Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from February 2006

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from February 2006

Seattle architectural firm designs selected for exhibit celebrating black architects.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Designs for an African-American museum that's been more than 20 years in the making have put the work of one Seattle architectural firm into an exhibit that celebrates black architects' impact on the built environment....

U.K. considers establishing its own green building council.
February 1, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Mainstream developers' embrace of the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system has moved some builders, designers and developers in the United Kingdom to establish a green...

Economists agree: Construction in Oregon looks strong in 2006.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker January is a busy month for economists as they clamber to forecast the financial peaks and valleys of the coming year. This year, leading economists have all predicted a rosy future for Oregon's construction industry,...

Owner's representative advises contractors to be organized in presentations.
February 1, 2006... Byline: Brian Johnson (This article originally appeared in Finance and Commerce, Minneapolis, MN, another Dolan Media publication. ) During his 20 years as a project manager and owner's representative, Dick Strassburg has learned a...

In commercial real estate, first tenants often dictate who will come next.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith When WDC Properties began redeveloping a more than 50,000-square-foot building at Northwest 18th Avenue and Johnson Street, the company settled on a name - "Shops on 18th" - that it hoped would draw any and all...

Oregon Republican gubernatorial candidates woo open-shop Associated Builders and Contractors.
February 2, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker With May's primary election fast-approaching, gubernatorial candidates are vying for support from Oregon's open-shop contractors. Republican candidates Jason Atkinson and Kevin Mannix and a representative of...

Shorebank Pacific earnings increase 58 percent in 2005.
February 2, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Increased financing of local businesses created higher earnings for Shorebank Pacific in the fourth quarter and for the year ending Dec. 31, 2005, with the company showing a net income for the fourth quarter of $109,000,...

A conversation with Art DeMuro about preserving Oregon's past.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Art DeMuro is a real estate man, but more importantly, he's a history buff. The combination of the two, says the president of Venerable Group Inc., is perfect for Portland - a city that appreciates the connection...

Report: Non-firm attorneys made up to $250K in '05.
February 3, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Attorneys who didn't work at law firms earned a median annual salary of $100,000 in 2005, according to a recently released survey from the Illinois-based law firm Abbott, Langer & Associates Inc. The average 2005...

Construction of bridge over Multnomah Channel in Portland cannot disturb migrating salmon.
February 6, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker When the Sauvie Island Bridge is completed sometime in 2008, the steel and concrete structure will carry the weight of cars and trucks crossing the 1,185-foot span over the Multnomah Channel in Northwest Portland. ...

Port of Vancouver reaches settlement on Cadet Manufacturing cleanup site.
February 6, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff The Port of Vancouver USA last week announced a settlement agreement with Cadet Manufacturing over an environmental cleanup dispute. Contingent on court approval, the port will purchase 11 acres of land and a...

Tower crane shortage means project delays for Portland contractors.
February 7, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker A backlog of work and a shortage of tower cranes could mean project delays for Portland contractors heading into spring. Although suppliers warned of an impending shortage nearly a year ago, many contractors are just...

Portland firm offers 'community impact' reports for new projects.
February 7, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff KinetiComm, a strategic marketing communications and public relations firm in Portland, has launched a new online service to provide "community impact" reports for corporate, financial and commercial real estate clients...

Portland Development Commission to consider New Markets Tax Credit program.
February 8, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith At this evening's Portland Development Commission meeting, board members will consider a request from developers of the proposed Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership headquarters building planned for a one-block site at...

Dollars dictate Web designs.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl A run through several Portland architectural firms' Web sites reveals two noticeable trends: lots of graphics, in particular, and little text. But no two sites are exactly alike, in part because cost dictates...

Metro council votes to enact temporary moratorium on recycling facilities in Portland.
February 9, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Time's up for four small solid waste recycling facilities trying to expand their businesses. The council of regional government Metro voted 7-0 to pass an ordinance last week that enacts a temporary moratorium on...

A conversation with Vancouver-based MGH Associates: The art of engineering.
February 10, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith On Jan. 2, 2000, three colleagues, all in the business of creating neighborhoods, began a new venture. Mike Miller, a planner, Fred Garmire, a commercial and residential land development engineer, and David...

Transportation agencies open a missing link.
February 10, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker In the past, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the grand opening of a big highway project. Not so for the latest improvement to the city of Portland's transportation infrastructure. With little fanfare, a new,...

Former Reserve Bank location in Portland up for sale.
February 10, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith The Portland Branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, which stood at the corner of Ninth Avenue and Southwest Stark Street, all but screamed "do not enter." With ominous concrete roadblocks surrounding the...

Agreeing on how to green.
February 13, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan The Portland Development Commission has the business development tools to help local sustainable industries grow. The city's Office of Sustainable Development has the technical expertise and sustainable-business-focused...

Burnside Bridgehead developers address project challenges.
February 13, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Brian Bennett, project manager at Opus Northwest, the development firm heading the Burnside Bridgehead project, told members of Career Real Estate Women last week that the redevelopment effort - now in its second year...

Gone with the wind: Storms cause road closures across the state.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker The sun finally came out for Portlanders last week. But clear skies brought no relief for road maintenance crews working overtime to clear more than 15 downed trees on a one-mile stretch of Northwest Johnson Road in...

Nike building in Beaverton nets LEED-EB rating.
February 14, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Nike said last week a 95,000-square-foot building on its Beaverton world campus was the first property in Oregon to attain gold status through the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED-EB rating system. The Ken Griffey...

Baltimore firm wins contract for giant Nevada system.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Joe Bacchus (This story was originally published in The Daily Record, Baltimore, Md., another Dolan Media publication.) A Baltimore solar energy company will design, build and run what would be the world's largest solar power...

Themed mall developments in vogue in suburban U.S.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Kathleen T. Brady (This story was originally published in the St. Charles County Business Record, St. Charles, Mo., another Dolan Media publication.) Some of the world's best discoveries were made by accident: the law of...

Web site shines spotlight on eminent domain.
February 14, 2006... Byline: Dolan News Service (This story was originally published in Finance & Commerce, Minneapolis, Minn., another Dolan Media publication.) Need information about the use of eminent domain in the United States - or advice on how to...

Natural building gains footholds across the nation.
February 15, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Organic food hasn't really gone anywhere. But the one-upmanship that makes things that are good fall aside for things that are better is inherent in the replacement of "organic" with "local" as the latest best thing....

Portland Development Commission to redevelop Harrison Court Apartments block.
February 15, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl The Portland Development Commission on Monday issued a request for proposals for a nearly one-block site east of Portland State University that the PDC hopes will be redeveloped to feature "middle-income" condominium...

Builders want fewer subs on federal jobs.
February 15, 2006... Byline: Dolan News Service (The following article originally ran in the New Orelans CityBusiness, another Dolan Media publication.) Throughout southern Louisiana, three primary contractors are leading a demolition and debris removal...

Washington biofuel bill pushes Oregon's effort.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Washington has re-energized the race with Oregon to be the West Coast's largest biofuel producer. Last Friday, the state's House of Representatives passed a bill that would set fuel content requirements for...

Portland chapter of Engineers Without Borders focuses on travel, fundraising.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Work done on international engineering projects over the past year will translate into travel this spring when three project teams from the Portland chapter of Engineers Without Borders-USA head to three different...

New Orleans construction industry still waiting for post-Katrina boom.
February 16, 2006... Byline: Deon Roberts (This article originally ran in New Orleans City Business, another Dolan Media publication.) The construction industry has built up enormous momentum nationwide. U.S. construction added 46,000 jobs in January and...

Second home more than a house - it's an escape.
February 20, 2006... Byline: Gaye Bunderson (This article originally ran in the Idaho Business Review, Boise, ID, another Dolan Media publication). Nature, outdoor activities and solitude. If those aren't good enough reasons for Northwesterners to...

Busy Portland architectural firms have tough time hiring experienced architects.
February 21, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan First, the good news: Projects are piling up for Portland architectural firms, and the business boom means that many are looking to hire more architects. The bad news, predictably, is related to the good news: Many...

Portland YouthBuilders gets HUD grant for education.
February 21, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Portland YouthBuilders has received a $685,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the nonprofit announced last week. The grant will fund the construction trades portion of YouthBuilders'...

Portland Bureau of Development Services creates Web site for commercial construction process.
February 22, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith You've got your idea for a new commercial building, you've got financial backing, and you've got the motivation. Now, the only thing you need to do is transfer the building from your mind to Main Street. It seems...

Beaverton firm Pacific NW Properties breaks ground on Kruse Way site.
February 22, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff The Beaverton firm Pacific NW Properties has begun construction of Tigard Triangle Commons, an office development slated for completion in early 2007. Tigard Triangle Commons is a Class A office development that will...

Portland City Council approves largest construction contract in city history.
February 23, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Portland City Council on Wednesday approved the largest construction contract in city history. Joint venture Kiewit-Bilfinger Berger is scheduled to begin work on the $426 million East Side Big Pipe project in...

Building groups push for single green standard.
February 23, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Three construction industry organizations last week announced plans to codevelop green building standards that the organizations said could be incorporated into municipal building codes. The U.S. Green Building...

Material world: A conversation with architect Blaine Brownell.(Interview)
February 24, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan The book is not the kind that'll stay pristine for long. It's not a coffee table book. It's not a flip-through-and-look-at-the-pictures-type book. It's not even a bookshelf kind of book. Not at all, said architect...

Five favorite products from Blaine Brownell.
February 24, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Product: Richlite What it is: Durable, paper-based fiber product, made from 70 percent craft paper and 30 percent non-formaldehyde resin, produced in Tacoma, Wash. Brownell says: NBBJ is currently working on a...

Portland chapter of Women's Transportation Seminar gains momentum, legislative influence.
February 24, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker As the Portland chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar grows, so does the organization's influence among the city and state's top officials. WTS membership, which includes key players in public and private...

United Nations Environment Program gives green building a global push.
February 24, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl The United Nations Environment Program this week launched a green building initiative it hopes can do for the global construction industry what the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental...

Portland-based Yolo Colorhouse adds hues to no-VOC paint line.
February 24, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Portland-based Yolo Colorhouse, which markets a line of environmentally friendly interior paints, unveiled three new colors Wednesday during an exhibition at the Portland Home & Garden Show. The...

Commentary: Workplace language rights are worth talking about.
February 24, 2006... Byline: Paula Barran No doubt about it: Oregon is multicultural. For example, the 2000 census reports that as many as 12.6 percent of Oregonians age 5 and older spoke a language other than English at home. Some of these individuals must be...

Pac/West Communications promotes Angela Dilkes to vice president.
February 24, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Pac/West Communications has promoted Angela Dilkes to vice president from director of state government affairs. Dilkes, a veteran Oregon lobbyist, continues to direct state legislative and...

KeyBank appoints Oregon district President Wes Lawrence to president of Pacific NW region.
February 24, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff KeyBank has appointed Oregon district President Wes Lawrence to the newly created position of president for the Pacific Northwest region. Lawrence is based in Portland and reports to Key Community...

103 Portland-area high school students participate in Engineering Day.
February 27, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan A magnet, a battery, a couple paper clips, a rubber band and a wire coil. That's all it takes to build a simple electric motor, but six students from Merlo Station Science and Technology High School aren't having much...

Mark Edlen with Portland firm Gerding/Edlen Development Co. addresses builders and bankers.
February 27, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Mark Edlen, managing principal of the Portland firm Gerding/Edlen Development Co., addresses a group of leading financial and building professionals at last week's Builder/Banker Breakfast. Edlen...

Panel of metal industry experts from to discuss Portland's proposed center for manufacturing.(Panel Discussion)
February 27, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce A panel of metal industry experts will discuss the research and development and administrative functions of a proposed Northwest Center for Manufacturing and Infrastructure Engineering during a 7:30 to...

Redmond, Wash.-based GeoEngineers acquires Bend firm.
February 27, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Redmond, Wash.-based earth science and technology company GeoEngineers has acquired High Desert Geo-Technologies Inc., a Bend firm that specializes in global imaging systems and services for property,...

Interface Engineering wins HVAC award.
February 27, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Interface Engineering's work on the renovation of Opsis Architecture's Lovejoy Office Building was awarded an honorable mention for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system work in...

Solar power: A victim of its own success.
February 27, 2006... Byline: Claude Solnik (This article originally ran in the Long Island Business News, another Dolan Media publication.) Peter Moloney, president of a New York chain of funeral homes, last spring decided to install solar panels at five...

Real estate services firm Grubb & Ellis Co. announces staffing changes: February 27, 2006.
February 27, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Real estate services firm Grubb & Ellis Co. has hired Michelle Franceschi and Jeff Snyder as associates with the office group and Chad Torrey and Tyler J. Sheils as associates with the industrial group...

OR Dept. of Transportation's new COMET trucks patrol highways for traffic-clogging problems.
February 28, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Straining in four-wheel-drive low-gear, the Ford F350 tugged hard at the canvas straps binding it to the grill of a Pepsi truck stalled in the center lane of eastbound Interstate 84. The semi-trailer had already been...

New Yale graduate degree offers 4-year program on sustainable design.
February 28, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl It's something that the West Coast building industry takes for granted, but in the U.S. Northeast, a new Yale University graduate degree program is decidedly outside the norm. In September, the university will...

What's found underground? More than you'd expect.
February 28, 2006... Byline: Bill Clements (This article was originally published in Finance & Commerce, Minneapolis, Minn., another Dolan Media publication.) So, how often do you think of exactly what's under your feet as you make your way along a...