A second Dutch Bros. Coffee is in the works for Idaho Falls, at 830 E. 17th Street, where Wendy’s used to be.
The city of Idaho Falls Building Department approved the permit application on Monday from Adam Garcia of HB Architecture in Nampa. The owner is listed as Kyle Cooper of Needles Eye Holding, a company located in Eagle. The building will be 2,335 square feet, and the permit application gives an estimated value of $550,000.
This is obviously going to be some cause of excitement for you BizMojo Idaho readers. When I posted about the first Dutch Bros., which is going up on Woodruff Avenue where Sarah’s Candy Cottage used to be, the response made me wonder if Russian bots had suddenly taken an interest in my humble, hyperlocal online business updater. As of this morning, the counter on my stats page shows there have been 62,667 page views for that post alone (since its inception in September 2011, BizMojo has logged 1.3 million page views, in case you’re interested.)
Anyway, there you have it: Dutch Bros. No. 2. I've actually been waiting for this, since a tipster told me in November that this would be happening, but corporate types are tight lipped and I don't want to go reporting something before there is official verification.
The Tru by Hilton hotel that was built last year in Lancaster, Pa. One is slated for construction in Idaho Falls this year.
It looks like another Hilton hotel is going to be built on Lindsay Boulevard, this one a Tru by Hilton just south of the Hilton Garden Inn.
The city of Idaho Falls Building Department approved a permit application Thursday from B&T Hotels IV LLC for a 43,102-square-foot hotel at 680 Lindsay Boulevard. Once the site of the Stardust Motor Lodge, the land is at the northeastern corner of where Lindsay merges with Utah Avenue. The job value on the permit is estimate at $5.55 million. The contractor is Headwaters Construction Co. of Victor.
Hilton announced the Tru brand, its 14th, in January 2016, billing it as its re-entry into the midscale hotel segment. In 2017 Hilton opened its first-ever Tru property, in Oklahoma City followed by eight additional hotel locations, and expanded internationally with signed deals for three locations in Canada. At the latest count, 470 Tru hotels were slated to be built.
”I ultimately think this will be our biggest brand over time," Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta said at the time of the brand’s announcement, pointing out that 40 percent of demand for hotel rooms is in the midscale segment, e.g. brands such as Comfort Inn by Choice Hotels and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott.
Rates at Tru are in the $90 to $100 range. The brand is especially intended appeal to people in their 20s and early 30s who tend to favor modern design, public spaces where they can work and socialize, and advanced technology such as mobile check-in, according to the company’s webpage. Local snacks and drinks, including single-serving beer and wine, are available from a grab-and-go area. A build-your-own breakfast station is complimentary, and coffee and tea are free throughout the day. The play area features a large TV, and activities such as ping pong and foosball tables. Wi-Fi is free. Rooms come with either a king bed or double queen beds, in sizes of 231 or 275 square feet.
Just to keep you on the page longer, here's a video to watch.
The city of Idaho Falls Building Department has released figures for 2017, showing levels that held roughly even with 2016.
Total building construction valuation for the year was $96,392,830, representing a .66 percent drop from 2016, which posted valuation of $97,032,026. Revenue for the building division in 2017 was $829,719, which included $37,3446 in contractor licensing fees.
New commercial building projects were up 20 percent in 2017, and new single family housing starts were up 7 percent. The total number of permits issued in 2017 was 2,149, a .326 percent increase over 2016.
Idaho National Laboratory research scientist Dong Ding is developing direct carbon fuel cells.
Advancements in a fuel cell technology powered by solid carbon could make electricity generation from resources such as coal and biomass cleaner and more efficient, according to a new paper published by Idaho National Laboratory researchers.
The fuel cell design incorporates innovations in three components: the anode, the electrolyte and the fuel. Together, these advancements allow the fuel cell to utilize about three times as much carbon as earlier direct carbon fuel cell (DCFC) designs.
The fuel cells also operate at lower temperatures and showed higher maximum power densities than earlier DCFCs, according to INL materials engineer Dong Ding. The results appear in the Jan. 25 edition of the journal Advanced Materials, and are featured on its inside front cover.
Whereas hydrogen fuel cells (e.g., proton exchange membrane (PEM) and other fuel cells) generate electricity from the chemical reaction between pure hydrogen and oxygen, DCFCs can use any number of carbon-based resources for fuel, including coal, coke, tar, biomass and organic waste.
Because DCFCs make use of readily available fuels, they are potentially more efficient than conventional hydrogen fuel cells. “You can skip the energy-intensive step of producing hydrogen,” Ding said.
So far, DCFCs have had several drawbacks. They operate at extremely high temperatures — 700 to 900 degrees Celsius — making them less efficient and less durable. As a consequence of those high temperatures, they’ve required expensive materials that can handle the heat. These limitations have inhibited DCFCs' ability to effectively utilize carbon fuel.
Ding and his colleagues addressed these challenges by designing a true direct carbon fuel cell that’s capable of operating at below 600 degrees Celsius. The fuel cell makes use of solid carbon, which is finely ground and injected via an airstream into the cell. The researchers tackled the need for high temperatures by developing an electrolyte using highly conductive materials: doped cerium oxide and carbonate. These materials maintain their performance under lower temperatures.
Next, they increased carbon utilization by developing a 3-D ceramic textile anode design that interlaces bundles of fibers together like a piece of cloth. The fibers themselves are hollow and porous. All of these features combine to maximize the amount of surface area that’s available for a chemical reaction with the carbon fuel.
Finally, the researchers developed a composite fuel made from solid carbon and carbonate. “At the operating temperature, that composite is fluidlike,” Ding said. “It can easily flow into the interface.” The molten carbonate carries the solid carbon into the hollow fibers and the pinholes of the anode, increasing the power density of the fuel cell.
The resulting fuel cell looks like a green, ceramic watch battery that’s about as thick as a piece of construction paper. A larger square is 10 centimeters on each side. The fuel cells can be stacked on top of one another depending on the application. The Advanced Materials journal posted a video abstract here:
The technology has the potential for improved utilization of carbon fuels, such as coal and biomass, because direct carbon fuel cells produce carbon dioxide without the mixture of other gases and particulates found in smoke from coal-fired power plants, for example. This makes it easier to implement carbon capture technologies, Ding said.
The advanced DCFC design has already attracted notice from industry. Ding and his colleagues are partnering with Salt Lake City-based Storagenergy, Inc., to apply for a Department of Energy Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)-Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) funding opportunity. The results will be announced in February. A Canadian energy-related company has also shown interest in these DCFC technologies.
To commemorate the new galleries housing the design studios, Blacker’s is hosting a ribbon cutting with the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday at 1 p.m., at their 1530 E. Lincoln Road location.
“We are thrilled to add the HGTV Home Design Studio by Basset to our stores,” said Blacker’s upholstery buyer, Connie Wood. “This design studio will allow our customers to be inspired by the freshest home interior looks in the country, and gives them the ability to customize their own comfort and look, in sought-after HGTV color and style.”
HGTV Home Design Studio by Bassett allows customers to create custom furniture or a room makeover plan unique to their own style and preferences.
Collin Cook
“Working with Blacker’s to bring the exclusive HGTV Home Design Studio by Bassett to Idaho was a natural”, said Bassett area representative Greg Johnson. “They have spacious showrooms and a deep customer base that covers from Jackson Hole, and surrounding Wyoming areas, to all the way up and down this valley. Besides having the space, Blacker’s has the vision, and the 40-plus years of experience necessary to showcase such a unique and high-quality line.”
“Adding this new line with the design studio galleries is very exciting for our stores and our communities. We were able to reconfigure our showrooms, making the Design Studio for HGTV by Bassett the centerpiece,” said Collin Cook, Blacker’s General Manager. “And we can’t wait to hear what our customers have to say of the results, and the fact that they no longer have to drive to another state to find it.”
Denise Stephens, retired chief information officer and director of information management for Idaho National Laboratory, has joined the board of directors for Bank of Idaho and the Bank of Idaho Holding Co.
Stephens also is a former member of the Department of Energy Cyber Council.
“Denise brings to the table over 20 years of experience as an information technology and cyber security leader,” said Jeff Newgard, CEO and president of Bank of Idaho, in a news release. “In this day of advanced technology and increased cyber threats, it is a great benefit to the Bank of Idaho to have Denise on the board to lend her expertise.”
Stephens is a graduate of the University of Missouri with a Master of Business Administration. In 2017 she was named one of the Idaho Business Review’s Women of the Year for her efforts and dedication to INL.
Citrus Pear, a a meal preparation company based in Smithfield, Utah, has opened in the Ammon and Rexburg Broulim’s stores, offering weekly classes to help people make 10 to 40 simple crock pot and pressure cooker meals in two hours.
Around 10 to 15 people participate in each class, which are guided by a registered dietitian who monitors issues such as food allergies. Private classes also are available.
To sign up for a class or to create a private class, visit citruspeardinners.com. First classes in Ammon begin Feb. 6. The following dishes will be: 3 Bean Turkey Chili, Balsamic Chicken, Beef with Broccoli, Breakfast for Dinner, Cashew Chicken, Chicken Fajitas, Fresh Mexican Soup, Penne & Turkey Sausage, Sweet Pork, and Vegetable Beef Stew.
Registration is first-come-first-served. Each location offers approximately two to three classes per week. Prices: $185 for 10 meals feeding six to eight people; $195 for 20 meals feeding three to four people; $320 for 20 meals that feed six to eight people; and $332 for 40 meals that feed three to four people.
Participants need to bring a large container, such as a laundry basked or cooler with wheels (recommended), in which to place their dinners once they’re prepared. They are also advised to wear their hair back (the website makes no mention of hairnets, but there is a non-fashion reason they are used in institutional food service settings.)
Work spaces at the classes are equipped with cooking utensils, but participants are welcome to bring their own. Meal prep and clean-up are taken care of by the staff.
Melaleuca Senior Vice President of International Jerry Felton has been promoted to president of Melaleuca International. In this role, he will oversee all of Melaleuca’s international operations in the 16 countries where the company does business.
Felton has been with Melaleuca for nine years, starting as senior vice president of sales for three-and-a-half years before becoming senior vice president of international. In the last five years under Felton’s leadership Melaleuca’s international operations have tripled in size, and in the last three years international operations have grown by over $800 million in annual sales.
“Jerry has been a skillful administrator in leading Melaleuca’s operations both domestically and internationally,” said Melaleuca President and CEO Frank VanderSloot. “He is extremely well prepared to take on this role. Our 16 international companies are in good hands.”
Prior to Melaleuca, Felton spent 17 years at United Parcel Service, where he was the company’s Vice President of Global Accounts.
Based in Idaho Falls, Melaleuca manufactures and markets more than 450 natural health and wellness products, which are marketed through a unique systems of personal representatives. Started in 1985, the company recently announced it reached $2 billion in sales.
This is Bizmojo Idaho's "first baby" story: The city of Idaho Falls has its first commercial permit application of 2018. I wish it was something more exciting, e.g. Dutch Bros. Coffee, it is instead a humble remodel of the Shoe Dept. Encore store in Grand Teton Mall.
According to the permit application, the space is 10,157 square feet and the project valuation (based on square footage) is $267,315. The store is located on the mall’s south side, directly across from The Buckle.
The store is owned by Shoe Show, Inc., a company founded in 1960 in Kannapolis, N.C. According to the company’s web site, it has 1,137 locations in 45 states, doing business as Shoe Show, Shoe Dept. and Burlington Shoes.
The permit application was filed Thursday with the Idaho Falls Building Department.
