Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland articles from September 2008

Daily Journal of Commerce, Portland archives from September 2008

Corvallis-based contractor Greenberry Industrial adds Washington office.
September 2, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Corvallis-based industrial contractor Greenberry Industrial has announced that it has opened a new office in Burlington, Wash. The contractor, which provides mechanical, structural and civil construction and...

Cascade Parkway in Portland welcomes hip hotel.
September 2, 2008... Byline: Nathalie Weinstein The large, beige and concrete hotels near the Portland International Airport are far from exotic. Hotel patrons hurry from the airport shuttle to their rooms, attend their business meetings and depart without a...

Proposal made for first hotel in West Linn.
September 2, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Reports Developer VKNW Inc., of Milwaukie has proposed a new hotel for West Linn. If the project goes through, it would be the first hotel for the community. The proposed Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites is planned...

New art for Portland commuter rail turns heads.
September 2, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report When the TriMet Commuter Rail Art Advisory Committee asked artists to submit proposals for public art at five stations for the new Westside Express Service commuter rail, it didn't want any 'boring' proposals. And...

Energy association starts Northwest chapter.
September 2, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report The Renewable Energy Business Network has started a Northwest chapter. The business association aims to promote the growth of the renewable energy industry by connecting industry professionals across the country....

Beaverton church seeks approval for expansion.
September 2, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report An application for an addition to a Beaverton church and school will be considered by Beaverton City Council on Oct. 1. The St. Cecilia Church and School wants to expand its building facilities by 20,000 square...

Waterfront park with Northwest theme opens in Hood River.
September 2, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report The city of Hood River has opened a new waterfront park along the Columbia River. Located between the Columbia shoreline and Portway Avenue, the 6.6-acre park includes a beach, lawn, trails, landscaping and...

Downtown Lake Oswego building could be sold.
September 2, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report A Portland developer is considering selling his newly constructed commercial building in downtown Lake Oswego. Owner Roger Pollock of Buena Vista Custom Homes has been working on the building, which would serve...

Knife River property in Hillsboro attracts buyer.
September 2, 2008... Byline: Tyler Graf When Norris, Beggs & Simpson brokers Tom Dechenne and Jack McConnell first set foot on what's now the former property of concrete aggregator Knife River, situated along the Tualatin Valley Highway in Hillsboro, they knew...

Portland event to show how LEED changes with the times.
September 2, 2008... Byline: Sam Bennett Ralph DiNola got into the green building movement on the ground floor. He joined Green Building Services, a Portland firm that specializes in consulting on green building projects, in 2001. At that time, Green...

Portland's Cascade Station office park takes off.
September 2, 2008... Byline: Libby Tucker Cascade Station's first hotel and office building are nearly complete, and the final round of construction on the 86-acre development near Portland International Airport has begun on four buildings: hotels for Hyatt...

Commentary: Know where you want to go.
September 2, 2008... Byline: Michelle Fitzpatrick Most companies have strategic plans. Most of these plans are either gathering dust or languishing in a rarely-visited folder on the server. Given the amount of time, money, energy and hope that most firms...

Portland-based William Wilson Architects hires seven.
September 2, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report William Wilson Architects has hired Ray Culi and Mark Vogel as project managers, Maria Ochoa-Power as job captain, Pete Dykema and Rebecca Fitzsimmons as student interns, Melissa Newton as marketing director and...

WHPacific Inc. promotes Chamberland to operations manager of its Salem office.
September 2, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report WHPacific Inc. has promoted Ed Chamberland to operations manager of its Salem office. Chamberland is a professional civil engineer with 17 years of experience managing transportation infrastructure projects. He...

Neighbors push to downsize condo project in Portland.
September 3, 2008... Byline: Sam Bennett After two years of battling, members of the Irvington Community Association say they are close to prevailing in their effort to downsize a proposed development called the Irvington Squire. The Portland Landmarks...

Ghost hospital in Portland's good Vibra-ations.
September 3, 2008... Byline: Libby Tucker Before Vibra Healthcare undertook a $20 million renovation and expansion of the old Physicians' Hospital in Northeast Portland, the building was like a ghost town. The federal government had shut down the previous...

Portland Office of Transportation audit: Close but not close enough.
September 3, 2008... Byline: Tyler Graf The Portland Office of Transportation's street maintenance backlog is equivalent to about a third of the city's streets, according to a city audit released last week. And although PDOT has made demonstrable...

Hillsdale to focus on town center development.
September 3, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Portland's Bureau of Planning will hold three public meetings in the coming months to get public input on developing Hillsdale's town center. Hillsdale is a neighborhood in the southwest section of Portland, and its...

AGC Young Constructors help the homeless in Portland.
September 3, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff The Associated General Contractors' Young Constructors forum will give back to the community on Sept. 17 by volunteering at the Share House Homeless Shelter. Share House is an emergency shelter for single, homeless...

Portland chapter of CFMA offers workshop on risk management.
September 3, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff The Construction Financial Management Association's Portland Chapter will hold two workshops on Sept. 23 on risk management and emergency management planning. Presented by Bob Lilly, risk manager of Laporte and...

Deodhar, Bayer appointed to Oregon Small Business Advisory Council.
September 3, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Gov. Ted Kulongoski has appointed Vijay Deodhar and Bridget Bayer to two-year terms of service with the Oregon Small Business Advisory Council. Deodhar and Bayer are both members of Portland Community College's Small...

Portland engineer passes Professional Engineering exam.
September 3, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Interface Engineering has announced that Thomas Phuong has passed his Professional Engineer exam, bringing Interface's PE count to 36. Phuong began as a graduate at Interface in 1999. He specializes in...

Vancouver-based Columbia Credit Union appoints Schauer to board.
September 3, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff The Columbia Credit Union has appointed Lisa Schauer to its board of directors. Schauer is a business development manager and associate at MacKay & Sposito Inc. She serves on the Columbian Advisory Board, the...

Portland Development Commission digs into Burnside Bridgehead.
September 4, 2008... Byline: Tyler Graf The Portland Development Commission has started excavation work on what's known as Block 75 near the intersection of East Burnside Street and Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, signaling a new predevelopment...

Providence Health and Services starts $70M office park in Portland.
September 4, 2008... Byline: Libby Tucker Providence Health and Services on Wednesday broke ground on its new $70 million office park in Portland's Hollywood District. The six-story office building and an adjacent parking structure at Northeast Halsey and...

Junction City sets sights on community center.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report City officials are considering a Masonic Lodge Complex at 530 Juniper Street in Junction City as a potential site for a new community center. The building, currently on sale for the asking price of $350,000,...

Oregon-based SOLARC Architecture and Engineering hires Hilton.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report SOLARC Architecture and Engineering Inc. has hired Joshua Hilton as a project architect. Hilton is currently working on GloryBee Foods subdivision in Eugene and Verde Village in Ashland. He graduated from...

Oregon-based SOLARC Architecture and Engineering hires Gross.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report SOLARC Architecture and Engineering has hired Jordon Gross as an intern. Gross is a student at Lane Community College's energy management program and will focus his internship on energy analysis.

Frost elected as Region 8 governor of American Society of Civil Engineers.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Stacy J. Frost, a project manager with HDJ Design Group, has been elected as Region 8 Governor of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Frost served as president of the ASCE Oregon section and was one of the...

Kennedy/Jenks Consultants' vice president James W. Graydon to head federal programs group.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Kennedy/Jenks Consultants' vice president and principal engineer James W. Graydon has been appointed to head the firm's new federal programs group. Graydon has 25 years of experience in project and program...

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management in Portland hires Ayotte.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Ferguson Wellman Capital Management has hired Nathan Ayotte as vice president and portfolio manager. Ayotte has nine years of financial industry experience and was previously a branch manager for Scottrade's...

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management in Portland hires Narancich.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Ferguson Wellman Capital Management has hired Shawn Narancich as vice president of research. Narancich has 12 years of research and analysis experience and spent the last three years as an investment analyst...

Portland General Electric hires Plantico.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Portland General Electric has hired Reuben Plantico as director of environmental and sustainability policy. Plantico has 30 years of experience, including two decades working on Clean Air Act and resource...

Commentary: Riding the insurance roller coaster.
September 4, 2008... Byline: Mike Salsgiver The commercial construction industry continues to endure the skyrocketing liability insurance costs that occurred earlier this decade. Contractors also continue to pay more for less, due to an increase in coverage...

Portland's Reed College Language House speaks to surroundings.
September 4, 2008... Byline: Sam Bennett For the Reed College Language House, architect Alan Osborne chose a design vocabulary familiar to Reed's campus. The Language House, which recently opened to Reed students studying Spanish, was designed to blend in...

Bend apartments updated by Pinnacle.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Pinnacle Architecture has performed an update of an aging apartment complex in Bend. Previously known as The Executive House, a shielded 1970s apartment complex, the renovated project is called The Parks...

Jim Howland, co-founder of CH2M Hill, dies at his Corvallis home.(Obituary)
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Jim Howland, co-founder of engineering firm CH2M Hill, died Aug. 28 at his Corvallis home. He was 92. Holding a bachelor's and master's degree in civil engineering, Howland met his business partners Burke...

Portland Beavers propose $75M in stadium upgrades.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report The owner of the Portland Beavers and the Portland Timbers has launched a public campaign to create a Major League Soccer franchise in Portland. The plan would include $75 million in Portland stadium upgrades,...

Oregon's Capitol fire halts renovations by Portland general contractor Fortis Construction.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Portland general contractor Fortis Construction has halted renovations to the Capitol building in Salem after a fire there severely damaged the building four days ago. Though it opened to some workers today, the...

Corvallis pushes urban renewal for downtown.
September 4, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Corvallis city councilors Tuesday unanimously approved a draft plan outlining details for raising urban renewal funds for downtown and south Corvallis. The funds would apply to a zone that would stretch from...

Portland-based Interface expands with two acquisitions.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Sam Bennett On the heels of its acquisition last year of Dupont Engineering, Interface Engineering continues to find companies to acquire that mesh well with its corporate culture and business plan, according to Interface president...

Engineers tackle Oregon report card.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Libby Tucker The American Society of Civil Engineers will begin its first in-depth report card on the state of Oregon's infrastructure this month. The study will model the American report card issued by the national association...

Panel ponders Portland's future development.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Tyler Graf The Urban Land Institute's symposium Thursday on the future of the central city commercial development was like taking a ride on a time machine - a trip through the downtown planning of the 1970s and the 1980s, before...

Family housing project stakes out site in Pearl District in Portland.
September 5, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff An effort to locate a new six-story family housing development in the Pearl District is underway by developer Ed McNamara. The developer of the Sitka Apartments has been working for two years on the affordable housing...

John Gray named Architecture Foundation of Oregon's 'Honored Citizen'.
September 5, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Developer John Gray, who is responsible for the development of John's Landing and Salishan Lodge, has been chosen by the Architecture Foundation of Oregon as its 2008 Honored Citizen. The Honored Citizen title...

Crews install clock towers at WES station in Tualatin.
September 5, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff TriMet construction crews Thursday morning installed clock towers at a new Westside Express Service station, in Tualatin. The new station, which will service the new commuter rail service to Beaverton, Tigard,...

Commentary: Religious discrimination moves center stage.
September 5, 2008... Byline: Rich Meneghello Problem: Religious discrimination claims are the fastest-growing charges filed with the federal EEOC. Since 1992, these claims have more than doubled from 1,388 charges in 1992 to 2,880 in 2007. Of course, this only...

Gresham forms Portland's first design commission.
September 8, 2008... Byline: Sam Bennett The future of building design in the city of Gresham may be turning a corner, as the city forms its first design commission. City officials announced last week that a seven-member design commission has been formed...

Funding for bridge in Multnomah County still uncertain.
September 8, 2008... Byline: Tyler Graf Multnomah County has finished summer repairs to the Sellwood Bridge, but the completed work is only a stopgap to keep the unstable bridge erect long enough for the county to continue working on securing funding for a...

ACE students in Portland spend first day 'on the job'.
September 8, 2008... Byline: Libby Tucker Kids throughout the Portland metro area headed back to school last week. But for some high school students attending the new Architecture Construction and Engineering Academy, the first day of school was more like the...

Sunriver project in Portland postponed for two years.
September 8, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff A proposed $200 million retail and residential development in Sunriver has been put on the backburner while its developer, SilverStar Destinations LLC, tackles legal hurtles. The development, which would replace the...

Oregon Employers Traffic Safety Conference focuses on traffic safety.(Conference news)
September 8, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff The Evergreen Safety Council this month will hold a free, daylong traffic safety event for employers. The Oregon Employers Traffic Safety Conference will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30 at the...

Construction Contractors Board of Oregon targets unlicensed contractors.
September 8, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff The Construction Contractors Board of Oregon is increasing its efforts to nab unlicensed contractors. CCB in February partnered with FOX 12 to conduct a sting of the Portland area and last month, it partnered with the...

Northwest Cascade hires Ferworn in Portland.
September 8, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Northwest Cascade has hired Dave Ferworn to open an office in Portland. Ferworn will be developing and bidding on work in the Portland metro area, Oregon and Northern California. He has 25 years of geotechnical...

SOLARC hires McClendon in Portland.
September 8, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff SOLARC Architecture and Engineering Inc. has hired intern Michael McClendon as a full-time energy analyst. McClendon recently graduated from the energy management program at Lane Community College. He holds two...

Fisher & Phillips in Portland hires Jordan.
September 8, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Fisher & Phillips has hired Laura Jordan as an associate. Jordan previously practiced employment law with another Portland firm and has experience working on employment law, contract law, creditors' rights and lender...

Portland in top 10 for sustainability.
September 9, 2008... Byline: Sam Bennett For Portland, being sustainable is all about making connections. Roy Koch, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Portland State University, said Portland continues to top lists of sustainable cities...

Northwest Portland apartment building sells for $2.15M.
September 9, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff A historic 17-unit apartment complex in Northwest Portland has been sold by John Estrem and Jane Carlsen to Alice M. Gaffney Revocable Trust for $2.15 million. Clay Newton of CV Newton Co. LLC represented both parties...

Grsham-based Alpha Community Development shuts down.
September 9, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Gresham-based engineering firm Alpha Community Development has closed its doors due to financial trouble. The firm was responsible for the Villebois residential development in Wilsonville and was involved with several...

Environmental firm offering scholarship.
September 9, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Environmental science and engineering consulting firm Anchor Environmental is offering a scholarship for graduate students majoring in fisheries; environmental sciences; planning/land use; landscape architecture; or...

South Waterfront in Portland designated 'salmon-safe'.
September 9, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Ecology group Salmon-Safe, which works to aid in salmon spawning in restored watersheds, has designated South Waterfront as Portland's first 'salmon-safe' neighborhood. The emerging neighborhood received the...

City of Tualatin seeks contractor for Herman Road work.
September 9, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff The city of Tualatin is requesting bids for a road project costing between $4.9 million and $5.2 million. The project involves constructing roadbed, aggregate base and asphalt concrete pavement for 5,000 lineal feet...

Washington County to vote on higher traffic impact fees.
September 9, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff A measure that would increase traffic impact fees charged to developers to pay for road and transit improvements will go to voters this November. Washington County Commissioners unanimously voted to place the measure on...

Vancouver pipe company gets $26M in supplier contracts.
September 9, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Vancouver-based steel pipe manufacturer Northwest Pipe Co. has been chosen as the pipe supplier for two major water pipeline projects. The manufacturer will supply 11,200 feet of 96-inch pipe for the Los Angeles...

Commentary: Construction industry focused on training.
September 9, 2008... Byline: John Killin Few economic sectors take employee training more seriously than the construction industry. With shop- and construction-oriented classes largely gone from schools across our state, the need for post-high school skills...

Portland-based Guardian Management hires Osbrink.
September 9, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Sperry Van Ness franchise Guardian Management has hired Bob Osbrink as president of its California, Arizona and Oregon offices. In addition to his presidential position, Osbrink will join Sperry Van Ness's board of...

Young obtains architecture license to practice architecture in Oregon.
September 9, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Yost Grube Hall Architecture has announced that Brent Young has obtained his license to practice architecture in Oregon. Young joined YGH in 2005 after serving as founding partner at Young Design Studio. He holds a...

Portland fire station to get a seismic upgrade.
September 9, 2008... Byline: Tyler Graf If an earthquake hit Portland, the city's Fire and Rescue Station One, located next to the Skidmore Fountain, may be the first building to crumble, said Bryan Ward, president of Skyward Construction. To prevent that...

Breaking news: Portland's US Bancorp Tower sells.
September 9, 2008... Byline: Tyler Graf LaSalle Investment Management, with offices internationally, is banking on Portland's US Bancorp Tower, having entered into a purchase partnership with the building's current management company, Unico Properties. ...

Community team to aid Vancouver waterfront plans.
September 10, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff A Community Resource Team has been formed by Gramor Development Inc./Columbia Waterfront LLC and the city of Vancouver to help guide the development of parks and open spaces at Vancouver's waterfront. The CRT is made...

Portland's South Waterfront deemed salmon friendly.
September 10, 2008... Byline: Sam Bennett Portland's South Waterfront is known for its proximity to nature and its LEED certified buildings. Now the South Waterfront area has become the first urban neighborhood in the United States to achieve Salmon-Safe...

Five-story, mixed-use building planned for Kerns neighborhood in Portland.
September 10, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff SERA Architects has applied for a pre-application conference for a proposed five-story, mixed-use building in the Kerns neighborhood. The project, to be located at 2625 E. Burnside St., is being developed by Opus...

Salem purchases ex-golf course for flood mitigation.
September 10, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Salem city council on Monday approved a plan to purchase a portion of the Battle Creek Golf Course site, with the intention of turning the property into a flood control and environmental enhancement project. The city...

$100 billion green program pitched.
September 10, 2008... Byline: Libby Tucker A proposed national green jobs program would invest $1.2 billion in clean energy industries and create more than 27,000 jobs in Oregon by 2010, according to a report released yesterday by the Center for American...

Metro auditor suggests transit program changes for Portland area.
September 11, 2008... Byline: Tyler Graf Metro auditor Suzanne Flynn will present her office's suggestions for improving the transparency and oversight of the regional government's Transit-Oriented Development program today at Metro council. The formal...

City of Portland fountain is still a landmark.
September 11, 2008... Byline: Sam Bennett When the Forecourt Fountain opened in 1970, it wasn't a hit with all Portlanders. Some local officials worried that the fountain would become a hangout for hippies - a notion that prompted Lawrence Halprin, whose...

Will Oregon's prevailing wage be a non-issue in 2009?
September 11, 2008... Byline: Libby Tucker The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries prevailing wage advisory committee will meet next week with a new member and a new agenda. Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian last week appointed Carl Redman, vice president...

Gresham veterinary hospital nears completion.
September 11, 2008... Byline: Dan Carter The new Gresham Animal Hospital in downtown Gresham is taking shape. The 6,600-square-foot building at 520 N.W. Division St. will have a waiting room, examination rooms, a laboratory, emergency and surgical services and...

Homeless facility on Portland's S.W. 13th Avenue proposed.
September 11, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report The Housing Authority of Portland has applied for a pre-application conference to demolish a four-story structure at S.W. 13th Avenue and replace it with a six-story facility for the homeless. According to the...

Oregon OSHA responds to crane accidents.
September 11, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Responding to the number of recent tower crane failures and accidents across the country, Oregon's Occupational Safety and Health Division will begin to emphasize tower crane safety. Beginning this month, the...

Contractors build $3.7M reservoir tank for Seaside.
September 11, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report General contractor Big River Excavating of Astoria is currently building a $3.7 million reservoir in Seaside. The Peterson Point Reservoir will be a giant tank located on the city's water treatment plant site...

Transportation group to hold mentorship event in Portland.
September 11, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Women's Transportation Seminar, an organization that works to advance careers for women in the transportation industry, will hold an event on Sept. 29 to assist its members in making mentorship connections. ...

Lane Transit District plans to reduce bus service in the Eugene-Springfield area.
September 11, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Due to the rising price of gas and service costs, Lane Transit District has announced a plan to cut its routes in the Eugene-Springfield area later this year. Maps and lists of several dozen routes that could...

North Albany land could become restoration project.
September 11, 2008... Byline: DJC Staff Report Albany city council agreed Monday to have city staff prepare an application to the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board to help pay the purchase price of a tract of land along East Thornton Lake in North Albany, with...