Yoram Bauman, a pretty funny and witty guy, will make his first Spokane appearance Nov. 14 at Gonzaga University. Bauman calls himself “the world’s first stand-up economist.” This YouTube video here shows him at work recently at a Seattle club. Sadly, his GU appearance will…
A lot of money is pouring into Washington by opponents and supporters of I-522, the initiative that would require labeling of genetically modified foods or ingredients. To look at the money raised to oppose the initiative by its main lobbyist, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, check…
It would be hard to find today's local business story looking for it on Spokesman.com. It's just one of two locally written business stories, but we sometimes make it hard to find them. The story looks at the efforts of startup firm Business Texter, a…
Due to the government shutdown earlier this month, Washington's monthly and Spokane County's monthly September employment report will be delayed. It will be combined with the October report, The state report comes out Wednesday, Nov. 20. The Spokane County (and other county) reports comes out…
Amazon on Tuesday unveiled another Kindle promotion, a service called Kindle MatchBook. It works this way. If you've purchased hardcover or softcover physical books from Amazon, the company will give you at least a 69 percent discount on a Kindle ebook version of that book.…
Spokane game maker Cyan Inc. is close to two-thirds of the target goal on its Kickstarter funding campaign. It's trying to raise $1.1 million using crowdfunding from fans and supporters to develop its next game, currently titled Obduction. The campaign has 18 days to go.
So far, 47 states now have bans on the serious problem of teen drivers, and others, driving while texting. A blog at Mother Jones magazine has compiled this map that also lists the maximum penalties for first-time offender, and according to where you live, the…
View Larger Map Maryland-based alcohol retailer Total Wine & More will open its first Spokane Valley store on Nov. 21. The new building, at 13802 E. Indiana Ave., is 25,000 square feet. The company’s first Spokane location, at 9980 N. Newport Hwy., is roughly the…
More chances to take sides on the Walt Worthy downtown Convention Center hotel. Not that we take any sides in the matter. The latest architect's rendering is shown here, thanks to efforts by Worthy's Davenport Hotel Collection company. Also here (below) is a PFD document…
View Larger Map Spokane attorney John Munding has moved his law office from the Davenport Tower to the former Bloomsday organization office, at 1610 W. Riverside Ave. Munding paid $326,000 for the 3,500-square-foot office building. Earlier this year the Lilac Bloomsday Association vacated the building…
There are people out there who really need a carbon stack for their truck. Some even know that what they really want is a carbon stack made by Deviant, a company that makes a number of specialized vehicle accessories. It's come to our attention, through…
Red Lion Hotels has added a Los Angeles property as a new franchise operation. The Red Lion Hotel Ontario Airport, 204 N Vineyard Ave., is roughly 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. The former Ayres Grand Boutique Suites has 107 rooms and suites and…
Earlier this week we called out to find the company behind the Purcella campaign, for Purcell Systems. We learned that the work was done locally, by Spokane design and advertising firm BHW1. Here are the credits for that Purcella campaign: Creative Director Tony Hines came…
Cyan Inc., the company based in Mead that developed Myst and Riven and spinoffs from that franchise, announced on Thursday it's developing a Kickstarter campaign to build a new game. They call the new game Obduction. It's described this way in a release: "Obduction is…
Dateline Olympia: Washington AG Bob Ferguson on Wednesday filed suit in Thurston County Superior Court, claiming the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) raised and spent campaign money to oppose Initiative 522 without identifying its contributors. That violates campaign disclosure laws, Ferguson's office said in the suit.…
Climate change is on the agenda Wednesday, when Washington Gov. Jay Insell comes to Spokane to take part in the first of three Climate Legislative Executive Workgroup (CLEW) meetings. The meetings have the goal of promoting carbon reduction and clean energy investment, according to a…
So while we ponder the impact of EnerSys buying Spokane Valley-based manufacturing firm Purcell Systems, another question looms. With the acquisition by the much much larger EnerSys, what happens to Purcella? Purcella is the fanciful, slightly bizarre animated figure created by some marketing folks to…
Is Washington a bad state for business or isn't it? For many, it's a matter of faith that Washington picks on businesses with a relentless list of taxes, led by the oft-maligned Business and Occupation tax. The Tax Foundation, however, begs to differ. According to…
View Larger Map William Webster, who has run several Spokane-area eateries, has opened Webster’s Saloon at 1914 N. Monroe St. The new business is taking the space last used by Working Class Heroes. The full-service bar will serve lunch and dinner seven days a week.…
Those crazy guys who recently launched online bartering platform Barters Closet (www.barterscloset.com) are now looking to beef up their piggy bank to move the company forward. They recently started an Indiegogo effort to raise $70,000 to build a mobile app. They describe the company's business…
Governor Jay Inslee will comes to Spokane next week to present the keynote remarks during Greater Spokane Incorporated's State of the Green Economy meeting at The Davenport Hotel. The event is Oct. 16 (Wednesday), with doors opening at 3 p.m. with the program beginning at…
Spokane entrepreneur Brooke Martin won second place in the recent 3M Discovery Education Young Scientist Challenge, held in Minneapolis. We profiled Martin and her innovation, icPooch, in a recent SR story. She finished right behind the winner, a young lad named Peyton Robinson who devised…
This is the view looking down from a helicopter at the site of Walt and Karen Worthy's downtown Spokane convention center hotel. It will include 70,000 square feet of meeting space in more than 25 meeting rooms and a 19,000-square-foot ballroom. The project also includes…
Michael Senske, president and CEO of manufacturing company Pearson Packaging Systems, is the new chair of the Greater Spokane Incorporate board of trustees. His one-year term started this week. Linda Elkin, Spokane Region President of U.S. Bank, was elected chair-elect and will be begin her…