Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from October 2007

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from October 2007

Architect billings index drops, but Portland business doesn't.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan A national index that tracks architecture billings dropped sharply in August, but local design firms are crediting any drop to the typical ebb and flow of the business. August billings index figures, released Sept....

Portland's Metro next hotel step: find partners.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Proponents of a convention center hotel have one month to find partners to fill a $2 million per year funding gap. And while Lloyd District property owners are optimistic a hotel will happen, owners of other Portland...

Portland Department of Transportation open houses tackle streetcar expansion.
October 1, 2007... Byline: Tyler Graf As a streetcar line to Lake Oswego develops through the regional government Metro, the Portland Department of Transportation wants to spend the next 10 months developing a Streetcar System Plan - and it wants public...

Portland Public Market Foundation, Melvin Mark to partner on site.
October 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Portland Public Market Foundation approved two resolutions Wednesday regarding the development of a permanent public market venue in Portland. The Public Market Foundation and Melvin Mark Development Co. will...

Collins' K-Falls facilities earn efficiency award.
October 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Energy Trust of Oregon awarded Collins Products the Energy Leadership Award on Friday in recognition of its commitment to energy efficiency and the environment at its Klamath Falls facilities. Collins has invested...

Energy Trust of Oregon offers incentives for appliances.
October 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Energy Trust of Oregon has announced that, through Dec. 31, homeowners can receive bonus incentives for installing high-efficiency heat pumps and natural gas direct vent fireplaces and furnaces. A high-efficiency...

Sienna Architecture Co. in Portland hires Richard Jordison.
October 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Sienna Architecture Co. has hired Richard Jordison as an architect. Jordison is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified and is a member of the American Institute of Architects. He holds a Bachelor of...

Sienna Architecture Co. hires Barbara Browning.
October 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Sienna Architecture Co. has hired Barbara Browning as a designer. Browning is a member of the Association of Women Architects and an associate AIA member. She holds a Master of Architecture from the University of...

Bank of Clark County promotes York.
October 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Bank of Clark County has announced the promotion of Karen D. York to senior vice president and controller in its finance department. York's responsibilities include financial reporting, fixed asset and investment...

Portland office of Lane Powell hires Dale.
October 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Lane Powell has hired Alan S. Dale as an associate in the firm's taxation practice group. Dale previously worked as an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He holds a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, a...

Tigard-based TOC Management Services hires Jim Russel.
October 1, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff TOC Management Services has hired Jim Russel as manager of employee benefits and business development. Russel will be responsible for the employee benefits plans and services TOC offers its member companies, including...

Portland company cleans up on green auto fleets.(Company overview)
October 2, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Oregon is awash in new green services, as even the dirtiest industries join the state's growing sustainable business sector. Hoping to capitalize on the trucking industry's transition to biodiesel and low-sulfur...

Food retailers at Portland International Airport hungry for space at PDX.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Tyler Graf The skies may not always be friendly - delayed flights, cramped seating, unruly passengers - but that doesn't mean the airport experience has to be an exercise in teeth-gnashing stress. With the addition of several...

Portland Metro and Clackamas County, open new park.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Metro and Clackamas County officials will hold a dedication ceremony Saturday for the new Mount Talbert Nature Park. Metro and the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District purchased 193 acres at Mount Talbert...

BetterBricks Awards to be held in Portland next week.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The BetterBricks Awards will be held on Oct. 12 in Portland at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower. The award program, an initiative of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, recognizes architects, engineers,...

Adams, Avakian talk sustainability at forum today in Portland.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Portland City Commissioner Sam Adams and state Sen. Brad Avakian (D-Portland) will play host to a community town hall from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Friendly House, 2617 N.W. Savier Street, in Northwest Portland. This week's...

Developers plan Seattle's tallest residential tower.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Developers The Executive Group and the Fana Group will construct AVA, a 445-foot condo tower at Eighth Avenue and Pine Street in downtown Seattle. AVA, once built, will be the tallest residential tower in Seattle. ...

Commentary: Mid-sized firms get jump on joint ventures.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Bob Jesenik Q: I am the CEO and a part owner of a well-capitalized and profitable company. I am interested in growing the business, possibly by acquiring a company in a related area. Although my company is solid financially, I do...

Portland-based Sapa Profiles hires Peterson.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Sapa Profiles Inc. has hired Matthew Peterson as its architectural panels inside sales manager. Peterson will be responsible for coordinating sales and marketing activities between current and potential customers,...

Tigard-based TOC Management Services hires Russel.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff TOC Management Services has hired Jim Russel as manager of employee benefits and business development. Russel will be responsible for the employee benefits plans and services TOC offers its member companies, including...

Portland-based Emerick Construction hires Stong, Christensen.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Emerick Construction has hired Seana Stong as a project manager and Duane Christensen as a senior estimator. Stong has 10 years of experience as an interior designer and project manager and 12 years as a site space...

Sienna Architecture in Portland hires Jaleski.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Sienna Architecture Co. has hired Tom Jaleski to its architectural division. Jaleski holds a Master of Architecture from the Southern California Institute of Architecture and a Bachelor of Architecture from the...

Sienna Architecture Sienna Architecture in Portland hires Throckmorton.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Sienna Architecture Co. has hired Travis Throckmorton to its architectural division. Throckmorton holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Illinois and is working on the Bakery Blocks mixed-use project...

Sienna Architecture in Portland hires Lynch.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Sienna Architecture Co. has hired Andrew Lynch to its architectural division. Lynch holds a bachelor's and master's degree from Kent State University and is the job captain for McCormick & Schmick's Seafood...

Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services hires Morawski.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services has hired Lisa Morawski as its public information and communications director. Morawski previously worked as a communication officer for the department and was...

Portland office of JBL&K Risk Services hires Bennett.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff JBL&K Risk Services has hired Ron Bennett as a member of its Portland construction team. Bennett has 25 years of experience in construction operations, including product development, revenue and profit growth and...

Portland-based Hoffman, Stewart & Schmidt hires new staff.
October 2, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Hoffman, Stewart & Schmidt has hired David A. Shick as a supervisor. In addition, Jennifer R. Henderson, Kayla M. Burke and Terry L. Odor have been hired as staff accountants.

Commentary: IP protections imperative in Portland.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Matt Wilmot In today's competitive market, large corporations aren't the only businesses that should be aware of their intellectual property rights. Copyrights are something even small and medium-sized businesses should be familiar...

Portland-based firm helps Yellowstone go green.
October 2, 2007... Byline: Nathalie Weinstein The Yellowstone Park Foundation has selected Ecos Climate Solutions, a Portland-based environmental advisory and project development firm, to create an environmental action plan for Yellowstone National Park in...

Otak Inc. hires new staff.
October 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Report Otak Inc. has hired Chris Gillespie to its Gearhart office, Jeremy Schad to its Manzanita office, Ellen Miller to its Corvallis office and William Herman to its Long Beach office. In addition, it has hired...

Kneisler receives Educator of the Year award from Oregon Building Congress.
October 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Report The Oregon Building Congress has announced that Terry Kneisler will receive an Educator of the Year award for his work establishing the ACE Architecture charter school. Kneisler is the superintendent of the...

Otak Inc. hires Barewin as a transportation planner in its Lake Oswego headquarters.
October 3, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Otak Inc. has hired Lesley Barewin as a transportation planner in its Lake Oswego headquarters. Barewin will specialize in environmental planning for transportation projects. She previously worked in the planning...

Crawford to serve as mediator for Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt.
October 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Report Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt has announced that John G. Crawford, a former shareholder who retired after 34 years with the firm, is now serving as a mediator and arbitrator in business and commercial cases.

Columbia River gatekeepers fish for coast's 1st heritage area.
October 3, 2007... Byline: Nathalie Weinstein A nonprofit organization is pushing to make the Columbia River gateway the first national heritage area on the West Coast. The nonprofit group Destination: The Pacific is seeking a congressional designation...

New national praise brings city of Portland new criticism.
October 3, 2007... Byline: Tyler Graf Portland is internationally recognized for its devotion to urban planning and its love of public transportation, having received glowing coverage from the New York Times, the San Francisco Examiner and the BBC. But...

Washington State Department of Ecology fines builder, developer in Vancouver.
October 3, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Washington State Department of Ecology on Monday said it fined a Vancouver developer and contractor $39,000 for dumping stormwater at the nine-lot Columbia River Crossing subdivision in Vancouver. ...

Brownfield report to detail cleanup of Portland Harbor.
October 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Report Robert Colangelo, CEO of the National Brownfield Association, will lead a discussion of the remediation of the Portland Harbor, brownfield sites and other contaminated lands today at the World Trade Center in...

City of Portland and Multnomah County look to fill east panel.
October 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Report The city of Portland and Multnomah County are seeking members for an East Portland Action Plan committee, an effort to improve livability and address issues in the area east of Interstate 205. The East Portland...

Walsh Contruction Co. announces that Martin Houston has become a LEED professional.
October 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Report Walsh Contruction Co. has announced that Martin Houston has become a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-accredited professional. Houston is a quality assurance manager with Walsh. He has 15 years of...

Murase Associates hires Grafton as a landscape designer.
October 3, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Report Murase Associates has hired Jesse Grafton as a landscape designer. Grafton holds a degree in landscape architecture from Washington State University. His projects include Tom Gail Park, Peace Health Sacred...

Four to compete for $100,000 from angel investors.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Elemental Technologies Inc., Floragenex, Rocketbux and Zebra Mix are the four finalists for a $100,000 investment that will be presented at the 2007 Bend Venture Conference. The conference will take place Oct. 19 at...

Bend City Council pushes residents to buy green power.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff The Bend City Council, in partnership with the Bend Chamber of Commerce and Pacific Power, has asked residents and businesses to sign up for Pacific Power's Blue Sky Program in order to address global climate change. ...

Commentary: Central Oregon a lab for New Urbanism.
October 4, 2007... Byline: Ken Pirie New Urbanism is something you've probably heard about. Sounds great in the abstract: good principles, solid reasoning. But what is it really? Strictly defined, New Urbanism is a reaction to conventional, inefficient...

Murase Associates hires Molly Gatzlaff in Portland.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Murase Associates has hired Molly Gatzlaff as a landscape designer. Gatzlaff holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is working on expansion and renovation projects...

Mercy Corps hires Johanna Thoeresz.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Mercy Corps has hired Johanna Thoeresz as its vice president for development. Thoeresz has 20 years of fundraising experience, previously working at The Catlin Gabel School and at Reed College as its director of...

Cynthia Balzola named Oregon Realtor of the Year.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff The Oregon Association of Realtors has named Cynthia Balzola Oregon Realtor of the Year. Balzola is the ombudsman for the OAR and previously acted as OAR state president. She formerly acted as the president of the...

Lake Oswego-based Otak Inc. hires Todd Rivers.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Otak Inc. has hired Todd Rivers as an architecture job captain in its Lake Oswego headquarters. Rivers has 13 years of architecture experience in Oregon.

Karen York graduates from Pacific Coast Banking School.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Bank of Clark County has announced that Karen York has graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School. York completed the two-year program for executive management bankers. York began at Bank of Clark County in 1998...

Lake Oswego-based Otak Inc. hires Christopher Yake.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Otak Inc. has hired Christopher Yake as a senior planner in its Lake Oswego headquarters. Yake has a background in smart growth, community planning and transit-oriented development. He recently managed the Denver...

Julie M. Adelman graduates from Pacific Coast Banking School.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Bank of Clark County has announced that Julie M. Adelman has graduated from the Pacific Coast Banking School. Adelman completed the two-year program for executive management bankers. She joined Bank of Clark County in...

Alan McCollum is included in The Best Lawyers in America 2008.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Marger Johnson & McCollom has announced that Alan McCollom was selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2008 in the Intellectual Property Law section. McCollum has 25 years of experience in private law...

Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center elects Tabitha Reeder.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff The Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center has elected Tabitha Reeder as vice chairwoman. Reeder is a senior scientist with JD White, a division of Berger/Abam Engineers Inc.

Eric Holmes appointed economic development director for Vancouver.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff The city of Vancouver has appointed Eric Holmes as its economic development director. Holmes was formerly the city manager of Battle Ground and left last year to become the chief operating officer at MacKay & Sposito,...

Portland architectural landmark sells to Unico for $28 million.
October 4, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan One of Portland's architectural landmarks has been sold to Unico Properties for $27.7 million. The Pietro Belluschi-designed Commonwealth Building since 1993 had been owned by Joe Weston, who purchased the building...

For wave energy, new federal process is sink or swim.
October 4, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker A new federal hydropower licensing process will either anchor the wave energy industry or be the weight that sinks the ship, Northwest energy developers and agencies told federal energy regulators Tuesday. Members...

Portland builder makes foray into partisan politics.
October 4, 2007... Byline: Tyler Graf Portland developer John Russell is known for his work spearheading environmentally friendly developments, including the LEED-rated 200 Market Building, but he also has a political side. On Tuesday, Oregon House...

U.S. construction starts increase in August.
October 4, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Construction starts rose 6 percent in August, McGraw-Hill Construction reported this week. Nonresidential building starts rose 16 percent and nonbuilding starts rose 12 percent, but residential starts fell 6 percent....

Test.
October 4, 2007... Byline: Christopher Thompson Test

Kennedy/Jenks Consultants hires Joanmarie Eggert.
October 5, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Kennedy/Jenks Consultants has hired Joanmarie Eggert as its Pacific Northwest regional marketing manager. Eggert has worked as a geologist, systems analyst, operations manager, program manager, client service manager...

Murase Associates hires Julia Harakay.
October 5, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Murase Associates has hired Julia Harakay as a landscape designer. Harakay holds a degree in landscape architecture from the University of Idaho. She is working on educational facility projects for the Beaverton...

Commentary: Immigration battle could be coming to your office.
October 5, 2007... Byline: Rich Meneghello Problem: Unless you've been living under a rock for several years, you know immigration is a hot topic. However, it's always seemed to be someone else's problem. No one has come knocking on your workplace door...

Multnomah County officials narrow options for Sellwood Bridge.
October 5, 2007... Byline: Tyler Graf Built in 1925, the Sellwood Bridge has seen better days. It creeps. It crumbles. And it needs to be replaced, say Multnomah County officials who are looking at options for a new Sellwood Bridge. This week, a group of...

Q&A with the president of American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon.
October 5, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan The American Council of Engineering Companies of Oregon last year celebrated 50 years in the building business. And though ACEC- comprising 4,000 employees of 115 Oregon consulting engineering firms - has made promoting...

Pacific NW chapter of associated builders, electrical contractors consider alliance.
October 5, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Associated Builders and Contractors Pacific Northwest chapter and the Independent Electrical Contractors of Oregon this month are considering an alliance. The two construction industry associations, which...

Myhre Group's Oregon designs score national recognition.
October 5, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Two projects by Myhre Group Architects have been honored with national design awards. The Crossings at Gresham Station in Gresham and North Main Village in Milwaukie were recognized by Multi-Housing News in its annual...

Project Mgmt. Institute picks award winners.
October 5, 2007... Byline: DJC staff The Project Management Institute has announced that Con-way Enterprise Services, Portland General Electric, Online Business Systems/TransCanada Gas Transmission Northwest and J.J. Henri Co. have received the 2007...

Kennedy/Jenks Consultants promotes Charles McIntyre.
October 5, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Kennedy/Jenks Consultants has promoted Charles McIntyre to director of marketing. McIntyre will focus on firm marketing practices and implement a business development plan. He joined Kennedy/Jenks as a marketing...

Portland construction/architecture firms announce staffing changes: October 8, 2007.
October 8, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Clark/Kjos Architects hires new staff Clark/Kjos Architects has hired Guy Maluda, Mark Wong, Molly Dobbs and Aaron McGarry to its Seattle office and Sascha Poeschl, John Jamiel, Shin Yee Siek, Karin Wohlert, PV...

GVA Kidder Mathews hires associate vice president.
October 8, 2007... Byline: DJC staff GVA Kidder Mathews has hired Josh Schweitz as an associate vice president specializing in office properties. Schweitz previously worked with CB Richard Ellis and has six years of commercial real estate industry...

Portland's Earl Blumenhaur discusses transportation in cities nationwide.
October 9, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan Earl Blumenauer sees Portland from the ground level. When the Congressman talks about how he sees the city he serves - first as a member of the Oregon Legislature, then as a Multnomah County commissioner and a Portland...

Commentary: Greenspan's take on housing a case of 'If I did it'.
October 9, 2007... Byline: William Rutherford Alan Greenspan, apparently speaking through a translator, has released his $8 million book, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World. To his hefty speaking and consulting fees we can now add book...

Commentary: Taxpayers beware! Property bills come this month.
October 9, 2007... Byline: David L. Canary By statute, county assessors must deliver property tax statements to taxpayers by Oct. 25 of each year - just before Halloween. This requirement applies to all property, real or personal, whether owned by homeowners...

Eastern Ore. ethanol plant benefits state construction.
October 9, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker Pacific Ethanol on Friday celebrated the grand opening of Oregon's first large-scale ethanol plant in Boardman. Completion of the Sacramento-based company's 40 million-gallon per year ethanol plant, which began...

Metro issues request for proposals for transporting trash from Portland to Arlington.
October 9, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Metro has issued a draft request for proposals to transport waste from Portland 150 miles east to the Columbia Ridge landfill near Arlington. About 532,000 tons of waste per year are sent to the Arlington landfill....

Oregon Natural Step Network advocates talk green at Nike.
October 9, 2007... Byline: DJC staff The Oregon Natural Step Network will hold a sustainability conference Wednesday at Nike World Headquarters, One Bowerman Drive, in Beaverton, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The conference, titled A Common Path for Success and...

Washington fines shipper for crane.
October 9, 2007... Byline: DJC staff The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries has fined Westport Shipyard Inc. for numerous safety violations, including two willful violations for hazards involving the use of a faulty crane. The...

Fifteen Portland-area companies donate to United Way.
October 9, 2007... Byline: DJC staff Fifteen local companies will contribute gifts to underwrite operating costs for the United Way as part of the Cornerstone Partnership of the United Way of the Columbia-Willamette. All of the contributions will be...

Metro-created paint gets green certification.
October 9, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Report MetroPaint, a recycled latex paint product created by Metro, has received the first recycled paint certification from Green Seal, an environmental standards certifying organization. In addition, MetroPaint...

Don't call open-shop alliance a 'union'.
October 10, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker When two like-minded organizations decide to come together, one can technically call the agreement a union. The Pacific Northwest chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors and the Independent Electrical...

University of Oregon learns it doesn't need downtown space.
October 10, 2007... Byline: Tyler Graf For 90 years, the University of Oregon has maintained a Portland campus at locations throughout the city - from 451 Courthouse in 1917 to its current spot in the Willamette Block building. And as the spring move-in date...

Portland Historic Landmarks Commission sends Mercy Corps HQ back to the drawing board.
October 10, 2007... Byline: Alison Ryan The Portland Historic Landmarks Commission on Monday came close to denying plans for the proposed Mercy Corps headquarters in Old Town. The project has two parts: the renovation of the Skidmore Fountain Building and...

Vancouver port awards methanol plant contract.
October 10, 2007... Byline: Libby Tucker The Port of Vancouver USA on Tuesday awarded Rotschy Inc. a contract to build a rail link, utilities and other infrastructure for the NuStar Energy methanol plant at the port. The port contract was re-bid in August...

Portland-based Freightliner will change its name.
October 10, 2007... Byline: DJC Staff Freightliner LLC, a heavy duty truck manufacturer headquartered in Portland, will change its corporate name to Daimler Trucks North America LLC, effective Jan. 7. Freightliner has been a part of Daimler AG, formerly...

SRG Partnership hires Lansing.
October 10, 2007... Byline: DJC staff SRG Partnership Inc. has hired Greg Lansing as an intern architect. Lansing holds a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oregon. He is working on Shriners Hospitals for Children in Honolulu and the...