Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from May 2005

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from May 2005

Portland-based Quantec learns the hard way how to land a green office.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl The consulting firm Quantec has won accolades, including a BEST Award from Portland's Office of Sustainable Development, for the sustainable and "green" features of its new, 10,000-square-foot office in downtown...

Federal Trade Commission: Destroy consumer credit information or be held liable.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Identity theft is the new breaking and entering, or so say the statistics. According to the Federal Trade Commission, the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton area ranks 15th in the nation for identity theft-related...

Lake Oswego-based Trinity Carpet and Flooring celebrates 10th anniversary.
May 2, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff Trinity Carpet and Flooring just celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of growth and innovation. The Lake Oswego-based company's sales have doubled every year, topping $42 million in 2004. Today, it's the...

Washington County builds new pedestrian bridge in Raleigh Hills.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl Washington County crews have completed construction of a new pedestrian bridge over Fanno Creek in Raleigh Hills on Oleson Road, just south of Beaverton-Hillsdale Highway. The county plans to construct a sidewalk...

Landlords invited to management training sessions in Portland.
May 2, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Most of the time, tenant-landlord relationships sail smoothly along with little or no problems. But, when those relationships turn sour because of illegal tenant activity, many landlords are left wondering what to do....

Founder of Portland-based Miller Consulting Engineers Inc. announces retirement.
May 2, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff Miller Consulting Engineers Inc. has announced the retirement of founder and past president Ray Miller. Those who worked with Miller over the years said the firm's success is in large part due to value Miller placed...

Portland Aerial Tram moving into construction phase.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Signaling a move from the design phase to the construction phase, Portland City Council unanimously approved construction contracts along with a list of neighborhood improvement projects last week for the Portland...

Downtown Solutions Conference begins Thursday in Portland.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith The Oregon Downtown Development Association will host its Downtown Solutions Conference for Communities, May 5 and 6 at the Downtown Portland Hilton. The theme is "Linking Housing, Economic Development and...

Portland lead-hazard program wins EPA award.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl The Portland Water Bureau's Lead Hazard Reduction Program has won a 2005 Children's Environmental Health Recognition Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The award is meant to acknowledge agencies...

Vancouver-based Nautilus Inc. earnings show 46-percent growth in first quarter.
May 3, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Nautilus Inc., Vancouver, Wash.-based developer of health and fitness products, reported a first-quarter net income growth of 46 percent and sales growth of 19 percent from the same period a year ago. ...

Oregon laborers still upset about condominium tower project in Portland.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough About a month after nearly 150 construction workers and their allies first marched through the streets of downtown Portland demanding that the Canadian developer of the West End's Benson Tower project hire Oregon...

Portland's CitySpaces home tour showcases what it's like to live in Pearl District.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Pearl District lofts will be the center of attention during CitySpaces, a public home tour, May 13 through 22. Sponsored by the Pearl District Business Association, the CitySpaces tour will highlight seven...

Wild Oats Markets opens prototype market at Bridgeport Village, OR.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Wild Oats Markets Inc. has promised an "interactive shopping experience" with the opening of its first prototype Wild Oats Natural Marketplace store at Bridgeport Village. The 32,000-square-foot store, located at...

Work progressing on garden-topped parking structure in downtown Portland.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough With the Danmoore Hotel, which used to stand at 1217 S.W. Morrison St., now just a pile of rubble on the ground, crews this week have begun removing debris and soon will prepare to start construction on an...

Port of Portland's mineral bulk exports set monthly record.
May 4, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough The Port of Portland's tenants Kinder Morgan Bulk Terminals and Portland Bulk Terminals LLC recently announced that they both enjoyed a highly productive month of March when they exported a combined 591,572 tons of...

IHO preparing to make last stand on Portland's East Side Big Pipe project.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Like the final scene in a Spaghetti Western film, representatives from Impregilo/Healy/Obayashi, the joint venture that placed second in the selection process to build the $500 million East Side Big Pipe project,...

Benefits from dredging Columbia River unchanged despite change in scope.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a reduced initial phase of its plan to deepen the Columbia River won't lessen the economic benefits that the Corps says will stem from the project. The Corps last week...

Oregon transportation department wins federal environmental award.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough The Oregon Department of Transportation recently announced that it received the Federal Highway Administration's prestigious Environmental Excellence Award for Environmental Streamlining on Earth Day. The award...

OSU researchers hope soy beans change wood products industry.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl Researchers at Oregon State University's College of Forestry think they may be revolutionizing the wood products industry, and they're doing it with soy beans. Kaichang Li, an assistant professor of wood...

Scoring up, energy bill down in George Fox University gymnasium.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl George Fox University's men's and women's basketball teams recently completed their best seasons in several years, but the Newberg university's Office of Plant Services is more impressed by some off-the-court...

Lithia Motors shows record earnings for Q1.
May 5, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Displaying record-breaking earnings for the company, Lithia Motors' first-quarter income rose 30 percent to $10 million from $7.7 million in the first quarter of 2004. Earnings per share from continuing operations...

Panel in Portland discusses homeownership segregation in Oregon.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith In 1919 the Portland Realty Board updated its Code of Ethics to state that real estate agents would not sell property to minorities in white neighborhoods - this rule wasn't repealed until 1952. Although the practice...

Atlanta-based Reed Construction Data's East Portland plan center closes.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl A Portland plan center has closed its doors but not its operations. Reed Construction Data, a suburban Atlanta corporation that until recently owned and operated more than 50 plan centers across the United...

Economist, company leaders to discuss sustainability in Portland on June 1.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl A regional economist and the presidents of four Oregon companies will discuss green building at next month's Sustainable Industries Economic Forum. John Mitchell, an economist who monitors the West for US...

May proclaimed Transportation Safety Awareness Month in Oregon.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Gov. Ted Kulongoski recently announced May is Transportation Safety Awareness Month in Oregon. The proclamation is in anticipation of an increase in highway construction and bridge work along with the annual summer...

Brockovich to speak at Lewis & Clark Law School's commencement in Portland.
May 6, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith The aggressive and plucky law firm file clerk whose life became stuff of a Hollywood drama, Erin Brockovich Ellis, will address graduates at Lewis & Clark Law School's commencement, May 28 at 11 a.m. Brockovich...

Architects hope next director of Portland Development Commission understands good design.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl Among the handful of individuals rumored to be candidates for the Portland Development Commission's soon-to-be-be-vacated executive director position, not one is a designer. Portland's architects don't have a...

Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles now requires background check for hazmat truckers.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough By the end of this month, the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles will no longer renew hazardous materials endorsement along with a commercial driver's license renewal without a background check, officials have...

Wood composites expert awarded endowed chair at Oregon State University's College of Forestry.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl A leader in research on innovative, new, wood-based composite products and technology has been appointed to the JELD-WEN Chair in Wood-Based Composite Science at Oregon State University's College of Forestry. ...

American Pacific Bank becomes Riverview Community Bank.
May 9, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff In late April, all American Pacific Bank branches reopened under the Riverview Community Bank name after Riverview Bancorp Inc., parent company of Riverview Community Bank in Vancouver, Wash., acquired American Pacific...

Work progressing on Washington State University's Clark Center project.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough After about nine months of work, officials from Triplett Wellman Inc. have announced that construction crews have begun installing exterior finishes at their Clark Center project on the campus of Washington State...

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposes penalty against Jackson County School District.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a $4,000 penalty against Jackson County School District No. 9 for alleged violation of a permit granted under the Clean Water Act. A Department of the Army Individual...

Portland's ODS Tower 100-percent leased.
May 9, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith ODS Tower, located at 601 S.W. Second Ave. in downtown Portland, is fully leased. The 24-story Class-A building comprises 398,412 square feet and is owned by the Morrison Street Limited Partnership. Current...

West Linn case raises issues of land use vs. religious practice in the Oregon Supreme Court.
May 10, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith In a case that elicits issues of religious practice versus land-use policies, the Oregon Supreme Court ruled in favor of the city of West Linn over a church group that sought to build a meetinghouse within a...

Mayor Potter recommends changing city bureaus, Portland Development Commission.
May 10, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Portland Mayor Tom Potter's plan to bring meaningful, lasting and systemic change to how the city's various bureaus operate through his Bureau Innovation Project continued to progress last week as the mayor unveiled...

Portland developer waits for direction on Burnside Bridgehead project.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl All Bruce Wood can do now is wait. On April 27, Wood, a Portland developer, and Opus Northwest, a Minnesota corporation, were selected by the Portland Development Commission to rebuild five city blocks on the...

Portland City Commissioner wants to reorganize Bureau of Development Services.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Customers of the Bureau of Development Services know that when Portland City Commissioner Randy Leonard says that he wants to structurally change an organization to make it more customer friendly, the result can be...

U.S. House passes Bachus-Hooley FDIC reform bill.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 1185, the Bachus-Hooley Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act, which aims to amend the current FDIC insurance system. The main points of H.R. 1185, which...

SBA recognizes lenders of the year for Oregon and Southwest Washington.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith The Small Business Administration recently selected the 2004 Lenders of the Year for Oregon and Southwest Washington. Bank of America was named SBA Lender of the Year. In fiscal year 2004, the organization...

Portland-based Scott / Edwards Architecture retained for IMAX project.
May 11, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Portland-based Scott | Edwards Architecture LLP has announced the firm has been retained to provide full architectural and planning services for a new IMAX Theater on the Evergreen International Aviation Campus,...

Portland's fire station design competition heats up, as do emotions.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl The hard work is over. The sleepless nights, likely, are not. Three teams - Thomas Hacker Architects, Allied Works Architecture and Hennebery Eddy.Emmons, a joint entry that combines the best of the Hennebery...

Portland mall revitalization project the focus of citizen meeting.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough With the preliminary engineering work for the Portland Mall Revitalization Project now complete, members of the project's Citizen Advisory Committee gathered on Tuesday afternoon for an update of the project's...

Developer donates Oregon golf course to charity.
May 12, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Community Foundation announced recently that Joe Weston has donated his majority interest in the company that owns and operates Broken Top Golf Club in Central Oregon to the Weston Public Foundation Charitable...

Transportation plan aims at reducing Portland traffic.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough In an effort to reduce traffic in parts of Southeast and Northeast Portland, the city of Portland Office of Transportation's Options Division has announce that over the next year it will implement several programs...

Portland's The Cambridge penthouses to sell for $1,000 per square foot.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith For the past few years, the Pearl District has been the dominant real estate destination for Portlanders seeking high-end city living. Multi-story condominium buildings pepper the Pearl, and they're being developed at...

Plans moving forward for Pearl District's tallest building.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Hoyt Street Properties is finalizing plans on what would be the Pearl District's tallest building. The Metropolitan would stand on the full block bound by Northwest Lovejoy, Northwest Marshall, 10th Avenue and...

Survey: Internet essential to real estate transactions.
May 12, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith A new survey by the National Association of Realtors has identified key areas where Realtors believe technology can play a significant role in improving the real estate transaction process. The 2005 Realtor...

Prevailing-wage law brings attention to Northeast Portland's MLK project.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl Is the future headquarters of Henry V Events a public or private project? That depends on who's answering. Henry V Events, known until a month ago as the National Meeting Co., will move later this year into a...

Portland's new concept hotel to accommodate unconventional travelers.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith A new downtown hotel will soon fill the market niche for travelers who prefer the Kama Sutra over the Gideons Bible for their bedside reading. In a $3.3 million transaction, The Clyde Hotel at 1022 S.W. Stark St....

Portland's Telegram Building lauded for modern restoration.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith The Telegram Building at 1101 S.W. Washington St. has been selected for the "Historic Restoration Meets the 21st Century" award from the Oregon Downtown Development Association. The building, with its signature...

Washington-based trucking company will buy Portland's Swan Island property.
May 13, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff Washington-based Becker Trucking Inc. is poised to buy 8 acres of Swan Island Industrial Park, after receiving approval this week from the Port of Portland Commission, which owns the property. The sale consists of...

Lake Oswego-based Greenbrier to lease $250M worth of railcars.
May 13, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff The Greenbrier Cos., a Lake Oswego-based supplier of transportation equipment and services to the railroad industry, and Babcock & Brown Limited, through its U.S. subsidiary Babcock & Brown Rail Management LLC, have...

Oregeon State University engineer honored with top educator award.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Annette von Jouanne, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Oregon State University, has received the Outstanding Teacher Award for 2005 from Eta Kappa Nu, a national honor society for electrical and...

Bachman named chairman of the Japan-American Society of Oregon.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Craig D. Bachman, a shareholder at the law firm of Lane Powell PC, has been elected chairman of JASO, the Japan-American Society of Oregon. Bachman has been a trial lawyer since 1978, representing clients in all...

Research shows that calling damages experts has huge impact on decreasing verdict.
May 13, 2005... Byline: Bill Ibelle (This article first appeared in Lawyers Weekly USA, Boston, MA, another Dolan Media publication.)Many defense lawyers fear that by calling their own damages experts at trial, they appear to be conceding liability. ...

City of Portland boosts housing programs with $1.6M award.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Low-income families who dream of owning a home have just gotten a boost from the Portland Bureau of Housing and Community Development. Mayor Tom Potter and Commissioner Erik Sten have approved monetary awards to...

Port of Portland, PDX agreement could save airlines operating expenses.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough A new lease and operating agreement between the Portland International Airport and the Port of Portland is expected to offer the Port more authority for upgrades and renovations, and to save airlines operating...

Designer approaches eye clinic in Portland with unusual vision.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl There's more than meets the eye at a Pearl District optometric practice designed by Deca Inc. Dr. Tina Tsai, an optometrist, will open her new business venture, The Eye Studio, later this year. The space,...

Laborers head to Salem to warn against electrical hazards.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl NECA-IBEW headed to the capital last week to shine a light on electrical hazards. Oregon's International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Locals 48, 280, 659 and 932 joined the Oregon-Columbia and Oregon...

Robo Palooza and innovative prototypes displayed at Oregon State University Engineering Expo.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough A variety of innovative prototypes designed and built by engineering students at Oregon State University, including a hydrofoil surfboard and a driverless vehicle, will be on display at the annual OSU Engineering...

Analysts: Domestic air travel will cost 8 percent more this summer.
May 16, 2005... Byline: Kara Kridler (This artical originally ran in the Daily Record, Baltimore, Maryland, another Dolan Media publication). Travel analysts are predicting the price of domestic airline tickets during the summer months will increase 8...

Portland-based Thomas Hacker Architects Inc. wins Fire Station #1 design competition.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl An emotional "roller-coaster ride" ended successfully Monday for Thomas Hacker Architects Inc., which was tabbed by an architectural jury to design the next home of Portland Fire & Rescue. A team led by the...

Portland high school students learn about metals industry at expo.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Sparks flew as some of about 2,000 area high school students who converged on Memorial Coliseum last week took their turn with a welding torch at the first-ever Metals Industry Expo. The event, sponsored by the...

Portland's Cushman & Wakefield to market Albany property.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Cushman & Wakefield has been retained to market a 193-acre privately owned property in Albany. The land is adjacent to the SP rail line and Highway 99, approximately two miles from Interstate 5. "It's fair to say...

Portland-based AVI BioPharma announces Q1 losses.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Portland-based AVI BioPharma, a developer of therapeutic products for the treatment of life-threatening diseases, reported a net loss of $5.5 million, or 13 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $7.5 million in...

Five projects picked for Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism Project Oregon's awards.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl Five efforts to curb waste and beautify Oregon landscapes have been named winners of SOLV's 2004 Project Oregon Awards. Gov. Ted Kulongoski and SOLV, a nonprofit formerly known as Stop Oregon Litter and...

Oregon Senate bill creates electronic health records task force.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith The Oregon Senate passed Senate Bill 541 May 9, establishing a task force to establish standards for electronic medical records to assist Oregon health care workers in providing more efficient care. The task force...

Port of Kalama Industrial park still growing.
May 17, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff Nascom Inc. and Mile Marker International have both relocated to the Port of Kalama's Kalama River Industrial Park. At the industrial park, the companies will occupy a newly constructed 31,500-square-foot building. Nascom...

Portland's Wells Fargo Housing Foundation to match affordable housing donations.
May 17, 2005... Byline: DJC Staff The Wells Fargo Housing Foundation will donate up to $50,000 each to HOST Development Inc. and a joint partnership of the Portland Community Land Trust and Clackamas Community Land Trust, if the groups can raise matching...

Commentary: Regulators unveil 'Top 10 threats to investors'.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Dolan News Service (This article originally ran in Minnesota Lawyer, Minneapolis, MN, another Dolan Media publication). The North American Securities Administrators Association has announced this year's "Top 10" investment scams to...

IRS cracking down on shady tax shelters.
May 17, 2005... Byline: Dolan News Service (This article originally ran in Missouri Lawyers Weekly, St. Louis, MO, another Dolan Media publication). More than $6 billion has been protected by tax shelters, and the Internal Revenue Service is coming after...

Former Bidwell & Co. executives found HybridTrading, a brokerage firm.
May 18, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith A group of former Bidwell and Co. executives have founded HybridTrading, a brokerage firm offering investment services to individuals in California, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Julie Bussing, President of...

Portland's fifth Village Building Convergence shows greatest progress yet.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl As Portland's fifth Village Building Convergence opens across all four of the city's quadrants for the first time, its proponents see a social importance stemming from the event that wasn't there when the 10-day...

Federal transportation bill could benefit local ports.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough The $295 billion federal highway bill approved by the United States Senate on Tuesday could help relieve traffic congestion outside the main gates of seaports throughout the United States, including ports in the...

Portland Business Alliance holds Top Ten Growth Awards.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith The Portland Business Alliance held its annual meeting and Top Ten Growth Awards Wednesday. "Being a top growing business is an honor in our community," said Mark Dodson, chair of the Portland Business Alliance....

Portland's Elizabeth Lofts neighbor an experiment in open space.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith A new building on the corner of Northwest 10th Avenue and Flanders is set to add an ultra-modern touch to the neighboring art deco style of the Elizabeth Lofts. The Pavilion building, a 1,860-square-foot structure...

Portland's Hollywood District shapes up with 24 Hour Fitness Center.
May 19, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl LRS Architects Inc. of Portland is designing a mixed-use facility planned for the city's Hollywood District. Hollywood Station, a 71,000-square-foot property developed by the Dorn-Platz Co., will be built later...

Beam Construction partner says joint effort with Opus NW could be win-win situation.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl A partner on the Beam Construction & Management team that appeared to have lost in its bid to redevelop five blocks at the east end of the Burnside Bridge says a team-up with the developer picked for the job could be...

24th Place Condominiums project wins unanimous approval from city of Portland.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough After about 18 months since the project first won unanimous approval from the city of Portland's Design Commission, the 24th Place Condominiums project is back on track. The proposed 14-story condo tower that...

Seattle Design Center's Northwest Design Awards back for fifth straight year.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Justin Stranzl The Seattle Design Center's Northwest Design Awards are back for the fifth straight year, offering awards in 15 categories to Pacific Northwest interior designers. The awards are dispensed annually by the Design...

Multnomah Bar Assn. recommends candidates for Circuit Court vacancy.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith After appointing Multnomah County Circuit Judge Ellen Rosenblum to the Oregon Court of Appeals to replace Judge Mary Deits, Gov. Ted Kulongoski has a few more judicial decisions to make. The Multnomah Bar...

Oregon State Bar committees seek non-lawyer applicants.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith The Oregon State Bar is seeking non-lawyer members for its Board of Governors and several other committees and councils. Opportunities include one Board of Governors position, as well as appointments to groups...

ACLU holds discussion on moral values at Portland State University.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Kennedy Smith Ceclillia Wang, co-counsel in an American Civil Liberties Union case against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, will participate in a panel discussion entitled "Civil Liberties and Moral Values," from 1 to 3 p.m....

Portland's airport bicycle and pedestrian project approved.
May 20, 2005... Byline: Cody McCullough Access to Portland International Airport for bicyclists and pedestrians will soon get better as the Port of Portland Commission recently approved a $1.2 million project that includes creation of a bicycle and...