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Whether it’s agriculture, tourism or energy, a look at the industries that shape Idaho’s economy and how they are affected by state policies.

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July 24, 2012

Tallying The Effects Of Agriculture In Idaho’s Magic Valley

A new report from the University of Idaho touts the economic importance of agriculture in central Idaho’s Magic Valley. Agribusiness exports directly or indirectly create a third of jobs in the six-county area, the U of I Extension analysis says. Those exports also directly or indirectly create two thirds of Magic Valley businesses’ sales, with […]

How Idaho Attracts Tourists Without Big-Budget TV Ads

If you watch much television, chances are, you’ve seen ads like this one luring people to visit Michigan… The Pure Michigan ad campaign has been one of the most successful state tourism campaigns in the U.S. In fact, Idaho Division of Tourism director Karen Ballard says the Michigan campaign has become the poster child for […]

July 18, 2012

Idaho Could Lose More Than 10,000 Defense-Related Jobs

As federal lawmakers debate how to avoid falling off the looming fiscal cliff, a report commissioned for the Aerospace Industries Association shows Idaho could lose 10,411 defense-related jobs. The U.S. could face job losses totaling two million, according to the report. Automatic budget cuts are scheduled to go into effect in January, unless lawmakers come […]

July 16, 2012

Why One Idaho Company Is Growing Its Own Workforce

Even with thousands of Idahoans out of work, one Boise-based company can’t find enough employees. Western States Equipment needs mechanic techs, jobs that by definition fall into the middle-skills category. About half of all Idaho jobs fall into this group: jobs like mechanics, welders, police officers, or air traffic controllers. These are jobs where you […]

July 12, 2012

Building In Boise’s Famed “Hole” Could Assist City’s Economic Recovery

Zions Bank broke ground today on the 18-story building that will take the place of the massive hole in the ground that has long been a feature of downtown Boise. The corner at 8th and Main has been vacant since the late 1980s, when a fire destroyed the Eastman building. That made the groundbreaking a […]

Idaho Housing Market Shows Steady Improvement

RealtyTrac’s midyear foreclosure report gives emphasis to the mantra we’ve been hearing all year about Idaho’s housing market: it’s improving. Idaho still clocks in at 16th on the housing data provider’s ranking of states’ foreclosure rates. But RealtyTrac’s numbers show the state’s rate fell by more than 10 percent from April through June, and by […]

July 11, 2012

A Rancher, A Logger, And Economic Fate In Rural Idaho

In Idaho, the timber and ag industries are heavy hitters. They play big roles in the state’s history and identity. But the recession has dealt them different hands, dividing rural Idaho into winners and losers. StateImpact Idaho takes a look at two industries, two counties, and two economic fates. Rancher Chris Black and his son, […]

June 28, 2012

A Boise Anti-Fraud Company Watches Business Grow 350 Percent

Boise-based anti-fraud company Kount has watched its business grow by more than 350 percent in the last year. That’s according to an article from the Idaho Business Review. “Fraud, especially credit card fraud, is nothing new in the marketplace, but it has only been a recent development that third-party companies focused specifically on Internet transactions […]

June 27, 2012

Horizon Air Chief In Boise As City Leaders Focus On Air Service

Early this year, Boise business leaders turned their attention to securing and maintaining strong air service in and out of the city. To that end, the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce established a new travel committee, and made preserving and attracting air service its chief focus. Flight availability, they said, is key to business recruitment […]

Was A Small Idaho Sawmill A Smart Way To Spend Stimulus Dollars?

It’s a rare thing for a small sawmill to try to get up and running while a crucial market driver for lumber — housing construction — remains in a national slump. So when the Emerald Forest Products mill reopened in Emmett, Idaho, this month, something unusual was happening. “That’s a news story,” timber industry expert Todd […]

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