Business Journal-Portland articles from November 1996

Business Journal-Portland archives from November 1996

Environmentalists laud PacifiCorp plan. (to promote energy conservation and renewable energy)
November 1, 1996... Incentives to conserve energy key to alternative form of regulation PacifiCorp has reached common ground with environmentalists and consumer watchdogs to press for a new era of electricity rate-setting in Oregon. With competition looming in...

PDC, Williams reach agreement on River District. (Portland Development Commission)
November 1, 1996... Westside ramps to Portland's Broadway Bridge probably will be demolished by mid-1998, paving the way for 2,500 new housing units in the River District north of downtown. Under a tentative development agreement slated for review next month by...

Pacific Crest Securities still playing musical chairs. (personnel departures)
November 1, 1996... Continuing a recent stream of departures from Pacific Crest Securities, local stock analyst Rick Owens recently left to join a San Francisco company. Owens joined Genesis Merchant Group, a broker dealer that he described as intent on...

Woodburn Ambulance sues ODS over alleged shortfalls. (ODS Health Plan)
November 1, 1996... Ambulance companies are the latest medical providers to sound sirens about what they allege are inadequate Medicaid payments under the Oregon Health Plan. In a precedent-setting move, Woodburn Ambulance Service Inc. is suing ODS Health Plan...

Duffel Sportswear continues to bag broader customer base.
November 1, 1996... Fuzzy thinking has doubled sales in the past year at women's clothing maker Duffel Sportswear. Sales of classy jacquards woven in fuzzy fleece fabric and the fashion craze for fake fur have boosted fall and holiday sales to 97,000 units -...

Multimedia house to revive Cinemar presentation program.
November 1, 1996... The latest entrant into Portland's multimedia development business is launching its label with a title purchased from a recently defunct local CD-ROM house. International Software Publishers is introducing itself to the multimedia business...

Sweet success: former high-school football coach Gary Walls scores a touchdown in the food-processing business. (Trailblazer Food Products Pres. and CEO)
November 1, 1996... Leave it to Gary Walls, a former high-school football coach turned entrepreneur, to come from behind and clinch a berry sweet victory. The 54-year-old Walls knows the score on blackberries vs. marionberries and how to make a company into a team...

Mergers bolster Metropolitan Disposal. (Metropolitan Disposal and Recycling Corp.)
November 1, 1996... Waste-handling business swallowed by bigger fish Through shrewd and aggressive business practices, Metropolitan Disposal and Recycling Corp. has grown from humble beginnings to emerge at the forefront of Oregon's waste-handling industry....

Industrial Design Corp. exec to discuss operations in China. (Jim Spencer)
November 1, 1996... The Northwest China Council and the Portland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a luncheon Nov. 6 on "Engineering Business in China; with guest speaker Jim Spencer, China & Southeast Asia operations and marketing manager for Industrial...

Rentrak Corp. (Proxy Report excerpts)(Company Profile)
November 1, 1996... NASDAQ: RENT 7227 N.E. 55th Ave., Portland, Ore. 97218 Rentrak Corp. distributes pre-recorded video cassettes, principally to home video specialty stores, under a program called Pay Per Transaction (PPT). The PPT program enables retailers to...

Jantzen swims into fast lane. (Jantzen Inc.)
November 8, 1996... Focus is on technology, market research A new emphasis on consumer research combined with improved manufacturing and inventory control are giving back the Diving Girl some of her former splash. "In the swimwear industry, we're now at the...

Software start-up Nu Medics targets diabetes patients.
November 8, 1996... When Kazi Ahmed discovered three years ago that he had diabetes, rather than getting down about it, he saw a business opportunity that could help him and other diabetics. Ahmed, a former vice president of corporate development at Antivirals...

Betting it all on roll-ups. (The Hand That Feeds You)
November 8, 1996... Side niches discarded to build $10 million business Sometimes, simply settling on a niche can be tough. Just ask Suzanne Perkins. By the time Perkins graduated from the Western Culinary Institute in Portland in 1992, she already had a...

Sapient Health Network lands $4.3 million in venture capital.
November 8, 1996... On-line network attracts Silicon Valley investors Barely one year after its formation, fledgling on-line service Sapient Health Network has procured $4.3 million in a second round of venture financing. Sapient, which provides subscribers...

Growing Coffee People looks for new headquarters site. (Coffee People Inc.)
November 8, 1996... Coffee People Inc. plans to move its headquarters to a larger office to accommodate its growing business. The Portland-based Coffee People is looking for about 7,000 square feet of space in the metropolitan area and hopes to move by early next...

Eugene's Obie Media files IPO to reduce its debt load. (Oregon; Obie Outdoor Advertising Inc.)
November 8, 1996... EUGENE - Outdoor advertising firms haven't had to use billboards to catch the eye of investors. The stock prices of three major players in the sector doubled in the months following their initial public offerings. The share values have...

Captain's Nautical weathers 100 years of market changes. (Captain's Nautical Supplies)
November 8, 1996... SEATTLE - It's an article of faith among business pundits: If a company isn't growing, it's dying. Captain's Nautical Supplies debunks that maxim. The Seattle-based company turns 100 years old in January, and with two stores in Seattle and...

Springfield Group lays off 260 workers as market stalls.
November 8, 1996... Fire damage fuels veneer company budget concerns SPRINGFIELD - The Springfield Group is temporarily laying off about 260 employees at its Springfield and Eugene plants, citing a slow market for veneer plus costly repairs the company must make...

Sequent Computer Systems Inc. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
November 8, 1996... NASDAQ: SQNT 15450 S.W. Koll Parkway, Beaverton, Ore. 97006 Sequent Computer systems Inc. designs, makes and sells multi-user computer systems for large organizations. The 1,800-employee company has changed its focus to emphasize systems...

Antivirals cooking up initial public offering. (ANTIVIRALS Inc.)
November 15, 1996... A Corvallis biotechnology company, Antivirals Inc., is planning an initial public stock offering for as early as December, say company officials and industry sources. Denis Burger, chief executive officer of Antivirals, confirmed that an IPO...

BJ's Pizza to revamp Pietro's with breweries, remodeling. (Chicago Pizza and Brewery Inc. acquires 18 Pietro's Pizza Restaurants in Oregon)
November 15, 1996... Chicago Pizza & Brewery Inc., better known as BJ's Pizza by its devotees in Southern California, has purchased 18 Pietro's Pizza Restaurants in Oregon and plans to roll out a new restaurant concept and spend $4.5 million on remodeling....

For Rick Reed, all the world's a stage. (R.A. Reed Productions founder)
November 15, 1996... Artquake launched staging company, now the fourth-largest in the country When Rick Reed entered the stage and scenery designing business 17 years ago, he had a unique blend of skills and experience, but he was still looking for a way to show...

Rifle-scope company aims for longevity. (Leupold and Stevens Inc.)(1996 Oregon Family Business Awards)(Company Profile)
November 15, 1996... Leupold & Stevens Inc. is one of the oldest family businesses in Oregon, and perhaps one of the most mutable. "The firm is now 90 years old," says Don Waggoner, senior vice president of corporate development. "And it has reinvented itself....

Speed's Towing weathers market growth, transition.(1996 Oregon Family Business Awards)(Company Profile)
November 15, 1996... Family hopes third generation will pull for success For its first 10 years of operation, business was slow for Speed's Towing. Then the company got an unexpected boon from Mother Nature. The year was 1969, and Harold "Speed" Coe had been...

Clark family's success not just a pipe dream. (Loy Clark Pipeline)(1996 Oregon Family Business Awards)(Company Profile)
November 15, 1996... Company's quiet achievements require a team effort Loy Clark might have played professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals. His skill as a shortstop and second baseman earned him a place on a Cardinals farm team in the 1930s. But...

Ornelas Enterprises gives to employees, community.(1996 Oregon Family Business Awards)(Company Profile)
November 15, 1996... Company executives foster moralistic environment Ornelas Enterprises Inc. was founded in 1991 by Tino and Joy Ornelas. Tino, a former purchasing manager at Tektronix Inc., saw a market for a contract electronic manufacturer, so he leased 2,000...

Portland X-ray firm blasts Kodak in lawsuit. (Pacific X-Ray Corp.; Eastman Kodak Co.)
November 22, 1996... Pacific wants $7.35 million from former supplier Pacific X-Ray Corp.'s 26-year marriage with Eastman Kodak Co. ended in divorce this year, and the little Portland company is demanding alimony. The local company, also known as PXC, is an...

Taco Del Mar rolling out fish-burrito restaurants in Portland.
November 22, 1996... Taco Del Mar, a 19-store fast-food chain from Seattle, thinks Portlanders will bite on fish burritos. James Schmidt, chief executive officer and chairman of Taco Del Mar, said the company will soon try its luck at catching downtown Portland's...

Drypers to upgrade Vancouver diaper production facilities. (Drypers Corp.)
November 22, 1996... Drypers Corp. intends to spend $11 million to double the production capacity of its Vancouver diaper manufacturing plant, creating up to 40 new full-time jobs and an equal number of temporary positions. Walter Klemp, chairman and co-chief...

Salem-based startup to put Internet kiosks in airports. (Global Area Network Ltd.)
November 22, 1996... Global Area Network seeks capital for production Global Area Network Ltd., a young Salem telecommunications company, is ready to mass-produce and install airport kiosks to provide quick Internet access to business travelers. "We're on our...

Going for the goal. (Integrated Management Systems Inc. Pres./CEO Keith Barnes)
November 22, 1996... CEO Keith Barnes' humor and humility keep his Integrated Measurement Systems team on track Keith Barnes is no hero. And that's a big plus, colleagues say. Barnes, president of Integrated Measurement Systems Inc., executes his role smoothly....

Proler acquisition plan lands Schnitzer Steel in bidding war. (Proler International Corp.; Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc.)
November 22, 1996... New York firm counters offer for Houston company Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. is fighting over scraps. The Portland-based operator of ferrous scrap recycling yards has found itself in a bidding war for financially troubled Proler...

Startup airlines facing increased scrutiny from FAA. (Federal Aviation Administration)
November 22, 1996... WASHINGTON - Federal aviation regulators have stepped up inspections of airline operations to such heights that, during the next two years, the industry will sustain few, if any, startups. Since the crash of a ValuJet airliner in May, the...

James River Corp. (proxy report excerpts)(Company Profile)
November 22, 1996... NYSE: JR P.O. Box 2218, Richmond, Va. 23218 James River Corp. is one of the world's largest paper companies. It manufactures pulp, paper and converted paper and plastic products for five markets: hygienics, food packaging, specialty...

Want fries with that? (labor shortage in fast food industry)
November 29, 1996... Area fast-food chains face labor shortage Renee Wasserman recently scoured Portland area fast-food restaurants on a hunting expedition. A quest for the perfect french fry or chocolate shake? No, Wasserman was after bigger game. The regional...

Retailers see jackpot in video slot machines.
November 29, 1996... Lottery could be first with neighborhood slots Prodded by the powerful restaurant lobby and passage of Ballot Measure 47, Oregon's state lottery could become the first in the nation to sanction slot machines at neighborhood taverns and...

OEDD's Bill Scott must fend off budget scalpel. (Oregon Economic Development Department)(Interview)
November 29, 1996... You'd think Bill Scott should be sitting pretty about now. Under his stewardship of the Oregon Economic Development Department, the state has recruited several billion dollars' worth of new semiconductor and silicon-wafer plants. Unemployment...

U.S. Bank dissolves subsidiary boards. (United States National Bank of Oregon)
November 29, 1996... After countless monthly meetings, the 12 members of U.S. Bank of Oregon's board of directors will meet for a farewell dinner Dec. 19 at the Portland Art Museum. The scene will echo events taking place in four other states, as parent company...

Winter brews warm the season.
November 29, 1996... From berry-and-cinnamon blends to roasted malt medleys, brew masters are trying them all With all the stress that usually accompanies the holidays, its nice to know there are a few simple pleasures you can count on to awaken and warm the...

Mechanical watches popular among exec set.
November 29, 1996... If you're looking to give something that works for the gift recipient on both a functional and emotional level, one of the hottest items today is the watch. No, not the little battery-powered quartz things that materialized on everyone's wrists...

Managed-care critics ready proposals for next legislature.
November 29, 1996... A tidal wave of legislation to protect consumers from abuses in managed care is swelling up for the 1997 session. Some of the consumer protections headed to Salem would make available more information about health plans and their financial...

Party not planned yet? (party planning)
November 29, 1996... Take a deep breath, cut back your expectations, then hit the phones hard How late is too late to plan your holiday office party? Depending on what you're hoping for, it may already be past deadline, but don't despair, say event planners and...

Mill rises from ashes to defeat adversity. (Bob's Red Mill)
November 29, 1996... Bob's Red Mill overcomes arson, skeptical lenders to develop niche Adversity is one of the basics of business. Bob Moore, owner of Bob's Red Mill, knows it well. As if developing a niche in the grocery industry for stone-milled flour...