Tom Sowa

Tom Sowa is a reporter for The Spokesman-Review in the Business department. He is a tech fanatic who covers technology, retail and small business.

Contact Tom

Email: toms@spokesman.com
Phone: 509-459-5492
Fax: 509-459-5482

Recent stories by Tom

Ex-Bulldog bar seeks renaming

February 10, 2012 in News, Business on Page A5 The popular tavern in Spokane’s Gonzaga neighborhood is still there, but the name keeps changing. For most of its 65 years, it was the Bulldog Tavern. In 2005, the partnership … 9
Popular watering hole plays the name game

February 9, 2012 in News The popular tavern in Spokane’s Gonzaga neighborhood is still there, but the name keeps changing. For most of its 65 years, it was the Bulldog Tavern. In 2005, the partnership … 8
Spokane home sales on rise; prices declining

February 9, 2012 in Business on Page A7 Over the past seven months, Spokane County home sales have been increasing compared to the year before, indicating the area may have made the first step toward a housing rebound. …
Organizers build city’s event résumé

February 8, 2012 in Business on Page A1 Organizers of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s women’s boxing trials that start Monday in Spokane say this will be both a historic occasion and another chance to add to the region’s … 1
Ritzville taps roots to cultivate tourism

February 6, 2012 in City on Page A1 More than 10,000 cars and trucks whiz past Ritzville on Interstate 90 each day. Some in the town of roughly 1,700 residents hope a wheat-themed interpretive center could lure some … 2
Yoke’s ad showing on Super Sunday

February 3, 2012 in Business on Page A10 Spokane ad agency Magner Sanborn is ready for its second shot at Super Bowl advertising fame. This year’s game will include a 60-second spot built around the secret life of …
Survey finds more residents support tribe’s casino plan

January 31, 2012 in Business on Page A7 About 40 percent of Spokane County residents surveyed last fall said they favor plans by the Spokane Tribe to build a casino near Airway Heights. Another 34 percent of the … 2
Liquor superstores scope out Washington sites

January 27, 2012 in Business on Page A1 An East Coast company calling itself a “wine superstore” has announced plans to open two stores in the Spokane area. Representatives of the company, Total Wine, said those plans are … 34
Servatron to move this spring

January 25, 2012 in Business on Page A10 After a sluggish 2010 and 2011, Spokane Valley contract manufacturing firm Servatron Inc. hopes to boost annual sales to the $30 million mark, in part by moving to a newer …
County permit values increase

January 21, 2012 in Business on Page A8 Kootenai County and Spokane County both saw bumps in total building permit values for 2011. Spokane County’s total permit value grew the fastest, rising from $185 million in 2010 to …
Survey shows support for selling Boy Scouts camp

January 20, 2012 in Business on Page A5 A majority of people answering a Boy Scouts survey on the future of Camp Easton say they think selling it to build a new camp is a good idea. Earlier … 4
Rock Pointe owners file for bankruptcy

January 20, 2012 in Business on Page A8 The Tacoma-based owner of the Rock Pointe Corporate Center has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, forestalling a foreclosure effort by creditors who say they’re owed more than $65 million. …
Jensen-Byrd eligible for historic preservation

January 19, 2012 in City on Page A6 The company buying the 102-year-old Jensen-Byrd building in downtown Spokane told the city-county Historic Landmarks Commission it still intends to tear it down to make way for new student housing. … 2
Website owners sort out rights

January 19, 2012 in Business on Page A1 Until November last year, John Janzen had no idea what Getty Images was. The awakening came in a letter sent from Getty’s Seattle headquarters to Maplewood Software’s Spokane office. Getty … 1
Turnout nearly double for Spokane’s MLK march

January 17, 2012 in Business on Page A1 As they began the downtown Unity March during Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, tears overcame the two men who’ve led the annual event for more than 20 years. …
March organizers say last year’s threat strengthened resolve

January 15, 2012 in City on Page B1 Spokane civic leaders have taken part in Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations since 1984. The King celebration in downtown Spokane Monday will carry extra meaning for many taking part. Authorities …
Scout council sends out Camp Easton survey

January 12, 2012 in City on Page A5 The Inland Northwest Council of the Boy Scouts has sent out 10,000 emails asking supporters, Scout families and volunteers their views on selling Camp Easton. The goal, said Tim McCandless, … 1
Avista outages zap customers

January 10, 2012 in Business on Page A6 A theft of copper wire from an Avista Utilities substation early Monday morning caused a power outage for 5,800 Coeur d’Alene customers. And Monday afternoon a brief downtown Spokane power …
Pacinian hopes new technology leads to keyboard evolution

January 8, 2012 in Business on Page E1 In the 1970s and 1980s three local firms – General Instrument and Key Tronic, both in Spokane, and Coeur d’Alene’s Advanced Input Devices – were the worldwide leaders in the … 5
Social media sobriety test helped local digital ad agency

December 27, 2011 in City on Page A1 About a year ago the developers at Spokane digital ad agency 14Four had fun making a “social media sobriety kit” to help stop people from drunkenly posting on Facebook or …