Business Journal-Portland articles from November 1999

Business Journal-Portland archives from November 1999

Caffe Diva poised to close $20M merger.
November 5, 1999... Caffe Diva Group Ltd., the Portland-based coffee retailer that recently bought local Marsee Baking stores, has agreed to participate in a $20 million transaction that will give it food-service operations nationwide. Four-year-old Caffe...

Microsoft ties aids Corillian's VC quest.(venture capitalists invest $20 million in Beaverton-based company)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Corillian Corp.'s ties with software titan Microsoft Corp. have helped convince venture capitalists to invest $20 million in the Beaverton company. The round of funding--the second-largest venture capital investment ever received by an...

Nurses union quickly tests Barran's labor-law skills.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Portland law firm Barran Liebman just landed Portland's biggest employer as a signature client, but the fast-growing labor and employment law firm won't get to enjoy a quiet honeymoon period. One month after Oregon Health Sciences...

Did clinic for homeless help Old Town's healing?
November 5, 1999... Dr. Neal Rendleman, medical director of the Old Town Clinic, concedes that the notion sounds overly dramatic, perhaps even absurd. That doesn't mean he dismisses it. Indeed, it's his theory that the success of Rendleman's nationally recognized...

All in all, just another splat on the fast-food wall.
November 5, 1999... Somewhere there is a wall. On the wall are splat marks left by Burger King, Wendy's, Carl's Jr., Pollo Loco, Pollo Tropical, Macheezmo Mouse, Miami Subs, Coffee People, Kenny Rogers, Roy Rogers, Beef Corral, Arby's, Arthur Treacher's Fish &...

The wrong side of the tracks is great, if you can take the noise.
November 5, 1999... The freight trains that routinely surround Plazm magazine's North Portland office produce both irritation and witty tales from the artists and creative agency employees who have moved to this gritty, industrial pocket of the city. They...

Market rally doesn't include smaller banks.
November 5, 1999... Strong gains by bank stocks fueled the stock market's recovery during the week of Oct. 25, but Oregon's small banks failed to participate. While so-called super regional banks and industry-leading money center banks rose 8 percent to 15...

Delta seeks approval for Portland-Beijing service.(Delta Air Lines)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... * Delta Air Lines filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation seeking authority to operate nonstop flights three times a week between Portland and Beijing, China, with continuing service to Shanghai. The request was part of...

Silver Eagle Manufacturing Co.(blasted by General Accounting Office report)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Back on the ground, the General Accounting Office slammed Portland's Silver Eagle Manufacturing Co. for producing cargo trailers for the Army that the GAO deemed unsafe. The GAO's report chided the Army for spending $50.6 million on a...

Freightliner Corp.(to sell 1,000 delivery trucks to HomeGrocer.com)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Also in ground transportation, a mammoth venture capital investment in Seattle's HomeGrocer.com will allow the company to purchase some 1,000 delivery trucks from Portland's Freightliner Corp. HomeGrocer.com pulled in $100 million from leading...

Mentor Graphics Corp.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Wilsonville's Mentor Graphics Corp. agreed to buy VeriBest, a subsidiary of Intergraph Corp., for undisclosed consideration. Mentor Graphics and VeriBest both produce electronic design automation products. "VeriBest has excellent EDA products...

Conexant Systems Inc.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Another high-tech design firm, Conexant Systems Inc., opened a design center in Portland. The publicly traded company, based in Newport Beach, Calif., designs semiconductor systems for wireless and broadband communications markets. It is...

Digimarc Corp.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... In other high-tech news, Digimarc Corp. has priced its initial public offering at $11 to $13 per share, and will offer 3 million, common shares. The Lake Oswego company said it will use the anticipated net proceeds of $32.4 million to repay...

Beaverton's eFusion Inc.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Beaverton's eFusion Inc. shook things up in the executive suite. Founder Ajit B. Pendse, already CEO of the Internet communications company, also became chairman of the board. eFusion also hired. Luis F. Machuca as president and chief operating...

City Business Journals Inc.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... AllBusiness.com and American City Business Journals Inc. announced a strategic marketing aggreement that will allow the two companies to more efficiently serve the needs of small businesses. ACBJ also made an equity investment in...

Oregon Steel Mills Inc.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... A page one story about Oregon Steel Mills Inc. in the Oct. 22 edition said state regulators proposed giving the steelmaker an exemption from federal new-source air pollution standards. The standards, which are included in Oregon Steel's current...

GBD Architects.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... In the Oct. 29 Structures publication, the designer of Hillsboro Stadium was incorrectly identified. GBD Architects designed the stadium.

Hollywood hopes moves will solidify its finances.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Hollywood Entertainment Corp. took two major steps toward bolstering its finances and its share price. The Wilsonville company, owner of Hollywood Video stores, announced it would spin off a portion of its Reel.com subsidiary. It also...

Lawyer promises GST suit won't be dismissed.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... GST Telecommunications- Inc. executives are putting a casually confident spin on the class-action complaints brought against the company. But, say those on the other side of the litigation, GST may be whistling past the graveyard. That's...

Developer reconsiders building near OHSU hill.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Despite a flurry of concerns emerging from a preapplication conference this fall, Brian McCarl & Co. is pursuing plans to build a residential development on a steep, wooded hillside adjacent to Oregon Health Sciences University. Brian...

Demand for apartments down.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Last week, Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Brokerage Co. released a Portland apartment report indicating that apartment completions continue to outpace demand. Over-development has begun to stifle market, according to Robert...

Envoy i-Con bets future on internet conferencing.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Envoy i-Con Inc. isn't the first company to cast its lot with the nascent application-service-provider industry, But by narrowing its focus to the internet-conferencing market Envoy believes it will be successful. By introducing a new...

Columbia Grain lawsuit seeks damages from ILWU.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Columbia Grain Inc. has slapped the International Longshore and Warehouse Union with a lawsuit demanding $1.25 million in damages for alleged work stoppages, slowdowns and other actions that--the suit claims--have harmed the company. ...

Silverton hopes to have its own bank next year.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Organizers in Silverton plan to open Silver Falls Bank in a historic downtown bank building early next year, assuming regulators grant a charter and investors cough up at least $4 million. The start-up continues a late 1990s trend of...

Portland lawyer weighs in on assisted suicide.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... The topic of physician-assisted suicide generates a lot of heat. But, Carol Pratt, a lawyer at Davis Wright Tremaine, wanted to shine some light on the topic without generating a lot of controversy. That's why she wrote an article that was...

City backs 'microenterprise' program.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Portland ranks behind other major U.S. cities in terms of supporting and developing smaller-than-small businesses, according to a national expert on "microenterprises." However, Peggy Clark, executive director of the Economic Opportunities...

Internet fuels changes in advertising world.
November 5, 1999... When Handymanonline.com -- the internet company that connects homeowners with contractors--set out to forge its corporate image, Gregg Hicks decided against a one-stop advertising agency with interactive muscle. Instead, the...

Start-up airline appears dead before first flight.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... A start-up company's plans to establish a new transcontinental airline in Portland appears to be grounded for good. The Coast Airlines Inc. has vacated its Portland offices and laid off its few remaining employees, said David Banmiller, who...

Schnitzer firm beefs up with Quadrant exec.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Hard-charging, well-capitalized Schnitzer Northwest has hired Wayne Ullman away from his long-time job as senior vice president and chief financial officer for Seattle's Quadrant Corp. Ullman said he became Schnitzer Northwest's senior...

TreeSource: Second time may be charm.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... TreeSource Industries Inc. of Portland plans to keep and upgrade four Washington sawmills that employ about 500 people if the company can emerge a second time from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A reorganization plan filed Oct. 29 with the U.S....

FTC's hammer slams down on Texas crammer.(unauthorized internet charges)
November 5, 1999... The Federal Trade Commission used a Senate hearing on "cramming"--the placement of unauthorized charges on a customer's telephone bill--to announce its largest enforcement action yet against an alleged crammer of Internet services. To...

TEAMING WITH MICROSOFT.(National Federation of Independent Business)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... David is hitching a ride with Goliath on the information superhighway. The National Federation of Independent Business, a leading small business advocacy group, hopes its new partnership with Microsoft, the world's dominant software...

EPA'S LEAD REPORTING RULE.(Environmental Protection Agency regulation)(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... The Environmental Protection Agency will seek more input from small businesses before it proceeds with a new regulation concerning the disposal of lead and lead compounds. EPA hit the brakes after Sen. Christopher Bond, R-Mo., scheduled an...

FOOD BILL RISING.(food distribution ergonomics cost)
November 5, 1999... One of the industries most affected by a proposed ergonomics regulation says it would cost at least $500,000 per food distribution center. That's just the cost of establishing an ergonomics program, says Food Distributors International, a...

New Venture, CSM are big winners for PR awards.(Portland Metro Chapter of the Public Relations of America's Spotlight Awards)
November 5, 1999... Conkling Fiskum & McCormick and New Venture Communications were the top winners at the Portland Metro Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America's annual Spotlight Awards competition. The two Portland firms were honored with three...

EXECUTIVE PROFILE.(Tony Hopson, Self Enhancement, Inc.)
November 5, 1999... PERSONAL INFORMATION Name: Tony Hopson Organization: Self Enhancement, Inc. (S.E.I.) Title: President & CEO What we do: SEI provides positive options to youth, including education, recreation and performing arts to help youth...

Beer brothers eye bigtime.(Widmer Brothers Brewing)
November 5, 1999... Widmer Brothers Brewing hopes to take its brand national After becoming the No. 1 seller of craft beer in Oregon, the Widmer Brothers Brewing Co. has set its sights on making its beer a national brand. With a distribution alliance with...

Where the environment and development clash.(Columbia Corridor Association/Portland Development Commission/Port of Portland)
November 5, 1999... A few weeks back, Business Journal reporter Andy Giegerich and I were invited to a guided-canoe tour--a three-hour tour, as it turned out--of Northeast Portland's Columbia Slough. The invitation stemmed from a meeting a few of us...

KeyBank, US Bank put gloss on their web sites.(online banking)
November 5, 1999... Major banks are introducing a new generation of web sites, trying to show customers that they are leaders, not followers, in the brave, new world of online banking. Last month, KeyBank launched a major commercial campaign touting it's...

Plazm magazine finally operating in the black.(graphic design magazine)
November 5, 1999... Plazm, the Portland graphic-design magazine deemed one to watch among the international-design media, is finally seeing its innovative style translate into revenue. After eight years, the magazine is breaking even and has a new editing...

Shot at Crime Victims' Bird misses the point.(News Briefs)(Editorial)
November 5, 1999... Am I the only person who found Oregonian columnist David Reinhard's Oct. 24 column on the crime measures and the group fighting the measures, Crime Victims for Justice, to be more than just a bit--oh, how shall I put it--mean spirited?. ...

Long-term view wise in volatile era.
November 5, 1999... Here's a statistic guaranteed to make you scratch you head and really wonder if there's any reality left on Wall Street: a share of Amazon.com is held by the average investor for all of seven days, according to a recent study published in...

When the markets close: Beware the spreads of night.
November 5, 1999... Alan Rothstein seems like the kind of investor that might welcome after-hours trading. The local podiatrist spends a couple hours a night researching securities, he makes his own trading decisions without the advice of a broker, and he conducts...

After-hours trading: Not your father's online trade.
November 5, 1999... Trading online and trading after regular market hours are quite different. The online services offered by brokerages in recent years allow clients to place a buy or sell order 24 hours a day. Until recently, however, the brokerages only...

Danger lurks for the naive when bell tolls market's close.
November 5, 1999... Until recently only Wall Street professionals have had the ability to act instantly on after-hours announcements that affect stocks, such as news of mergers, earnings surprises or bankruptcy filings. Now individual investors can do the same....

Trading at night like gambling in the dark.
November 5, 1999... The day might not be far away when individual investors can execute a trade of stocks, bonds or options at any time, day or night. Critics of after-hours trading say individual investors run the risk of getting poor prices, because shares...

Cultural revolution continues at Pacific Exchange.
November 5, 1999... Even though the Pacific Exchange enjoyed its busiest month ever in September, its members have decided it's time for a change. Make that several changes. "It's a time to think boldly" said Dale Carlson, the exchange's vice president of...

PCX pushes technology as it looks to its future.
November 5, 1999... Considering the recent flurry of Pacific Exchange activity, it's hard to imagine the outfit getting much busier. But it will. To survive, let alone thrive, the exchange will seek further redefinition that borders on the radical, confirmed Dale...

Cash-hungry developers feel pinch of rising rates.
November 5, 1999... Land developers--usually the first to feel changes in the economic climate--are beginning to find financing scarce. That could indicate a slowdown in our booming real estate market. It's almost hard to remember when the clang of...

Top 25 area financial institutions.(Illustration)
November 5, 1999... Top 25 area financial institutions Ranked by metro-area deposits Rank Institution- last Metro-area ...

Most active area Small Business Administration lenders.(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Most active area Small Business Administration lenders Ranked by total volume of SBA loans Rank Total volume of SBA last loans made...

Happiness is ... a beautiful box of tasty chocolates.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... What shoppers haven't been mesmerized by the red, satiny box of chocolates as they head to the checkout counter. They've got all the basics in their shopping cart, now it's time to splurge. Impulse shopping, the trigger hand of ours...

Building a bigger, better box.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Rose City Paper Box has altered the management of the family-owned business and is now ready to take advantage of the market. Rose City Paper Box president Rick Safranski was dealt a "pretty big shock" in 1997. Within a five-month...

Ignoring family succession issue is a big mistake.
November 5, 1999... Peering down the fairway, I said: "You think we ought to call an ambulance? Somebody might have died up there." My friend Clay and I were playing behind a very slow foursome on a golf course in Pinehurst (N.C.). We were on only the third...

Rainmaking approach tends to partner seller, buyer.(Editorial)
November 5, 1999... More is written on the m subject of successful selling techniques than on any other subject in the field of marketing. Everyone wants to know how to close the sale. In the traditional selling process, the relationship between buyer and...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... ACCOUNTING Alice Chung and Karne Tokola joined the accounting department of Geffen, Mesher & Co. PC, while Tracey Stoppelmoor and Chris Foy were promoted to senior staff accountants. Vagt & Schwindt LLP added Tony Matson to its...

Do as we say, not as we do.
November 5, 1999... A recent article in Business Week should give pause to those of us who dispense advice and offer our opinions to managers. In its Nov. 8 issue, BW took a look at how the merger between management advice gurus Stephen Covey (7 Habits author) and...

The spirit moves angel investors.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... The angel investor; the most basic financial component of an emerging growth economy, is suddenly very much in vogue in the state of Oregon. Indeed, talk about angels has become so prevalent in the business community one might think the...

Welfare Reform is working, but it takes some time.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... You've seen the disturbing headlines: More Oregonians using food banks. Oregon among the nation's most "food insecure" states. Sometimes the vague label "welfare reform" is tagged as a major culprit. In some states that might even be true. ...

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.(Letter to the Editor)
November 5, 1999... Blows to forest-products industry fell hardest on rural Oregon To the editor: The shallow analysis offered by ECONorthwest (Oct. 22 Week in Review) concerning forest product industry job losses and the Northwest economy masks the true...

A look at the region's Winners & Losers.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Dan Wieden The co-founder/president of Portland's Wieden & Kennedy was inducted into the U. of Oregon's Hall of Achievement. UO's School of Journalism and Communications also inducted Harry Glickman (Trail Blazers), ex-UO prof Lyle Nelson,...

SLAPSHOTS.(Brief Article)
November 5, 1999... Sci-fi classic returns in new form Sci-fi fans, and even those who typically gag at the thought of reading an adventure in outer space, consider, and rightfully so, Ender's Game a modern classic that transcends the genre. The story tells...

The Numbers Game.(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... The Numbers Game GRESHAM'S POPULATION EXPLODES FROM 1960-98 Gresham has grown up fast. Now, it's the fourth largest city in Oregon. 1960 3,944 1970 10,030 1980 33,005 1990 68,249 1998...

Insider Trading.(Statistical Data Included)
November 5, 1999... Insider Trading The buying and selling of stock shares by area executives Gertrude Boyle Chair Columbia Sportswear Co. Shares bought: 170,000 Share price: $16.06...

Warta ventures bags $ 700M.(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... John Warta, the former chief executive of GST Telecommunications Inc., apparently hasn't lost his ability to put together major telecommunications deals. In recent months, he's been busy raising around $700 million for his new venture,...

Genetic-food labels signal growing fears.(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... Agritope Inc. and Oregon State University have been pulled into the increasingly prickly debate over the genetic tinkering of plants. Scientists at OSU and private companies like Agritope, a Portland-based agricultural biotech company, claim...

Development, traffic collide in Beaverton.
November 12, 1999... The city of Beaverton is reviewing more plans for intense development throughout an hourglass-shaped chunk of land surrounding the often-congested Scholls Ferry/Murray Boulevard intersection. Seattle-based JPI Partners wants to transform...

Portland bankers will fight if ATM revolution hits here.
November 12, 1999... The recent decision by San Francisco voters to ban surcharges at bank-owned automated teller machines may prompt a similar grass-roots effort in Oregon. John Valley, a consumer advocate at the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group,...

A ray of hope found on NW tribes' reservations.(Oregon Native American Business Entrepreneur Network)(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... If you think that some of the Native American tribes in the Northwest and nationwide are getting rich because of the gambling casinos they operate on Indian land, well, you're right. For example, Spirit Mountain Development Corp., which owns...

Willamette's SFI certification draws yawns from some groups.(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... Willamette Industries announced in late October that it was the first major forest-products company to receive third-party certification that its forest management practices were in compliance with standards of the American Forest & Paper...

Blues take hit in HMOs, but PPOs hit it big.(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield lost 14,000 members in its HMO, and gained 68,000 people in its competing preferred provider organization (PPO) plan over the past nine months. The Regence HMO decline was tied to the health plan's decision...

Governor taps Bradbury as new secretary of state.(includes other news)(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... * Gov. John Kitzhaber has appointed Democrat Bill Bradbury Secretary of State. Bradbury, a former state senator from Bandon, succeeded Kitzhaber as senate president in 1993 before leaving office. Bradbury currently directs For the Sake of the...

metro-area deposits.(U.S. Bank)(Statistical Data Included)(Correction Notice)(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... U.S. Bank's metro-area deposits total $5.2 billion, placing it No. 1 in The Business Journal's list of top area financial institutions, published Nov.5. The bank inadvertently. supplied the wrong figure.

SRG Partnership PC.(Correction Notice)
November 12, 1999... SRG Partnership PC, the request-for-proposal architect for the new Veterans Affairs Cancer Center, was inadvertently omitted from an article in the Oct. 29 Structures special section. Yost Grube Hall Architecture was the project's architect of...

OSU increases its guard against gene activists.(Oregon State University)(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... There's nothing innocuous about the Bioengineering Action Network web site. The site features photographs of activists burning genetically engineered crops and announcements about the thousands of research frees, corn crops and university...

Lightware's cozy plan: Bundling up with Casio.(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... Lightware Inc. is taking the partnership strategy prevalent in the projection industry a step further by bundling its new line of projectors with a Casio notebook computer. Lightware will debut the bundle at the Comdex trade show next week....

Winning season won't erase OSU sports debt.(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... With its first winning record in 29 years, the Oregon State University football team is flying higher than it has since the heyday of legendary coach Dee "The Great Pumpkin" Andros. The allure of winning, though, may not convince the...

eVineyard strikes major deal with SF's Snap.com.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... eVineyard expects the 1999 through 2001 vintages to be stellar, thanks to a partnership with a fast-growing internet shopping portal. The Portland start-up, which sells wine over the internet, inked a deal with Snap.com that makes eVineyard...

Corporate Portland's aid sought by Francesconi.(Brief Article)
November 12, 1999... By supporting programs that help empower small businesses and poverty stricken families, Portland business leaders can positively impact the area's overall economy. So said City Commissioner Jim Francesconi in a speech last Tuesday to the...

TV's Hugh O'Brian here for reception.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... Hit the road, bad guys: Wyatt Earp is coming to town! Make that Hugh O'Brian, the actor who portrayed the legendary. Western sheriff on television for seven memorable seasons. O'Brian will be in Portland today for a wine-tasting and...

OEF hires former Power GM Weston as director.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
November 12, 1999... The Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum has chosen Linda Weston, former general manager of the Portland Power basketball team, to energize its association. Weston will replace Jim Berchtold as executive director of the OEF, a business group that...

Bistolas agency acquired by Young & Roehr.
November 12, 1999... Young & Roehr Group has acquired the public relations agency Bistolas Associates, aiming to expand its public and media relations. John Bistolas, whose firm was ranked No. 17 on the The Business Journal's top 25 public relations agencies...

Help little guys: Unbundle bundling.
November 12, 1999... Small businesses may get a better shot at winning federal contracts as a result of new regulations that aim to limit contract consolidation by government procurement officials. The regulations, issued by the Small Business Administration,...

Oregon colleges keep construction firms busy.
November 12, 1999... No doubt about it: Portland's building markets--residential, industrial or commercial--are flat. Flat like Arvydas Sabonis's 15-foot jumper. But like the Lithuanian's shot, the building. markets aren't necessarily bad, considering they're...