INL's Dawn Scates named one of Idaho's Women of the Year

Dawn Scates

Dawn Scates, a distinguished scientist at Idaho National Laboratory, has been named one of the Idaho Business Review's 2020 Women of the Year. The 50 honorees were evaluated on criteria including leadership experience, professional accomplishments, mentorship and community service. They will be recognized at a March 11 gala, where an overall Woman of the Year will also be announced by the judges.

Scates joined INL in 1999 upon completion of her master’s degree in physics from Idaho State University, distinguishing herself with her work ethic and developing one-of-a-kind gamma spectroscopy systems to evaluate nuclear fission products and support the development of sustainable domestic energy sources. Refusing to be limited to one area of research, however, she has expanded her responsibilities by taking on a leadership role and is currently the manager of four Nuclear Science and Technology labs at INL.

Well known for her willingness to mentor junior staff, Scates is committed to helping her team members develop into sought-after researchers. “I love helping individuals become the best they can be,” she said. Scates emphatically believes in the power of strong mentors and credits her own childhood influences with starting her on the path to a career in the sciences.

In addition to facilitating the professional development of her employees, Scates also participates in STEM outreach activities within the Idaho Falls community. She enjoys performing demonstrations at local schools to awaken a desire in children to understand scientific principles. “Once I even brought a horse to a sixth-grade class to discuss laws of physics. That was a very popular visit,” she recalled. “I think it’s important to realize that science is all around us every day. I love seeing young people’s faces light up when they learn and understand a complex process and then in their own words are able to relate it to real-life circumstances. To me this is success.”

A mother of two teenage daughters, Scates is guided by an unwavering belief that leadership comes through our actions rather than just words. “You have to lead by example,” she said. “People mirror what you do, and I want to help develop the rising generation.”

Learn more about past INL Women of the Year winners here and here.

Owning Her Future | Christine Garner, Teton Smart Security

As Christine Garner was growing up, planning for her future was not on her mind. The child of Vietnam War refugees whose mother adopted end-of-the-world beliefs, Christine never believed that a college education or a business would be her reality. Overcoming obstacles early in life set her up to overcome the challenges that business would bring.

Christine Garner

Teton Smart Security is a commercial security company started in 2011. Christine admitted that she didn't have the entrepreneurial spirit, and starting their own business was a scary prospect. She talked her husband, Sean, who had security experience, into going back to school to get an electrical engineering degree. She was working at the time and they started having a family. Christine said this is when things changed for them. “I wanted to be home with my little boy,” she said, and so she told Sean she'd support him if he really wanted to start the business. Sean dropped out of school and started the business.

“Sean was so great at the technical, and I jumped in doing sales, and what we found was that we had no business experience. It's a whole other world. The business took a life of its own. It was terrifying because we didn't have the knowledge,” she said. “We went to the school of hard knocks.” Three years into the business their accountant advised them that they had two options. Either they close the business and get jobs, or figure out how to make the business work.

“I thought, there's no way our marriage would survive our business failure, but I didn't know what to do.” This is when they turned to the Small Business Development Center and were paired with David Noack, who changed their business and their personal life. “It took a lot of work,” she said, but after working with SBDC they were able to turn their business around and now it's thriving.

Her own journey inspired her to create a business called Envision Your Purpose. It is a purpose-driven vision board workshop. Christine guides attendees to discover who they are, where they are in their life, to identify their purpose in their life, to identify their goals and align that with their purpose.

“I used to be a skeptic. Just because you see something doesn't mean it's going to happen unless you work for it,” she said. “It's an empowerment tool that you use to visualize how to get closer to your goals.” This tool worked in their own business and they met revenue goals they never thought they could achieve by using it.

Christine's childhood helped shape her to overcome challenges. When she was 8 years old her mother moved them to Idaho because she believed that the West Coast was going to be destroyed by an earthquake. Christine's life became about survival and she lived in fear. When she was preparing to graduate from high school she convinced her mother to complete the FAFSA application for college tuition assistance. She says this is what changed her perspective. “I said, 'I can't live this life, I have got to plan for my future as if I'm going to live. I'm going to live the best life that I can, come what may,'” she said.

Christine and Sean have inspired their son to carry on the entrepreneurial spirit. He requested a snack shack for his sixth birthday and started Jojo's Snack Shack, where elementary kids come and pick their faviorite treats. “He loves it, and it's so fun.”

Her advice to other business owners is to read eMyth and Start With Why. Really understand your purpose for wanting a business. “Become educated, become more so you can be a great asset to your business,” she advised. “I would encourage anyone out there who has a purpose in them that they want to share with the world that they become clear and decide how to share it. Get clear.”

Information

For more information about Teton Smart Security check out their website at https://tetonsmartsecurity.com/.
For more information about Christine's Envision Your Purpose workshops visit her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Envision-Your-Purpose-111576267098924/

Emotional Decluttering | Shelly Shumway, Life Empowered

Shelly Shumway

“I want [my customers] to have hope, to be able to get rid of the things that aren't them, so that they can shine through in their God-given gifts and talents and know whey they are here.” Shelly Shumway says of her work.

Teaching mindset and connecting the body and mind are the core of her process. “The body is designed to heal itself emotionally and physically,” she explains, and she feels that you have to work on both to really heal.

Family comes first, and Shelly is able to most of her work at home while being a mom to her five children. Because of technology, Shelly is able to use video conferencing to hold group coaching sessions as well as visit with her one-to-one clients. Shelly also teaches at conferences and retreats from time to time. Her dream is to be on a big stage and really impact multiple lives at a time.

Shelly's journey started about a decade ago with her own battle against anxiety and depression while trying to be the best mom and wife for her family. “I thought, why am I not okay? Why am I not okay being a mom and taking care of my kids at home?” she said. She read books and hosted a book club, and about five years ago she attended a seminar where she had a vision of her future being on stage teaching others. At that time she just knew she had to create a career around her passion.

She says her success is because she is willing to learn and then share what she has learned. She believes she's a shortcut to that education for her clients. She is a conduit of the information and then she teaches it to those who are open to learn. That, combined with an innate gift of listening and really hearing, has provided her clients with just word of mouth and no marketing. Her demographic has become women entrepreneurs who are interested in growing themselves personally. “I love them, because that's where I am,” she says. The people she serves are a lot like her. “They are influencers, and I see what's holding them back,” she says.

This journey has not come without challenges and one of those was overcoming her own self-doubt and fear. She also had to push through the limiting beliefs of her extended family, who could not understand why she would want to work and felt there would be a negative impact on her children. She explained that she had to work through the “mommy guilt” and other judgments that she was feeling in order to go forward. “It wasn't them changing at all, it was all me. I was able to give myself the permission, and it didn't matter what anyone else said,” she said.

One of the bold moves she made to calm her own fears was to join a beauty pageant. “Pageants were never on my radar at all. I didn't think it was a reality for me. I grew up shy and socially backwards,” she said. After listening to the advice of a friend who told her that the pageant would be a great way for her to grow, she decided to give in and applied. She used emotional tools and other methods of her own to prepare for the pageant and that whole process actually helped her create one of her current courses. She didn't place in the pageant but understood why she had to take the journey. “It was a tool for other people to have hope,” she said.

Shelly's advice to anyone looking to go into business for themselves: “When you first have a dream, keep it to yourself for a little while and let it germinate in the soil a little bit. Take care of it, don't necessarily tell your family about it yet, even if you have a great relationship with them. Well-meaning family sometimes squash our dreams and they don't even know they are doing it.”

Shelly also believes in finding a mentor and following their direction. She also has embraced her children into her business, even including her 3-year-old in her coaching calls.

Her clients have respected the fact that Shelly is a better coach not having to worry about interruptions or apologizing for her kids being present. “We don't have to separate, they can be one. Get rid of the judgement,” she says.

Information

To redeem the offer that Shelly has for you, please go to http://bit.ly/TinyOffer.

If you'd like more information on Life Empowered, visit her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/MyLifeEmpowered/. You can joing the  Emotional Decluttering group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/EmotionalDecluttering/

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Two entertainment complexes planned for I.F.'s south end

It looks like it's going to be fun, fun, fun on the south end of Idaho Falls, with Jackson Hole Junction and Snake River Landing breaking ground this year on luxury entertainment complexes.

Dallas-based ShowBiz Cinemas will hold a ceremonial groundbreaking on its new Idaho Falls location at Jackson Hole Junction Thursday, followed by a reception with complimentary refreshments and raffle prize drawings. The event is open to the public and press.

The plan is for the company's Idaho Falls Bowling, Movies and More! entertainment center to feature the following:

• 14 boutique bowling lanes
• a lane-side café with expansive food and drink options
• a cutting-edge modern arcade and redemption center
• multiple party rooms for every occasion
• a full bar with beer, wine and cocktails
• an ultra-modern concessions area
• eight state-of the art movie auditoriums, all with luxury electric recliner seating
• an SDX, Superior Digital Experience, auditorium featuring 4K digital laser projection, immersive Dolby Atmos surround sound and a wall-to-wall, ceiling-to-floor screen measuring four stories tall and 70 feet wide

The company's policies feature advance reserved seating, a free Star Rewards loyalty program, free movie admission for law enforcement officers and firefighters, and a variety of discount options for the value-conscious entertainment seeker, including $5 movie ticket pricing all day each Tuesday, discount bowling days and $1 hot dogs all day, every day.

Thursday's events start at 3 p.m. with a welcome address inside the heated event tent, followed at 3:30 with remarks from ShowBiz Cinemas CEO Kevin Mitchell and Matt Morgan, Jackson Hole Junction managing partner. The reception will be from 4 to 5 p.m.

Jackson Hole Junction is located on the east side of I-15 Exit 116.

As all of this takes place, Ball Ventures and the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies are planning a March groundbreaking on the Megaplex Theatre at Snake River Landing, which they announced in December.

Plans include 38,000 square feet of new construction, 10 screens and 975 all-luxury leather recliners. The cinemas are equipped with state-of-the-art sound and image technology, with the largest screen spanning 80 feet in length. Each cinema will also contain a quiet room to allow new parents and children a refuge to enjoy their film.

With the new “no lines” concept, the lobby turns its focus from waiting in ticket sales lines to creating a luxury lounging environment that offers patrons gourmet food and beverage options. The new lobby experience will incorporate technology, variable seating options, lighting and refined materials to enhance the user experience.

“We are excited to enter the Idaho Falls market,” said Blake Andersen, president of Larry H. Miller Megaplex Theatres. “Our construction team is diligently working on plans to bring a world-class building that will complement our Megaplex commitment to providing our customers with the best movie-viewing experience available.”

The project is projected to be complete in early 2021. For renderings of the site and theatre, visit: https://lhm.canto.com/b/PEOCN.

Idaho Falls ShopKo building being remodeled into indoor storage

The inside of iNdorStor's facility on North Yellowstone

The ShopKo building on East 17th Street is being repurposed. A building permit application was filed Feb. 18 with the Idaho Falls Building Department for an interior remodel of 90,500 square feet. The applicant is Construction Solutions Co. and the owner is listed as Steve Keim.

Keim is a local developer with a long history that includes the Utah Avenue Wal-Mart, the Fairfield Inn & Suites, but the lease for the ShopKo site is to iNdorStor, an indoor climate-controlled storage company already in operation at 1755 North Yellowstone (once the Yellowstone Mall).

According to the company's website, "iNdorStor offers a clean and simple alternative to traditional storage options in East Idaho. The exclusively indoor, climate controlled facility offers a clean and well-maintained environment that is best for protecting and preserving your most valuable possessions and memories. Complementary to the facility, iNdorStor customer's enjoy free onsite use of platform carts and hand carts, state-of-the-art security, and prompt, professional service."

The Business of Swag | Travis Powell, Blue Phoenix Branding

Travis Powell

We all love swag. “Nobody thanks you for a commercial that interrupts their favorite program, nobody thanks you for the billboard that interrupts [the scenery], but with swag they thank you every time, and not only that, they keep it. ... The return on investment blows most of the other marketing mediums out of the water,” says Travis Powell, founder and CEO of Blue Phoenix Branding.

Travis never saw himself being a swag dealer, but his career in sales took him to a print shop and during his time there he was approached to provide lip balm swag for a customer. Although this wasn't a service that the company provided, Travis made it happen. The same customer came back in a few weeks needing a reorder and he saw an opportunity that he was excited about. He grew that portion of the business, but had differing strategies and vision than his employer and they ended up parting ways.

“When I was let go, it was a low point of my life,” Travis said. Despite the traumatic separation, he still had a passion for promotional products and he decided to start his own business. After partnering with Proforma, he was ready to begin Blue Phoenix Branding. It wasn't that easy, however. “I had signed a non-compete a number of years prior.” Despite the common belief that non-compete agreements are difficult to enforce, Travis's experience was very different. Not having the depth of resources to argue the non-compete, he was forced to comply. This prevented him from doing business within a 60-mile radius of any of his former employer's locations. “I decided to stop,” he said.

“For a month I had no income, no revenue, and was spending $275 an hour on legal fees,” Travis said. He knew the largest trade show was coming up in the next couple of months and, knowing that he still wanted to pursue promotional products at some point in the future, he decided to go. While there, it was clear he was being ostracized by the vendors that used to do business with him. He was informed that his previous employer had contacted previous vendors and warned them not to do business with him due to the non-compete. “I recognize they were trying to protect their interest,” he said. “We went with a cloud of gloom hanging over us.”

Knowing that he had to do something, and that the non-compete prevented him from doing business all along the I-15 corridor, even into Utah, the closest place he could do business was Twin Falls, almost 200 miles from home. He hadn't done cold calls in many years and he admitted he was terrified. But when he joined the Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce, he found a family and an open, receptive audience that embraced him quickly.

When asked why he didn't just quit he replied, “I was mad. A chip on the shoulder can get you a long way. I feel like I have a gift for what I do and I wasn't going to leave that.” The non-compete was for a year.

“There's no way we should have survived that. We were house-poor, and I wasn't going to give someone the satisfaction of losing my house. It drove us. Anger is not sustainable to get you from point A to point B, but it might help you with a little burst when times are tough.” Reflecting on that time he says, “I had a choice it could have gone either way and it made me.”

Now, 2 years later, he has no trepidation approaching businesses and knocking on doors. “There are so many opportunities out there, you simply have to move forward and if the door won't open, kick it open,” he said.

He admits he was horribly unambitious as a youth and his drive and ambition took a while to blossom. His family has been patient with him, and several are working in the business. Travis has a lot of respect for his father, who showed great tenacity in his own career in banking and overcame many challenges. His father-in-law works in the business and covers southern Oregon.

For those interested in going into business for themselves Travis advises, “If you play the long game and realize that short-term pain will be severe, if you have faith in yourself, if you have faith in the business model, then you can 100% achieve your goal.”

Blue Phoenix Branding now has graphic design and marketing. (Link: Blue Phoenix, Artcore Visual Studio Announce Merger, BizMojo Idaho, Dec. 18, 2018). They offer print services as well as promotional items. Travis loves the work he's doing and envisions being able to do this for many years to come.

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INL to provide Oklo access to recovered fuel for microreactor demonstration project

A representation of what Oklo Inc.'s Aurora Powerhouse will look like

Idaho National Laboratory announced Wednesday it will provide Oklo Inc. with access to recovered fuel from nuclear waste materials to aid the company in its efforts to develop and demonstrate the Oklo Aurora – a small advanced fission technology that can be used in remote or off-grid locations to generate power.

The California-based company applied for access to the material through a competitive process INL launched earlier this year. Notifications of selection were made to applicants in December 2019. The goal is to accelerate deployment of commercially viable microreactors by providing developers with access to material needed to produce fuel for their reactors.

“We are excited to work with Oklo Inc. and support their needs related to fuel development and microreactor demonstration,” said Dr. John Wagner, associate laboratory director for INL’s Nuclear Science & Technology directorate.  “As the nation’s nuclear energy research laboratory, we are committed to working with private companies and others to develop the technologies that will provide clean energy to the world.”

Jacob DeWitte, Oklo co-founder and chief executive officer, said, “This award paves the way for an important demonstration of the first Oklo Aurora plant, as well as the ability of advanced reactors to convert used nuclear fuel, that would otherwise be treated for disposal, into clean energy.” Last month, Oklo announced it received a site use permit from the U.S. Department of Energy to build and demonstrate the Aurora technology at INL.

Uranium recovered from used fuel is being downblended to produce “high-assay, low-enriched uranium,” i.e., HALEU. HALEU is low-enriched uranium that contains over 5% and less than 20% uranium-235, the fissile isotope in nuclear fuel that produces energy during a fission chain reaction.

All 96 nuclear reactors currently operating in the U.S. use fuel enriched with less than 5% uranium-235.

Several U.S. companies are developing microreactor technologies that would use HALEU and need access to the fuel in order to demonstrate and prove out designs.

“Many of these designs call for fuels with higher levels of uranium-235 so the reactors can operate for years without having to be refueled,” Wagner said. “That is an important attribute since this technology is envisioned to be used in remote areas that can be difficult to access.”

However, there are no commercial facilities in the U.S. now capable of producing HALEU. 
To address this gap, DOE has established a capability at INL to produce HALEU by processing and treating used fuel from the now-decommissioned Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (the used fuel contains high concentrations of uranium-235 and was being treated and processed for disposal). With this supply, INL can produce up to 10 metric tons of HALEU for research, development and demonstration purposes.

DOE retains ownership of HALEU during and after use, and the material will stay on the INL Site. The finalization of access to the HALEU is pending the establishing a cooperative agreement between INL and Oklo on the use of the material for their microreactor demonstration.

“Building and operating advanced reactors is essential to restoring U.S. leadership in nuclear energy,” said Dr. Ashley Finan, director of the National Reactor Innovation Center. Led by INL, NRIC was established in August 2019 to provide access to resources to accelerate the demonstration of advanced nuclear technology concepts. “The NRIC team is committed to empowering innovators to move their projects from concept to reality. We look forward to working with Oklo on the fuel supply for their first unit and congratulate them on achieving this milestone.”

Reactor demonstration sites at the INL Site are available through a DOE site use permit or other facility use arrangements. INL has a well-developed infrastructure and a well-characterized site with existing facilities and a skilled workforce to support new reactor projects.

Wagner said those factors plus being able to supply HALEU enable INL to support Oklo and other entities developing new reactor technologies. He added that INL is continuing discussions with the other applicants to see how the lab can support their efforts.

“We are interested in receiving more proposals from the microreactor development community,” he said. “There is an additional quantity of HALEU available to support reactor demonstrations.