By Emily Miller

REXBURG – Creating economic opportunities for their own children and future grandchildren is one of the driving forces for the team at Trellis Development, headquartered south of Rexburg in Thornton. The company has several developments in the works along U.S. Highway 20 and elsewhere in east Idaho, including a 26-acre project that borders the new Teton River Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in north Rexburg. 

The project, with the working title of White Owl Business Park, will include The Homestead, an assisted living facility. It will include a pool, pickleball courts, a walking trail, individual condos and more. The new facility will be in addition to the one already located on Main Street in Rexburg. The Homestead owns the middle 11 acres of the 26-acre development. 

Trellis Chief Operating Officer Scott Page says that working with The Homestead was an easy choice, as the facility owners share the development company’s ideals. 

“They care a lot about how things look and feel,” Page says. “They put a lot of thought into the tenants that they have there, and in making them feel at home. It will be a really nice product.”

Chief Development Officer Jake Thompson says there will be more White Owl Business Park partners to announce soon. 

The development is quite different from what Trellis owner Bron Leatham set out to create when he bought the land adjacent to U.S. Highway 20 about 9 years ago, long before the temple was announced. He originally planned a light industrial development. 

“Once the temple was announced, we thought, okay, now that’s obviously not the best fit,” Leatham says. 

Potential uses of the land now include office and medical facilities, and they’ve been in talks with a hotel. 

Leatham says one of the goals at Trellis is to help other local businesses grow and thrive. He follows a business plan that gives those companies an opportunity to own and benefit from the real estate they occupy. 

“We design the building specifically to their needs and build a bigger building that will suit them, with some additional space that they can lease out so they can participate in all of it,” Leatham says. “So it’s creating wealth for them and their business.”

Page says this model works well because it allows growing businesses to do what they do best while leaving the design and construction logistics to the developers. 

“It enables business owners to just be business owners instead of having to put a project together with an engineer and an architect,” Page says. 

Thompson says the team intentionally works with mostly local businesses because they want to invest in homegrown east Idaho businesses that improve their communities. 

“Something we pride ourselves on is that 95 percent of all investors are local,” Thompson says. 

Leatham, Page, and Thompson were all born and raised in east Idaho, so they are each invested in the future of the area for their own families. Thompson, a fourth-generation native of Rigby, says he wanted to stay in the area after graduating from Brigham Young University-Idaho, but job opportunities were scarce. 

“If I can help bring in some companies that give my son and my daughter an opportunity to stay here and have the career that they want, then I’m going to help develop it,” Thompson says. “I want my kids and my grandkids here. I was really blessed and lucky and found a path back, but for a lot of my friends, their path back is really difficult. That’s a big driver for me.”

Rexburg has seen huge growth since Ricks College became BYU-Idaho in 2001. According to Census.gov, Rexburg grew from about 17,000 people in 2001 to over 40,000 in 2024. 

Leatham acknowledges that some in the area are not enthusiastic about the growth, but says Trellis is determined to help steer growth in a way that benefits the community. 

“We want to have a significant impact on our community for good,” Leatham says. “I don’t think people should fear development when it’s done thoughtfully and when it’s done for the benefit of our community and our children.”