Handle on business: Riverview Building to be occupied in December

Occupants will start moving into the majestic Riverview Building at 2100 Northwest Blvd. in December. The four-story structure has about 11,000 square feet on each floor with views of the Spokane River and Lake Coeur d’Alene and easy access to Interstate 90, the Riverstone development and downtown Coeur d’Alene.

Magnuson McHugh and Co. will occupy the top floor with about 35 employees, including 14 accountants. The 55-year-old company has been at 1121 Mullan Ave. since 1980, and that 8,500-square-foot building is for sale.

Wells Fargo’s Wealth Management Group will occupy more than half of the second floor. Combining about 10 employees from various locations in the Coeur d’Alene area, this division works with higher-end clients on private banking, estate planning, investment management, brokerage and life insurance. Spokesman Dick Sams said the company wants to expand its ability to serve the private client services market. They hope to occupy their spaces early in 2008.

Blue Cross of Idaho evidently will be a third occupant. Parking will be in the basement level, and a deck will be off the first level.

Parkwood Business Properties owns the building.

Prairie Village center under construction

Construction has started on two 5,000-square-foot commercial buildings at what will be the new Reed Road intersection near the 1000 block of Prairie Avenue, Hayden. The project, to be completed in mid-January, will be adjacent to a community of 56 single-level houses with a walking path and community garden on 10 acres.

Half of the building to the east will be a new outlet for a Hayden office of Windermere Realty, which owns the project. It will have 35 agents. The second half of the building may have a coffee-deli-café business with a drive-through to Prairie Avenue.

Both buildings will have landscaped courtyards.

Interview clues for today’s job fair

More than 25 employers are represented at the Autumn Job Fair, 10 a.m. to noon today at the Idaho Department of Labor, 1221 W. Ironwood Drive, Coeur d’Alene. Options are open to people seeking a new career, just starting one or re-entering the work force.

Here a few clues to job seekers and interviews:

“Greet the interviewer by name if possible.

“Shake hands if they offer.

“Sit after they ask you.

“Use good posture and sit straight, maybe leaning slightly forward.

“Maintain eye contact and speak with a melodic voice with good grammar and no slang.

“Don’t chew gum or smell like smoke.

“Avoid distracting movements, such as shaking your leg, twirling your hair or scratching.

“Wear appropriate, clean clothing and be well groomed.

“Don’t criticize a former employer.

Have a short, positive “me” statement when you tell about your skills and objectives. Write legibly on a job application. Keep a resume concise, to one page that is projected to that employer; it’s easy to adjust resumes on a computer. Thank the interviewer for his or her time and shake hands again. Ask how you can contact each other. Let them bring up salaries, and if they ask you about it, say you’d like to be paid what the going rate is for that position.

Remember that a person is hired based on 80 percent attitude, 10 percent skills and 10 percent appearance. An employer wants someone who will fit in, and they’ll teach you the skills.

Tidbits from a trip to Washington, D.C., last week

“Shop online for the best airfare and schedules. We took US Airways out with tight leg room, no fresh-air vents, $5 snack boxes and $5 movie plugs. Delta on the way back had more leg room, free snack boxes, fresh-air vents, and $2 movie plugs.

“Shop online for hotel deals, but follow it by talking to a reservations clerk at the hotel to make certain you have the best deal.

Location is important for D.C. Be near the Capitol Mall or a Metro (subway/train) stop.

“Nearly everything to see and do there (museums, galleries, Capitol building tours, monuments) is free. Well, tax money makes it free. It’s wonderfully landscaped and remarkably clean. The structures are magnificent. However, the D.C. license plates say “Taxation without representation” so not everyone is happy since these residents pay taxes without government representation.

“Check the weather forecast. We weren’t prepared for 90 degrees.

“Wear good walking shoes. We noticed the residents and employees, like in other major cities, are thinner because they walk more and faster. They also smoke more, are younger than in most places and don’t drive pickups.