Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from March 2007

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from March 2007

Jefferson West replacement gets go-ahead from Portland Development Commission.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith The silence that followed Portland Development Commission Chairman Mark Rosenbaum's question, "All those opposed?" meant that the board's support for replacing the Jefferson West Apartments with work force housing was...

Portland Pacesetters: March 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff CONSTRUCTION The Oregon-Columbia chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), which represents more than 100 electrical contractors in the region, has announced its 2007 board of directors for the...

Portland Real Estate Transactions: March 1, 2007.
March 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * Trellis Earth Products Inc. has leased 4,900 square feet at 600 N.E. Couch St., in Portland, from Nadine C. Dominguez Trust. Rod Brokenshire of Macadam Forbes Inc. represented both parties....

Shaw Contract Group wants design entries.
March 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Shaw Contract Group, maker of Shaw Carpets, is looking for entries for its Design Is... Award 2007. The company wants stories describing how its product fits into the larger design context of the project. Winners will be...

Commentary: It's high time we get pot off job sites.
March 1, 2007... Byline: Craig Honeyman Most citizens pride themselves on living in this special and unique place we call Oregon. And it is truly unique in many ways; some outsiders even think of us as weird. After all, we don't have a sales tax (we...

Commission in Portland looks far and long for transfer solution.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Attorneys, architects, developers, land-use experts, neighborhood representatives, real estate pros and champions of the environment - the group that's been assembled to take a look at how development rights are...

Cold storage availability could warm food distro market in Milwaukie.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Compass Realty Inc. is seeking potential buyers or lessees for a recently renovated 330,000-square-foot office, refrigeration and dry storage facility in an area that has seen increasingly less activity from food...

Capital Pacific, Oregon-based Allen Trust form marketing and referral partnership.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Oregon's only locally owned trust company - Allen Trust Co. - has entered into a business alliance with Capital Pacific Bank, a 3 1/2-year-old bank serving businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals. The...

Biofuels bills in Ore. get House OK, head to state Senate.
March 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon House of Representatives on Thursday approved two bills that, if passed by the Senate, would make Oregon the third state in the nation to adopt a renewable fuels standard. House bills 2210 and 2211 would...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: March 2, 2007.
March 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff CONSTRUCTION Associated General Contractors Oregon-Columbia Chapter has named Dave Alexander the 2007 president. Alexander is an estimator and project manager at Lakeside Industries, a third generation, locally, and...

Real Estate Transactions for March 2.
March 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * Freightliner LLC has leased 1790 square feet at 6036 N. Cutter Circle, in Portland, from Rosan Inc. Ken Boyko and Scott Maclean of NAI Norris, Beggs & Simpson represented the lessee. John...

Commentary: Want to solve the 'problem employee' problem? Declare war.
March 2, 2007... Byline: Rich Meneghello Problem: Your problem is the same problem that it's always been: your problem employee. All of you reading this know whom I'm talking about. The problem employee is the one employee that eats up your time. One day...

Backers: Biofuels bill in Oregon turns on liquid 'gold' spigot.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Shortly before the Oregon House of Representatives passed its alternative fuel measure on Thursday, Rep. Chris Edwards stood on the meeting room floor and proclaimed that biofuels investment will be Oregon's next "gold...

Oregon highways get emergency funds from FHA.
March 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Federal Highway Administration has awarded the state of Oregon $30.8 million in emergency relief for highways damaged by winter storms. The funds will cover the cost of emergency repairs to more than six highways,...

Portland Construction Briefs: March 5, 2007.
March 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff GGL Architecture LLC GGL of Bend is designing Jefferson Square, a retail center planned for Madras. The site's location, along Highway 97 in the south end of Madras, allows for views of Mount Jefferson and other Cascade...

Commuter rail project breaks ground in Wilsonville.
March 5, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker State representatives and transportation officials on Friday broke ground on the first of five commuter rail stations to be built for the new Washington County Commuter Rail project. The 14.7-mile line that will...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: March 5, 2007.
March 5, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff EDUCATION The George Fox University Master of Business Administration program has hired Jeff VandenHoek to serve as director of the program's executive track. He also will be an assistant professor, teaching and...

Finding funding for dirty dirt in Oregon requires homework.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith With Oregon set to be home to 3.4 million people by 2025 according to the U.S. Census Bureau, developers face increasing opportunities to build housing and amenities for those flocking to the state. But the urban...

Oregon fines 2 insurers $70K.
March 6, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Department of Consumer and Business Services on Monday said it had fined two Wisconsin health insurers a total of $70,000 for numerous violations of Oregon insurance regulations. The state fined Time Insurance Co....

Momentum builds for state of Oregon renewable portfolio standard.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The state Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee today will hold its first hearing on the proposed Oregon renewable energy act. Senate Bill 373, a product of Gov. Ted Kulongoski's 2005 global warming task...

Tax credits attract solar company to Oregon.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Oregon's business energy tax credit was the driving force behind SolarWorld AG's decision to locate a solar panel manufacturing plant in this state, corporate officers and state officials said. The solar silicon wafer...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: March 6, 2007.
March 6, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff COMMUNICATIONS Pac/West Communications, a full-service public relations and government affairs firm, has hired former California U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo. He joins Pac/West as a senior partner and will focus on strategic...

Real Estate Transactions for March 6.
March 6, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff OREGON LEASE // Industrial * Eurobake has leased 10,000 square feet at 5917 N.E. 80th Ave., in Portland, from Columbia/80 LLC. Tony Reser and Sean McCarthy of GVA Kidder Mathews represented the lessee. Annie Gomez of...

Commentary: High time we test for job-site impairment.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Russ Belville DJC NOTE: The DJC on March 1 published a column by Craig Honeyman of Associated General Contractors that said Oregon needed to revisit its medical marijuana legislation. His column can be read online at...

Commentary: Restructure, review to gain tax advantage.
March 6, 2007... Byline: Scott Remington Developers and construction professionals face complex tax issues that can strain their limited resources and drain profits. Changing tax laws make tax planning more challenging than ever. As you begin your 2006 tax...

Milwaukie light rail gets back on track.
March 7, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker For the third time in nearly 10 years, the regional government Metro has revived its plans to build a light-rail line from Portland to Milwaukie. Milwaukie residents have considered the second phase of TriMet's South...

Finnish lecturers look to enlighten Portland designers.
March 7, 2007... Byline: Justin Stranzl A pair of Finnish designers will visit Portland today to talk daylighting and electrical lighting opportunities of which Oregon, they'll argue, should take advantage. The duo, architect Hannu Tikka and lighting...

Former Portland retirement community to become artist work/live space.
March 7, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith A former retirement community in Northeast Portland will soon be home to work/live spaces for artists now that Beam Development has purchased Baptist Manor for $2.2 million. "We're converting it into an art incubator...

Oregan chapter of the National Business Travel Association to meet Thursday.
March 7, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon chapter of the National Business Travel Association will play host Thursday to national association President Suzanne Fletcher for a session on issues pertinent to business travel. The event will be held from...

Pacesetters for March 7.
March 7, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff DESIGN Rowell Brokaw Architects PC of Eugene has hired Mark Young and Elaine Lawson as architects. Young brings 17 years of experience in design, planning and project management to the firm. He has worked on a wide...

Eugene-based Rowell Brokow Architects adds two to staff.
March 7, 2007... Byline: DCJ Staff Rowell Brokaw Architects PC of Eugene has hired Mark Young and Elaine Lawson as architects. Young brings 17 years of experience in design, planning and project management to the firm. He has worked on a wide variety of...

Portland Financial Briefs: March 7, 2007.
March 7, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff IQ Credit Union promotes Turk IQ Credit Union has promoted Edward T. Turk to vice president of lending. Turk has been with IQ Credit Union for 10 years and has 15 years of experience in finance and lending. Most recently,...

Portland attorney named chairman of Lex Mundi practice group.
March 7, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Davis Wright Tremaine LLP attorney Mark Trinchero has been named chairman of the telecommunications practice group for Lex Mundi, the world's leading association of independent law firms. DWT is the exclusive member firm...

Waterfront development continues along Vancouver side of Columbia River.
March 8, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith It was big news when the Port of Vancouver last month acquired 218 acres west of its operations from Alcoa Inc. and Evergreen Aluminum LLC for $48.25 million dollars, but another important acquisition went less...

Jubitz Travel Center in Portland carries B20 biodiesel.
March 8, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Jubitz Travel Center on Tuesday became the first truck stop in Oregon to sell B20 biodiesel. The retail and commercial fuel station, located east of Interstate 5 near exit 307 in Portland, has transitioned all of...

Architecture Foundation of Oregon's gives $37K to 10 groups.
March 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Architecture Foundation of Oregon's Grants and Scholarship Committee has given 10 grants to various organizations for 2007. The Portland chapter of the American Institute of Architects received $5,000 toward "Portland...

Portland sets goal for 50 percent oil, gas use reduction.
March 8, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Portland City Council on Wednesday adopted a resolution to reduce citywide oil and natural gas consumption by 50 percent over the next 25 years. The goal was one of 11 recommendations from a peak oil task force,...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: March 8, 2007.
March 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff DESIGN Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects has hired interior designers Rebecca Ettlin, Karen Olson and Mercedes Lilienthal; architect Ellen O'Hern; intern architects Allan Wich, Matt Janssen, Matt Stormont, Mark...

Unico Properties taking donations for shooting victim in Portland.
March 8, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Unico Properties has established a donation account at US Bank in the name of the victim of a shooting Saturday in Southeast Portland. Chester Yeom, 41, was shot at Belmont Market in Southeast Portland while filling in...

Commentary: Industry must steel itself against metal theft.
March 8, 2007... Byline: Tammy Bachofner Times are good for Oregon's construction industry. Many business owners have had little downtime - after they complete one job they move on to the next. Unfortunately, with the increase in work comes an increase in...

Commentary: Affordable housing in metro Portland takes a hit.
March 8, 2007... Byline: Edward J. Sullivan The downside of rapidly increasing (at least until recently) housing prices in the Portland metropolitan area is that those in the affordable or "work-force" housing price category find it increasingly difficult...

A conversation with Oregon tech firm co-founder Max Risenhoover.(Interview)
March 9, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Max Risenhoover is taking apart a building. Floor after floor vanishes, exposing a from-the-sky view that reveals the layout and architectural details within each space. But no wrecking ball is needed - Risenhoover's...

Chance for condos on Portland's Transit Mall in limbo.
March 9, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Developer Bruce Wood is testing the marketability of one building along the Transit Mall during major renovation by putting the former Caplan Building - now The 500 Fifth - up for sale. Wood has owned the seven-story...

Hamilton Construction celebrates $52M I-5 job with school safety grant.
March 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff After Hamilton Construction of Springfield completed more than 50,000 hours of accident-free work on its Interstate 5 project in Salem, the company decided to celebrate - by providing a $2,500 safety grant to nearby...

Portland Pacesetters: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff FINANCE West Coast Bank has named Hadley S. Robbins chief credit officer to manage the company's $1.9 billion loan portfolio. He will succeed Dave Prysock. Robbins is a credit management veteran with more than 28 years of...

Lake Oswego adopts e-permit site.
March 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Lake Oswego last week became the latest city to go live with a state Web site for online building permits. The e-permitting pilot program allows contractors to apply and pay for permits online. Lake Oswego joins building...

Corvallis to get TJ Maxx, Michaels, Famous Footwear.
March 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Regency Centers, a national owner, operator and developer of grocery-anchored and community shopping centers, has closed on the acquisition of 3.52 acres of land in Corvallis. Regency Centers also closed on 2.6 acres of...

Portland Real Estate Briefs: March 9, 2007.
March 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Commercial Real Estate Brokers of Metropolitan Portland fund has set up two scholarships of $1,500 each for undergraduate students admitted to the Portland State University School of Business Administration. The...

Clackamas-based home builder opens in-house real estate office.
March 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Sequoia Custom Homes, a Clackamas-based home builder, will sell all of its properties through its new in-house real estate agency, Sequoia Real Estate. Sequoia is on track to sell more than 300 homes in 2007, according...

Portland Harbor cleanup topic of brown bag lunch.
March 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff As a cleanup of the Portland Harbor on the lower Willamette River progresses, members of the River Renaissance team will share their progress during a brown bag lunch at noon March 20 at City Hall. Co-chairmen of the...

Clackamas, Curry county circuit court spots open.
March 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The governor's office last week began seeking applications for judicial positions on the circuit courts of Clackamas and Curry counties. The Clackamas County vacancy results from the retirement of Judge John Lowe,...

Gov. Kulongoski fills appeals, circuit court vacancies.
March 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Gov. Ted Kulongoski has appointed Timothy Sercombe to the Oregon Court of Appeals and Thomas Ryan, Diana Stuart, Kenneth R. Walker and Youlee Yim You to the Multnomah County Circuit Court. Sercombe, a partner at...

Francesconi tackles work force as member of Oregon State Board of High Education.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Last year, as the Portland Development Commission debated prevailing wage and minority participation on its projects, Jim Francesconi was there. At every meeting, the attorney at Haglund Kelly and one-time candidate...

Portland Construction Briefs: March 12, 2007.
March 12, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Hennebery Eddy Architects Hennebery Eddy of Portland is working on the design of a new language house on the Reed College campus in Portland. The design of the language house complements the residential character of the...

Seattle parking magnate dies three days before his 100th birthday.
March 12, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan A pioneer in self-pay parking died March 3 in Seattle at the age of 99. Josef "Joe" Diamond, a Seattle attorney and parking lot magnate, died at home three days before his 100th birthday. Diamond and his brother, Leon,...

Portland Pacesetters: March 12, 2007.
March 12, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff ENGINEERING Degenkolb Engineers, a structural and earthquake engineering firm, has promoted Karla Richards to marketing manager. She has more than seven years' experience in the AEC industry and is an active member of the...

Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration's safety conference opens today.
March 12, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration today will open a conference and workshop series for employers interested in maintaining safer workplaces. More than 30 full-day workshops and 80 single-topic...

FBI to present at regional equipment theft summit in Portland.
March 12, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Regional and national law enforcement officials, equipment owners and dealers, and equipment rental insurers will gather Thursday for the regional heavy equipment theft summit at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland....

Commentary: In Year of the Pig, beware a slaughter.
March 12, 2007... Byline: William Rutherford Happy Chinese new year. It's the Year of the Pig. The Year of the Golden Pig, actually, which is why so many Chinese couples are hoping for a child this year, believed to be an especially auspicious one. But...

Oregon Legislature considers LEED mandate, but competitors cry foul.
March 13, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Architects are pushing the Oregon Legislature to ratchet up green building requirements for state facility projects - and some are pushing to include standards other than LEED within the language of the bill. ...

Hispanics fill most new construction jobs in Oregon in '06.
March 13, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Two out of every three new U.S. construction jobs were filled by Hispanic workers in 2006, according to a Pew Hispanic Center study released last week. Foreign-born Hispanic immigrants, especially, benefited from...

Ore. Department of Consumer and Business Services fines alleged hedge fund operator.
March 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services on Monday issued a cease-and-desist order against Umraan Syed Hasan of Strategic Funds Group LP and fined him $20,000 for selling unregistered securities in Oregon...

Vancouver-based New Tradition Homes wins Energy Star award.
March 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance has awarded Vancouver-based New Tradition Homes with its Energy Star Homes Northwest award as its large home builder of the year. New Tradition Homes vice president Kelly Helmes...

Software Assn. of Ore. talks social networking sites as marketing tools.
March 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Software Association of Oregon on March 20 will play host to a panel discussion on how social networking Web sites and software can be employed as marketing tools by businesses. The moderated panel will feature...

First Silicon leaves Portland for Beaverton.
March 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Debugging technology firm First Silicon Solutions has relocated its headquarters to Beaverton from Portland. First Silicon Solutions, which is owned by Mountain View, Calif.-based MIPS Technologies Inc., had been...

Commentary: April 1 an important date for property taxpayers.
March 13, 2007... Byline: David L. Canary April 15 is "tax day" for federal and state income taxpayers, but April 1 is equally important to property taxpayers that wish to avoid paying property taxes for the upcoming year. There are a host of exemptions for...

Commentary: Get your clients to answer 'yes'.
March 13, 2007... Byline: Randy Tuminello Why do clients say "yes"? I don't think anyone can answer that question with 100 percent accuracy, but I do believe it's possible to achieve extremely high success rates. Here's how: 1. Focus on the basics. When it...

Portland Pacesetters Briefs: March 13, 2007.
March 13, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff FINANCE Banner Bank has announced the 2006 Banner's Best award recipients. Portland area recipients include Jerry Ward, vice president/commercial lending center manager from the Lake Oswego commercial lending center; and...

Key consumer protection recommendations made by Ore. task force may never come to fruition.
March 14, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Key consumer protection recommendations made last year by a state-appointed construction claims task force may never come to fruition. The task force in January presented to the Legislature its final report of 11...

Portland Development Commission votes today on HQ hotel transfer to Metro.
March 14, 2007... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff The Portland Development Commission today is expected to approve a transfer of leadership of the proposed headquarters hotel to the regional government Metro. Metro on Feb. 8 voted to bypass its own...

Portland print shops begin to branch out.
March 14, 2007... Byline: Justin Stranzl At the same time that demand for traditional print shop offerings is in decline, Portland-area printers are taking a calculated risk by expanding - both in size and in scope. An explosion over the last decade of...

Portland Pacesetters: March 14, 2007.
March 14, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff DESIGN Steele Associates Architects has promoted Seth Anderson to project manager. Anderson, who has worked at Steele Associates for several years, earned his Bachelor's of Architecture at Washington State University,...

Cascadia Region Green Council seeks board candidates.
March 15, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Cascadia Region Green Building Council is seeking candidates for election to its board of directors. Applications are invited from any Cascadia member. Qualifications will be based on experience with organizations...

Portland traffic congestion study will drive breakfast forum.
March 15, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The findings of a study of metropolitan Portland traffic congestion will be reviewed at a March 22 breakfast forum. The event, sponsored by the Westside Economic Alliance, will also feature a panel of business leaders...

Energy efficiency interest rising for commercial properties in Oregon.
March 15, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Energy Trust of Oregon reports higher participation in its incentive programs for commercial building upgrades that exceed the state's standard building code. In 2006, 165 new building or major renovation projects...

Infill development panel planned by Portland Bureau of Planning.
March 15, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff A panel discussion on infill building projects is planned by the Portland Bureau of Planning for Saturday. Neighborhood representatives, developers, policymakers, architects, members of the green community and...

Commentary: Commission-only jobs ripe with wage, hour issues.
March 15, 2007... Byline: Mitch Baker Q: Several employees in my company have approached me lately with questions about minimum wage and overtime. My entire sales force is paid on a commission-only basis, in part because I didn't want to have to worry about...

Portland Pacesetters: March 15, 2007.
March 15, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Perkins Coie has promoted Tom Lindley to firmwide chairman of the firm's environment and natural resources practice. He has been a partner with the firm for more than 10 years. Lindley has more than 25 years of experience...

Researchers working with Oregon contractors to design drill to cut down on back injuries.
March 15, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker On a ladder, arm overhead, neck craned upward, hard hat to the ceiling. It's the standard posture for pipe-fitters, sheet metal workers and electrical contractors accustomed to drilling into concrete and metal overhead...

Former G.D. Dennis & Sons Construction Co. partner dies.
March 15, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff A partner in the former G.D. Dennis & Sons Construction Co. of Portland died March 7 in Elmhurst, Ill. Dallas L. Dennis, a long-time Lake Oswego resident who in the late 1940s joined the firm founded by his father, died...

A conversation with developer Bruce Wood about downtown Portland development.(Interview)
March 16, 2007... Byline: Kennedy Smith Downtown Portland is a construction zone these days, with cranes strewn around the central city and bulldozers along Fifth and Sixth avenues. Commuters share the roads with buses, and orange cones abound. Bruce...

PDC can't nail down construction wage policy.
March 16, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Portland Development Commission held off Wednesday on adopting a proposed construction wage policy. Instead, the commission will take at least another week to finalize policy language and debate whether remaining...

Oregon Senate passes medical marijuana bill.
March 16, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Oregon Senate voted 23 to 5 on Wednesday to pass a bill that would amend the state's Medical Marijuana Act and expand employers' ability to prohibit the use of medical marijuana in the workplace. "It's an...

Portland Development Commission holds off on adopting construction wage policy.
March 16, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Portland Development Commission held off Wednesday on adopting a proposed construction wage policy. Instead, the commission will take at least another week to finalize policy language and debate whether remaining...