Business in Sandpoint and Bonner County, Idaho

Bonner County's fast-growing economy and Idaho's favorable business climate combine to create strong growth opportunities for businesses in Bonner County. Between 1994 and 2004, Bonner County added 387 businesses.

Nearly every industrial sector contributed to this, construction being the prime benefactor with 97 new firms. Professional and technical services added 61 businesses, consisting mostly of management-consulting, bookkeeping, architectural, engineering, and marketing firms. Other sectors that added large numbers included health care (35), transportation (31), retail (22), and real estate (18). And while the United States overall lost manufacturers, Bonner County actually added 13!

Comparing the growth of businesses in Bonner County to the nation's shows just how favorable the county's business climate is. Between 1994 and 2004, the number of businesses in Bonner County grew 36% from 1,074 to 1,461, while the number of businesses in the United States grew half as fast at 18% from 684 to 810 million.

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The area's strong entrepreneurial spirit is one of the many factors that has encouraged economic growth in the Sandpoint area. As a haven for the arts, Sandpoint tends to attract creative types, including people who create new businesses.

The history of Coldwater Creek is a case in point. The nationally acclaimed company, headquartered in Sandpoint, Idaho, is a multi-channel retailer of women's apparel, gifts, jewelry, soft home goods and accessories sold through direct mail catalogues, full-line retail stores and the internet.

The vision for Coldwater Creek can be attributed entirely to Sandpoint residents Dennis and Ann Pence, cofounders of the company in 1984. In fact, Coldwater Creek now supplies an incredible seven and 1/2 percent of the total amount of women's clothes purchased in the United States on the Internet!