INL employees selected for competitive DOE Project Leadership Institute

Two Idaho National Laboratory employees have been selected for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Project Leadership Institute (PLI) 2019 cohort. Sadie Butler and Brad Cole, INL project managers, were selected for the highly competitive program, designed to develop a future generation of successful DOE project managers.

Only accepting 20 to 25 new students each year, PLI focuses on four main learning objectives: strategic thinking and analysis, organization and general management skills, team building, and communications.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our project managers,” said Juan Alvarez, deputy laboratory director for Management and Operations and chief operating officer. “It gives them a chance to learn from best of the best while also getting to network across DOE’s vast network of project managers and leaders.”

Over the course of a year, participants will attend five in-person sessions in various locations, complete an online course during the summer, and produce a capstone project. The content is intended as both a leadership development and skill development course, with subject matter tailored to the DOE environment.

This isn’t the first time INL employees have been accepted to PLI. In fact, INL has had an employee in every cohort in PLI’s three-year history. Brady Orchard was one of those previous attendees and found the experience valuable. “PLI helped me to better understand my leadership qualities and how to improve my personal performance,” Orchard said. “I was able to immediately apply what I learned at PLI into my work at INL.” Matthew Hammond is a member of the second cohort and will complete his PLI coursework in December.

The 2019 cohort will begin work in January and finish the program in December.

Firehouse Subs files for Idaho Falls building permit

The Hook and Ladder, Firehouse Subs' top-selling sandwich

Firehouse Subs has filed for a permit with the city of Idaho Falls Building Department for an 1,875-square-foot project at 435 South Utah Ave., in the Railway Crossings center. The franchisee is listed Chris Morris of Idaho Falls, and the owner is listed on the permit as MCMM Utah LLC.

This would be the fifth Firehouse Subs in Idaho. Other locations listed on its website are in Boise, Meridian, Couer d’Alene and Pocatello.

The chain dates back to 1994, when brother Chris and Robin Sorensen, both firefighters, opened their first restaurant in Jacksonville, Fla. Since then, Firehouse Subs has opened more than 1,135 restaurants across 44 states and Puerto Rico, and internationally in Canada. Current plans for expansion are focused on entering new states in the Northeast, Pacific Northwest and on the West Coast, as well as growth in nontraditional locations, like airports and college campuses.

The menu features hot specialty subs, salads, and other seasonal items, and takes inspiration from the firehouse with names like Hook & Ladder (the No. 1 selling item), Engineer, and Firehouse Hero. The subs are prepared with steam-heated meats and cheeses, on a toasted sub roll, and served with vegetables and condiments. The Sorensens remain in charge of the menu, working in tandem with Firehouse Subs' Director of Product Development, Jay Miller, who joined the team in 2017.

The business magazine Forbes recognized Firehouse Subs as a winner in its article America's Best and Worst Franchises to Buy 2018.

US Bank Foundation makes $5k donation to CEI scholarships

The U.S. Bank Foundation has donated $5,000.00 to the College of Eastern Idaho Foundation and its scholarship program for the 2019-2020 academic year. This represents an increase in U.S. Bank Foundation's level of support, said Natalie Hebard, CEI Foundation executive director.

“Our scholarship program is supported by donations from individual, corporate, civic organizations, endowment contributions, fund-raisers and grants," she said. "The people who established the foundation had one goal in mind: to remove the financial barriers for students to achieve academic success. We are fortunate to have businesses such as U.S. Bank and their foundation recognize the importance of scholarships to CEI students.”

If you or someone you know is interested in attending CEI and would like to apply for scholarship
support, the next deadline to apply is Feb. 8, 2019. Award notifications will be made by the end of March and funds will be available for fall 2019 and spring 2020. Applications
can be picked up in person at CEI in the foundation office, 1600 S. 2500 East, Building 3, or found online at www.ceigiving.org.

To learn more about College of Eastern Idaho Foundation, please visit www.ceigiving.org or e-mail
scholarships@cei.edu.

Urban Land Institute to offer insights on eastern Idaho real estate trends Nov. 16 in Idaho Falls

Urban Land Institute will be in Idaho Falls Nov. 16 to deliver a report on Emerging Trends in Real Estate, based on the annual trend and forecast publication it puts out in collaboration with PwC.

The event will be from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Willard Arts Center. The keynote speaker will be Jeremey Malone, vice president of Oppenheimer Development Corp. Malone is an Idaho native and Boise State University graduate with a degree in business administration. He attained his Real Property Administrator (RPA) designation from Building Owners & Manager Institute (BOMI) International in 2007 and received his Construction Management Certificate from Boise State University in 2010. He has been with Oppenheimer since 1991.

Oppenheimer Development is also the developer behind The Broadway, the huge retail and office project nearing completion at the corner of Broadway and Memorial Drive in Idaho Falls. 

His talk will follow a panel discussion moderated by Dana Briggs, the city of Idaho Falls’ economic development director. Panelists include Mike Hicks of Keller Williams, Chris Lee of SimpLEE Home, and Brent Wilson of Thornton Oliver Keller.

The Emerging Trends in Real Estate report has a 39-year history, and draws on formal and informal surveys of real estate executives, investors, developers, and market experts around the United States, including survey responses from over 1,500 real estate executives and personal interviews with over 350 industry leaders. Survey results relating to our local market will be included in the presentation.

Admission is $25 for ULI members and $35 for non-members. For more information, visit this link: https://idaho.uli.org/event/uli-idaho-real-estate-trends-2019-eastern-idaho/.

Walsh Engineering named Small Business of the Month

Walsh Engineering Services, an Idaho Falls-based engineering firm that works with government and commercial clients, was named Small Business of the Month for October by the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

The award honors small businesses and entrepreneurs across the country. Walsh Engineering was nominated by U.S. Sen. Jim Risch and it will be recognized in the Congressional Record of the U.S. Senate, according to a news release.

Founded by Stephanie Walsh in 2005, Walsh Engineering has contracted with Idaho National Laboratory, the Department of Energy and the State of Idaho Department of Public Works.

“Since its founding, Stephanie Walsh has grown the company from a small group of dedicated engineers and designer-drafters, to a full-service engineering and architecture firm,” Risch said in the release. “She is an outstanding example of Idaho’s unique entrepreneurial spirit and is an inspiration to women entrepreneurs across the great state of Idaho.”

Risch added, “During National Women’s Small Business Month, I am pleased to honor a great woman-owned small business in Walsh Engineering.”