After writing today's story about Dan Dickau opening his barber shop, The Barbers, up by the North Division Y, the only reservation we had is about the former Zag hoop star's listed height.

At his NBA page, Dan is listed at 6 foot 3, 180 pounds.

When I visited Dan at this shop, I was struck by his size. He's not 6-3 and not 180 anymore. Either he's lost weight and height, or those NBA stats were a bit inaccurate.

He does have large hands. He's a good addition, by the way, to Spokane's small business team. Welcome, Dan.

Photo: NBA.com

Today's story on “merch madness,” and the boost in sales for products related to Gonzaga University, noted that only one candy bar carries the “Zags” name. That's a bar made by the Spokane franchise of Rocky Mountain Chocoloate Factory.

And yes, why didn't someone really work the Zagnut angle? If ever a bar is ripe for GU merchandising, the Hersheys-owned Zagnut seems the one.

The answer we got from a Hersheys spokesman is that the company has one product and one product only that is the “official March Madness” candy bar. That's Reese's. That's the whole story, as far as we could tell.

The Zags store sells plenty of Zagnut bars, we learned. It's especially popular as a stocking-stuffer.

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The Pizza Oven restaurant near Gonzaga University, at 829 E Boone, has shut down.

The restaurant is the second eatery in the retail strip to have closed. Last year, Noodle Works shut down after a few months operation. The property was developed by Spokane resident John Stockton.

Attempts to reach Pizza Oven owner Matt Rai were unsuccessful. He continues operating a Pizza Oven in River Park Square downtown.

Rai posted a sign on his Boone Avenue store blaming the closure on a general contractor who allegedly failed to pay the subcontractors who finished building the store.

The location used to be the home of Mark Starr's David's Pizza. Starr continues to have plans to reopen that business in downtown Spokane.

We went over to the Gonzaga neighborhood recently and found Spokane artist Tom Quinn hard at work on the final touches of a mural being added to the University Bar & Grill.

We were struck by two things: John Stockton (who apparently didn't want his image on the wall) was replaced by GU hooper Casey Calvary; and David Lynch, who has a very limited Spokane connection, was featured on the wall, holding a beer next to Superior Court Judge Tari Eitzen, a true GU alumna.

We asked Judge Eitzen if she'd seen her wall portrait, and the answer was a loud and clear “No.” In fact, Eitzen even asked: “Is that me?”

Artist Quinn said previous bar owners Willard Quinn III and his wife Christine came up with the requests to add Lynch to the mural.  But in our view, Lynch hardly qualifies for the wall. He was born in Spokane but then moved to Sandpoint. He has no connection to that neighborhood or GU, that we know of.

Revised version: based on Wikipedia, Lynch was born in Sandpoint and then lived briefly in Spokane.

Christine Quinn also requested Tom Quinn add a portrait of actress Michelle Morrow, whose images are featured in the accompanying video. She hails from Spokane.

Tom Quinn, by the way, is not related to Willard Quinn III.  

To look at some of Quinn's artwork and track progress on the mural, he's on Facebook here.

A noted franchise expert, Ben Litalien, will be on Gonzaga University's campus next week for two lectures on “Franchising for Community Impact.”

The patrons have voted, and the new name for the former Bulldog in the Gonzaga Neighborhood is ….University Bar and Grill.

Owner Mary Livingston said this week more than a thousand people voted and helped select the location's new name.

After Livingston took over the business (and could not use the trademarked name, Bulldog) she went through several names, including the 1305 Club (for 1305 N. Hamilton, the business address). It was also, briefly, zagZ and for awhile The Dog.

“We had hundreds of great names suggested and the final decision was tough,” she said. She said the hope was to connect with nearby GU's community but also not alienate fans and patrons from other colleges and schools.

The bar will celebrate with a three-day grand opening that starts next week, Friday May 11.

Spokane's hot young ecommerce company Green Cupboards came close but didn't take home the top award in an annual  tech awards contest last week in Seattle.

Sponsored by the Washington Technology Industry Association, the 2012 Industry Achievement Awards are presented to recognize bright and aspiring firms in the state.

Green Cupboards, which sells organic, “green” and eco-friendly items, lost out in the best early stage company category to Big Door, a Seattle firm that “gamifies” other company websites.   Green Cupboards was started by seed money and a team of GU grads who conjured up the company idea during a Hogan Entrepreneurial Contest hosted by the school a few years ago.

No other East Side companies got any recognition in the achievement awards.

On March 27, two GU business faculty members will discuss their insights into how women can manage stress. The event will start at 10 a.m. in the McCarthey Athletic Center's Herak Room. 

It's free to the public.

The presenters are Molly Pepper and Peggy Sue Loroz. Both women have conducted research on the types of stress women encounter in the workplace and how they can best deal with it.

The press relief from GU pretty much boiled the advice into three nuggets:

Firtst, women should create boundaries around productive time to maximize time-management, increase planning, and minimize stressful work-related emergencies.

Second, women are encouraged to establish an affinity group to support one another.

Third, the advice is for women to develop “guided discernment” to discover their personal “Mighty Purpose” and develop strategies to keep that purpose in front of them at all times.

CORRECTED Feb. 23, 10:30 a.m.

Gonzaga University will break ground this spring on a $14 million, four-story building that will add about 650 parking spaces and ground-level dining options for students and area residents.

The new building, which will replace a surface parking lot, will be bordered by Hamilton and Cincinnati streets and DeSmet and Boone avenues. When finished in January  2013, the 250,000-square-foot Gonzaga Retail and Parking Center will be the new home of GU’s campus bookstore and eventually several retail businesses.

The building will have three levels above ground, one underground.

The building will have four levels, GU officials said.

GU school has no immediate plan to sign leases for retail space because it needs to use some of the ground level as a temporary student dining area at some point.

GU’s student dining hall is currently in the COG Building in the center of campus. That building will eventually be demolished to make way for a larger University Center.

RENDERING: ALSC Architects.

For some reason we still have more to say about the plight of Mary Livingston, owner of the 1305 Club, once known as the Bulldog (Tavern).

The curious little sidelight to Livingston's effort to find a lasting name for the tavern is the distraction caused by a wall mural for the business. Livingston said the mural was commissioned by previous building owner, Willard Quinn. And the result (above, right image) was done by Spokane artist Tom Quinn (no relation to Willard).

Two sections of Quinn's wall mural at the business will not remain or have already been removed. The first is the curious portrait of a bulldog with a top hat (above, left image) that was on the wall for awhile, then removed.

Livingston said no one asked her to take it down. Cryptically, Livingston said it was something she just wanted covered over, but didn't specify the reason.

The second is an attempted portrait of GU basketball hall-of-famer John Stockton. See the item down below to see what happened with that part of the mural.

Quinn said he'll be working the wall this weekend and will likely “fix” the Stockton portrait.

Both images, above, provided from Tom Quinn's Facebook page.

Two leftovers from today's SR story about the naming dilemma faced by Mary Livingston, the business woman who took over what used to be the premise of the Bulldog, near Gonzaga University.

First, let's catch up on David Trefry, who ran the Bulldog from 1996 until last summer, when the building owner Willard Quinn III wouldn't give him a good deal on buying it. Quinn then turned around and sold it to Livingston.

Trefry took the business name and has been looking around for spots, including possibly in the new Kendall Yards project.  He also caused a minor stir when he renewed his business license with the city. The permit said: The Bulldog Tavern. That alerted some folks who knew that originally the business, well before Trefry took it over, was known as the Bulldog Tavern. 

He changed the name in 2005, to comply with state liquor law requirements. Trefry said people wondered if he was reverting to the old name. The answer is no, he said in an email. The permit is still for The Bulldog, but city clerks used the wrong name.

The second item:  Livingston was told by Willard Quinn III that John Stockton wasn't happy that his portrait was part of a mural painted by local artist Tom Quinn (no relation to Willard). The oddity is the Tom Quinn portrait of Stockton on the wall (see image above, where it is to the right of Livingston) has to be the worst ever of the former GU and Utah Jazz star.

Quinn the artist said he sorta winged it, not really knowing how large Stockton is. That explains why he made JS about 6 foot 7. But it doesn't explain how the face is so un-Stockton like. That may be why JS doesn't like it. The face is nowhere near that of Stockton, even from 20 years ago.

We asked a contact to ask Stockton for a statement, but heard nothing so far.

Tom Quinn said he now realizes he can't leave the “Stockton” image on the wall. He figures he'll probably change that body into the shape of former GU hoop star Casey Calvary.

A few days ago, before the story ran, Tom Quinn said he was planning to do a better Stockton image on the other end of that mural. Now that Stockton has made it clear he's not happy with the plan, that won't happen.

Spokane resident Brett Noyes, in the course of trying to start a business, came upon the Startup Weekend idea. Based in Seattle, the Startupweekend.org organization encourages communities to host these three-day weekends to encourage and foster people trying to start a new business.

Noyes liked the idea enough to agree to be the sponsor and presenter of Spokane's first stab at a Startup Weekend.  It will run April 20-22 at Gonzaga University.

The event formula is to start with a series of one-minute pitches by would-be local entrpreneurs.

A panel will select a number of the best pitches to move to the next level. The attendees then are grouped into teams to work together during the next two days creating a viable business idea and brainstorming how to make the idea succeed.

A weekend facilitator will be provided by the StartupWeekend group, Noyes said. A number of other guest presenters will serve as coaches through the three days of sessions.

The goal, he added,is bringing together the Spokane area's well-qualified, dedicated business managers, developers, IT specialists and consultants.  said many people starting a business struggle to find the right colleagues and partners who can make a business concept strong enough to succeed.

Information is at Spokane.StartupWeekend.org.  Registration before April 1 is $55. After April 1 it wil be $75.

Talk about higher education this week, and about the construction business next week, during two sponsored breakfasts for business people.

This Friday, Greater Spokane Inc. is hosting an overview of higher ed featuring five area university officials: Rodolfo Arevalo (EWU), Christine Johnson (CCS), Thayne McCullough (Gonzaga), Brian Pitcher (WSU Spokane) and Beck Taylor (Whitworth) will all discuss why a good K-12 system is critical for area growth and development.

Area school levies will also be reviewed. The event is at GU's Cataldo Hall, 502 E. Boone, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. It's $25 for GSI members or $55 for others. Registration: here.

Next Thursday, Jan. 19, Larry Swartz, president of Lydig Construction, will discuss the construction industry and company's 56-year history in Spokane. The event is the next Executive Connect Breakfast, hosted by the nonprofit Connect Northwest.

The event runs from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Georgian Ballroom, Spokane Club.

Registration is $30 and can be arranged by visiting the Connect Northwest reservation form.

The SR today has a story on the imminent closing (possible relocation) of the old Bulldog, formerly known as the Bulldog Tavern.

Once we dove into the background, it became clear this is a tangled mess. There's a lawsuit, all sorts of angry feelings on the part of the people running the Bulldog and the landlord of the property (at 1305 N. Hamilton), and assorted issues on who did what to whom.

Plus, there's the distinction here between those who own the name of the business, and the owner of the building where the business has been.

As of now, we think we can say this much:  The current owners of the Bulldog are going to take everything from the building, leaving nothing but a shell for the landlord, Willard Quinn (who now lives in Bainbridge Island).

Quinn also said he's selling the building to Mary Livingston, who used to be a manager well before the current operators (Trefry Enterprises) took over the operation. Quinn said Livingston will open a tavern in the building.

Also, Trefry Enterprises filed a civil suit against Quinn earlier this year, asserting that the landlord has failed to follow the terms of the 15-year lease that the parties signed 14 years and 11 months ago.

Here's a PDF copy of that suit should you have a lot of time and care how this unfolded in court. 

On Friday, David Trefry, one of the four LLC partners, said the suit was dismissed.

“Managing Relationships in Family Business: The Importance of Communication” will be this year's Gonzaga University Family Business Conference focus, which occurs on June 2.

The now-annual conference will feature Andrew Keyt, executive director of the Loyola University Family Business Center. Keyt (in photo) is considered an expert on family-business issues.

The daylong event runs from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Jepson Center’s Wolff Auditorium.The cost is $195 per family member for the first two registrants, and all subsequent family members are admitted for $45 per person. The event includes a continental breakfast and lunch.

A key part of the day will be a discussion about using and strengthening business communication among family members. Several Spokane family business owners will also be part of the panel.

Attendees should be family members and managers of family owned businesses. The conference is sponsored by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. To register or for more information, visit www.gonzaga.edu/sbaevents or call Laura Smith at (509) 313-5991or via e-mail at smithl2@jepson.gonzaga.edu.

Gonzaga University grad Mark Britton, who's CEO of Seattle-based Avvo, has been named to the board of travel site Orbitz.

Orbitz is based in Chicago and is one of the top three web-based travel services. Before starting lawyer- and doctor-rating service Avvo,  Britton was an executive for Seattle-based Expedia.

He is also a member of the GU Board of Regents, which meets in Spokane on Thursday. Britton has a business degree from GU and earned a degree in law from George Washington University in1992.
The Spokesman-Review ran a story about Avvo on June 7, 2007, right after it launched.

Longtime Gonzaga University information director Dale Goodwin has been named the university's director of publications.

Gonzaga University ranked No. 121 on the latest US News & World Report ranking of U.S. law schools, released March 15.

Two years ago GU ranked No. 100 on the annual ratings, based on a variety of criteria, including peer assessment and bar pass rate. The rankings are here.

The top five in the latest ranking are: Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Columbia and the University of Chicago.

Others from the region include:  University of Washington, 30th; Lewis and Clark, 67th; University of Oregon, 79th; Willamette University, 113th.

Go Zags.

Also of note: US News & World Report introduced a separate listing, based on rankings from law firms in the land.

The ranking in that rating came from responses sent in by several hundred U.S. law firms.

Spokane's Next IT has developed a text message(SMS)-based version of its interactive virtual agent software and has installed it for Gonzaga University's “Ask Spike” application.

Gonzaga has been one of Next IT's early adopters of the virtual agent service, which allows people to chat or ask questions and get responses without human intervention.

Others who've adopted the technology are the U.S. Army (on GoArmy.com), some airlines and Merrill Lynch.

With mobile about to become a more dominant area for corporate customer relations, Next IT saw the need to revise the program to allow for SMS or text-message answers.

Until now, the GU “Ask Spike” service was only available on the web. Find that option at Gonzaga.edu in the askspike button on the top of the page.

Today's Here's the Dirt features a fun story on Buzz Price, a former Spokane Valley kid who grew up, went to the Bay Area, did pretty good, then moved back a few years ago.

Today's story looks at his interesting plan to develop a low-cost, quality and energy efficient student residence near the campus of Gonzaga University. It's one of the longest Here's the Dirt stories the SR has run. It's a great read.

Price calls the new building the Gee, as in G for Gonzaga. He hopes it's the first of more than a hundred he would like to build nationwide, using the same template.

He's created a site to help explain the provide information: www.gee-house.com.

It's not active yet. But you might check back in a few weeks and get more information on his plan.