BOOM 

Growth in the network of small towns that make up the Magic Valley has been good for Twin Falls businesses.
Con Paulos described Twin Falls as being “wildly on track.”
“I think we are becoming a boom town, to be very honest with you,” said Paulos, long-time owner of Magic Valley car dealerships.
Residents from Kimberly, Buhl, Jackpot — even Hailey and Bellvue — travel to Twin Falls for the items they can’t find in small towns. In the old days that meant department stores and car dealers. Now it means franchise retail and the mall.
And as the Magic Valley’s small towns are growing with an influx of retirees and former Californians, they are fueling a boom in Twin Falls.
“We have a lot of new people moving into town, opening up businesses, who are here from California,” said Bob Ringer of Hammack Management. “Three years ago there were quite a few empty spaces. One of our shopping centers was 25 percent vacant. Now it’s 3 or 4 percent vacant.”
The town is also growing beyond its traditional commercial footprint. For years it was Blue Lakes Boulevard or nothing for a viable retail business. Now there’s new development on Pole Line Road not far from the canyon, and more is planned. That’s fueled in part by a widening of Pole Line, which will be officially unveiled later this month.
Mitch Humble was hired earlier this year as the community development director for the city of Twin Falls. Last month he was in the middle of a search for an economic development director for the town.
“Since I’ve been here, there hasn’t been a whole lot of empty retail,” Humble said with a soft Texas drawl.
New retail centers are in development, including one at Washington and Pole Line, with Wal-Mart expected to be the anchor tenant. The next nearest Wal-Mart is in Jerome, Humble said.
A little west down Pole Line from that development is a plot of land being considered for a retail subdivision. The site has been zoned, Humble said, and preliminary platting was done last month.
As the hub city for the Magic Valley, Twin Falls has an influx of people each day who work at the large employers that have found the town in recent years.
Solo Cup has a presence in the area. Jayco, a recreational vehicle company, is expanding its production plant in Twin Falls, Humble said, and is planning two more buildings in town.
When Jayco opened the plant in Twin Falls two years ago, the company projected 80 employees. Today the plant employs almost 200, and the expansion may mean another 125 jobs.
Dell, the computer manufacturer, has a call center in Twin Falls that employs between 700 and 800, Humble said. And the Magic Valley dairy industry has exploded with small family spreads expanding to offer everything from artisan cheeses to raw material for prepackaged macaroni and cheese.
“That’s the stuff we’re happy about,” he said.
Commercial facilities are no longer empty, and the average wage has climbed $2 per hour, Paulos said.
“Unemployment has been as low as 2.5 percent,” he said.
Paulos’ car dealerships in Twin Falls and Jerome are growing, despite the fickle nature of the industry.
“Overall our businesses are very healthy,” he said. “We’ve seen substantial growth over the 27 years I’ve been there.”
He’s served on the Twin Falls Chamber of Commerce board for five years. He served two terms on the Jerome Chamber of Commerce and has twice been past president of that group. He said the boom is a result of 25 years of focus on the economic development of the region.
Five years ago Jerome and Twin Falls joined together in a regional effort to promote the area. The communities of the Mini-Cassia region joined in, as did Buhl and other small towns. Even Blaine County to the north participated, Paulos said.
But it’s Twin Falls that’s felt the best of the boom. It’s allowing city officials to focus on projects the city has found difficult to accomplish, like rejuvenating the classic downtown neighborhood.
Part of Humble’s job is urban renewal, and the urban area there is to renew in Twin Falls was an appealing part of his new job. Downtown Twin Falls is on the south side of the city, far away from the freeway, canyon and retail traffic.
“There is so much potential there to be a great destination,” he said. “When I showed up in town for the job interview, the first time I was here, one of the first things I sort of latched onto is this great, great downtown.”

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