Briefs: Spokane girl’s treat dispenser is finalist in Microsoft contest
A Web-enabled pet treat dispenser invented by a Spokane girl is a finalist in the Microsoft Small Business Contest.
The product, iCPooch, is a device that allows pet owners to video chat with their pets and deliver treats using smartphones or tablets. Brooke Martin came up with the idea for iCPooch when she was 12 and her father Chris Martin has helped bring it to fruition.
The product is one of 10 finalists in the Microsoft contest, which has a prize of $20,000 to invest in the winner’s company. The public is invited to vote for the winner on the contest’s Facebook page, at www.facebook.com/Microsoft forWork/app_303561899745219. Voting will last until Jan. 30.
Brooke Martin said if she wins, she’d invest the money into development of a similar device for people – one that would allow a family member to check in with an elderly parent, for example, and deliver medication remotely. Martin is now a sophomore at Ferris High School.
The iCPooch product is available online at www.iCPooch.com, on Amazon.com and Wag.com, and at Bed Bath & Beyond.
Litehouse company now fully owned by employees
Sandpoint-based food maker Litehouse Inc. became fully owned by its employees last month.
With 650 employees nationwide, Litehouse produces salad dressings, veggie dips, sauces, instantly fresh herbs, blue cheese, caramel dips, fruit dips, glazes and fresh-pressed apple cider in Idaho, Michigan and Utah.
Litehouse has been family owned for more than 50 years. As of Dec. 22, 100 percent of company stock had been sold to employees through a stock ownership plan that began in 2006.
“We are incredibly proud of our company and want our legacy to be shared with the talented and dedicated employees who have contributed to its growth,” said Doug Hawkins, chairman of the board of directors. “The move to 100 percent employee ownership allows every employee to be an owner and ensures the future success of Litehouse for generations to come.”
The Litehouse brand was founded by brothers Doug and Edward Hawkins, who merged with Wendell Christoff and his family dressing company, Chadalee Farms, of Lowell, Michigan, in 1997.
Long-term U.S. mortgage rates fall for fourth straight week
WASHINGTON – Average long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell for the fourth straight week, with the benchmark 30-year rate again marking its lowest level since May 2013.
The average for a 15-year mortgage, a popular choice for people who are refinancing, slipped further below 3 percent.
Mortgage company Freddie Mac said the nationwide average for a 30-year mortgage declined to 3.63 percent this week from 3.66 percent last week. The rate for the 15-year loan slipped to 2.93 percent from 2.98 percent last week.
A year ago, the average 30-year mortgage stood at 4.39 percent and the 15-year mortgage at 3.44 percent. Mortgage rates have remained low even though the Federal Reserve in October ended its monthly bond purchases, which were meant to hold down long-term rates.