Longtime EIRMC executive Lou Fatkin retiring

Lou Fatkin

After 36 years of service, Lou Fatkin, Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center’s executive director of risk management, is retiring.

During his career, which dates back to the days of Idaho Falls Consolidated Hospitals, Fatkin has held positions in Medical Staff Relations and served as the hospital’s ethics and compliance officer.

In November 1979, Idaho Falls had two hospitals, Parkview and Riverview. Fatkin had offices and worked in both facilities. In all, he has been associated with five hospital management companies, including Intermountain Healthcare, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), HealthTrust, Columbia, and again HCA.

“Lou is one of the most passionate and dedicated people I've ever worked with,” said Brenda Baumgartner Stanley, a former EIRMC colleague. “He truly loved his job and the people he worked with. I also don't ever remember him not being happy. He just always seemed to have this upbeat and positive attitude. I am sure he will be missed.”

Cindy Smith-Putnam, another former EIRMC colleague, said Catkin’s office was called “The Confessional.”

“Doctors, employees, patients, families ... everyone trusted Lou as a guy you can really talk to,” she said. “And he loved the hospital. The throb of the days, no two ever alike. Several times, we laughed so hard we cried. There will be a gaping hole at EIRMC when he cycles, skis or runs off into his retirement.”

Fatkin said he feels grateful for his career. “Over the years, I have been fortunate to have worked with a number of hospital administrations,” he said. “In all, I will miss the whole EIRMC staff, who I consider my family.”

Sunnyside Road Popeyes set to open Monday

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Ammon is scheduled to open Monday.

Here we go, the first big restaurant news of the year: Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen in Ammon's Sandcreek Commons Shopping Center is scheduled to open Monday, Jan. 11.

This is the fourth in Idaho, but part of a six-restaurant expansion into the state. Norcal Cajun Foods, a company in Concord, Calif., has the rights to franchise Popeyes in Idaho.

Norcal has opened Popeyes in Nampa, Caldwell and Boise. In addition to Ammon, it also has plans for Pocatello and Twin Falls. The company has 17 Popeyes in Northern California.

Popeyes dates back to 1972, when Alvin C. Copeland, Sr. opened a restaurant called Chicken on the Run in the New Orleans suburb of Arabi, serving traditional Southern fried chicken. After several months of mediocre sales, he changed the menu to spicy, New Orleans-style chicken and renamed the restaurant Popeyes, after the character Popeye Doyle in the movie “The French Connection.”

The menu features Cajun-style fried chicken and seafood that is typically served with buttermilk biscuits and a variety of sides, including Cajun rice, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, or french fries.

Today, there are more than 2,000 Popeyes in the United States and 25 foreign countries. Only 40 Popeyes locations are company-owned, according to the business profile on Hoovers.com.

Idaho places fourth in 2015 moving destination study

Idaho has placed in the top 5 as “Top Moving Destination,” as Americans continue to pack up and head West and South. Those are the results of United Van Lines' 39th Annual National Movers Study, which tracks customers' state-to-state migration patterns over the past year.

Oregon was the most popular moving destination of 2015, with 69 percent of moves to and from the state being inbound. The state has continued to climb the ranks, increasing inbound migration by 10 percent over the past six years.

With 61 percent moves inbound, opposed to 39 percent outbound, Idaho ranked No. 4, behind Oregon, South Carolina and Vermont.

The Southern states also saw a high number of people moving in with 53 percent of total moves being inbound. In a separate survey of its customers, United Van Lines found the top reasons for moving South included company transfer/new job, retirement and proximity to family.

The Northeast continues to experience a moving deficit with New Jersey (67 percent outbound) and New York (65 percent) making the list of top outbound states for the fourth consecutive year. Two other states in the region — Connecticut (63 percent) andMassachusetts (57 percent) — also joined the top outbound list this year. The exception to this trend is Vermont (62 percent inbound), which moved up two spots on the list of top inbound states to No. 3.

"For nearly 40 years, we've been tracking which states people are moving to and from, and we've also recently started surveying our customers to understand why they are making these moves across state lines," said Melissa Sullivan, director of marketing communications at United Van Lines. "Because of United Van Lines' position as the nation's largest household goods mover, our data is reflective of national migration trends."

"This year's data reflects longer-term trends of people moving to the Pacific West, where cities such as Portland and Seattle are seeing the combination of a boom in the technology and creative marketing industry, as well as a growing 'want' for outdoor activity and green space," said Michael Stoll, economist, professor and chair of the Department of Public Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. "The aging Boomer population is driving relocation from the Northeast and Midwest to the West and South, as more and more people retire to warmer regions."

United has tracked migration patterns annually on a state-by-state basis since 1977. For 2015, the study is based on household moves handled by United within the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C. United classifies states as "high inbound" if 55 percent or more of the moves are going into a state, "high outbound" if 55 percent or more moves were coming out of a state or "balanced" if the difference between inbound and outbound is negligible.

Moving In

The top inbound states of 2015 were:
1. Oregon
2. South Carolina
3. Vermont
4. Idaho
5. North Carolina
6. Florida
7. Nevada
8. District of Columbia
9. Texas
10. Washington

The Western U.S. is represented on the high-inbound list by Oregon (69 percent), Nevada (57 percent) and Washington (56 percent). Of moves to Oregon, a new job or company transfer (53 percent) and wanting to be closer to family (20 percent) led the reasons for most inbound moves. Nevada remained on the high inbound list for the fifth consecutive year.

Moving Out 
The top outbound states for 2015 were:
1. New Jersey
2. New York
3. Illinois
4. Connecticut
5. Ohio
6. Kansas
7. Massachusetts
8. West Virginia
9. Mississippi
10. Maryland

Chamber annual membership meeting set for Jan. 19

Tom Van Hemelryck

The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce has scheduled its annual membership meeting for Jan. 19 from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Willard Arts Center, 450 A Street.

The meeting is aimed at giving members and non-members a look at how the chamber aided local business in 2015, and to review new objectives for 2016. Volunteer recognition is part of the program. 

There will be a special presentation on the economic outlook for 2016 from Tom Van Hemelryck, Idaho president of Washington Federal. A native of Montana, Van Hemelryck joined Washington Federal in 2013 and oversees 27 branch locations. He serves on a number of business and non-profit boards. He was the 2015 recipient of the Idaho Business Review “Money Makers” award.

Admission is $10 for members, $12 for non-members. Registration must be made by Jan. 15 and can be done online here: Membership Meeting Registration.

Idaho Falls Power GM elected to chair UAMPS

Jackie Flowers

Jackie Flowers, general manager of Idaho Falls Power, was elected chairwoman of the board of directors of the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems at the recent 2015 UAMPS member meeting in Salt Lake City. Flowers is the first woman to be elected to the UAMPS Board of Directors.

At Idaho Falls Power, Flowers manages 68 employees and a $70 million budget. In addition to providing electric service, the utility owns and maintains four hydropower plants, maintains nearly 450 miles of transmission and distribution lines, and manages the city’s dark fiberoptic network.

Flowers came to Idaho Falls from Sheridan, Wyo. She is a registered professional engineer with a background in civil engineering and more than 20 years of experience. She has served on the UAMPS board for a number of years, recently as chairwoman of two key committees – the Horse Butte Wind Project Committee and the Carbon Free Power Project Committee.

Mike Lehto

The Horse Butte project, located 16 miles east of Idaho Falls, consists of 32 wind turbines generating 57.6 megawatts of electricity. The Carbon Free Power Project committee is investigating the viability of developing a small modular nuclear reactor project, possibly on the Department of Energy’s Idaho site west of Idaho Falls.

Also at the UAMPS meeting, Mike Lehto, president of the Idaho Falls City Council, was honored as Champion of Public Power. The award is given to someone from one of UAMPS’ 45 communities who has provided exceptional service to municipal public power.

Lehto was unable to attend the meeting, and Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper accepted the award on his behalf. He has served as the council's liaison to the Idaho Falls Power for 15 years. During the West Coast energy crisis of 2002, Lehto was led the city’s effort to establish and maintain a strong risk management policy and healthy rate stabilization fund.

He was nominated to the American Public Power Association’s Policy Maker Council in 2005. He was awarded the Spencer Vanderlinden Public Official Award in 2011.

Lehto did not run for re-election this fall and will be stepping down from the City Council in January.

UAMPS is a joint action agency providing wholesale electricity and electric energy services to 45 public power utility members in eight Western states. Established in 1980, it helps its members with planning, financing, development, acquisition, construction, operation and maintenance of various projects for the generation, supply, transmission and management of electric energy.