Snake River Landing Chosen as Location for Idaho Falls Event Center

IDAHO FALLS - After listening to public input and receiving eight possible proposal's for the site, the Idaho Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau has been busy thoroughly studying locations over the past nine months.

The committee shortened that list to three possible sites and submitted the properties to a consulting firm to make a final decision. Their final recommendation; Snake River Landing.

"Any one of the three would have been viable candidates for this project. However, that is farther along in it's development. There are plans for complimentary businesses that would work with the event center there and that edged out the other two," explains Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director, Bob Everhart.

The other two site locations would have forced construction to start basically from nothing. Snake River Landing already has immediate name recognition, plans in place to build, roads and infrastructure, parking availability, and a close proximity to hotels, restaurants and the interstate. The site selection committee also took in factors such as access to utilities and possibilities of sustainable energy sources.

Snake River Landing plans to hold the facility on the southwest corner of their property. They're also very excited about all the possibilities the event center brings for them.

"We have been excited that they're working on this process for a long time and have always supported the idea of having an event center and thought it would be a great thing for this community. We were just extremely excited when we found out that we'd been selected for the site," says Snake River Landing Chief Development Officer, Eric Isom.

Click here to read the full article from KIDK Channel 3.

Idaho SIOR Sees Improvement in the Office Market

It's great to hear news like this from fellow Idaho commercial real estate professionals!

From Idaho Business Review Reports...

Debbie Martin, president of the Idaho chapter of the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, maintains a positive attitude about an office market that remains sluggish but offers some opportunities.

She is “taking the market we have and dealing with it,” she said. Instead of waiting for conditions to improve, she’s staying proactive when it comes to finding and pursuing deals, and trying to put herself in the shoes of clients or prospective clients. She had more planned and expected deals in the pipeline as of the first week and a half of 2010 than she did during many periods of 2009, she said.

Click here for the full article.

Micron Goes Solar

Micron Technology took a big step toward entering the renewable engery industry on Jan. 14, with the announcement that it has entered into a joint venture with Australian firm Origin Energy Limited to develop solar photovoltaic technology.

Mark Durcan, president and COO of the Boise-based memory chip maker, stated: "As we have looked to leverage our core strengths in other markets, photovoltaic energy technology is a natural area of investigation.  Origin is a company with a significant interest and history in renewable energy technologies.  Combining our semiconductor manufacturing expertise with Origin's solar experience could result in a strong partnership."

Read the full article from the Idaho Business Review here.

AARP Tax-Aide to Locate in Sandcreek Plaza in Ammon

AARP Tax-Aide will be again be locating in Suite 107 at Sandcreek Plaza in Ammon, adjacent to Wal*mart Supercenter. AARP Tax-Aide is the nation's largest free, volunteer-run tax assistance and preparation service available to taxpayers with low- and moderate-income, with special attention to those age 60 and older.

According to Norm Kramer, AARP Tax-Aide District Coordinator, "All of the 40 tax counselors are IRS certified. Last year we prepared over 3500 tax returns, and the value of our service to the community was over $400,000." The local group has been serving the Idaho Falls area for 36 years. AARP membership is not required and they serve people of all ages.

Randy Waters and Brent Wilson with NAI Commerce One represented the landlord and AARP in the lease transaction. "These men and women go through training on their own time and its a great service that they provide to the community", said Waters.

AARP Tax-Aide will open their doors for walk-ins from February 1st through April 15th, and can be reached at 528-8887.

Nordic Windpower Announces Financing Deal

Berkeley, CA, January 5, 2010 – Nordic Windpower announced today that it has raised $38 million in a new financing round led by Khosla Ventures, a premier investor in clean technology companies. Joining Khosla Ventures in the Series C equity financing are New Enterprise Associates (NEA), one of the largest venture firms worldwide, Novus Energy Partners, a US/Europe-based investor in clean technology, and existing investor Impax Asset Management, a London-based fund. Other participants include I2BF Management, an international cleantech focused investment management group, and Pulsar Energy Capital.

“This investment represents a significant achievement for Nordic Windpower,” said Patricia Bellinger, Chairman of the Board of Nordic Windpower. “We are committed to greatly expanding access to our high quality, innovative two-bladed wind turbines to communities across America and beyond. The support of this world class group of investors led by Khosla Ventures will enable us to build and grow Nordic Windpower substantially, while contributing to global efforts to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and President Obama’s goal of energy independence.”

Click here to view the full Press Release from Nordic Windpower

About Nordic Windpower

Nordic Windpower designs, manufactures and sells innovative, two-bladed utility-scale wind turbines for community wind and utility markets worldwide. The company’s N1000 turbine has the lowest installed cost and highest reliability of any turbine in its class. Nordic Windpower’s patented, flexible teeter hub significantly extends mechanical life and lowers maintenance. With headquarters in Berkeley, CA, and a technology office in Bristol, UK, Nordic Windpower operates an assembly plant in Pocatello, Idaho. Visit www.nordicwindpower.com, or contact 322-2080 or (510) 665-9463 in Berkeley, CA.

Hoku Secures Financing to Complete Pocatello Plant

Chinese solar energy firm Tianwei New Energy Holdings Co., Ltd., is now – officially – the majority owner of Hoku Scientific, a Hawaii-based clean tech company building a polysilicon plant in Pocatello.

Dustin Shindo, chairman and CEO of Hoku, said the stock sale and subsequent financing agreements close a crucial funding gap for the Pocatello project, which had been slowed over the past year by shortfall of between $106 million and $121 million.

Full scale construction at the Pocatello plant is set to resume, and equipment that had been placed on hold pending Hoku’s receipt of financing is on its way, the company reported.

Read the full article from the Idaho Business Review by clicking here.

Other Regional Business News

Pacific Ethanol resumes production in Burley

Pacific Ethanol, Inc. on Jan. 6 said it resumed production at its Magic Valley facility in Burley, Idaho. The plant is designed to produce 60 million gallons of ethanol per year.   Click to read more