Business Journal-Portland articles from April 1991

Business Journal-Portland archives from April 1991

Northwest buys into KKR investment plan, but what is the cost? (Oregon and Washington states invest in Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co. leveraged buyout activities)
April 29, 1991... Northwest buys into KKR investment plan, but what is the cost? While some states are splitting the sheets, the long, blissful romance between the Northwest and leveraged buyout king Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. goes on. Oregon and, as...

Consultants handed reins at Fred Meyer offices. (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co. consultants to make operational changes at Fred Meyer Inc.)
April 29, 1991... Consultants handed reins at Fred Meyer offices Buyout kings KKR have installed two of their men on Freddy's executive committee Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., majority owner of Fred Meyer Inc., is using two high-powered consultants...

Riedel plans to be top of compost heap. (Riedel Waste Systems Inc. bid to build plants in San Diego and North Carolina)
April 29, 1991... Riedel plans to be top of compost heap Riedel Waste Systems Inc., builder of the nation's first large-scale municipal composter, is one of two finalists to build a similar plant in San Diego. Riedel Waste Systems, a subsidiary of...

High flier grounded by poor winter sales. (Sequent Computer Systems Inc. suffers sizeable first loss in earnings)
April 29, 1991... High flier grounded by poor winter sales A combination of internal problems and external economic factors combined to push Sequent Computer Systems Inc. into its first loss in 19 quarters. And the size of the loss stunned analysts. ...

Fractal system keeps produce at its best without soaking grocers. (Fractal Inc. misting systems for grocery produce sections)
April 29, 1991... Fractal system keeps produce at its best without soaking grocers It's a sudden, swirling fog, a dewy sheen that climbs over carrots and zucchinis, lettuce and spinach, making shoppers feel as if they were in a TV commercial filled with...

First Interstate hitting the streets with its loan programs. (First Interstate Bank of Oregon to market loan programs in low and moderate income neighborhoods)
April 29, 1991... First Interstate hitting the streets with its loan programs Bankers may soon join the ranks of vacuum cleaner and encyclopedia salespeople selling their wares door to door in Portland. First Interstate Bank of Oregon is considering...

Qual-Med sues Foundation. (Qual-Med Oregon Health Plan Inc., Foundation Health Corp.)
April 29, 1991... Qual-Med sues Foundation Qual-Med Oregon Health Plan Inc. and its Denver-based parent company have filed a lawsuit against Foundation Health Corp., which sold its business holdings in Oregon, Washington and New Mexico to Qual-Med in 1989....

Relaxed nursing home rules may cut costs, or trim care. (Oregon's Division of Senior and Disabled Services authors plan for nursing homes)
April 29, 1991... Relaxed nursing home rules may cut costs, or trim care A state plan that would move some nursing home residents into less regulated environments to curb costs has raised the hackles of industry officials who say it could reduce the quality...

Law firm opens new office. (Davis, Wright, Tremaine of Portland, Oregon opens new office in San Francisco, California)
April 29, 1991... Law firm opens new office Davis Wright Tremaine, one of Portland's largest law firms, has opened a San Francisco office and added three attorneys to staff it. Davis Wright, with 63 attorneys in Portland and more than 260 firmwide, also...

Washington Fed seeks competitive edge with new name. (Washington Federal Savings Bank changing name and status from federal to state-chartered savings bank)
April 29, 1991... Washington Fed seeks competitive edge with new name Is the Oregon Pioneer returning to the local banking scene? Washington Federal Savings Bank is considering changing its name in the wake of a powerful new rival's entry into the...

Personal, business bankruptcy rate jumps 14 percent. (report by United States Bankruptcy Court of Portland)
April 29, 1991... Personal, business bankruptcy rate jumps 14 percent Driven by slow economic times, poor credit decisions and high medical costs, nearly 12,000 people and businesses filed for bankruptcy in Oregon in 1990. Filings were up 14 percent...

Once denied, VanFed challenges Mill Plain again. (VanFed Savings Bank subsidiary Mill Plain One Inc. seeks plan change to permit real estate development in Portland, Oregon)
April 29, 1991... Once denied, VanFed challenges Mill Plain plan again A VanFed Savings Bank subsidiary is seeking a comprehensive plan change to permit an 80-acre complex of apartments, offices and shops on a prime Mill Plain Boulevard parcel in Clark...

Franchise law expert builds national name from Portland office. (Doug Smith)
April 29, 1991... Doug Smith Franchise law expert builds national name from Portland office The speed of his pacing increases along with the steeliness in his voice. His telephone cord is getting a workout, stretching to and fro, first winding...

Portland TV stations expand their reach. (stations KOIN, KATU and KPDX expand broadcasting in Oregon)
April 29, 1991... Portland TV stations expand their reach Portland-area television stations want to reach out and touch someone--in Central Oregon and on the coast. KOIN (Channel 6), KATU (Channel 2) and KPDX (Channel 49) are all involved in efforts to...

Mining, forest companies form resource partnership. (Cavenham Forest Industries Inc. and Gold Fields Mining Corp. form Hanson Natural Resources Co.)
April 29, 1991... Mining, forest companies form resources partnership Cavenham Forest Industries Inc. of Portland has formed a partnership with Gold Fields Mining Corp. of Golden, Colo., to create Hanson Natural Resources Co. Day-to-day operations of...

Thriftway opens plastics recycling centers. (Thriftway Inc. stores in Oregon and Washington)
April 29, 1991... Thriftway opens plastics recycling centers Thriftway stores in several Oregon and Washington communities will become permanent plastics recycling sites from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the last Saturday of each month. The chain of markets is...

Joint venture in Mexico. (American Citadel Inc. and Texas Optoelectronics Inc. joint manufacturing)
April 29, 1991... Joint venture in Mexico American Citadel Inc. of Portland has entered an agreement with Texas Optoelectronics Inc. of Dallas to begin joint manufacturing operations at a facility in Juarez, Mexico. Under the terms of the agreement,...

Bank on more ads from Pacific First. (Pacific First Bank launches television advertising campaign)
April 29, 1991... Bank on more ads from Pacific First Not to be outdone by U.S. Bank's much-vaunted advertising campaign introduced three weeks ago, Pacific First Bank has launched a campaign of its own. Pacific First began its first television ad...

Metropolis Monthly makes the scene. (literary, arts and design publication makes its debut)
April 29, 1991... Metropolis Monthly makes the scene What's black and white and read all over? Metropolis Monthly, hopes publisher Robert Kenneth, who introduced the new publication April 1. The magazine is a literary, arts and design publication, said...

Clearcut problems ahead: West Coast environmental groups want logging limits.
April 15, 1991... Clearcut problems ahead West Coast environmental groups want logging limits Buttressed by campaigns to limit logging in California, Northwest environmentalists are pushing for stronger controls on logging in Oregon and Washington....

Trade talks could open Portland to Hong Kong air route. (Portland, Oregon)
April 15, 1991... Trade talks could open Portland to Hong Kong air route Trade negotiations set for next month may open a direct air link between Portland and Hong Kong, the world's largest trading port. Bilateral trade talks are scheduled for the week...

First Interstate moves data jobs to Portland. (First Interstate Bank of Oregon; Portland, Oregon)
April 15, 1991... First Interstate moves data jobs to Portland First Interstate Bank of Oregon officials have doubled their estimate of the number of new jobs to be transferred to Portland as a result of a company-wide data processing consolidation. ...

Now see hare: Rabbit meat is tasty and good for you. (Classic Country Rabbit Co.)
April 15, 1991... Now see hare: Rabbit meat is tasty and good for you Run, rabbit, run! Shari Thomas and her firm, the Classic Country Rabbit Co., want to toss your fuzzy posterior into a stew pot. Known as "The Rabbit Lady" to Portland restaurant owners...

Portland area stocks enjoyed strong first quarter. (Portland, Oregon)
April 15, 1991... Portland-area stocks enjoyed strong first quarter Anyone whose Christmas stocking was stuffed full of FPS Computing shares three months ago was probably not too thrilled at the time. At a dollar a share when year-end rolled around, the...

Retrenchment leads to sale of commercial mortgage unit. (Security Pacific Bancorporation Northwest)
April 15, 1991... Retrenchment leads to sale of commercial mortgage unit Security Pacific Bank Nortwest, in the midst of a significant retrenchment, has sold its commercial mortgage banking operation to a group of former employees. The sale of the...

Industrial Funding Corp. announces another big layoff.
April 15, 1991... Industrial Funding Corp. announces another big layoff For the second time in six months, Industrial Funding Corp. has announced a major layoff. In the newest round of cuts, the company has sliced another 25 percent of its staff paring...

Federal court sends Far West case home. (Far West Federal Bank)
April 15, 1991... Federal court sends Far West case home Far West Federal Bank won a small, but possibly important victory April 9 in its prolonged legal battle against federal regulators. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., ruled in...

Copenhagen to add taxiway. (Copenhagen Utilities and Construction Inc.)
April 15, 1991... Copenhagen to add taxiway Copenhagen Utilities and Construction Inc. of Clackamas will construct the first phase of paying and lighting for Portland International Airport's new taxiway C. The contract was awarded to the company by the...

Taiwanese firm proposes Mount Talbert housing project. (Taiwan Glass USA and Bon Development Corp. building housing complex in Oregon)
April 15, 1991... Taiwanese firm proposes Mount Talbert housing project Principals of a Taiwanese glass company are proposing a project of 249 snazzy homes on the slopes of scenic Mount Talbert southeast of Clackamas Town Center. The project would bring...

New plastics recycler starts operations in Vancouver. (Ezon Corp.; Vancouver, Washington)
April 15, 1991... New plastics recycler starts operations in Vancouver Victor Bitar, president of Partek Corp. recycling operations, and Roy Heikkala, former director of property and development at the Port of Vancouver, have opened a subsidiary of Partek...

Home-improvement retail chain to enter Oregon market. (Ernst Home Centers)
April 15, 1991... Home-improvement retail chain to enter Oregon market A nearly century-old Seattle retail chain is about to enter Oregon's crowded home-improvement store market. Ernst Home Center Inc. plans to open two 61,000-square-foot retail stores...

Home values snap record in March; brisk spring sales period may lift prices higher.
April 15, 1991... Home values snap record in March; brisk spring sales period may lift prices higher Home values in Portland's tri-county area jumped to record levels in March, according to the Oregon Multiple Listing Service (OMLS). The average price...

Ellen Pinney: adventurer faces big political obstacles as health care lobbyist.
April 15, 1991... Ellen Pinney Adventurer faces big political obstacles as health care lobbyist Ellen Pinney has climbed in the Andes and Swiss Alps. She's worked on a fishing boat off the shore of Maine, labored as a hired hand on a Montana sheep...

Companies change execs in search for winning team. (Test Systems Strategies Inc; DWB Associates Inc.)
April 15, 1991... Companies change execs in search for winning team Two troubled Beaverton software companies have hired new executives and made other changes in attempts to turn themselves around. Test Systems Strategies Inc. (TSSI) has hired Charles...

Pulp-fiction publisher pushes private stock offering. (Dime Novels)
April 15, 1991... Pulp-fiction publisher pushes private stock offering A Portland publisher of pint-sized pulp fiction is looking for cash to finance its next phase of growth. Dime Novels, a publisher of 3-by-4-inch novellas, plans to issue a private...

Buyer sought while operations continue at Vancouver. (Boise Cascade Corp.; Vancouver, Washington)
April 15, 1991... Buyer sought while operations continue at Vancouver Boise Cascade Corp. will keep its Vancouver, Wash., mill operating while it works to find new market niches, primarily in recycled paper products, say employees and managers. The...

Freightliner trims staff. (Freightliner Corp.)
April 15, 1991... Freightliner trims staff Freightliner Corp. will eliminate more than 20 percent of the company's office positions by the end of the year through layoffs, early retirements and elimination of vacant positions. The retrenchment began...

Small-town retailers facing daunting foe; Wal-Mart's arrival will test the mettle of retailers in Oregon's towns and small cities. (Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)
April 1, 1991... Small-town retailers facing daunting foe Oregon retailers, be forewarned. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is expanding into the Beaver State, and it's likely to shake up small-town retail areas much like shopping malls spelled widespread store...

Managed care making slow start. (health care option, managed care organizations in Oregon)
April 1, 1991... Managed care making slow start A new health care option launched last year as a partial cure to Oregon's troubled workers' compensation system is having little effect on the problem so far, according to officials in government and...

Measure 5 derails efforts for graduate engineering school.
April 1, 1991... Measure 5 derails efforts for graduate engineering school The local electronics industry's long-hoped-for goal of a new engineering graduate school in Oregon has been derailed by Measure 5. The property tax limitation measure has led...

Hohner designs a cure for tired eyes and aching backs. (optometrist Terry Hohner with Ergo Desks)
April 1, 1991... Hohner designs a cure for tired eyes and aching backs Optometrist Terry Hohner's taken a position on position. Not that he's advocating a total ban on the hunch: probably even Dr. Hohner wouldn't deny football players their secretive...

Tektronix tries for control of Japanese joint venture firm.
April 1, 1991... Tektronix tries for control of Japanese joint venture firm Tektronix Inc. is seeking control of Sony/Tektronix, its highly profitable joint venture operation in Japan. Gary Arnold, Tek chief financial officer, said top Tek officials...

Downtown businessmen launch Wilsonville apartments. (Portland, Oregon)
April 1, 1991... Downtown businessmen launch Wilsonville apartments Two downtown Portland retailers expect to break ground this fall on a large hillside apartment project in Wilsonville after tentatively settling a condemnation dispute with city officials....

Fabricland approves talks with House of Fabrics Inc.
April 1, 1991... Fabricland approves talks with House of Fabrics Inc. Fabricland Inc.'s board of directors has authorized the company's management to enter negotiations with House of Fabrics Inc. regarding an acquisition of the Portland-based fabric...

Diaper maker gearing up for push into Canadian market. (VMG Enterprises of Vancouver, Washington)
April 1, 1991... Diaper maker gearing up for push into Canadian market VMG Enterprises of Vancouver, Wash., maker of Baby's Choice Diapers, is installing a third diaper machine and is going after a portion of Canada's disposable diaper market in expansion...

PGE, Northwest Natural Gas join forces to build $14.6 million natural gas pipeline. (Portland General Electric Co., Northwest Natural Gas Co.)
April 1, 1991... PGE, Northwest Natural Gas join forces to build $14.6 million natural gas pipeline Portland General Electric Co. and a subsidiary of Northwest Natural Gas Co. have agreed to an unusual joint venture project to build a 17-mile interstate...

Qual-Med balks at buying Grants Pass health insurer. (Qual-Med Oregon Health Plan Inc.)
April 1, 1991... Qual-Med balks at buying Grants Pass health insurer Portland's Qual-Med Oregon Health Plan Inc. recently has pulled out of negotiations to buy a financially ailing Grants Pass-based insurer, but at least two others are in the wings. A...

E-machines profit tied to new management, financing. (E-Machines Inc.)
April 1, 1991... E-Machines profit tied to new management, financing With new management, a new bank and new line of credit, as will as a slate of hot new products, long-troubled E-Machines Inc. has a new lease on life. Jack Todaro, chief executive...

Insurers oppose bill to require osteopathic care option.
April 1, 1991... Insurers oppose bill to require osteopathic care option Insurers are fighting a legislative proposal that would force them to offer osteopathic hospital services to members of managed-care plans. The bill, approved by the Senate Human...

Upscale furniture retailer moving into Clark County. (Parker Furniture)
April 1, 1991... Upscale furniture retailer moving into Clark County Parker Furniture plans to open a furniture store near Vancouver Mall in a 36,000-square-foot building it recently purchased. Parker bought the former Furnishings 2000 Building on 4317...

Pennbrook invests in Hillsboro. (Hillsboro shopping center, City Center Partners, Pennbrook Development Co.)
April 1, 1991... Pennbrook invests in Hillsboro A Bend developer has bought an ailing downtown Hillsboro shopping center and plans a renovation to attract new retailers. City Center Partners, a partnership headed by Bend-based Pennbrook Development...

Refugee coordinator weaves immigrants into Portland life. (a profile of Paul Kinh Duong)
April 1, 1991... Refugee coordinator weaves immigrants into Portland life An indomitable optimism courses through Paul Kinh Duong as enduring as the Mekong River. "My lucky star is always smiling on my fate," says Portland's refugee program coordinator. ...

Freightliner tackles new market with medium-size delivery truck.
April 1, 1991... Freightliner tackles new market with a medium-size delivery truck Freightliner maneuvered into a new market last week with the unveiling of its medium-size truck line and declared the move a bold step for a truck manufacturer. ...

Dicus at helm of PGC unit. (Lonnie Dicus as general manager of Columbia-Willamette Development Co.)
April 1, 1991... Dicus at helm of PGC unit Lonnie Dicus has been named to replace David Engelman as general manager of Columbia-Willamette Development Co., a real estate development arm of Portland General Corp. Dicus has worked for Portland General in...

Beak Consultants Inc. (People on the Move)
April 1, 1991... Beak Consultants Inc. Beak Consultants Inc., a nationwide environmental and resource management firm, announced two promotions in the Portland office: Robert Ellis, principal aquatic ecologist, was named president; and Kenneth Carlson,...

Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center. (People on the Move)
April 1, 1991... Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center The medical staff of Good Samaritan Hospital & Medical Center elected the following officers: Dr. George Gross, president; Dr. R. William Bennetts, first vice president; and Dr. Richard Allen, second...

Portland is receiving more lights, cameras and action. (Snazelle Film Group Ltd., Cine Rent West Inc., film production studios )
April 1, 1991... Portland is receiving more lights, cameras and action A well-known San Francisco television commercial director plans to open a production facility and equipment rental service in Portland by June of this year. Greg Snazelle, owner of...

Focus on service key to surviving Wal-Mart's onslaught. (Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)
April 1, 1991... Focus on service key to surviving Wal-Mart's onslaught Experts have some simple yet hard-to-swallow advice for Oregon retailers concerned about the imminent arrival of Wal-Mart department stores here: Don't try to compete with the giant...

Regional strength, research keeps local stock fund flying; local small-cap fund manager finds success with regional investments. (Capital Consultants Inc.)
April 1, 1991... Regional strength, research keeps local stock fund flying ON WALL STREET AND every other street where investment wizards gather, the dream is to find an under-covered, under-valued stock positioned to make investors rich and the wizards who...

Northwest Turnaround fund comes to end after year.
April 1, 1991... Northwest Turnaround fund comes to end after year HEY MACK, CAN YOU SPARE $50,000 for my bankrupt company? A come-on like that would seem to be as appealing as being approached by a drunk watch salesman on the Burnside Bridge. But for...

Alleco hopes debt swap keeps it from going bankrupt. (Alleco Inc., Oregon Salmon Inc.)
April 1, 1991... Alleco hopes debt swap keeps it from going bankrupt Alleco Inc., the successor to Allegheny Beverage Corp., is negotiating a deal that might save itself from bankruptcy by paying about 30 cents on the dollar of $105 million in debt. If...