15 years of Inland Northwest Business Watch

 This past week this site, Inland Northwest Business Watch past 15 years in existence, so I (Matt Behringer) just wanted to come on here and say Thank You! Thank you for reading the site, interacting with the social media pages, the emails, donations, sponsorships, the ones telling others of things your saw on here...to everyone just thank you!

In 2011 I started this just for fun off my weird obsession of keeping track of what was being built and/or opening where. For instance, I loved trying to restaurants but found at the time there wasn't very many ways to find them until they started advertising or some word of mouth started spreading. But those businesses, especially the small ones could use some help getting off the ground and I found there we're a lot of noisy people out there like myself. It was a match made in Heaven. 

Today, there's a few real estate agents and influencers sharing about the same stuff I am, and in much more up to date ways like TikTok and Instagram Reels (although I'm often still first). But I'm not stopping and I still love what I'm doing, although I also think the site hasn't grown much in some time. Maybe I'm crazy but a good scoop can make an entire day for me. 

I also enjoy seeing how this niche has evolved, when I started reporting on construction and business news, in Spokane and the Inland Northwest there was just me and a similar newspaper column in the Coeur d' Alene Press. I'd guess there we're not more than 10 sites/blogs like this in the nation, and now most major markets have one. Ranging from little hobby sites or social media pages to a couple with full newsrooms. Here's a few I want to mention:

Marysville & Arlington Retail News Curious about new places in Marysville & Arlington, WA? This up-and-coming page is your go to source https://www.facebook.com/marysville.arlington.retail.news/

Cheyenne, WY based blogger Optopolis (https://optopolis.blogspot.com/) recently took to leap into what he calls a "print blog" named Cheyenne's Retail Minute, (https://linktr.ee/RetailMinute) covering new places around Cheyenne and surrounding communities and available to be picked up at a number of locations.

Although they dabble into other news including politics, one of the largest sites and most well done in this niche is defiantly Boise's BoiseDev (https://boisedev.com) . They actually are celebrating 10 years in business! Congratulations to Don Day and your team if you see this!

So, what's next for Inland Northwest Business Watch? The same coverage of new businesses, restaurants and construction projects in Spokane and Kootenai County that you expect. I'm not a full-time resident of the area anymore (left for Ohio in 2023) but wouldn't ever want to give this up, my connections, sources and just the internet make it possible. This blog is my passion project and quite frankly Spokane gets a bad rap but it's my happy place and I want to keep promoting it. Spokane has an amazing business and culinary community that should get as much of a lime light as possible.

If you know of a place that's worth coverage on Inland Northwest Business Watch or a tip on something coming to the Spokane and Coeur d' Alene area, send me an email anytime to matt.behringer@inlandnwbusiness.com . 

And, yes I take donations, I know so does everyone else and they're not required but I'll do a happy dance for each one. If it's big enough, maybe I'll record it too! 

Page for donations:      https://inlandbusiness2.blogspot.com/

And, last but not least thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of the Inland Northwest Business Watch family!!!

Front Room Art Gallery opens in Downtown Spokane

 

Courtesy photos from the recent ribbon cutting of Front Room, provided by the Downtown Spokane Partnership.

Front Room Art Gallery, a new locally owned contemporary art gallery has joined the growing Spokane Arts community, bringing a fresh space for discovering high-quality fine art to the city's developing West Spokane Arts District. Located at 115 S. Adams Suite 6, Front Room's location adds another arts-focused destination to an area that is solidifying itself as a hub of Spokane arts and culture, moving in alongside coffee and vintage shop Drip Drip, the newly expanded Big City Art Gallery, and the ongoing mural & neon sign project, Vintage Alley.

Front Room Art Gallery is the 14th new business that has opened in Downtown Spokane this year. Founded by Chels Cordova in partnership with Kelly Baker, the gallery represents a new chapter for Cordova, who has spent several years working in the arts industry, most recently with Art Spirit Gallery. After moving to Spokane, Cordova quickly became involved in the region's vibrant arts community and developed a vision for creating a professional contemporary gallery of her own.

For more information on the new Front Room Art Gallery, check out their website at https://www.frontroomartgallery.com/

ATC Manufacturing breaks ground on expansion in Post Falls

 

Towards the end of August 2026, ATC Manufacturing broke ground on a 57,635-square-foot expansion of its Post Falls facility. This was a milestone that builds on the company's recent contract award from the Air Force Research Laboratory for large-scale, high-rate, thermoplastic composite aircraft structures. 

Baker Construction is the general contractor for the expansion project with architectural design work being done by Bernardo Wills Architects. The expansion is currently scheduled to be completed by the Summer of 2027 with ATC indicating they already have a number of projects lined up expecting to fill up capacity of the expansion quickly. 

The expansion will create dozens of new jobs at ATC's Post Falls facility, including mechanical engineers, project engineering, entry and mid-skilled tradesman roles. View the open positions on ATC'S website at http://atcmanufacturing.com/careers

Spokane's First Comprehensive Breast Center to Open Its Doors in October

 

Inland Imaging has construction underway for a new state-of-the-art Breast Center at 799 S. Stevens St. centrally located in Downtown Spokane, which will open in October of this year. It will be the region's first facility to bring the full spectrum of breast imaging and diagnostic care (mammography, ultrasound, breast MRI, biopsies, risk assessment and future genetic testing) into a single, purpose-built location. Staffed by the same specialized radiologists Inland Northwest women have trusted for nearly three decades. 

Where a routine screening once meant a referral to a second location for follow-up imaging, the Breast Center will keep everything on-site. The space was designed around how it feels to be there: soft lighting, comfortable changing areas, a coffee bar, quiet consult rooms, and a dedicated patient navigator. Most screening mammograms require no referral, can be scheduled within minutes, and are covered at no cost under most insurance plans; appointments typically run under 30 minutes, and the center will offer free off-street parking.

The Breast Center opens to the public in October and is now accepting appointment requests. To book a mammogram or learn more visit http://inlandimaging.com/schedule or call 509-455-4455.