Rexburg chamber names new president

The Rexburg Area Chamber of Commerce has a new president and CEO, Christopher Mann, a longtime Rexburg resident who was been named to replace Ted Austin. Austin, who has served as the chamber’s CEO for the past year, informed the executive board last month of his intention to leave, citing health issues and desire for a reduced work load.

Mann, a Rexburg resident for 35 years, recently retired from
Brigham Young University-Idaho, where he was food services administrator. He has served on the Rexburg City Council for 12 years, and has served on the chamber board and several of its committees. He and his wife, Barbara, have three grown children and three grandchildren, also residing in the Rexburg area.

Austin will provide guidance to Mann during a transition phase and will emcee the chamber’s annual Farmer Merchant Banquet and Fundraising Auction on March 9, as he has done in previous years.

More news from Idaho Falls' Park Avenue

Last week in our writeup about Persnickety Lemon, 313 Park Avenue, we neglected to mention a specialty item that might be of some interest to readers, refrigerated vegan pet food made by Amy Ziegler. Pets can have allergies the same as humans, and quite often the food they eat is at the root of their misery. Ziegler said she was force to come up with something for her dog, that it was a matter of life and death.

Also on Park Avenue, Downtown Development Corp. offers news about the following businesses opening:

ALC Architecture, 301 Park Ave. —  New construction, remodels, and renovations in nearly all aspects of commercial, residential, and industrial design. www.alcarchitecture.com

Jacob Grant Property Management, 490 Park Ave., Suite 1 - Professional property management company that provides tenant screening, marketing, accounting and property maintenance services to residential and apartment complex owners. www.facebook.com/jacobgrant.property.management

New Penn Financial, 490 Park Avenue — Loan officers with years of experience in the mortgage industry. www.newpennfinancial.com/locations/idaho-falls

EIRMC names new chief nursing officer

Ann Kjosa

Ann Kjosa has joined Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center as chief nursing officer to the hospital’s administrative team. Kjosa (pronounced Cho-sa) comes to EIRMC with 30 years of health care experience, including ten years as CNO at various hospitals across the nation.

As CNO, Kjosa oversees clinical nursing operations throughout the hospital, ensures quality patient care, and leads efforts to increase patient satisfaction.

Kjosa’s began her healthcare career at age 18 as a nursing assistant in her hometown of Aberdeen, S.D. Her most recent role has been as chief operating officer and chief experience officer at St. Peter’s Hospital in Helena, Mont.

Kjosa earned her bachelor's in nursing from Presentation College in Aberdeen. She also holds an MBA in Healthcare Management from Regis University in Denver, Colo., and is a fellow with the American College of Healthcare Executives. In the community, she has served organizations such as March of Dimes, Rotary, the Heart Walk, United Way, and many educational institutions in the communities where she’s lived.

“I love to see others reach their potential both personally and professionally,” she said. “I am committed to providing an environment which creates the best outcomes possible for our patient guests.”

Persnickety Lemon opens on Park Avenue.

Persnickety Lemon, 313 Park Avenue

Persnickety Lemon, a deli and indoor farmer’s market of sorts, has opened at 313 Park Avenue. The operators are Jed and Jennifer Campbell, who own the building.

In addition to selling artisanal breads and baked items from small businesses such as Blue Spoon Kitchen, Iona Juice and Wellness, and Grain Revival, it offers the use of a commercial-grade, health department-approved kitchen for people such as Jodi Fohs, whose Josephine’s Fresh Salsa has been a sell-out item at the Farmers’ Market. Renting the kitchen gives her a place to make her salsa, and the store is a place where she can sell it in the months the Farmers Market isn’t going.

Customers can take their snacks downstairs, which has been remodeled and has the space for small clubs and social organizations.

The Campbells had a soft opening on Tuesday and are planning a grand opening at a later date. To find out more, visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ThePersnicketyLemon313ParkAve.

Idaho Falls schedules meetings for discussion of fiber network expansion

The City of Idaho Falls is planning four informational meetings in February to foster a community-wide discussion about the future of the Idaho Falls Fiber Network.

The city’s dark fiber network was established in 2002 to upgrade the city’s internal communications capabilities while keeping costs low. It was expanded over the next five years, and in 2007 access to the network was granted to commercial service providers.

The network has expanded nearly every year since, providing connectivity to businesses on the philosophy that competitive Internet service rates will keep facilitate economic development. Today, 27 of the 30 commercially available pairs of dark fiber are under lease. Eight commercial internet service providers (ISPs) lease access to the network to provide broadband internet of 1 gigabit and upwards to 383 local businesses. In addition, 12 local businesses lease fiber directly from the city to provide network access to 76 locations.

In 2015, Idaho Falls Power enlisted a consultant to explore options for expansion of the network, including options for fiber to homes in the city.

The consultants, Finley Engineering and CCG Consulting, examined the cost of building fiber throughout the city based on a variety of scenarios and a range of options for potential business models for network expansion. They evaluated the city as a stand-alone service provider, public-private partnerships between the city and a new or existing ISP, and for an open access network similar to the current configuration but expanded to service residences.

At each meeting, Idaho Falls Power staff will provide information on the history of the fiber network, the options for potential network expansion, and results of a recently conducted survey of local customers. Each meeting will feature an informal, open house format and will be held from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at the following locations:

Thursday, Feb. 9, Compass Academy, 955 Garfield Street

Monday, Feb. 13, Taylorview Junior High School, 350 Castlerock Lane

Tuesday, Feb. 21, Idaho Falls High School, 601 S. Holmes Avenue

Wednesday, Feb. 22, Skyline High School, 1767 Blue Sky Drive