April Robinson and her sister Kim Reese are using a childhood of limited means to their advantage. They managed to launch a new business with an initial capital outlay of merely $2,000 by shopping wisely and utilizing what was already ...
Read More »Sisters open clothing store on a shoestring
U of I legal clinic works with SBDC to help Idaho startups 
The University of Idaho and Boise State may have had a longtime rivalry on the gridiron, but there is at least one area where the two institutions have been collaborating for a number of years to the benefit of small ...
Read More »Old Kuna firehouse ignited hot idea in chef, caterer 
Matthew O’Connor grew up in the hills of Hawaii. When he tells people he was born and raised in the nation’s 50th state – the only one comprised exclusively of islands – they assume he lived on the beach. Quite ...
Read More »Season pass model keeps Bogus on track 
Mike Shirley has been the general manager of Bogus Basin Mountain Recreation Area for 20 years. During a recent phone conversation, he answered a number of questions about Boise’s nearest mountaintop winter – and summer – sport location. Q. What’s ...
Read More »New beer blends keep brewers hopping
Rob Mullin figures he’s pretty lucky to be in the beer brewing industry right now. The American appetite for a good alcoholic beverage isn’t abating despite recessions, stock market gyrations, hurricanes or quakes. “People drink beer when things are going ...
Read More »Business owner writes business plans for others 
A frequently updated business plan is a primary ingredient for a smoothly run enterprise, but a well-written business plan is absolutely imperative in securing a startup or expansion loan. Local businessman Jim Greer, who owns all or part of five ...
Read More »Fed up with spam, couple launches secure, family-oriented website 
While there’s so much that’s good about the Internet, the ubiquitous presence of spam and scams is enough to drive the frequent ‘Net user bonkers. A local mother, Adrienne Disraeli, grew so frustrated with the unwanted solicitations she got from ...
Read More »Health plan providers go into ‘diversify to survive’ mode as reform leads to uncertainty 
With passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and the fact parts of the bill are set to kick in within the next couple of years, businesses and individuals are feeling a sense of uncertainty about ...
Read More »Green-box company supports frog restoration 
A Canadian company with an intriguing name is working to build franchises in the U.S., and Sarah Artis of Boise, in conjunction with Air Van, opened a branch of the firm called Frogbox in the Treasure Valley on July 19. ...
Read More »Inovus Solar takes a ‘dumb’ product and makes it brighter 
Thanks to employee inventiveness, Inovus Solar has a continued bright future in the lighting industry. The Boise-based company, which launched in 2007, makes and sells on-grid and off-grid solar light poles. While Inovus did not originate the solar light pole ...
Read More »