A note from the editor Dec. 3

Happy first week of December everyone! We hope you all had an enjoyable holiday, and that the new month is starting off well.

We’re kicking off our first edition of the month with a breadth of tech news. Reporter Catie Clark starts us with a review of a new smart cart being tested at an Albertsons in Eagle. She provides pros and cons of the cart in her page 1 piece.

Deeper into the edition, tech appears again in a story written by freelance writer Brooke Strickland, who shares an update on local clean battery tech company Joule Case. Our last in-depth tech article is found in our focus section (health care). Catie announces a new, potentially first-of-its-kind tool hospitals can use for patient transfers. It is being touted as an industry game changer.

Outside of the long tech-related pieces, Brooke also shares news of new franchises coming to Idaho, not a surprise given the state’s acclaimed business-friendly environment. There’s quite a few coming in, and more locations may follow.

As the winter season approaches and the construction season slows down, some projects are being completed in time for the shift. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture has a new facility and Meridian has a new multistory office building.

In other bite-sized news, our Biz ‘Bites’ section features quick announcements, including one long awaited by many in Idaho: Chobani has filed a public offering. You will also find updates about the Highway-55 closure, a crowdfunding campaign, several recently opened application periods, and more.

To round out news perspectives, our commentary section has some business advice, reflections on entrepreneurship in Idaho and advocacy for new policies that would, ideally, help address worker and supply chain shortages. Commentary ideas are always welcome; if you have one, we’d love to hear it.

Looking ahead, some of the above topics might reappear in our upcoming Forum on the Future event. There is still time to register to hear what our panelists have to say about current workforce, development, growth and wages trends and concerns. The Dec. 9 event is held in the late afternoon and features a two-part discussion. Registration is available online.

If you took a break from the news last week — which I wouldn’t blame you for — our Nov. 26 e-edition is conveniently available online. Topics include a potential future mine, power companies, community engagement, a new real estate firm and law.

To close, I’d like to share some news about us: Idaho Business Review is making a change. Publisher Cindy Suffa has shared that our digital presence is increasing. Don’t worry, our print edition is not going away; it’s moving to a more abbreviated schedule. More details to come!