Visiting Angels of Eastern Idaho receives Leader in Excellence Award

Visiting Angels of Eastern Idaho has received a Leader in Excellence award from Home Care Pulse, the industry's leading firm in satisfaction research and quality assurance. The company was also named the Provider of Choice and Employer of Choice in eastern Idaho for the 4th year in a row. These awards are granted based on client and caregiver satisfaction scores gathered by Home Care Pulse.

“We are happy to recognize Visiting Angels of Eastern Idaho as a Leader in Excellence,” said Erik Madsen, CEO of Home Care Pulse. “We’ve been impressed by their commitment to their clients and caregivers, as well as the quality of the overall care they provide. They really stand out in their market as a top home care provider.”

Visiting Angels of Eastern Idaho opened its doors in 2015 with a unique approach to senior home care. Over the years, seniors and their families have embraced a companion-based solution whereby each senior has a designated "Angel," avoiding a shuffle of caregivers for home visits. This results in lasting relationships with extraordinary care and high job satisfaction for the caregivers.

“We are so honored to receive this distinction,” W. Scott Holmes, Visiting Angels of Eastern Idaho's owner and CEO, said in a news release. “We have the most amazing team of Angels who put their heart and soul into every visit. To be honest, we are still a bit in shock that an agency in a smaller community such as ours can achieve this ranking!”

Visiting Angels of Eastern Idaho is a local franchise with offices in Idaho Falls and Pocatello. As one of over 600 locations, it provides a range of helpful services for seniors, including companionship, personal care, light housekeeping, meal preparation, errands, and respite for family
caregivers. For more information, call 208-529-2734 or visit visitingangels.com/easternidaho.

Bank of Idaho names Caleb Dimick head of retail and commercial banking

Caleb Dimick

Bank of Idaho has announced the promotion of Caleb Dimick to Senior Vice President of Retail and Commercial Banking. The title is new, but the role is not.

"He's been functioning at this level for the past year, and he's worked hard at it," said Bank of Idaho President and CEO Jeff Newgard. "We're really proud of what he's accomplished during that time, and we are happy to give him the recognition he's earned."

A specialist in small business lending, Dimick has focused both on retail services and commercial lending, ordinarily the work of two executives. "The integrated role was one that was completely untested here, but the way Caleb led us through the transition, his team never missed a step," Newgard said.

Dimick's advancement coincides with expansion on many fronts at Bank of Idaho. This month, the 33-year-old, Idaho Falls-based institution opened an office in downtown Boise, its eighth full-service branch. The bank is also awaiting completion of new office space for its Wealth Management department at The Broadway, the new structure at the corner of Memorial and A Street in downtown Idaho Falls.

New Shoshone-Bannock Casino opening set for Feb. 13

An artist's rendering of the new Fort Hall casino

 The Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel has announced Feb. 13 as the date for the opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting at it new casino.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes broke ground in 2017 on the 85,463-square-foot casino addition, connected to the west side of the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and Events Center.

Beginning at 11 a.m. the ceremony will include remarks from tribal leaders, casino hotel executive staff and project management team members. Celebrating the cultural significance on a project this size, the program will feature traditional dancing and an honor song from a drum group. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a celebratory ribbon cutting will take place, to symbolize the project’s
completion and that the property is open for business. At that time, the public will be invited in to experience the new gaming floor.

The celebration will not end there, however. On Saturday, Feb. 23, the Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel invites the public to participate in the grand opening celebration. During the day, multiple promotions, activities, entertainment and giveaways will be highlighted. Details will be released regarding specifics, times and where guests can find additional information.

For questions or quotes, please contact Andrea Todd at andrea.todd@shobanhotel.com.

In addition to the casino floor, there will be an addition to the north side of the event center, more than 300 new parking spaces, a new bingo hall, buffet and lounge.

The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes owns and operates three gaming properties including the Shoshone-Bannock Casino Hotel, Sage Hill Casino and Travel Center, and Bannock Peak Casino and Truck Stop. The economic growth plan continues to evolve for the health and benefit of the tribal membership and the eastern Idaho region.

Idaho Falls airport reports sharp jump in passengers in 2018

More than a quarter-of-a-million passengers traveled through the Idaho Falls Regional Airport (IDA) during 2018, according the most recent numbers compiled by airport personnel.

The total of 320,000 passengers is an increase of more than 30,000 passengers from 2017, reflecting a 10 percent increase over the previous year and the highest totals for the airport for more than a decade.

“Those passenger figures are pretty significant, especially when you consider we were closed for an entire week this year to renovate the runway,” said IDA Director Rick Cloutier, in a press release from the city.  “Had we not been shut down during that time, those number would have been much higher.”

With the exception of Boise, more than twice as many passengers used IDA in 2018 than any other regional airport in Idaho.

IDA currently has seven non-stop destinations to serve Idaho Falls travelers, which is more destinations presently offered at any airport in Idaho with the exception of Boise.  In 2019 there are already additional available seats on larger aircraft that are scheduled to fly through Idaho Falls with additional frequency.

In addition to the recently improved runway and taxiway at IDA, the airport has also upgraded passenger amenities, renovating the restaurant on the main floor and adding the first-ever restaurant with beverage service to the secure, upstairs section of the airport.  Future improvements are also in the works, including expanding the number of passenger boarding gates, improved traffic and security and a new baggage claim.

“We are working very hard to try and bring even more flights and additional airlines to Idaho Falls,” said Cloutier. “Our renovations and improvements are all part of that effort.  It takes time, for sure, but we are working every day to bring more destinations to the residents of Idaho Falls and provide a premium experience for our passengers.”

Idaho Falls ShopKo store to continue operation as company pursues bankruptcy

The Idaho Falls ShopKo store appears to have escaped the bankruptcy axe.

The Green Bay, Wisc.-based retail chain announced this week it was closing more than 100 stores across the Midwest and West, including three in western Idaho and 13 in Utah. But the Idaho Falls store, at 800 East 17th Street, and its store in Pocatello, both of which date back to the mid-1980s, were not on the list of stores closing as part of the company's restructuring under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. (Link: http://info.shopko.com/closing-locations.pdf)

The stores remaining open are to be sold through a court-supervised auction process. Company spokeswoman Michelle Hansen said Thursday the retailer is exiting the pharmacy business and has already sold many of its pharmacies to Kroger, CVS and other buyers. The Idaho Falls and Pocatello locations were not included on the list of ShopKo pharmacies that have already changed hands.

Hansen said the pharmacies should remain open under Shopko until a buyer emerges. She said Shopko will post updates at http://info.shopko.com. She said Shopko will notify customers when a pharmacy will close and to where their prescriptions have been transferred.

Founded by a pharmacist in 1962, ShopKo went public in 1991. It was purchased by Sun Capital Partners, a private-equity firm, for about $1.1 billion in 2005. The company has operated 363 stores in 24 states, according to its website, and operates a regional distribution center on Gowen Road near Interstate 84 in southeast Boise.

"This decision is a difficult, but necessary one," Russ Steinhorst, Shopko's CEO, said in a press statement. "In a challenging retail environment, we have had to make some very tough choices, but we are confident that by operating a smaller and more focused store footprint, we will be able to build a stronger ShopKo that will better serve our customers, vendors, employees and other stakeholders through this process."