “Hot Wire Needle Probe for In-Reactor Thermal Conductivity Measurement” (IEEE Sensors, Aug. 2012).

In November, he will travel to the American Nuclear Society meeting in Washington, D.C., to accept the award, which is given to support innovation and higher education in disciplines related to the nuclear fuel cycle.

Daw's winning work, completed with INL researchers Joy Rempe and Darrell Knudson, addresses the question of how to measure thermal conductivity during irradiation. Thermal conductivity — which measures how materials conduct heat — is considered one of the most important physical characteristics of fuels. In most materials, it is measured by evaluating samples after being irradiated.

The “cook and look” approach, as Rempe calls it, is an invasive and expensive process. Previous methods for taking these measurements during irradiation required several assumptions that limited accuracy. Working at the INL, Daw developed a method to make such measurements with a hot wire needle probe. Data collected this way may lead to better simulation design codes and improvements to the next generation of nuclear reactors.

Daw has a passion for golf and began studying engineering because he wanted to be a golf club designer. It was a DOE-funded UI/INL research opportunity that led him to high-temperature instrumentation instead.

He expects to complete his Ph.D. next May. His post-doctorate plans include golf and more learning. "There are a few more degrees I am interested in, so who knows?” he said.