Biz Bits: Pullman Rosauers preps for fall opening

The long-awaited debut of Rosauers in Pullman is set for early fall.

The grocery store is hiring now for a staff that will have 80 to 100 employees at the former Dissmore’s IGA at 1205 Grand Ave., said Kambria Craig, corporate recruiter for Rosauers in Spokane.

Applicants for positions such as managers, shelf stockers and cashiers are being sought at two events.

The first is when Rosauers will participate in a student employment fair that is part of Washington State University’s Week of Welcome. It will be from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 15 at Glenn Terrell Mall on the school’s Pullman campus.

The second is 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 16 at 1615 NE Eastgate Blvd., Building 1, Suite A, in Pullman.

Benefits include health insurance, 401(k) employer matching, a 10% in-store employee discount, and educational scholarships along with discounts for gym memberships and phone service, according to Rosauers’ website.

Additional information about employment at Rosauers is available at rosauers.com.

In addition to making new hires, Rosauers will transfer and promote staff from its other stores in the region and provide jobs for former Dissmore’s employees, Craig said.

The Pullman Dissmore’s closed in July 2022 after it was acquired by Rosauers, which has spent the last year remodeling the building.

Family members take over ownership of Moscow diner

The next generation of a Palouse family has assumed ownership of a Moscow restaurant and changed its name.

George and Dana Swanger have acquired Varsity Diner from his parents, Larry and Nancy Swanger. The new name of the restaurant is JackJack’s Diner after the son of the younger Swangers.

The diner is open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week at 203 W. Third St.

The menu at JackJack’s Diner is being revised with more items that are made from scratch using local ingredients such as huckleberries and Hog Heaven sausages, said George Swanger in an email.

The diner features a standard version of eggs Benedict, as well as a special one each week and huckleberry cinnamon rolls, he said.

Swanger got his start in the hospitality industry as a teenager working as a sandwich assembler in one of the Subways his parents owned at the time.

Since then he has worked at the diner, where he and his wife met when they were both servers there, and in a variety of roles at his parents’ other Moscow restaurant, Gambino’s. Just before acquiring the diner, he was general manager of the diner and Gambino’s.

Dana Swanger also works as an outpatient Health at Every Size dietitian at Gritman Medical Center in Moscow.

The elder Swangers continue to be the owners of Gambino’s in Moscow. Nancy Swanger is the founding director of the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living and associate dean for internal partnerships at the Carson College of Business at Washington State University in Pullman.

Clearwater Paper reports strong second-quarter earnings

Net income for Clearwater Paper for April, May and June was double what it was for the same time last year.

The maker of store-brand tissue and paperboard earned $29.7 million in its second quarter in 2023, compared with $14.7 million for that period in 2022, according to a news release issued last week by Clearwater Paper.

The company has its largest manufacturing complex in Lewiston, which is the only place it produces pulp, tissue and paperboard.

“We had a stronger than expected second quarter, with solid operational performance and lower than anticipated costs for key inputs such as pulp, energy and transportation,” said Clearwater Paper President and CEO Arsen Kitch in the news release.

“Tissue demand remained strong, while paperboard was soft as consumer spending slowed and customers continued to manage inventories,” Kitch said.

Owner of Lapwai learning center earns statewide honor

The owner of a Lapwai learning center has earned the 2023 Power to the Profession Award from the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children.

The honor went to Lindsay Penney, the owner of Little Roots Learning Center, which serves infants, toddlers and preschoolers, according to a news release from Stacia Morfin, Navigator director of the Nez Perce Tribe.

The state-licensed center serves a significant portion of Nez Perce tribal members and other federally recognized tribal children.

Penney is a pioneer in her field, preserving the cultural heritage of the Nez Perce Tribe and providing education that prepares children for kindergarten, according to the news release.

“(She) has successfully integrated Nez Perce cultural teachings into the learning curriculum, ensuring that children receive a unique blend of cultural education and early childhood development,” according to the news release.

The Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children is a nonprofit group that supports a variety of efforts aimed at making sure all of the state’s children are ready for kindergarten.

Skilled trade career open house planned at Lewiston on Thursday

LEWISTON -- People who are curious about becoming welders, plumbers, electricians or heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians are the target audience of a Lewiston event that will be held by the Idaho Department of Labor.

The skilled trade career open house is set for 4-6 p.m. Thursday at the Idaho Department of Labor office at 1158 Idaho St.

Employers will answer questions about the day-to-day duties of positions. Staff from Lewis-Clark State College Workforce Training will be available to enroll individuals in classes that teach the trades. Employees of the Idaho Department of Labor will have information about Idaho LAUNCH, a program that may cover as much as 80% of the cost of approved classes for Idaho residents who train and work in the state.

Additional information is available by calling Stacey Wendt at (208) 799-5000, ext. 3877.

The event is part of the Idaho Department of Labor’s effort to help ease a shortage of welders, plumbers, electricians and heating, ventilation and air conditioning technicians. That shortage is caused partly by many of the individuals in those fields retiring and a low number of young people entering the industry.

Ice cream parlor attached to Lewiston coffee shop now open

LEWISTON -- A loop of 1950s-era commercials plays on a television screen in an ice cream parlor that has opened in a former tattoo parlor under the umbrella of Bumper Crop Coffee in downtown Lewiston.

Bumper Crop Coffee Ice Cream Parlor is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. The space is adjacent to Bumper Crop Coffee at 818 Main St. The coffee side of the business has longer hours.

The parlor features freshly made waffle cones and a menu of eight flavors anchored by chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, said co-owner Amber Reed.

The remaining five slots rotate with varieties such as blue bubblegum and huckleberry, she said.

The treats are served in a 20-foot-by-9-foot parlor with black-and-white tile floors and vinyl records hanging on the walls.

The menu may be adjusted to include sweet and savory crepes in the colder weather in the late fall and winter, Reed said.

Bumper Crop Coffee also has plans to expand its sidewalk outdoor seating area onto the street in coming weeks under the city of Lewiston’s recently approved parklet guidelines.

Williams may be contacted at ewilliam@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2261.