When one thinks of Idaho, the image of potatoes comes to mind. But agriculture and the subsequent food processing companies are not the only industries on the move in Idaho.

Fueling the state's economy today are businesses active in industries across the board, as well as a strong emphasis in high-technology.

High-tech industries has been especially hot in Idaho. Boise was cited recently by Industry Week magazine as a world-class location and high-tech magnet.

In its report of high-tech growth areas, it said of Boise: "New companies are attracted to the area by a low-cost business environment, a strong working partnership between the private and public sectors (highlighted by an annual retreat of about 120 leaders from the two sectors) and an appealing lifestyle."

The city is home to Hewlett-Packard, Micron Technology and Micron Electronics.

Southeastern Idaho

Southeastern Idaho is also seeing its share of high-tech activity.

Tele-Servicing Innovations (TSI), a high-tech telecommunication marketing and information processing firm, relocated its headquarters from Colorado Springs, Colo., to Idaho Falls last year after considering nearly three dozen cities in a nationwide search.

Company President Jeff Neiswanger said the community more than met his criteria, which included availability of stable, well-educated workers, quality of life issues and the assistance of a state development council.

"What we were looking for was a group of people that really wanted to learn our business needs, and pull community resources together to make our move as painless as possible," he said.

Employee training was an important issue, and the college took the lead in dealing with the Idaho Division of Vocational Training to see what could be done to accommodate the company's needs.

Randy Shroll, manager of Business Development for Idaho's Department of Commerce, comments that companies that come to Idaho are attracted to many of the same qualities that landed TSI: Idaho's low operating costs (labor, utilities, worker's compensation, insurance, etc.), geographic location (the Northwest) and quality of life (low crime rate, recreational opportunities and short commutes).

"The largest competition for new projects comes mostly from the surrounding states of Oregon, Utah and Washington, with the state of Utah being the most competitive when it comes to overall cost of doing business," he said.

The Lynden Corp., a software manufacturer, also came to Idaho Falls about the same time as TSI.

It has since expanded into a new facility and hopes to draw 50 some new employees from high- tech havens such as Boise and Salt Lake City.

Meanwhile, American Microsystems Inc. (AMI) is building a $250 million fabrication facility in Pocatello just south of Idaho Falls. AMI specializes in application-specific integrated circuits and manufactures function-specific semiconductors for a multitude of high-tech companies, including Hewlett Packard, Intel and Motorola.

Announcements by other manufacturers in the area include Clear Shield National Inc., a Wheeling, Ill.,-based producer of disposable plastic cutlery and straws. The company is setting up its fifth manufacturing facility in Twin Falls, to be operational in 1998.

Clear Shield also is opening a distribution facility there in 1997. After an 18-month review, the company selected Twin Falls because of its quality work force, cooperative business and community leaders, and competitive utility rates.

Last year, Weight Watchers announced that it is adding production lines to its Pocatello plant in a consolidation that is bringing one of the world's largest frozen entree producers to the area. The consolidation involved the closing of its Clearfield, Utah, plant.

Eastern Idaho

The Eastern Idaho Economic Development Council (EIEDC) has had success in attracting a host of businesses to south central Idaho.

Environmental Solutions and Technology, Inc. set up a temporary headquarters in Idaho Falls, with plans to move its manufacturing operations there from Los Angeles. By next year, the company expects to create 100 new jobs and up to 400 additional jobs within five years.

The EIEDC considers the company, which manufacturers environmental protection and remediation products, a "big win." It had considered sites in New Mexico, California and Florida.

North Idaho

The area surrounding Coeur d'Alene continues to diversify beyond silver mining.

I.A. Aluminum Casting Co. is spending $100,000 to upgrade its facility in Hayden Lake.
The 50-year-old company supplies cast aluminum parts to companies in 20 states.

Whereby fabricators once ordered unfinished castings, now they demand direct delivery of machined, plated and ready-to-install aluminum parts.

Aerostar Aircraft Corp. is relocating its facilities from Spokane to Coeur d'Alene. The company needed a larger facility than its Spokane International Airport location to build new Aerostar airplanes, popular as a low-cost alternative for executive planes.

As a result, the company is setting up shop at an empty hanger at Coeur d'Alene's Airport. The relocation will involve adding 10,000 square feet to the hanger.

Lancaster, Penn.,-based Fabral, a national steel roofing and framing company, is opening a 30,000 square foot facility in Rathdrum outside of Coeur d'Alene.

"This is a logical expansion to the Northwest," said plant manager Steve Robinson. "It helps us fill out our geographic areas." Previously, the company's closest plant was in Utah.

Fabral expects to enlarge its North Idaho facility due to the number of orders coming from this area. "It is not too much of a reach to say we'll double in size in a year," he said.

Meanwhile, Koch Agriculture Services and Fisher Mills opened a flour mill in Blackfoot to process wheat. The new facility processes wheat into 200,000 pounds of flour a day. Plans also call for a doubling of the mill in the near future.

Idaho is expected to continue attracting and growing businesses in the years ahead. A U.S. Census Bureau report predicts that between now and the year 2025, Idaho will be at least the nation's sixth fastest growing state per capita. In Southeastern Idaho, the population is expected to increase by one-third during the next 20 years.

-- Karen Thuermer