Corey Barton and his team stride across the cover of this inaugural issue of IdaHome & Garden with the same confidence that they bring to their goal of building thousands of homes for Idahoans. Barton’s success is no secret, but his formula is unique and has taken the company to the top of the Treasure Valley housing development industry. Our feature cover story reveals how CBH plans to shape and serve our expanding populace with purpose and drive.
a note from the
EDITOR
Your favorite Treasure Valley magazine may look somewhat familiar yet different this month. Take heart and grab this inaugural issue of IdaHome & Garden because I have no doubt the stories will engage, surprise and inform you about one of the most important aspects of your life: your home. Not just your physical residence with a roof, window and walls- but the feeling and value of the space where you find solace and seek reprieve from what can and cannot be controlled in everyday life. This is our purpose in creating IdaHome & Garden magazine. These pages offer readers a source to understand, appreciate, learn about our shared home of Idaho, as well as words and ways to define, decorate and examine the personal place we call home. To me, as publisher and editor, IdaHome & Garden is about what home means to each of us.
When I was a child, the first and best home I remember had a backyard as long as a city block that ended at the back door of my grandparents house, where every Sunday night we ate roast beef with brown gravy from an envelope and canned Green Giant peas. That yard was more my home than the actual house because our family was nothing like a peaceful sitcom. My brother and I lived like banshees until dark with no parental oversight. My love of the outdoors began in that backyard and gave rise to memories filled with jars flickering full of lightning bugs.That yard equaled freedom, adventure and peace. The nostalgia associated with my wild childhood kingdom half explains why I’m more comfortable in wide open spaces like Idaho, than suburbs or cities. It also explains why I’m fascinated by magnificent homes- the “dream homes” that we see from afar or in magazines with interiors aglow with golden appliances and a fire warming a room that looks too beautiful to allow entry to people or pets. IdaHome & Garden delves into who and what makes our houses, our yards, our communities and our environment a beautiful home
and great place to live. In this magazine, we are all considered neighbors.
So read on. Discover how the Zamzow family’s mastery of Idaho lawns and fauna began as a business of hand-stirred animal feed in 1933. Readers are also invited to “Ask Callie” questions to solve their problematic grass and flowering mysteries. Where and how to “throw” a pillow or make your home a castle can also be learned by reading about Catherine Anderson and her beautiful interior design and home furnishing store, Roger & Wallace. Enjoy a rare opportunity to meet some of the biggest land and housing developers like Ahlquist Development, builder of the Ten Mile District, and the Oppenheimer brothers, partners in the new and tallest apartment building in Boise, The Arthur. Stereotypically, the more successful a developer, the more rapacious they are labeled. That myth will be dispelled by the common thread of integrity and dedication to community that steers these Idaho-based giants and our skylines. Corey Barton graduated from Capital High and has built 17,000 homes since. His success can serve as an inspiration to anyone who picks up a hammer to make a living. True to the wishes and legacy of the pioneering McLeod family, Avimor is developing and preserving their 50,000 acres ranch as an outdoor paradise with a small town atmosphere. Dan Richter, the Avimor visionary, elaborates on their legacy and “The Art of Living” that pervades life in the rolling hills north of Eagle.
There’s beauty and knowledge in these pages, produced by a great team of writers, designers and editors. We created IdaHome & Garden to celebrate our shared home on every page. Welcome to the neighborhood. We’re glad you’re here!
Karen Day PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
the PEOPLE'S HOUSE
THE ORIGINS OF IDAHO'S CAPITOL OF LIGHT
WORDS BY NICOLE INGHILTERRA, IDAHO STATE MUSEUM CURATOR OF COLLECTIONS & EXHIBITIONS
PHOTOS COURTESY IDAHO STATE MUSEUM
Construction of the Capitol rotunda
Idaho’s legislature formed the first Capitol Commission in 1905. Their mission – replace the small and outdated Territorial Capitol. This team of judges, businessmen, and former elected officials grappled with what a new capitol building would communicate to the citizens, lawmakers, and visitors of the young state.
The Capitol building would do more than house government; it would give Idahoans a vision to aspire to. In requesting designs for Idaho’s new capitol, they did not specify an architectural style. Their only guidance—the plans needed to include a central dome.
The contract was awarded to J.E. Tourtellotte & Company Architects who crafted an ambitious plan reflecting the hopes and ideals of a young state as well as the men at the company’s helm. Vision defined John Everett Tourtellotte’s career. After an apprenticeship in Massachusetts,
he hopscotched his way west. By the time he arrived in Idaho in 1890, Tourtellotte had refined his skill in crafting structures that told stories. In Idaho’s statehouse, he insisted on details that illustrated “the dignity, intelligence, and moral ideals” of Idaho’s people.
University-trained architect and engineer, Charles Frederic Hummel started his life in Germany and sought opportunity in America. After a nationwide financial crisis, he and his family decided to try their luck in Boise. Hummel joined Tourtellotte’s architectural firm in 1895, marrying his engineering genius to Tourtellotte’s grand imagination. They created fewer than sixtyfive core drawings to create the Capitol. In contrast, more than one thousand drawings and renderings guided its restoration and expansion from 2007 to 2009.
Superintendent of Construction Herbert Quigley was charged with bringing Tourtellotte
and Hummel’s drawings to life. He meticulously oversaw suppliers, artisans, and builders throughout the first phase of the Capitol’s creation. Work began immediately after the Capitol Commission selected Tourtellotte & Hummel’s
The Capitol building would do more than house goverment; it would give Idahoans a vision to aspire to.
design in 1905. Funds for the project came in gradually, and work was completed in phases with the Commission prioritizing the central section of the building. This first phase lasted until 1913, but soon thereafter, the addition of the east and west wings proved necessary. In 1919, they broke ground on the grand chambers holding Idaho’s Senate and House
ABOVE: Capitol construction workers, c. 1910. Each wave of craftsmen blended their work seamlessly with finished components.
RIGHT: Completed Capitol, after 1920.
of Representatives.
Naysayers denounced the complex network of steel supporting the building’s central dome as frivolous and wasteful. Hummel reworked the design to make it lighter and roughly $180,000 less expensive than the original concept. Still, the project was plagued by criticism. Delays in material shipments and increasing costs led to accusations of mismanagement. Finally, Tourtellotte lost his composure in a Senate Affairs Committee hearing, calling their most dogged critic, Senator Ravenel Macbeth “rattlebrained.” Although the commission was cleared of wrongdoing, having been “tried by fire, as it were, and found OK,” Quigley lost his superintendent title amidst intense political pressure.
Tourtellotte included skylights and rings of glowing electric bulbs crafting a radiance that would inspire the building’s occupants to work for the public good. The team
gave the Commission three domes, with a towering double dome at the building’s heart. An outer structure of steel covered in cement and terra cotta tiles encases an inner dome of plaster and wood supported by eight columns reaching a granite foundation.
The Beaux-Arts building features a uniquely Idaho contrast. The Capitol’s lower façade mimics a log cabin. This rusticated exterior is faced with Idaho sandstone. Formed millions of years ago from sediment deposited by wind and waves, the stone was cut from a quarry near Table Rock. It anchored the building in Idaho’s landscape and saved precious funds. After penitentiary inmates built access roads, workers cut and transported tons of stone. Machines refined pieces from three feet to three inches thick. Masons hand chiseled each piece to its final shape and texture.
Once called “poor man’s marble,” the Capitol’s scagliola
encased columns are more precious than the stone they imitate. The Michael Nocenti Company from New York City faced locally made brick columns. Trained in Italy, artisans on site used a fifteenstep process that is still a closely guarded secret. With trowels and silk threads, they molded plaster to match the surrounding marbles. The state dedicated the building to its people on January 3, 1921. Over 6,000 visitors attended the grand opening to witness their new “Capitol of Light.” More than a century later, “the People’s House” continues to house government while maintaining a rich historic character. From its marble floors to its eagle crested dome, this functional museum is a touchpoint to our past and Idahoan’s best hopes and dreams for our future.
Construction workers on the exterior of the Capitol dome, c. 1910.
Photo courtesy Adobe Stock
GROWING a GREEN THUMB
GARDENING IN THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST
WORDS BY MARY ANN NEWCOMER
Why do we garden?
There are so many reasons: to provide beauty, food, shade; to improve living circumstances, increase property values, experiment with the newest, biggest, and prettiest plants; for exercise, or to spend time in nature. Whatever the reason, if you are new here, welcome to the club. You’re in good company.
We love to garden in Idaho. We’re surrounded by stunning vistas and natural beauty. But, newcomers, take note: majesty and grandeur go hand in hand with Basin and Range topography and crazy-making weather. We must cope with lean and mean soils, serious water issues, avalanches, hail the size of golf balls, high altitudes, smokin' hot deserts, and many grazing creatures. Gardening here is not for the faint of heart, but it has been done successfully for generations.
Many great gardeners came before us, great-grandparents
(mine), grandparents and parents, pioneers and homesteaders across the Intermountain West. These people survived and flourished here, feeding themselves and their families from their gardens and orchards with nary a watt of air conditioning or pressurized irrigation, and certainly no combustion engines to lift heavy loads.
Gardening here is not for the faint of heart, but it has been done successfully for generations.
In the 1860s, Chinese immigrants came to work in Idaho’s famous gold and silver mines. Historically, they tended incredibly productive vegetable gardens (located in what is now Garden City), fed many miners
and, later, the citizens of Boise. The legacy of their gardens lives on in the name of Garden City’s Chinden Boulevard, a shorthand version of 'Chinese garden.' There are stories of famous gardens in the mountains and along the Salmon River: Polly Bemis, Shepp Ranch, and Buckskin Bill, to name just a few. They grew food for sustenance but were prosperous as produce suppliers, too. Now, across the state, the remnants of their old fruit orchards are being revisited to determine which historical varieties of apples might merit reintroduction to the agricultural trade.
Inspiration abounds, fellow gardeners. The Boise Farmers Market and the Capital City Public Market are excellent showcases of what can be grown here. Both markets celebrate our local food system with great style and variety. Many farms also have roadside stands offering their best local produce. Or level up your garden game by taking a gardening
class, offered at many local nurseries. Extension offices, which are part of the state’s agriculture programs, offer Master Gardener programs across the state for home gardeners.
A visit to the Idaho Botanical Garden will inspire you to try all kinds of gardening at home! Celebrating forty fabulous years of growing, the garden sits on thirty-some acres of land at the base of the Tablerock. Showcasing native and domestic plantings, fifteen acres of different types of gardens have been created for your pleasure and education. Roam across Outlaw Field–an historical baseball field from the days of the old Idaho Penitentiary–and follow the pathway through the modern Tango Border for a stroll through
LEFT: Royal Sunset lily: A mix of orange and dark pink, like a sunset. It's a cross between an Asiatic and an Easter-type lily. It can grow up to four feet tall and is lightly fragrant.
BELOW: This tapestry of Delosperma is some of the best drought-tolerant groundcovers you can plant: the red, orange, and lavender 'Fire Spinner', pale 'Alan's Apricot', and hot magenta 'Table Mountain.'
the contemporary English Garden. The garden showcases native and adapted plants, featuring varieties from Plant Select™ (a Rocky Mountain plant development program) and a terrific Firewise installation. Firewise plantings are essential, depending on where you live in Idaho. The organization teaches homeowners how to create defensible space around homes, as well as how to implement fire-resistant landscaping practices. The Idaho Botanical Garden also provides gardening classes and workshops, as well as food and drink events and concerts, making it a must-visit destination for any gardening enthusiast. No yard? No problem! You don’t need acreage–a city lot or a
small patio or balcony will do. And don’t forget houseplants: ferns and monstera plants are wildly popular and easy to grow inside. A fern in the dining room makes you a gardener. A flower pot of petunias on the patio makes you a gardener. And with enough light, you can grow tomatoes, raspberries, lettuce and strawberries on the patio.
Gardening is immensely rewarding. Nothing compares to growing your own salad, slicing your still-warm, homegrown tomatoes, eating the raspberries and strawberries you so carefully planted and tended, or digging up your potatoes at the end of the growing season.
Gardening friend, you can do this. I’ll see you in the pumpkin field.
Photos by Mary Ann Newcomer
ASK CALLIE
ADVICE ON LAWNS & LIFE
WORDS BY CALLIE ZAMZOW
Q: Hi Callie, I’m curious if you have any secret Zamzow lawncare tips?
I grew up in Idaho, where Zamzow is synonymous with beautiful lawns and gardens. It also happens to be my last name, though it wasn’t until I bought my first home that I realized lawncare wasn’t in my genes. It also wasn’t formally taught to me. During my first year as a homeowner, I was so embarrassed when the president of my neighborhood homeowner’s association left me a note about the poor condition of my lawn! I grew up helping my family maintain a nearly perfect yard every summer, but like every Idaho homeowner, native or not, I had to learn some simple guidelines to make lawncare easier. Thankfully I had my father, Jim Zamzow, to help.
The first thing my dad taught me was to think of my yard as a living entity. When you see your lawn as more of a “pet”, you approach it differently. I stopped using chemicals in the form of fertilizers, pesticides, and
herbicides. If my dog couldn’t eat it, I wouldn’t put it on my yard. Although national brand chemical fertilizer companies make us think that green lawns require fertilizer, the truth is that applying chemicals weakens your lawn, making it susceptible to insects and disease, which only forces you to apply more chemicals. Applying lawn food that contains a full spectrum of vital nutrients beyond nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as compost and carbon-rich humus to the soil supports the world of good microorganisms that naturally keep diseases in check. Increasing the life in the soil also eliminates the need to aerate and dethatch your lawn every year.
But it wasn’t just the products I changed. As a new homeowner, I had never adjusted the prior owner’s sprinkler system settings. I took the word “automatic” literally. Dad helped me understand that I needed to set the length of my watering based on the volume of water each sprinkler emitted, not how much time the sprinkler ran. Sprinklers can be run less
often in spring and fall than in the heat of summer. The key, which is particularly helpful in Idaho, is to water deeply and infrequently, so grass roots grow deeper and become drought resistant.
The most important thing that my dad taught me was that fall is the best time to set the stage for a beautiful lawn next spring. Between Halloween and Thanksgiving, an application of a natural, fall, and winter lawn recharger will give your lawn an enormous leg up in spring because soil remains active in winter. As the lawn recharger breaks down, it deposits nutrients around the roots, creating the first food that your lawn will consume in spring. With a specific ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, and an added micronutrient pack, your lawn will wake up like it spent the winter at a health spa.
Ask Callie Zamzow your questions at www.Speakpipe.com/ TheZamzowsShow and listen to her weekly podcast, “The Zamzows Show”, found anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Photo courtesy Callie Zamzow
GENERATIONS of KNOW-HOW
ZAMZOWS: NOT YOUR TYPICAL FEED STORE
WORDS BY APRIL NEALE
Only a handful of businesses in Idaho have a global reach, and Zamzows has proven to be one of them.
According to Callie Zamzow, Zamzows was born in 1933, a year that marked the peak of the Great Depression. Despite the challenging economic climate, they opened a humble feed store on Fairview in Boise which later transformed into Zamzows as many know it today, with 12 stores and a manufacturing company, Dynamite, which began in 1982.
Dynamite's product line of feed is built on eighty years of experience in holistic nutritional science and market nutraceuticals for all animal species. These products, developed by Callie's father, Jim Zamzow, a lifelong soil science, mycology, medicine, and biology student, can address specific nutritional needs.
Jim recognized a void in the marketplace and was inspired to invent and improve quality animal supplement and lawn care products. Callie said, "Many new people have moved to the Treasure Valley. The soil here is different… and they are trying to figure out why their roses aren't looking like they did in say, Portland. How do you address the soil? We have that information."
Jim’s vision, which still holds today, is to improve the lives of all living creatures. The scope of his efforts in feed and supplements has grown from horses and dogs to beloved pets and competition animals, and even animals in the wild and microbes in the soil. Jim has no plans to retire from his role as caretaker of the earth, according to Callie. "He and I always laugh. Zamzows never retire. We keep busy. He's constantly advising;
my dad's favorite thing, and what he always wanted to do when he was running the businesses but couldn't, was inventing products. That's his passion; he's a mad scientist with his own laboratory. He'll run a full-blown experiment once he thinks he's got something. But he's testing things all the time."
Idaho residents are passionate about their pets and gardening, two rewarding pastimes that feed the soul and improve mental health. This fact inspires the Zamzow clan to keep moving forward. Callie's successful podcast, The Zamzows Show, shares valuable insights on animal nutrition and gardening, and Jim's continued research leads to the development of innovative products. The combined family efforts have contributed to Zamzows' status as a local legend with worldwide patronage. Jim Zamzow noted, "I've been trying
to solve this problem with the yellow Maples. If we acidify the soil, well, what naturally happens in the forest? I bought some tannic acid, and I'm researching it."
Their company's rich history began in Minnesota and moved Westward; in 1933, brothers August and Carl Zamzow stowed away and got off in Meridian, had a bite, and then, as luck would have it, August caught the eye of Carmalita House—later known as Grandma Z—forged through the lean years, lost a child while building a family, and persevered with a feed store on Fairview in Boise that they named "Zamzows."
Callie recalled her Greatgrandmother’s stoicism and work ethic. “They first opened Zamzows in arguably the hardest year of the depression and called it a feed mill. This first location was the Fairview store where they mixed feeds and
got recipes from the University of Idaho. They took those formulas and bought the grains locally, and then they would make the ratios, mix them by hand on the floor, bag them by hand, sew the bags up, and sell them. So that's how the whole business started. Straight up, just feeding animals.”
The drive for innovation continued with Jim, who penned a book, That Reminds Me Of A Story, with Art Gregory. Jim recalls memorable moments in the company's growth, jaw-dropping anecdotes, and tried-and-true wisdom, including a story of a formidable law enforcement officer with a penchant for shoplifting. Jim and his brother Rick grew the business from feed to lawn, garden, and pet supplies, which were hard to come by in retail settings at that time. His tried and true advice for
trimming trees: “when you have the time.”
Now, his daughter Callie, who initially detoured into finance and veterinary school, along with her brother, Jos, have evolved into Zamzows co-CEOs. At the same time, Jim continues to think big for the community by creating helpful product lines and inventing items that keep animals and lawns at their healthiest. Even mom has a hand in the business, by conducting family meetings once a month to ensure the company steers toward their ancestors’ original vision of “True North.” This is good news for customers as the entire family continues to push the boundaries of experimenting without wavering from the Zamzow’s commitment to offer the healthiest products in their industry.
ABOVE: Early 1950’s photo of Zamzows Coal & Feed after Fairview Avenue was widened into a four-lane highway! Note the new store windows, and modern entrance to the building, along with the neon letters that spell out Zamzows.
TOP RIGHT: Callie, Jim, and Joe Zamzow carry on the legacy of dedication to excellence.
Historical photos courtesy Zamzows
Photo by Karen Day
Photo by Ted Harmon
COREY BARTON: BUILDING AN AMERICAN DREAM
WHAT DRIVES THE MAN BEHIND CBH HOMES
WORDS BY JAMEY BAUMGARDT
Corey Barton is described as a daredevil. Sure, he enjoys the occasional skydiving jump, but this risk-taking, thrillseeking side of his personality also manifests itself in his business practices, helping fuel the decadeslong success of his company, CBH Homes. “I love the rush and excitement of the future,” Barton says. “That feeling of not being certain what’s going to happen, but you take the jump. This fuels me every day.” The key to his success? CBH Homes, with Corey at the helm, walks a constant tightrope, balancing profit and affordability with quality and sustainability. No easy feat, especially in an industry that is constantly evolving.
Barton remembers when he started out over thirty years ago, how he would edit house plans by hand on the tailgate of his pickup. There was no process,
no schedule. Premium design features weren’t a thing. Now, there are multiple phases of approvals with government agencies and substantial investment in up-front planning to mitigate these housing developments from having any
...the "secret sauce" to his success is, hands down, his team."
negative effect on the community or environment, whether today, or in five or even fifty years from now. So, how did this Idaho-born, local kid make good? How did Barton launch what would become a multi-million-dollar business straight out of high school? “I spent some time in Southern California,”
he says. “I watched these houses being built and was enamored by it. I wanted to do that too. But Idaho is and will always be my home. My family is here, and I love the Treasure Valley.” He’s also a big fan of numbers, leveraging any and all trackable data for the business that he can crunch and report on. He refers to it as the “CBH scoreboard,” explaining that “we don’t watch sports to simply watch teams play, we want to know who’s winning and what’s the score.” Barton, it seems, likes to win. He says the “secret sauce” to his success is, hands down, his team. His mantra is, “the only way we get there is together.” The CBH team has grown to over 200, and the organization has expanded too, to include a real estate brokerage, HVAC company, electrical company, property management, truss plant, and interior finishes supplier.
Speaking of the talented team that makes the machine hum smoothly, it’s impossible not to notice how some of the women of CBH bear a striking resemblance to the cast of the popular Netflix show “Selling Sunset” as seen in their most recent commercial. CeCe Cheney, Communications Director for CBH, says CBH is 70% women, and they want to show the fun, powerful vibe that they bring to the Treasure Valley. And this magical vibe has delivered impressive results. Over the past 32 years, CBH has supplied 500,000 jobs to local trade partners and built over 26,000 homes.
The team is equally proud of their 20 years of support for Camp Rainbow Gold, a local nonprofit serving Idaho children diagnosed with cancer and their families. This past August, with the help of more than 60 companies, 1,000 trades, and 160 volunteers, the CBH crew managed to construct six brand-
new beautiful cabins in just three days—and it only took 200,000 pounds of lumber and 720 cans of Red Bull energy drinks! This incredible feat, truly a community effort, resulted in 72 much-needed beds added to the camp, enabling the organization to expand in their mission to provide empowering camp experiences to the children of Idaho diagnosed with cancer.
So, where does CBH go from here? Barton hopes to double in size and spread the reach of his business even farther. “The area is going to continue to grow,” he says, “and we want to be the leader of that growth.” CBH headquarters will soon be moving into a new location that is 21 times the size of its current location, allowing for all of CBH’s sister companies to exist under one roof, which has been a goal of Barton’s for some time. But his primary ambition, he says, “will always be to provide homes to the valley and work every day to keep
prices affordable.” Barton firmly believes that homeownership is vitally important, the first step in building true wealth. “We don’t want it to be a renters’ nation, we want it to be a homeowners’ nation. We believe in the American dream, and that’s homeownership.”
Corey Barton is one busy daredevil. When asked if he ever sleeps, he told me, yes, but not much because he’s so excited for the future and ready to go each and every day. But when he does find time to relax, like most of us, he spends it with his family. “First and foremost, I’m a father. I spend a lot of time with my kids. You’ll find I’m at a lot of cheer tournaments!” Barton’s advice for any young person out there today who shares his love of building and working with their hands? “Do what you love. Don’t be afraid to just start. It’ll take a lot of hard work, but it’s so rewarding.”
THANK YOU is NEVER ENOUGH
CAMP RAINBOW GOLD BUILDS A FOREVER HOME
At Camp Rainbow Gold, we’ve spent more than 40 years serving Idaho’s children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Our work is made possible by the generosity of so many gifts—whether financial, in-kind services, or donated products. These contributions are the lifeblood of our nonprofit, enabling our camps to thrive and surrounding our families with love and support.
As I reflect on this summer’s camp season, I’m reminded of the immense impact that your generosity has. I wish each of you could see the joy that fills the camp—the laughter of children, the comfort families find, and the connections made that will last a lifetime.
In the last 18 months, we’ve seen incredible support through our capital campaign, securing Camp Rainbow Gold’s forever home—Hidden Paradise in
Fairfield, Idaho. With 12 new cabins, an amphitheater, a health center, and more, your generosity has been nothing short of miraculous.
One incredible example is CBH Homes, which built six cabins in just three days with the help of 160 volunteers. This feat involved 1,128 trades, 200,000 pounds of lumber, a pallet of Red Bull, and an abundance of love. It was a true labor of the heart, and “thank you” will never fully capture our gratitude.
But “thank you” isn’t just something we say—it’s something we live. Every donation is a seed of hope that we nurture into something bigger. When a donor writes a check, it truly changes the lives of children who can laugh and forget their illness, if only for a moment. When volunteers give their time, it turns into cherished memories.
CBH Homes built 6 cabins in 3 days for Camp Rainbow Gold. With 107 crews onsite, over 160 volunteers, and 60 trade partner companies, the company, and Corey Barton himself, rallied to give back to an organization and community that means so much to the Treasure Valley.
Your gifts inspire us to work harder, reach farther, and dream bigger. They serve as a constant reminder that we are not alone in this mission. Our community believes in what we’re doing, and that belief is what keeps us going.
The truth is, “thank you” will never fully capture the depth of our gratitude. But I hope that you can see your impact in the smiles, the connections, and the hope that fill the camp. Your generosity hasn’t just secured Camp Rainbow Gold’s forever home—it has created a place where joy, healing, and community will flourish.
So while words may fall short, please know that your support matters more than we can say. You are a part of something bigger. Thank you!
With deep appreciation, Elizabeth Lizberg CEO/Executive Director Camp Rainbow Gold
WORDS BY ELIZABETH LIZBERG
CITIES on the RISE
MANAGING GROWTH IN THE TREASURE VALLEY
WORDS BY HEATHER HAMILTON-POST
As a student at Kuna High School, we moved the school greenhouse from its old location to the new high school on foot, at least in part. For 1.5 miles, students balanced the structure on a flatbed trailer, walking alongside for support. Step by step, the polycarbonate house waltzed its way to a new home at a school that would be at capacity the year it opened. It was all a bit of a balancing act.
This was before Lowe Family Farmstead, Enrique's, Meta, and even Albertsons, a time when the city of Kuna was home to just one highschool and a single (and newly opened) drive through. It felt like a small town then, but it feels especially small when I see what it, and the greater Treasure Valley, has become. Of course, you don’t
have to take my word for it.
The Boise Metropolitan Statistical Area is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the United States. Centrally positioned for industry and talent, the population of Ada and Canyon counties is now over 800,000—an increase of approximately 100,000 since 2020. Compass, the data firm responsible for the research, uses Census counts, construction permits, household sizes, vacancy rates, and annexations to arrive at these numbers, estimating population growth and how exactly residents are distributed across cities and counties.
This is significant growth, certainly–but is it too fast?
“As our city and the Treasure Valley have witnessed significant growth over the past several years,
we have been working hard to plan for and accommodate growth in intentional, sustainable ways. These efforts have included a major revamp of our zoning code to increase our housing supply in areas where neighborhood services already exist, investing in a brand new first-of-its-kind water renewal facility, and launching a Supportive Housing Investment Fund with a $7.5M commitment from the city,” explains Sean Keithly, Economic Development Director, City of Boise, Office of the Mayor.
In Caldwell, a historically smaller city on the Treasure Valley’s western edge, there is evidence of growth everywhere. A revitalized downtown with over 35 new businesses, including Indian Creek Plaza which sees over a million annual visitors, significant
PHOTO BY CHAD CASE
infrastructure projects, and large investments in industrial and commercial developments speak to a much larger trend across the valley.
“Our goal is to ensure inclusive economic growth that benefits all Caldwell residents. We are focusing on expanding affordable housing options, developing community spaces, and ensuring varying modes of public transportation are accessible,” says Steven Jenkins, Economic Development Director, City of Caldwell.
Jenkins emphasizes the need to adjust to evolving needs and to think long-term with an eye for the future, especially in terms of job creation, local services, and amenities, a sentiment that permeates the thinking of city
planners across the valley. Jenkins refers to the city’s new plan as ‘a blueprint for balanced growth that maintains a high quality of life for residents’, which seems to reflect a greater effort statewide.
“Long-term sustainability is at the heart of our growth strategy. We're focusing on responsible infrastructure development, ensuring that our roads, utilities, and public services can keep up with the growing population,” Jenkins says, noting that the city is also prioritizing the development of greenbelts, pathways, and open spaces to promote environmental sustainability and enhance community connectivity.
Keithly suggests that these sorts of efforts are essential, especially in the face of rapid development. “These actions
will help ensure that our healthy economic growth is complemented with quality-of-investments that will benefit our residents for generations to come,” he says.
The greenhouse itself is a structure made to encourage growth, but without a steady hand, the balancing act fails. As the region continues to expand, city planners and leaders strive to find the delicate equilibrium between development and sustainability, aiming to preserve the sense of community amidst growth that shows no signs of stopping. To move a greenhouse perched precariously atop a trailer— and to grow a valley—requires caution, patience, and the sort of determination born of the small towns that made us.
WHEN HOUSES came on TRAINS
THE KIT HOMES THAT SHAPED AMERICA'S SUBURBS
WORDS BY ZACH KYLE
PHOTO BY KAREN DAY
Boise remains the most remote major metropolitan area in the lower 48, but the young city felt even more like a speck in a sea of sagebrush in the early 1900s.
Highway construction that made automobile travel common in the region didn’t transpire until after World War II. The sheer distance between Boise and the tastemaking cities toward either coast was frustrating for a small city wanting to keep up with the fashions of the day.
So it must have seemed like magic for Boiseans who picked up a Sears, Roebuck and Co. catalogue, ordered a house and had it delivered via rail. The home shipped as a kit that the new homeowner either assembled themselves or hired a general contractor to build for them.
And not just any house, said Tully Gerlach, Boise historian and librarian at Boise Public Library. Boiseans were starting to see Victorian homes as passe’. The kit homes sold by Sears were stylish.
“(Kit homes) now seem quaint, but there was nothing quaint about them at all,” Gerlach said. “They were very modern, very forward.”
Sears is the best known of several companies that sold kit homes. The retail giant sold and shipped around 100,000 kit homes from 1908 to 1940, according to “Houses by Mail,” a 345-page book on the subject. The houses ranged from small to extravagant, but their prices were relatively affordable. For example, the two-bed, one-bath Estes model sold for as little as $617 in 1928, or about $9,200 in today’s currency.
The huge, Colonial-style Glen View, which had two stories and four bedrooms, two porches and a garage, sold for $3,718 in 1937, or about $65,250 today.
Several local historians have tried to figure out how many kit homes remain standing in the Treasure Valley, including Dan Everhart, outreach coordinator for the Idaho State Historical Society. He knows of two kit buildings in the area, and Rose Thornton, an amateur expert on the topic, identified several more on a road trip through southwest Idaho.
But there’s obviously more kit homes around. A quick flip through “Houses by Mail” reveals tons of images of plenty of houses that look strikingly similar to many houses around Boise—the North End in particular. Gerlach suspects his North End home came from a kit,
though he doesn’t have the documentation to prove it. Everhart guesses there’s dozens of kit homes around Boise, and more in the region.
So kit homes remain a bit of a white whale for historians trying to piece together how they fit into Idaho life in the early 20th Century. For Everhart, kit homes speak to Boise’s reliance on the railroad as a lifeline to big-city culture, and to the chip on Boiseans’ shoulder to establish their city as a place of consequence.
“Everyone had access to a Sears catalogue,” he said. “They were like the internet. They were sort of a unifying force. While Idaho architecture was always playing catch-up, the kit homes let people be completely current with their peers across the country.”
Without official documentation, historians don't know exactly how many kit homes reside in the Treasure Valley. That number, at least in Boise, is estimated at 'dozens', with more around the state.
Tommy Ahlquist, CEO of Ahlquist Development speaks at a ground breaking event.
the DISTRICT at TEN MILE
BUILDING COMMUNITY WITH CARE AND VISION
WORDS BY ALAN HEATHCOCK PHOTOS COURTESY AHLQUIST
Over the past many years, the Treasure Valley has become a breeding ground for construction cranes. With Idaho’s population boom, there’s hardly a corner of the valley not impacted. Conversations around development have veered into questioning how much is enough or too much, and how developers can implement projects with an eye toward the betterment of community and not at the detriment of existing quality of life. This is a challenge Tommy Ahlquist, CEO of Ahlquist Development, confronts with exceeding care and vision.
Ahlquist recalls how the perception of development has changed over the years. Whereas the filling of “the hole” at 8th and Main (now the Zion Bank Building) in downtown Boise
and the development of City Center Plaza were both met with enthusiasm, you now have an environment in which a lot of people are saying enough is enough.
“With growth comes opportunity and responsibility,” Ahlquist said. “We want to make sure things are done right. That we develop infill and don’t contribute to sprawl. Allow people to work closer to where they live. Have all the amenities in one place and make a community.”
One such opportunity comes in the form of The District at 10 Mile, a 222-acre development in Meridian, off I-84 and 10 Mile Road–not just another run-ofthe-mill building project, but an ambitious and mindful project to build an entire community. From retail space including restaurants
and entertainment, to industrial and office space, and housing that crosses multiple demographics, the plan is to consciously create a selfcontained community.
“When I was an E.R. doctor,” Ahlquist said. “I used to say that everyone’s interests should align. If patients have a great experience, then they’re happy. If the patients are happy, then the staff is happy. I tell our partners on the 10 Mile project that our interests should align with all the stakeholders.”
The location for The District was chosen to take advantage of existing infrastructure, the Highway 16 addition, optimizing undeveloped farmland and not adding to urban sprawl, while also considering much of the population growth in the valley is moving west. The plan holds land for 72 acres of residential
In addition to housing The District at 10 Mile, a 222-acre development in Meridian, includes retail, industrial, and office space.
development, including single family homes, townhomes, and at least 1,000 apartments. Though the choice of offering housing that covers multiple demographics is a wise business decision, considering absorption within each demographic, the community also benefits from allowing options for young and old, established homeowners, first time home buyers, as well as renters.
“The housing crisis in the valley is a supply problem,” Ahlquist said. “We’re trying to help remedy that supply issue in a considerate way.”
A project with the size and scope of The District requires a team of experts, and Alquist has partnered with Ball Ventures and Elevated Property Co., which is headed by Fred Bruning, the much-lauded developer behind the Boise Town Square Mall and The Village. “That guy is an unbelievable human being,” Ahlquist said, referring to Bruning. “He’s a very generous man, a
visionary. He’s 73 now. Lots of people say what they think will work. Fred Bruning says ‘I’ve been doing this for forty years and here’s what does work.’”
Similar to Bruning’s vision for The Village, The District will offer a retail and entertainment experience that feels intimate and purposeful. The desire is to
We're trying to remedy that supply issue in a considerate way.
-Tommy Ahlquist
combine the retail environment of The Village with design concepts unique to The District, and with the addition of residential. The entire complex will be built for convenience and walkability. Though Ahlquist isn’t yet able to reveal the anchors already slated for The District, he says
the abundance of users already committed will allow the construction phases to proceed on an accelerated timeline. Infrastructure has been going in over the past year, and the plan is to break ground on vertical construction in 2025. The entire project should take two to three years to complete.
Tommy Ahlquist has generations of his family in the valley. Legacy and community are important to him, and that means development with consideration toward making life better for those who live here. “The Treasure Valley offers a great quality of life,” he said. “We have access to the outdoors. We have unique art history here. Unique music history. We have Boise State University embraced by downtown Boise. People are going to continue moving here, so it’s important the community and its leaders come together to ask what’s the best way forward to retain and enhance what’s already great.”
ABOVE: Dakota McMahon, Superintendent (left) and Korey Hall, Chief Construction Officer (right) review plans on site for The District at Ten Mile.
RIGHT: Built for convenience and walkability, the development is expected to break ground on vertical construction in 2025, finishing within three years.
SECRETS from DECORATORS
CRYSTAL, MIRROR & LIGHT: THE ILLUSION OF EXPANSION
WORDS BY GUINEVERE ALLEN
Clients often ask if it’s possible to accentuate natural light in a home while creating the illusion of space. The expansion of urban living in the Treasure Valley appears to have finally realized a sweet spot between luxury and convenience as Boise’s urban center expands its infrastructure and footprint. The coveted ideal of land ownership as an inherent component of real estate investment is—in theory— compensated for by height and light in urban design.
Many loft spaces feature elevated ceilings of fourteen feet or more and copious amounts of windows. Drawing the eye upward helps to maximize the feeling of
height in loft spaces, while pulling the natural light inward. Custom built pieces, such as library walls, can help to visually expand urban interiors when designed from floor to ceiling rather than leaving space above something like a media cabinet.
Likewise, window drapery can add tremendously to the illusion of expansion when installed just under the ceiling rather than above the window frame. Add crystal finials to drapery hardware that enhance and refract the natural light from outside. Try accent pieces that are made from metal (such as silver), rather than ceramic or wood, that will communicate with the light of your space by
reflecting it outward. Install large wall mirrors in strategic locations—such as opposite accent lights—to create the optical illusion of doubling the actual space while further reflecting the natural window light. Favor glass and nickel table pieces over wood. Mix antiques with contemporary accents and enjoy an expansive feel in an otherwise enclosed space.
All of these tips can help to create a feeling of expansion in urban residences that don’t offer outdoor spaces per se. Taking an eclectic approach can make this transformation fun and personal.
Guinevere Allen has fifteen years of interior design experience and is currently a design consultant with Ethan Allen.
AVIMOR
A LEGACY OF COMMUNITY WORDS BY
ALAN HEATHCOCK
Photo courtesy Avimor
In 1916, a Scottish immigrant named Colin McLeod headed west to take advantage of land offered to homesteaders. His 160acre allotment of land sat not far from the burgeoning city of Boise. The land and climate were not suitable for farming, so McLeod became a sheep rancher. Slowly but surely, he took over his neighbors’ parcels until he eventually owned 37,000 acres, a plot he named Spring Valley Ranch. McLeod was a forward-looking man, and he said that one day he hoped his land would become a small American town like those he’d grown to love. The land, and McLeod’s vision, was passed down through the generations. In 2002, Colin McLeod III, known to all as Sandy, sought to develop the ranch
and set in motion a plan that has since become the 23,000-acre community known as Avimor.
“We want Avimor to be a place where kids can go out on their bicycles in the morning and feel safe and free,” said Dan Richter, the Managing Partner of Avimor. “I hit it off with the McLeod family because we both had a dream of building a small town.”
Richter grew up in small town Montana. He envisions Avimor as a series of villages and hamlets connected by trails, where community thrives, all while being connected to nature. Avimor isn’t your typical development. With over 100 miles of hiking and biking trails, and twenty-five square miles of open spaces, the land has been developed with consideration of
conservation and wildlife.
“Even as ranchers, the McLeods won awards for being environmentally conscious,” Richter said. “We’ve carried on the tradition of being good stewards of the land.”
Richter is proud of the steps they’ve taken. Water, a precious resource in Idaho, is hugely important to Avimor. Initially independent, Avimor now collaborates with the city of Eagle, and their water system taps into a separate aquifer. Fire, a constant danger in warmer months, is also a concern. Avimor is the first “Firewise” community in Idaho, ensuring that all homes are landscaped with fire resistant plantings. They’ve studied the wildlife of the area and try to
ABOVE: Avimor's trails offer a variety of outdoor sports, wildlife viewing, and recreation opportunities.
RIGHT: Dan Richter, Avimor General Manager.
Photo courtesy Avimor
Photo by Karen Day
Mr. & Mrs. Colin McLeod purchased Spring Valley Ranch, now home to Avimor, and began a rich tradition of land stewardship that carries on today.
minimize human interference. They actively cooperate with the Idaho Fish & Game and Ada Soil and Water Conservation District, and they go so far as to close the hiking/biking trails to safeguard the wintering of herds of elk.
The buzz word of just about everything at Avimor is connection. Just as great attention is given to the residents’ connection with nature, it’s equally as important to ensure they’re connected with each other. It’s difficult to build houses, but building a culture of community is an entirely different endeavor.
“I once lived in Phoenix, Arizona,” Richter said. “I bought a house with a six-foot fence around my yard. I never really met my neighbors. Unfortunately, that’s
a common way to live. We realize people who move here have likely been desensitized to what it truly means to live in a community. We aim to change that.”
Avimor employs an Art of Living Director, whose job is to create opportunities for engagement. Their community center hosts thirty or so social groups every week. There’s something for everybody, no matter their age or aptitude, with interests ranging from gardening to pets to books to dance. The Avimor events calendar is stocked with community bazaars, food drives, Veterans breakfasts, food truck Mondays, and live music. Avimor goes to great lengths to create a positive environment that’s both social and inclusive. They’ve partnered with the Albertson
Foundation and Southwest Idaho Mountain Biking Association (SWIMBA) to put in adaptive trails, accessible to wheelchairs. For Christmas, they’re hosting a community wide toy drive for Toysfor-Tots.
To date, more than 800 homes have been completed, with 2,000 residents calling Avimor home. The plan going forward is careful but ambitious, and one that would surely please Colin McLeod.
“By the time I’m 100 years old, I want to hand out the last set of keys,” Richter said. “That’s thirty years from now. By that time, we’ll have about 10,000 homes. All on 23,000 acres, which is the same size as Meridian. We can have that many homes and still have open space, connection with nature, and be a haven for community.”
Photos courtesy Avimor
Doug and Skip Oppenheimer create their development plans with "emotional equity in this city and its future."
Photo by Kirk Davenport, McAlvain Companies
introducing THE ARTHUR
BOISE'S LUXURY LIVING SPACE
WORDS
BY CHELSEA CHAMBERS
You are panoramically surrounded by the beauty of rolling foothills with jagged high-peaked mountains etching the distance. The bustle of Boise below—laughter, excitement, experience happening all around you. But the view from up here—it’s calm, quietly exhilarating, with a sense of peace.
Combine the breathtaking scenery with amenities rarely seen in the Treasure Valley and you have The Arthur. Slated to open in early 2025, this 26-floor, 298 residential-space luxury apartment building is delivering the highest possible standards to Boise. The top floor defines opulence. A hot tub, hammock zone, dining area (complete with full kitchen), banquet room, and perched patio seating to take it all in. One floor down boasts a firstclass fitness center—yoga studio, weight stations, peloton area, and pool. Add to that an economical coworking station, media room,
golf simulator, and patio grilling stations, all without leaving the building!
Yes, you read that right. You can host a daytime yoga spa day followed by a dinner party and movie screening, then round it all off with an elegant rooftop sunset cocktail hour.
Oh, and did we mention that coffee is included for all residents? With an in-house café and concierge barista, your vanilla almond milk latte could be ready every morning when you walk out the door.
The Arthur is designed for the creatives. The innovators. Those that appreciate and aspire to big city living within the jewel that is downtown Boise. Whether you are a bachelor, an empty nester, a working couple or a busy family— The Arthur has been designed with you in mind.
The original concept behind The Arthur was born out of collaboration between brothers,
Doug and Skip Oppenheimer, a duo-development team from Chicago and a realty team from Cleveland. Vice President of Oppenheimer Development, Jeremy Malone, shared, “White Oak Realty Partners and Ponksy Capital Partners were interested in buying the property, but it’s been in the Oppenheimer family for several decades. We told them we weren’t interested in selling it, but we would be willing to codevelop it with them.” A productive collaboration ensued and built what is now the tallest building in the skyline.
“We are excited about the Arthur,” agreed Doug and Skip. “ We hope it adds some very positive contributions to downtown Boise and its lifestyle.” The building is actually named after their father, who built a sizeable development legacy in the capital city. “Dad was a wonderful person and role model. He was always such a supporter and fan of Boise and its evolution.
We think he would be pleased to be recognized by the naming of the Arthur!”
Vice President of Oppenheimer Development, Jeremy Malone, says a lot of time was dedicated to evaluating how the spaces should look and what amenities they wanted to offer the public. “Being a Boise local who has lived here my entire life, I’ve always been taught to save my money and buy a house as soon as I turned 18.”
Today, many people travel a different path to their dream home, choosing the flexibility and ease of non-ownership, on-site amenities, and convenience, over the time, stress and taxes of ownership. Malone and his team weighed these pros and cons to decide whether they would offer the units for rent or sale. Permitting and
financing ultimately dictated the 298 units of The Arthur would be for lease. The good news for residents translates into a modern, downtown Boise lifestyle without having to worry about fixing appliances, trimming the lawn, or
The Arthur is designed for the creatives.
shoveling snow. And who doesn’t want a personal barista?
Located at 12th and Idaho Street, The Arthur is a 420,000 square foot, multi-use building. Beyond residential units, the bottom floor will also house 9,000 square feet of retail space, plus a dog wash, bike wash, and laundry lockers. With a combination of
one-, two-, and three-bedroom offerings, The Arthur rises 26 stories in blue reflective glass that changes color with the sky. Imagine swimming in the pool or sweating in the work-out facility with a 360-degree view from sunrise to sunset. Environmentally and aesthetically design details were carefully considered. The balcony design deters birds in flight and the covered parking is disguised by murals of mountains upon mountains.
Malone anticipates the project being fully completed by the end of 2024 and ideally accepting tenant reservations by late November or December. “We want to get people in there. We want to get them excited,” Malone shares. With everything on schedule, Malone and his team anticipate accepting residents by February 2025. Your home in the sky awaits.
ABOVE: On-site amenities like beautiful outdoor space and relaxing spas make The Arthur best in class.
TOP RIGHT: Doug and Skip Oppenheimer. BOTTOM RIGHT: Building namesake Arthur Oppenheimer built a legacy in Boise.
Photo by Karen Day
Photo courtesy of the Oppenheimers
Photo courtesy of the Oppenheimers
ROBERT & WALLACE finds its forever HOME
THE TROLLEY MAKES A STOP AT BARBER STATION
WORDS BY JAMEY BAUMGARDT
PHOTOS BY KAREN DAY
Catherine Anderson, owner and founder of Robert & Wallace, started her dream business online, offering quarterly subscription boxes. Each box contained curated décor items and a style guide on how to use them to beautify your home. Albeit convenient for customers, Anderson missed the in-person connection. A vintage trolley on Facebook Marketplace offered a unique solution. “We like to say it found me, because I certainly wasn’t looking for one,” Anderson explained. “The trolley was in beautiful condition, so we couldn’t resist.”
The Robert & Wallace trolley debuted in summer 2023 and began rolling into local markets across the valley. The novelty of
Robert & Wallace owner and founder Catherine Anderson offers curated convenience to online shoppers around the country. Now, she’s proud to connect with customers locally in a brick and mortar store in Boise’s Barber Station.
home décor on wheels resonated with customers in Idaho and Utah. “We were grateful for the amazing response,” Anderson said. It was this person-to-person interaction that offered her the confirmation and courage to open a brick and mortar store.
Robert & Wallace recently opened in Barber Station, the growing retail development near Harris Ranch. With a personalized touch, Anderson selects home furnishings, art, gifts, and necessities that make everyone believe they too can have a “curated” home. She describes her style as “a mix of casual California coastal and Old World European,” incorporating natural elements, hundreds of texture options, mixed metals, and standout pieces like
Anderson chooses home furnishings, art, gifts, and essential household items that help buyers create curated spaces of their own. Focused on designs that feel inviting, casual, and classic, the Robert & Wallace aesthetic is casual California coastal and Old World European.
Turkish rugs.
“The incredible landscape surrounding us and the easy-living mentality of our area has naturally evolved our design style,” she said. “The spaces we create feel inviting, casual, yet classic.”
Anderson most enjoys advising her customers on ways to create an interior they love. A home is a sacred space and deserves special attention. Interior designers are welcome too and invited to host their clients in the design services area, featuring every aspect of making a house a vision come to life. Private shopping and design services are available on Mondays by appointment.
Family plays a large role in Anderon’s life and business. Her father drives the trolley and packs
online orders and her mom is often behind the sales desk. Robert & Wallace is named after her late grandfathers, who were craftsmen and businessmen. Countless members of her immediate and extended family—aunts, uncles, cousins, and her mother-in-law— participated in the opening.
“We quickly recognized the need for home furnishings in this growing community,” she explained. “I knew there was a hunger for the design style that I could offer.” Even if you don’t need a thing for your home, Robert & Wallace now offers “how-to” classes in table settings, candle making, and creating the perfect holiday charcuterie board.
Photo courtesy Robert & Wallace
TREASURE VALLEY CLASSICS
LIVING WITH STYLE
Boise Foothills Viewpoint
Photo courtesy Ralston Group
Log Cabin Luxury
Photo by Karen Day
Harrison Boulevard Historic
Photo by Karen Day
Eagle Lakefront Luxury
Photo by Karen Day
GROWING up TOGETHER
208 REAL ESTATE BUILDS THE IDAHO WAY
WORDS BY HEATHER HAMILTON-POST
For 208 Real Estate, it’s all about the big picture. The sort of picture that you might see, for example, from the beautiful floor-to-ceiling windows in your new home, overlooking the foothills or an expansive backyard. This is real estate with a vision from the ground up.
“What we realized was that all these people moving here from out of town wanted the Idaho experience,” says Jonny Newell, broker and co-owner of 208 Real Estate.
Newell and Tracy Skidmore, 208 Real Estate’s co-owner, vice president of operations, decided to do something about it. “We started by developing a one-acre lot a little further out in the country. You’ve got more space, and land is a little less expensive,” said Skidmore, who is also an experienced Treasure Valley builder.
Newell and Skidmore have been working together for eight years now. Their company uniquely offers full service real estate from development, to custom building, to sales and resales with 68
independent agents. Skidmore, who moved to Idaho in 2001 from Washington, says, early on, it was clear to him that this area was poised for growth.
Newell, a lifelong Idahoan, is the son of a logger and rancher, who has lived in New Meadows, Sweet-Ola, and the Treasure Valley. He understands Idaho, in many ways because he was born here—at St. Luke's downtown, which, he says, was once the edge of town. Even in junior high, Newell says he’s been aware of the double-edged reality of locals
Photo courtesy 208 Real Estate
... we have to maintain the beauty, the rivers, the forest, the hunting, maintain all the things that bring people to Idaho... -Tracy Skidmore
seeing the farm land disappear under new home developments, “I’ve tried to embrace it,” he said. “There’s a lot of good people moving here.” Newell decided to jump in and attempt to balance what he saw happening rather than complain about the inevitable.
The inevitable was that population growth led to a shortage of housing. To help address that reality, Skidmore’s company, Trident Homes, is creating some of the inventory that 208 Real Estate sells. The focus is custom homes, and Skidmore says many of them speak to that ‘Idaho way’—attached RV garages and homes with storage, for example. 208 Real Estate serves many clients looking for affordable, easy maintenance, single family homes.
“The national builders are difficult to compete with from a local builder standpoint,” explains Skidmore. To compensate, 208
Together, Skidmore and Newall seek to offer spacious homes with room for families to spread out. As an independent brokerage, 208 Real Estate cultivates a customer experience that recognizes the importance of the purchase of a home for both buyers and agents.
Real Estate has remained focused on keeping it local wherever they can. “It isn’t production-style,” he says. “Houses seem expensive, but builders aren’t making a ton of money—it’s everybody else. The building economy has carried the Valley for quite a while. It’s really been about construction.”
New construction accounts for a portion of their sales, but Newell says that in “that Idaho way” many clients are repeat customers who want to upgrade or downsize their homes. “We’re big, but we’re not trying to be the biggest,” explains Newall.
Right now, 208 Real Estate contracts with 68 agents between Twin Falls and the Treasure Valley. Skidmore estimates total home sales at 600 per year, which makes them, at last count, the third biggest real estate company in Twin Falls and in the top 15 in the Valley.
“In Idaho, we have more resources. There’s so much land. We have water, we have power. It's beautiful, and we're going to maintain the beauty of Idaho–but we have the opportunity to grow.” says Skidmore. “We are making sure we do it right.”
Newell says this means 208 Real Estate and Trident Homes focus on building community as much as building their business.
“You want to talk about growth, you want to talk about opportunity, you want to talk about making the world a better place for your kids,” says Skidmore. “That happens with growth, but we have to maintain the beauty, maintain the rivers, maintain the forest, maintain the hunting, maintain all the things that bring people to Idaho. And I think that's what we're responsibly trying to do.”
Photo courtesy 208 Real Estate
Photo by Karen Day
the CONTRIBUTORS
Alan Heathcock is the author of the books VOLT and 40. He's won a National Magazine Award, Whiting Award, and NEA Prose Fellowship, and he has been named a Literary Fellow by the Idaho Commission on the Arts twice. His work has been featured in numerous newspapers and magazines, including GQ, Time, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune, and he's contributed to NPR's "All Things Considered".
April Neale is an entertainment features writer and has read her work on NPR and Spoken Interludes and writes for various industry trades atnd entertainment websites. Neale is a member of the Critics Choice Association, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Hollywood Critics Association, Television Critics Association, and other professional entertainment organizations.
Chelsea Chambers is a graduate of Boise State University and has been working in media and communications for nearly a decade. She specializes in public relations, print and digital media, and social media management but dabbles in a variety of other areas. Chelsea serves as the Public Information Specialist and Interpretive Coordinator for the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation and runs a freelance business doing everything from copyediting to consulting.
Jamey Baumgardt (he/him) is a writer and visual artist living in the Pacific Northwest. He is currently a creative writing MFA candidate at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe and Fiction Editor for the Sierra Nevada Review. His work has appeared in OLIT Magazine and the 2023 Saints and Sinners LGBTQ+ short story anthology, and his short story “The Appeasers” was a finalist in this year’s New Millennium Writing Awards.
Heather Hamilton-Post is a writer and editor in Caldwell. She holds degrees in both agriculture and creative writing and is herself surprised by that. When she’s not writing, catch her at a sociallydistanced baseball game with her husband and young sons. Find her work across the web and buried in the lit journals you didn’t know you had.
Mary Ann Newcomer is a scribe-scoutand-speaker. She is deeply rooted in the American West. She grows gardens, scouts them, and writes about them.
Zach Kyle worked at newspapers for a decade, most recently as a business reporter at the Idaho Statesman. He now works part-time as a content author for Micron and tackles a variety of writing projects for businesses and for publication as a freelancer.
