GU student a business whiz
For the third year in a row, Gonzaga University student Jordanna Chord has been among the winners of the business plan competition sponsored by GU’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program.
Chord and Gonzaga classmate Becky Oelrich won first place in the category of student-generated business ideas, garnering a $10,000 prize. Second place in that category was won by Washington State University students Paul Dailey and Kent Bader, while third place went to Eastern Washington University’s Richard Simpson.
In the category for business ideas originated by entrepreneurs in the community, Whitworth College students Jeremiah Brack, Josh Breda, Jonathan Carlson, Brad Vardy and Joel Yinger took first place; GU students Rich Eneim and Jon Hendrickson won second; and Whitworth students Pierre Boyer, Anne Briggs, Jason Colvin, Seth Lowe and Amber Matthai took third.
In the final category, for nonprofit ventures, first place went to EWU’s Ronda Kenney and Judith Hutchinson; second went to Sara Tanzi-Dunham, Lisa Trefts and Rose Ayers, of Whitworth; and GU’s Michael Reph, Heather Rhodes, Rachel Harpole, Stuart Seger, Chris Staton and Garrett Swanberg took third place.
Spokane
Session to focus on city’s core
The city of Spokane will hold a workshop May 12 focusing on development issues in the city’s core.
The topics to be addressed include the multifamily tax exemption, historic preservation tax incentives, building code solutions and the Americans with Disabilities Act, development regulations and green building practices.
The issues will be explored using case studies including redevelopment projects at the Joel building and the former J.C. Penney building into mixed-use projects comprising both housing and commercial uses.
The workshop costs $15. For more information, and an agenda, contact Karen Marshall at (509) 625-6983 or kmarshall@spokanecity.org or visit www.historicspokane.org.
Los Gatos, Calif.
Netflix to sell more shares
Online DVD rental pioneer Netflix Inc. said Friday it will raise $105 million for its expansion plans by selling an additional 3.5 million shares at $30 each.
The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company said in Securities and Exchange Commission documents that it may use the money to finance acquisitions or to develop new technology to complement its booming rental service. Netflix expects to complete the offering Wednesday, adding to its cash holdings of $228 million.
In a research note, Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney predicted Netflix most likely is trying to build a nest egg for a new service that will allow its nearly 5 million subscribers to download movies for immediate viewing instead of having to wait for DVDs to arrive in the mail.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings told analysts earlier this week that the company will soon provide more details about its “on-demand” service. Hastings emphasized DVD rentals will remain Netflix’s growth engine for at least five more years.