A note from the editor Dec. 23

Our annual Year in Review coverage looks a bit different this year.

To reflect on and wrap up 2022, we literally looked back on our coverage from January 2022 to the beginning of December 2022 and noticed some unifying themes across industries. Some challenges, such as labor force participation and housing availability, carried over from 2021 into 2022. Also maintaining its forefront position was growth, as more people continue to move into the state; therefore, infrastructure and utilities — from broadband to water — need to keep up and be kept up to support businesses in every industry. And while the Federal Reserve and other government bodies have intervened, inflation and its impacts appear to have a continued urgency heading into 2023. 

Our Year in Review focus section in this Dec. 23 edition recaps five significant and recurring topics of 2022 — labor and workforce, housing, inflation, infrastructure and water — while providing a look ahead into their potential significance and direction in the coming year.  

Additionally, though not directly in the focus section, a report of our annual Forum on the Future event is included in this publication, offering past, present and future insight into some of the above topics as well as complementary subjects, such as a business’s culture and strategic planning for growth. 

But before we look too far ahead and say goodbye to 2022, I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you and all of our readers and sponsors for supporting Idaho Business Review through this dynamic year. Thank you, and here’s to another year! Cheers! 

— Alx Stevens is the managing editor for the Idaho Business Review. Contact her at [email protected].