Liberty Lake-based STCU is ranked 16th-best place to work in Fortune magazine’s rankings of medium-sized U.S. companies.

STCU is the third-largest credit union in Washington and the largest credit union in the Inland Northwest. It has 110,000 members with branches in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

The Best Places to Work ranking at cnnmoney.com praises STCU for a culture of celebration, fun and commitment to employees. The review noted STCU provides a tuition reimbursement for its staff of up to $8,225 per year for related studies.

“It allows parents to take time off for their kids' first day of kindergarten and first grade, as well as for parent-teacher conferences,” the magazine said.

The top-ranked medium-sized business in the ranking was Acuity, an insurance company based in Sheboygan, Wis. A total of 25 companies are listed.

Fortune's lists also include the annual 100 Best Companies to Work For. Northwest companies on that list include: Perkins Coie law firm, No. 58; Nordstrom, No. 61; Umpqua Bank in Portland, No. 69; Starbucks, No. 73,, Microsoft, No. 76; Everett Clinic, No. 87; and Schweitzer Engineering, No.  97.

We expect things have to get better for Sandpoint clothing retailer Coldwater Creek. Its latest earnings showed a quarterly loss of nearly three times the amount it lost one year earlier. 

Then along comes an analysis appearing Thursday on The Motley Fool website, by analyst Anand Chokkavelu. His headline: “Is Coldwater Creek's Stock Cheap or Expensive By The Numbers?”

Readers get plenty of numbers, including a few charts by which Coldwater Creek is measured against competitors Nordstrom, Talbots and Chico's FAS.  

Considering that Mr. Chokkavelu's job is stock picking, you'd expect him to give an answer to that question. And yes, he gets around finally to deciding the stock is not a good buy right now:

He concludes: “Add in no dividend and there isn't much to love about Coldwater Creek's initial numbers.

North Spokane residents who are disappointed that the Nordstrom Rack store moved last month from NorthTown to Spokane Valley Mall can now do their Rack-shopping online.

Last month, the Seattle retailer launched an online section to Nordstrom.com that features some of the items sold at its off-price, discount Rack store.

Nordstrom has been opening new Rack stores around the country, including one not long ago in the middle of Manhattan.  The online expansion is a sign that the company realizes many of its customers are more mindful than ever of the option of shopping for price.

The company now has 86 Rack stores in 23 states.  In its SEC documents, the company has noted that, while monthly sales at Nordstrom stores declined from mid-2008 to late 2009, the Rack division has posted growth in the low- to mid-single digits.

For fans of high-end discount shopping, the news is Nordstrom’s Rack will reopen on Oct. 28 at 10 a.m., at the Spokane Valley Plaza. It’s filling 30,000 square feet next to Old Navy (in the building due west of the west side entrance to Spokane Valley Mall).

The retailer will close the NorthTown Rack store on Tuesday and spend all day Wednesday making the final move of equipment, supplies and inventory.  The new store will have roughly 70 workers.

On Wednesday Oct. 27 we’ll do a short story and give people a heads-up on getting ready for the $2,000 Run through the Rack Contest. An explanation is offered here. But our story will give you some clues on what to do, if you’re the winner, of the $2,000 or 90-second shopping spree.

The Nordstrom Rack is the company’s wide-selection unit devoted to discounted items and overstock.

Nordstrom Rack is moving east, to be closer to the highway and closer to North Idaho. Those are the reasons given by the Seattle-based clothing retailer for leaving the NorthTown Mall and taking up a 30,000-square-foot space in the Spokane Valley Plaza.

It expects the Rack, Valley version, will open in October. It’s taking space last used by Linens ‘n Things, in a triplex flanked by Sportsman’s Warehouse and Old Navy, west of the Spokane Valley Mall.

The Rack is the off-price division of Nordstrom that offers merchandise from other stores at significant discounts.

The new store will offer more retail space and is closer to Interstate 90, offering easier access for more customers along the Spokane-Idaho corridor, a Nordstrom press release noted