Melaleuca announces record-breaking sales in 2015

Melaleuca released its annual report for 2015 Thursday and, as expected, the company announced another record-setting year in 2015 with annual sales exceeding $1.33 billion.

Headquartered in Idaho Falls since the mid-1980s, the company has grown 40 percent in the last five years alone.

Its U.S. and Canadian operations continue to lead in volume. Melaleuca also saw particularly high growth in its Asian markets, especially China. There are now more than 1.2 million households purchasing Melaleuca products on a monthly basis across the 18 countries where it operates. Melaleuca has more "preferred customers" — meaning loyal customers who order consistently month-after-month-than at any point in its history.

"Melaleuca is experiencing an era of explosive growth. We expect that to continue," said Frank VanderSloot, the company’s CEO, in a news release. "We continue to gain momentum as people experience our products. I think it's safe to say that Melaleuca products are being discovered around the world."

VanderSloot said he expects continued growth in 2016. “We are getting better in all that we do. “Our management team is getting stronger. Our scientists are getting better. Our processes are getting smoother.”

INL seeks housing for summer interns

Idaho National Laboratory through its contractor, Battelle Energy Alliance, is seeking temporary housing options for summer interns. These are typically undergraduate and graduate students from universities across the country who come to work at the laboratory for approximately 10 to 16 weeks. Most INL interns receive a housing stipend to help pay rent.
Temporary housing criteria may include, but are not limited, to:

• Furnished rooms or blocks of rooms
• Furnished apartments
• Ease of access to INL work locations in Idaho Falls and to the INL desert facilities
• Availability between early May and late August
• Clean, safe environment

To learn more – or to be considered for inclusion on the list of temporary housing options for interns – please send a description of the temporary housing and contact information to academic@inl.gov.

INL researchers develop microgrids for diversity, reliability, resilience

INL researchers Kurt Myers, left, and Robert Turk inspect solar panels at Utah’s Dugway Proving Ground.

This is the age of sharing, so in hopes of driving traffic to the inl.gov Web site, I'm posting a link to an article I wrote that was posted today (yes, I wear many different hats.) It's about microgrids, renewable energy and the work that researchers at the lab are doing in those areas.

Having lived here for almost 34 years, it has been fascinating to watch the evolution of what was at the time called the INEL. In 1982, "the site" was about nuclear energy, the Navy, reactors, etc. The non-Navy work was done for essentially two clients, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the commercial nuclear power industry. Today, "the lab" is about nuclear energy, but also about such things as electric vehicles, microgrids, flow batteries, biomass conversion and cyber-security. Stories such as the one I'm sharing here are allowing me to wrap my head around the importance of what's really happening.

Anyway, here's the link:

MICROGRIDS CAN ENHANCE DIVERSITY, RELIABILITY, RESILIENCE

Kneaders plans opening by end of July

Kneaders, a Utah-­based chain popular with many eastern Idahoans, has plans to open in Sand Creek Commons by the end of July this year, according to papers filed last week at the Ammon Building Department office.

The building permit filed March 30 shows plans for building of 4,214 square feet, with a kitchen and serving area of 2,226 square feet and a seating area of 1,618 square feet. Occupancy for the entire restaurant is 143. The estimated completion date entered was July 31.

Kneaders dates back to 1997, when it was founded by Gary and Colleen Worthington. It specializes in European hearth breads made from scratch on site daily, as well as gourmet sandwiches, soups, salads, pastries and breakfast items. It also provides catering services for groups of all sizes, from birthday parties to weddings, and offers a variety of retail products including award-­winning gift baskets and holiday­-themed gifts.

So far, the company has 42 locations in Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Texas and Idaho, where it opened its first store in Meridian. Like many chains, there is a mix of franchise operations and company­owned stores. The Ammon restaurant will be company owned.

Eric Isom, chief development officer of Ball Ventures, the co­-developer of Sand Creek
Commons, said that when courting tenants for their projects they have sought a lot of input from locals. Because so many people travel from eastern Idaho to Utah, there has been a lot of interest in Kneaders. “It’s been one of the most common requests in the last two or three years,” he said.

EIRMC recognized as Level II Trauma Center

The State of Idaho has recognized Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center as a Level II Trauma Center. The hospital had been working toward this goal for three years, and on Saturday it received a certificate recognizing its status.

"To be recognized as a trauma center you have to be either verified by the American College of Surgeons, which we have been since 2007, or state designated, which we recently became," said Brian O'Byrne, director of the trauma center.

A national verification as a Level II Trauma Center from the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma is considered to be the highest level of achievement for hospital-based programs.

Level II Trauma Centers provide patient with 24-hour immediate coverage by general surgeons, as well as coverage by the specialties of orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, anesthesiology, emergency medicine, radiology and critical care.

In 2010, EIRMC's Emergency Department received the Qualis Health Award of Excellence in Healthcare Quality for its work in improving the quality of healthcare and patient safety. O'Byrne also said, they will be able to reach first responders in rural areas of Idaho.

"What we will be able to do in the future is use this system to designate smaller facilities throughout the state, especially rural Idaho."

In addition, EIRMC is home to Air Idaho Rescue (AIR), a mini-fleet with helicopter, a turboprop airplane, and ground transport capabilities. AIR is one of just 136 nationally accredited air emergency transport services in the U.S.