Cd'A print company hires additional staff for international job
Coeur d'Alene-based Originals Inc., which does business as Digital Color Print Center, has begun work on a large fine-art reproduction job that has required the company to add six employees, bringing its total to 10 workers, says Stephen Gibbs, the company's marketing manager.

Gibbs says the job is for a European client and entails printing on canvas more than 3,700 reproductions of 22 original paintings. He expects the company will complete the job some time in March. Gibbs declines to disclose the value of the project, other than to say that it's in the "six-figure" range. He adds that it's "one of our biggest jobs of the year."

After the reproductions are printed on canvas, they're trimmed by hand and placed on wooden stretcher bars, says Gibbs. A clear gel is then applied with a paint brush to enhance colors and the appearance of brushstrokes, and the reproductions are then packed into large crates and shipped to Italy.

Digital Color Print Center began operating in 1996 and occupies about 8,000 square feet of space at 3901 N. Schreiber Way, in Coeur d'Alene. Gibbs says fine-art reproduction makes up about half of the company's business. Trade show displays, signs, banners, and other various print jobs make up the rest, he says.

Graphic designer sells interest in firm, plans to stay on as employee
John Mraz, co-founder of Anderson Mraz Design Inc., of Spokane, has sold his interest in the graphic design firm for an undisclosed sum to his longtime partner, C.K. Anderson, making Anderson the business's sole principal.

Mraz says he'll continue to work as a senior designer there, and plans on spending more time with his family. "I like to think of it more as downshifting," says Mraz.

Anderson and Mraz founded the business in 1988 and offer design services in areas such as corporate identity, brand strategy, and Web site development. The firm has done projects for clients such as Avista Corp., Hecla Mining Co., Northern Quest Casino, and Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center & Children's Hospital.

Anderson Mraz Design employs four people and occupies a space at 202 E. Spokane Falls Blvd. There are no current plans to change the name of the firm.

Public relations firm joins global network
Desautel Hege Communications, the Spokane-based marketing and public relations firm, says it has joined IPREX, an international corporation comprised of independent public relations agencies.

Founded in 1983, IPREX is a public relations network that links agencies and their clients with professionals in more than 60 worldwide markets. Its 63 partners operate 85 offices in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asian side of the Pacific.

"Joining IPREX represents an important step for our firm and for our clients," says Cher Desautel, CEO of Desautel Hege. She says the partnership will help the agency expand into new markets, as well as extend the reach of its clients.

Desautel Hege, which employs 14 people here, says it has explored similar opportunities in the past, but felt the time was right to partner with IPREX.

The Spokane agency was founded here in 1996 and operates an office at 315 W. Riverside. Its services include research, brand development, crisis communications, and media relations.

Framing shop moves after roof collapse forced it to close
Added Touch Framing & Gallery has moved into a new space at 7710 N. Division from a smaller space at 7011 N. Division that it was forced to leave due to a roof collapse caused by the immense snowfall over the Christmas holiday period, says owner Curtis Carrasco.

The new space is about 3,600 square feet in size, and required no renovation work.

Carrasco says he's happy to have the store up and running again. The roof collapse at his previous location caused extensive damage. He says he wasn't able to salvage much of his inventory, and the store was underinsured.

Carrasco says he has the option of moving back into his previous location after the building is repaired, but hasn't decided whether he'll exercise that option.

Added Touch Framing & Gallery is operated by the Carrasco family, and its services include custom art framing, photo restoration, and digital archiving.

Pizza store opens at Sundance Plaza
Adelo's Take-N-Bake Pizza has opened in a 1,400-square-foot space at 9021 N. Indian Trail Road, in the Sundance Plaza shopping center, and owner Matt Howes says he hopes to make his mark by offering microbrews and delivery service in addition to his pies.

He says the pizzeria offers freshly prepared pizzas that customers will purchase and bake in their home ovens, as well as a large assortment of bottled beers from which customers can "make their own six-pack." In addition to the standard pizza fare, Adelo's customers can choose from a variety of specialty pizzas, as well as thick, thin, or wheat crust, says Howes.

He says he plans to offer delivery service in the Indian Trail area by the end of the month.

Adelo's Take-N-Bake employs six people, but Howes says he plans on hiring two to three additional employees as the delivery service is implemented.