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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Columbia Tractor moving to West Plains

John Deere dealership is remodeling former Bonanza Ford facility

Darrell Moseley will move his John Deere dealership to the former Bonanza Ford building near the Four Lakes/Cheney exit off Interstate 90. (Dan Pelle)

Columbia Tractor will uproot its Spokane operations this summer and move to the former Bonanza Ford dealership site on state Route 904, just south of the Four Lakes/Cheney exit (exit 270) on Interstate 90.

General Manager Darrell Moseley said the new location will put the John Deere dealership closer to its farm customers and improve its visibility.

Columbia Tractor is now at 4009 E. Francis Ave.

The 17,890-square-foot building on 4.5 acres will carry a full line of Deere farm, commercial and residential equipment, Moseley said.

Baker Construction has begun demolition inside the building.

Moseley said Baker is moving walls in the service area and combining garage doors to create openings wide enough to accommodate combines that need servicing.

With tires, combines are about 14 feet tall, he said. The highest ceiling in the new building is 18 feet.

Bonanza Ford closed in December 2008.

WSU selling Jensen-Byrd Building

Washington State University has put the Jensen-Byrd Building up for sale.

Mel Taylor, university executive director for real estate and local relations, said a price has not been set pending the results of a new appraisal. A 2007 appraisal valued the 1.45-acre, 35,173-square-foot complex at $2.2 million, he said.

The building has three components: the original structure built in 1909, an addition made one year later, and a metal storage shed added in the 1970s.

Taylor said the building has been vacant at least 10 years. The university tried twice in recent years to find a partner to develop the building, without success, he said.

The university board of regents authorized the sale last week. Buyers already have shown interest, Taylor said, adding that the regents must approve any sale.

Proceeds are earmarked for supporting medical and bio-sciences education on the RiverPoint Campus, he said.

Banner Marketing relocates

Banner Marketing has moved into the Riverview Corporate Center at 16201 E. Indiana Ave. The marketing and advertising firm had been located in the Liberty Lake area.

Chief Executive Officer John Dresel said the move into the new 8,500-square-foot headquarters office will allow Banner to better serve clients, mainly furniture dealers; and increase sales using digital media, direct sales and other tools.

Banner employs 40 in its Spokane and East Coast offices.

Sushi eatery replacing Thai restaurant

Yuzen Sushi Restaurant will open later this summer in the former location of the Thai Bamboo, 5406 N. Division St.

This will be the first Spokane sushi house operated by Seattle-area based Honomoto Trading Company. It operates a sushi restaurant on Mercer Island. It’s leasing the building from Douglass Properties.

The new business will occupy 2,770 square feet; the restaurant will include a conveyor system to serve dishes to customers.

Pediatric dental office plans move

Pediatric dentist Dr. T. Joel Blake has purchased the former Spokane Valley office of Coldwell Banker Tomlinson Commercial at 721 N. Pines Road

Blake, who runs a practice at 12615 E. Mission Ave., will relocate to the 8,000-square-foot office this summer. The sale price was $1.05 million.

Mark McLees of NAI Black represented the buyer in the purchase. Joel Crosby of Tomlinson represented the seller.

Cousins open orthodontia clinic

Cousins Clay and Paul Damon recently opened Damon Orthodontics in a new office at 4102 S. Regal St. on Spokane’s South Hill.

The two cousins have operated individual orthodontia practices in Spokane. The new location will be a jointly run practice. Their fathers, Dwight and Floyd Damon, founded and operated orthodontic clinics in North Spokane and Spokane Valley.

They’ve taken 1,600 square feet in the building, which also has offices for Group Health and Coldwell Banker Tomlinson South real estate. Joel Crosby represented both sides in arranging the lease.

Reporter Tom Sowa contributed to this report. Here’s the Dirt is a weekly report on development and business changes in the Inland Northwest. Email business@spokesman.com or call (509) 459-5528.