The Seattle Times reports that Seattle accounting firm, Moss Adams, has been hit with a lawsuit related to the "biggest Ponzi scheme in Pacific Northwest history," the collapse of Meridian Mortgage funds. Meridian Mortgage filed bankruptcy in 2010. The story in Wednesday's editions say the…
Average home prices in Spokane fell by 4.1 percent in October, in line with a national and regional decline driven in part by foreclosures and high unemployment. The Spokane sales number reflects regular sales and “distressed” sales — homes foreclosed by banks or sold by…
The Spokesman-Review Digital Product Development Team announced today the introduction of a new website, forkfly.com. The Spokesman-Review also announced the re-launch of its entertainment website, spokane7.com. Forkfly enables local businesses to offer consumers discounts and specials on online and mobile platforms through “real-time engagement.” “Forkfly…
Comcast Corp., the largest cable company in Washington and the U.S., plans to announce new services for Spokane and Washington state broadband customers next year. Those are a Skype TV service and a home security over broadband service. The Skype plan will let users with…
A Reuters story yesterday (Tuesday) reported that Spokane-based Mines Management took the unusual step of making a public statement about its stock price rise. The Reuters story said: Mines Management, which trades on the New York Stock Amex Exchange as MGN, was contacted by the…
Wednesday's major local business story looks at Hubworks Interactive, a Coeur d'Alene software firm developing point-of-service ordering and payment systems using Apple iPads. The story looks at the efforts of co-founders Rob Berger, Aaron Gabriel and Sam Winter. Here's a snippet of the full story,…
UPDATED 11:45 Dec. 6: After a conversation Tuesday with USPS District spokesman Ernie Swanson, we'll now add these details to the story: In addition to possible western Montana processing center closures, USPS sites in Pasco and Wenatchee that might close would also affect Spokane's processing…
The biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs written by Walter Isaacson has been Amazon's biggest-selling book of 2011, the online retailer announced. The accomplishment is impressive since the book did not start selling until late October. Despite its hardcover success, the biography of Jobs ranks…
Verizon Wireless will expand 4G service in the Inland Northwest later this year, to include Chewelah, Coeur d’Alene, Colville, Deer Lake, Harrison, Hayden, Kellogg, Kettle Falls, Newport, Post Falls, Priest Lake, Sandpoint, Spirit Lake, St. Maries and Washington State University's Pullman campus. That opens the…
Spokane's fast-growing retailer, GreenCupboards.com, is using Facebook to encourage its followers to help spread some toy cheer this holiday. People visiting GreenCupboards' Facebook page through Dec. 31 are eligible to win a daily "green" toy. The company, funded privately and based downtown, will match that…
Spokane-based Ecova has completed the purchase of a Georgia-based competitor with the similar-sounding name of Prenova, Inc. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed. Earlier this year Ecova renamed itself from Advantage IQ. The similar names is pure coincidence. Ecova officials began moving toward the…
Seattle-based luxury bus company MTR Western has moved a number of busses into Eastern Washington, the company announced. Launched in 2004 by controversial Meridian Group founder Frederick Darren Berg, MTR was purchased this year by hospitality entrepreneur H. S. Wright III, whose family built the…
Career Path Services has won 2011's Alfred P. Sloan award for business excellence in workplace flexibility. The Spokane firm was cited for its flexibility as an effective workplace strategy to increase business and employee success. Founded in 1971, the nonprofit company helps individuals and organizations…
A Denver company is buying two Spokane aviation service firms and will combine them into a single operation. Ross Aviation is acquiring XN Air and Spokane Airways; both are fixed-base operators — commercial companies offering fueling, maintenance, charter flights, training and cargo handling. Jeff Ross,…
Spokane-based AmericanWest Bank has completed its purchase of Viking Bank, a deal announced earlier this year that will give AmericanWest a larger presence in Puget Sound. The $7.2 million transaction brings AmericanWest seven new branches. AmericanWest earlier this year bought Sunrise Bank of Southern California…
OLYMPIA — Most Washington businesses will see lower unemployment taxes and many will have no increase in their workers compensation rates in 2012. Gov. Chris Gregoire, announcing the new rates for next year, said they represent “real reform” through work with the Legislature earlier this…
U.S. Army officials have re-upped their commitment to Sgt. STAR, the tech "virtual assistant" developed by Spokane's Next IT. The Sgt. STAR tool on GoArmy.com provides an automated, conversational set of answers to many questions raised by people looking at joining the service. The Army…
Today's major announcement has been the one by Boeing to base future production of the 737 MAX in Washington state. It will be in Renton, where Boeing already makes the 737. The new MAX is more fuel efficient. Area officials believe Spokane can get a…
Spokane's role in building the regional aerospace industry will be discussed Wednesday morning at an event sponsored by Greater Spokane Incorporated. Members of the Washington Aerospace Partnership and the Spokane Aerospace Initiative for Recruitment Team also will present information from the recent Washington State Competitiveness…
Idaho's latest job vacancy survey confirms the state’s current labor market is still tight, but there are more new jobs being created now than a year ago, the Idaho Department of Labor said today. The Idaho 2011 Job Vacancy Survey found 1.7 vacant jobs for…
Clearwater Paper Corp. has completed the sale of its Lewiston sawmill to Idaho Forest Group of Coeur d'Alene. The $30 million transaction included the sawmill, planer mill, dry kilns, and related assets along with log and finished goods inventories and timber under contract. As part…
Seasonal hiring of educators and retail workers helped push Spokane County’s unemployment rate down last month. It fell to 8.3 percent in October, down from September’s revised rate of 8.4 percent. It’s the lowest rate so far this year but remains high than in October…
Banks netted a $35.3 billion profit during the third quarter of this year, the FDIC noted today. Better loans and fewer losses from struggling borrowers helped the commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the FDIC. The third-quarter profits were an $11.5 billion improvement over…
Gov. Chris Gregoire's proposed half-penny sales tax increase got plenty of attention Monday, but she also rolled out more than $340 million in additional tax plans she wants lawmakers to consider. Among them are increased business and occupation tax rates on windfall profits earned in…
Spokane-based King Beverage will expand to Seattle-area markets with the acquisition of longtime Renton, Wash., distributorship K&L Beverage in January, according to a story by Melissa Allison in The Seattle Times today. K&L employs about 215, the story says. King Beverage CEO Ted Rusnak couldn't…
The Spokesman-Review business team follows economic development in Spokane and the Inland Northwest.
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