Business Journal-Portland articles from December 1999

Business Journal-Portland archives from December 1999

Vancouver paper eyes new $30M plant.(The Columbian)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 31, 1999... It's a headline torn from yesterday's dailies: The upstart competition takes on the hometown newspaper for newsstand sales. Only this time it's in Vancouver, where The Columbian newspaper is spending several million dollars to convert to...

Kaiser raises ER fees in cost-control move.(along with Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... The cost of a trip to the emergency room will, in some cases, double in the new year for members of Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente Health Plans. As of Feb. 1, all contracts renewed with Regence will require a $100...

A brisk hike into the trees--and the, future.(Collins Pine Co. forest management)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 31, 1999... You can take all the notes you want, leaf through brochure photos and discuss sustainable forestry until your blue in the face, but the best way to absorb the process is to see it in action. Or at least that's what Jim Quinn, chief...

Upstart mayoral candidate envisions a denser suburb.(Brian Lynott of Beaverton, Oregon)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Light classical music oozes from the P.A. system, and everyone in the meeting hail is prompted to shake each other's hand. Refreshment-stacked banquet tables adorn the wails. A large crowd sets into a series of synchronized stretching...

Report from the trenches to headquarters command.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... I happened to glance at the calendar and realized that the year was almost over, and I had yet one important task to perform: my annual report to The Thin Man's father on his son's progress during the year. I do this annually so that...

First workers now Wall Street beat up on Oregon Steel Milk.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... The downward spiral of Oregon Steel Mills appears to have accelerated in the wake of its third quarter earnings release. Three industry analysts revised their estimates downward, two downgraded the troubled steelmaker's shares, and all...

Labor dispute leads to trouble with customers.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Oregon Steel Mills and the United Steel Workers of America are in a battle of words, one that appears to be escalating. The two have been duking it out for more than two years, since October 1997; when 1,000 unionized employees at the...

Reeling Oregon Steel Mills makes poison pill.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... * Oregon Steel Mills Inc.'s board of directors adopted a shareholder rights Plan designed to protect. Oregon Steel shareholders in the event of an unsolicited bid for control of the company. Such plans, usually called "poison pills" because...

Bill Bowerman.(co-founder of Nike Inc. dies at 88)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Bill Bowerman, the legendary University of Oregon track coach who brought jogging to the U.S. and co-founded Nike Inc., died in his sleep on Christmas Eve night at his home in Fossil, Ore. He was 88 years old. It was he, along with a track...

AVI Biopharma Inc.(sells 7.5% stake to SuperGen Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... SuperGen Inc. has acquired an equity interest in AVI Biopharma Inc. The $5 million cash and stock deal gives the San Ramon, Calif.-based SuperGen a 7.5 percent stake in AVI and exclusive negotiating rights in the U.S. to the Portland...

RB Rubber.(20 percent stock dividend)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Shareholders of McMinnville-based RB Rubber will receive a 20 percent stock dividend, the company said. RB's board of directors said the dividend comes as the company makes a "strong turnaround" to profitability. Much of the success, the...

Bioject Medical Technologies Inc.(Navy tests malaria vaccine)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... U.S. Naval medical experts say they've been pleased with the immune response of a malaria vaccine delivered by Bioject Medical Technologies Inc. jet injection advice. Capt. Stephen Hoffman, director of the Navy malaria program, said they...

Wilshire Real Estate Investment Inc.(announces stockholder rights plan)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Wilshire Real Estate Investment Inc. announced the adoption of a stockholder rights plan to protect the company's net operating loss carryforwards and to encourage any potential acquirer to deal equally with all shareholders. Under the plan,...

Metro One Telecommunications Inc.(signs agreement with Network Solutions Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Metro One Telecommunications Inc., a provider of enhanced directory assistance services to the telecommunications industry, signed a multi-year agreement with Network Solutions Inc., the leading registrar of web addresses ending in .com, .net...

West Coast Bancorp.(names Robert D. Sznewajs CEO)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... West Coast Bancorp, the Northwest's largest bank holding company with $1.3 billion in assets named Robert D. Sznewajs president and chief executive officer of West Coast Bancorp and West Coast Bank. Sznewajs, 53, will also be appointed to the...

Willamette Valley Vineyards.(announces sale of property)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Willamette Valley Vineyards, Oregon's only publicly held winery, announced the successful sale/lease back of one of its vineyard parcels near Forest Grove, Ore. To finance additional vineyard development, the company said, the winery offered...

Delisting batters Labtec as firm reports profits.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Labtec Inc. was dealt a severe blow recently when its stock was removed from the Nasdaq national market system and placed on the over-the-counter bulletin boards. "This certainly doesn't help their case," said Timothy Summers, an analyst...

To foil energy crunch, business must conserve.(studies indicate that Northwestern utilities will have an increasingly hard time supplying required power at peak times)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... An impending Northwest energy shortage shouldn't reach 1974's panic-inducing proportions. Still, energy groups say businesses can help keep disaster from striking in a big way. "It's a critical time," cautioned Charlie Grist, an...

NW rail users struggle to Understand merger.(Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. and Canadian National Railway Co. merger could affect Northwestern wheat industry)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Transportation accounts for nearly 20 percent of the cost of wheat, the Columbia River's largest export. A fluctuation of pennies can make or break that business. That has people in the wheat business near the forefront of the crowd that...

Contract talks with Powell's to focus on wages in January.(Powell's Books talks with workers' labor union)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... The union representing Powell's Books workers hopes to respond to a management base-pay proposal in one of four negotiating sessions set for next month. Powell's corporate manager Ann Smith said the last two sets of negotiations, which...

Jim Hill.(Oregon State Treasurer)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... PERSONAL INFORMATION Name: Jim Hill Organization: Oregon State Treasury Tide: State treasurer What we do: We manage money Education: St Emma Military Academy Powhatan, Va. (1964); B.A., economics, Michigan State Univ....

Not your father's insurer.(demutualization of Standard Insurance leads to more aggressive financial practices)
December 31, 1999... To grow, Standard Insurance dumps its conservative ways Imagine playing a game of basketball with your friends. The object is to score more points than your opponents, right? Within that, you do what you can-rebound, pass, play...

KPAM's dreams of KPETE Kaput; he'll stay put at O.(KPAM radio station sought Oregonian columnist Pete Schulberg)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... The buzz from now until February, when contracts will be wrapped up, will be: Who's going to join the news and on-air team at Pamplin Communication's KPAM 860 AM? The latest rumor had The Oregonian's media columnist Pete Schulberg,...

KPDX FOX.(television's stations own newscast awaits completion of new building)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... The debut of KPDX FOX 49's own newscast keeps getting inched back. The FOX network has been urging its local affiliates to enter the local news business as soon as possible. Its newscast is now produced in collaboration with KOIN-TV. Its...

KUFO-FM.(raises money for Parry Center for Children)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Fans of Butt Rock, that affectionate term used for the Spandex-attired, big-hair bands like Poison, Slaughter and Winger, helped KUFO-EM raise $44,000 for charity last week. The station raised the money for the Parry Center for Children...

KATU-TV.
December 31, 1999... KATU-TV's "Town Hall" will go to a half-hour show Jan. 9, giving the show's producer the ability to tackle more topics, said general manager Jim Boyer. He said the forum format, which has remained an hour-long since its debut 25 years...

FREE THE AIRWAVES?(some Northwestern radio stations seeks freedom from corporate control)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... The World Trade Organization and multinational corporations are not the only targets of activists. Radio stations in Seattle and elsewhere have been overtaken by Radio Free Cascadia and the Vox Populi stations, which are seeking to liberate...

CH-CH-CHANGES.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... KEX News Director Brad Ford will talk about changes in local radio news at the Meet the Media Breakfast hosted by Oregon Columbia International Association of Business Communicators. The University of Portland graduate has worked in...

FLIR's thermal imager foils sea-going dumpers.(FLIR System Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Portland-based FLIR System Inc. has been floating a new thermal imaging system able to track down polluters on the high seas. And in recent weeks, the technology netted its first customer. Optimare GmbH of Wilhelmshaven, Germany,...

FROM THE SEAS TO THE DELTA.(Nature Conservancy seeks to expand Williamson River wetlands)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... The Nature Conservancy is drafting plans for wetland restoration on thou-sands of acres of farmland adjacent to Southern Oregon's Williamson River Delta Preserve. Last month, the Conservancy bought Goose Bay Farms, 3,747 acres of...

FROM THE DELTA TO THE DUMPS.(Oregon attempts to increase the amont of solid waste it recycles)(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... As consumption and waste generation in Oregon continues to swell, it appears the state has fallen short of its goal to reach 50-percent recycling by the year 2000. At least with one day left in the year, a lot of aluminum, plastic, glass and...

L&C following the law by expanding campus.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... The Northwestern school of Law of Lewis & Clark College is taking the first steps in what will ultimately be a $25 million expansion and renovation of the southwest Portland law school. The law school, officials like to point out, is the...

CHRISTMAS CRACKDOWN.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers isn't taking it easy during this holiday season. In fact, he's cracking down on companies offering web services to small businesses, retailers who sell ultra-trendy Indian (as in India, not Native American)...

EARLY SANTA.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Stoel Rives gave 14 eager, young JDs an early Christmas gift. Namely, a job. The firm added 14 associates, three experienced litigators and two experienced labor and employment attorneys. Of the new associates, four have joined the...

Boomers may need a reality check.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... A recent survey by U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray investment firm found that nearly 40 percent of U.S. baby boomers--those between the ages of 35 and 54-plan to move to anew home when they retire, and nearly half plan on traveling extensively....

TUE NEST EGG.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
December 31, 1999... Homes are only part of retirement picture So, you've bought a house in Portland, and you think you're sitting on a retirement nest egg. Will that egg ever hatch like you want it to? Probably, according to local financial gurus, but...

Some retirees can't see to retire.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... When hen Ernie Curry nearly hit a bicyclist on a dark road four years ago, he quickly analyzed the reasons for the near-tragedy. The bicyclist wore a long coat that blocked the back reflector, making the rider virtually undetectable. And,...

Solid retirement plans a must for small businesses.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... There are few things more important that a small business owner can do for his or her business than to set up a retirement plan or evaluate a plan that's already established. This is important for three reasons: 1) Assuring your own...

Top area assisted-livingfacilities.
December 31, 1999... Top area assisted-living facilities Tam Jenkins Ranked by number of apartments Number of Rank ...

Top 25 Life Insurance Companies.
December 31, 1999... Top 25 Life Insurance Companies Tam Jenkins Ranked by direct premiums written in Oregon Rank Direct premiums last ...

Hey, Detroit guys! Ya gotta tell us if you change parts.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Changes in car manufacturing in the 1980s caused some turmoil among car-wash operators. Detroit and other car-design centers began replacing chrome parts with ones made of anodized aluminum. They started using more glues and fewer pins...

Don't ask him to vacuum.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Chuck Kaady built his car wash fiefdom carefully over time. He established the 13 westside car washes that bear his name during a period of 20 years. And other than a "flurry" of adding six units between 1987 and 1990, they've been pretty...

Relationship systems turn leads into customers.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
December 31, 1999... E-commerce has many elements, and you must determine if your web site is contemporary, usable and enjoyable. ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT The internet offers enthusiasm. Many old-time thinkers and business owners don't get that the...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
December 31, 1999... ARCHITECTURE Moffit, Nichol & Bonney and MNB Architects added Brent Husum, civil engineer; Phil Rogers, project architect; Mike Archer, structural engineer/project manager; and Allen Kotlan, CAD manager. Dull Olson Weekes Architects,...

Talkin' 'bout your generation.(Brief Article)(Editorial)
December 31, 1999... For those of you who have made it all the way to the big 2000, it's time for some perspective. But that perspective differs depending upon when you first began trying to earn a living. If you started in 1950, you ought to be thankful you...

Feed, don't count, the hungry.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... People are not supposed to go hungry in America or in Oregon, but they do. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) recently estimated that 5.8 percent of all Oregon households live with hunger due to insufficient money for food....

Buying bonds lowers your risk but doesn't eliminate it.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... Dear Archie Richards: I bought a bond fund 18 months ago because I thought it would be secure. Now the value is down. Why?--Bombed by Bonds Dear Bombed: When interest rates rise, bond prices drop. Here's why: Let's say you...

Winners & Losers.
December 31, 1999... Mainstream media outlets On the eve of a millennium (technically, this won't be until 2001 because there wasn't a year zero), most media outlets have found little to reflect on beyond a computer glitch. Should we be reveling in the awes...

Insider Trading.
December 31, 1999... Insider Trading The buying and selling of stock shares by area executives Steven Sharp Chairman TriQuint Semiconductor Shares sold 15,000 Share price $80...

POWELL'S BOOKS TOP TEN BESTSELLERS.
December 31, 1999... * Harry Potter & The Sorcerers Stone, Rowling, J.K. * Women, Leibovitz, Annie * Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver, Barbara * Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets, Rowling, J.K. * Tuesdays With Morrie, Albom, Mitch * River...

KATU-TV.(Brief Article)
December 31, 1999... KATU-TV's "Town Hall" will go to a half-hour show Jan. 9, giving the show's producer the ability to tackle more topics, said general manager Jim Boyer. He said the forum format, which has remained an hour-long since its debut 25 years...

City proposes creative-services center.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... The fast-growing and emerging creative-services industry is about to get its own headquarters. In one of its most expansive city initiatives, the Portland Development Commission is seeking to buy or lease 56,000 square feet of space in...

Intel's on the outside with new line of toys.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... A piece of Intel Corp.'s future is in the hands of children. Inside a nondescript Northwest Portland office building, the semiconductor giant is searching for ways to take the Intel brand beyond its "Intel inside" image toward a future as...

Medical group virus claims another victim.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Dissension among doctors led to the break-up of the 50-year-old Portland Orthopedic Clinic, which will fold and splinter into four separate physician groups Dec. 31. The 19 doctors decided they could not get along and voted to go their...

Benson reshuffling: Checkout time for Piatti, Frazier.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Piatti, the Italian restaurant located in The Benson Hotel, will apparently close its doors by the end of the year to make way for one of Seattle's most popular eateries, El Gaucho, said Paul Mackay, owner of the South American-inspired...

Can your employees rely on compassion at work?
December 24, 1999... By the time this issue hits the recycle bin, most of you will have enjoyed your Christmas holiday with your family For many, it will be another in a long line of pleasant holidays. But for two little girls we know, this will have been...

Happiness is location, location, location for airport businesses.
December 24, 1999... Portland International Airport boasts impressive "enplanement" numbers, say some retailers. And it's the number of people boarding planes at the airport--6.7.miilion for fiscal year 1999--that has retailers scrambling to get in on business...

Mentor Graphics to cut 175 jobs in early 2000.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Mentor Graphics Corp. eliminated 175 jobs this week, but a company spokesperson said some people affected by the reduction will be rehired to fill vacancies. The company also plans to relocate its printed circuit board operation to...

Ross Island excavates Willamette for last time.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Ross Island Sand & Gravel Co. announced, plans this week to move its mining operations from Ross and Hardtack islands in the middle of the Willamette River to a land site at Dallesport, Wash. Although the company is in the process of applying...

Leatherman Tool Group Inc.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... It was a devastating victory for Portland's Leatherman Tool Group Inc. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that competitors can "faithfully copy" Leatherman's all-in-one pocket tool without violating trademark laws. This despite the...

Cumulus Media Inc.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Cumulus Media Inc. agreed to acquire three radio stations serving Eugene-Springfield as part of a nine-station, $51-million buying binge. Milwaukee-based Cumulus acquired. KZEL-FM, KNRQ-FM and KRNQ-AM, three of eight Oregon and California...

RadiSys Corp.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Hillsboro's RadiSys Corp. said it will buy part of the open-computing unit of International Business Machines Corp. for at least $13 million in cash. RadiSys said it will make an initial $13 million payment, to which it may add in succeeding...

Jenkon International Inc.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Jenkon International Inc. of Vancouver, Wash., completed a $4.5 million private placement of convertible promissory notes and completed an acquisition of educational software firm Multimedia K.I.D.-Intelligence in Education Ltd. A developer...

Columbia Management Co.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... James F. Rippey, co-founder of Columbia Management Co., is retiring. Rippey and J. Jerry Inskeep Jr. formed Columbia in 1967. Today the company, owned by Fleet Financial, manages assets of $20 billion.

Precision Castparts Corp.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Precision Castparts Corp. warned that its fiscal third-quarter earnings would fall below analysts' expectations. The Portland manufacturing company said earnings per share would be about 20 percent lower than they were in the fiscal second...

Invivo Corp.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Invivo Corp. of Pleasanton, Calif., informed Wall street that it made an offer to acquire Beaverton's Protocol Systems Inc. for about $84 million Protocol, however, rejected the offer. Invivo complained that it met with resistance and delays...

Mercy Corps International.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Mercy Corps International will send relief assistance to survivors of the recent devastating floods and landslides in Venezuela, which have left up to 20,000 dead and 150,000 homeless. The natural disaster is being called the worst to ever...

Merix Corp.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Merix Corp. reported financial results for the second quarter of fiscal 2000 ended Nov. 27, 1999. Sales for the second quarter were $35.9 million, a 19 percent increase over the $30 million reported for the second quarter of fiscal 1999....

Sonus Corp.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Sonus Corp. has halved its losses for its first fiscal quarter, ending Oct. 31. Sonus, which owns 115 franchised audiology clinics, lost $585,000, or 10 cents a share, on revenue of $10.1 million; compared to a loss of $1.47 million, or 24...

Radio Council sours on Rosey; to honor its own.(Portland Area Radio Council)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Fed up with the lack of recognition from the city's annual Rosey Awards, the Portland Area Radio Council is striking out on its own to honor the best in Portland radio advertising. The first-ever Radio Creative Awards will honor radio...

Two Providence hospitals named to HCIA's top 100 list.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... A leading health-care consulting group has named Providence St. Vincent Medical Center and Providence Portland Medical Center to its top 100 hospitals this year, based on its performance against its nationwide peers. The two were the...

W & K gets involved in the e-stamps.com battle.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Postage, the lowly and mundane commodity we usually only brood over at Christmastime, is suddenly a hot item. Two companies, E-Stamp and Stamps.com, are spending millions of dollars to spread the wisdom of purchasing postage over the...

Lawyers, accountants put together new firm.(BTI International Law Office)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... A new Portland law firm wants to capitalize on the growing international flavor of Portland business by creating a boutique firm that brings together attorneys from the legal and accounting fields. BTI International Law Office was quietly...

Decision Point's future may be at turning point in 2000.(company to expand to internet)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Decision Point Systems Inc. has received a lot of attention lately for the success of its HirePro software product, and likely will be get more attention next year if it goes public or is acquired. The Beaverton company makes software...

City-AT&T suit being watched closely.(Portland, Oregon, new broadband providers may arrive)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... The first set of proposals for cable and expanded Internet services in Portland suggest that the city will soon teem with competitive broadband services. The requests-for-qualifications collected by Commissioner Erik Sten's office asked...

AMA hits campaign trail for HMO reform.(American Medical Association)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Presidential candidates are discovering the nation's doctors still make house calls, at least when it comes to the American Medical Association's political agenda. The AMA will drive its "National House Call" Winnebago to all of the...

CONSULTANT: WEB RETAILERS SHOULD PREPARE FOR TAXES.(Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce meets)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... The congressionally appointed panel that is debating whether and how internet transactions should be taxed, made little progress toward reaching a consensus at its Dec. 14-15 meeting in San Francisco. The Advisory Commission on Electronic...

CHAMBER OFFERS INSURANCE FOR EMPLOYMENT LAWSUITS.(U.S. Chamber of Commerce)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... The boom in workplace-related lawsuits prompted the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to offer employment practices liability insurance to small businesses. The new Chamber Preferred program, designed for businesses with up to 250 employees,...

AFL-CIO PLANS DATABASE TO TRACK UNION BUSTERS'.(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... The AFL-CIO plans to build a database of consultants hired by businesses to defeat organizing efforts. The database, which union organizers can access beginning Jan. 1 at a password protected area on the AFL-CIO's Web site, also will...

SMALL BUSINESSES INCREASE PLANS FOR HIRING, SPENDING.(NFIB reports)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... The nation's small businesses continued to be in a sunny mood as winter approached. The, Small Business Optimism Index, compiled by the NFIB Education Foundation, rose nearly two points in November to 103.2. A growing number of...

ENTREPRENEURS TO PUT FAMILY AHEAD OF BUSINESS GROWTH.(small business owners survey)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Many small business owners are making a New Year's resolution to find a better balance between work and family. When American Express asked a sample of 311 small business owners what they plan to devote the most time to next year, putting...

EXECUTIVE PROFILE.(Larry Ogg of Bank of America)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... PERSONAL INFORMATION Name: Larry Ogg Title: President of Oregon and Southwest Washington Company: Bank of America What we do: We're a national bank handling deposits,. loans, investments--the full range of financial...

The grande dame stands tall.(Benson Hotel, Portland, Oregon)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... The Benson Hotel's bracing for more downtown competition It seems like most people in Portland have a story about The Benson Hotel, said David Frazier, general manager of the historic property in downtown Portland. Many people recall...

Technology awards event needs to be revamped.(Technology Awards Dinner)(Brief Article)
December 24, 1999... Since this is the last technology column of 1999, I'd like to propose a New Year's resolution for the technology community. The technology industry is important Don't worry, I'm not going to trot out all the usual statistics and measures....