About a million years ago, when the earth was young, a rather fortunate phenomenon occurred for potato lovers. A few strategically located volcanoes spewed molten lava all over a place that would later be known as Idaho. This volcanic lava would become dark rich soil and when combined with warm sunny days, cool nights and clean mountain water, create the earth's most perfect place for growing potatoes. Just a few thousand years later, in 1960 to be exact, a group of enterprising and energetic souls started a company named, appropriately, Idahoan® Foods, with the single-minded goal of producing the planet's best tasting instant mashed potatoes from those famous Idaho russets. Only 50 people were on the payroll that first year and yet more than five million pounds of dehydrated potatoes were processed and sold. From that auspicious beginning, Idahoan® has continued to grow and prosper. Today the company employs nearly 500 people during the production season and is one of the worlds leading producers of dehydrated potatoes. While all that success is pretty grand, the real story behind Idahoan® is the people who work here. They'll tell you they only know one thing: potatoes.
The Phoenix Mercury is a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises. The team is owned by Robert Sarver, who also owns the Mercury's NBA counterpart, the Phoenix Suns.