A Helena-based engineering firm recently announced continued expansion across the state. Robert Peccia and Associates, in business here for 30 years, opened an office on Broadway in Butte.

The firm opened its first satellite office, in Kalispell, two years ago.

President Keith Jensen said the new office is both a response to contracts already secured in the Butte area, as well as a move to hopefully get more work in Silver Bow County.

"We've done work in Butte over the past 25 years off-and-on," Jensen said. "And they do have a lot of municipal work coming up, in water and wastewater."

A new manager in the office will be joined by two employees from the Helena office who live in Butte and had been commuting.

RPA employs six in Kalispell and 47 in Helena.

Cleaning House: Owners Sandy Shull and Jacquie Gibson recently overhauled the Rodney Street Laundry, increasing the washing capacity while decreasing energy and water use at the same time.

The business's new front-loading washers can handle 35 pounds of clothes, or five more than fit into three the old top-loaders, while using just 17.5 gallons of water versus 99 in the old machines.

And since front-loaders extract more water from clean clothes, the drying time is less.

The laundry no longer offers lunch while you wash. The Jailhouse Sandwich Shop, previously located in the back, has been sold to John Leaf up the street at B&B Market, where it is now up and running.

Bigger Sky: Airport manager Ron Mercer reports that SkyWest increased local service to and from Salt Lake City earlier this month. The late arrival/early departure flight is now a 70-seater (up from 50) weekdays, with anticipation of switching to the larger aircraft seven days a week starting next month.

SkyWest has also added an additional Helena/Salt Lake flight, arriving here at 11:14 a.m. and heading back to Utah at 11:39.

Mercer noted that a recent USA Today report on the number of seats available in various markets from October of last year to this coming October shows Helena with a 39 percent increase.

"Hope we can keep them," he said.

Fuel Scams: The Better Business Bureau warns that as gas prices increase, so do the number of scams that purportedly increase fuel mileage. The bureau says the Environmental Protection Agency has tested more than 100 alleged gas-saving devices without finding one that significantly improves mileage.

Instead, the BBB recommends the time-tested and free ways to save on fuel: stay within posted speedlimits, avoid quick starts and stops, avoid rough roads, take excess weight out of the car and keep tires properly inflated.

E-mail your Open for Business ideas to john.harrington@helenair.com.