Idaho Falls-based business receives DOE Small Business of the Year Award

The Marcom team, CEO Marcella Medor second from left.

MarCom, LLC, a small business headquartered in Idaho Falls, has won the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Small Business of the Year Award for Fiscal Year 2019.

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) nominated MarCom for this award, in large part due to their  support of INL’s recent award-winning project, the Remote-Handled Low-Level Waste (RHLLW) Disposal Facility. This facility enables safe disposal of low-level radioactive waste.

MarCom delivered technical and software development support for RHLLW, allowing productivity and efficiency gains to support the start of operations and the recovery from a six-month construction delay due to inclement weather and equipment failures. With the support of the MarCom team, the facility was completed for $4.7 million less than the baseline cost estimate and six months ahead of schedule, despite the earlier delays.

“The software MarCom built and all the work they did for RHLLW was fantastic,” said Sadie Butler, an INL project manager on the RHLLW team. “They are a great resource, and we are lucky to have them supporting us here at the lab.”

RHLLW is just one of many projects where MarCom has supported INL and other DOE labs. Founded in 2003 by Marcella Medor, MarCom is a Small Business Administration-certified, Native American-owned and woman-owned business with offices in Idaho Falls, Butte, Montana, and Fort Collins, Colorado. They supply management, administrative, engineering, nuclear operations and health-and-safety services to DOE sites around the nation, with 90% of their work coming from INL.

“Being a successful small business is all about your people,” Medor said. “The people that work with you make the difference between a business that can flourish and one that stays stagnant. Here at MarCom, we have some truly excellent staff.”

“MarCom definitely deserves this award,” said Stacey Francis, INL’s Small Business Program manager. “They have always been able to provide unique services to the lab, with their critical staff augmentation support and strong quality assurance background.”

CAES unveils new fellowship, names inaugural fellow

Veronika Vashnik

The Center for Advanced Energy Studies has announced its first Idaho Science and Technology Policy/CAES fellow. The fellowship is one of two offered through the newly launched Idaho Science and Technology Policy Fellowship program, a collaborative effort among three CAES entities: University of Idaho, Boise State University and Idaho State University.

Idaho Science and Technology Policy fellows spend a year embedded in an Idaho state government agency, developing and implementing solutions that address challenges in areas such as energy, cybersecurity, water, public health, and economic development. The program is modeled on the national American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science & Technology Policy Fellowship Program, initiated to bring scientists and engineers into a policy context where their technical knowledge and networks can inform people in government, a CAES news release said.

Sarah Hendricks

UI’s McClure Center for Public Policy Research leads the program. Nearly $300,000 was raised to launch the 2020 Idaho Science and Technology Policy Fellowship cohort.

The 2020 Idaho Science and Technology Policy fellows are:

Veronika Vazhnik, Ph.D., was selected as the inaugural ISTP/CAES Fellow.  She recently completed her doctorate in BioRenewable Systems with a minor in Operations Research at Penn State University. At INL, she has been leading Sustainability engagement programs for employees and the community. In energy research, her interests are in energy system sustainability assessment, and the technology and policy for a bio-based economy. A native of Belarus, she completed her bachelor's degree from the University of Freiburg, Germany, focusing on Earth and Environmental Sciences, with an exchange year in Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. She will begin her fellowship in August.

Sarah Hendricks, Ph.D., has been named an ISTP Fellow. She earned her doctorate in bioinformatics and computation biology at the University of Idaho, her master's in ecology and systematic biology at San Francisco State University, and her bachelor's in biological sciences and women’s and gender studies at DePaul University. In 2019, she participated in a San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research program analyzing white rhino genomes in an effort to keep the species from going extinct. Hendricks developed an interest in species conservation as an undergraduate at DePaul University while working on butterfly genetics. This interest continued and eventually lead her to work on the Channel Islands off the coast of California where she learned about the gray foxes of these islands.Presently, she is a postdoctoral bioinformatics researcher at the University of Idaho.

Your Local Milkman | Alan Reed, Reed's Dairy

Alan Reed

The Reed's Dairy legacy started with farming and worked its way to adding the dairy through three generations. Alan Reed's uncle added milk cows to their operation and sold milk to the public in the 1950s. In 1962, they added their own processing equipment and started packaging it themselves. They also had a home delivery service at that time. “We packaged our milk and delivered it to the door,” he said.

Reed's Dairy has always been in milk delivery. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many dairys were having to dump their milk. Reed's Dairy didn't experience the same impact, and that was primarily due to their home delivery service. Already having that infrastructure in place, they were able to increase their home delivery customers. “We were gathering new customers quickly. We have great people and they stepped up to meet the need and put in a lot of hours,” he said. They have maintained about two-thirds of the customers who signed up for home delivery during the start of the pandemic.

In the beginning, Reed didn't see himself as being a milkman. “I was raised on the farming side and I didn't really do much with the cows,” he said. He had attended Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) and studied accounting. His father asked him to help his uncle with the dairy side and be involved in running the business. When spring came and he wanted to go back to farming, his father asked him to stay and help in the dairy. “When the brothers divided their operation up, I stayed on the dairy side,” he said.



Eventually taking over operations and positioning himself as the fourth generation of the legacy, Reed felt like it made sense to expand and use their cream to make ice cream. The famous ice cream is Reed's Dairy's own special recipe, and he even attended special training to learn how to make ice cream to perfect the Reed's formula. “That's been a lifesaver for Reed's Dairy -- to have that ice cream business -- because it has become really popular,” he said.

Another favorite product that people come miles for is Reed's Dairy chocolate milk. “We have a lot of out-of-state license plates in our parking lot during the summer, and I see them packing out multiple bottles of chocolate milk and putting it in their cooler,” he said. Reed's Dairy has multiple specialty milk flavors that are produced and sold at various times during the year.

Around 1986, Reed added cheese to their line of products. That included cheese curds. Again, he went back for special training. “Most of our cheese is sold as fresh cheese curds,” he said. “It's very popular.” Wanting to improve his cheese sales he also added grilled cheese sandwiches, to complement the ice cream that was sold to customers at their stores.

Reed's Dairy has continued to grow. They opened a store in Ammon around 6 1/2 years ago, and are also in Boise, with two store locations and robust home delivery. Alan's son Sam has joined the business, and has been the catalyst for opening the stores in Boise.

Family is very important to Reed and he feels a deep responsibility to honor the name. “I've grown up with a really deep commitment to family,” he said.


Reed prides himself on the quality of Reed's Dairy products. “I would rather make the best than just make something,” he said. He feels his business is successful due to integrity built over the years. “Your brand is your promise to your customer. If you break that promise you have no brand. Understand your brand and fulfill it every day,” he said.

When feelings of doubt enter his mind, his approach is to plow forward -- with caution. “I let it evolve, if it naturally comes around and everything falls into place, we move ahead. If it easily comes together it's probably going to be OK,” he said. He said his biggest risk was expanding to Boise, because it was hard to be so far away and he believes in a very hands-on approach. But risks are worth taking if you know you have a strong team.

Information

For more information on Reed's Dairy or to set up home delivery, visit their site at https://reedsdairy.com/. You can also find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ReedsDairy/.

Commercial real estate transactions | Idaho Falls, Ammon

TOK Commercial reports the following real estate transactions in Idaho Falls and Ammon for the last two weeks of June 2020:

• Craig Counseling leased 125 square feet of office space located at 1070 Riverwalk Drive in Idaho Falls. Dustin Mortimer of TOK Commercial facilitated the transaction.
• Summit Spine and Sport Chiropractic, PLLC leased 2,737 square feet of office space located at 1515 Ashment Avenue in Idaho Falls. Dustin Mortimer of TOK Commercial facilitated the transaction.
• Firehouse Subs leased 1,900 square feet of retail space in Sandcreek Commons, located at 3417 S. 25th E. in Ammon. Brent Wilson and Brian Wilson of TOK Commercial facilitated the transaction.
• Gaches Family Flooring leased 2,100 square feet of retail space located at 1352 Lincoln Rd. in Idaho Falls.  Dustin Mortimer of TOK Commercial represented the landlord. Darren Puetz of High Desert Commercial represented the tenant.
• Colling Pest Solutions, LLC leased 6,555 square feet of retail space at 1615 N. Woodruff Ave. in Idaho Falls. Dustin Mortimer of TOK Commercial represented the landlord. Darren Puetz of SVN High Desert Commercial represented the tenant.
• Thomsen Holman Wheiler, PLLC leased 3,527 square feet of office space in Taylor Crossing, located at 1000 Riverwalk Drive in Idaho Falls. Brent Wilson and Brian Wilson of TOK Commercial facilitated the transaction.

INL announces NRIC-focused webinar in Industry Engagement series

Idaho National Laboratory’s Small Business Program kicked off the “INL Industry Engagement” webinar series with a discussion on broader economic partnership opportunities with various INL programs. For the next session, the program will continue focusing on partnership opportunities, highlighting the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) led by the laboratory.

Authorized by the Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act, NRIC was established in August 2019 to provide resources to test, demonstrate and assess the performance of new nuclear technologies – essential steps that must be completed before new advanced fission systems are available commercially. Among NRIC’s goals is to accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear energy technology.

The webinar, which will take place July 8 from 9 to 10 a.m. MDT (11 a.m. to noon EDT), will feature a presentation from NRIC Director Dr. Ashley Finan, who will discuss her vision for the program.

Register Here

Anyone interested in learning more about NRIC and partnerships related to INL’s unique nuclear research capabilities is invited to join. There will be a live Q&A session with Finan at the end of her presentation for those able to attend the live event. For those who are unable to attend live, there will be a recording available.

Click here to see a schedule of upcoming events. Click below to watch a recording of the first webinar.

'I took messy action' | Amy Wood, Radiant and Rooted and Amy Lorraine Coaching

Amy Wood

Starting a women's empowerment retreat wasn't something that Amy Wood thought would be in her life, especially one surrounding meditation and connecting with one's higher self. Amy herself was struggling with being a wife and mom and saw the insecurities she had herself in others. “I needed a tribe, I needed something outside of what I was doing in the home. My soul felt like there was more. I was being called to it,” she said. She gathered her friends and planted the seed of the idea and it grew from there.

“I took messy action,” Amy said.

It was immediately successful with women, and the first retreat was sold out within 24 hours. “I think they were craving connection. A weekend with other like-minded individuals to connect, to feel loved, to be seen, to learn more about their purpose,” Amy said. It was a surprise to Amy and her friends that it was as successful as it was. She admits that the events have evolved since the first retreat and they keep getting bigger and better.

Amy doesn't have any special schooling around thought work, but she did (and continues to do) a lot of self-learning. She and her friends invested in their own education and then they were able to teach it themselves. She feels that her soul was called to do this work.

“When they leave, it's up to them to continue to do the work to change their lives. The women who come are hungry and want to put in the work. They are incredible and they make the (retreats) incredible,” Amy said.



Most of the attendees are there because of word of mouth from prior guests. Each retreat is different and varies from weekend events to weeklong retreats. They also have events that are held for an evening, giving an abbreviated version of the longer retreats.

“I thought I had things figured out when I started, and what I learned is that I'm on the journey too,” Amy said about herself. It's a lifelong journey, and she said she now understands how perfection will never be reached, which she teaches to her attendees. “I've learned that I need the healing, too. I can give myself some grace and compassion where I fall short. It was a piece of humble pie to take the journey along with them,” she said.

After retreats her attendees would ask her what was next. With that, she decided to do 1-on-1 individual coaching and group coaching. This also led to her husband, Steven, joining her to add the element of business coaching for some clients. She said during the COVID-19 crisis she has had more people reaching out for help and guidance.

Although the pandemic has caused one event to be canceled and another rescheduled, the business continues. This summer they will be having a co-ed retreat on the Salmon River. “We actually hope to get some more international retreats,” Amy said of her plans for the future.

Being an entrepreneur was something that Amy feels has been in her blood. She comes from a family of entrepreneurs and she felt the concept of working for someone else was foreign. This has helped set up her mindset for self-employment. Her optimism helped move her husband to self-employment. Be sure to listen to the show to hear her story of Nutella and graham crackers.

Amy's advice to those considering self-employment is, “If you have any pull or any idea, do it. Take the messy action and take the risk. You can have any life you want -- you just have to do the work that comes with it. You're never going to feel ready, you're never going to feel qualified.”

Amy has created a course called A Guide to Intuitive Living, A Soul-Centered Life, and will be launching it in July. This will include pods of group coaching that she will personally take through the course. Follow her on Instagram for more information on how to enroll.

Information

For more information on retreats, events, and more go to https://www.radiantandrooted.com/ or at https://www.instagram.com/radiant.rooted/.
Follow Amy on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/amylorraine23/.

INL researcher selected for DOE Early Career Research Program

Dr. Paul Humrickhouse

An Idaho National Laboratory scientist engaged in nuclear fusion research has been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Early Career Research Program.

Dr. Paul Humrickhouse, INL’s Fusion Safety Program lead, is one of 76 scientists from around the nation – 50 from universities and 26 from national laboratories – to be selected. Under the program, run by the DOE Office of Science and now in its 11th year, researchers at DOE national laboratories receive grants of at least $500,000 per year. The grants extend over five years and are intended to provide support to exceptional researchers during their crucial early career years, when many do their most formative and groundbreaking work.

“We are immensely proud to see Dr. Humrickhouse achieve this distinction,” said Dr. Marianne Walck, INL’s chief research officer and deputy laboratory director for Science & Technology. “This is a fine reflection of INL’s reputation in the world of peer-reviewed research. It points not only to significant accomplishments already achieved, but discoveries that have the potential to change the world.”

Humrickhouse received his doctorate in nuclear engineering and engineering physics from the University of Wisconsin in 2009. He came to INL as a postdoctoral researcher that year, then joined the staff. His research has involved computational modeling and analysis of fission and fusion systems.

In any fusion reactor, plasma is surrounded by a blanket filled with lithium compounds whose purpose is to produce tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, for reuse as fuel. Computational modeling helps researchers predict fluid flow and heat transfer in the high-radiation environment. Using the Multiphysics Object-Oriented Simulation Environment (MOOSE) – an open source simulation platform developed at INL – Humrickhouse intends to focus on the influence of high magnetic fields and material structure on tritium transport by coupling to other physics models and simulation tools. This should lead to safety evaluations necessary for the realization of fusion energy.

To be eligible for the DOE award, a researcher must be an untenured, tenure-track assistant or associate professor at a U.S. academic institution or a full-time employee at a DOE national laboratory, who received a Ph.D. within the past 10 years. Research topics are required to fall within one of the DOE Office of Science's six major program offices:

• Advanced Scientific Computing Research
• Basic Energy Sciences
• Biological and Environmental Research
• Fusion Energy Sciences
• High Energy Physics
• Nuclear Physics

Awardees are selected based on peer review by outside scientific experts. The details for each project award are subject to final grant and contract negotiations between DOE and the awardees. A full list of winners is available here: https://science.osti.gov/early-career.