AmeriTitle, Alliance Title & Escrow, now have same parent company

Two of the largest independent regional title and escrow companies in the Pacific Northwest, Alliance Title & Escrow Corp. and AmeriTitle Inc., have joined to create the largest independent title and escrow group in the Pacific Northwest, with more than 600 title and escrow professionals and 73 offices operating in five states.

The companies, both of which have offices in Idaho Falls, will maintain their separate brand identities.

"This is an ideal combination of two great regional companies," said Larry Matney, CEO of Futura Title & Escrow, which announced this morning it had bought AmeriTitle. "Our operations are very compatible and our customers and employees will benefit greatly from the geographical coverage, scale and service capabilities of the new organization."

AmeriTitle founder and president Linda Stelle will remain in her current position. "As we considered the sale of our company, it was important to align with a parent company that was as deeply committed to the Pacific Northwest as we are," she said. "As always, service with commitment to our local communities and customers will be among our highest priorities at AmeriTitle."

Headquartered in Bend, Ore.,  AmeriTitle is one of the largest title and escrow companies in the Pacific Northwest. With nearly 300 employees in offices in Oregon, Idaho and Washington. Boise-based Alliance Title & Escrow Corp. dates back to the 1800s and became part of the Futura Corporation family of companies in the spring of 1995.  It has 33 branch operations throughout Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming.

Some reading for the dreamers

Here are a few links I've run across lately in the "do what you love and the money will follow" department. The first one, from the New York Times, had the catchy headline of "Following Your Bliss, Right Off the Cliff."

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/your-money/the-painful-but-liberating-lessons-of-a-career-failure.html?_r=0

The second is from the Onion, so it's satire, but like all good satire it has an element of truth: "Find the Thing You're Most Passionate About, Then Do It On Nights and Weekends for the Rest of Your Life."

http://www.theonion.com/articles/find-the-thing-youre-most-passionate-about-then-do,31742/

BTW, my band, Happyville, is playing at The Celt on Saturday night.

Mayor's Business Day is Tuesday at Shilo Inn

Here's the schedule for the 4th Annual Mayor’s Business Day in Idaho Falls, Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at O’Callahan’s inside the Shilo Inn, 780 Lindsay
Boulevard.

Job Fair: Sponsored by the Idaho Department of Labor, 8-11 a.m. Employers interested in participating in the job fair should contact Julie Buttars at Julie.buttars@labor.idaho.gov or by phone, (208) 557-2500, ext. 3562.

Keynote Speaker & Luncheon: John Watts, Partner, Veritas Advisors and lobbyist for the Idaho
Chamber Alliance will present the “2013 Legislative Session Overview” at the luncheon from noon to 1:30 p.m. The cost is $25 per person. Seating is limited. RSVP’s are required at
www.idahofallschamber.com or by emailing kmccullough@idahofallschamber.com.

Business-to-Business Tradeshow: In conjunction with the keynote speaker and job fair, the Greater
Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce will hold the business-to-business tradeshow from 1:30 to 5 p.m., with more than 40 business vendors displaying their products and services. The tradeshow is open to the public. For more information about the tradeshow, please contact Kerry McCullough, programs and events coordinator with chamber at kmccullough@idahofallschamber.com or call (208)
523-1010. 

Reception: The day will finish with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m.

For more information about this event, visit www.idahofallschamber.com.

Boot Barn plans to open in Ammon; recruiting in Idaho Falls this week

Boot Barn, a Western footwear chain based in Irvine, Calif., with stores in 11 states, is planning to open a store in Ammon in late May and is holding a job fair for managers Thursday and Friday.

The store will be in the Ammon Town Center, where Fashion Bug used to be. The job fair will be at the Idaho Falls Residence Inn by Marriott, 635 W. Broadway, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

The company has more than 85 locations throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Tennessee and Idaho (Boise and Twin Falls). It carries such brands as Wolverine, Caterpillar, Timberland Pro, Chippewa, Doc Martens, Carhartt, Wrangler, Levis, Chippewa, Danner, Justin, American Worker, Georgia and Rocky.

Bill's Bike Shop opens in new location, sells first bike

A view of the sales floor at Bill's Bike Shop, which opened today at Snake River Landing.

Bill's Bike Shop's, an Idaho Falls institution since 1947, sold its first bike at its new location this morning, a carbon-fiber Cannondale Stumpjumper mountain bike to Jeff Hobbs.

The new store is at 930 Pier View Drive in Snake River Landing. "(It's) what I've been envisioning all along," said Gary Wight, who bought the business from longtime owner Stan Murdock in 2010. With 10,000 square feet store the store features massive tri-level displays, a large classroom and an expanded service area equipped with the latest gear, to help the staff keep up with the massive amount of repair work they do.

The future of the store on South Holmes Avenue, where Bill's has been since 1987, remains uncertain. The current lease goes through August, and they are using it as a warehouse and a place to build bikes.

Wight said that when it came to finding a bike-friendly location, Snake River Landing, with its miles of paved trails and access to the Idaho Falls Greenbelt, presented itself as an ideal place. "I wanted to be where it was bicycle friendly," he said.

The date for a grand opening will be announced later. To find out more about the business, visit the Web page at: http://www.billsbike.com/. On Facebook, they can be found at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bills-Bike-Shop/231427136940710.

Bill's Bike Shop owner Gary Wight in his new office.