HP-Boise sells out to State of Idaho

Stunning news today, at least from an Idaho perspective

In a stunning development, at least for a few HP old-timers like me, it was revealed that the State of Idaho is in the process of buying the HP-Boise site, with the company leasing back half the space for its ongoing business at the Boise site. revealed in the "scoop" by the Spokane (WA) -based Spokesman Review reporter Betsy Russell.

Shortly following Russell's story, the Idaho Statesman has the story adding additional details and perspective, including a local real estate leader's worries about the future of HP in Boise. While that concern has many factors that will play out over time, this change is significant in itself. Going back to my early days working at the what was then the shiny-new site, the thought of our "Silicon Valley North" oasis being taken over by something as mundane as the State of Idaho's Tax Commission would have been unthinkable.

I joined the Disc Memory Division in 1981, then a "captive" supplier for HP minicomputers, had the Idaho Tax Commission as a customer. They were a small customer, but nearby, and I remember a team heading out for a "field trip" to help them get their new drives up and running, with lengths of HP-IB cables in tow. How times change!

The Idaho Statesman story features a lovely airborne shot of the soon-to-be State of Idaho property