Two years after taking the helm at S3R3 Solutions, executive director Chris Pengra says the public development authority has evolved from a fledgling group into a key player helping shape the West Plains into one of the Inland Northwest’s premier industrial hubs.

After securing two dozen U.S. Department of Energy projects, Spokane-based Johnston Engineering PLLC is expanding its footprint by building a new 11,500-square-foot headquarters on the West Plains and preparing to increase its staff as clean-energy work accelerates.

A year after setting out to build drive-thru tea shops in Arizona, Revival Tea Co. founder Andrew Henry is steering his company in a new direction — toward the Midwest.