Developer lines up Domino's, Subway for retail center

Compared to a few years ago, business construction in Ammon has slowed to a crawl, but to hear Dean Mortimer talk one would think the sun is beginning to shine again.

Mortimer’s company, Comfort Construction, is building an 11,000-square-foot retail strip center at 3379 E. 17^th Street, next door to Ace Hardware. His other company, Command Properties, has three tenants lined up for it: Domino’s Pizza, Subway and Salon Suites.

“What gave us the confidence to move forward was good solid tenants,” Mortimer said. He added that he’s seen quality retail space filling up in the past 12 months. The project is slated to be finished in May 2012.

Domino’s will own its own part of the building, while Subway will lease. Salon Suites, another one of Mortimer’s companies, leases beauty salon and massage therapy spaces to contractors who want to operate on their own.

Pointing to the Idaho Falls Labor Market Area’s September unemployment rate of 7 percent -- 2 percent below the statewide average -- Mortimer said he is optimistic about the local economy.

“The businesses we have are somewhat recession-proof,” he said. “We have the Idaho National Lab, Melaleuca’s a strong employer and agricultural prices are doing really well. Compared to some other places, we have a diversified economy.”