Fall River Electric holding annual meeting Saturday

Fall River Electric Cooperative will be hosting its annual meeting for owner-members this Saturday at North Fremont High School in Ashton.

This is a free event and open to all customers (members). The theme this year is “Your Power + Our Integrity = A Great Cooperative”.

The day starts with a free breakfast at 8 a.m. offering pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns and a choice of beverage. Every member attending will receive a free folding camp chair and carrying bag along with a 20-ounce sport water bottle. Additionally, the first 300 members who visit the energy conservation booth on Saturday will receive two free 60-watt-equivalent LED bulbs with an average life of 25,000 hours.

There will be high-voltage electrical safety demonstrations, conducted by Fall River's linemen, where guests can learn how to avoid the dangers of downed lines and other electrical hazards.

Members will also be able to register for sprizes including: a Husqvarna professional grade chain saw; a Convectair radiant convection electric heater (estimated value: $740); a free home energy audit, which normally sells for $265; a 7-in-1 propane gas smoker with a value of nearly $200; and many more prizes.

Visit the Fall River Propane booth and get a free certificate to fill as many propane cylinders as you want for just $5 each. There’s no need to bring the tanks Saturday, as Fall River Propane will fill cylinders on June 23 and June 25 in Driggs and Ashton.

Fall River Electric's annual business meeting will start at 10:30 a.m. and will include a financial report on the condition of the cooperative, a report on key 2014 activities and future plans, board election results, and an opportunity for members to ask questions during an “open mic” segment.

“Each year we have the opportunity at our annual meeting to give our members an accounting of how we operate their utility, to report on the goals that have been achieved in the past year, and to look ahead at our at exciting future,” said Bryan Case, Fall River’s CEO and general manager. “We hope our members and their families will join us for breakfast and allow us time to get to know them better.”

For anyone interested in the history of the co-op, which started in the 1930s, here is a story from the Teton Valley News that ran in September 2013: Shining light on history of electric service here

Bank of Idaho names new president

Jeff Newgard

The Bank of Idaho board of directors announced this afternoon that Jeff Newgard has been appointed president and CEO effective July 6. He will assume the duties of Park Price, who has served as president and CEO since June 2003. Price will stay on as the Bank of Idaho’s chairman of the board.

Newgard served as president and CEO of Yakima National Bank, Yakima, Wash., from 2005 until the bank was purchased by Seattle-based HomeStreet Bank in October 2013. Until his appointment as president and CEO of Bank of Idaho, he was executive vice president and Eastern Region president of HomeStreet.

He was born in Poulson, Mont., and is married with two children. He received a bachelor of arts degree from Walla Walla College and an MBA from Washington State University. He is also a graduate of the Colorado Graduate School of Banking.

Headquartered in Idaho Falls, Bank of Idaho has served eastern Idaho since 1985. Currently the bank has branch offices in Idaho Falls, Pocatello, St. Anthony, Ashton and Island Park. In addition, the bank has mortgage offices in Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls. The Bank of Idaho Trust Department provides trust and investment services for clients throughout southern Idaho.

Printcraft Press plans new facility in Idaho Falls

Printcraft Press is planning to move to a new, larger building in Idaho Falls, west of Interstate 15 and north of Pancheri Drive, in the area known as Happyville.

The platting and annexation of six acres is on the June 16 agenda of the Idaho Falls Planning and Zoning Commission. If the commission votes to recommend annexation and the City Council approves it at a subsequent meeting, Printcraft owner Travis Waters hopes to build a 35,000-square-foot facility. Digging should start in September or October.

Although there are a few seams of lava rock, Waters said his evacuator has assured him it’s fractured lava and shouldn’t be too hard to extract. The lava rock in the area, and the expense of blasting it for development, has been one reason Happyville has remained unincorporated for as long as it has, although the city put sewer lines in around 1980 to alleviate the problems associated with septic fields.

The new Printcraft building will be about 10,000 square feet larger than where the company has been the past 10 years, in the Sunnyside Business Park. The company’s time there was marked by a dispute with Doyle Beck, the business park’s owner, over wastewater treatment, and Waters said he complained to Bonneville County officials that the water pressure from the hydrants was not adequate for fire protection — something that was proven by fire in March at the Waxie Sanitary Supply warehouse. (Waxie has since opened up a new warehouse at 1359 Commerce Way, off St. Leon Road.)

Regardless of that, Waters said he needed more space. “Our business is bursting at the seams,” he said. Printcraft does more than 80 percent of its business in Utah, much of it with medical and pharmaceutical customers. Waters said he has stayed in Idaho Falls because the costs of land and labor are lower.

“We’ve found a pretty nice little niche that we can service from Idaho Falls,” he said.

Honas honored with Silver Circle award by National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

Karole Honas

The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences honored eastern Idaho’s Karole Honas at its June 6 banquet, inducting her into the 2015 Silver Circle.

Along with the EMMY Awards, the chapter provides the region's professionals with seminars, programs, and networking, also serving communities by offering scholarships.

As a co-anchor on Idaho Falls’ Local News 8 for decades, Honas has become a fixture in homes throughout the region. She is one of eight people to share the Silver Circle honor this year.

Here are the words she wrote for the Academy’s web page:

When I was elected Governor of Girls State my senior year of high school, a reporter asked me what I intended to major in when I got to college. I told her I had no idea, and she decided that didn't sound very mature, so she suggested I say “communications.” The rest is history.

I graduated from the University of Idaho in 1977. I married my college boyfriend, Ken, on July 2 and began working for a new station in eastern Idaho two weeks later. I spent seven years at KPVI Ch 6 in Pocatello. When I started, we were on 16 mm film. The film processor was located in an old barn south of town, so every day at 3 pm we raced to the barn to drop the film off, raced back to the office to write our story and cut the audio on cassettes, back to the barn to pick up the film and back to the office to edit. I still take pride in the fact I could change a film magazine in a black bag while driving the news car.

God blessed us with three boys in the 1980's and I spent that decade learning to be a mother. In 1990 I got a call from my now long-time anchor partner Jay Hildebrandt. He said they were desperate for a fill-in female anchor. His co-anchor went into labor early and had a baby. Would I fill in for a couple months? I did, and never left. Jay and I have shared the anchor set for 25 years at KIFI Local News 8.

Because we are a small market station, our employees are usually graduates just out of school. In the beginning, they were my age, my peers. Then I got a little older and became more of a trainer. Then I got older and became a coach. One day a new rookie came in with her parents to start her first job, and I realized the “parent” was younger than me!

That's when I became a “mom” in the newsroom.

My “kids” have graduated to big markets all over the United States: Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Portland and Seattle. They are such fine journalists, and I take great pride in the fact I may have started them off on the right foot.

5 Manager Mistakes That Can Kill Employee Engagement

I've known a few of the types described here.
5 Manager Mistakes That Can Kill Employee Engagement

Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen celebrates of 'free lunch'

The Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen will celebrate 30 years of with a June 30 open house. 

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”
— Matthew 13:31-32

If you took all the meals the Idaho Falls Soup Kitchen has served in the past 30 years and put them all together, you would have enough food for the entire population of Columbus, Ohio, the 15th largest city in the United States.

Originally known as St. Mark’s Christian Sandwich Kitchen, the idea for the a soup kitchen came into being when two members of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Joanne Galbraith and Lois Greenwood, of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church were driving home from a hunger conference in Boise, discussing what they could do to alleviate hunger in the community. They started in the church basement with a coffee pot and hotplate and a $500 loan from Idaho’s Episcopal Bishop, The Rev. David B. Birney. Church members and friends pitched in to help, and before long the word was out that a person could get a free lunch on South Boulevard.

In the first 18 months, 1,805 meals were served, on weekends. Today, in the Community Outreach Center, next door to where St. Mark’s was, the Soup Kitchen is open every day, serving an average of 4,700 per month.

In all, between June 1985 and May 2015, the official count of total meals served was 826,526.
“One thing we have never done is ask people questions about why they were there,” said Graeme Galbraith, another early volunteer. “There were people who were there out of necessity, and there were some people who made a social occasion of it,”  he said. “It has been a total volunteer effort since the beginning.”

Support from the community has been broad, and sometimes surprising. Galbraith said there was a couple that ate at the Soup Kitchen frequently for a few months (he could not remember their name) then made a generous donation once they were back on their feet.

The average cost of a meal served at the Soup Kitchen is $1. There are trained teams of volunteers for every day of the year, and about 800 people help at the Soup Kitchen each year.

It takes between $60,000 to $65,000 a year to keep the Soup Kitchen in operation.  About 20 percent of the lunches it serves comes from donations of food from individuals, food drives, companies and organizations in the community. About 5 percent is Federal Emergency Management Agency commodities distributed by the Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership. The rest, approximately $45,000, is purchased with the cash contributions from individuals, churches, businesses and service organizations.

The Soup Kitchen facility is provided by the Community Outreach Center at no cost, but it takes money to buy cleaning, equipment, maintenance services, phones and insurance.

“Some of our local businesses have gone above and beyond to help out,” said Kaaren Parsons, who coordinates the ministry for St. Luke’s Episcopal Chuch (St. Mark’s and St. John’s merged to form St. Luke’s in 2001). Parsons wished to extend special recognition to Doug’s Meats, Rush’s Kitchen Supply, Brady’s, Smith’s, Mathew’s Plumbing, Sunrise Cleaning and Mike Beckstead.

Local personality laid low by meningitis, needs help

I

The screenshot from GoFundMe.com.

I want to call your attention to something I saw on Facebook last night about Dusty Johns, aka Dusty Bee, a well known person in the community who has been laid low quite unexpectedly and could use your help.

Dusty has raised thousands of dollars to fight cancer, and even rode a ferris wheel for 12 straight hours to raise money for the domestic violence intervention shelter. He is an outgoing and ebullient character -- or at least he was.

In mid-May, he started leaking spinal fluid from his sinuses and was admitted to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. From there they transported him to University of Utah, where went into the ICU, then had a five-hour operation. Despite the doctors' best efforts, he developed spinal meningitis and is still in the hospital, with no clear answer as to when he will be able to return.

Dusty has two little boys that depend on him. He is the marketing director for Tobin Cleaning and Restoration, and for Comfort Care Dental. I am assuming he has health insurance, but as anyone who has had experience with a serious illness or injury knows, that only does so much. Meeting the deductible and out-of-pocket caps can be a huge financial strain, and then there are all the things that insurance doesn’t even cover.

I’m posting the GoFundMe link here -- Dusty Bee's Medical Fund -- in hopes that you might be able to help. As I’m looking at the page right now the total is $1,315. He's going to need a lot more.

Free movie night tonight at Tautphaus

Movies in the Park starts tonight.

Summer is still a few weeks away, but now that Memorial Day is over we’re starting to see the signs: First, Alive After 5 started on Wednesday. Tonight, Idaho Falls Parks & Recreation is launching its Movies in the Park with Disney’s "Planes – Fire & Rescue" starting at Tautphaus Park at dusk. Bring your camp chairs, blankets, flashlights and snacks.

Bill’s Bike & Run will be giving a free bike away at every movie. They will also run a complimentary bike valet for anyone riding their bikes to the event.

From now until September, Movies in the Park will be held the last Friday of the month at various Idaho Falls parks. Click HERE to see a complete schedule and more information. Movies in the Park is sponsored by Teton Toyota, Bill’s Bike & Run, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, Westmark Credit Union and Riverbend Communications.

Tomorrow morning the 2015 Adventure Ride and Scavenger Hunt will start at 10 at the Snake River Landing pier. Riders will be challenged to ride to eight different locations throughout downtown Idaho Falls, Snake River Landing and along the Greenbelt. The challenge will be to visit all locations within a two-hour time period. At each location, participants will receive a raffle ticket. For those finishing the challenge by noon, the raffle tickets can be entered into a prize drawing for prizes, including three bikes. The event is sponsored by Dave’s Bike Shop, Idaho Mountain Trading, BMPO (Bonneville Metropolitan Planning Organization), Bill’s Bike & Run and Idaho Falls Parks & Recreation.

ULTA Beauty plans grand opening this weekend

ULTA Beauty will open the doors of its new Ammon store Friday morning at 10. In celebration of its grand opening, the first 100 guests on Friday, Saturday and Sunday will receive a “beauty treat” valued $5 to $100 and one free skin or hair service at The Salon, ULTA Beauty’s full-service salon. Beauty experts will be on hand all weekend to offer free makeovers and consultations.

The new 10,344-square foot store location at Ammon Town Center will feature 20,000 beauty products across 500 brands, as well as a full-service salon.

ULTA Beauty is the largest beauty retailer in the United States, with 774 retail stores across 47 states. The company says its aim is to provide one-stop shopping for prestige, mass and salon products and salon services. Online and in retail outlets, the Illinois-based chain sells cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, skincare, bath and body products and salon styling tools.


Its store format includes a 950-square-foot salon area with eight to ten stations. The whole salon has a concierge desk, skin treatment room, and semi-private shampoo and hair color processing areas. ULTA Beauty also has Benefit Brow Bars in select stores nationwide, offering such services as brow arching, brow tinting, facial waxing and eyelash application.


The company was founded in 1990 by Richard E. George, former president of Osco Drug, Inc. The Ammon store is the second in Idaho.

Work starts on 15-unit retail center at Sandcreek Commons

The crew at work Monday on the new strip mall at Sandcreek Commons.

Work started Friday on the footings and foundation of a 15-unit shopping center at Sandcreek Commons, east of the D.L. Evans Bank and north of where Hobby Lobby and Broulim's are being built. For the moment, the project goes by the prosaic name of Retail A. Altogether, it will have 18,639 square feet of retail space, according to the Plans at the city of Ammon Building Department. No announcements have been made about possible tenants, but given the level of interest and activity at the Ball Ventures-Woodbury Corp. it would be extremely surprising if there weren't at least a few tenants before the end of the year.

The plans at the Ammon Building Department office.

Dad's BBQ owners eye June 1 opening

The new owners of what was Bubba’s on First Street are actually the people who have owned the property all along, Sid Fugate and his daughter, Jeni Baker. Remodeling at the moment, they are hoping to have the restaurant open June 1 as Dad’s.

Baker confirmed that they and the owners of Bubba’s, Brian and Casey Miller, couldn’t agree about a lease, which led to the restaurant closing at the end of April. She said the Millers’ wanted a lease reduction that she and her father couldn’t accept. Without going into details, she said there have been other issues, and they could end up in small claims court.

The cleanup since the restaurant closed has been extensive. “There was an inch-and-a-half of grease on the floor outside the kitchen,” she said. “It took us four days to clean up.”

Once open, they are hopeful about getting some of the old clientele back. Tom Murdock will be coming back as cook. They are hiring wait staff now and are around all day to accept resumes and applications.

Here’s some history for those of you who are interested. The log building was originally the Rib Cage. Bubba’s, an institution in Jackson, Wyo., first opened an Idaho Falls restaurant on 17th Street, then moved to First Street in 1998.

Jim “Bubba” Shivler has nothing to do with the Bubba’s in Jackson and hasn’t for years, but will remain a legend if only for running a place where the manager ticked off Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife at the time, Maria Shriver.

In a story that went viral before anyone was using the term "viral," Manager Linda Heibel told the Jackson Hole News the pair showed up at the restaurant on a busy summer evening. Shriver approached Heibel, introduced herself and asked for a table. Heibel, thrilled to meet the two, said she would put their names on the list and call them when their table was ready.

“‘You don’t understand – we don’t stand in line,’” Shriver reportedly said.

“‘You don’t understand,’” Heibel told Shriver. “‘When Bubba’s here, he waits in line. When his folks are here, they wait in line. He would probably fire me if I seated you like that.’” The two left in a huff and had harsh words for Bubba’s at the airport when their vacation ended.

Idaho Falls Bubba's gone; Dad's Barbecue coming

Closed since April, the old Bubba's will be reopening under a new name.

There’s a sign in front of the old Bubba’s on First Street that says Dad’s Barbecue is coming soon. While we run down that information, here's what we've been able to learn about Bubba's.

Brian Miller, who owned the business with his wife, Casey, said they closed the restaurant after the lease expired April 30. They had tried to negotiate a lower payment with the landlord, but couldn’t reach an agreement, he said. The two live in Washington, D.C., and were having someone run the restaurant for them.

Bubba’s had been in the log building at the corner of First Street and Northgate Mile since 1998. It was damaged in a fire in 2002.

Casey Miller is the daughter of Jim “Bubba” Shiver, who opened the original Bubba’s in Jackson, Wyo. In addition to the restaurant there, there is another Bubba’s in Cody, Wyo.

Miller said they wanted a lower lease payment because they had seen diminished traffic on Northgate Mile and a shift toward 17th Street. “It’s sad, but we really didn’t have any choice other than to pull out,” he said.

Idaho Falls Power recognized by Public Power Association

Here's an old photo of Idaho Falls Power's Gem State Dam, built in the mid-1980s. The bond that financed that project are being retired this year. 

Idaho Falls Power has been named a Reliable Public Power Provider by the American Public Power Association, and is one of 54 publicly owned utilities to receive the RP3 Diamond designation.

Kenneth Stone, energy services and accounting manager at Braintree Electric Light Department of Braintree, Mass., and executive committee member of APPA’s RP3 Review Panel, presented the awards May 18 during the association’s annual Engineering and Operations Technical Conference, held in Sacramento, Calif.

The RP3 designation recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. The designation lasts for three years.

Idaho Falls Power was one of the four Bonneville Power Administration customers awarded the diamond designation and the only Utah Association Municipal Power Systems member to receive it.
gnation.

“The RP3 review process is very rigorous,” said Jackie Flowers, Idaho Falls Power’s general manager. “The staff at Idaho Falls Power has put in a lot of hard work to serve our community. RP3 represents a much appreciated recognition of this hard work,” she said.

Former Post Register staffer honored

Rachel Cook

Congratulations to Rachel Cook, a former Post Register staff writer honored for a story she wrote for the Bakersfield Californian.

Cook's July 2014 story, "Dental Dangers," on dental licensing and review in California, won the George F. Gruner Prize for Meritorious Journalism May 12 in Fresno. Cook was health reporter for the Californian at the time. Her story focused on Dr. Robert Tupac, whose license was revoked by the state Dental Board and who killed himself the day after he learned of the decision.

Cook is a graduate of Skyline High School and is now an editor at the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C.

Rumination on drought and my utility bill

While I was paying my utility bill this morning (late as usual), I was amazed once again by how little we pay for water in Idaho Falls: $21 for an unlimited amount.

Given all that we have been hearing about the drought in California and the fines that are being proposed for overwatering lawns there, I did some research and learned that in San Diego, $21 will by you roughly 8.4 hours in the shower, 16.8 hours if you are using a low-flow shower head.

The typical single-family domestic customer has a 3/4-inch meter (some larger homes may have a 1-inch meter) and the total bill is a combination of the monthly meter base fee (which is based on the size of the meter) and the amount of water used.

For billing purposes, the Public Utilities Department measures water used by hundred cubic feet or HCF. Each HCF equals 748.05 gallons.

The bi-monthly charges for a typical single-family domestic customer are:
Base fee: $40.62
0 - 8 HCF used are billed at $3.896 per HCF.
9 - 24 HCF used are billed at $4.364 per HCF.
25 - 36 HCF used are billed at $6.234 per HCF.
Each HCF used after the initial 36 HCF is billed at $8.766 per HCF.

This is where it saves you money to have a low flow shower. If your house was built before 1980, the average flow per minute is 5 to 7 gallons per minute. Between 1981 and 1991 it’s 3.5 and after 1992 it’s 2.5 gpm.

Replacing old shower heads with new ones can save you as much as 750 gallons per month.
Do we care here in Idaho Falls? I could water my lawn all night, take half-hour showers three times a day and still pay $21 a month. Not that I would, or that many other people do.

Even though we live in a desert, our forebears had the presence of mind to build our city on top of an aquifer. The first well was dug in 1924, and there are more than two dozen now.

City plans meeting Wednesday to discuss new downtown fire station

The Idaho Falls Fire Department will hold an open house Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 680 Park Avenue, to discuss plans for a new downtown fire station.

The main purpose of the open house is to invite contractors to learn about the new process and to help them make sure they have the proper licensing before the project goes out for bid at the end of June, Fire Chief Dave Hanneman said.

The project's timeline will be discussed. Fire department staff and the architects will be available for questions.

In April 2015, Idaho Falls City Council unanimously approved a $163,000 contract with the CRSA architectural firm to design a new fire station to replace downtown Fire Station 1, which is on the lower level of Idaho Falls' 85-year old City Building.

The new station is to be located on existing city-owned property on E Street between Shoup and Park Avenues.

The State of Idaho requires  construction managers be licensed. This is to assure the public they have the level of education and experience required for successful management of public construction projects.

Cabela's opening draws huge crowd

Here's the line this morning at the new Cabela's store in Ammon.  This was shot by David Snell, not me, and shared on Facebook. We will be checking later to find out what the attendance actually turned out to be.

EIRMC, Madison Memorial receive top scores in safety survey

Eastern Idaho Regional first opened in 1986.

Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls and Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg have received “A” ratings in the bi-annual Hospital Safety Score published by The Leapfrog Group. The designation recognizes exceptional performance in consistently meeting evidence-based patient safety guidelines. Overall, three hospitals in Idaho received the top rating.

The Hospital Safety Score compiles 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data into a single “grade.” That score represents any hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections and injuries as well as medical and medication errors.

To see the hospitals’ scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to improving safety, quality and affordability of health care. It was founded in November 2000 with support from the Business Roundtable and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.

Cool Beanz holds grand opening at Snake River Landing

Shane Murphy, owner of Cool Beanz and Java Express

Cool Beanz had its official opening today at Snake River Landing, but owner Shane Murphy is no stranger to serving coffee.

As owner of Java Express for 23 years, Murphy has had a lot of time to think about a sit-down coffee shop. Over the past five years, he has talked with Eric Isom, Snake River Landing's chief operating officer, about locating there.

Two things brought about the coming of Cool Beanz. One was the closing of Bella Vita, the shop where Cool Beanz now is. The other was the lease that McAfee Security Systems signed, bringing 120 people into the building across Pier View Drive.

"I thought if we could service them it might so real well," Murphy said.

He was tempted to name the shop Java Express, but didn't want to create confusion among the coffee kiosk's devoted following.

Once the deal was in place, Murphy set to remodeling. "We pretty much took it down to scratch and rebuilt it," he said.

With the look there is a new menu, featuring Java Express coffee and tea, smoothies, desserts, panninis, bagel breakfast sandwiches, craft beers and wines.

Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Murphy said he is bullish on Snake River Landing's prospects, especially with the Home2 By Hilton hotel due to open in late summer.

Gasoline prices rise, but still near five-year low

You undoubtedly noticed that gasoline prices have rebounded  from their lows of late winter, a time I actually gassed up my Subaru for less than $20 and the first time it happened since I can't remember who was president.

According to an AAA report released Monday, the national average price of gas has increased for 26 of the previous 27 days to $2.66 per gallon, which is the highest average of the year. Drivers are paying about four cents more per gallon than one week ago and 27 cents more per gallon than one month ago.

Today’s national average is about a dollar less than a year ago and is at the cheapest level for this date since 2009.

AAA predicts that automotive travel this Memorial Day holiday will be up 5.3 percent (33 million travelers) compared to last year’s holiday weekend, which would be the highest volume in ten years. Gas prices may not change all that much by the holiday weekend, which would result in the cheapest Memorial Day gas prices in at least five years.

Regional refinery issues on the West Coast continue to push prices higher in a handful of states, with the majority of the nation’s most expensive markets located in the region. California ($3.72) is the nation’s most expensive retail gasoline market, and is joined by four other states posting averages of $3 or more per gallon: Hawaii ($3.23), Nevada ($3.22), Alaska ($3.15) and Oregon ($3.00). The price at the pump is above $2.50 per gallon in 36 states and Washington, D.C. On the other end of the spectrum, motorists in South Carolina ($2.37), Missouri ($2.39) and Mississippi ($2.40) are the paying the lowest averages at the pump, although they too have seen prices inch upward since last week’s report.

Drivers in 49 states and Washington, D.C. are paying more to refuel their vehicles versus one week ago. Twenty-two states are paying a nickel or more per gallon, led by Utah, Wyoming and South Dakota with week-over-week increases of nine cents per gallon. The only state to buck this trend is Michigan, where the average price fell by six cents per gallon over this same period.

Month-over-month, the price has moved higher in every state and Washington, D.C. by a dime or more per gallon.  Pump prices are up by a quarter or more in 22 states, with the largest monthly increases taking place in the western United States. Consumers in California (+61 cents), Nevada (+44 cents), Utah (+39 cents) and Arizona (+39 cents) have seen the largest increases over this period, due largely to the refinery issues in the region.

Although motorists nationwide continue to pay significantly lower gas prices, rising averages are beginning to erode savings in a number of states.  Prices are lower by a dollar or more in 30 states and Washington, D.C. year-over-year, which is 11 states fewer than one week ago. Consumers in Ohio (-$1.23), Michigan (-$1.18) and Kentucky (-$1.15) are saving the most per gallon compared to this same date last year.

The price of crude has moved higher since the middle of March due to slowing U.S. production, a weakening U.S. dollar and speculation of demand growth from China. Despite the price increase, many market watchers believe that the recent rally may be nearing an end due to oversupply continuing to characterize the global market, effectively putting a ceiling on how high the price can go. The global oil cartel OPEC appears to be maintaining its strategy of high production levels and is scheduled to convene in June to reassess supply quotas, but in the meantime all eyes remain on U.S. production levels based on its new position as swing producer.

The domestic benchmark WTI posted a weekly gain for the seventh consecutive week but remains significantly below the 2014 high of $107.95 per barrel. At the close of formal trading on the NYMEX, WTI settled 45 cents higher at $59.39 per barrel.

VanderSloot represents Idaho on list of nation's wealthiest

Every year, Wealth-X, a Web site that reports on the rich, releases a list of the wealthiest person in every state.

The list is mostly made up of multi-billionaires, including Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and Larry Ellison. Idaho’s own Frank VanderSloot, the Melaleuca magnate, comes in at No. 40, with an estimated worth of $1.2 billion.

There are nine states with no billionaire residents, including Utah, New Mexico, Mississippi, South Dakota, Maine, Hawaii, Alaska, Wyoming and my home state of Delaware. This last one I find surprising, as it is the home of the DuPonts, one of the nation’s oldest and richest families. The only explanation I can think of is that the story is focused on individual wealth.

You can read more at this link: Read more: The Richest Person in Every State.

7N Ranch plans grand opening for new bike park

One of the jumps at the 7N Ranch's new bike park.

7N Ranch near Heise has installed a bike park, with tracks, jumps, bumps for people of all levels and technical abilities.

To mark the occasion, they will having a grand opening on Memorial Day weekend, May 23 to May 25, featuring half-price passes. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., individual day passes will be $5 and family passes will be $12.50.

The park features a flow track, jumps, pump track, cross-country, downhill track, free ride track and a bump run. The weekend will also feature a bike expo, with exhibitors and food.

Anyone looking to buy tickets or find out more can visit the 7N Ranch Facebook page, right here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1581977278722316/

Kool Beanz, Noodles and Company now open

Kool Beanz at Snake River Landing.

This past week has seen two new additions on the food and beverage front in Idaho Falls.

Noodles & Company opened Monday at The Grand Teton Mall, at 1870 S. 25th East. The company has more than 450 restaurant locations across the United States, serving 25 fresh dishes. For a look at the menu, follow this link.

The 2,800-square-foot Grand Teton facility offers seating for 72 guests inside the dining room and 20 guests on the outside patio. The restaurant is open from 10:20 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To place a take-out order, call (208) 528-7366 or order online at noodles.com/orderonline.

At Snake River Landing, Kool Beanz has opened where Bella Vita used to be. There is a new look and a new menu, featuring gourmet coffee, teas, smoothies, desserts, artisan panninis, bagel breakfast sandwiches, craft beers and fine wines.

Hours are 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Visit their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/KoolBeanzCafe/info?tab=page_info

Noodles and Company on Hitt Road

Ron Sayer plans school fund-raiser

Ron Sayer’s Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge is planning to team up May 18 with parents and teachers at American Heritage Charter School for a “Drive for the Kids” fund-raiser, to help raise money in support of the school’s activities.

During the school’s spring concert, parents and guests will have the opportunity to earn a $10 contribution for the school from the Chrysler brand by taking a test drive in a new 2015 Town & Country, Chrysler 200 or Chrysler 300. Any licensed driver, age 18 or older, may drive and earn $10 on the school’s behalf. Ron Sayer will provide 2015 model Chrysler brand vehicles, along with volunteers from the dealership, to help the school with the test drives.

This is the seventh year Ron Sayer has been doing “Drive for the Kids” at Idaho Falls area schools, raising more than $30,000 overall.

All test-drive participants will also be entered into the 2015 National Giveaway for a chance to win $45,000 toward any eligible FCA US LLC Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram, FIAT, or Alfa Romeo vehicle.

Chrysler introduced the “Drive for the Kids” program in 1993, becoming the first automotive manufacturer to reach out in direct support of local schools. Since then, Chrysler dealers have worked with parents and educators across the nation to contribute over $6 million to schools in communities where Chrysler does business. For more information, visit www.drive4kids.com.

INL picks two teams for DOE commercialization program

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., is working with six national labs, including INL, identifying innovative technologies with potential for commercialization.

Idaho National Laboratory has selected two teams to participate this year in the Department of Energy’s Lab-Corps Program.


Last fall, DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy selected proposals from six national labs, including INL, for a $2.3 million pilot program called Lab-Corps, which is designed to accelerate the commercialization of clean energy technologies.

“Our program is designed to immerse each three-person team in an approach to learn about successfully commercializing their discoveries to the private sector,” said INL Lab-Corps leader Tammie Borders, in a press release this week.

INL reviewed several technologies for the Lab-Corps program that promise advancements in sustainable transportation, renewable power and energy efficiency lab technologies. The winners were Matthew Balderree, who's technology is an application that facilitates material inspection of wind turbine blades using unmanned aircraft, and Brant Peery, who developed technology that compiles data from databases in different formats and presents it in a user-friendly way.


“DOE’s Lab-Corps program offers a new pathway to advance greater collaboration between industry and national laboratories,” said INL Associate Laboratory Director Steven Aumeier. Modeled closely after the National Science Foundation's I-Corps program, Lab-Corps is managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and seeks to strengthen the impact national laboratories have on the nation's energy resources. The technology accelerator and training curriculum enables lab-based teams to gain direct market feedback on their technologies and pursue commercialization opportunities.


“Each team has an INL researcher, an entrepreneurial lead and an industry mentor,” Borders said. “The entrepreneurial lead and the industry mentor are selected from talented business leaders who work outside of INL in order to offer a fresh perspective for the team.”


INL’s pilot program capitalizes on previous work with the Idaho Technology Council, Boise State University and Renewable Technology Ventures. These groups have assisted in identifying potential entrepreneurial leads and industry mentors for the teams.


During the seven-week training provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, each team will visit companies in the appropriate market sectors and meet face-to-face with customers. “We are expecting highly energetic teams who will hone their new entrepreneurial talents and gain exceptional insight into commercializing innovative technologies in the private sector,” Borders said.

Energy Department Announces New Lab Program to Accelerate Commercialization of Clean Energy Technologies

ISU students to talk about advertising presentation

The Idaho State University team that presented in the American Advertising
Federation's National Student Advertising Competition earlier this month.

Members and guests of the Idaho Falls Advertising Federation will get an exclusive peek at Idaho State University’s National Student Advertising Competition presentation for Pizza Hut at the next Lunch & Learn educational series, May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Dixie's Diner.

The event is open to the public. Cost is $12 for members and $15 for non-members and includes lunch.

What is the NSAC? Each year the American Advertising Federation teams up with a major corporate client to challenge more than 200 college chapters to develop an integrated marketing campaign for a specific product, service or brand. AAF college chapter teams conduct primary and secondary research into consumer behavior, identifying the target market’s wants and needs. Then they develop a plan to communicate the client’s message.

After the research is complete, student teams create a comprehensive campaign to pitch at the AAF District 11 competition. District 11 includes Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. This year the competition was held in Boise on April 10.

This lunch will be a great way to see some of the area’s freshest talent coming and hear about what it’s like to work on a campaign for a national client. The presenters will be brining all their creative work, and copies of the case and plans book they designed and submitted.

For more information, follow this link: IFAF.

A blast from the past on the subject of working women

Norman Rockwell's 1943 painting of "Rosie the Riveter."

While looking through the Post-Register of April 30, 1940 (researching the Looking Back column that I write for the paper), I saw a story about a survey conducted by the local Business and Professional Women's Club. Some of you might find it interesting, others appalling.

As part of a national effort, the club's research committee, headed by Lucille Rennie, interviewed 134 employers, asking four questions:

• Do you refuse to hire married women?
• Would you dismiss an employee upon her marriage?
• Would you refuse to promote married women?
• In the event of pregnancy, would you re-employ a woman after the child is born?

Most employers said they were favorably inclined toward having married women in the workplace, saying they brought level-headedness and stability. They had reservations about mothers of newborns, however, and everything was of course contingent upon the husband's approval.

The one exception was the Idaho Falls School Board, whose representatives said they weren’t inclined to hire married women and that any single woman who decided to get married wouldn't be getting a new contract.

The story said the survey could be a useful pointer to the Idaho Legislature. "Laws have been introduced in many state legislatures in the past few years with the idea of removing the married woman from the payroll. In most states this proposed legislation has failed as unconstitutional and in violation of the rights of the citizen. (In) some states, however, some such legislation has been enacted."

Given the date of the story, let's remember that Pearl Harbor is less than a year-and-a-half away and that following the United States' entry into World War II any objections to working women -- married or single -- would take a backseat to the war effort.

On that note, you might be interested to know that  Mary Keefe, the woman who posed as Rosie the Riveter for Norman Rockwell's famous Saturday Evening Post cover, died on April 21, at age 92. Here's a link to the story in the New York Times: Mary Keefe, Model for Rockwell’s ‘Rosie the Riveter,’ Dies at 92.

Nominations for Hometown Hero awards being sought

The Idaho’s Hometown Hero Organization Committee would like to know, “Who is
your hero?”

The JRM Foundation for Humanity has begun taking nominations for the 2015 Idaho’s Hometown Hero Medal. Established in 2011, the medal pays tribute to those who show unique characteristics, achievements and commitment to creating better, safer communities across the state of Idaho.

This year's theme is "Empowering Women,” and the selection committee is seeking to honor men, women and youth who are serving and making a difference in the lives of women.

The Idaho’s Hometown Hero Medal was founded by Drs. Fahim and Naeem Rahim and is sponsored by the JRM Foundation for Humanity, a not-for-profit organization.

The selected medalists will be honored at the 5th Annual Idaho Hometown Hero Awards Ceremony and Gala Celebration, Sept. 12 at the Stephens Performing Arts Center in Pocatello.

Nominations will be accepted through Aug. 10. Visit the JRMFoundation.org Web site for more information or to make your nomination.

BizMojo Idaho avoids 'Mobilegeddon' ... have you?

The link to learn more about mobile friendly pages is

https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

After hearing about "Mobilegeddon" this morning at Square One, I decided it was of utmost importance to heed the Google gods' dictate that my Web site be made pleasing to them.

For those of you wondering what I'm on about, I refer you to this link: Google Algorithm Changes: Prepare For the Mobile Apocalypse! It was published a month ago on the Business 2 Community Web page, and despite the alarming headline it points out the obvious, that anyone who doesn't have a mobile-friendly Web site ought to get cracking.

In my case, it needed to be done. Since the beginning of the year, 46 percent of my 23,552 page views have been on mobile devices. More tellingly, 51 percent of my new users have been mobile.

It was easy, possibly because I'm on Blogspot, which is a Google platform. In any event, when you click the links to BizMojoIdaho.com off Facebook you won't need to expand the page and slide it all over the screen to read my posts. Better yet, this will help with the site's optimization, which means any business I write about will be getting some juice from the inbound link off the BizMojo Idaho page.

Cabela's expects 1,500-plus for May 14 grand opening

Curtis Smith, manager of the new Cabela's store in Ammon. 

Cabela’s in Ammon is entering the homestretch to its May 14 opening, with 165 people hired to staff the 44,000-square-foot store.

Although they have been very busy, Store Manager Curtis Smith and Operations Manager Jason Porter have already had a few opportunities already to experience eastern Idaho’s outdoors. On a recent hike up Palisades Creek, they saw mountain goats and moose. After moving here from St. Louis, their perception of the local market prompted them to more than double the size of the store’s fly-fishing section.

The Ammon store represents a new direction for Cabela’s, which until recently built much larger stores. “(The new format) allows us to get into communities where a 180,000-square-foot store wouldn’t work,” Smith said.

But Cabela’s knew the Idaho Falls-Ammon market would be a winner, based on all the online and catalog sales it has done with people in this area. What people from here have ordered in the past played a large part in determining what inventory is being stocked in the store.
Anyone who wants to order online or from the catalog can have it delivered to the store and save themselves shipping costs.

Smith said they expect between 1,500 and 2,000 people for the grand opening, which is at 10 a.m. There will be no ribbon cutting. Instead, it will be severed by an arrow shot by Shelby Richardson, one of the store’s archery outfitters (the term Cabela’s uses for employees), who was one of three finalists in a shooting contest, then wrote an essay in a contest personally judged by Cabela’s CEO Thomas Millner.

In-N-Out in Idaho? Not likely, at least for now

Here's some In-N-Out to get you going on a Monday. You're still going to have to drive to Utah, Nevada or California to get, it, at least for the foreseeable future.

One thing I have come to appreciate in the years I have been doing updates on local business is that readers can’t get enough news about chain restaurants’ plans for this area.

Carl’s Jr., Chick-fil-A, Dickey’s Bar-B-Cue, Togo’s … it’s all good. Here’s news that’s been reported but bears repeating: Noodles & Co. on Hitt Road near the Grand Teton Mall is opening May 4.

Truly though, is there anything that could excite people here more than In-N-Out Burger? Some of you started salivating when you saw the headline, I’ll bet. I rest my case. I recently got a question from a reader and figured it might be time for an update. Are they coming here? It’s possible, but at this stage you’d probably have as much luck getting a definitive answer from a Magic 8-Ball.

Companies like In-N-Out never say anything until they’re ready to make an announcement. The answer could be no one day and yes the next. In-N-Out doesn’t franchise and its policy is to not build a restaurant too far from one of their distribution centers.

"At In-N-Out Burger, we make all of our hamburger patties ourselves and deliver them fresh to all of our restaurants with our own delivery vehicles," In-N-Out vice president of planning and development Carl Van Fleet told Business Insider earlier this year. "Nothing is ever frozen. Our new restaurant locations are limited by the distance we can travel from our patty-making facilities and distribution centers."

They have a distribution center in Draper, Utah, which is less than a day from here, but is that close enough? The history of In-N-Out in Utah is interesting. In June 2007, the company’s customer service department started getting calls from people asking if In-N-Out had opened a location in American Fork under a different name, Chadder’s. The look was similar, as were trademarked items on the menu. When In-N-Out's general counsel paid a visit he requested an “Animal style Double-Double with Animal fries.” He got what he asked for, and on the basis of that Utah District Court Judge Ted Stewart issued a temporary restraining order. Chadder's changed its color scheme and practices.

In 2009, In-N-Out opened a restaurant in American Fork, less than a mile from the Chadder's restaurant. After that, seven more In-N-Outs popped up in the Salt Lake Valley. Chadder’s went out of business.

Since then, In-N-Out has shifted its focus to Texas. Here’s a map showing the counties where they have restaurants. The nearest to Idaho is in Riverdale, north of Salt Lake City. Is expansion northward possible? Of course, but simple geography would suggest that more locations in Utah would be likely before anything came here.

Rest assured, we’re keeping an eye on it.

D.L. Evans building kiosk at Pancheri and Crane Drive

While another branch office could be in the future, at the moment D.L. Evans is putting an ATM kiosk at the corner of Pancheri and Crane Drive.

There are three new developments on the retail financial front this spring in Idaho Falls.

Number one, D.L. Evans Bank, fresh off opening a new branch in Ammon, is building a drive-through kiosk on the corner of Pancheri and Crane Drive. Idaho Falls already has one such kiosk, the one built installed by Wells Fargo north of the new Walgreen’s at Skyline Drive and West Broadway.

Expect to see more of them, as they represent a growing trend in the industry. Analyst Nancy Bush of NAB Research told National Public Radio last year that instead of spending on real estate and staffing, banks can install street-corner ATMs and pay fewer employees to video chat from remote call centers. That doesn’t mean branches are going to go away altogether. “They still see the branch as their biggest revenue generator,” she said.

On Outlet Drive, north of the Sleep Inn and Double Down, Westmark Credit Union has filed site plans at the Idaho Falls Building Department for a new 4,694-square-foot branch office. This will be its fourth office in the Idaho Falls area.

Officially know as West 33rd South, Outlet Drive extends north from West Sunnyside Road all the way up to a point where it becomes Bellin Road.

As for the third piece of news, H&R Block has filed plans with the city to locate in the Railway Crossing Center on Utah Avenue next door to the Jamba Juice that will be going in.

Costco-watching site makes no mention of plans for Idaho Falls

I got a Costco question this morning, so I figured it might be time to check and see if there has been any action. In 2012 I discovered a site www.addictedtocostco.com (this isn't a local phenomenon, you see) that features frequent updates on where the chain is building and planning new stores.

Judging by the link, which you can find by clicking here, you fans are going to have to continue driving to Pocatello for a while. The list of stores opening imminently is as follows:

Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico -- April 30, 2015
Wichita, Kan. -- June 3, 2015
Mobile, Ala. -- June 4, 2015
Rochester, N.Y. -- June 5, 2015
Perrysburg, Ohio -- June 18, 2015
Pleasant Prairie, Wis. -- June 19, 2015
Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico -- June 2015

Beyond that, there are stores opening in Japan, Taiwan, Spain, Korea and Canada. Indeed, the world may be Costco's oyster, but poor little Idaho Falls is chopped liver. Sorry.

Broadway Ford's rubble to be used for FEMA training exercise

Demolition work at Broadway Ford on West Broadway Tuesday morning. The new showroom is in the background.

Demolition of the old Broadway Ford building on West Broadway started Monday and continued today, but the rubble will not be cleared away until after the Idaho Falls Fire Department’s Urban Search & Rescue team conducts a training exercise there Wednesday night from 5 to 9 p.m.

USAR is a program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and involves the location, rescue and stabilization of victims trapped in confined spaces. The program prepares first responders on various emergencies or disasters including earthquakes, storms, floods, dam failures and hazardous material releases.

Over the past few days, objects have been placed throughout the empty Broadway Ford building in preparation for the drill. After the demolition crew brings down the building upon the objects, the IFFD’s Technical Rescue Team will attempt to locate and “rescue” them.

“We are very pleased that the owners of Broadway Ford could make this building available for such a unique training opportunity,” Idaho Falls Fire Chief Dave Hanneman said in a press release. “We would also like to thank TMC Contractors and Morgan Construction for allowing us access to the building for fire training over the last couple of weeks.”

Broadway Ford moved to a new, state-of-the-art facility in early March. Spokeswoman Ann-Michelle Jones said that after the old building is cleared away the site will be landscaped, after which a grand opening will be held.

Regional cooperation stressed at Mayors' Business Day

Since it started in 2009, the annual Mayors' Business Day in Idaho Falls has gained an increasingly regional focus.

Today at the Shilo Inn, four mayors -- from Idaho Falls, Ammon, Shelley and Blackfoot -- stressed the need for a coordinated effort toward economic development.

"If we can work together, there is so much potential here," said Ammon Mayor Dana Kirkham, who said she has high hopes for the Regional Economic Development Corp. of Eastern Idaho, more often referred to as REDI.

REDI was recently formed by the merger of Grow Idaho Falls and Bingham Economic Development. Kirkham pointed to what happened in the Denver metro area who traditional resource-based economic mainstays began to wane in the 1980s. In the face of a slumping economy, the economic development organizations pooled their resources and focused on the area's asset -- universities, a national laboratory and defense contractors. With a streamlined central point of contact, the economy came back stronger than ever.

"I believe that story can happen here," she said.

Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper said eastern Idaho communities need to develop the tools that will help them bring better paying jobs. That can be anything from curb appeal, e.g. sidewalks, parks and signage, to tax breaks, grants and innovative financing opportunities. "More opportunity, that's what drives this," she said.

Casper said it's not so much about greed as it is about building a community where people don't have to work two jobs to get by, "so they can read to their kids at night."

"(Free enterprise) is a system that requires internal motivation that causes us to want to engage in the marketplace," she said.

In Shelley, the latest success story is the opening of Golden Valley Meats, which could have gone somewhere else had economic incentives not been offered, said Mayor Stacy Pascoe.

Shelley is relatively new to the economic development game and welcomes the opportunity that REDI offers, he said.

"There isn't very much for people already in the workforce for people who want to better themselves," he said, adding that help from the state for people who want to get more educated might be money well spent.

Blackfoot Mayor Paul Loomis said that while agriculture and manufacturing has sustained the economy, he would like to see more diversification, especially in the retail sector.

Jamba Juice files plans for Utah Avenue location

The shopping center off South Utah Avenue where Jamba Juice has plans to locate a second Idaho Falls area location.

Jamba Juice will be adding a second location in the Idaho Falls area, in the Railway Crossing center that is being built at Utah Avenue and Simplot Circle.

According to building plans at the city of Idaho Falls Building Department, Jamba Juice, which has had a store in the Ammon Town Square for years, will occupy an 1,1800 square-foot section at the south end of the commercial center, which is being built by Morgan Construction across the street from Carl’s Junior and Wal-Mart. An opening date has not been announced, as the nine-unit center is still being framed.

The franchisees of this store are Ryan and Julie Arfmann, whose company Juice It Up, Inc., operates the Jamba Juice in Ammon and one in Twin Falls.

Founded in Emeryville, Calif., in 1990, Jamba Juice has grown to more than 800 locations in 26 states, as well as the Bahamas, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico and South Korea. There are approximately 287 company-owned locations and 517 franchise-operated stores in the United States of America, in addition to the 45 international stores.