Business Journal-Portland articles from July 1998

Business Journal-Portland archives from July 1998

Wounded Nike winning back Wall Street. (securities analysts' favorable views of Nike stock)
July 3, 1998... 0Jennifer Black has been here before. One of the many Wall Street analysts who watch Nike Inc., Black has stuck by the Beaverton-based company in the last year. She has continued to rate its stock a buy on behalf of Portland's Black & Co....

MTM finds money maker in trimming plastics. (plastics trimming equipment manufacturer MTM Systems Inc)
July 3, 1998... Kris and Alan Thatcher took the career advice that Dustin Hoffman's character in "The Graduate" ignored. They went into plastics, 22 year ago. Their company, MTM Systems Inc., is already a major player in automated plastics trimming...

Deep E Co. deep sixes DPO, decides to seek private funds. (direct public offering)
July 3, 1998... Hemp shoemaker Deep E Co. has given the boot to small investors who wanted to finance the little company, choosing instead to find backers with deeper pockets. The Portland company last month canceled its direct public offering, a means by...

New Fox Tower rendering ready for review by design committee. (Portland Design Commission to evaluate redesigned Fox Tower)
July 3, 1998... The redesigned Fox Tower goes in front of the Portland Design Commission next week, with an armful of praise from city design staff. "It's a beautiful building; they've done a really nice job," said Ruth Selid, design planner with the city who...

Eastern firm acquires clean room supplier. (VWR Scientific Products Corp of Pennsylvania acquires Portland, Oregon-based HPC Scientific and Technology Inc)
July 3, 1998... Returning to its Northwest roots, Pennsylvania-based VWR Scientific Products Corp. has purchased a Portland company that distributes supplies for laboratories and high-tech clean rooms. Publicly held VWR said it purchased Portland's HPC...

Summit's latest buy is a new high. (Summit Design Inc acquires ProSoft of Finland)
July 3, 1998... A Beaverton software company thinks it has found the tools to help it scale the next industry peak. Summit Design Inc., a maker of electronic design automation software, is buying a Finnish software firm, an acquisition that nicely dovetails...

Early users gushing over Webridge's new product. (launches extranet software Mainspan)
July 3, 1998... Portland's most closely watched new technology company introduced its debut product this week, and at least one early user is giving it an unequivocal thumbs up. Webridge, which reaped a $6.7 million venture financing bounty last year,...

Cliffside's emergency software no disaster. (Cliffside Software's emergency planning software)
July 3, 1998... A small Portland software company is being courted by suitors interested in helping it make a big splash in the national marketplace, said Michael Frishberg, co-founder of Cliffside Software. Cliffside makes a software product that allows...

One sweet steel deal: growing acceptance of novel system propels R.F. Stearns. (Oregon steel construction company's innovative services)
July 3, 1998... When Bob Stearns Sr. started R.F. Stearns Inc. some 18 years ago in Lake Oswego, he sought to provide innovative services right from Day One. Stearns was a pioneer in bringing computer technology to the field of steel construction. And,...

Port sues UP over fuel leak.(Port of Portland; Union Pacific Railroad)
July 10, 1998... The 800-foot-long pipeline at Terminal 4 hasn't been used for decades. But it's now fueling a battle between the Port of Portland and Union Pacific Railroad over who should pick up the growing tab for the mess the pipeline has allegedly made at...

Electric Lite unplugs from pilot program.(customer choice)
July 10, 1998... Electric Lite, a South Carolina energy service provider, is closing its Portland sales office over uncertainty about a full customer choice program coming to the Portland area soon. Electric Lite officials are concerned that Portland...

Yen's dive wounds overseas business of local industries.(Portland, Oregon)
July 10, 1998... The day's yen-to-dollar rate is a figure that likely rolls right off the tongues of a few Northwest executives. They know that as the yen weakens, so does Japan's ability to pay good prices for their products. This, of course, is causing...

ESI boss insists Wall Street overreacted to results.(Electro Scientific Industries Inc.)
July 10, 1998... Electro Scientific Industries Inc. either performed admirably in a tough environment during fiscal 1998, or had a disappointing year, depending upon who you talk to. However, despite the continued support of one veteran securities analyst and a...

While others search for talent, techies lay it off.(Portland, Oregon's larger technology firms)
July 10, 1998... Call it the trickle down theory of technology employment. Many of the Portland area's larger technology firms are announcing layoffs, but some of those people are filling positions at smaller, faster-growing companies. In recent weeks,...

Atlas fax service reproduced again in Beaverton.(Atlas Telecom Inc.'s fax services division)
July 10, 1998... A part of defunct Atlas Telecom Inc. will survive. An Atlanta telecommunications company purchased Atlas' fax services division from secured creditor John Gray, and then sold the international business to a Beaverton firm run by a former...

Powerhouse Fitness targets executive members.
July 10, 1998... Powerhouse Total Fitness has put the word "elite" into its workout by targeting well-paid executives. Now, all it has to do is get "elite" to drop to its bottom line. The national health club chain will open its fourth Portland-area...

Boeing finally implements Japanese-style system.
July 10, 1998... If more people learn to think like Carl Amos, The Boeing Co. might never be stymied by production bottlenecks again. It also might start making some money. Amos, a 25-year machinist at Boeing's sprawling complex in Auburn, Wash., says he's...

Don Jensen.(president of Bridgetown Coffee Co., Aroma Coffee Co. and Crown Point Tea Co.)
July 10, 1998... Name: Don Jensen Organization: Bridgetown Coffee Co., Aroma Coffee Co., Crown Point Tea Co. Title: President Education: B.S., University of Oregon Residence: Portland BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY Essential Business...

Ridin' them Polish rails: rail car maker Greenbrier targets global markets.(Company Profile)
July 10, 1998... The Greenbrier Cos. Inc. has expanded its railcar manufacturing operations into Mexico and Poland to get on board emerging foreign markets for railroad equipment. The company's Gunderson Inc. division revolutionized the railroad industry...

Acting pays for Bridge City.(Bridge City Productions)
July 10, 1998... Bridge City Productions prefers paying its bills before the curtain goes up for one of its 'plays with a punch.' Bridge City Productions, one of the newest players in Portland's theater scene, is gearing up for its second year of...

US West, customers to reap DSL benefits.(Internet digital subscriber line services of US West Inc in Oregon)
July 17, 1998... US West's long-awaited digital subscriber line deployment won't necessarily provide everyone with blazingly fast internet connections. Distance to switching facilities and the layout of the local network could make the new technology a...

Mergers may have helped shape market share shuffle.(decline in the market share of residential real estate companies in Portland, Oregon)
July 17, 1998... Residential real estate companies that have merged or been bought recently are losing market share in the Portland area, according to the latest multiple listing service numbers. Coldwell Banker Barbara Sue Seal, Prudential Northwest...

Study calls for biotech center in N. Macadam.(recommendations for investments to the expansion of the Oregon Biotechnology Innovation Center in Portland, Oregon)
July 17, 1998... A study commissioned by the Portland Development Commission urges a public and private investment in phased construction of a 350,000-square-foot biotechnology research center. The center should be constructed over a 10 to 15-year period in...

Peggy Fowler.(president of the Portland General Electric Co in Oregon)
July 17, 1998... Name: Peggy Fowler Organization: Portland General Electric Title: President Education: George Fox University, B.S. chemistry and math (1973); University of Michigan, Public Utility Executive Program Residence: Tigard ...

Obie's clients ride on the side.(expansion of the outdoor advertising services of Obie Media Corp in Canada)
July 17, 1998... The outdoor media vendor is taking the bus to the big time Obie Media is on the bus. Make that about 7,000 buses across the country and in Canada. The Eugene-based company has spent the last decade creating outdoor media displays and...

Barracuda hit the slopes.(eye goggles product line of Skyline Northwest Corp for swimmers and snowboarders)
July 17, 1998... The Runckels had made the big time. Their product, the Barracuda line of swim goggles, had become an industry leader in terms of quality, if not sales. And the steadily-improving revenue seemed just fine for a family-run business that...

Calif. diaspora hikes lawyers' pay here.(likely increase in starting wages for associates in Portland, Oregon)
July 24, 1998... High-priced California legal firms expanding into the Seattle area soon could hike starting wages for associates in Portland. Perkins Coie, a Seattle-based firm with 40 lawyers in Portland, will increase its base pay in Seattle and...

Skylink woes grow with film studio suit.(Skylink Communications Corp.)
July 24, 1998... Debt-ridden Skylink Communications Corp. and other companies closely associated with Skylink have been slapped with a lawsuit that alleges they defrauded movie studios out of millions of dollars in licensing fees and royalties. In a...

To hard driver Bob Farrell, the customer's still the boss.(cofounder of Farrell's Ice Cream Parlours and creator of the Engine House Pizza chain)
July 24, 1998... Former ice cream baron Bob Farrell learned his biggest business lesson way back in April 1937, when he was only 8. That's when his mother forced him to blow off a Brooklyn Dodgers' game and go shopping in Manhattan. She made a scene at...

Upstart telecom competitor looking for $6.5M in IPO.(FirstLink Communications Inc.'s initial public offering)
July 24, 1998... Roger Pease's first public telecommunications company, Payline Systems Inc., didn't fare so well. Now the Portland executive wants to try again with Payline's successor, FirstLink Communications Inc. FirstLink intends to sell 1.4 million...

Crandall turns his attention more toward urban livability concerns.(architect George Crandall)
July 24, 1998... Renowned architect George Crandall has quietly split from Fletcher Farr Ayotte to start a firm focused on urban design and community planning. "It is something I have wanted to do for a long time," Crandall said from his new digs atop the...

Crown Pacific continues to grow in Washington.(Crown Pacific Partners L.P.)
July 24, 1998... On the Olympic Peninsula, in a region rich with logging lore, Crown Pacific Partners LP of Portland is building something rarely seen in Washington state these days - a new lumber mill. The Crown Pacific mill, being built on Highway 101...

In Focus has confidence in future despite bad '98.(In Focus Systems Inc.)(Company Profile)
July 24, 1998... In Focus Systems Inc.'s top executive admits the company made mistakes and has had to swallow some bitter medicine. But, insists John Harker, the company's core strategy is sound and will pay off in the future. Harker, In Focus' chief...

Security Bank Holding targets Corvallis for growth.
July 24, 1998... Chuck Brummel is at it again. The Chairman and CEO of Coos Bay's Security Bank Holding Co. is preparing to launch a new bank in Corvallis. According to form, SBHC will own a bare majority of the new bank, tentatively called Oregon...

Dairy farmers join forces to stabilize milk prices.
July 24, 1998... Oregon and Washington dairy farmers have joined forces to put the squeeze on milk processors. The farmers recently formed the Northwest Mill Marketing Federation to keep the wholesale price of milk above $15 per hundred pounds. Using the...

Matthew Burk.(president of Fairway Mortgage Corp. and Fairway Commercial Mortgage LLC)
July 24, 1998... Name: Matthew Burk Organization: Fairway Mortgage Corporation, Fairway Commercial Mortgage LLC Title: President Education: B.A. Economics, University of California, Davis Residence: Portland BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY ...

A billion-dollar label change: Electric Lightwave refocuses. But are the customers there.
July 24, 1998... Electric Lightwave Inc. likes to link its corporate history to the growth of the competitive telecommunications industry. The Vancouver, Wash. company was one of the first competitive access providers, companies that sold bargain long...

Guess who made a cool $45M in 1997? (U.S. Bancorp Chairman Gerry B. Cameron's compensation)
July 31, 1998... In a league where merger and acquisition skills win championships, the starting lineups at U.S. Bancorp and Fred Meyer Inc. have been aptly rewarded. Top executives from the two companies dominate the top slots in The Business Journal's 1998...

KOIN Center owner buys Riviera Place. (Louis Dreyfus Property Group of New York; office building in Portland, Oregon)
July 31, 1998... Riviera Place is being sold to Louis Dreyfus Property Group of New York. owner of KOIN Center as well as the grain elevators in front of the Rose Garden. Riviera Place, located at 1618 S.W First Ave., is a 50,000-square-foot, four-story office...

Investors, Wall Street fret over slumping tech industry.
July 31, 1998... Put away the qualifiers. There's no ifs, ands or buts about it. The Portland-area technology sector is slumping, badly in some cases. Wall Street is edgy, investors have reason for worry, technology companies are scrutinizing every nickel spent...

Westside MAX ready to roll, but will the scheme work? (light rail transit in Portland, Oregon)
July 31, 1998... Westside light rail makes its debut in September, taking the region's future and a train load of money along for the ride. Built alongside the $964 million public investment in the new MAX line is an estimated $325 million worth of private real...

Northwest Pipe predicts sunny, profitable days are here to stay.
July 31, 1998... Northwest Pipe Co. president Brian Dunham is bidding a giddy farewell to El Nino. The weather anomaly caused unseasonably high rainfall, delaying orders for Northwest's water transmission pipes, particularly in California - one of the...

For Summit Design, .05 extracted a painful price. (decline in stock price)
July 31, 1998... Wall Street is a harsh taskmaster Disappointment is not abided and retribution is usually swift. Take 'what happened to Summit Design Inc. this week. Its stock fell $4, from $13.625 to $9.625, on Tuesday when one esoteric but crucial number...

Hillsboro hopes to ride the light rail to prosperity. (Oregon)
July 31, 1998... Hillsboro may gain more than a quick ride to Portland when Westside MAX opens for business: It may propel the suburb's growth. City officials and downtown boosters are predicting light rail will bring economic benefits - from more sales for...

Timberline soars while others sink. (Timberline Software Corp.)
July 31, 1998... Timberline Software Corp. is heading into unchartered waters, waters filled with great promise and the potential for great danger. Wall Street is finally paying attention to the little Beaverton software company after a series of eye-popping...

Tri-Met believes new rail riders are a cut above. (light rail transit in Portland, Oregon)
July 31, 1998... New neighborhoods, and perhaps a new culture, have sprung from the real estate projects built around the Westside MAX line. Light rail is essential to some of the residents of the transit corridor, unimportant to others. Those hoping to cash in...