Coldwater Creek lauded by EPA

Coldwater Creek has received a 2006 Green Power Leadership award from the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy for being the largest purchaser of renewable energy in the apparel industry.

Coldwater Creek received the award Monday at the 11th National Renewable Marketing Conference in San Francisco.

The Sandpoint-based retailer will offset 100 percent of its energy use this year through wind power purchased through renewable energy certificates. The certificates represent 45,000 megawatts of power. Coldwater Creek is committed to making a “positive impact on global climate change” by supporting cleaner technologies and helping develop the market for green power, said Chairman Dennis Pence.

Coldwater Creek was one of 22 organizations honored for voluntary efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.

Spokane Valley

Crown West buys Denver property

Crown West Realty, a privately owned real estate investment, development and management company, has purchased an $11.4 million office complex in Denver.

The Spokane Valley-based firm owns the Spokane Business & Industrial Park and is in the midst of expanding its holdings.

The Denver property, which has two buildings and 100,800 square feet of space, is the second significant acquisition by Crown West in the past few months.

Coeur d’Alene

CdA Realtors seeking new exec

The Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors has started a search for a new executive director after Carrie Oja left to take a job at a local real estate company.

Oja was the executive director of the association for about seven years. She’s now employed as the manager of Century 21 Beutler & Associates’ Post Falls office.

“It was a wonderful opportunity that I couldn’t turn down,” said Oja, who made the transition last month.

Pat Hartman, president of the Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors, said the board has begun interviewing job candidates to replace Oja. The trade association represents more than 1,000 real estate agents and other real estate professionals in Kootenai County.

Seattle

Homeowners can post offers online

A real-estate site that publishes estimated values for about 70 million U.S. homes began letting homeowners and real-estate agents post sale offers online Thursday.

Zillow.com said its new, free service will let users load photos, descriptions of homes for sale and commentary on their neighborhood.

Homeowners can set a price they hope would close the sale quickly, and prospective buyers could contact them through an anonymous e-mail system. Real-estate agents will be able to attach their contact information to home-sale offers they post and link to listings on separate Web sites, the company said.