Idaho State Business Journal July/August 2018

J u ly/Au gu st 2 01 8 1

I daho State Bu s ine ss J ou rn al

We do Business We doBanking Business Banking

JULY/AUGUST 2018 BIZ.IDAHOSTATEJOURNAL.COM

THE STATE OF TOURISM both locally and stateWIde, Idaho’s annual number of vIsItors Is contInuIng to groW page 10

more InsIde n pocatello’s corey rasmussen and hIs physIcal therapy clInIc stand out from the croWd n Idaho named most gun-dependent state n reneWables are vItal to Idaho’s energy productIon. so hoW dId they get started and Where are they goIng? n Why you should use a travel agent

Is your business doing something groundbreaking? do you have a business news tip? email Idaho state business Journal editor danae lenz at: dlenz@journalnet.com

2 July/Au g ust 2 018

The Idaho State Business Journal is published by the Idaho State Journal.

Our mailing address is: 305 S. Arthur Pocatello, ID 83204 Main number: 208.232.4161 | Subscriber Services: 208.232.6150 Copyright © Adams Publishing, All rights reserved.

Idaho State Journal managing editor: Ian Fennell | ifennell@ journalnet.com Idaho State Business Journal Editor: Danae Lenz | dlenz@journalnet.com Contributors: Robert Spendlove | Robert.Spendlove@ zionsbank Heather Kennison | Times-News Janna Graham | outreach@pocatello.coop Marc Basham | Post Register

Ida ho St ate B us i ness J o urna l

In this issueT Trade War Talks Heat Up Page 3

E

o s b e p

Renewables are vital to Idaho’s energy production Page 4 Idaho named state most reliant on gun industry Page 6

B

E. Idaho business finds niche in proselyting footwear Page 7 Both locally and statewide, Idaho’s annual number of visitors is continuing to grow Page 8 Food trucks a growing industry in I.F. Page 10 Pocatello’s Corey Rasmussen and his physical therapy clinic stand out from the crowd Page 12

Kelsey Pennock | Post Register

Rest in peace, voicemail Page 14

By Adam Jacobs Standard Journal

Why you should use a travel agent Page 15

Alan Eskelsen | alan@kalileivacations.com Shawn Fredstrom | sfredstrom@gmail.com Debbie Beaumont | DeborahBeaumont.com

Calling all produce and food vendors Page 15 What’s your image?

Page 15 12215 N. Rio Vista Rd.

$699,000

t i n t W r t n

This amazing Bullock Brothers Custom built home has it all: a spacious kitchen, large island, two fridges, unbelievable formal dining room, and the largest master bedroom, master bathroom, and walk-in closet you have ever seen! Living room has an impressive stone fireplace, vaulted ceilings with skylights, and a beautiful tiled entryway. Mudroom and main laundry room. 3 water heaters(two new). Vinyl fencing. The three car garage is over-sized. There are three covered porches, an open patio, a covered deck and Gazebo. Basement is fully finished with pool room, dart room, ping pong room, and is plumbed for bar. A work-out room in the back comes complete with a giant Jacuzzi tub. Another bedroom down with a full bath. As if that were not enough, there is also a family room downstairs! Over 6600 sq. ft with 4.7 Acres MOL with additional 5 acres MOL that can be purchased separately, all with water rights. Massive shop. Central air. Appliances stay. Circular asphalt driveway. Private well, septic, and sump pump. RV parking. Central vacuum. In my 17 years of Real Estate this is the nicest, most well built home I have ever been in. Call me for a private showing.

Call Erick (208) 478-8200 • MLS: 559705

EriCk BuLLoCk 208-478-8200

1769514

d c t h t w m

b e i l i s

T i p t

J u ly/Au gu st 2 01 8 3

I daho State Bu s ine ss J ou rn al

Trade War Talks Heat Up E

quity markets have been on a some of the top U.S. trade partners. roller coaster since President However, the majority of the tariffs Donald Trump’s announcement will be directed at China. By doing of wide-ranging tariffs on imported this, the president makes good on his steel and aluminum. The news also campaign promises to revitalize imbrought swift rebuke from world leadpacted communities in America and ers and resulted in tit-for-tat political level the playing field with China. posturing.

Since then, the number of indusWinners and losers Robert tries covered by potential tariffs has With changes as drastic as those the Spendlove increased dramatically and several president is considering, it is impornations have announced retaliatory tant to understand the impacts. There is no tariffs because of the U.S. announcement. doubt that China has been violating fair trade While many economists have decried the practices for years, and if these trade talks recent actions as protectionist and harmful could end or cut back on those practices, U.S. to the economy, the situation may be more companies would benefit. nuanced.

However, there will likely be more losers than winners, especially if the talks lead to a Background wide-ranging trade war around the world.

The U.S. has been running a global trade Supply chains are highly globalized and deficit for more than four decades, and in reinterconnected, and any additional tariff (tax) cent years China has been a primary driver of that is levied along the way is typically passed that deficit. Many politicians and economists down the line to consumers in the form of have accused China of engaging in unfair higher prices. trade practices and sheltering its industries, Idaho could be in the cross hairs of any while the U.S. has allowed greater access to its trade wars. China, Canada and several market. other countries have threatened to impose This has created an uneasy relationship stiff tariffs on U.S. agricultural products in between the world’s two largest economies, response to Trump administration tariffs. especially as numerous goods-producing This could have a big impact on a sector so industries have declined in the U.S. Over the important to the Idaho economy. According last 30 years, the U.S. steel industry has faced to the University of Idaho, agribusiness repimmense pressure from globalization and has resents 20 percent of Idaho’s total economic struggled to compete on the world stage. output, with one in every seven jobs in In an attempt to level the playing field, the the state being in the industry. Plus, Idaho Trump administration announced plans to export destinations include many of the impose tariffs on steel and aluminum. The countries threatening to impose the highest president has considered applying the tariffs tariffs on U.S. goods, with 24 percent of to several countries in the world, including Idaho agriculture exports going to Mexico,

“Although tariffs and trade wars have been proven to reduce overall economic health, they often remain a politically popular move.

Politicians tend to focus on the short-term benefits of looking tough on trade rather than the longer-term costs of protectionism.

Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail in the current trade standoff and all sides will be able to find a path that encourages mutual benefits and better trade policies.”

23 percent going to Canada and 8 percent going to China.

Lessons from the past A classic example of tariffs leading to a widespread trade war is the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. The goal of the act was to protect agricultural production in America against foreign imports. However, the items covered quickly expanded from just a few targeted products to more than 800 different industries. As the tariffs expanded, other countries around the world retaliated, imposing tariffs on many U.S. goods.

The resulting global trade war severely depressed already struggling economies and extended the destructive impact of the Great Depression. In 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt reversed the tariffs, but the negative impacts of the trade war took years to overcome, with many countries refusing to lower their tariffs on American products even after the U.S. reductions.

Finding a path forward Although tariffs and trade wars have been proven to reduce overall economic health, they often remain a politically popular move. Politicians tend to focus on the short-term benefits of looking tough on trade rather than the longer-term costs of protectionism. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail in the current trade standoff and all sides will be able to find a path that encourages mutual benefits and better trade policies. Trade disputes are generally harmful to everyone involved, but if used to spur meaningful change to unfair practices, could be beneficial.

Robert Spendlove is Economic and Public Policy Officer for Zions Bank. To contact Robert, email Robert.Spendlove@zionsbank. com. Additional economic insights, including state and national economic trends highlighting indicators such as employment, demographics, housing, and more can be found online at www.zionsbank.com/economy.

In the business of looking after your business.

From managing your cash flow to planning your future, we’re here to help with fresh ideas and a full suite of financial services for your business, including: • Business Checking, Loans, and Cash Management Services • Online Banking and Business Bill Pay • Commercial Real Estate and more

Visit iccu.com for more information.

WE BELIEVE we are stronger together.

4 J uly/Au g ust 2 018

Renewables are vital to Idaho’s energy production.

Ida ho St ate B us i ness J o urna l

So how did they get started and where are they going?

PAT SUTPHIN/TIMES-NEWS

Facility Manager Keith Johnston talks about wind turbine energy on May 24 at the Idaho Wind Partners’ Yahoo Creek Project south of Hagerman. The company owns 11 wind turbine projects in Twin Falls, Elmore and Cassia counties.

By HEATHER KENNISON Times-News

I

daho is at the forefront of a nationwide movement toward renewable energy.

As of 2015, it ranked 44th in the nation for total carbon dioxide emissions, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. And as Idaho Power Co. seeks to cut carbon dioxide emissions, renewable energy sources will play an even bigger role in powering the Gem State.

In southern Idaho, there’s plenty of room — and resources — to expand. With abundant waterfalls, sunshine, wind and open pastures, the region has piqued the interest of investors and developers. Today, most of Idaho Power’s energy comes from renewable resources, and many of those are in the Magic Valley.

“We like to think that nearly 70 percent of our portfolio is non-CO2 emitting,” said Adam Richins, Idaho Power’s vice president of customer operations and business development. “Idaho Power has been very fortunate to have had a big renewable portfolio, even 60 years ago.”

While renewable energy is more sustainable and reduces C02 emissions, some sources are more reliable — and predictable — than others. Whatever the future of Idaho’s renewables looks like, the state’s energy sources that produce more CO2, like coal, are being left in the past.

It started with hydro Idaho has a long history with hydroelectric power, dating back to long before the Magic Valley was fully settled. The first electricity used in Idaho was by a mining company near Ketchum in 1882.

Idaho Power formed in 1916, when five companies merged. It had five hydroelectric plants, the oldest being the 1901 Swan Falls plant on the Snake River about 40 miles south of Boise.

Last year, the company’s 17 dams generated nearly half of Idaho Power’s total generation.

Nationwide, hydroelectric plants account for only 7.5 percent of all the energy that’s generated.

“In addition to that, we got about 19 per-

PAT SUTPHIN/TIMES-NEWS

Water is sucked into the original 1935 hydroelectric plant May 17 at Twin Falls Power Plant in Twin Falls.

cent of our energy from long-term purchases,” Richins said.

These purchase agreements include generation from other hydroelectric facilities, plus projects like solar and wind farms.

Idaho Power also has part ownership in coal plants and owns three natural gas plants.

“We’re a pretty full portfolio company now,” said Idaho Power spokesman Dan Olmstead.

In 2017, coal generated 18.3 percent of the company’s total energy portfolio, and natural gas generated 8.3 percent. The U.S. average has been around 30 percent for coal, and 31

percent for natural gas.

“Our rates are still among the lowest in the nation on a price per-kilowatt-hour basis,” Olmstead said.

According to the EIA, the state ranked eighth in the nation in February for the lowest average retail price of electricity to the residential sector.

Balancing renewables Dams along the Snake River were a natural way to access the Magic Valley’s resources.

But in the early 2000s and 2010s, Idaho Power

started seeing more wind and solar contracts come in under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. Because of the looming energy crisis, the act required utility companies to buy electricity from qualifying projects, such as solar farms.

Wind energy came first, but solar followed.

As of May 1, Idaho Power had PURPA contracts with 32 wind projects and 19 solar projects throughout the state. But these sources, Richens said, are relatively unpredictable and harder to rely on than hydroelectricity.

I daho State Bu s ine ss J ou rn al In Boise, Idaho Power Co. staff constantly monitors the system for fluctuations. A common misconception is that energy can be stored and used for later.

In some states it can be, but in Idaho, where there is no large storage facility, it must be managed on a real-time basis so the system remains balanced.

“It’s not like there’s a battery that’s there storing it and releasing it,” Richins said.

Electricity travels at the speed of light — 186,000 miles per second — and it’s constantly zooming in and out of the grid, being sent to wherever it will be used.

“When you turn on your lights, that energy that you’re using at that moment was literally produced a second ago, possibly thousands of miles away,” he said.

While Idaho Power specialists try to predict how much energy the system will receive, that can change in an instant. If a cloud blocks the sun, solar panel generation drops suddenly. With changes in the wind, turbines go on- or off-line. These sources can’t be relied upon for baseload needs, Richins said.

“You can’t be guaranteed it’s going to be there when you need it,” he said.

Paying for power Idaho power produces most of the power it uses. And hydro is its lowestcost option for energy, Richins said.

But because it’s required to buy from PURPA contracted facilities, the company sometimes runs into an energy excess. It often happens during the springtime, when water is flowing, the wind is blowing and the sun is out — all while there isn’t a huge demand. This year was no exception.

During boom times, non-hydro renewables can sustain the state’s power for a few days at a time, but they cannot carry the brunt of the energy load.

“We had a couple days when wind and solar basically ran our system,” Richins said.

Idaho Power can restrict the amount of energy it has to take from these facilities — and it can also try to reduce energy production at its hydro, coal and natural gas plants. But sometimes, that can’t happen quickly enough.

“Even if we don’t need the energy, we have to take it, and if it’s too much, we have to take it to market,” Richins said.

And when there’s a regional excess of energy, Idaho Power might not be able to even sell that power. Instead, with nowhere for the power to go, it’s forced to pay another company to take it.

That can impact customer rates down the line. Idaho Power may pay $50-60 per megawatt-hour for solar, but then have to turn around and sell it for $15 per megawatt hour, Richins said. And that increases costs that the company must recuperate later.

But not everyone agrees with that assessment. Robert Paul, developer with Alternative Power Development Northwest LLC, disagrees that solar and wind are a much higher-cost resource than hydro. But Paul believes Idaho Power has been resistant to renewable power.

“The way that Idaho Power has structured the PURPA compliance makes it far more difficult than in other states,” he said.

Paul was the developer of a solar project in Grandview a couple of years ago. Now, he’s working to construct a 100 megawatt solar project east of U.S. 93 and south of Rogerson. Another project just across the road would generate an additional 120 megawatts.

These projects — the first solar projects in Twin Falls County — would also include a storage facility.

“By using battery storage, we can fluctuate the time of day when we sell the power,” he said.

The batteries could store about four hours of the project’s power, so energy generated during the day could be dispersed at nighttime.

For now, he’s just trying to market it to

J u ly/Au gu st 2 01 8 5

the right partner.

“In my view, we’re ahead of schedule,” said Paul, who’s been working on the project for about 18 months. “Twin Falls County is very receptive to energy projects.”

But he didn’t want to sign on for two-year contracts with Idaho Power, which he says are not long enough to bring certainty to his project. Instead, he’s looking at contracting with a utility in Nevada, where he says the market is more open and aggressive in getting renewable energy.

Idaho Power, however, argues that two-year contracts have helped its company have more flexibility and save money with renewable energy. The company was once required to have 10-year contracts.

“We’re seeing renewable energy getting cheaper, particularly wind,” Richins said. “Idaho Power itself likes renewable energy. The problem is, we didn’t need any of the (additional) energy.”

In Idaho, companies see value in renewables. Idaho Power is required to sell credits from its renewable resources. The owners of those credits can then claim they use “green energy,” and the money Idaho Power receives goes to offset customer rates.

Shifting away from coal As coal-fired generation represents less than one-fifth of Idaho’s energy supply, Idaho Power’s board has made a long-term commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

It’s already made big steps. Between 2005 and 2017, the company’s coalfired generation dropped 54 percent in megawatt-hours. The emissions intensity — based on pounds of C02 emitted per megawatt hour — had been reduced 25 percent.

Idaho Power partially owns three coal plants in Oregon, Nevada and Wyoming.

The company has plans to pull out of its Boardman, Oregon, plant in 2020. The Valmy, Nevada, plant has two units — one of which will be offline in 2019 and the other by 2025.

“In theory, by 2025, we will have moved away from two of our coal plants,” Richins said.

But Idaho Power is scheduled to be energy deficient by 2026. So if coal leaves, the company will need to find new sources to replace it.

Idaho Power has laid out its options in its 20-year Integrated Resource Plan.

The cheapest and preferred solution to the energy deficit is called the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line. This 300-mile line would run from outside of Boise to Boardman, Oregon.

This line would help Idaho Power in two ways: First, when the company needs more power, it would buy energy from the Pacific Northwest. Conversely, when Idaho Power has an excess of energy, the company could sell it to that region.

In theory, this would benefit both regions because the northwest typically has peak usage in the winter, but Idaho Power has peak demand in the summer, Richins said.

The cost of running that line would be comparable to coal, but it would result in fewer carbon dioxide emissions because the Northwest uses mostly renewable energy sources, too.

Meanwhile, Idaho Power expects that wind power, especially, will become increasingly enticing to developers.

“Wind kind of paved the way for renewables in a lot of ways — but solar is starting to catch,” Richins said.

The cost of solar has dropped dramatically in recent years, making it a more viable option — plus, there’s a 30 percent federal tax credit on solar developments. Richins predicts that innovation will continue to make technologies like solar and battery storage more affordable.

“We have a glide path away from coal,” he said.

PAT SUTPHIN/TIMES-NEWS

Area Operation Supervisor Stanley Bell explains how the plant operates May 17 during a tour of the Twin Falls Power Plant in Twin Falls.

Idaho Power graphics

6 J uly/Au g ust 2 018

Ida ho St ate B us i ness J o urna l

B S

T

b f

p t

s s s C t a

t S a

i e e t w p a

l

Jared Huckstep, owner of Hux Customs gun shop in Chubbuck, holds one of the guns for sale at his establishment.

Doug Lindley/Idaho State Journals

t

GUN-DEPENDENT

m g

l m

w s w t s W C

Idaho named state most reliant on gun industry

By Danae Lenz dlenz@journalnet.com

I

daho is the state most dependent on the gun industry, according to a new study.

The study by WalletHub ranked Idaho first in most gun industry jobs per capita and highest total gun industry output per capita, tied with New Hampshire, and was within the top 10 for gun prevalence and gun politics.

The other states in the top five are Montana, Alaska, South Dakota and Wyoming.

GUN FRIENDLY Some local residents in the gun industry say there are a few reasons why Idaho is so attractive to gun businesses.

Jared Huckstep, the owner of Hux Customs gun shop in Chubbuck, said a big reason is just the simple fact that Idahoans love guns.

“Being from Idaho, we like (guns),” Huckstep said. “... Our Second Amendment rights are pretty important to us, so anybody that frowns on that probably wouldn’t get into office and therefore they can’t influence the industries.”

Huckstep said there are numerous Idaho companies involved in the firearms industry.

“I try to stock as many as I possibly can,” he said, adding that Idaho companies manufacture “everything from optics to ammunition, firearms, parts, pieces, everything.”

The low cost of living in Idaho is another reason a lot of gun-related businesses are drawn to the Gem State, Huckstep said.

“In Idaho, everything seems cheaper,” Huckstep said. “If you go to California or whatever, everything is more expensive down there. To rent a shop to run your business, it’s going to cost you four or five times as much so then you’re going to have to charge more for your products and they’re not going to be as popular.”

Huckstep said he originally started out painting guns for three years as a side business. Eventually, he started selling guns and business picked up so he decided to open his own shop in August 2015.

“We sell a lot of guns,” Huckstep said.

“We’re Idaho — we love guns.”

Clint Goss is a retired Pocatello police officer and the owner of Slidelock Tactical Firearms, who also works as a gunsmith at Old Town Gunslingers in Pocatello and specializes in repairs and gun building and training.

He said that when it comes to opening firearms businesses, people pick Idaho as opposed to other states because it’s so gun friendly.

“Idaho is gun friendly,” Goss said. “When you live in Idaho, you kind of grow up that way, enjoying guns and enjoying the outdoor sports and hunting and fishing and that sort of thing, so it just kind of goes hand in hand.

Idaho is definitely not anti-gun.”

CHANGING POLITICS? Both Huckstep and Goss said the continued success of Idaho’s gun industry depends on politics.

“In the industry and where our country is right now, in the back of my mind, (the industry’s success) depends on what laws pass, how it’s going to affect business,” Huckstep said.

“Right now in Idaho, you come in, you fill out your form, we run a background check. If the background check comes back clear, you can take the gun that day. There’s a lot of states that are passing laws that have a mandatory wait period. So you come to buy a gun, you can pay for it and everything, but you can’t take it home for like three days, or in California, it’s 10 days. That would hurt the industry bad. We’re an instant gratification society. We don’t want to sit around and wait.”

Goss said it’s important for Idahoans to, metaphorically, stick to their guns when it comes to allowing law-abiding citizens to purchase guns.

“We need to continue with what we’re doing, which is our way of life,” Goss said.

“That’s how we are and we should not change that. Guns are a part of our lives whether people want to believe it or not, because they’ve been a part of the United States since our inception. Certain places have gotten to the point where they want to legislate the lawabiding gun-owner instead of embracing the

g s s c

law-abiding gun owner and going after the t criminal element because it’s easier to attack a an object than a person.” y Goss thinks some gun businesses will be d forced to close because of the way politics are moving.

1 “Across the nation, we’ll see (firearms s businesses) start to diminish,” Goss said. “In certain states, it’s going to get really bad for the owners of the gun shops because they’re being legislated out of business. I don’t understand it. If you look at what’s going on in our society today, the biggest number of killings per capita by using a gun are the states with most strict gun control laws. Why is that? They’re not catching on that it doesn’t work. You can’t legislate bad people by punishing good people. That’s not how it works. And if people who are law-abiding gun owners are good people, then you can’t restrict them and have that fix a problem they’re not part of.”

Though Huckstep said he missed out on the ups and downs of gun sales throughout the presidency of Barack Obama, he said business at his gun shop is looking good.

“We’re always gaining new clientele,” Huckstep said. “We love the guns as much as (the customers) do. I always get the new thing in — touch it, play with it — as much as anybody else. I always have eye out looking for the latest and greatest thing.”

More Guns I Page 7

J u ly/Au gu st 2 01 8 7

I daho State Bu s ine ss J ou rn al

Mission shoes E. Idaho business finds niche in proselyting footwear

By Adam Jacobs Standard Journal

T

homas Scott is a man on a mission to sell high-quality shoes.

Scott’s business, MissionShoe, is based in Sugar City, a town he said was perfect for starting new ventures.

“We’ve got great people. We’ve got a really positive, independent mindset that you see in this town and in this area,” he said.

A 33-year-old resident of Hibbard, Scott said the idea to create a durable, yet professional dress shoe began while Scott was serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Brazil. He saw that locals used a shoe that wasn’t falling apart after weeks of walking.

After returning from his mission, Scott attended Brigham Young University-Idaho near Sugar City and decided to launch a shoe line as a side business in 2008.

“We use a technology from a company in Brazil that makes them for postal workers,” he said. “Postal workers in Brazil walk everywhere. They don’t have trucks. So we took their sole technology and matched it with what we wanted our tops to look like. We paired them together and created a shoe that’s a fraction of the weight.”

Scott said the shoe has been very popular among missionaries who were called to lserve in places that don’t have a lot of vehicle transportation.

“The MissionShoe line is a great active men’s dress shoe,” he said. “It looks just as good with a pair of jeans as it does a suit.”

MissionShoe has changed from just one line of proselyting footwear to a brand that is making waves in the online footwear industry.

“Locally, MissionShoe is the highest one we sell due to the high LDS population,” Scott said. “Even then, for every couple shoes that we sell in the general vicinity, we’re selling thousands and thousands of shoes, sandals, socks and everything else out to the world.

We’ve got a presence in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.”

The second line is called Vertico, a footcare group of products that use a similar durable sole to the MissionShoe but in the form of sandals. Scott also sells other footwear and accessories through another line called Kaiback.

“Our Vertico foot care takes care of everything from shower sandals to foot powder, anything that has to do with taking care of your feet,” he said. “We’re one of the leading distributors of shower sandals online.”

Scott said the Vertico line is now his No. 1 seller, saying that even though shower sandals might be a little “dorky,” they’re not a

Guns/from Page 6 He continued, “We try and be nice to people. Kind of important in a small town like Pocatello. If you’re not polite with your customers and whatever else, they’re not going to come back. Word of mouth is by far the best form of advertising.”

MORE ON THAT STUDY According to the study, which came out in April, “WalletHub compared the economic impact of guns on each of the 50 states to determine which among them leans most heavily on the gun business, both directly for jobs and political contributions and indirectly through ownership.”

The Idaho Statesman article about the study reported that 40.05 of every 10,000 Idahoans work in the gun and ammo manufacturing industry — about 6,800 employees total in the state.

Courtesy photo

Thomas Scott, of Hibbard, poses by his inventory of shoes in his Sugar City warehouse.

tough sell.

“Ninety-five percent of what we move is all online,” he said. “We have a presence on Ebay, Amazon, Jet.com, Walmart and Sears.”

And it all comes here to Sugar City before heading out to those retailers.

Scott said choosing to locate his business in Sugar City was a decision he was glad he made. He and his wife moved to Idaho after living in Arizona for a number of years, and even though they weren’t raised in Eastern Idaho, Scott said he wouldn’t live anywhere else.

“I chose Sugar City because it was a good price on the lot,” he said. “I like that it’s right off the highway. I think it’s going to be a good center, and I would love to see other individuals who are like me, people who are in my groups saying, ‘Let’s see what it looks like to set up shop here.’”

Selling shoes online to customers around the world is not your typical local business.

Yet Scott says Sugar City is a perfect place to

launch an e-commerce company.

“The thing that’s cool about e-commerce and all of this stuff is there is this underground community,” Scott said. “There are so many people who are selling skirts out of their garage. There are candle makers and Etsy people. There are a lot of us that are here, but they all stay in their little corners. What I’m interested in is what happens when you put those minds together? What happens when that mom, who has been making scarves and is able to make an extra $3000 a month, goes out and meets someone who knows how to move $6000 scarves a month? You then have that synergy and things start to grow.”

Scott said finding those business collaborators in the area is very possible thanks to BYU-Idaho bringing in a large amount of talent and fresh ideas. He added that being here in the Upper Valley has been as beneficial to his business as the quality of the shoes that he sells.

“There’s a million and one ways to make

money,” he said. “It’s not just, ‘Hey, I wonder what Rexburg would like?’ It’s, ‘What does the world want, and why not set it up here?’”

Scott said he knows of several people who are in the e-commerce business that are looking to open up shop in Sugar City, as opposed to other larger cities.

“They have a hard time when places they’re finding in next door neighbor Rexburg, which I love and is near and dear to my heart, are either not for sale or are two to three times the price tag than what it would be to be just next door over in Sugar,” he said. “It makes more sense to me.”

MissionShoe will be relocating within Sugar City from Railroad Avenue to the business park off of Main Street. Scott’s building plan was approved by the Sugar City Council in May, but he said construction wouldn’t start until possibly July.

For more information about MissionShoe, visit Scott’s website at www.missionshoestore. com.

The industry portion of the study included industry jobs per 10,000 residents; firearms and ammunition dealers and importers per capita; firearms and ammunition manufacturers per capita; average wages and benefits; total industry output per capita; total excise taxes paid by firearms industry per capita; gun industry immunity; minimum age to purchase and possess firearms; and strictness of state gun laws, which includes mental-health records reporting, private-sale background checks, open-carry regulations, concealed carry regulations, prohibition of access to domestic abusers, disarming dangerous people laws, child access prevention and waiting periods before gun purchases.

Idaho did not rank in the top 10 for the highest average wages and benefits, with Idahoans in the gun industry making an average of $42,600 per year, nor in the total gun-related taxes paid.

WalletHub said the Gem State came in

10th in gun prevalence, which was determined by gun ownership rates, gun sales per 1,000 residents, gun ads for private buying and selling and Google search interest in gun sales.

The Statesman reported, “The state ranks third in gun ownership per capita, 56.9 percent, behind Alaska (61.7 percent) and Arkansas (57.9 percent), and ahead of West Virginia (54.2 percent) and Wyoming (53.8 percent).”

Idaho is ranked third in gun politics, according to the WalletHub study. That was measured by contributions to members of Congress from gun control and gun rights groups and also the average National Rifle Association-Political Victory Fund score of U.S. senators.

An Idaho Business Review article also citing the WalletHub study said the Gem State has been courting the firearms industry since 2008 when the Idaho Department of Commerce released a flier “touting the

state’s low wages, gun-friendly culture, and business-friendly environment.”

The brochure said, “Idaho’s average workforce costs are 84 percent below the national average. Recognized as a gunfriendly state by the National Rifle Association. Among the least restrictive gun laws in the nation.”

In the Business Review article, Megan Hill with the Idaho Department of Commerce, said employment in the firearms and ammunition industry in Idaho has boomed, growing nearly 40 percent from 2012 to 2017. Meanwhile, across the United States, the industry grew by only 20 percent.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s “Firearms and Ammunition Industry Economic Impact Report 2018,” the total yearly economic impact of Idaho’s firearms industry is more than $1 billion. The report was one of the sources for the WalletHub study.

8 J uly/Au g u st 2 018

Ida ho St ate B us i ness J o urna l

THE STATE OF TOURISM both locally and stateWIde, Idaho’s annual number of vIsItors Is contInuIng to groW by danae lenz | dlenz@journalnet.com

F

rom the Treasure Valley to Coeur d’alene to Sun Valley to Lava Hot Springs and Bear Lake, there’s lots to do in Idaho — and local and state tourism officials are making sure people know about it.

only 18 summers The Idaho Department of Commerce’s main tourism campaign, “18 Summers,” urges parents to get outside with their kids because before they know it, their kids will be grown up and out of the house.

Matt Borud, chief marketing and innovation officer for the Idaho Department of Commerce, said “18 Summers” has been successful because of the emotions it invokes.

“I became a parent two years ago, and I can tell you the campaign has made me a better father,” Borud said.

“I do not want to waste an opportunity to go adventuring with my daughter. It has quantified time. It truly makes you think, ‘I only have 16 summers left with my 2-year-old daughter and the time that we get now is going to be different than the time we get a few years down the road when maybe she’s going to basketball camps or she’s doing something else in her life and she isn’t interested in going camping with dad.’ It truly hits home on a personal level that you only have so much time with your kids, that these opportunities for them to adventure and explore do as much for them as they do for you.”

Summer vacations are happy memories, so they stick with kids more than other aspects of their lives, Borud said.

“Family vacations have a real psychological effect. They stay in your memory because of the positives,” Borud said.

“You’re relaxed. You maybe see your parents in a bit of a different light. You go on an adventure. You experience something you’ve never experienced before, that you haven’t experienced since. You just remember it. It’s a different family interaction on vacation, and we really wanted to tap into that vein with the messaging. And it really aligns nicely with our product. We want folks to adventure in the outdoors.

We want kids to get outside, get off your devices, go for a hike, go for a mountain bike ride, learn how to fish, do this kind of stuff because it is so important and so enriching to the soul.”

The Idaho Department of Commerce starts the campaign in February and keeps it going until late in the summer. The department advertises throughout the West, and the campaign has been well received since it launched four years ago.

events In pocatello and southeast Idaho For calendars of summer events happening in the area, visit https://bit.ly/2txS7r2 or idahohighcountry.org/events.

If you would like to add your event to the Visit Pocatello calendar, go to visitpocatello.org, click on “Things to Do” and then “Calendar of events” and then “Register Local events.”

take your tIme off

did you know... n 52 percent of american employees have unused vacation time. n 1.9 million potential american jobs could be created by america’s unused vacation time. n 17.2 is the average number of vacation days per american taken in 2017. n 705 million is the total number of unused vacation days annually in the U.S. In Idaho... n 78 percent of employees have unused vacation time. n 3,125,460 vacation days go unused in Idaho every year. n $433,167,875 is the economic impact of those unused vacation days. projecttimeoff.com says, While the numbers are moving in a positive direction, more than half of americans are still not using all the vacation time they earn. The 52 percent who left vacation on the table “We’re still very proud of (‘18 Summers’),” Borud said. “Research has shown us that we haven’t nearly saturated the message yet. It’s still resonating with people and there are still a lot of folks who are seeing it for the first few times. It’s a great message. We love the brand. It’s work we’re very proud of, and a message that we’re going to continue to promote for a while longer.” bIg groWth Statewide, tourism in Idaho is growing every year. Across the state, tourism is up over 11 percent this year from the

accumulated 705 million unused days last year, up from 662 million days the year before.

Though this increase may seem counterintuitive to americans using more vacation time, it is a function of employees earning more time. The average employee reported earning 23.2 paid time off days, an increase of more than half a day (.6 days) over the previous year.

Of these days, americans forfeited 212 million days, which is equivalent to $62.2 billion in lost benefits. That means employees effectively donated an individual average of $561 in work time to their employer in 2017.

The more than 700 million days that go unused represent a $255 billion opportunity that the american economy is not capturing. Had americans used that vacation time, the activity could have generated 1.9 million jobs. previous year, continuing a trend of 12 and 13 percent increases the previous two years before that, according to Borud. That percentage is measured by how much revenue the state makes through its lodging tax. In 2017, Idaho had approximately 3.15 million travelers, Borud said. In 2015, that number was 2.75 million.

“We’ve had a really strong growth rate over the last few years,” Borud said. “We expect to still be in that double-digit growth going into this summer.”

Borud said people are primarily coming to Idaho to visit friends and family but that

there has been an uptick in people visiting the state just to see the sights.

Birgitta Bright, the tourism administrator for Visit Pocatello, which promotes tourism in Pocatello and Chubbuck, said the numbers in the Gate City area are “steadily increasing” as well.

“This year it seems like we’re about even with what we were before,” Bright said. “It’s still an 11 percent or 12 percent increase (in lodging tax revenues) from the year before, which is what we were the year before that.”

According to statistics provided by Bright, visitors spent $238 million in Southeast Idaho in 2014, and the tourism industry in Southeast Idaho provides 3,400 jobs. Tourism is also Idaho’s third largest industry behind agriculture and technology.

What’s brIngIng people to the area?

Both Bright and Borud said one of the biggest driving factors bringing people to Idaho and Southeast Idaho in general is the outdoors.

“Whether it’s just a blanket sense of visiting the outdoors or it’s visiting state parks or monuments or recreation areas,” Borud said. “There’s always a driver around water, and then just outdoor adventures, so biking and things along those lines. It really is driven by the outdoor product and outdoor activities.”

For a lot of Pocatellans, access to the outdoors is just right outside of their homes.

“One of things that we have going in Pocatello, that a lot of people who live here just don’t realize, is we have excellent access to the outdoors,” Bright said.

“Sometimes we take it for granted. Some people don’t. You can be in Old Town grabbing a bite to eat or browsing antiques and then you can jump up onto trails within 10 minutes.”

Bright said people from out of state are hearing about Pocatello because of those unique outdoor features.

“People are hearing about us and want to come here,” Bright said. “They like the quality of life that we have here with the easy access to the outdoors.”

Bright said Pocatello’s biggest tourist attraction is something that’s very family friendly.

J u ly/Au gu st 2 01 8 9

I daho State Bu s ine ss J ou rn al “Our biggest tourist attraction that a lot of Pocatellans and people in Chubbuck have not taken advantage of is the Museum of Clean,” Bright said. “It’s the No. 1 tourist destination on TripAdvisor for Pocatello.

We get a lot of people stopping through just to go there.”

The Museum of Clean has exhibits on historic cleaning techniques and tools, with brooms, tubs, toilets and more.

The Bannock County Historical Museum, the Fort Hall Replica and the Idaho Museum of Natural History are also high on the list tourist destinations in the Gate City. Bright also said Chubbuck’s new splash pad and the weekly movies in the park, both at Stuart Park in the summer, are big hits.

In addition, Pocatello is only a couple hours from Yellowstone National Park, and visitation numbers for the park are continuing to soar. According to numbers provided by Bright, more than 4.1 million travelers visited Yellowstone Park in 2017, and 35 percent of those visitors entered through the west gate and 17 percent used the south gate, the entrances most used by those coming from Pocatello. That means that more than 2 million of those visitors came through the Gate City.

Those big numbers are something Bright said her organization is trying to take advantage of.

“We do a lot of advertising to encourage people that as they’re planning their trip to Yellowstone to stop in Pocatello for a few days or stay in Pocatello and explore some other things in Southeast Idaho on your way up there,” Bright said. “The journey is the best part of the trip, not just the destination.”

Another big Pocatello tourist attraction, Zoo Idaho, is also remodeling and expanding. Bright says that it’s a great place for people to see all the animals they missed in Yellowstone.

“One of the things that we market is we tell people, ‘When you’re going to Yellowstone and you don’t get to see the animals because it’s too crowded, you can come to our zoo because we’re all indigenous species and you can see the Yellowstone animals up close at Zoo Idaho,’” Bright said.

Pebble Creek Ski Area is another location that brings people to Pocatello.

“The trend right now is to visit the smaller ski hills,” Bright said. “So (visitors are) finding these little gems like Pebble Creek where you can come and ski for a really affordable lift ticket and then they also don’t have to wait in line so they can get a lot more runs in.”

Bright thinks Pocatello has a lot to offer tourists and locals alike.

“Our Old Town is just really vibrant and has so many events going,” Bright said. “... Between art galleries and antiquing, and then we’ve got such great diversity in our restaurants. Old Town has the concerts all summer long (Revive@5). They have the (Portneuf Valley) Farmers Market. ISU has (Summer Soundwaves) concerts all summer long on Thursday nights on the Quad, which are amazing. They also have the (Pocatello Municipal Band) bandshell concerts at Ross Park.”

WIll gas prIces affect travel?

Gas prices this summer are higher than they have been for a couple years, and Borud is worried about how it will affect the state’s tourism industry.

“It is very much a concern,” Borud said. “Idaho is a drive market. We define the geography of our traveler as within an uncomplicated day’s travel. For us that means a direct flight or an eight-hour drive. Seventyeight percent of Idaho travelers travel in their own car, truck, their own vehicle. … You hope that other macroeconomic factors still stay in our favor. By that I mean, the statewide unemployment rate is under 3 percent, so hopefully folks are still employed and wages are rising and people can kind of withstand that little extra at the pump and still take those trips.”

Bright, however, said it shouldn’t have much effect on the amount of tourists — just where they’re coming from. She calls high gas prices “one-tank gas prices.” “(High gas prices) shift the kinds of travel that people do,” Bright said. “When gas prices are cheap, (someone from Pocatello) might be planning a trip to California. But when gas prices are high, they might only go to Salt Lake instead. Where we’ve got this huge market right there in Salt Lake, we have that advantage that people can plan trips up here. … I think people travel closer to home when gas is a little higher.”

One side effect of people staying closer to home, according to Borud, is that the more rural communities will see some tourism as well.

“As more folks from some of our larger communities do get out and venture into their own backyard, travel with their families, that really benefits some of our more rural smaller communities,” Borud said.

Bright said she is optimistic about the future of tourism in the Pocatello area.

“I love Pocatello,” she said. “I think it’s a fantastic place to live, and I love sharing it with other people.”

IDaHO STaTe JOURNaL FILe PHOTOS

above: The Fort Hall Replica at Pocatello’s Ross Park.

Left page: Bear Lake is a popular summer recreation area in Southeast Idaho.

a samplIng of southeast Idaho attractIons Water attractIons n american Falls Reservoir n Blackfoot Reservoir n Oneida Narrows Reservoir n Daniel’s Reservoir n Deep Creek Reservoir n Devil Creek Reservoir n Jensen grove Pond n Float the Portneuf River in Lava Hot Springs n Bear Lake n Chesterfield Reservoir n alexander Reservoir n glendale Reservoir n Hawkins Reservoir n Raft the Bear River campgrounds n Willow Bay Recreation area near american Falls n Indian Springs Resort and RV Park near american Falls n Big Springs Campground near Lava Hot Springs n Crystal Springs Campground near McCammon n Devil’s Creek RV Park near Malad n Lava Campground in Lava Hote Springs n Scout Mountain Campground near Pocatello n Smith’s Trout Haven in Lava Hot Springs n Willow Flat Campground near Preston n Twin Lakes Campground near Preston n Mill Canyon Campground near Soda Springs n Summit View Campground near Montpelier n Lava Hot Springs KOa n Pocatello KOa n Montpelier Canyon Campground near Montpelier n Oregon Trail Park Campground in Soda Springs outdoor recreatIon n Massacre Rocks State Park near american Falls n Pebble Creek Ski area in Inkom n Hooper Springs in Soda Springs n Sulphur Springs near Soda Springs n Bloomington Canyon Trail n eight-Mile Trail near Soda Springs

n Lava Idaho Centennial Trail in Lava Hot Springs n City Creek Trails in Pocatello n Portneuf greenway in Pocatello n Red Rock Pass near Downey n Bear Lake National WIldlife Refuge near St. Charles n Minnetonka Cave near St. Charles n grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge near Soda Springs n China Hat geological Site near Soda Springs n Niter Ice Cave near grace n Cherry Springs Nature Trail near Pocatello mIscellaneous attractIons n Zoo Idaho in Pocatello in Pocatello n Fort Hall Casino n Shoshone-Bannock Hotel and event Center in Fort Hall n Portneuf Wellness Complex and the Portneuf Health Trust amphitheatre in Pocatello n Soda Springs geyser n Bear River Massacre Site near Preston n Napoleon Dynamite House in Preston n Osmond Family Homestead near Malad n Chester’s Country Store in Soda Springs hotels n Lava Hot Springs Inn n Home Hotel in Lava Hote Springs n alpaca Inn in Lava Hot Springs n Black Swan Inn in Pocatello n enders Hotel and Museum in Soda Springs n Harkness Hotel in McCammon museums n Bannock County Historical Museum in Pocatello n Bingham County Historical Museum in Blackfoot

n Power County Historical Museum in american Falls n Idaho Museum of Natural History in Pocatello n Shoshone-Bannock Tribal Museum in Fort Hall n South Bannock County Historical Center Museum n Fort Hall Replica in Pocatello n Museum of Clean in Pocatello n Pocatello Speedway n Ross Park aquatic Complex in Pocatello n Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot n Paris Tabernacle Historical Site in Paris n National Oregon/ California Trail Center Museum in Montpelier n Chesterfield Historic Town Site in Bancroft n Franklin Historic District in Franklin n georgetown Relief Society Hall in georgetown hot sprIngs n Downata Hot Springs n Lava Hot Springs World Famous Hot Pools n Riverdale Resort Hot Springs in Preston n Maple grove Hot Springs performIng arts centers and theaters n Stephens Performing arts Center in Pocatello n Palace Playhouse in Pocatello n Westside Players in Pocatello n Old Town actors Studio in Pocatello n allinger Community Theater at the National Oregon/California Trail Center Museum in Montpelier n Marsh Valley Performing arts Center in arimo n gem Valley Performing arts Center in grace n Blackfoot Performing arts Center n Nuart Theater in Blackfoot n Little Theatre in american Falls

10 J uly/Au g ust 2018

Id a ho St ate B us i ness J o urna l

John Roark/Idaho Falls Post Register

Patrons wait to order at the Las Penitas food truck on May 18 in Idaho Falls.

Mobile munchies Food trucks a growing industry in I.F.

By MARC BASHAM Post Register

S

al Garcia takes a customer’s order from the front window of his van. It will be the first of more than 100 orders he’ll fill that day.

“Some weekends, we’ll have a 40-minute wait,” he said. “This is true, authentic Mexican food.

“It’s not fast food, it’s good food.”

Garcia’s Street Tacos is one of nearly a dozen food trucks that operate in Idaho Falls. And it has been a healthy business for its operators.

“I have a guy who owns land in Jackson that travels the world, and he tells us, ‘Dude, I’ve been all around the world and tried all the Hispanic places, but Idaho Falls is still No. 1,’” Garcia said.

Garcia’s is not unique in this venture.

From American cuisine, Mexican staples and even dessert offerings, Eastern Idaho has witnessed a culinary revolution in recent years.

And a lot of this comes from the back of a truck or van.

Going mobile Garcia claims his operation at 165 Science Center Drive was the first food truck in Eastern Idaho. His father worked to create a unique business in the area, opening

his first operation in the early 1980s.

Since then, Garcia’s family has added Garcia’s Meat Market at 310 Northgate Mile.

But the passion started in the food truck industry.

“If you look back when we opened, the lines used to be … long,” Garcia said. “We would stay open until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. It was something pretty special at first.”

The city’s approach to mobile food joints has likely played a role in the growth.

Food truck regulations in Idaho Falls are overseen by the city. Bud Cranor, public information officer for Idaho Falls, said the city permit process for these operations is not necessarily different from those wishing to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant.

Businesses must apply with the city to receive a mobile food vendor permit and an East Idaho public health permit. There is also no limit to the amount of permits Idaho Falls will grant for these operations.

“As long as they meet these criteria, they’re able to operate,” Cranor said.

Garcia believes the city is helping to promote these types of businesses.

“If you look around now, they’re all over the place,” he said.

The growth of food trucks in Idaho Falls is rare for a city of its size. Trucks typically dot the streets of large cities such as New York and Los Angeles, but vendors are now

finding success in mid-sized towns.

“When we originated here, we got the people of the town so used to this,” Garcia said. “It’s sort of become a tradition.”

Isahias Galvan visits trucks at the Idaho Innovation Center several times a week and believes it is the most authentic Mexican food offered in the area.

“They’re quick about their food and the tortillas are always homemade and fresh,” he said. “And the prices are always way good. If you know the right places, you’ll come here.”

Las Penitas, Galvan’s favorite, typically overflows during the lunch hour, with tacos starting at $1.50. And patrons like Galvan flock to the brightly colored truck for their daily fix of authentic Mexican cuisine.

“They offer a lot of meat,” he said. “At other places, I’ll have six or seven tacos.

Here, I get about four and I’m solid.”

This low-cost, high-quality lunch option has become commonplace for food trucks in the region. The average price for a taco from an area food truck ranges from $1.50 to $2, with anywhere from two to six employees operating the business at a given time.

The value in these locations, and the quality of food, brings customers back, sometimes even just for the nostalgia.

“With the growing of the Hispanic population in this town, that’s part of the reason

why we’ve had so much success,” Garcia said. “There’s been a lot of population increase from when we started, and this town is big enough to where we can have all these trucks and businesses.”

Unique offerings Tropical Paradise, operating from a truck at 725 W. Broadway St., is one of the more unique offerings in the Idaho Falls.

Eddy Alverez has been making delectable treats from this location for three years as an employee, designing fruit-based delicacies for customers.

“We sell Mexican fruit cocktails,” he said.

“We would go to Utah and find different stuff; different names, and new add-ons to them.”

Tropical Paradise offers over 12 treats from their location, and can cater for other events.

“The wrap on the truck, and the food, attracts a lot of people,” Alverez said.

Ultimately, food truck operators such as Garcia hope the mobile meal trend will help grow the food culture in eastern Idaho.

And he welcomes the competition in this quest.

“When I hear a new truck is opening up down the street from us, I welcome it,” he said. “We’ve never seen a decrease in sales from any of this. If anything, we’re on the rise.”

I daho State Bu s ine ss J ou rn al

Keeping hearts strong

J u ly/Au gu st 2 01 8 1 1

GOING 12 J u ly/Aug ust 2018

BIG Pocatello’s Corey Rasmussen and his physical therapy clinic stand out from the crowd

C

orey Rasmussen is the owner of Physical Therapy Specialists of Idaho and Athletic Performance Specialists of Idaho, both based out of Pocatello at 675 Yellowstone Ave., Suite 1. Recently, PTSI moved into the bigger building to better accommodate its patients, and APSI, a gym for both former patients and other community members, opened right next door. PTSI previously had two smaller locations.

In 2017, Rasmussen won the Journal’s 20 Under 40 award and his business won the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Therapy Clinic. He’s a 39-year-old Burley native who moved to Pocatello to attend Idaho State University in 1997.

Given the successes of Rasmussen and his businesses recently, the Journal recently interviewed Rasmussen. The following is that interview.

Idaho State Journal: Can you talk to me a bit about what PTSI does for its patients?

Corey Rasmussen: We specialize in treatment of orthopedic injuries, disorders of pathology, so anything to do with muscular or skeletal systems. We treat post-surgery and people trying to avoid surgery to regular injuries, and we kind of see it all: back, shoulders, knees, anything that might require some conservative physical therapy to address those injuries.

ISJ: What do you feel the new PTSI building offers that your previous two locations could not?

CR: A lot of physical therapy clinics are confined to smaller spaces because they do a lot of hands-on stuff and you can do a lot of exercises in a small location. But sometimes with those higher level of patients, whether they’re a railroad worker who has to get back to some more laborious activity or if they’re a high school athlete, you need more avail-

Id a ho St ate B us i ness J o urna l

Membership at Athletic Performance Specialists of Idaho n Membership: $35 a month.

Currently, enrollment fees are being waved and there is no contract for three months.

Then there are a fees for a month-to-month contract or you can sign on for a year to stay at the same rate.

There are also: n Couple packages n Three-month packages n Family packages n Free injury consultation

ditional equipment that we previously didn’t have the space for that allows us to increase our capabilities with some of the new modern technology that comes out. For example, we just got the newest AlterG. Alter G is an anti gravity treadmill. We’re currently the only one that has this new model in the state of Idaho.

RASMUSSEN

able space for the variety of machines and equipment that are going to challenge the individual enough that when they return to work they’re not just going to end up hurting themselves again.

With the additional space, we were able to build what we call our power ramp. A lot of people that like hiking around here can simulate going uphill and downhill. It creates those forces that people are going through when they’re doing those activities. But it also allows athletes to create more speed and acceleration because you really have to drive as you accelerate up the ramp.

The increased space has made it so people aren’t tripping on top of each other. It’s just a lot more open. People don’t feel as restricted.

We can get a lot more space for dynamic movement. We’ve been able to purchase ad-

ISJ: It sounds like the increased space has been hugely beneficial for your business.

CR: Patients just love coming here. They can’t say enough good things. Every time a patient comes in here who’s been in any of our old facilities, they can’t get over how amazing the new facility is. It’s been a big beneficial factor in attracting new therapists.

We’ve had lots more students come through that we’re educating from other universities, and hiring has not been a problem. Some people will look for a clinic and they kind of see themselves there or not and that goes into their decision-making process and so now we have this ultimate clinic. When people come here, the first impression goes a long way.

They get wowed by that first impression. They definitely are seeking us out for employment instead of us having to seek them out.

ISJ: APSI is your other business. What does that facility offer members of the community that’s different from the PTSI building?

CR: The great thing about this gym is it’s a public gym that anybody can join. Our patients can join when they’re done with therapy so they can continue their success and get even better. In this day and age when Insurances are getting more restrictive, sometimes we might want 12 visits to treat them but we might only get six, so now we have this gym where we say, “Look. Sign up for gym membership. You don’t get the one-on-one

supervision but we’ll print you a program, you go execute that because it has similar machines and then some. And then if you have any questions, someone should be able to help you.” That’s a great offer for our patients.

As far as other people, it has the rehab equipment and above that is has a lot of athletic training, your typical free weights that are in gyms: squat racks, the latest in the machinery there, the dumbbells, all that good stuff. In addition, it’s got 40 yards of artificial turf. We can do a variety of athletic training year-round indoors.

We wanted to fill memberships that would suit all walks of life.

ISJ: It seems like you’re more niche than any of the other gyms in town. Do people seem to like that?

CR: This is a real niche that people need filled, not only from the patient aspects.

We’re hearing from health care professionals, saying, “We want to get involved.

We want to send our patients down there because we like the idea of them continuing their wellness well beyond regular therapy that they’re getting.” We were getting a lot of young athletes that we’re training because we have specific certified trainers for athletic performance that have gone through some rigorous training and have bachelor’s or master’s degrees in addition to that. That allows us to train these individuals in the safest environment that they can. What’s happening is there’s so much more demand on these young athletes to be bigger, faster, stronger so you can get a scholarship that we’re seeing a lot of injuries on the therapy side. But now we’ve got this training facility that we’re trying to prevent that kind of stuff.

J u ly/Au gu st 2 01 8 1 3

I daho State Bu s ine ss J ou rn al

ISJ: How long have your businesses been open?

CR: PTSI, the physical therapy side, has been open for five years. The gym didn’t open until just a month ago.

ISJ: What are a few habits you have that help your businesses succeed?

CR: The biggest habit I think for me is getting started early. I get started at 5 a.m. I go work out and then I’m doing work by 6. I’m getting a couple hours in before people even get their days started.

Another habit is eating healthy. Since I’ve made a commitment to that in this last year, I’m able to sleep less and still have energy throughout the day because I’m eating better.

Be genuine. You have to be genuine with your colleagues, you have to be genuine with your patients. I don’t like to hide anything. I’m an open book, very honest, trustworthy.

ISJ: Everyone has good days and bad days at work. What do you do to weather those ups and downs?

CR: My go to is really just looking back at the successes I’ve had for that day, for that week, for that month. When things aren’t going as well as I would like them to, it’s important for me to step back and look at the things that have gone well, shifting my focus from either negative things or failures into positive things and successes.

ISJ: What is the best part of your job?

CR: For sure it is watching people progress from a very low state of function, with pain, and then watching them on the last day, walking really well, smile on their face, talking about things that they’ve either done with their grandkids or they’ve got back

Doug Lindley/idaho State Journal

Physical Therapy Specialists of Idaho’s Dr. Mitch Beckstead, right, shows patient Challas Dschaak, some of the options on the new anti-gravity treadmill that PTSI has that makes it easier for patients to walk.

to golfing because of the experience that they’ve had here.

ISJ: What is the best professional advice you’ve ever received?

CR: I think the best one is you can’t be afraid of failure. You have to be willing to go all in and learn from your mistakes but you can’t go into anything afraid that you’re gonna fail. The other thing is you need to be wiling whatever it takes — you have to be willing to do what the other guy is not willing to do in order to achieve something you never have before.

ISJ: What is unique about doing business in Southeast Idaho?

CR: Because of the low cost for housing and things in this area, it’s a very businessfriendly area. I would not be able to have a clinic even remotely the size in any kind of big city, possibly even Boise. We’re still a small clinic, but our clinic is probably two to three times the size of your average PT clinic.

We’re blessed to have the ability to pay for something like this and be able to offer it to patients.

In Idaho in general, the state law in very pro-therapy. We have a lot more freedoms in what we can practice and what we can do and offer our patients so they’re able to get the best treatment that’s available.

ISJ: You won the Idaho State Journal’s 20 Under 40 award in 2017 and PTSI also won our Readers’ Choice Award for Best Therapy Clinic. What does it mean to you that the people of the Gate City think so highly of you and your business?

CR: That means a lot to me. I have always valued certifications and awards. People

respect people who have made good achievements. For a business to receive those kinds of accolades, that’s really exciting. Word of mouth is good, but when it comes together as a group and you’re able to win some of these awards, I think that’s special. I thought it was a big deal (to win the Readers’ Choice Award). I was proud of the team for achieving that award, so like you see in the basketball arenas and the football arenas where they hang the banners up in the rafters for their championships, we had a big 5-foot by 3-foot banner made to hang from our rafters that has the emblem on there “Readers’ Choice Award 2017.” I’m hoping we get it every year, I’m banking on it, so that we have a whole row of them or multiple rows of them. I am proud of that award. It gives me a lot of pleasure.

therapy and another place where they can go.

The other thing we want to do is continue to attract top talent of physical therapists.

We want to attract the type of person that we want, not just the smartest person, but the person with strong character and is able to build relationships with patients, that has roots in the community so they’re going to be here for a while. We want that person. I feel like if we can get the right people in here, the business will come.

We do want to be able to offers our services in some of these other communities. We do want to expand into a four-clinic company and work our way into some of these neighboring communities, just to lessen the drive for people and make it more convenient for people to make it to more appointments and have more success.

ISJ: What do you like to do when you’re not working?

CR: I like hanging out with my family. I do have three girls, they’re 12, 8 and 6, and then I have twin boys that are 3. So they give me a lot of enjoyment and keep me busy when I’m not at work. I like to go camping, fishing, hunting. I like to golf. I like to play basketball and I like to exercise as well.

ISJ: Is there anything else do you want people to know about either your businesses or yourself?

CR: I would like people to know is what is summed up best in our business statement: “We will be the most sought after rehabilitation facility in Southeast Idaho, known for its quality expertise, passion and the character of the people that work here.” And that carries over into the athletic side. It gives people the opportunity to take their fitness to the next level, whether they’re in competitive sports or not and really give themselves the best opportunity to succeed in whatever they’re training for.

For myself, I really enjoy Pocatello, and I really like helping people. We truly believe in our product and we want people to come here knowing that they’re going to get the best available health care that they can receive.

ISJ: Do you expect your businesses to continue to grow and prosper?

CR: Ever since we’ve opened in 2013, we’ve experienced 30 percent growth every year consistently. Our staff has growth by at least 30 percent each year. It’s all been very good, and I expect that moving forward.

One of the steps was the gym. We wanted to create this gym that also created this opportunity to offer something that no one else can offer people, an extension of their

14 Ju ly/Aug ust 2018

Id a ho St ate B us i ness J o urna l

John Roark/Idaho Falls Post Register

Le Ritz Hotel & Suites Sales Manager Shelby Wilson says texting instead of leaving a voicemail typically results in a shorter lapse time in getting a response.

Rest in peace, voicemail Texting replacing voicemails as means of passing along information

By KELSEY PENNOCK Post Register

I

f you remember the pervasive answering machine tapes commercial from the 1980s — the one with the rap lyrics “Wait for the beep. You gotta leave your name. You gotta leave your number.” — then you’re likely part of a dwindling number of Americans still using voicemail.

Pay phones, fax machines and videocassettes already have gone the way of the dinosaur for most Millennials, and voicemail may be close behind.

Young Professionals Network member and Le Ritz Hotel & Suites Sales Manager Shelby Wilson, 26, of Idaho Falls, said she never leaves voicemails outside of work because when she did, people would call back without listening to them. She said she likes to send texts instead so she can make sure the message is delivered and read quickly.

“I prefer a phone call over a text,” Wilson said. “But most of the time it’s kind of a waste of time to leave a voicemail.”

Like VHS tapes, answering machines became commonplace in U.S. households in the 1990s. Between 1987 and 1991, sales of the devices doubled, and by 1996 had reached the billion-dollar mark, according to the book, “Encyclopedia of Modern Everyday Inventions.”

However, 1996 also began the growth of another technology — the cellphone. That year, 24 percent of American households

“I think voicemail is a little more formal. If a friend or family member tries to call me, it almost seems distant to leave me a voicemail.”

— Brigham Young University-Idaho student Kimball Obeng had cellphones, but just four years later, that number had more than doubled.

Increased cellphone ownership led to expanded use of predictive text technology (using a numeric keypad) to send text messages. The proliferation of smartphones saw even more adoption of text messaging.

In 2006, just 37 percent of cellphone users between the ages of 30 and 49 used their phone for text messaging, according to a Pew Research Center report. That changed following the launch of the iPhone in 2007.

Compared to previous generations, millennials are more likely to use technology, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center study.

Millennials were born between the years of 1981 and 1996, members of Generation X were born between 1965-1980, Baby Boomers were born between 1946-1964, and the Silent Generation was born between 1928-1945.

The study said 83 percent of Millennials have slept with their cellphone in bed or next to their bed, compared to 68 percent of Generation X, 50 percent of Boomers, and 20 percent of the Silent Generation.

Nearly 9 in 10 millennials use their cellphone to text, the study said, which is 11 percent higher than Generation X, 37 percent higher than Boomers and 79 percent higher than the Silent Generation.

Brigham Young University-Idaho student Kimball Obeng, 22, said he never leaves voicemails in his personal life unless it’s for someone around 40 or older and thinks texting is a quicker option.

He said when people can’t reach him, he prefers they text him rather than leave a voicemail because he can respond more quickly and it seems friendlier.

“I think voicemail is a little more formal,” Obeng said. “If a friend or family member tries to call me, it almost seems

distant to leave me a voicemail.”

Idaho Falls High School teacher and head track coach Jeremy Smith, 37, said he will leave a message when he is calling those he doesn’t know well because he feels it’s rude not to. He said, professionally, he is much more likely to leave a voicemail. However, if he knows the person well, he’ll text.

“People can see it at their leisure,” Smith said. “You don’t have to listen to it and you can access it any time.”

Eric Mathusek, a 23-year-old BYUIdaho student, said while he personally likes leaving voicemails, he feels he is in the minority. He said he receives a voicemail about once a month and said he thinks this trend among millenials is due to the comfort of texting.

“You can go back and rewrite a text four different times so you can say it the right way,” Mathusek said.

Idaho Falls resident Susan West, 51, said she still leaves voicemails because she finds it more convenient for conveying long messages, but she often has to text others to tell them to listen to the message she left. She said she thinks Millenials prefer texting because they are more comfortable with it than talking on the phone.

West said she doesn’t mind the shift away from voicemail.

“I think it’s nice that I don’t have to listen to my answering machine like in the old days. It used to be that you would get five or six messages a day but now I get a few a week,” West said.

J u ly/Au gu st 2 01 8 1 5

I daho State Bu s ine ss J ou rn al

Calling all produce and food vendors T

Why you should use a travel agent

P

lanning a vacation? Busias a travel agent knows exactly ness trip? Honeymoon? what to do. Travel agents simply Using a travel agent is goknow what travelers not only ing to be your best bet. While it’s want, but need when booking a a fairly easy process nowadays to trip. This means they will double go on the internet and book your check all booking details, assist travels yourself, are you sure with any necessary documents you’re getting the absolute best needed when traveling, as well deals? And how long is it taking Alan Eskelsen as provide our clients with any you to find and book your airline important travel tips that will travel, hotel accommodations and make their travels all that much more more? When you have questions about enjoyable. your traveling plans, how do you find And the majority of professional out the answers? Even though you’re travel agents earn commissions on able to book your own trips nowadays, their bookings, which means they don’t it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re charge their clients fees when helping getting the absolute best deals. them plan their travels.

So why use a travel agent?

Travel agents are trained profesBecause travel agents not only help sionals. A travel agent not only knows their clients plan their travels, they are exactly what every traveler needs, they also available to assist with any probcan help them get everything they need lems that may occur before, during and in a much quicker fashion, i.e. visas, after traveling. For example, if a flight or passports, special accommodations. Usa hotel accommodation is canceled for ing a travel agent can help travelers get some reason, there’s no cause for alarm better seat accommodations, any special

meals they may need, upgrades when possible and much more. A travel agent can also give their clients advice when they’re wanting to travel to a country that is experiencing political unrest, or a location that experiences a lot of unruly weather.

Inside scoops. Travel agents have insider access, which means they have the inside scoop on hundreds (if not thousands!) of travel-related resources that can make any trip a better experience. This means they have access to special tours and accommodations that aren’t available online and instead have to be booked through a travel agent. If there are any special discounts or offers available for when or where the client is traveling to, a travel agent will find them.

Alan Eskelsen is a travel professional with Kalilei Vacations in Idaho Falls.

He can be reached at 208-201-6395 or alan@kalileivacations.com.

What’s your image?

“D

oes it really matter happening. what I wear? No one Many of us have been raised sees me anyway, so it to believe that it is vain to look doesn’t matter what I wear? I just good. Spending money on want to put my hair in a ponytail beauty is frivolous. We hear and go. I’m not girly.” This is the things like “Who do you think attitude today. you are?” Being a good person Do you crave more confidence, is enough, or being smart is respect and power? Want to earn enough.

Debbie e more money? Not moving up in As a model and fashion Beaumont your career, life and relationships? consultant, I know that when we Your sweats, pajamas and fliplook our best, we also feel our best and flops are losing you money. Stop making we tend to do our best. We were born excuses and learn to look your best. to enjoy beauty. We love art, music and Move past your excuses of no time and nature. When you drive through a neighmoney and become your own Ameriborhood, do you notice the well kept can success story, says Eve Michaels, yard with all the flowers and think about author of “Dress Code: Ending Fashion what the people inside might be like, Anarchy.” and do you notice the unkempt yard and Our image matters more than we think about what the people inside might think it does. Everyone has an image be like? Which one would you prefer to whether we realize it or not. We not only live next door to? represent who we are, but we represent Up until the 1990s, we had dress those we work for, our city, our state and codes. Then came casual Fridays. It’s our country. Other countries, whether sad, but Americans have become sloppy we are visiting there or they are visiting in their dress. What started out as just here, also see this image of us. It can have dressing more casual has slowly turned a serious effect on your ability to achieve into just plain sloppy. We have become success. You want your image to work so laid back and casual, some don’t even for you, not against you. Unfortunately a bother to get dressed anymore, choosing lot of people don’t realize that is what is to go out in pajama pants, sweats and

yoga pants everywhere. Some go to work looking like they are ready to mow the lawn or go to the beach.

Darlene Price, president of Well Said, Inc., said, “In the temporal realm of mere mortals, fair or not, people judge us by the way we look and that includes the way we dress,” especially in the workplace.

Research shows that your appearance strongly influences other people’s perception of your financial success, authority, trustworthiness, intelligence and suitability for hire or promotion.

My favorite quote is “Dress like you’re already famous” or successful or whatever — you fill in the blank. Be fabulous, because you already are — you just need to show the world you are.

Debbie Beaumont is a fashion designer with a Fashion degree from Kinman University in Washington. She is the owner of Deborah Beaumont LLC. Fashion designs.

She teaches modeling and fashion design through ISU’s workforce training. She also hosts a fashion segment on the channel 6 morning news. She has chaired the Zonta Spring fashion show for the past 12 years.

You can find more about her designs on facebook at facebook.com/Deborah Beaumont Designs and on her website at DeborahBeaumont.com.

he local food scene in Pocatello feels a bit young, but it is slowly getting bigger and more diverse. Pocatello has a new brewery, a food co-op cafe and more produce and food vendors at the Portneuf Valley Farmers Market. I have always considered a farmers market a Shawn cornerstone of a community’s Fredstrom local food scene. It’s an outlet for local producers and chefs. As the market manager, I am always looking for more people to contribute. If something seems to be missing, anyone is welcome to tell me to try to get new products or vendors. Or people themselves can join and sell whatever they produce.

The market is also a great place to learn more about how your food is produced. It isn’t a black box of vegetables magically appearing at a typical grocery store. You can see the person who worked on the food that you are purchasing. You can ask questions and get into a real conversation about what they are selling. The products at the market also aren’t touched by a dozen or so people or processed by machinery. The faces you see are the faces that did the majority of the handling. This makes those national bacterial contamination scares moot in this regard. If you buy fresh and local, your food doesn’t have the large chain of custody that commercial produce has to go through (unavoidably) to be sold at stores.

In addition to our produce vendors, we also have awesome food vendors. We’ve got vendors who put their hearts in their products: stuff like coffee, crepes, kettle corn, sandwiches, bread — and the list goes on for a while. It’s amazing that these vendors can feed a crowd for four hours straight. It is also a well-varied market for food. As far as I know, it is the only place in Pocatello where you can get otai, crepes and pulled pork nachos all in the same setting. One of the biggest sellers at the market is the natural yeasted/sourdough breads. People really go for the breads that are lower on the glycemic index and have no commercial yeast or sweeteners.

I’ve been noticing that our vendors who keep their foods simple, but use quality ingredients, do very well for themselves. People can taste quality, and the food vendors are well aware of that, so they create products that make people come back weekly.

The food scene can only grow as fast as the support it gets from the people of Pocatello and surrounding communities. We can work with what we have and watch it grow. We’ve come to a point at our market that when new producers or food vendors check us out, they want to join.

One must keep in mind that only success begets success, and everyone’s support and patronage at our market will build a stronger food scene for the city of Pocatello. In my time as market manager, I have learned a lot about other big city’s markets: more variety, more food, more this and more that.

The response of “here’s a vendor application, please contribute” doesn’t seem to do the trick. I will always accept anyone who is a local producer or wants to cook at the market. If one feels underwhelmed by the food scene, don’t be afraid to contribute or bring someone down to market who is willing to contribute. Eliminate all doubts and our customers will let you know if you do a good job or not. The market customers are honest and truthful, and they will try to help you succeed if you become a vendor.

The Portneuf Valley Farmers Market meets every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Old Town Pavilion. Many of our vendors also sell Wednesday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. during Revive@5. I encourage everyone to stop by to get a taste of the local food scene.

Shawn Fredstrom is the manager of the Portneuf Valley Farmers Market. He can be reached at sfredstrom@gmail.com.

16 Ju ly/Au g ust 2018

Id a ho St ate B us i ness J o urna l

FindYourFutureinIdaho...

Fin d YourFutu

Today

Idaho Power does more than keep the lights on.

We’re inspired by the spirit of the West, where big ideas have room to grow. Whether you’re launching a new business or expanding an existing one, Idaho Power has the resources to take your business to the next level: • Reliable, responsible, fair-priced energy • Renewable energy programs • Commercial & industrial energy efficiency programs & incentives To learn more, email us at relocate@idahopower.com or visit our website | idahopower.com/relocate

We’re moving at the speed of business.