Biz Buzz: Wholesale food store opening in eastern Idaho next month
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Do you want to know what’s happening on the east Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered. Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.
BIZ BRIEF
IDAHO FALLS
Wholesale grocery store catering to restaurants coming to Idaho Falls
IDAHO FALLS – You may have noticed a huge construction project on Lindsay Boulevard in Idaho Falls.
The 20,265-square-foot construction project began in April and will soon be the site for Smart Foodservice Warehouse Store. Ryan Weedon, the company’s director of marketing, tells EastIdahoNews.com the business is a wholesale grocery store catering to the restaurant industry.
“We’re a foodservice supplier,” Weedon says. “We have a full assortment of grocery items that you’d see in any grocery store, but they come in really big packages.”
The store will carry a full selection of produce, fresh meat, imported and regular cheeses, frozen seafood and appetizers, as well as paper products like utensils, straws, and plates. Cleaning supplies will also be available.
And since everything is sold in bulk, the total cost per item is less than what you’d buy it for at a regular grocery store.
The company will also offer a click-and-carry program to make it easier for customers to order products.
“If customers upload an order (online) by 5 p.m., they just choose the time the next day to have it, and we have it ready for them to pick up and pay for it,” Weedon says. “That does save them a lot of time. There’s no added fees or charges for that.”
RELATED | Another wholesale food store is coming to Idaho Falls
Though the store will cater to restaurants, Weedon says anyone is welcome to shop there.
“If you’re throwing a family reunion or you’re on the parent-teacher organization or in charge of the snack shack, those are great reasons why people would buy from us,” he says.
Weedon says Idaho Falls is a market they’ve been looking at for a while. Many restaurants in Idaho Falls have requested a Smart Foodservice Warehouse store, and business growth in the last several years has helped propel the project forward.
“There isn’t any services for the foodservice operators here, so they’re stuck with this broad line delivery, where the cost are really inflated. To (provide businesses) the convenience where they can have a store and save quite a bit of money has been a really successful concept for us,” says Weedon. “We’re really excited to be in Idaho Falls.”
Smart Foodservice Warehouse store will open its doors to businesses only on Friday, Nov. 1. Businesses are invited to come and tour the building and see what they offer. There will be a grand opening celebration for the public Saturday, Nov. 2.
The business is at 1240 Lindsay Boulevard near Motel 6 and the off-ramp from U.S. Highway 20. It will be open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The Idaho Falls store will be the sixth location in Idaho. One in Coeur d’Alene recently opened. There are also stores in Nampa, Meridian, Boise and Twin Falls.
Visit the website to learn more.
BIZ BITS
Walk through history in Pocatello, and you may win a prize
POCATELLO – The Pocatello Historic Preservation Commission is inviting residents to go on a hunt through history.
On Friday, Oct. 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the group will host its Fourth Annual Scavenger Hunt at Mountain View Cemetery, starting at Brady Chapel. During the event, participants will look for gravesites of prominent Pocatello residents. Bring your own camera or phone and flashlight to the scavenger hunt. Donations of any amount will be accepted at the event, and the first 200 donors who complete the scavenger hunt will receive a free small ice cream cone from Tastee Treet or Arctic Circle. Plus, six randomly selected donors who complete the scavenger hunt will win a gift certificate from Tastee Treet or Arctic Circle. Proceeds from the event go towards the restoration of Brady Chapel.
The biggest Boo at the Zoo event yet is coming to Idaho Falls
IDAHO FALLS – Are you ready for the biggest, most-exciting Boo at the Zoo at the Idaho Falls Zoo ever? This year’s Boo at the Zoo is set for Oct. 24, 25, and 26. Included in your ticket purchase will be the greatest number of businesses and organizations providing trick-or-treat stations (over 40), a kid’s carnival in the William J. Maeck Education Center, and costume contest each night at 6 and 7:30. There will also be four food areas offering tasty treats for your separate purchase with everything from doughnut holes and hot chocolate, to hamburgers and tacos. The event hours on Saturday have been extended from 2 to 8:30 p.m. On Thursday and Friday, gates will open at 5 p.m. and close at 8:30 p.m. We highly recommend purchasing tickets in advance by clicking here or at Broulim’s stores in Idaho Falls and Shelley.
Two Rexburg businesses under new ownership will soon become medical offices
REXBURG – Seasons Medical in Rexburg is under new ownership. Madison Memorial Hospital recently purchased the building, which will soon transition into a new medical office building. The old CAL Ranch building on Second East has reportedly been purchased by a medical provider as well. We don’t currently have further information about the purchases or when the changes will take place, but EastIdahoNews.com is planning a more in-depth story soon.
COMMUNITY CAUSES
IDAHO FALLS
Former atomic workers invited to National Day of Remembrance Celebration
The following is a news release from Nuclear Care Partners.
IDAHO FALLS – All former Department of Energy and atomic workers are invited to attend the National Day of Remembrance Celebration hosted by Nuclear Care Partners. This celebration serves to honor the memory, legacy, and contribution of all nuclear weapons workers.
In 2009, the U.S. Senate established Oct. 30 as the National Day of Remembrance for Nuclear Weapons Workers. The National Day of Remembrance is an honorary holiday that recognizes the countless men and women who tirelessly served our nation by building and maintaining our nuclear weapons complex during the Cold War. Every year, around this honorary day, Nuclear Care Partners hosts events across the country to recognize former atomic workers and to honor the work they did in the nuclear weapons industry that helped provide the freedoms we enjoy today.
The National Day of Remembrance Celebration is free to all former atomic workers and their family members. It will take place on Friday, Oct. 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m at The Waterfront at Snake River Landing. To RSVP, call Nuclear Care Partners at (208) 715-3025.
The celebration will feature:
- Flag Ceremony by the American Legion Post
- Pledge of Allegiance
- Moment of Silence
- Honorary Pinning Ceremony
- Catered Lunch
- Raffle prizes
- Live Music by Falls Jazz Quintet
“We look forward to hosting this celebration each year,” said Josh Ashby, community outreach manager at Nuclear Care Partners. “The National Day of Remembrance is our pinnacle event, which allows us to bring together former workers to honor them for their service and sacrifice to our country, and to remember those who have passed on due to illnesses suffered from workplace exposure so many years ago.”
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