Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from August 2006

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from August 2006

Oregon claims task force eyes New Jersey warranties.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker It sure seems that Oregon and New Jersey have a lot in common. As a member of the Oregon construction claims task force pointed out during its meeting last week, both states until recently were the only ones in the...

Claims task force eyes New Jersey warranties.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker

Oregon Department of Transportation approves study on inequalities in contracting.
August 1, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker The Oregon Department of Transportation has commissioned a study on racial inequalities in the state's contracting opportunities. The study will provide ODOT with information regarding its contracting activities...

Portland-based Tonkon Torp elects board members.
August 1, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff The partners of Tonkon Torp LLP have elected Michael M. Morgan to head the firm's managing board. Also elected to the board were Kenneth D. Stephens, Ronald L. Greenman and Kurt W. Ruttum. They join Darcy M. Norville,...

Multnomah Bar Association compiles circuit court contender list.
August 1, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff The Multnomah Bar Association has compiled a list of "highly qualified" applicants for the Multnomah County Circuit Court judicial vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Jan Wyers. MBA's recommended applicants...

AIA, AGC, CURT plan collaboration to address design and construction industry issues.
August 1, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff The American Institute of Architects, Associated General Contractors of America and the Construction Users Round Table (CURT) have announced plans to form a new collaborative group to address design and construction...

Portland's in-house residential green-building specialist builds a home of his own.
August 2, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan As the city of Portland's in-house residential green-building specialist, Mike O'Brien's had a hand in the design and creation of ultra-green, super efficient homes across the city. But until April, when construction...

Home built.
August 2, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan

Mixed-use Juniper Ridge moving forward in Bend.
August 2, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith The city of Bend is close to signing a preliminary agreement for the development of a 1,500-acre mixed-use employment center proposed for the north end of the city, near the junction of U.S. 97 and U.S. 20. Bend City...

Port of Portland's economic development efforts pay off.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker After more than a year of financial uncertainty, the Port of Portland has turned the tides. Aggressive marketing efforts by the port to recruit new carriers and strong support from the state government to invest in...

Oregon task force picks key questions for land use.
August 3, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Oregon's "Big Look" task force on land use planning, which met last week in Lincoln City, identified six key land use issues for further analysis and evaluation as part of its comprehensive review of the state's land...

A conversation with Omid Nabipoor, president of Interface Engineering.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Creativity, technical excellence, relationships, learning, loyalty to relationships and diversity of work, people and beliefs - if Interface Engineering could be said to have a company philosophy, says president Omid...

Otak Inc. strengthens its environmental focus.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Scientists from Sheldon & Associates, a Seattle environmental firm, joined with Otak Inc. in early July to create the core of the planning, architecture, design and engineering firm's new natural resources group. ...

Mahlum Architects adds project management to portfolio.
August 4, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Mahlum Architects and Day & Associates have partnered to form Day CPM Services, a project management firm that will offer comprehensive oversight from conception to completion. The relationship goes back more than...

Slow shift for industrial market in the Portland metropolitan area.
August 7, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Although the industrial vacancy rate for the Portland metropolitan area remains the same in the second quarter of 2006 as it was in the first, the overall 7.4 percent rate is lower than in the second quarter of 2005,...

Seattle company buys Portland's Honeyman Hardware Loft Apartments block.
August 7, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Seattle-based Security Properties Inc. has purchased the Honeyman Hardware Loft Apartments located in the Pearl District. Security Properties completed the acquisition in a joint venture with...

Norris, Beggs & Simpson Cos. leave Bellevue office for Seattle.
August 7, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Norris, Beggs & Simpson Cos. has moved from its Bellevue, Wash., office to downtown Seattle. The relocated office houses branches of NBS Cos.' finance division, NBS Financial Services, and the...

Central Oregon workshop focuses on LEED for homes.
August 7, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff An overview of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Homes program will be held Aug. 17 in Central Oregon. The workshop will offer a look at the purpose, process of involvement,...

Portland's new animal health-care hospital to be one of the top facilities in the country.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Dan Carter Barely more than half of all U.S. citizens own pets. But 70 percent of Portlanders have at least one animal companion at home, giving the city one of the largest pet populations in the country. To the folks at...

Portland-based Fios Inc. already thinking about its next move.
August 8, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl As a privately held company, Fios Inc., a Portland-based technology outfit that aids law firms and other businesses with electronic discovery, doesn't have to make public its fiscal performance. But signs visible...

Oregon's Ecological Business program offers certification to landscaping industry.
August 9, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan When the latest crop of businesses certified through Oregon's EcoBiz program talk about growing greener, they'll mean it literally. The Ecological Business program, created by a collective of Oregon cities and...

Portland-based Capital Pacific Bank marks solid Q2.
August 9, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Portland-based Capital Pacific Bank reported strong loan growth, above-average interest margin and stable credit quality in the second quarter of 2006. Total loans grew by $12 million to nearly $92 million. The loan...

B20 biodiesel efforts help Port of Portland secure environmental award.
August 9, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker The Port of Portland's environmental program has been selected for the American Association of Port Authorities' (AAPA) comprehensive environmental management award. This marks the seventh consecutive year the port...

B20 efforts help port secure environmental award.
August 9, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker

Incoming high school seniors get hands-on experience at construction sites around Portland.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Anthony Liggins and Gerardo Rivas, 17, represent the future of the construction industry. And Jason Koski, the pair's mentor and a superintendent with Skanska, isn't afraid to heckle his future. Koski has spent...

Out in the real world.
August 10, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker

Oregon governor lauds Genentech deal.
August 10, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Wednesday visited Beaverton to celebrate the use of the state's Strategic Investment Program to attract Genentech, a drug manufacturer, to Washington County. Kulongoski and other parties to the...

Interview with Larry Sitz: Separate and unequal.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker The cost of contractors' liability insurance has skyrocketed in Oregon in recent years due to increasing construction defect litigation. The largest commercial contractors can bankroll the expense. But mid-and...

Delaware museum sues PAM designer Beha.
August 11, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff The Delaware Art Museum has filed a federal lawsuit against Ann Beha Architects alleging the design firm's work on the Portland Art Museum kept architects from devoting attention to the Delaware...

New federal courthouse in downtown Eugene, Oregon, is a courthouse for the 21st century.
August 14, 2006... Byline: Dan Carter The project, an expansive, soaring, glass and steel structure on the banks of the Wilamette River in downtown Eugene, makes Alan Halleck gush. "This has been a great, once-in-a-lifetime, career project for me," says...

A courthouse for the 21st century.
August 14, 2006... Byline: Dan Carter

Portland port OKs construction manager/general contractor contract for $189M project.
August 14, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker The Port of Portland on Wednesday exempted its planned $189 million headquarters and parking garage project from competitive bidding. The port will instead negotiate a contract with a construction manager/general...

Portland Design Commission turns on the night light.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Although more eyes are likely to land on the new Pearl District Safeway during daylight hours, the Portland Design Commission is far more concerned about how the building's going to look in the dark. The commission...

Night light.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan

Morken Center for Learning and Technology in Washington is energy-efficient, from the ground up.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl A Washington university's push to attain a LEED rating, fueled by a cutting-edge underground heat pump, proved successful last week when its Morken Center for Learning and Technology earned gold certification through...

Biofuel industry forms regional lobbying group for Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.
August 15, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker The Northwest Environmental Business Council last week announced the formation of the Northwest Biofuels Association. The new organization will represent the business interests of the producers, distributors, and...

Portland's building industry slowly starts earthquake preparation.
August 16, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Earthquake preparation slowly is starting to shake in Portland's building industry. But it's not happening in response to the series of small- to medium-size earthquakes that have rattled the region over the last few...

Greener computers get easier to identify.
August 16, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Computers and monitors manufactured by Apple, Dell, Computer Technology Link and Hewlett-Packard are among the more than 60 products that meet a new green standard for computer equipment. The Electronic Products...

Portland firm HFF finances Arizona apartment loan.
August 16, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Portland-based office operator Holliday Fenoglio Fowler LP has arranged a $2.7 million refinancing for Puesta del Sol, a 104-unit multifamily property in Tucson, Ariz. HFF senior managing director Lloyd Minten and...

The end of cheap power at the Pacific Northwest's Bonneville Dam.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker High energy costs and an uncertain aluminum market likely will shut down one of the Pacific Northwest's oldest manufacturing industries, according to an economic study released Tuesday by the Northwest Power and...

The end of cheap power.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker

Klamath tribes, Portland-based PacifiCorp seek common ground.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Earlier this month, American Indian tribes in Southern Oregon's Klamath Basin and Portland-based power company PacifiCorp took steps toward settling a dispute over dams along the Klamath River. ...

Commentary: Unexplained 'illness' can make employment sick.
August 17, 2006... Byline: Mitch Baker Question: We have an employee who called in yesterday and left a message on our answering service to say that she was ill and would be unable to work for "a while." She did not provide any additional information, and...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: August 17, 2006.
August 17, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce CONSULTING AND PLANNING Washington Governor Chris Gregoire has appointed JD White Co. founder and President John D. White to the Clark College Board of Trustees. White has served on the...

A conversation with Brad Malsin, owner Beam Development.(Interview)
August 18, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith By many accounts, Brad Malsin, owner of Beam Development, isn't your typical Portland developer. In fact, he's not a typical Portlander. A New York native and former doctor, Malsin first got a taste for real estate...

Lake Oswego considers new community center.
August 18, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Staff The city of Lake Oswego has purchased the Safeco campus off of Kruse Way for $20 million. The 14-acre property, including an 86,000-square-foot office building, is now in public ownership and...

Gov. Kulongoski tells builders, bankers state must diversify.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Speaking to business owners and investors in the building industry Thursday morning, Gov. Ted Kulongoski emphasized the need to diversify Oregon's economic base to include industries such as biotechnology,...

Contracting mistakes are best avoided early.
August 18, 2006... Byline: Guest Columnist Project owners not uncommonly make major mistakes contracting with the architects, contractors and others involved in their construction projects. If the projects are completed without major problems, these...

NorthWest Crossing of Bend hires marketing assistant.
August 18, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Staff NorthWest Crossing, a mixed-use community on the west side of Bend, has hired Rebecca Thomas as marketing assistant. Thomas is responsible for preparing sales collateral, advertising...

Towering sights in Portland.
August 21, 2006... Byline: Dan Carter When I first started taking pictures of construction projects in 1990, I was asked to get a picture of a tower crane. The Northwest economy at the time seemed equivalent to that of many a Third World country, and there...

Portland Construction Briefs: August 18, 2006.
August 21, 2006... Byline: Arrol Gellner Masterbrand Cabinets joins safety program Masterbrand Cabinets in Hillsboro has received the Star Award through Oregon OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program. Masterbrand, which employs 250 people at its...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: August 18, 2006.
August 21, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce FINANCE Portland-based Capital Pacific Bank has hired Kevin Geraci as a vice president and business development officer. Geraci focuses on Small Business Administration, portfolio and...

Does live-work work in Portland?
August 22, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith The concept of live-work space - loft-style units where artists and entrepreneurs can both occupy and conduct business - has caught the attention of developers here in Portland. Hoyt Street Properties'...

Contractors meet halfway on sustainable design for condominium project in Northeast Portland.
August 23, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker When the "12 and a Half" condominiums project in Northeast Portland first came across his desk in January, general contractor Carrington Barrs decided not to bid on it. "We turned the project down," said Barrs,...

Centennial Mils framework plan open for interpretation.
August 24, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan If the draft framework plan for the Centennial Mils site that's been making the rounds through assorted Portland commission meetings seems open for interpretation, that's because it is. And that lack of prescription is...

Former paper mill site in Gardiner up for sale.
August 24, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff International Paper Co. is selling a 350-acre site in Gardiner, on the Oregon coast. Formerly used as a sawmill and paper plant, the International Paper site has been out of operation for seven...

Washington hotel undergoes renovations.
August 24, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Hotel developer Aberdeen Development is moving forward with plans to purchase and renovate the 82-year-old Morck Hotel in Aberdeen, Wash., east of Hoquiam. The project will involve a $12 million...

Bend town-home project gets green light.
August 24, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Miller's Landing, a town home project being developed by Millbrook LLC in Bend, has received approval from the city of Bend's hearings officer, Tim Elliott. The 37 two- and three-bedroom town...

A conversation with Mary Maxwell, director of aviation for Port of Portland.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Six a.m. is Mary Maxwell's favorite time to be at the Portland International Airport. It's the airport's busiest time, and from her office window, Maxwell, the director of aviation for the Port of Portland, can see the...

Unico Properties sells U.S. Bancorp Tower in Portland to JPMorgan.
August 25, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith U.S. Bancorp Tower owner Unico Properties LLC, a real estate investment and operating company, has sold the building to JPMorgan Asset Management. The financial terms of the sale were not disclosed. The...

Equity Office Properties Trust to sell $3B of assets through '07.
August 25, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff One day after selling a Portland mid-rise for $48 million, Equity Office Properties Trust on Thursday said it would sell $3 billion to $3.5 billion of its national portfolio through 2007. Equity Office on Wednesday...

Concrete strike has hidden benefit for NW construction industry.
August 28, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker For the past three weeks, the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302 in Seattle has been on strike against four Washington concrete and aggregate producers. The union's 88 striking members have so far...

Residents urge Portland Development Commission to jump-start Killingworth Station project.
August 29, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Vern Rifer, a resident of the Overlook Neighborhood - where the block that could someday house Killingworth Station sits undeveloped - and fellow resident Greg Dafour urged the Portland Development Commission last...

Portland green building materials retailer's sale sheds light on industry's evolution.(Company overview)
August 29, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl The green building materials retailer Environmental Building Supplies faced few competitors when Markus Stoffel and Abby Mages founded their first store 13 years ago in Southeast Portland. Now, the couple's...

Oregon officials/developers say state's industrial land certification program hasn't done enough.
August 30, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Hot on the campaign trail for re-election, Gov. Ted Kulongoski is touting his industrial land certification program as one of the state's top three economic development strategies. But the program, officials and...

Portland-based TVA Architects Inc. updates old Springfield bakery.
August 30, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Portland-based TVA Architects Inc. is helping the Franz Family Bakeries celebrate 100 years of business with the opening of the new Franz Bakery, the former home of Williams' Bread, in Springfield. TVA designed the...

Many building projects face dispute in Portland City Council.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Challenges to approvals - or denials - of building projects have long been a part of the development process in Portland. But as planned projects rise in the central city and infill development continues to boom in...

Howard S. Wright Construction Co. faces age discrimination suit in U.S. District Court in Seattle.
August 31, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission this week filed an age discrimination lawsuit against Howard S. Wright Construction Co. in Seattle. Howard S. Wright laid off Cecil Cheeka, 60, an ironworker with 27...

National employment law firm expands into Portland.
August 31, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Jackson Lewis, a national law firm representing management in workplace law, has opened a Portland office. Scott Oborne, an employment attorney formerly with Jackson Lewis' San Francisco office, has relocated to...