Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from May 2003

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from May 2003

Gresham land sold for future industrial park.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After two years on the market, 38 acres of industrial land in Gresham has been sold to San Francisco-based McMorgan & Co. and will be developed by Insignia ESG. The parcel -- located where Interstate 84 meets...

Steel erection bill pits contractors against ironworkers.
May 1, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough When the Oregon Legislature's Senate Rules Committee convenes today for a public hearing regarding legislation that would require Oregon to adopt steel erection safety rules more closely aligned to federal...

Small Business award winners share stories.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl For the first time since 1982 and only the second time in the history of the awards, someone winning the Small Business Administration honors in the Northwest region has also won the national award. Scott Jones of...

Business plan key to entrepreneur's success.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough When Drew Brandt, the 37-year-old founder of Intrepid Marble & Granite, started out in the natural stone business as an agent/broker he knew what it would take to become successful. "You have to have a plan,"...

American Bar Assn. honors senators.
May 2, 2003... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Two Oregon senators were among five members of Congress honored Tuesday by the American Bar Association for work promoting and protecting legal issues. Alfred P. Carlton Jr., ABA president, said...

Construction of green building continues.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Showcasing ways to manage stormwater in an environmentally responsible way, a new 46,000-square-foot facility in Beaverton is being constructed for two governmental agencies and is nearing completion. Clean...

Trade fair opens career doors for young women.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga When it comes to picking a future career, 13-year-old Bailey Perry doesn't want to be confined. "I'm keeping my options open," the seventh grader from Boring Middle School said. Those options increased...

Engineering Expo showcases work of OSU students.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough More than 45 senior projects designed by engineering students in the Oregon State University School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science were on display last week at the school's Engineering Innovators...

More flex space on tap for Airport Way Corridor.
May 5, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Bedford Property Investors Inc. has announced plans to build two flex buildings totaling nearly 64,000 square feet on 5.2 acres the company purchased inside Southshore Corporate Park in Portland's Airport Way Corridor....

AmberGlen banking on smaller deals, stable tenants.
May 6, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl AmberGlen, Oregon's largest business park with 23 buildings and 1.3 million square feet of office space, has signed a healthy number of new tenants this year, but they're not the type of deals that typically make...

Port offsets lost import with new export.
May 6, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga The Pacific Northwest's aluminum smelters have all but sputtered out, but at least one port that long relied on importing materials for the industry has found a way to offset lost revenue. The Port of...

Development features 'daylighted' creek in Southwest Portland.
May 6, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough From darkness to light, a 750-foot section of Tryon Creek in Southwest Portland may once again see the light of day. The section of the creek runs through a pipe that has been buried for approximately 50 years,...

Commentary: Handkerchiefs and management: The enlightenment of retailers.
May 6, 2003... Byline: Jim Penn As with most men in civilized society, there comes a time when I must acknowledge that my socks, handkerchiefs and underwear have worn out. This "event" only takes place every three or four years but, when it does, I go to...

Park Place taking shape, Pearl District growing up.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After more than a decade of planning and dreaming, Hoyt Street Properties President Tiffany Sweitzer can look outside her office on Northwest 11th Avenue and Lovejoy Street onto what's beginning to feel like a real-live...

OSHA asks companies to take safety break.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga At 10 a.m. next Wednesday, work at R&H Construction's Oregon job sites will come to a halt. The company's employees will lay down their tools and gather for a safety meeting. The scene is one that Oregon's...

Oregon's code changes to affect residential contractors.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough From new lateral bracing requirements to changes in the way ducts are sealed, new building codes that went into affect last month will change the way houses and duplexes are built around the state. "We adopted...

GeoDesign Inc. opens Vancouver office.
May 7, 2003... Byline: Duane Smelser GeoDesign Inc. has expanded its operations and opened an additional office in Vancouver, Wash. In making the announcement, representatives with the firm contend that over the past decade, Southwest Washington has...

Williams & Dame lose bid for Tacoma project.
May 8, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl California-based Nearon Enterprises edged out Portland's Williams & Dame in a bid to develop a major hotel and condominium project along downtown Tacoma's Foss Waterway. The Foss Waterway Development Authority Board...

St. Johns Bridge closure date reset.
May 8, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga ***** CORRECTION: A story in the Thursday, May 8 edition of the Daily Journal of Commerce, titled "St. Johns Bridge closure date reset," contained incorrect information about a bonus earned by a general...

Design for Eugene Federal Courthouse wins award.
May 8, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Design work for the new Eugene Federal Courthouse recently received a Citation in the On the Boards category of this year's U.S. General Services Administration Design Awards program. The courthouse was one of...

Future for playhouses looming large.
May 8, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Sometimes big ideas start small. Three months ago West Linn resident Dino Chalfant was working as a prepaid legal services sales director. Today Chalfant is working full time to get his custom-built...

Homebuyer protection act moving ahead.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough After passing by a vote of 55 to 3 in the Oregon House of Representatives on Monday, House Bill 3539A, otherwise known as the "Homebuyer Protection Act," appears to be moving along. The bill would require...

SRG Partnership celebrates 30 years in business by 'greening' city.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel To celebrate its 30-year anniversary, Portland's SRG Partnership has chosen to give back to the city in ways that reflect a commitment to creating sustainable communities. It's how things are done at SRG...

Norris, Beggs & Simpson hits $1B mark in assets under management.
May 9, 2003... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff Norris, Beggs & Simpson's finance division's loan servicing portfolio has surpassed the $1 billion mark in assets under management. This total is up from nearly $918 million reached by the...

New concrete form saves time, money.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Dan Carter The square peg does fit in the round hole. The Sonotube Square Fibre Form, a round concrete column form made by Sonoco of Hartsville, S.C., has been used for years on job sites around the world. At a school...

Former Pearl District warehouse to become loft condos.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough After purchasing the former Meier & Frank warehouse building in December for $8.8 million, developer Robert Ball recently announced that he is working with SERA Architects PC to transform the building into 165 loft...

Pacific Northwest ports use Web sites to lure developers.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga As the sluggish economy bites down on the region's real estate market, ports in the Pacific Northwest are scrambling to find ways to catch the eyes -- and interests -- of developers and investors seeking...

Portland port adds new carrier service.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Daily Journal of Commerce Staff After a dry spell of several years, the Port of Portland has added a new container carrier, a South American-based steamship line called Maruba/CCNI. The service, which starts Wednesday, will...

Executive suites being added to Beaverton mixed-use project.
May 12, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Construction will start this week on The Round's executive suites, the latest addition to the Beaverton development that includes office, retail and residential space. The suites will occupy about 13,500 square feet...

Bill to allow counties to redevelop abandoned mills heads for gov.'s desk.
May 13, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The crusade to identify shovel-ready sites for development marches on in Salem. A bill that would allow counties to redevelop abandoned wood mill sites for industrial purposes is expected to land on Gov. Ted...

Metro congestion causes widespread financial snags.
May 13, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Congestion between Portland and Vancouver isn't just costing precious travel time for commuters; it's taking a financial toll on businesses in both Oregon and Washington State. The information comes from a...

Changes to construction industry's filing system less drastic than expected.
May 13, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Changes to MasterFormat, a master list of numbers and titles used to organize construction industry information, might not be as dramatic as local users of the filing system had once expected. Last month local...

Army Corps of Engineers classifies dam in pre-emergency condition.
May 14, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough A failing drainage system that has caused several sinkholes in a grass embankment just north of Fern Ridge Dam, located between Eugene and Veneta, has lead the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to classify the dam as...

Vision for headquarters hotel moving forward.
May 14, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After more than a decade of talk about a dedicated hotel for the Oregon Convention Center, progress may be just around the corner. The Portland Development Commission today will vote on a resolution that would...

Contractors question ODOT bridge idea.
May 15, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Oregon legislators have yet to approve funding to fix Oregon's failing bridges, but highway contractors in the state are already concerned about how the Oregon Department of Transportation might handle the work....

Companies snatch up sublease deals.
May 15, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Foster Pepper Tooze LLP recently leased 21,210 square feet of space on the 18th floor of the ODS Tower, 601 S.W. Second Ave., and will vacate about 15,000 square feet at One Main Place, 101 S.W. Main St. Nothing...

Wastewater mgmt. facility master plan wins award.
May 15, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Working together on a master plan to expand a wastewater management facility and improve the surrounding area, Clackamas County Water Environment Services and CH2M Hill have netted a national award. The American...

Audits in store for property tax exemptions.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Gerding/Edlen Development Co. will be asked to do something no developer has been asked to do in the history of the city's 28-year-old property tax exemption program. The company will have to update the city on...

Washington County sets date for Rood Bridge closure.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Washington County is ready to re-write its record book. Beginning May 27, the county will close Rood Bridge to begin construction of a replacement bridge. When completed, the new 680-foot structure will be...

Electrical safety showcased at state Capitol.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Electrical safety issues will take center stage at the state Capitol today as industry representatives gather for Electrical Safety Day. The event is the result of a proclamation Gov. Ted Kulongoski signed in...

ABA asks lawyers to help returning soldiers.
May 16, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga When it comes to providing free legal services, Oregon lawyers have proven their willingness to serve and protect, from causes ranging from domestic violence to fighting to preserve law services for low-income...

Portland, Corvallis firms share award for Corvallis Riverfront Commemorative Park.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel A design team of Corvallis and Portland-based firms shared the limelight with the mayor of Corvallis to accept the Oregon Downtown Development Association's 2003 Landscape & Linkages Award at the Downtown Achievement...

Projects sprout from Combined Sewer Overflow upheaval.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Traffic snarls. Excessive noise. Neighborhoods throughout Portland have been experiencing the headaches that are part of a $293 million construction project. It's the West Side Combined Sewer Overflow...

Additional condos to replace hotel for RiverPlace property.
May 19, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Plans have changed for a key RiverPlace property called Parcel 1. What was originally intended for a 100-room hotel and 150 condominiums is now envisioned for a total of 210 condominiums, 250 visitor and resident...

Construction industry outlook: More of same.
May 20, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough While predicting the future may not be an easy task, professionals from around Oregon predict a familiar future for the construction industry. Familiar in the sense that not much change is expected to occur in...

Oregon's urban growth boundary expansion expected to pass.
May 20, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The Land Conservation and Development Commission will take a final vote this week on the urban growth boundary expansion. After two days of public hearings earlier this month, the commission -- the policy making...

Portland lawyers recall Supreme Court experience.
May 20, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Oregon attorney Steven Seymour spent months preparing the 30-minute argument he planned to present this past February to the United States Supreme Court. But less than two minutes in front of the nine...

Plans moving forward for Birtcher Business Center.
May 21, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After being stuck on the drawing board for more than two years, the 218-acre Birtcher Business Center is beginning its move through the city's entitlement process. Slated for land just northeast of the Vancouver...

Commentary: One big, maybe last chance: don't blow it for our children, our state.
May 21, 2003... Byline: Bernard Levy The arguments and political posturing for and against emergency funding for education and other services have missed the point. It's not about new or more taxes; it's about providing necessary services. I have a...

Bill may end tax break for overseas workers.
May 21, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough American construction workers around the world, along with all other American international workers, may soon see their tax-exempt status disappear. After narrowly passing through the U.S. Senate by a 51 to 49 vote...

Memorial wall honors work zone fatalities.
May 21, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga With the summer construction season just around the bend, the Oregon Department of Transportation held a ceremony Monday to remind drivers to use care when traveling through construction work zones. The...

State agency auctions benefit public schools.
May 22, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Bill Anderson arrived at the Linn County Fairgrounds in Albany last Friday with a mission: to find the perfect pocket watch. Others who flocked to the fairgrounds came in search of diamond rings, gold...

Area property management firms go green.
May 22, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl How, when there are dozens if not hundreds of companies that provide things like janitorial services, landscaping or window washing, does a vendor land a long-term, lucrative contract with a property management firm?...

MulvannyG2 Architecture works on Tacoma project.
May 22, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough With Portland-based developer Williams & Dame losing the bid to develop a parcel of land along downtown Tacoma's Foss Waterway earlier this month, the door remains open for another Northwest firm to continue its...

Cleanup of metal plating shop continues.
May 23, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Nearly two weeks after the city of Portland Fire Marshal's Office closed the Columbia American Plating Co. located on 35th Avenue in Northwest Portland's Industrial District, workers wearing protective...

Urban Home Center recommended for Memorial Coliseum redevelopment.
May 23, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After considering several private proposals for redeveloping the Memorial Coliseum, the Oregon Arena Corp. has settled on an idea to fill the aging stadium with two big-box stores and two levels of parking. The plan...

Northshore Junior High undergoes reconstruction.
May 23, 2003... Byline: Rich Riegel Northshore Junior High in Bothell, Wash. is undergoing an $18.5 million rehabilitation and expansion under the watchful eyes of those most likely to benefit from the project -- the 950 students who are attending classes...

Auction popular option for selling property.
May 27, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl After nearly 20 years, Realty Marketing/Northwest's biannual auction continues to attract a growing number of sellers and bidders from all over the region. Held every fall and spring, the auction is an umbrella...

Lawyer rekindles flame to help others.
May 27, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga When Sandy Hansberger first dreamed about becoming a lawyer, she imagined herself slipping into a phone booth and emerging as a superhero ready to do battle to help the impoverished and underrepresented find...

DPR Construction's regional manager to create new firm.
May 27, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Almost a month ago DPR Construction Inc., a Redwood City, Calif.-based construction company, announced that it would close its Portland office along with three other offices located around the country. Shortly...

Wyden helps push $50B federal transportation bill.
May 27, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Two U.S. senators want Americans to invest in transportation. Literally. The Build America Bonds Act, unveiled Thursday by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Jim Talent, R-Mo., would create a federal program to...

Multnomah County lawyers and judges honored for pro bono work.
May 27, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga Multnomah County judges and lawyers gathered Thursday night to honor a few of their own during an annual meeting of the Multnomah Bar Association. The event was held at the downtown Portland Marriott Hotel. ...

Parking proposals part of Northwest District Plan.
May 28, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Regulars know the drill. If you're going to Northwest Portland, you're going to have to circle and rely on timing, foresight and a little luck to find a place to park. This reputation, say business owners, costs...

'No niche' approach proves to be successful for Portland architecture firm.
May 28, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough When Sid Scott established Scott, Architecture six years ago, he knew that it would take diversification to become successful. It was from this mindset that Scott spawned his "no niche" philosophy. "My No....

Commentary: The world of deceit - only you can prevent a fraud.
May 28, 2003... Byline: Bernard Levy Remember the state and national foresters' spokesbear, good old Smokey, and his slogan, "Only you (paw pointing at the reader) can prevent a forest fire"? Well, the same holds true for fraud, but people are still...

Entrepreneur carves creative niche in Bend.
May 29, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga When it comes to the residential real estate market, Jason Adams already has a firm toehold in the Bend area, and he's preparing to dig in even deeper. Since 2001, Adams has purchased nearly 20 run-down...

Developers sought for North Interstate block.
May 29, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl The Portland Development Commission is seeking proposals for the redevelopment of a 36,000-square-foot block located at the northeast corner of North Interstate Avenue and Killingsworth Street. The site is the only...

W&H Pacific to work on Idaho ski resort project.
May 29, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough Idaho's Tamarack Resort, the first four-season destination resort with skiing to be built in the United States in more than 20 years, will get some help from a local engineering firm. W&H Pacific, an engineering...

Oregon Society for Mktg. Professional Services to hold awards ceremony.
May 29, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga The Oregon chapter of the Society for Marketing Professional Services will celebrate its 20th anniversary while honoring a few of its own on June 12, when the organization holds its annual Astral Awards. The...

Slayden Construction found negligent for worker's injuries.
May 30, 2003... Byline: Cody McCullough In a 12-0 vote, a Multnomah County jury recently found Slayden Construction Inc. of Stayton negligent for the injuries suffered by a local ironworker when the structure he was working on collapsed in April 2000. ...

New tenants coming to Old Town.
May 30, 2003... Byline: Aimee Curl Continuing its pursuit to keep Portland's Old Town alive and vibrant, Naito Corp. has signed two new restaurants to the area and will facilitate the expansion of the local cultural center. Concept Entertainment...

Chambers USA lists top Oregon law firms.
May 30, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga When it comes to Oregon's top law firms, Stoel Rives leads the pack in the corporate arena, Ball Janik beats the competition in real estate matters, and Barran Liebman and Busse & Hunt splint honors in employment...

Building trades add shine to Starlight Parade.
May 30, 2003... Byline: Stephanie Basalyga When it comes to the Starlight Parade, the event that kicks off Portland's annual Rose Festival, the rule of thumb is lights. Lots of lights. "If they twinkle, that's even better," said Kyleigh Kent, public...