Your Future in Technology (YourFIT), is returning to Fort Hall on March 27, at the Shoshone-Bannock High School from 5:30 pm to 7:15 pm.  A Technology Career Expo will be held for middle and high school students from Shoshone-Bannock, Blackfoot and Snake River schools, their parents and area residents.

The Expo will demonstrate High Tech, High Wage and High Demand careers and training available now in various technology fields.  Career paths highlighted during the event are welding, instrumentation/control technology, electrical engineering technology, machining, maintenance engineers/mechanics, information technology/cyber security, unmanned aerial systems (drones) and diesel mechanics. These positions are in high demand in the region and pay very well.

Free pizza, drinks and cookies are available for every event attendee.   There will be drawings for tablets, drones, t-shirts, hoodies and other prizes. Two $500 scholarships to ISU’s College of Technology will be given to participating high school counseling departments to award to one female and one male student in their high school.

Participating middle and high school students can enter the drawings by filling out a survey during the event.  Completed surveys are submitted for entry in the drawings.

Scott Rasmussen, Dean of ISU’s College of Technology noted, “Students can come to the College of Technology and in two years get the skills they need to go out and get a great job. For most all the jobs in the YourFIT program, the College of Technology has 100 percent placement. If you want a job, you’re going to get a job.”

Many great employers will exhibit at YourFIT, in addition to the College of Technology, including: Idaho National Laboratory, Williams Pipeline, Peterson Manufacturing, Premier Technology, Century Link, Bayer, Driscoll Farms, FBI, ON Semiconductor and Idaho Power.

For more information on the program visit http://www.yourfitidaho.org/ and view our video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/woMBT_50cAY

February 25, 2019                                                      Contact: John Regetz, President & CEO

Pocatello-Chubbuck, ID                                   208-530-1400, john@bannockdevelopment.org

The Pine Ridge Mall and Farmer Companies continued their support of Bannock Development Corporation and the community’s prosperity with a $3,000 investment today.  The support will help fund job attraction, talent development and local employer support efforts in Bannock County and the region.  At a ceremony today in the Pine Ridge Mall community leaders took stock of the benefits from both organizations. 

Drake Taylor, presented a check to Bannock Development to support their efforts, including expansion of current employers and recruitment of new ones.  “The Pine Ridge Mall is happy to support Bannock Development’s mission to bring good jobs to our community and grow existing companies.  We want to see the community grow, along with the Pine Ridge Mall and Bannock Development’s efforts help that happen”, said Taylor.

Brandon Lance, Chairman of Bannock Development Corporation, expressed appreciation and support for the Pine Ridge Mall.  “We at Bannock Development Corporation are grateful for the Pine Ridge Mall’s investment and we will use it to get more jobs in town and therefore more people in the Mall.  Our missions are much the same,” said Lance.

Pine Ridge Mall and its parent corporation, Farmer Companies, have supported the community, including Bannock Development Corporation, since Farmer Companies purchased the Mall.  New innovative tenants in the mall include Planet Fitness and GEM Prep School.  The Xtreme Idaho Outdoor Expo will be at the mall on April 5&6.

Recent projects involving the Bannock Development Corporation include the FBI expansion, housing supply research and promotion, Cold Storage development, and economic dashboard development.

Pictured: Co-owner Rory Erchul on Thursday sands a piece of wood that will be used in the new Union Taproom, which will open in early March in the Yellowstone Hotel building on West Bonneville Street in Pocatello. It’s one of five new businesses that will open in Old Town by this spring.

By John O’Connell joconnell@journalnet.com

POCATELLO — Five new businesses are poised to open by this spring in Old Town Pocatello, including a restaurant and taproom and a shop where customers will make their own all-natural personal and household products.

Union Taproom will be located inside the former Yellowstone Hotel at 230 W. Bonneville St. The project is planned by the group of owners who previously opened the high-end Yellowstone restaurant and The 313 Whiskey Bar in the same historic building.

Salt and Honey, which is scheduled to open Feb. 1 inside the Kress Building, 150 S. Main St., Suite A, will sell handmade sustainable, personal and household products made from natural ingredients.×

Photographer Sara Turpin will open the Photo Boutique in the former location of Bill Burke’s House of Photography, 159 S. Main St.

Stephanie Palagi, executive director of Old Town Pocatello, Inc., said announcements will be forthcoming about two additional businesses that plan to open in Old Town by March.

Jennifer Erchul, who is one of the owners planning Union Taproom, said the restaurant will include 26 taps, featuring craft beer from regional breweries. Erchul said the taproom will also offer “food that complements beer,” such as slider hamburgers, wings, pretzel twists with dipping sauces, personal flatbread pizzas and spiced nuts. She said the new business should be open by the first week of March.

“Everything will be made in-house,” Erchul said, adding live music and trivia will be hosted regularly at the restaurant. “The taproom is going to be our extremely casual, more playful side of things.”

Erchul said The Yellowstone restaurant also started opening for lunch recently, with a special lunch menu.

“The experience in Old Town is getting elevated, and to be a part of it is exciting,” Erchul said.

Keri Kimbrough hopes her business, Salt and Honey, will raise public awareness about how disposable products and synthetic ingredients and toxins are harming both the ecosystem and human health.

“There are major issues going on with our planet, and at some point we have to figure out how to live with less waste,” said Kimbrough, who is a certified wellness coach.

Her business will offer a line of reusable products, including reusable cloth trash bags with washable liners, reusable straws, reusable towels and reusable drier balls containing essential oils to replace drier sheets. Her aunt, Barbara Mills, who is also an investor in the business, will supply many of the handmade, reusable products.

Kimbrough will sell natural products such as handmade soaps, lotions and detergents. A unique aspect of her business is that she plans to invite groups of people to develop their own custom recipes and to make their own products in her shop, with her guidance.

Kimbrough worked in the insurance industry for 12 years, before she left Michigan about a year and a half ago to return to her childhood home, Pocatello. She and her brother, Sean Kimbrough, bought the local locksmith shop LDA Security together.

Kimbrough also plans to offer classes in proper composting.

“This is what I really wake up every day and care about,” she said.

Turpin has already opened her photography studio, though her renovations are continuing, and she recently received a permit to replace the door of her business with one bearing her logo. She has a background in graphic design and took photography classes while living in Las Vegas. At the Photo Boutique, she’ll specialize in photographing newborns, children, families and seniors.

Turpin plans to lease part of her space to a retail tenant and is still seeking a potential renter. For more information on her business, visit thephotoboutique.studio.

Palagi said Old Town typically experiences a rash of new business openings during both the spring and fall. Palagi said the forthcoming openings will build on the success of 2018, when a strong economy contributed to a dozen new businesses starting in Old Town. Those businesses are still open and have reported strong sales, she said.

“For the most part, we had a great holiday season,” Palagi said.

She believes the new arrivals will add to the eclectic mix of businesses in Old Town. She’s particularly pleased by the resurgence of the Yellowstone Hotel as as a staple of Old Town.

“It’s absolutely one of the best things to happen in Old Town in the past several years,” Palagi said.

By Danae Lenz, dlenz@journalnet.com courtesy of East Idaho Business Journal

Old Town Pocatello is getting a little snazzier thanks to a new restaurant in the historic Yellowstone Hotel.

The Yellowstone restaurant, 230 W. Bonneville St., is an upscale eatery with a farm-to-table focus, featuring menu items with ingredients from local sources, including produce, meats and more.

The Yellowstone Hotel itself is owned by Pocatello businessman Dick Carroll, but the restaurant on the first floor is owned by local entrepreneurs Rory Erchul, Jennifer Erchul, Denis Clijsters and Mike McCormick.

The restaurant, which had its grand opening Sept. 14, features a rotating menu that changes seasonally and includes vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

The current menu includes entrees such as “Tomahawk-style short ribs braised in rich demi-glace with wild mushroom truffle risotto and rosemary aromatic” ($32) and “Frenched chicken breast on top of pappardelle tossed in a creamy basil pesto sauce with sundried tomatoes” ($18) and appetizers such as “assorted cheeses with dried and fresh seasonal fruit, honeycomb and house-made crisp bread” ($15) and “sea mussels steamed in white wine and garlic butter, served with pomme frites” ($12). Everything, including the bread and butter, is made in house.

“This is an experience,” Jennifer Erchul said. “It’s not just a place where you’re going to chow down your food as fast as you can and get out of here. So we want people to linger, and we want them to have great conversation, and we want them to fully enjoy the entire time that they’re here.”

The Yellowstone’s liquor license is taking longer than expected, but despite that, Jennifer Erchul said the new restaurant’s opening night was “fantastic.”

“The great thing is people are already tasting the food and talking about how great the food is, so people are coming for the food,” Jennifer Erchul said. “Some people canceled their reservations because of the alcohol. Some people kept walking because of the alcohol, but people that planned to come in still came in. We had a busy night. It was pretty awesome.”

At most, it will take the restaurant 90 days to obtain its liquor license— and in the meantime you can try what Rory Erchul calls “temple-worthy mocktails.”

“Our LDS friends absolutely love it,” he said. “They feel like we thought of them as well. We thought about that population and what we could provide them. They’re all non-alcoholic drink options that are pretty phenomenal.”

In addition to the main restaurant, there is also a whiskey bar — called The 313 — that has more than 150 whiskeys. Prices will range from $2 to $10 for half-ounce pours and $8 to $40 for 2-ounce pours once The Yellowstone gets its liquor license.

The restaurant will also eventually add The Union, a taproom featuring regional beer and wine and upscale pub food. It’s a more casual option for people wanting to try out The Yellowstone and will be on the back side of the building facing Union Pacific Avenue. The Union still needs to be renovated and is awaiting new flooring and a long bar that will look out toward the railroad tracks. There will also be a large patio outside — complete with heaters, blankets and fire pits so it can be enjoyed in cold weather as well.

Jennifer Erchul said The Union will play host to some events, including comedy nights, live music and game nights.

“We really want to utilize this space for people to have fun,” she said. “This is going to be a grown-up bar. We’re not looking to get super rowdy. We’re not looking to be super loud. But we want to make sure that we do provide entertainment that’s a lot of fun and gives a reason to keep coming back.”

While everything else is worth bragging about as well, the highlight of The Yellowstone is the building itself.

According to SAH Archipedia, “The Yellowstone Hotel, built in support of the Oregon Short Line (Railroad), is a four-story, Renaissance Revival structure lavishly embellished with buff-colored terra-cotta. … This grand hotel and office building still evokes the elegant era of railroad travel.”

The Yellowstone restaurant’s main dining area features tall windows that look out onto South Main and West Bonneville streets. The area has been repainted a soothing gray, and a wall was added in front of the servers’ alley, making the area look tidier and giving servers some privacy.

Next door, the whiskey bar is the best feature of the building. Formerly the Yellowstone Hotel’s lobby, The 313 has all original features, including wallpaper, crown molding and woodwork, which is the main architectural feature of the room, and it is everywhere. The woodwork is a little beat up in some places, but Jennifer Erchul said they refrained from doing any major renovations to the space.

“All we did is come in and we cleaned and then we oiled the wood,” Jennifer Erchul said. “That’s all we did. We don’t want to change anything. … It’s a whiskey bar. It’s supposed to be wood-panelled and old.”

Additionally, a lot of the light fixtures in The Yellowstone are original, including one that has four heads on it: a progression of a woman from childhood to old age.

According to Jennifer Erchul, there is some discrepancy about whether the Yellowstone Hotel was built in 1913 or 1915. Regardless, it’s more than a century old, and in that century several businesses have been located there, including a drug store, various restaurants and bars through the years, as well as a hotel. Most recently, the building was home to The Bridge restaurant, which was sold to the owners of The Yellowstone in August.

“It’s kind of cool thinking about all the people who have walked through these doors in the last hundred years,” Jennifer Erchul said.

The owners hope The Yellowstone will be an asset to Old Town.

“What we want to do with this establishment is we want to help augment all the great things that are happening in Old Town,” Rory Erchul said. “We feel and believe that the more things that are happening down here and the more attractions, the more we’re all going to do better. We want to make Old Town Pocatello a greater destination than it already is. … It’s a great place. So we want to be down here as well.”

Jennifer Erchul added about the restaurant, “We want to be a place for the community. We’re working closely with local farmers and local ranchers, so we’re giving back in that regard. We also want to be a bit of an economic driver down here. We’ve got a large staff compared to (other Old Town businesses), and we want to make sure this is a place that everybody is welcome.”

The Yellowstone restaurant currently employs 25 people.

The Yellowstone opens at 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and continues serving food until 10 p.m. but doesn’t close its doors until midnight. The restaurant also plans to eventually serve lunch.

By Danae Lenz dlenz@journal.com
photo and article courtesy of East Idaho Business Journal

Mary Johnson knows that a lot of her employees don’t see their jobs at McDonald’s turning into careers — and she is more than OK with that.

“When people come to work for me, I want them to use this as their jump-off point for whatever they want to do with their life,” said Johnson, who is the co-owner of the three McDonald’s restaurants in Pocatello and Chubbuck. “I know full well that they’re not going to work for me forever. I’m OK with that. But I want them to leave my employ with skills that are going to help them their entire life. If they leave me to go to another fast food restaurant, then I’ve failed. If they leave me to be whatever it is they want to be in their life, or for school, or for an internship in their major, I love that.”

For Johnson, however, McDonald’s was her career plan — and her family plan.

She started working at McDonald’s when she was 15 years old in 1976. She met her husband and current business partner, Mike, at McDonald’s. They’ve run the Pocatello stores for nearly 15 years. Her son, Jameson Johnson, is in the process of taking the business over from his parents. He has worked at McDonald’s since 2000, throughout high school and college, and joined his parents when they took over the Pocatello businesses.

So, really, McDonald’s ended up being Mary Johnson’s retirement plan, as well.

“As they’re ready to step out of the business, I’ll step in and they’ll travel more and hang out with their grandkids, and I’ll take over the business,” Jameson Johnson said.

Jameson Johnson is currently part owner-operator of the Yellowstone Avenue and Chubbuck restaurants and is the primary owner of Pocatello’s South Fifth Avenue location.

HELPING EMPLOYEES

Both Mary and Jameson Johnson believe McDonald’s is more than just a place to grab a quick bite to eat and think the company is doing a lot to benefit both the communities it is in and the people it employs.

“The heavy focus on our people, that’s been our driving force in our company,” Jameson Johnson said. “There’s no better investment than in your people.”

As part of the company’s investment in its people, McDonald’s this year revamped its Archways to Opportunity to help its employees succeed beyond their jobs at the company.

Employees can improve their English skills, earn a high school diploma for free and even get tuition assistance to help them pay for college. After 90 days of employment, regular employees who work just 15 hours a week qualify for $2,500 a year to help cover tuition costs, and managers are eligible for $3,000.

According to www.archwaystoopportunity.com, more than 27,000 McDonald’s employees have taken part in the program, including more than 380 who have gotten high school diplomas and more than 6,400 who have graduated from the English Under the Arches program and nearly 19,000 who have received tuition assistance, totaling more than $26 million.

“We have employees that are great examples of life getting in the way … and they are high school graduates now,” Mary Johnson said.

Jameson Johnson said they also give employees health insurance and half-priced meals on and off the clock, and McDonald’s has recently changed to a system where even part-time employees can get paid time off.

Additionally, starting wage is $8.50 an hour — Idaho’s minimum wage is $7.25 — and Jameson Johnson said they don’t wait for annual reviews to get great employees raises.

“I would argue that … you don’t get a friendlier set of employees that are better compensated,” he said.

Mary Johnson said it was a different era when she started working for the company. Instead of getting to know their employees, managers then were discouraged from getting personal. But Mary said she wants to know how her employees’ lives are going, and she wants them to keep coming back.

“People are the commodity that you can’t order. You can’t buy it,” she said. “People are the heart and soul of any business. So when we have great talent, we value them and appreciate them.”

When asked to describe her management style, Mary Johnson said she is hands-off.

“I like to let people spread their wings,” she said. “I don’t want to take the credit. My husband and I might be on the lease, but these are the people who do the work. This is their restaurant. …. I’m not going to be here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and I can’t be at all three 24 hours a day, seven days a week. My general managers have a lot of authority and autonomy in their restaurants. I want their ideas. … I want my people to know they can take care of it, that they can handle it.”

STANDING OUT

Jameson Johnson said he believes McDonald’s is a force for good in the community.

“I feel like the brand is always trying to leave a positive imprint in our society,” Jameson Johnson said. “Maybe that’s corny, but I feel like McDonald’s is a brand that’s trying to do good, actively trying to do good, and I don’t know how you can’t support a company like that. I like that we’re able to take care of our folks, and McDonald’s lets us do that by partnering with the owner-operators and allocating resources for our employees.”

On a corporate level, McDonald’s is “aggressively trying to increase market share,” Jameson Johnson said. “McDonald’s has always been a leader in the industry, but we want to be able to build the gap between us and our competitors.”

He continued, “Digital innovation is setting us apart. I think the investment in our facilities to make them more modern is setting us apart. I like our social media presence. I think some of the Facebook posts, Instagram ads and tweets are engaging. They’re funny. I think we’re doing everything we need to do right now to capture market share and that’s how we’re going to continue to grow. I don’t see us slowing down at all.”

The company is also trying to make sure people on all budgets can eat at the restaurant, which has menu items for $1 and $3 in addition to the higher-priced items.

The McCafe brand — another way in which McDonald’s is trying to get new people in its doors — is also growing rapidly.

“The coffee options are phenomenal,” Jameson Johnson said. “We’ve got something for everyone. We’ve also got smoothies. We’ve expanded our coffee line to include Americanos, macchiatos, cappuccinos. We’re just trying to provide an option for people. And it’s an affordable option.”

As for the individual stores, the store on Yellowstone Avenue in Pocatello just recently had a facelift; the restaurant on South Fifth Avenue was completely demolished and is being rebuilt; and the Chubbuck store will be getting a remodel in January.

The Yellowstone Avenue McDonald’s also now has kiosks where customers can order food by picking out what they want on the screen, and with mobile ordering, you can order exactly what you want and someone will either bring your order out to your car or you can pick it up in the drive-thru.

When it comes down to it, though, despite the fancy upgrades that you see today, McDonald’s is “a people company that serves hamburgers,” Jameson Johnson said.

PART OF THE COMMUNITY

In addition to helping out its employees and giving customers the latest and greatest, Jameson Johnson said his family is accessible to people in the community.

“We live in Pocatello and Chubbuck and that allows us to connect to the community a lot closer than if we were running this business from Salt Lake or Boise,” he said. “What’s great about the community is they let us know if things are great; they let us know if things are not great about their experience. Mary’s phone number has got to be on a billboard somewhere because her phone is always blowing up with compliments, with questions, with complaints. We take them all.”

Jameson Johnson said they really strive for their restaurants to be a place where people can come and relax.

“This is a family destination,” Jameson Johnson said. “It’s a great place for mom and dad to bring their kids and let them burn off energy. … Parents can take a load off and buy some great, affordable and quality foods and feed their kids and have a relaxing evening.”

Everyone, he said, has a McDonald’s story from when they were kids, and he loves being able to give young kids those memories.

“Back when I was young, (I remember) the ball pits and the tubes and the metal toys that you can’t use anymore because of safety stuff,” Jameson Johnson said. “But everyone’s got a McDonald’s kids story, whether its birthday parties or begging your parents for a milkshake. Some of my best memories are from being a kid at McDonald’s. I love that we get to provide that for people.”

By Shelbie Harris sharris@journalnet.com
Sep 23, 2018
Story and photo courtesy of the Idaho State Journal

Why I love Southeastern Idaho!

Is this a promise, is this a feeling or is this a fact?

How do you define the Why? How do you define the Love?

Do you need words, do you need pictures, do you need music and video, or do you need it all?

Now’s your chance…

Bannock Development Corporation is sponsoring a “Why I love Southeastern Idaho” contest. Residents and visitors have the opportunity to express what they love about our magnificent and award-winning place we call home.

And you can win fabulous prizes, just for sharing what’s obvious to many of us!

Ok, here’s the bottom line on why we’re doing this “Why I Love Southeastern Idaho” contest:

We Are Witnessing a Renaissance

This Renaissance is attracting talent and industry, the fuel that is bringing this change.  As Lance Buttars, owner of the highly successful Molinelli’s Jewelers so eloquently points out, “If a business owner sees another business owner describe how great life is here, they may want to be here too and decide to have a location in our community,”

We’re growing and we’re changing, yet we want to honor our legacy that so many have worked so hard to keep in place. Who better to describe our history and tell our new story than those who live, work and play here?

Enter into one of three categories: essay, photography or video. Details as follows:

• Essays must be 500 words or less
• Photo entries should obviously be taken in our area and could include landmarks, easily recognizable spots, stunning shots or secret hiding places you can easily explain or be felt.

o   Submit one photograph and include a brief caption that will get the judges’ attention

• Video entries need to be kept to 2 minutes or we’ll make you watch our family vacation videos
• The top 10 entries for each category:

o   Finalists will be posted to social media (Facebook and Instagram)

o   Top three winners will be determined by the most likes, shares and comments.

• The deadline for submissions is October 15, 2018

Entry forms can be found on Why I love SouthEastern Idaho Contest.  All entries must be emailed to bdc@bannockdevelopment.org. All entries become property of Bannock Development Corporation and may be used for promotional purposes.

Bannock Development Corporation will not sell or share contact information. Any personal information on the entry form will be used solely to identify and contact winners. Minors must include adult contact information.

The contest committee will select the top 10 entries for each category. These finalists will be posted to social media (Facebook and Instagram) and the top three winners will be determined by the most likes, shares and comments.

First Prize: Video– Men’s watch donated by Molinelli’s Jewelers

First Prize: Photo-Cole Chevrolet Basket donated by Cole Chevrolet

First Prize: Essay– Women’s watch donated by Molinelli’s Jewelers

Second Prize: Video– Citizens Community Bank Buddy’s Basket donated by Citizens Community Bank

Second Prize: Photo-Idaho Central Credit Union Basket plus $25 to McDonald’s- Donated by Idaho Central Credit Union and McDonald’s Pocatello

Second Prize: Essay– Set of Chute Trainers donated by Chute Trainer

Third Prize: Video– (2) Tickets to ISU Men’s Football $25 gift card to McDonalds

Third Prize: Photo (2) Tickets to ISU Women’s Basketball $25 gift card to McDonalds

Third Prize: Essay (2) Tickets to ISU Men’s Basketball $25 gift card to McDonalds

Too Good Not To Mention Prize: Yellowstone Restaurant Gift Certificate ($50)