Stories by Anthony Macuk

Columbian business reporter

Pedestrians pass a GameStop store Thursday in the Manhattan borough of New York. GameStop stock had rocketed from below $20 to more than $400 this month as a volunteer army of investors on social media challenged big institutions who has placed market bets that the stock would fall.

Clark County residents play bit parts in GameStop drama

February 7, 2021, 6:04am Business Subscriber Exclusive

When 32-year-old Vancouver resident Brian Geddis began regularly trading stocks on the Robinhood app last year, it was mainly to keep busy after he lost his job in the pandemic. But when he decided to make a bigger bet on video game retail chain GameStop two weeks ago, he felt… Read story

Entertainment venues such as the Kiggins Theatre in downtown Vancouver have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, forced to completely shut down for most of the past year. A new federal program promises relief grants for the performing arts industry, but applications aren't available yet.

Clark County theater owners frustrated as information on federal grant slow in coming

February 4, 2021, 6:00am Business Subscriber Exclusive

December’s $900 billion federal COVID-19 relief bill included a $284 billion funding infusion for the Paycheck Protection Program, giving beleaguered small businesses a chance to apply for a second loan, but it also set aside another $15 billion for theaters, museums and performing arts venues. Read story

Vancouver’s ZoomInfo launches Targeted Audiences tool

February 4, 2021, 5:58am Clark County Business

Vancouver-based marketing intelligence company ZoomInfo announced Wednesday it has launched a new product called Targeted Audiences, aimed at giving digital marketers a more accurate way to search out their ideal customers. Read story

ilani celebrated the debut of its new parking garage by commissioning a pair of edible cars to race down the access ramp. According to ilani, the cars were 91 percent cake. Top, ilani commissioned two cake cars to celebrate the opening of its new parking garage. Each car weighed in at about 670 pounds and consisted of a cake body mounted on an aluminum frame.

Debut a piece of cake as edible cars greet new ilani parking garage

February 3, 2021, 6:05am Business

ilani has officially opened its new six-story parking garage, and the casino opted to celebrate the occasion by racing edible cars — as in, cars made primarily out of cake. Read story

Concept art from Koelsch Communities shows the planned design of a new senior living facility in Salmon Creek called University Village. The $108 million project broke ground in January and is targeted to open 2022.

University Village breaks ground near Salmon Creek

February 1, 2021, 6:05am Business Subscriber Exclusive

Koelsch Communities has kicked off construction of a $108 million development that will establish a new senior living center called University Village in the Salmon Creek area. The project broke ground in January and is scheduled to open in 2022. Read story

Clark County homebuilders decry timing of new energy standards, say home prices will go up

A worker lends a hand at a house under construction in the Felida Overlook neighborhood Wednesday morning. A set of energy code updates is set to take effect Feb. 1, and builders have expressed concern that the new rules could drive up construction costs at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has already pushed up home prices.

January 28, 2021, 6:06am Clark County Business Subscriber Exclusive

Vancouver-area homebuilders say a new round of energy efficiency standards could add $15,000 or more to the price of new houses, according to the Building Industry Association of Clark County. The timing appears to be their biggest complaint. Read story

Clark County sees 100-job gain in December as retail hiring offset by restaurants’ losses

The homepage of the Washington State Employment Security Department.

Clark County employers added approximately 100 jobs in December, capping a tumultuous year in which the county suffered a net loss of 12,300 jobs since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and 10,800 jobs over the whole year. Read story

Tower Mall COVID-19 testing site offers rapid free testing to all

Staffer Allison Berhow instructs a driver to self-administer an oral COVID-19 test Saturday at the new Tower Mall drive-thru testing site. Visitors receive their results in two or three days.

Universal COVID-19 vaccine availability is still a long way off and local health officials are working to provide faster and easier testing options in the meantime. Clark County's newest rapid testing site debuted two weeks ago at the Tower Mall in Vancouver and is aimed at providing free, no-barrier testing. Read story