Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from July 2007

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from July 2007

Rising international trade buoys Portland shipyard.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Parallel parking can be a challenge, but try docking a 6,700-ton container ship with a broken rudder between two steel walls with only a few feet to spare. Line handlers with Vigor Marine on Swan Island carry it off...

Portland Construction Briefs: July 2, 2007.
July 2, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership ZGF is designing the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University. The school will be home to the teaching, conference and office spaces of Duke's newly...

Portland Pacesetters: July 2, 2007.
July 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff MASS TRANSIT TriMet has hired Angela Burns-Brown as a human resources manager. Burns-Brown directs human resources functions for the Capital Project Division, handling staffing performance management, work force planning...

Federal Transit Administration to sign over $345 million for I-205 light rail in Oregon.
July 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Federal Transit Administration on Tuesday will sign the final contract granting $345.4 million in federal money to TriMet for the Interstate 205 MAX light-rail project. FTA administrator James Simpson will join Oregon...

Commercial lease listings join Regional Multiple Listing Service database.
July 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Regional Multiple Listing Service, an online resource for Realtors in Oregon and Southwest Washington, has added commercial properties for lease to its listings. RMLS subscribers can post commercial and industrial...

Survey: Tenants spend half of salaries on rent.
July 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff More than 95 percent of apartment dwellers said their rent was their largest monthly bill, according to a survey from Apartments.com, a national apartment listing service. The survey also found that 63 percent of...

S.W. Portland not quite ready for mixed-use development.
July 3, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Along Southwest Capitol Highway, a four-lane throughway that connects Portland to Beaverton, there's a small strip of businesses including Starbucks, Wild Oats and a McMenamins restaurant. Designated a town center by...

City of Portland gives green light to transportation improvements.
July 3, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker A new traffic light could signal the transformation of Hillsdale, a Southwest Portland neighborhood that claims the city's fewest miles of sidewalk, into a walkable community. City Council in May approved the $85,000...

Portland Pacesetters: July 3, 2007.
July 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff LANDSCAPE/ARCHITECTURE Lango Hansen Landscape Architects of Portland has hired Whitney Gould, Heidi Baker and Elaine Kearney. Gould received a Master of Landscape Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design in...

Portland company spends $95M on San Fran property.
July 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Portland real estate firm ScanlanKemperBard Cos. on Monday said it bought a two-building complex housing retailers and interior designers in downtown San Francisco for $95 million. ScanlanKemperBard said it will renovate...

Portland Water Bureau to start work on Mount Tabor.
July 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Portland Water Bureau in August will begin construction on security and maintenance projects near Mount Tabor. Contractors will install 3,400 feet of water mains at Mount Tabor that will serve most of Portland and...

City of Portland, Multnomah County seek 2 for sustainable business panel.
July 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Portland Sustainable Development Commission has two vacant seats. The 11-member commission is a citizen advisory panel that reports directly to City Council and the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners. Six of the...

U.S. economy to see boost in Q2 but moderate later.
July 4, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The U.S. economy, which nearly stalled during the first three months of the year, got a big boost in the quarter that just ended as businesses built up inventories, but growth looks set to fall back quickly. The economy...

Portland Pacesetters: July 5, 2007.
July 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson has promoted MaryKay West to vice president. West had been an associate vice president in the company's Capital Asset Group. She brokered the $123 million sale of ODS...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: July 5, 2007.
July 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON / / LEASE / / Industrial * Hoch & Selby Co. has leased 33,513 square feet at 6262 N.E. 78th Court in Portland from Jerry Ivy Separate Property Revocable Trust. Scott Miller and Greg Creitz of Integrated Corporate...

Commentary: For Legislature, process as important as result.
July 5, 2007... Byline: Craig Honeyman At the end of every legislative session, the Oregon media, representatives and advocacy groups take stock of the Legislature's accomplishments and missed opportunities. It's natural to focus on the wins and the...

Four-County Economic Development Corp. now called Greenlight Greater Portland.
July 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Four-County Economic Development Corp., a private-sector economic development group, is now called Greenlight Greater Portland. Greenlight Greater Portland serves Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah and Washington counties....

Federal grants go to 2 Oregon work-force groups.
July 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Two Oregon work-force development groups this week said they had landed $464,000 grants from the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration. The grants were deployed through the federal High Growth...

Bend developer signs up anchor tenant, others.
July 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Northwest Crossing, a mixed-use development in Bend, has lined up Riley's Market as its anchor tenant along with Umpqua Bank. The companies will occupy two of three street-level spaces along Northwest Crossing Drive. DMK...

Oregon mortgage workers pick top credit reporter.
July 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Association of Mortgage Professionals last week said it had picked Consolidated Information Services its 2006-2007 Affiliate Credit Reporting Company of the Year. The company is headquartered in Allamuchy,...

Portland's U.S. Custom House vacant 2 years after rehab deal.
July 5, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Art DeMuro is tired of people asking him what's going on with Portland's vacant U.S. Custom House, especially because he was passed over to redevelop it nearly two years ago. DeMuro's Venerable Properties is...

Possible streetcar line between Portland and Lake Oswego is on fast track to approval.
July 5, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker A possible streetcar line between Portland and Lake Oswego is on the fast track to approval. But West Linn officials and some Portland neighbors feel left out of the planning process and would like to slow it down. ...

Oregon's prevailing wage expansion 'largest' in 50 years.
July 6, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Oregon Legislature last week passed a bill aimed at clarifying when and how the state's prevailing wage law should apply to construction projects paid for with a mix of public and private dollars. House Bill 2140,...

American Institute of Architects picks 3 Salem firms for design awards.
July 6, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The work of three Salem architectural firms was recognized with design awards from the American Institute of Architects' Salem chapter. Curry Brandaw Architects' 372 State Street, a restoration and renovation of an 1880...

Oregon fines AIG $5M for violating workers' comp law.
July 6, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services on Thursday fined nine insurers in the American International Group (AIG) $5 million for violations of Oregon insurance and workers' compensation laws. The...

Warner Pacific College to open campus in Vancouver.
July 6, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Higher Education Coordinating Board of Washington on Tuesday gave the go-ahead for Warner Pacific College to offer a bachelor's degree in business administration in Vancouver. The board Tuesday approved Warner...

University of Oregon: Economic growth likely to stay steady.
July 6, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The University of Oregon's Index of Economic Indicators slipped 0.2 percent in May, though the decline is not thought to affect Oregon's continued economic growth in the next three to six months, the report's author said....

Skanska says animal hospital in Oregon nearly complete.
July 6, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Swedish construction firm Skanska on Tuesday said it was close to completing the Oregon Humane Society's Animal Medical and Learning Center, the first U.S. veterinary teaching hospital to be connected to and provide...

Construction employment in U.S. falls from year ago.
July 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Nonfarm payroll employment increased 132,000 in June, following a gain of 2 million workers from June 2006 to June 2007, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The unemployment rate remained steady at...

Louisa's green roof project in Portland's Pearl District lands award for eco-excellence.
July 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff A green roof project at the Louisa apartment building in Portland's Pearl District was recognized at the Green Roofs for Healthy Cities Conference in Minneapolis. Portland firm Walker Macy designed the second-floor roof...

Back to grand beginnings for Portland's Hollywood Theatre.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Deep red curtains drape the walls of Northeast Portland's Hollywood Theatre. And they're all right, as curtains go, but what's under them is even better. Mock box seats, detailed with iron grates and padded silk...

Portland Construction Briefs: July 9, 2007.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Atlas Landscape Architecture Atlas Landscape Architecture has designed the Lincoln Park Athletic Complex, a $9 million outdoor sports center for Pacific University in Forest Grove's Lincoln Park. The project, a...

Commentary: Subprime mess is the ghost of Greenspan past.
July 9, 2007... Byline: William Rutherford Once upon a time in the reign of Dr. Sir Alan Greenspan (yes, he now uses the honorifics - doctor, an honorary title, was awarded to him for his magazine articles, and sir was bestowed on him by the Queen in...

Portland's Benson Tower '98 percent' done.
July 9, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Boxes and a floral rug are the only items on the polished hardwood floors of Bill Shemley's second-floor condominium in the newly constructed Benson Tower. A blue bedsheet hangs by painter's tape over the bedroom's...

Almost famous: Oregon biofuels industry gains rock star status.
July 10, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Willie Nelson lent his star power to the Oregon biofuels industry Friday, tossing dirt at a ground-breaking ceremony for a new 5 million gallon biodiesel production plant in Salem. But the real celebrity at the event...

Commentary: Don't leave door open to disability access suit.
July 10, 2007... Byline: Rich Meneghello Problem: When your place of business opens its doors each morning, there are some people you don't want coming in. You don't want a visit from Kornel Botosan, who has filed more than 200 Americans with Disabilities...

Commentary: Legislature nibbles at edges of tax system.
July 10, 2007... Byline: David L. Canary When it convened, the 2007 Legislature appeared poised to overhaul Oregon's taxation system. Major initiatives circulating prior to the session would have reduced the tax rate on corporate income and on capital...

Washington tribe takes $235M gamble on casino located 26 miles east of Seattle.
July 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Snoqualmie Entertainment Authority on Sunday broke ground on the $235 million Casino Snoqualmie, a 56-acre tribal gaming center 26 miles east of Seattle. The project's $330 million bond offering is the largest in...

ODOT open house talks design-build bridge repair project in Eastern Oregon.
July 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Department of Transportation will play host Thursday to an open house for design-build engineers and contractors to learn about competing for a bridge replacement and repair project in Eastern Oregon. The $25...

Paint finishing goes green at conference today in Portland.
July 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Advanced Finishing Systems will play host to a Green Finishing Conference today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at its store at 2304 N. Killingsworth St. in Portland. The five-seminar event will highlight spray painting technology...

Institute for Supply Management reports demand up for building services in June.
July 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Construction services and contractors was the only commodity listed to be in short supply in a national survey of non-manufacturing industries released last week. Construction was one of 14 industries reporting growth in...

Horizon Air adds Santa Rosa flight service to Portland.
July 11, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Horizon Air on Monday said it would add nonstop service from Santa Rosa, Calif., to Portland beginning Oct. 28. The new 76-seat flight to Portland will operate daily and take one hour and 50 minutes. Tickets are on sale...

Portland developers flip-flop as condos convert to rentals.
July 11, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith To build condos or apartments, that is the question Portland developers have pondered as market forces have shifted in the last two years from a flurry of condominium conversions to a lack of rental units in the...

Developer, neighborhood in Southeast Portland historic district divided on Division project.
July 11, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Tricky site. Tight programming. Tough location. A proposed mixed-use condominium building in Ladd's Addition will be the first new commercial project in the Southeast Portland historic district in two decades - but it...

Portland Construction Briefs: July 11, 2007.
July 11, 2007... Byline: Dan Carter Demolition is complete and construction is about to start on a nearly 90-year-old home in North Portland. Student crews from Portland YouthBuilders are renovating the 1,300-square-foot home at 8605 N. Calvert Ave....

Oregon companies go for LEED gold with Bend project.
July 11, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Portland-based ODS Cos. and Gerding Edlen Development and Bend-based Western Title & Escrow broke ground Tuesday in Bend on the 360 Bond Building, a five-story, multi-use building in the Old Mill District. If...

Weyerhaeuser sells shuttered Springfield mill to San Jose, Calif.-based Pacific States Industries.
July 11, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Weyerhaeuser Co. announced Monday it has sold its plywood mill in Springfield to San Jose, Calif.-based Pacific States Industries Inc. Due to market conditions, the mill has been closed since December 2006. It had...

Residents split over Lake Oswego streetcar.
July 12, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker A citizens advisory committee is divided over whether extending Portland's streetcar line to Lake Oswego would be the best way to relieve congestion along Highway 43. The group, composed of residents and business...

Commentary: Legislative process amounts to planning by sledgehammer.
July 12, 2007... Byline: Ed Sullivan The reputed genius of the Oregon planning system lies in its "federal" nature. Under that system, the state Legislature has established a framework in which a state agency, the Land Conservation and Development...

Zim Integrated Shipping Services zooms from Port of Portland.
July 12, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Port of Portland will lose one of its four container shipping lines. Port director Bill Wyatt on Wednesday announced that Zim Integrated Shipping Services will end its Portland service Sept. 2. Container volumes at...

City of Portland gets behind wheel to drive biofuels policy.
July 12, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Portland Commissioner Randy Leonard, filmmaker Josh Tickell and representatives from SeQuential Biofuels, Burgerville, Kettle Foods and others will discuss Oregon biofuels policy July 19 in Southeast Portland. The...

In Portland's Metro design competition, natural, built habitats intersect.
July 12, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Portland's green. Portland's also growing. And the regional government Metro is asking architects, planners, ecologists, developers, landscape architects, engineers and students to find solutions for development that...

Milwaukie light-rail planners cut it close.
July 12, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Regional transportation officials on Monday delayed completing several design options of a Portland-to-Milwaukie light-rail line. Instead, a Metro steering committee will take one more month to consider a new alignment...

Commentary: Legislature's prevailing wage change a boon to contractors.
July 12, 2007... Byline: Tammy Bachofner With the 74th Legislature complete, contractors in Oregon face several changes. And, no, not all of them are negative. Prevailing wage, as it often does, took center stage this legislative session. New laws...

Milwaukie light-rail planners cut it close.
July 12, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Regional transportation officials on Monday delayed completing several design options of a Portland-to-Milwaukie light-rail line. Instead, a Metro steering committee will take one more month to consider a new alignment...

Portland's Transit Mall work resumes after fatal accident.
July 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Construction crews went back to work on the downtown Transit Mall on Thursday after a fatal accident Tuesday halted the project. But the corner of Southwest Sixth Avenue and Alder Street, where the accident occurred,...

Portland's Tonkon Torp firm forms green practice group.
July 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Portland law firm Tonkon Torp on Thursday said it had launched a sustainability practice group comprising 12 attorneys to focus on renewable energy, sustainability and green building. The practice group will offer...

Architecture Foundation of Oregon names U.S. Rep. Blumenauer Honored Citizen.
July 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Architecture Foundation of Oregon has selected U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) as its 2007 Honored Citizen. The lifelong Portlander, a former Multnomah County commissioner and Portland city councilor, is being...

Oregon native may lead world's top metal maker.
July 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Alcan Inc. CEO Richard Evans will lead the world's largest aluminum producer if Rio Tinto's $38.1 billion bid for the Montreal-based company succeeds. Evans, who was born in Oregon, has a bachelor's degree in engineering...

Legislature's prevailing wage change a boon to contractors.
July 13, 2007... Byline: Tammy Bachofner With the 74th Legislature complete, contractors in Oregon face several changes. And, no, not all of them are negative. Prevailing wage, as it often does, took center stage this legislative session. New laws...

Portland Pacesetters: July 13, 2007.
July 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff ENGINEERING Mark Jones of R&W Engineering has received his professional engineering license. Jones is also a registered professional mechanical engineer in Washington. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies from...

In Metro design competition, natural, built habitats intersect.
July 13, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Portland's green. Portland's also growing. And the regional government Metro is asking architects, planners, ecologists, developers, landscape architects, engineers and students to find solutions for development that...

Ogden Roemer Wilkerson Architecture designing new church in Grants Pass.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Ogden Roemer Wilkerson Architecture is designing a new building for River Valley Community Church in Grants Pass. The new facility, with a design inspired by the rustic look of the Pacific Northwest, will be home to...

Northwestern Mutual Financial Network announces hires.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Northwestern Mutual Financial Network has hired Dave Davenport as a financial representative and Judy Amaral as an associate financial representative in the Bend office; Jacoby Stead as a financial representative in the...

Oregon's governor signs prevailing wage bill into law.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski on Friday signed House Bill 2140, requiring prevailing wage to be paid on all construction projects that receive $750,000 or more of public money. The law is meant to clarify when and how...

Nevada firm plans distribution center for N.E. Portland.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Nevada firm DP Partners will spend $16 million to build a 262,640-square-foot multi-tenant distribution center called LogistiCourt in Northeast Portland. The Portland Development Commission sold DP Partners the property....

Portland Development Commission board picks Rosenbaum as chairman again.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Portland Development Commission Board of Commissioners last week reelected Mark Rosenbaum chairman. Commissioner Sal Kadri was reelected secretary, and Bertha Ferran was reelected acting secretary, all by unanimous...

Seattle council votes to preserve historic buildings.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Seattle may designate 38 downtown properties as historic landmarks, The Seattle Times reported Thursday. The landmark designations would protect older buildings from demolition. Downtown zoning recently allowed...

Green gets beyond buildings with LEED-ND pilot program in Portland.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Pearl District condominium towers. An affordable homes project in Northeast Portland. An art museum-adjacent "vertical neighborhood." A yet-to-be-built luxury apartment high-rise along the Park Blocks. Totally different...

Oregon home builders face steep learning curve.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker When fall rolls around, many Oregon contractors could be headed back to school thanks to a law passed by the 2007 Legislature. House Bill 2654 requires continuing education for all licensed builders in Oregon. And to...

Design panel picks on Portland's Parks, Transportation offices in South Waterfront.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects' slim, sculptural design for a 30-story retirement home in South Waterfront drew raves from members of the Portland Design Commission. But other issues surrounding the review process...

Ankrom Moisan designing Independence Station.
July 16, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Ankrom Moisan is designing Independence Station, a 57,000-square-foot mixed-use building in Independence, Ore., that project partners expect will meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum standards....

Pacesetters for July 16, 2007.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff FINANCE Northwestern Mutual Financial Network has hired Dave Davenport as a financial representative and Judy Amaral as an associate financial representative in the Bend office; Jacoby Stead as a financial representative...

Real Estate Transactions for July 16, 2007.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON / / LEASE / / Office Gearing Rackner & Engel LLP has leased 1,437 square feet at the Paulson Building, 811 S.W. Naito Parkway, in Portland, from Runhill Investment Co. Pierre Ardantz and Denise Razzeto of Norris &...

Satre Associates hires new COO.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Satre Associates has hired John Lively as its chief operating officer. Lively will focus on overall business operations and planning to enhance the future growth of Satre Associates.

Green Building Services announces new hires.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Green Building Services Inc. has promoted Tess Russo to technical consultant and added Renee Garrels, Russ Lowe, Andrea Thompson and Jen Tyler as project coordinators. Molly Winn Palmer also joins the firm as an intern....

SRG Partnership hires Lochner as project designer.
July 16, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff SRG Partnership has hired Robert Lochner as a project designer, Tim Thor, Emily Dawson, Kendall Harris and Jasun Sherman as intern architects, Maggie Maxwell as a studio support administrator and Matt Denbo as a network...

New Portland park will bridge connection to old mill.
July 17, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Design details for the Pearl District's newest park are still up in the air - except for the one design element that's actually in the air. The city hopes a pedestrian bridge will someday swoop over Naito Parkway to...

Teamsters suit seeks to have FedEx Ground-ed.
July 17, 2007... Byline: Reuters Business Report ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. - E.J. DelliBovi says not everyone is cut out to do his job. It's hard work, but I love it because I get to be my own boss, said the driver at FedEx Ground, FedEx Corp.'s ground...

Portland Pacesetters: July 17, 2007.
July 17, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff ARCHITECTURE Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects has promoted Dave Heater, Mike Cline and Jason Erdahl to managing principals and Kevin Sauser and Bob Carothers to principals. Heater joined Ankrom Moisan in 1990 and has...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: July 17, 2007.
July 17, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON / / LEASE / / Office * Radio Shack Corp. has leased 2,253 square feet at the Airport Plaza Building, 5933 N.E. Win Sivers Drive, Suite 305, in Portland, from D.W. Sivers Co. Rich Sabel of CB Richard Ellis...

DJC Archives for July, 1993.
July 17, 2007... Byline: Theresa McKinlay Today we look back at July of 1993, when the Trail Blazers began work on what would become the Rose Garden and the median sales price for a home in metropolitan Portland was just $107,500. July 1, 1993 "City...

Vancouver port gets rail money, starts cleanup.
July 17, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Port of Vancouver and the Washington State Department of Ecology on Monday said they will install a pump-and-treat system to remove solvent contamination from an aquifer below Vancouver's Fruit Valley neighborhood....

Sparling lands contract with Clackamas Community College.
July 17, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Clackamas Community College has awarded a $175,000, one-year contract to Sparling's Portland Electrical studio. Sparling will provide electrical engineering services at the college's Oregon City campus that include an...