Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from March 2006

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from March 2006

Construction in education and health-care sectors expected to remain strong in Oregon.
March 1, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker Construction in the education and health-care sectors is expected to remain strong in Oregon in coming years as universities and hospitals grow to meet demand and remain competitive. Population growth has led to...

OR Dept. of Transportation, American Council of Engineering Cos. talk project delivery.
March 1, 2006... Byline: Dan Carter The Oregon chapter of the American Council of Engineering Companies and the Oregon Department of Transportation's Highway Division will jointly play host to a March conference to give private and public employees...

Condo project in Portland's Pearl District draws its design from geometry of nature.
March 2, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Portland's buzzing, busy Pearl District isn't the city's most natural setting by far, but an upcoming condominium project in the district draws its design from the geometry of nature. The design for the proposed 937...

Harrison opens selling office in Portland, plans invite-only sale.
March 2, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl Harrison, the Auditorium District residential complex formerly known as the Portland Center Apartments, has opened its sales center and will make available the first of 561 condominium units in late April. Three...

Construction Industry Crime Prevention of the Pacific Northwest lauds four for crime prevention work.
March 2, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Law enforcement officers and contractors Wednesday recognized 2005's most effective crime prevention measures at an annual award luncheon for Construction Industry Crime Prevention of the Pacific Northwest, an...

Interview with Nancy Merryman: Newly elected to AIA College of Fellows.
March 3, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan "It's sort of ironic," Nancy Merryman says cheerfully. "It took me 50 years of being a woman to become a fellow." In February, Merryman - American Institute of Architects Portland chapter president, a partner at...

Interview with Ted Aadland: Principal owner of Vancouver-based F.E. Ward.
March 3, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Ted Aadland, principal owner of Vancouver-based F.E. Ward, served as president of the Oregon-Columbia chapter of Associated General Contractors in 1993 and later served four years on the national association's executive...

Metals theft hits all-time high in Oregon in recent weeks.
March 6, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker When two men pulled into his scrap yard one Monday morning in September with 500 pounds of copper wire in the trunk of their Toyota Tercel, Jay Burcham raised his eyebrows. Twenty minutes earlier, the Albany scrap...

Eugene architectural firm WBGS changes name to Pivot Architecture.
March 6, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Eugene architectural firm WBGS has changed its name to Pivot Architecture. The change is part of a 10-month rebranding by the firm, which has been in Eugene since 1956. Working with the Eugene advertising and...

Women's carpentry workshop offered in Portland.
March 6, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff A five-day workshop aimed at teaching women comprehensive carpentry skills will take place April 10-14 in Portland. The sessions, offered by Solar Energy International, are geared toward women with little or no...

Greener, without the green.
March 7, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Playgrounds and parking lots - in the past, affordable-housing landscapes have tilted toward some combination of the two. But as interest in green spaces and sustainable landscaping grows, landscape architects are...

Five new Oregonians members tapped for Sustainability Board.
March 7, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl Five Oregonians, including the director of Portland's Office of Sustainable Development, have been tapped by Gov. Ted Kulongoski as new members of the state Sustainability Board. Annabelle Jaramillo, Peter Kratz,...

Construction strong in January despite cement and oil prices.
March 7, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker The construction industry accounted for nearly one-fourth of the nation's employment gains in January, adding 46,000 jobs, Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, reported last...

By 2007, Lane County will chop its transportation department in half.
March 8, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker By 2007, Lane County will chop its transportation department in half. Two engineering crews will be downsized to one and three field survey crews cut to two, and road maintenance and capital projects will be...

Transportation/land-use planning experts to discuss Salem's growth at capital conference.
March 8, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Transportation and land-use planning will drive Salem's growth over the next decade, and a handful of experts on the topics are coming to the capital to talk about it.Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership's Paddy Tillett will...

Oregon Dept. of Transportation taking gas tax alternative on the road.
March 8, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff In the face of declining gas tax revenue, the Oregon Department of Transportation last week launched its mileage-fee pilot program to investigate new funding sources. The program will test the efficacy of a per-mile fee...

Lack of interest in Architecture Registration Exam is a national concern.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Although the Architecture Registration Exam isn't the mind-meld marathon it once was, it's still at the center of a professional problem: architecture school grads are choosing not to complete the test and other steps...

Author says index, not Oregon's economy, slows in January.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl An index that tracks Oregon's economy improved in January for the fourth straight month but at the slowest pace since a September 2005 decline, according to data released Wednesday.The University of Oregon's Index of...

New Jersey-based Fine Painting comes to Portland.
March 9, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker New Jersey-based commercial painting contractor Fine Painting has acquired Evan House Co. painters in Portland, Fine Painting's first West Coast office.The painting contractor also operates in New Jersey, New York and...

Portland Construction Briefs: March 9, 2006.
March 9, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Belluschi's work topic of Heritage Center lectureThe range and breadth of Pietro Belluschi's work in Portland and beyond will be discussed during an April 22 lecture at the Architectural Heritage Center. Local historic...

A conversation with Barry Menashe: one of Portland's most well-known real-estate investors.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Not two minutes into an interview, Barry Menashe, one of Portland's most well-known real estate investors, is ready to delve into his past. He walks briskly to the corner of his downtown office, at 621 S.W. Alder, in...

Business Alliance for Sustainable Energy Summit 2006 is scheduled for March 21-22.
March 10, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan The Business Alliance for Sustainable Energy Summit 2006, originally scheduled to take place last fall in Bend is now set for March 21 and 22 - and it's bigger and broader in scope than previously planned. Though the...

Portland General Electric to demolish Trojan Nuclear Plant.
March 10, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Portland General Electric is almost ready to destroy the 499-foot cooling tower at Trojan Nuclear Plant. The hourglass-shaped structure, scheduled for implosion on May 21, is one of the most widely recognized icons of...

CSI: Construction Scene Investigation.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker The marks appeared like mysterious halos. Perfect green circles were scattered like a fungal ring toss gone awry across the graying gypsum board on the ceiling. The team of forensic investigators had never seen...

Cofounder of Portland-based R&H Construction Co. a contractor no more.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker To walk away from a company that grosses over $100 million in sales each year would be a daunting prospect for most contractors. But Robert Fulton, the cofounder and former CEO of R&H Construction Co., is excited and...

University of Washington in Portland names next architecture dean.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl The University of Washington has tapped Daniel S. Friedman, director of the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Chicago, as the next dean of its College of Architecture and Urban Planning, pending...

Portland design firm Leeb Architects ditch concrete to cement a reputation.
March 13, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl Last month, the Portland design firm Leeb Architects scored national recognition for its work on a Pearl District parking garage built with structural steel. Now, as Portland welcomes a host of new buildings in the...

Study highlights challenges in studying performance of Northwest LEED-rated buildings.
March 14, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan A post-occupancy study of Northwest LEED-rated buildings turned up some actual numbers on comparative energy and water savings in green buildings - but it also highlighted challenges in studying performance. The...

Columbia chapter of Associated General Contractors names award winner.
March 14, 2006... Byline: Dan Carter In 1933, Claude Baughman's skills were in demand. His Model T took him on jobs from Florence south through his home town of Coos Bay to the California border, where he did all kinds of carpentry work. Working on projects...

Portland hopes for 'BEST' event possible.
March 14, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Time Inc.'s director of sustainable development and the coordinators of a national recycling program are coming to Portland to recognize the city's BEST.Time Inc.'s David Refkin and partners from ReMix, or Recycling...

Sustainability coordinators enfuse companies with a green ethic.
March 15, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl Almost 10 years after opening for business, ShoreBank Pacific, the Northwest financial outfit that touts itself as "the first environmental bank," has tapped one individual to direct the company's entire sustainable...

Two semi-retired engineers form Investment Analysis Services.
March 15, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl The financial services industry wasn't an obvious destination for a couple of semi-retired engineers. That's exactly why Michael Bowen and Michael Patton chose to enter it.The owners of Investment Analysis Services,...

Green commitment translates to gold for Nike, TVA Architects.
March 15, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Sustainable design savvy and corporate environmental awareness has been a successful pairing for the team of TVA Architects and Nike Inc. The TVA-Nike collaboration began in 1989, and even then - before green building...

Governor open to all strategies for state's transition to renewable energy sources.
March 16, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan State agencies will transition to using 100 percent renewable electricity sources in the next four years, and the switch may help to create a strong market for the Northwest's already abundant sources of renewable...

Portland City Council gives green light to OSD, PDC's green pact.
March 16, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl Portland City Council on Wednesday unanimously endorsed a resolution to strengthen ties between the Portland Development Commission and the city's Office of Sustainable Development that calls for increased...

Oregon comes down hard on Washington contractor.
March 16, 2006... Byline: Justin Stranzl The Building Codes Division of the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services on Tuesday said it had revoked the Oregon license of a Washougal, Wash., contractor that allegedly allowed four unlicensed...

Interview with Dee Walsh: Executive director of REACH Community Development.
March 17, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith If there were no sign in front of the building, you'd assume it was simply a great renovated home in Southeast Portland. However, this house is where renovation in Southeast began.It's the headquarters of REACH...

Proposed Headquarters Hotel in Portland would aid competition.
March 17, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Despite anxiety from surrounding hospitality businesses near the Oregon Convention Center, the Headquarters Hotel that's planned to be constructed next to the Oregon Convention Center would actually help surrounding...

NBS lands McMinnville Plaza retail center for $15M.
March 17, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Portland-based NBS Real Estate Capital LLC has purchased McMinnville Plaza, a 135,702-square-foot retail center in McMinnville, for $15.1 million. The acquisition represents the 12th transaction by NBS Real Estate Capital...

Breaking Through, Part I: Leap of faith.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker This is the first part of a three-part series called Breaking Through.Goals for minority- and women-owned and emerging small business participation in public projects have ignited a firestorm of debate in the...

Idaho gets first, but likely not last, LEED-New Construction project.
March 20, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan The renovation of a Boise warehouse into a light-filled office building has earned Idaho's first LEED for New Construction rating, and the architects who designed the project hope it's the first of many. Transforming...

AIA Oregon Design Conference deadline today.
March 20, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Today is the early-registration deadline for "Future Perfect," the 2006 AIA Oregon Design Conference. The event, set for April 20-22 at Salishan Resort in Gleneden Beach, will explore what's ahead for architects and...

Portland's not the only Oregon city with sustainable energy solutions of their own.
March 21, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Portland's programs may snag the spotlight, but other Oregon cities have come up with sustainable solutions of their own - even if they don't have overarching programs in place. Outside the Portland city limits, the...

Green on a budget earns Bend home builder national award.
March 21, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan A greener home doesn't necessarily mean a more expensive home - and that knowledge helped SunTerra Homes of Bend earn the Custom Home Builder of the Year award at the National Association of Home Builders 2006 Green...

Portland Development Commission asked to pitch in for Burnside/Couch couplet engineering.
March 21, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Project managers for the Central Eastside Urban Renewal Area on Wednesday will ask the Portland Development Commission to pass a resolution that would allocate about $300,000 to fund preliminary engineering for the...

A look at some of the construction stories featured in past March issues of the DJC.
March 21, 2006... Byline: Theresa McKinlay This month, we'll take a look at some of the construction stories featured in past March issues of the DJC - among them, work that would fuel commerce along the then-nascent Interstate 205 corridor, and Meier &...

Portland Real Estate Briefs: March 21, 2006.
March 21, 2006... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff REAL ESTATEDee Walsh, executive director of REACH Community Development Inc., was one of four individuals to receive the 2005 James A. Johnson Community Fellowship, which recognizes and rewards...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: March 21, 2006.
March 21, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce OREGONLEASE // Industrial* Gage Industries has leased 11,000 square feet at 7298 S.W. Tech Center Drive in Tigard from Multicraft Plastics. Stu Peterson of Macadam Forbes represented both parties.*...

Hood River Parks Development Committee moves forward with plans for waterfront park.
March 22, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce Longtime Hood River residents still tell stories of Koberg Beach - of young women and men donning prom dresses and tuxedos, riding down to the beach to dance to the sounds of a big-band swing orchestra....

Eastern Oregon community finds Paleo Project proposal worthwhile.
March 22, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Public education, community revitalization and paleontology come together in the master plan for three sites in Fossil - and the work done by a Eugene team of architects on the project has been recognized with a...

Architecture Foundation of Oregon adds four to board of directors.
March 22, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan The Architecture Foundation of Oregon has added four new members to its board of directors in 2006. The additions are Tom Cody, a principal with Gerding/Edlen Development Co.; Linda Czopek, principal with interior...

Portland law firm of Perkins Coie plans employment series.
March 22, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith The law firm Perkins Coie will host two labor and employment law breakfast seminars from 7:30 to 9 a.m. April 5 and May 3 at the Multnomah Athletic Club, 1849 S.W. Salmon St., in Portland.The first seminar is called...

Oregon Chapter of American Society of Landscape Architects symposium wonders 'Where to Now'.
March 22, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan A one-day landscape architecture symposium presented by the Oregon Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects is scheduled for April 7. Sessions at "Revolve or Evolve - Where to Now" will look at four main...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: March 22, 2006.
March 22, 2006... Byline: The Daily Journal of Commerce OREGONLEASE // Industrial* Pirates Choice LLC has leased 3,284 square feet at 3365 S.E. 20th Ave. in Portland from Bruun Properties. Brett Bayne and Mike Vendenburgh of Macadam Forbes represented both...

Portland-based company connects green building professionals to certified wood products.
March 23, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan Green building demand has started to bump up the availability of Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood products, but there are still strides to be made in the market. Forward movement in the green building community...

Portland-based dental company partners with Redmond on mixed-use effort.
March 23, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff The ODS Cos., a Portland-based dental, medical and professional liability insurance services firm, plans to build a new office complex and establish a dental education program in downtown Redmond, Wash.The project will be...

Interview with Nancy Heer: Equal opportunity for women.
March 24, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Nancy Heer opens the door to Umpqua Bank's empty office. It's an hour before opening time and the place is deserted, save one or two colleagues arriving early. Heer enters Umpqua's empty conference room and takes a...

A conversation with Nancy Heer: Equal opportunity.(Interview)
March 24, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith

CREW survey finds women earn less than men.
March 24, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith The CREW Network, the national parent organization of Portland's chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women, conducted a survey of women and men in commercial real estate last fall and discovered that, although the...

Business mogul's palatial estate in Troutdale to be auctioned.
March 24, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith The life of Derald Ulmer, a truck driver turned business mogul, epitomized the American dream.From modest roots behind the wheel of a freight truck, Ulmer worked his way up the ladder of the trucking industry, and by...

Minority participation on public projects in Portland region is a common goal.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Libby Tucker As many contractors struggle to meet goals for minority participation on public projects, a private industry-led effort to diversify the work force in the construction trades is gaining momentum.A host of industry...

Airport Sheraton in Portland gets a $5M makeover.
March 27, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith The Sheraton Portland Airport is in the midst of a $5 million facelift, with a new lobby and upgrades to several rooms and corridors, according to Harold Pollin, the hotel's owner."We decided to upgrade in order to...

Concepts of green building taking root within religious gathering spaces.
March 28, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan As ideas of green building grow in the Northwest, the concepts are also starting to take root within the congregations of churches, temples, and other religious gathering spaces.Green building makes sense to...

If oil prices soar, Portland's among best prepared.
March 28, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff If gasoline costs were to rise to $4 or higher, Portland would be in better shape than most U.S. cities, according to a study released Friday by a sustainability think tank.New York topped a list of 10 U.S. cities that...

Number of civil cases going to trial declines as arbitration becomes a popular alternative.
March 29, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Jane Paulson works as a personal injury lawyer on the 16th floor of a high-rise on Southwest Broadway in downtown Portland. Since beginning her career in 1990, she has tried cases in front of a jury about 25 times,...

Head of Oregon Environmental Council says he will step down.
March 29, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Jeff Allen, executive director of the Oregon Environmental Council, announced Monday that he will step down in May. Allen, who has held the post since 1996, will resign and move to Ashland, where his wife has accepted the...

Scott/Edwards Architecture designs "idea house" on the Oregon Coast.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Alison Ryan A steady stream of visitors is a given at any getaway beach home. But traffic may be a little heavier at the three-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath beach house that Scott/Edwards Architecture is designing on the Oregon...

Portland attorney Carol Bernick earns Harpole Award.
March 30, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Portland attorney Carol Bernick will receive Lewis & Clark Law School's Joyce Ann Harpole Award, which recognizes professionals who balance their careers, families and community activities, at 4:30 p.m. April 4 at the...

Sacramento-based Vanir Construction picked to manage Brightwater outfall work.
March 30, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff King County, Wash., has selected Sacramento-based Vanir Construction Management Inc. as the construction manager for a marine outfall being built to support the new Brightwater treatment plant.The design-build project...

Interview with Eric Parsons: Chairman of Portland Development Commission.
March 31, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith Walk into any meeting of the Portland Development Commission's board and you're guaranteed to find chairman Eric Parsons - sitting tall at the center of the long commissioners' table - stone-still and resolute as he...

A conversation with Eric Parsons: Chairing change.(Interview)
March 31, 2006... Byline: Kennedy Smith

OR chapter of Architects Without Borders effort builds on its success.
March 31, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon chapter of Architects Without Borders largely succeeded in its first year of operation, according to Rod Merrick, a chapter board member. To be as successful in year two, Merrick says, the chapter will need...

Bill would create Portland State University-style summit.
March 31, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff A U.S. House of Representatives amendment inspired by Portland State University's leadership in sustainability calls for the creation of a national summit on sustainability in higher education.The amendment, approved late...

Bill would create PSU-style summit.
March 31, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff

Grant, scholarship deadline approaching for Architecture Foundation of OR funds.
March 31, 2006... Byline: DJC Staff Applications are now available for grant and scholarship funding from the Architecture Foundation of Oregon. Grant funding - a total of $30,000 - is available to nonprofit organizations that support the Architecture...