Agriculture

State Sens. Curt McKenzie of Nampa and Patti Anne Lodge of Huston, and state Reps. Gayle Batt of Wilder, Bob Schaefer of Nampa, and Gary Collins of Nampa, all Republicans, have received the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation’s Friend of Agriculture Award.

The award recognizes legislators who have supported positions taken by Idaho Farm Bureau members on matters involving agriculture, natural resources, taxes and other issues. A voting record of at least 88 percent in accordance with Farm Bureau positions on bills covering two legislative sessions is required. Of the 105 legislators, 30 received the award.

Banks

Christina Castle has been appointed business sales officer for the Boise Business Banking Group of Wells Fargo & Co. She is responsible for developing prospective business customers and providing them with financial solutions.

Castle has seven years experience in business banking. She most recently served as a business sales officer for Wells Fargo in Portland. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Northwest Christian University in Eugene and expects to complete a master’s degree in business administration in March 2013.

Zions First National Bank was the top provider of U.S. Small Business Administration 7(a) loans in Idaho for 2012, marking its 11th consecutive year as Idaho’s No. 1 SBA lender.

Zions approved 89 SBA 7(a) loans in the SBA’s Boise District, totaling more than $9.2 million and representing 30 percent of the 300 SBA-backed loans approved in the district during the latest federal fiscal year. In Northern Idaho, Zions Bank approved 19 loans in the SBA’s Spokane District.

The capital provided allowed Idaho businesses to hire 174 new employees and retain 465 positions, according to SBA data.

Zions is Idaho’s third-largest financial institution ranked by deposits.

Construction & design

The Idaho Smart Growth 2012 Grow Smart Award Recipients are:

Northwest Bank Commercial/Industrial Award: the Biomark Building in Boise.

D.L. Evans Bank Redevelopment Award: Idaho State Capitol in Boise.

McClendon Engineering Inc. Public Policy and Planning Award: Blueprint Boise.

Green Remodeling Smart Growth and Green Building Award: McCall-Donnelly High School.

Midas Gold Inc. Small Community Award: McCall Lakefront/Legacy Park and 2010 Improvement Project.

Givens Pursley LLP Residential Award: Crescent Rim in Boise.

PacificSource Health Plans Citizen Advocacy Award: Moscow Active Living Task Force.

HDR Inc. Smart Growth and Transportation Award: Boise State University sustainable transportation.

Charles Hummel Award: Stephen Meyer, Coeur d’-Alene.

Nominated projects were judged on the degree to which they met or advanced smart-growth principles. Those include:

Æ Creating a range of housing opportunities and choices.

Æ Providing a variety of transportation options including walking, biking, driving, and transit.

Æ Strengthening existing communities and directing development toward them.

Æ Preserving open space, parks, farmland and environmentally critical areas.

Æ Creating walkable mixed-use neighborhoods where daily needs are close at hand.

Æ Fostering distinctive communities with a strong sense of place.

Æ Making efficient use of public investments in infrastructure, schools and services.

Æ Putting jobs and schools within reach of all who need them.

Æ Making development decisions predictable, fair and cost-effective.

Jury members this year included:

Jenah Thornborrow, Garden City development services administrator.

Melissa Lavitt, dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs, Boise State University.

Stan Cole, architect, Urban Land Institute.

Kate Eldridge, Idaho Smart Growth board member and vice president for HDR Engineering Inc.

Bill Connors, CEO, Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce.

Jim Tomlinson, Tomlinson and Associates.

Daren Fluke, president, Idaho Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Maureen Gresham, program development team, transportation performance, Idaho Transportation Department.

Russ Dane, real estate agent, Ada County Association of Realtors.

Jeremy Grimm, planning and community development director, city of Sandpoint.

AIA Idaho, the state chapter of the American Institute of Architects, named Jacob Dunn associate of the year.

The chapter gave the Idaho Forest Products Commission’s IFPC “Best Use of Idaho Wood Award” to Mark Pynn Architect LLC, Ketchum, and Patano Hafferman Architects, Coeur d’Alene.

Architect Brock Martinson has joined CTA Architects Engineers’ Boise office.

Martinson has six years of experience in commercial, industrial and multifamily projects. He has a bachelor’s of science in environmental design and a master’s of architecture from North Dakota State University. Martinson is a licensed architect in Idaho and a LEED-accredited professional with a specialty in building design and construction. He is a member of the Idaho Smart Growth board and Boise Young Professionals.

The new Meridian Development Corp. building in downtown Meridian has been awarded LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, Erstad Architects says. This is the second building in Meridian that Erstad Architects certified through the council.

LEED certification identifies and recognizes building developers and operators for leadership in social responsibility and environmental vigilance.

The two-story, 16,000-square-foot office building houses the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) and Valley Regional Transit (VRT), with a large conference room available for public use.

Education

The College of Idaho has been named one of America’s Best Values in Liberal Arts Colleges by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.

The annual report, released Oct. 24, features 200 schools that combine academics and value. The C of I was included because of a high four-year graduation rate, low average student debt at graduation, low student-to-faculty ratio, on-campus resources and cost.

The College of Idaho ranks No. 82 on Kiplinger’s list, up 17 spots from last year. The C of I is No. 12 in the West and No. 4 among colleges in the Pacific Northwest. Only four schools in the top 100 had a lower annual cost of attendance, the college says.

Founded in 1891, the Caldwell college is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college.

Financial services

Bob Maynard, chief investment officer of the Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho, has been recognized by Asset International Chief Investment Officer magazine as one of the Top 100 most powerful asset owners in the world of pension, endowment, foundation, insurance and sovereign-fund investing.

Maynard ranked 57th. Individuals made the list based on either the sheer size of their capital pools or the influence they wield because they are held in esteem by peers.

The magazine said Maynard was the first North American accepted into the budding 300 Club, a small group of global investment professionals whose mission is to raise awareness about the potential impact of current market thinking and behaviors, and to call for immediate action.

Meanwhile, the PERSI Retirement Board recognized Maynard for his 20 years with PERSI and for his contributions to making the system respected, stable, and well-funded. A letter from Gov. Butch Otter thanked Maynard for his service to the state.

Created in 1963 by the Idaho Legislature, PERSI provides long-term pension benefits for public employees. Today, PERSI is a $12 billion fund with 752 employer members and more than 129,000 members and beneficiaries.

Adam Bell has joined the Boise office of Eide Bailly LLP, a regional certified public accounting and business advisory firm.

With five years’ experience in public accounting, Bell has provided professional services to retail, manufacturing and health care businesses and to government. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from California State University in Northridge and recently received his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix.

Bell is a member of the Idaho Army National Guard and an adjunct instructor for Stevens-Henagar College. He holds the certified public accounting designation and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Idaho State Society of Certified Public Accountants. Bell joined Eide Bailly as an audit associate.

Citi Cards’ operations site in Meridian has made a donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County in Meridian to expand the existing “Year One” room into a multiuse education area that will accommodate up to 50 youths at a time.

Arbor Finish Carpentry will perform the renovation.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Ada County serve nearly 4,000 children and at-risk youths and provide youth development programs led by trained employees.

Health care

Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center and West Valley Medical Center have been recognized by Healthgrades, a provider of health-care information to consumers.

Saint Alphonsus’ Cardiac and Critical Care program was named one of America’s 100 best hospitals in cardiac care, cardiac surgery, and critical care for 2013. West Valley Medical Center was ranked No. 1 in Idaho for general surgery and prostatectomy. The findings are part of American Hospital Quality Outcomes 2013: Healthgrades Report to the Nation, which evaluates the performance of about 4,500 hospitals nationwide across nearly 30 of the most common conditions and procedures.

Real estate

Nora Edward of Prudential Idaho Realty was named the Idaho State Member of the Year by the Women's Council of Realtors.

Edward will be recognized nationally at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. Edwards has been a broker for 30 years and has been with Prudential Idaho Realty since 1997.

Other businesses

Denise Mills of Boise has become an independent consultant with Tastefully Simple Inc., a national direct-sales company that sells easy-to-prepare foods.

Mills offers food samples at home taste-testing parties and ideas for everyday meals, recipes, serving suggestions and fun.

Chris Brown has been promoted to store manager at Alloway Commercial Lighting.

Brown has been with Alloway for six years. He has held positions in sales, operations and program-management customer service.

In his new position, Brown will be responsible for store operations and account management for commercial customers. He has extensive experience in lighting and electrical service and has received extensive training in lighting and energy efficiency.