Business Journal-Portland articles from February 1998

Business Journal-Portland archives from February 1998

Deal to Crow about: Trammell flips, scores. (Trammell Crow Co.'s purchasing and selling off Thrifty Payless Inc.)
February 6, 1998... Developer purchases, then resells prime Wilsonville properties Trammell Crow Co. turned a tidy profit late last week by simultaneously purchasing and selling off Thrifty Payless Inc.'s sprawling 77-acre headquarters in Wilsonville, according to...

New Balance finds shoe fits boomers. (New Balance Inc.)
February 6, 1998... Go ahead, Nike. Spend hundreds of millions on marketing and super-athletes like Michael Jordan to sell sneakers because. well, you can. New Balance Inc. of Boston insists it doesn't have to. While shoe sales have slowed for Nike Inc., Reebok...

Oregon's tourism tumbles. (Oregon's tourist trade)
February 6, 1998... Officials suspect the strong economy may be the culprit Fewer people spent their vacations in Oregon last year than in 1996, dealing the state's tourism industry its first downturn in business in eight years. The state's hotels, resorts and...

For Northern, personal touch goes far. (Northern Bank of Commerce' business strategy)
February 6, 1998... Northern Bank of Commerce emphasis on smaller businesses is paying off Having implemented a sound business plan that led to three years of steady growth, the executives at Northern Bank of Commerce have a vision for the future - don't change a...

Lack of airport bus use fuels critics of light-rail line. (Portland International Airport)
February 6, 1998... While the Port of Portland, Tri-Met and Metro tout a plan to extend light-rail lines to Portland International Airport, the three public agencies are quietly wrapping tip a $350,000 study of how travelers get to the airport. Financed primarily...

New software firm hopes product speaks to clients. (Fluent Speech Technologies' Speech Interface Developers Toolkit)
February 6, 1998... An Oregon Graduate Institute spinoff incorporated just four months ago is preparing to ship its first product in the second quarter. Fluent Speech Technologies, which boasts a top Intel Corp. executive as a board member, claims it already has...

Coffee People's change in direction produces profit. (Coffee People Inc.'s financial performance)
February 6, 1998... After a failed expansion attempt and a couple of bad earnings reports, things could be perking up for Coffee People Inc. Analysts said they expect the Portland-based public company to announce Tuesday that it's not losing money this quarter....

Small-bank frenzy hits three more towns.
February 13, 1998... Banks set for Vancouver, Lake Oswego, Hillsboro The Arizona consultant who last year spurred formation of Town Center Bank in Clackamas is pursuing creation of three more community banks in the greater Portland area. Ernie Garfield, a former...

Contract elusive for paramedics.
February 13, 1998... Labor leaders who represent paramedics at American Medical Response-Northwest are stalled in contract talks and are seeking workers' authority to strike if necessary. "We've gone as far as the employer says they can go," said Ron Heintzman,...

Prosperous paranoia reigns at In Focus. (In Focus Systems Inc.)
February 13, 1998... Wilsonville-based projector maker is riding high these days, but industry is fickle In Focus Systems Inc. officials have a clear view of the future. They see continued rapid sales growth that will push the company to the $1 billion mark in...

State's VC activity hits record high of $86 million in 1997. (venture capital)
February 13, 1998... Oregon companies received the most venture capital in the state's history in 1997, raking in $86.2 million, according to Big Six accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand. The Oregon figure represents a 54 percent jump in VC investment compared to...

US West's internet service creating buzz in webworld. (US West Communications Inc.)
February 13, 1998... US West Communications has staked out an aggressive leadership position with its new internet service, a position fraught with risk - and great potential. The company announced plans to launch a new, ambitious internet service throughout major...

Tech firm, Institute launch worker recruitment project. (Oregon Institute of Technology)
February 13, 1998... Ask any human resources executive at a technology company about their most pressing problem and you'll get the same answer - finding qualified people, particularly engineers and other skilled technicians. For local companies, the search leads...

Demand for condos surges in red-hot downtown Seattle.
February 13, 1998... Market conditions have ignited what real estate players expect will be a surge in downtown Seattle apartment-to-condo conversions and construction of more condominium projects. "There's no question about that," said Leslie Williams, whose...

Westwide firms have special concerns.
February 13, 1998... Integrated Measurement Systems Inc. is looking at low-budget ways to lure workers out of their ears. The high-tech company located west of Highway 217 near Washington square has only 225 workers and a budget of less than $1,000 to help meet...

Port of Portland: gridlock threatens distribution, reputation.
February 13, 1998... While traffic creeps along the city's congested roads, the Port of Portland is fighting to keep its edge for efficiently moving cargo. Wholesale and distribution businesses have thrived here in large part because of the port's activities. The...

Much ado over Macadam: as developers converge on North Macadam, city officials waffle. (North Macadam District)
February 20, 1998... In a move that could seriously hamstring the development of the North Macadam District, Portland city commissioners this week began publicly weighing more stringent regulations for development adjacent to the Willamette River Greenway. At an...

Metals giant to buy a piece of Northwest. (Metals USA Inc.'s acquisition of Pacific Metal Co.)
February 20, 1998... An aggressive consolidator within the metals industry plans to acquire Portland's Pacific Metal Co. to spearhead its foray into the Pacific Northwest. Houston-based Metals USA Inc., a consolidator of metals processing and distribution...

Task force explores 9-1-1 facelift; too many unnecessary ambulance calls waste millions. (Multnomah County, Oregon's Bureau of Emergency Communications)
February 20, 1998... An ambulance giant is huddling with Pill Hill, an HMO and city firefighters to build a more efficient 9-11 triage system that could save money by cutting unnecessary transports. American Medical Response-Northwest, Portland firefighters,...

Not to worry, says Hollywood top dog; Hollywood Video's stock drops to $8, but CEO Mark Wattles is not concerned.
February 20, 1998... Last spring, Hollywood Entertainment was the brightest, although admittedly not the biggest, star in the video rental business. The company had reported record sales and earnings over the first two quarters. Bucking industry trends, same-store...

Wells Fargo goes on binge to build private client arm. (Wells Fargo Bank)
February 20, 1998... Wells Fargo has hired more than a dozen veteran Wall Street investment bankers to beef up its private client services division, which caters to the bank's high-net-worth clients. Wells Fargo says it's the first major bank in the nation to...

Real estate action heats up along Seattle's First Avenue. (hotel developer Gordon Sondland and partner N. Jack Alhadeff's plans to redevelop two buildings in downtown Seattle, Washington)
February 20, 1998... Seattle-based hotel developer Gordon Sondland and his partner N. Jack Alhadeff have bought half-ownership in the two buildings that house the Warshal's store in downtown Seattle. They intend to redevelop the site on First Avenue near Pioneer...

High-tech education is more than just engineers. (Electro Scientific Industries CEO Donald VanLuvanee)(Interview)
February 20, 1998... In 1990, Donald VanLuvanee took the reigns at Electro Scientific Industries, one of Portland's oldest technology firms. Since then, he's guided the maker of capital equipment for the electronics industry to a leadership position in its industry....

North Macadam: redefining Portland. (Focus: Real Estate)
February 20, 1998... The district appears to have unlimited potential, but it won't be developed without controversy With 90 acres of largely vacant riverfront less than a mile from its downtown core, Portland has an opportunity most cities can only dream about....

CFI ProServices Inc. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
February 20, 1998... NASDAQ: PROI 400 S.W. Sixth Ave., Portland, Ore. 97204 CFI ProServices Inc. is a provider of software systems which automate customer sales, service and support functions for financial services providers. In April 1996, the company acquired...

Nike proves you 'can' make NBC jump. (National Broadcasting Company Inc.'s 'Working' sitcom commercials)
February 27, 1998... Network pulls ads after shoe giant complains You can watch Nike Inc. commercials. You can't watch specific "Working" sitcom commercials. At least not anymore. Despite heaps of praise for the creativity of the NBC house advertisement,...

The $100 million question: who's buying Creekside? (Principal Mutual Life Insurance Co.'s selling of Creekside Corporate Park and Woodside)
February 27, 1998... Iowa-based Principal Financial Group is in negotiations to sell at least 1.2 million square feet of industrial park space in Beaverton. At current asking rates, the deal could be worth around $100 million. Mike Duffy, Principal's director of...

Portland-made projectors have a third of U.S. market. (In Focus Systems Inc.; Lightware)
February 27, 1998... A pair of Portland-area display device companies, one the long-time industry leader and the other a scrappy up-and-comer, now control more than one-third of the domestic market share and account for 40 percent of the industry's top-selling...

Freightliner still leads heavy-truck race. (Freightliner Corp.)
February 27, 1998... Growing Portland manufacturer responds as Paccar and Navistar gain market share Freightliner Corp.'s pedal-to-the-metal growth is fueling plant and corporate headquarters expansions in Portland while the company simultaneously pushes deeper...

Portland digital film pioneer to receive Academy award. (Crisis in Perspective Inc. chief technical officer Roy Hall)
February 27, 1998... Don't look for Portland resident Roy Hall alongside Jack Nicholson or Kim Basinger at the March 23 Academy Awards ceremony - he'll already have received his award. Hall will be part of the less-glamorous Academy Scientific and Technical Awards...

Patents to Oregonians set a sizzling pace.
February 27, 1998... Oregonians must be a pretty bright, innovative bunch, that is, if you can believe the statistics from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. From 1992 through 1997, patents to Oregonians increased 53 percent, compared with 16 percent nationally....

Lure of fish fertilizer riches leads to Bio-Oregon buyout. (Bio-Oregon Inc.)
February 27, 1998... Managers of a Warrenton fish processing plant have completed a buyout that returns the company to local ownership. Bruce Buckmaster and Russ Farmer, veterans at the company now called Bio-Oregon Inc., became owners in January. The two purchased...

Wieden & Kennedy still rules Portland advertising scene.
February 27, 1998... Will Hodgman, the new general manager at ad shop CKS Partners, recently described the Northwest market as "pretty vibrant from an advertising perspective." It was an observation that's clearly reflected in this year's list of the Top 25...

Zany 'head hog' pursues his whacky vision. (Hog Wild Inc. head Mark Hebenstreet)
February 27, 1998... Pro Thumb Wrestling toy sells well downtown. But success still eludes Hog Wild Inc. at a Pendleton truck stop Karen Leppmann, co-owner of Finnegan's Toys and Gifts, thought a Pro Thumb Wrestling ring was a pretty stupid game. But when her...