Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from January 2007

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from January 2007

Historic firehouse near downtown Vancouver offers a history lesson.
January 2, 2007... Byline: Dan Carter Four years ago, Troy John was driving near downtown Vancouver when he spotted an old brick building for lease. But the local residential developer knew instantly he didn't want to just lease the historic former fire...

Portland Pacesetters: January 2, 2007.
January 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff ENGINEERING OBEC Consulting Engineers was voted a "Top Ten" firm in Structural Engineer magazine's "2006 Best Firm to Work for Contest." OBEC provides bridge and roadway engineering and surveying services from offices in...

Oregon American Public Works Association recognizes 3 with Julian prizes.
January 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Three Oregon agencies have been recognized for excellence in sustainability by the Oregon chapter of the American Public Works Association. The organization's 2006 Julian prizes were awarded to the city of Gresham, the...

Vancouver contractor makes resolution to prioritize health and fitness for its employees in 2007.
January 3, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Many a new year begins with a personal pledge to get fit and eat right. Now a Vancouver contractor has started a corporate tradition, making a company-wide resolution to prioritize health and fitness for its employees...

Report: Portland 10th best market for office buyers.
January 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Portland projects to be the nation's 10th best office market for investors over the next five years, according to a new report. Washington, D.C., ranks No. 1 on the nation's "buy" list for investors in 2007 through 2011,...

Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters collects 1,685 gifts in toy drive.
January 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters announced last week that it raised $2,531 and collected 1,685 toys through its eighth annual toy drive in December 2006. The majority of the toys and money will be...

Allstate gives $16K to Oregon nonprofits in '06.
January 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Allstate Foundation announced last week it granted $16,000 to Oregon nonprofits in 2006 through its "Agency Hands in the Community" program. The program, which began in 2003, recognizes volunteer work by Allstate...

Portland Pacesetters: January 3, 2007.
January 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff CONSULTING AND PLANNING Cogan Owens Cogan LLC, a land-use, planning and communications firm, has added three planners to its staff in response to an increasing number of new projects throughout the region. Ellie Fiore, an...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: January 3, 2007.
January 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * Jonathan Price has leased 1,800 square feet at 822 N.E. 22nd Ave., in Portland from 2210 NE Pacific Street LLC. Casey Pileggi of Macadam Forbes represented both parties. * RICS Inc. dba...

Portland-based Green Building Services is on their own.
January 4, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Timing is everything. In September 2005, Green Building Services became an independent consulting firm after five years operating within Portland General Electric. The switch, said firm principal Ralph DiNola, happened...

Portland company's scholarship boosts industry, recruits workers.
January 4, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker When Advanced American Construction Inc. - formerly Advanced American Diving - established a scholarship fund for college students pursuing careers in engineering and construction, it didn't expect the program to...

Portland-Vancouver region leaders form economic development board.
January 4, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith The Four County Economic Development Corp., a new entity focused on economic development in Portland and Southwest Washington, has formed its inaugural board after securing the necessary $750,000 in startup funds from...

Real Estate Transactions for Jan. 4.
January 4, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * Pacific Electronics Marketing Inc. has leased 10,600 square feet at 6024 S.W. Jean Road, in Lake Oswego, from Chinook Investment Co. Andy Kangas of CB Richard Ellis represented the lessee....

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: January 4, 2007.
January 4, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff DESIGN Walker Macy has promoted Zeljka Carol Kekez, who served the firm as marketing/business development director, to principal. Kekez provides leadership in strategic planning, human resources and business management....

A conversation with Angelo Radich: Backpacking toward humanitarianism.(Interview)
January 5, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Angelo Radich, president of the two-year-old Oregon chapter of Architects Without Borders, is not your typical designer/builder. His long hair is tucked under a green, furry hunting cap - a fashion choice he blames on...

Portland Legal Briefs: January 5, 2007.
January 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Pacific Northwest law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt has announced that 20 attorneys in the Portland office were named in the 2007 Best Lawyers in America, a list published biennially since 1983 by Woodward/White Inc.:...

Architecture billings at end of 2006 indicate sustained construction activity for 2007.
January 8, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Architecture billings at the end of 2006 indicate sustained construction activity for 2007. Portland-area architects say the year ahead looks busy, too, which could mean solid growth for future construction activity as...

Portland Construction Briefs: January 8, 2007.
January 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects Ankrom Moisan's design for The 2000 Third Ave Apartments, a new 43-story apartment building in Seattle, has passed through the city's design review process. The building, which is...

Attendee at Oregon Leadership Summit in Portland urges policymakers to save first, spend later.
January 8, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Sustainable industries, education and health care top the list of state priorities in the 2007 Oregon business plan. Oregon legislators and business leaders presented the plan, which outlines an agenda to further...

PDX signs deal to add 5 new eateries at Portland International Airport in '07.
January 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Port of Portland last week agreed to a $44 million contract with the world's largest airport restaurant manager that will bring five new shops to Portland International Airport. Autogrill SpA, an Italian company, will...

Portland Pacesetters: January 8, 2007.
January 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff CONSTRUCTION Walsh Construction Co. of Oregon has promoted Bob Trapa to chief estimator. He has been with the company for several years as a member of the estimating team. Trapa has superior skills and experience that...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: January 8, 2007.
January 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Office * Leggett & Platt Inc. dba Beeline Group has leased 1,808 square feet at 1104 N.W. 15th Ave., in Portland, from Marshall Street Investors LLC. Josh Schweitz of CB Richard Ellis represented the...

Portland real estate sectors see solid year ahead.
January 9, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Commercial real estate professionals should be "cautiously optimistic" about the year to come in all sectors - office, industrial, retail and investment - according to year-end reports from Grubb & Ellis and Colliers...

Portland-based Gerding Edlen among 3 named urban pioneers.
January 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Portland State's College of Urban and Public Affairs on Monday selected one of the city's largest development firms, a former Portland commissioner and a gay men's chorus as its 2007 Urban Pioneer Award winners. Gerding...

Oregon Legislature gets 24-hour coverage on digital TV.
January 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Legislature begins work Monday with digital TV coverage for the first time. Oregon Public Broadcasting, the Legislature and Southern Oregon Public Television are conducting a pilot project that tests the...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: January 9, 2007.
January 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff DESIGN BBT Architects of Bend has hired Mike Nothwang as project manager. Nothwang recently relocated to Bend from an Austin, Texas, architectural firm where he served as lead designer and project manager on large...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: January 9, 2007.
January 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * Rose City Screenprinting has leased 1,950 square feet at Sherwood Business Park, 13910 S.W. Galbreath Drive, in Sherwood, from Sherwood Park Business Center LLC. TJ Newby of Intergrated...

City of Portland project aims to grow demand for solar hot-water and photovoltaic systems.
January 10, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan The city of Portland is turning up the heat on solar technologies with the Solar Now! campaign, a one-year effort to grow demand for solar hot-water and photovoltaic systems. Over the next year, the project aims to...

Skylab's Kovel to lecture Friday at University of Oregon-Portland.
January 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff A talk Friday by Portland architect Jeffrey Kovel will kick off the University of Oregon Department of Architecture Portland Program's winter lecture series. The Skylab Design Group founder will explore sustainability in...

Seattle company evaluates Klamath Falls site for ethanol plant.
January 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff A Seattle company is evaluating a Klamath Falls site for a $150 million ethanol plant, the Herald and News reported this week. The plant would employ 45 to 50 people full-time, an official of E85 Inc. told the Herald and...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: January 10, 2007.
January 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * ProLogis has leased 75,000 square feet at Wilsonville Corporate Center, 26200 S.W. 95th Ave., in Wilsonville, from Precision Countertops Inc. Peter Stalick and Steven Klein of GVA Kidder...

Portland Pacesetters: January 10, 2007.
January 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff FINANCE Country Insurance & Financial Services has hired four new agents for the area: Brynnen Guthrie, Nancy Kibben, Richard Lucas and Nate Zimmer. Guthrie earned a bachelor's in early childhood development and education...

Proposed Columbia River Crossing project to improve traffic flow from Portland to Vancouver.
January 11, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith It's a project that will either make or break Vancouver - at least according to the city's mayor. The proposed Columbia River Crossing, now in its planning and public feedback stages, is an attempt to improve traffic...

National Utility Contractors Association of Oregon and Southwest to hold casino night.
January 11, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The National Utility Contractors Association of Oregon and Southwest Washington will kick off 2007 with a membership appreciation and casino night Tuesday in Clackamas. Members and potential members attending the event...

Memorials, museums focus for University of Oregon lecture series.
January 11, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Architects will take the podium for the University of Oregon's winter term lecture series, which focuses on memorials and museums of conflict and war. The free public lectures are part of a six-part series that will take...

Portland Pacesetters: January 11, 2007.
January 11, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff ENGINEERING Parametrix has hired Robin McManus to serve as vice president and chief information officer. She joined the firm in May 2006 and is presently redesigning the computing infrastructure and core applications to...

Tim Smith decides not to renew his term with Portland Planning Commission.
January 12, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker In a farewell address to his fellow commissioners at a Portland Planning Commission meeting Tuesday, Tim Smith joked about his uneventful departure. Smith, whose four-year term on the commission expired this week, has...

Center for Health & Healing top American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon's project.
January 12, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Interface Engineering's work on Oregon Health & Science University's Center for Health & Healing took top honors Wednesday night at the American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon's 2007 Engineering Excellence...

Boardman plant developer lines up $325M in credit.
January 12, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Pacific Ethanol Inc. said Thursday it received a commitment for up to $325 million of senior secured credit for ethanol plants in Oregon and California and other plant projects. The biofuels company said the credit will...

Portland Pacesetters: January 12, 2007.
January 12, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff EDUCATION The University of Portland has appointed Laurie C. Kelley to director of marketing and communications. Kelly, a former executive with Oregon Public Broadcasting and Southwest Washington Medical Center, most...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: January 12, 2007.
January 12, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Office * Ovation Design Build has leased 1,320 square feet at 17725 S.W. Lower Boones Ferry Road, in Tualatin, from Oswego Investors LLC. Ted Nicholson and Marty Horeis of CB Richard Ellis represented...

Green class grows a bit more diverse.
January 16, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Jenelle Isaacson is beginning to get serious about the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design accredited professional exam. She's hired an assistant who'll lighten her busy workload just enough to steal time for...

On Portland State Univ. stormwater site, art just a stone's throw away.
January 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff It's been three years since Josh Lighthipe and others engineered an award-winning stormwater management system for Portland State University's Stephen E. Epler Hall. Lighthipe didn't expect the system to change much in...

Portland-based CLF laughs all the way to the bank.
January 16, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Ron Carley, the codirector of the Coalition for a Livable Future, remembers that it all started with Robert Liberty. Liberty, the former head of 1000 Friends of Oregon and a current Metro councilor, was living in a...

Charles Rose to talk art college expansion in Portland.
January 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Architect Charles Rose will speak Feb. 1 in Portland as part of the Oregon College of Art & Craft Centennial Lecture Series. Rose is the principal of Charles Rose Architects, the Massachusetts firm selected to design and...

AIA extends green awards deadline.
January 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The deadline for the American Institute of Architects' Top Ten Green Projects award program has been extended. Entries for the program, which recognizes the best in sustainable design, will now be accepted by the AIA...

Perkowitz+Ruth's Bridgeport Village design honored.
January 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Perkowitz+Ruth Architects' work at Bridgeport Village took a merit award at the 2006 International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Design and Development Awards, which were handed out Nov. 30 in Phoenix. The project...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: January 16, 2006.
January 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff LAW Tonkon Torp LLP has hired corporate attorney Ben Jacqmotte as a senior associate. His practice emphasizes finance, mergers and acquisitions, technology and telecommunications. Jacqmotte earned his bachelor's from...

Real Estate Transactions for Jan. 16.
January 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Office * Health Services Group has leased 2,112 square feet at Bank of America Financial Center, 121 S.W. Morrison St., in Portland, from Terrace Tower USA - Portland Inc. Joe Vaughn of NAI Norris, Beggs...

Portland Renovation Roundup: January 17, 2007.
January 17, 2007... Byline: Dan Carter Builders are employing a record number of tower cranes on large-scale new construction projects in the Portland area, but smaller renovation work on older buildings is also hot. The DJC is focusing on some of these...

Portland Pacesetters: January 17, 2007.
January 17, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Report DESIGN David Evans and Associates Inc. has hired Loren Stucker as an environmental specialist. Prior, Stucker worked as a biologist for Mason Bruce & Girard Inc. Project management firm Bainbridge has hired...

Portland Aerial Tram is winter weather's biggest winner.
January 18, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Mid-morning Tuesday in the softly falling snow, the Portland Aerial Tram looked for all the world like an oversized ski lift - and for good reason. "Ice and snow are what they're made for," said Gary Hopkins, a public...

Snow puts safety-first philosophies into practice at sites across Portland area.
January 18, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Tuesday's snowfall stopped construction activity at sites across the Portland area as managers kept an eye on safety. Work at the John Ross condominium tower site in the South Waterfront District was shut down Tuesday...

Inclement weather keeps most Flexcars off Portland's roads.
January 18, 2007... Byline: Justin Stranzl Snow- and ice-covered streets Tuesday and Wednesday led Sam Adams to encourage Portland commuters to find alternative modes of transit, but relatively few Flexcar members heeded the city commissioner's call. The...

Portland Pacesetters: January 18, 2007.
January 18, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff CONSULTING & PLANNING CDM has hired Terry Price as an operations specialist. Price has been in the water and wastewater field for 32 years as an operations specialist, process control analyst and project manager. ...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: January 18, 2007.
January 18, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff LEASE // Industrial * Astro Craft Industries Inc. has leased 1,825 square feet at Parkside Business Center, 8065 S.W. Nimbus Ave., in Beaverton, from RREEF Management Co. John Fettig of Trammell Crow represented the...

Bicycle Transportation Alliance seeks Alice award nominees through Saturday.
January 18, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Bicycle Transportation Alliance is seeking nominees for its 13th annual Alice Awards that recognize bike advocates, educators and activists. The association is accepting nominations through Saturday. An award ceremony...

Interview with Don Stastny: Operating within an environment of excellence.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Were it not for a lousy test grade, Portland architect Don Stastny may have taken his pre-med major all the way to becoming Dr. Stastny. "When I went to Oregon State, I was actually a pre-med major," Stastny says. "I'd...

Oregon amends mortgage rules relating to ARMs.
January 19, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services on Thursday instituted a host of rule changes relating to "payment-option" and "interest-only" adjustable-rate mortgages. Through its Division of Finance and...

Bellevue investor: Green is good but LEED hurts business.
January 19, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith A Bellevue, Wash.-based commercial investment manager criticized cities' push toward mandated LEED-certified capital projects Thursday during Commercial Real Estate Women's annual forecast breakfast. "There is no...

CBRE Melody Portland office promotes division leader.
January 19, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff CB Richard Ellis Group Inc. has promoted John Petersen to senior director of the CBRE Melody Portland office. Petersen has been leading CBRE Melody Portland, the real estate investment banking division of CB Richard...

Portland-based Harsch Investment Properties enters Puget Sound market.
January 19, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Portland-based Harsch Investment Properties has purchased Paine Field Business Park, an 81,621-square-foot multi-tenant industrial park in Everett, Wash. The sale price was $9.35 million. The deal is the latest of...

Real Estate Transactions for Jan. 19.
January 19, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff LEASE // Industrial * Lancaster Engineering has leased 2,167 square feet at Title & Trust Bldg, 321 S.W. Fourth Ave., in Portland, from Kalberer Co. Craig Kelly of Venerable Properties represented the lessor. * Waxie's...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: January 19, 2007.
January 19, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff LAW Barran Liebman LLP, a locally based boutique law firm, has hired Craig Leis. Leis is admitted to practice law in Oregon and Ohio and is a member of the American Bar Association, the Oregon State Bar Association and...

A Bridgeport Village on N.E. Broadway in Portland?
January 22, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith A six-acre site between the Hollywood and Lloyd districts will either become a cornerstone development or just another corner project. But its fate depends on the level of understanding among the city of Portland,...

Portland Mayor Potter: Vote on council, PDC reforms now.
January 22, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Portland Mayor Tom Potter on Friday used his "State of the City" speech at City Club to put pressure on three city commissioners who haven't committed to a vote on charter reforms in 2007. Potter didn't single out...

Portland Construction Briefs: January 22, 2007.
January 22, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan DiLoreto Architecture DiLoreto Architecture has designed Kerns Commons, a five-story mixed-use development in Northeast Portland. Programming for the building, which sits on a 4,500-square-foot site, includes...

Portland Design Commission gets first glimpse of point tower.
January 22, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan The Portland Design Commission got an early look last week at Manhattan Tower, a 325-foot condominium point tower being proposed on the eastern edge of Goose Hollow. The 32-story building - to be developed by Joe...

City of Portland's permit pilot goes permanent.
January 22, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Lee Hiltenbrand has spent the last 22 years with the city of Portland's Bureau of Development Services. During his tenure, he's examined hundreds of houses for proper decking, beams, electrical systems, fire...

K&L Gates to open office in Berlin.
January 22, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, a New York law firm with an office in Portland, will open an office in Berlin. The new branch will be staffed by former partners of the Berlin office of Taylor Wessing, an...

Real Estate Transactions for Jan. 22.
January 22, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * Oregon Precision Manufacturing Inc. has leased 11,700 square feet at Sherwood Business Center, 13910 S.W. Galbreath Drive, in Sherwood, from Sherwood Park Business Center LLC. Michael Smith...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: January 22, 2007.
January 22, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff DESIGN Neil Kelly Co. Design/Build Remodeling has promoted veteran builder and carpenter Juli Michael to project manager. Michael earned a degree in English literature from Washington College and worked as a restaurant...

New Moyer tower's design in downtown Portland is 'simple, elegant'.
January 23, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan First Fox Tower. Then the underground parking garage at Park Block 5. With the announcement of Park Avenue West, set to rise at neighboring Park Block 4, comes a third downtown core addition to the city's built...

DJC's Dan Carter wins AGC Presidential Award.
January 23, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Dan Carter, DJC staff photographer, Friday night received the Presidential Award for exemplary service at the annual meeting of the Oregon Columbia chapter of the Associated General Contractors. In his farewell address...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: September 23, 2007.
January 23, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff FINANCE The Commerce Bank of Oregon has hired Paul Mayer as managing director of credit administration and Yassi Irajpanah as community coordinator. Mayer is a commercial banking industry veteran. His banking career spans...

Real Estate Transactions for Jan. 23.
January 23, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * Rystadt & Escobar has leased 1,488 square feet at 167 East Business Park, 1800 N.W. 167th Place, in Beaverton, from 167 East Business Center LLC. Marty Horeis of CB Richard Ellis represented...

Portland's private development companies promote new strategies for creative collaboration.
January 24, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan For Seattle artist Ann Gardner, the competition meant a permanent home for her "Sliver of Light," a slim mosaic of white-swirled shards backed by gold leaf, and a $25,000 commission. For future residents of a Pearl...

Portland's King's Crossing project gets restaurant tenant.
January 24, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Terroir, a restaurant and wine bar, has signed a lease in the new King's Crossing project at Northeast Fremont Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Grand Avenue. The site, called the Fremont Project by...

Oregon Health & Science University sells Hillsboro campus to boost endowment.
January 24, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Oregon Health & Science University has sold and leased back its OGI School of Science and Engineering in Hillsboro, allowing it to double its endowment to $48 million. The sale was a component of OHSU's strategy of...

Portland office of law firm Garvey Schubert Barer names management team.
January 24, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Portland office of law firm Garvey Schubert Barer has named its 2007 management team. Stephen J. Connolly, Christine P. Brown and Eric Lindenauer have been elected to serve, with Connolly as managing director of the...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: January 24, 2007.
January 24, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * Craig Arrowsmith has leased 5,000 square feet at Cathedral Park Plaza, 6635 N. Baltimore Ave., in Portland, from Cathedral Park Place LLC. Charlie Floberg and JJ Unger of NAI Norris, Beggs &...

Portland Pacesetters: January 24, 2007.
January 24, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff CONSTRUCTION George Hale Development Inc. has hired Shane LaBelle as assistant development director and Darris Cassidy as controller. LaBelle graduated with a bachelor's in civil engineering from Oregon Sate University....

On design matters, communication changes the landscape.
January 25, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Whether they're talking trees or terraces, shrubs or shower stalls, architects and landscape architects work together on just about every new development in the Northwest. But gaps in communication can lead to prolonged...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: January 25, 2007.
January 25, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff LAW Darius Hartwell, an associate at regional law firm Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, has been elected to the Portland Farmers Market board of Directors. The Portland Farmers Market Board reflects a cross-section of local...