Business Journal-Portland articles from October 1997

Business Journal-Portland archives from October 1997

Verdict: insurers owe Cascade millions. (Cascade Corp entitled to at least $13 million in insurance coverage for environmental liabilities)
October 3, 1997... After more than five years of litigation and three months of testimony, a Multnomah County Circuit Court jury has found that Cascade Corp. is entitled to at least $13 million in insurance coverage for its environmental liabilities. The...

Urban growth boundary may expand by 6,000 acres. (Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area)
October 3, 1997... Metro's Kvistad thinks numbers support moving the line The urban growth boundary will be expanded, and most likely by 6,000 acres. That's what Metro council chairman Jon Kvistad was quoted as saying in a front page Washington Post article...

Microsoft: back to school with new kids' software. (My Personal Tutor suite launched)
October 3, 1997... Microsoft Corp. has virtually struck out in the market for kids' software, aside from some success with the Magic School Bus series. But the Redmond software company hopes a new suite called My Personal Tutor will change its track record. It's...

Downtown YWCA building for sale; assessed at $2.9M. (YWCA of Greater Portland, Oregon)
October 3, 1997... Alternative, space for programs will be found first For the past six months, the YWCA of Greater Portland has been quietly marketing its 70,000-square-foot headquarters at the corner of 10th and Main while it looks for a smaller home. It...

Auto-Max: getting cars to market faster, safer. (Greenbrier Companies Inc's new railcar system)
October 3, 1997... The Greenbrier Companies Inc., the Lake Oswego company that sold the railroad industry on the idea of double-stacked railcars in the mid-1980s, says it is on the brink of revolutionizing the way automobiles are transported by rail. "What we've...

Nursery industry sets pace with sixth record sales year. (Oregon nursery and greenhouse industry)(Industry Overview)
October 3, 1997... For the third year in a row, the nursery and greenhouse industry set the pace for all agricultural commodities in Oregon, according to the Oregon Agricultural Statistics Service annual survey. Nursery/greenhouse owners reported 1996 gross sales...

Banking-by-computer industry has new player. (Corillian Corp in Portland, Oregon)
October 3, 1997... A local startup company in the crowded banking-by-computer industry has introduced a new generation of products, simultaneously throwing down the gauntlet to industry veteran CFI ProServices Inc. of Portland. Beaverton-based Corillian Corp. is...

Netscape founder launches health care network. (Jim Clark's Healtheon Corp partners with Brown & Toland Medical Group to form Internet health care information network)
October 3, 1997... A startup launched by Netscape co-founder Jim Clark has teamed up with San Francisco's Brown & Toland Medical Group to create a $25 million Internet health care information network. The proposed system, the first of its kind, will allow Brown &...

Lousy Alaskan salmon catch elevates farm fish. (low harvest forces Oregon salmon suppliers to switch to farmed variety)
October 3, 1997... Peter Cannon always maligned farmed salmon as a lesser fish than the free-swimming wild ones. Now he's embarrassed to find himself selling them. At this time of year, Cannon Fish Co. is usually cutting and packing 60,000 pounds of Alaskan chum...

Report says VC funds dramatically boost valuations. (venture capital funds raise valuations of businesses in which they invest)
October 3, 1997... Venture capital funds hiked their valuation of businesses in which they invest by 63 percent from 1992 to 1996 and boosted the average size of their investments by 50 percent, says a report by accountants Coopers & Lybrand LLP and research firm...

Northwest demand for venture capital escalates. (companies in Northwestern US)
October 3, 1997... Owing to the enormous success of several Northwest companies, many of which have been backed by venture capital funds or "angels," a lot of attention has been focused recently on the current level of venture capital investment in the region....

Expansion continues for Portland film/video films. (Oregon)(Industry Overview)
October 3, 1997... One of The Business Journal's Top 25 Lists this week examines the plethora of locally owned film and video production/post-production companies in Portland. Since we first published this list in 1989, reported revenue has mushroomed for the major...

Software created to better assess eco-costs. (Oregon State University Professor Anthony Veltri develops new software for assessing environmental, health and safety costs)
October 3, 1997... An Oregon State University professor has created a software model that should make it cheaper and easier for companies to be more-eco-friendly. It may also lead to the launch of another Oregon high-tech business. With a $350,000 grant from a...

Planar buys Wisconsin firm for $15 million. (Planar Systems Inc acquires Standish Industries Inc)
October 3, 1997... Planar Systems Inc. went low-end with its latest acquisition, but the move will not cheapen the company's long-term bottom line, said industry analysts. The Beaverton-based designer and manufacturer of flat panel displays this week announced...

Successes helping annual VC conference grow. (growth of Oregon Venture Investment Conference bolstered by increase in venture capital)
October 3, 1997... Due to venture capital success stories like Digimarc Inc. and Printpaks Inc., this year's Oregon Venture Investment Conference is expected to be the largest ever. Chris Bright, a member of OVIC's organizing team, foresees a 25 percent increase...

Sports, cars lead G.I. Joe's to fast lane; Wilsonville company has been in the black for four consecutive years after changing its emphasis. (interview with G.I. Joe CEO Norm Daniels)(Interview)
October 3, 1997... Wilsonville company has been in the black for four consecutive years after changing its emphasis G.I. Joe's president and chief executive officer Norm Daniels likes to let people know that the retail chain is Wilsonville-based and privately...

Batteries keep on going, thanks to Oregon firm. (Battery Works)(includes related article on firm)
October 3, 1997... Oregon, entrepreneur Wendell Morris has discovered a fountain of youth for rechargeable household and industrial batteries. Remember the three R's? For Morris, they stand for re-energize, rebuild and recycle. The 42-year-old electrical...

Phoenix Gold International Inc. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
October 3, 1997... NASDAQ: PGLD 9300 N. Decatur St., Portland, Ore. 97203 Phoenix Gold International Inc. designs, manufactures and sells high-performance accessories, electronics and speakers for the car- and home-audio aftermarket. It was founded in 1985 and...

1997 Great Portland market facts guide: a guide to vital statistics and demographics for Portland-area business.
October 3, 1997... Demographics Portland is a popular place. More than 1.7 million claim the metro area as their home, making Multnomah and its three surrounding counties the 26th-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Aside from a brief period of...

Port ponders fate of turtles. (Port of Portland)
October 10, 1997... They may be slow, cold-blooded and eat pond scum, but Western painted turtles have clout at the Port of Portland. The port, which several years ago redesigned a bridge to allow safe passage for water turtles in the Columbia Slough, is having...

Astoria gets a new face. (Astoria, Oregon's redevelopment)
October 10, 1997... Carefully, the coastal city is being redeveloped Astoria Grows Major projects now underway or planned Mill Site Development $30 million The Cannery Inn $5 million Merts...

Funding to fuel senior housing boom. (Assisted Living Concepts Inc.'s stock and bond offerings)
October 10, 1997... Assisted Living Concepts Inc. has filed government documents for stock and bond offerings that could raise up to $150 million for the senior housing company. Portland-based Assisted Living will use some of the proceeds to repay debt and...

Praegitzer's failure to communicate. (Praegitzer Industries Inc.)
October 10, 1997... Struggling company learns the hard way to give Wall Street the bad news Praegitzer Industries Inc. tells the story succinctly with the first sentence in each of its last four earnings reports: "Praegitzer Industries Inc. today announced record...

Sensor firm repositions to boost foreign revenue. (Williams Controls Inc.)
October 10, 1997... New sales team focuses on European, Asian sales Intent on boosting international revenue.to fuel a rebound from an earnings downturn in 1996, Williams Controls Inc. has bolstered its sales and marketing team by hiring two new people with...

Port's marine terminals project moves to front burner. (Port of Portland)
October 10, 1997... The Port of Portland has hired environmental consultants and an engineering firm to get its 750-acre Hayden Island project moving forward. The western half of Hayden Island, purchased several years ago by the port, is where the port hopes to...

Metro One likes growth opportunities provided by GST. (Metro One Telecommunications Inc.; GST Telecom)
October 10, 1997... Portland-based Metro One Telecommunications Inc.'s recently announced deal with GST Telecom won't make the company rich right away, but it will add to the company's luster as it strives to establish its enhanced directory assistance products....

Twisted tale pits ex-partners against each other. (Coaxco Inc. has no money in-house to pay damage suits)
October 10, 1997... Three former employees of the now-defunct Tualatin dental-tubing manufacturer Coaxco Inc. won an uncontested wrongful-discharge verdict against the company two weeks ago. But they may have difficulty actually collecting the $544,973 award....

IPO pipeline starts to flow as tech issues lead way. (initial public offering of Internet service providers)(Industry Overview)
October 10, 1997... After resisting previous cycles of stock-market enthusiasm for Internet companies, Progressive Networks Inc. finally took the plunge last week as high-tech IPOs are once again sparkling. The recent crop of robust offerings has reversed a trend...

One of nation's largest REITs heads for Wall Street. (real estate investment trust AMB Property Corp.)
October 10, 1997... AMB Property Corp. has filed for a $287.5 million initial public offering to become one of the largest publicly traded real estate companies in the country. When completed, the San Francisco-based real estate investment manager will transform...

Trading on high concept, Trader Joe's expanding. (upscale food retail chain)
October 10, 1997... Trader Joe's, the California-based chain that turned upscale comestibles into a bargain-basement business, continues its successful ways in Oregon and Washington. It will open three more stores in the Puget Sound area - including its first...

Ninth Circuit reverses trend on employment law. (US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals)
October 10, 1997... But local attorneys see change as logical State and federal courts, which for years have been pushing employers to use alternative dispute resolution methods to settle discrimination and harassment claims, have done a 180-degree turn. The...

Safeco's stodgy image changes with latest move. (Safeco Corp.'s acquisition of American States Financial Corp.)
October 10, 1997... When Safeco Corp. concludes its $2.8 billion acquisition of American States Financial Corp. next week, it may also shed its reputation as a slow-moving, tradition-bound company content to stay in the middle of the pack. President Bob Dickey...

Casey at the baht: Asian currencies strike out in Northwest.
October 10, 1997... From apple growers to architects, business people around the Puget Sound are feeling the impacts of the Southeast Asian currency crash. Led by the Thai baht, Southeast Asian currencies have plummeted in value as much as 30 percent since July....

U S West battles Colorado regulators, customers. (U S West Communications Inc.; Colorado Public Utilities Commission)
October 10, 1997... The closely guarded reports that reveal how many telephone lines U S West Communications Inc. fails to install each month could soon see the light of day, unless the phone company slams the lid. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which...

Port capitalizes on railroad connections. (interview with Port of Portland Executive director Mike Thorne)(Interview)
October 10, 1997... Traffic demands concern Port Mike Thorne, who wants more money invested in roads Mike Thorne, executive director of the Port of Portland, stands in the crossroads of the Northwest economy. From food processors along the Columbia-Snake River...

Cool Nutz tops local hip-hop hill. (Jus' Family Records' plight)
October 10, 1997... Local rapper Terrance Scott, who uses the stage name Cool Nutz, clearly has a corner on the Portland hip-hop market. But it has not been smooth sailing for Scott nor his record label, Jus' Family Records. Despite Cool Nutz's position atop the...

Thrustmaster Inc. (Proxy Report Excerpts)(Company Profile)
October 10, 1997... NASDAQ: TMSR 7175 N.W. Evergreen Parkway, No. 400, Hillsboro, Ore. 97124 [TABULAR DATA OMITTED] PERFORMANCE RECORD (in 000s except for per share amounts) 1996 1995 1994 Operating...

Campaign to undo Metro lacks support. (land use planning in Portland, OR)
October 17, 1997... Bill Sizemore has a lot more campaigning to do if he's going to abolish Metro next year, according to a just-completed survey by Davis & Hibbitts Inc. The proposed ballot measure, as written. currently trails 49 percent to 36 percent,...

Overbilling by hospitals leads to federal fines.
October 17, 1997... Federal regulators have asked Oregon hospitals to cough up $900,000 in fines to make up for overbilling the government for Medicare services between 1990 and 1996. The federal Health Care Financing Administration, which oversees Medicare,...

Oregonians moving up with their 'bottoms up!': top-shelf liquor sales take off as upscale drinkers go for quality.
October 17, 1997... Top-shelf liquor sales take off as upscale drinkers go for quality The spirit of Oregon's economy is reflected in the selection of fine scotches at Belmont Liquor in Portland. When Bob Hesla took over the state liquor store two years ago,...

Riverview: have cash, will grow? (Riverview Bancorp Inc.)
October 17, 1997... It aiming high, but the little bank is going up against some tough hombres Long a bit-player on Southwest Washington's banking stage, Riverview Bancorp Inc. now has the capital to grab more of the limelight - if it spends its cash wisely....

Software group targets foreign markets. (International Special Interest Group, software developers in Oregon)
October 17, 1997... Can Oregon software developers get with the program overseas? Craig Burk, a trade officer with Oregon Department of Economic Development, thinks they can. Burk, the former international products manager with Creative Multimedia, has organized a...

Stock market correction could sink heady valuations.
October 17, 1997... Venture capitalists are under increasing pressure to complete deals quickly. The trend of rising valuations for companies seeking venture capital carries risks for investors and entrepreneurs alike, industry experts say. At first blush the...

MicroSoft's Ballmer says new product will be hot. (executive vice pres Steve Ballmer)
October 17, 1997... MicroSoft's executive vice president, Steve Ballmer, unveiled the company's new server targeted to small businesses while in Portland this week, saying there was an urgent need for just such a product. "Small businesses are the most poorly...

Is there really reason to fear the coming of Wal-Mart?
October 17, 1997... Pete Jubitz was mighty worried the hardware store his family has owned since the days of the Great Depression would go by the wayside when Wal-Mart moved to Hood River a few years ago. Turns out, those fears were unfounded. Like savvy...

Willamette Industries goes head to head with U.S. Tax Court.
October 17, 1997... WASHINGTON, D.C. - Much to its chagrin, Willamette Industries Inc., found itself harvesting more than timber. The Portland-based company also wound up with a bill for $571,000 in additional taxes for 1992-93. The firm fried a petition asking...

Senate delays appointing new bankruptcy judges.
October 17, 1997... WASHINGTON - Despite repeated pleas to Congress, the nation's bankruptcy judges once again have failed in their effort to add new judgeships in selected districts across the country. Congress was considering adding at least 11 new permanent and...

Protesters prepare for International Nike Day of protest.
October 17, 1997... Nike Inc. protesters will gather in 28 states and 12 countries Saturday to rally for the rights of factory workers across the globe. Organizers said the first International Nike Day of Protest is being staged to encourage the Beaverton-based...

Kaiser HMOs take off in California. (Health maintenance organizations)
October 17, 1997... Kaiser Permanente, already the largest HMO in California, is quietly chipping away at its competitors' market share in the highly competitive Medicare HMO market. Enrollment in Kaiser's Senior Advantage Medicare plan has jumped by almost 10...

Taco del Mar ready to tackle East Coast market.
October 17, 1997... Taco del Mar, a Seattle-based chain of Mexican-style fast-food restaurants, will kick off an East Coast expansion campaign next month with the opening of a Boston location. James Schmidt, chairman and CEO of the 5-year-old company, said now is...

Irene Firmat. (Full Sail Brewery founder and general manager)(Interview)
October 17, 1997... In the mid-1980s, Irene Firmat looked around and saw hundreds of people drinking beer from glasses. Portland, the homeland of the young microbrew industry, had no one bottling its beer That looked like an opportunity to her. Firmat and...

M&A activity hits frenzied pace: both in Oregon and U.S, deals have hit record highs. (mergers and acquisitions)
October 17, 1997... Searching to expand its markets, Beaverton's Claremont Technology Group Inc. went on a major buying spree this year. The $67 million computer systems integrator snapped up four companies in a four-month span and is looking to swallow more. The...

M&S buyer picks up tab for expansions. (McCormick & Schmick)
October 17, 1997... Apple South gives Portland restauranteurs control The Portland-based McCormick & Schmick's restaurant chain was merely a dot on the screen of the restaurant industry's Pac-Man, Apple South Inc. At $68 million in cash, stock and assumed debt,...

RadiSys' purchase beefs up product potential. (RadiSys Corp. purchase of Sonitech International Inc.)
October 17, 1997... Two things happened to RadiSys Corp. Feb. 19, 1997, but only one made headlines. Amid news of RadiSys' vindication from allegations of illegal accounting practices, the Hillsboro company's purchase of Sonitech International Inc. passed...

Egghead cracks surplus market with acquisition. (Egghead Inc. merges with Surplus Direct Inc.)
October 17, 1997... Egghead Inc. paid $36 million this summer for the key to its future. It opens the front doors at Surplus Direct Inc. in Hood River. For Spokane-based Egghead, a software retailer devastated by its unwillingness to change, it is a chance to...

Biggest Portland banks loan $200 billion in 1996.
October 17, 1997... Banking is big business in major metropolitan areas, and Portland is no exception. The top five companies on this year's list of area financial institutions reported combined metro-area deposits of about $10 billion. Combined, they operate...

Paperless banking still long way off.
October 17, 1997... Banking and finance professionals dream of the day their institutions no longer rely on paper documents. But that day may never dawn, at least not any time soon. More than 90 percent of all corporate and government documents are still stored...

The love affair with Art Affaire. (art gallery)(Small Business Savvy)
October 17, 1997... When the opportunity to buy Art Affaire suddenly popped up back in 1994, Theo and Terre Macris decided it was a chance of a lifetime. The problem was they didn't have any money or collateral for a loan. Although the business was barely off the...

Banks say 'no,' PDC says 'sure!' (Portland Development Commission)(Small Business Savvy)
October 17, 1997... With their tiny, 3-year-old art-framing business increasing by more than 20 percent annually, Theo and Terre Macris needed to expand. At first they ignored the gray industrial warehouse at 2324 S.E. Division St. as an eyesore. But once Theo...

Privatization would aid liquor vendors, agent argues.
October 17, 1997... State control kills competition and keeps profit margins down It sounds like a retailer's dream: to be the operator of a store without much direct competition that sells a popular, expensive product. But for the private contractors managing the...

Web advertising grows.
October 17, 1997... BOSTON - Although advertising on the Web is growing faster than you can say "cost per thousand," it's such a new medium that tried and true marketing approaches sometimes work and sometimes don't. Dollar estimates vary, but most observers say...

With 40 million pages out there, somebody has to check them all.
October 17, 1997... DAYTON - For about $1,000 a year, Modern Technologies Corp. (www.modtechcorp.com) will help keep the Internet pure of improper uses of your trademark. Its Markwatch Internet software scans some 97 percent of the Internet to see how people and...

An online river runs through it.
October 17, 1997... SEATTLE - While Wall Street is closely watching the competition between online bookseller Amazon.com and new online entrant Barnes & Noble, executives of the Seattle company are concentrating on a bigger hurdle: Getting the thousands of browsers...

Bill Gates. (Microsoft Corp.'s Chmn)(Interview)
October 17, 1997... Software giant Microsoft Corp. was a bit slow to pick up on the Internet explosion. But once Microsoft chairman Bill Gates grasped its significance, he threw the company's vast resources behind an effort to "embrace and extend" the Internet's...

ISDN lines: passe on fast lane? (integrated services digital network)
October 17, 1997... More. Better. Faster, faster. That's the mantra of Internet users whose now-whetted appetites have made them eager for online information. It's a vicious cycle: applications attract users, who demand better programs, and quicker. Like Tom Cruise...

Internet security. (electronic commerce)
October 17, 1997... Fear of Buying On The Internet: Coming In For A Soft Landing? The way Henry Messenger figures it, he's about as likely to be ripped off using his credit card to buy goods or services over the Internet as he is buying goods and services at a...

Use it or lose it.(By the Numbers)
October 17, 1997... The results of a Biz survey on small business and the Internet can be summed up in five small words, 13 letters in all: Use it or lose it. Small companies that are using the Internet to communicate with customers, market their products and to...

Wilsonville ponders building moratorium. (Oregon)
October 24, 1997... A building moratorium in Wilsonville appears imminent as the aquifer-fed city scrambles to secure a new water source before it runs out of capacity. The moratorium, being recommended by the city's planning director, will go before the...

Local traders breathe deep sigh of relief. (Portland, OR)
October 24, 1997... Northwest businesses relying on Japanese ships for their exports or imports can only hope the latest trade tussle with Japan doesn't turn into an all-out trade war. Last week, the Federal Maritime Commission voted to bar Japanese container...

Trail Blazers soar with airport ads. (professional basketball team)
October 24, 1997... Themed concept works at PDX Airport advertising is taking off for the Portland Trail Blazers. After a slow start, the Blazers' division that sells back lit display ads at Portland International Airport is turning a profit and selling 96...

Tool man's legal wins impressive. (Leatherman Tool Group Inc)
October 24, 1997... Tim Leather man has been fighting for his trademark rights about as long as he's been making tools. Leatherman, the 49-year-old, boyish-looking president of Leatherman Tool Group Inc., began manufacturing and marketing the Pocket Survival Tool...

The Street likes Schmitt's potential. (Wall Street; Schmitt Industries Inc)
October 24, 1997... Portland manufacturer sales have grown 58 percent over last five years Bolstered by acquisitions over the past three years, Schmitt Industries Inc. is poised to explode. At least that's the conclusion of some Wall Street analysts, who...

Gardenburger Inc. goes after hamburger lovers.
October 24, 1997... Gardenburger Inc. plans to usurp the All-American hamburger with a steaming patty of soy protein and wheat gluten that masquerades as meat. The new Gardenburger "hamburger style" is headed to retail shelves across the nation, company officials...

MCI gets caught between ABA, Oregon Credit League. (MCI Communications Corp; American Bankers Assn)
October 24, 1997... MCI has landed in the middle of a dogfight between the American Bankers Association and the Oregon Credit League after the telephone company's logo appeared on the ABA Web site listed as a sponsor. MCI serves as ABA's Internet host and sets up...

NuMedics expands diabetes management plan in California. (NuMedics Inc)
October 24, 1997... NuMedics Inc. has signed a $500,000 deal to install its diabetes management software in a dozen California sites, allowing physicians and patients to better monitor the ailment and improve treatment. These sites are just the beginning for this...

ATU officials say paramedics can't form separate union. (Amalgamated Transit Union)
October 24, 1997... Paramedics at American Medical Response-Northwest who recently elected the Amalgamated Transit Union to represent them are now petitioning to form their own ATU local. ATU Local 757 officials say it won the election, and they contend that...

Paulus warns of high-tech work force woes in schools. (Oregon schools Superintendent Norma Paulus)
October 24, 1997... Even though Portland is inundated with jobs in the high-tech industry, most Oregon high school students do not possess the basic math skills to obtain jobs in these fields, says state schools Supt. Norma Paulus. Math standards will be raised...

Market has GTE GM emphasizing quality. (interview with GTE general manager Jon VanWyk)(Interview)
October 24, 1997... Since the Telecommunications Act of 1996 kicked down the door to full-blown competition for local dialtone service, companies large and small have been readying themselves for war. The Big Three - AT&T, US West and GTE - have been making multi...

Do winter right. (The Home Ranch winter resort)(Focus on Winter Recreation)
October 24, 1997... The Home Ranch offers winter sports, gourmet food and lavish accommodations Cile Jones pushed her chair back from the dinner table and stood to introduce us to the amenities of her ranch . . . and its insulation from workday world stress....

Snowboard industry attracts millions.(Focus on Winter Recreation)
October 24, 1997... High-growth sport spurs cross-marketing of equipment and apparel Snowboarding, with glacial tenacity, is muscling its way on to an increasing number of ski slopes. The sport that skiers once turned their noses up at now threatens to move from...

Small business guy with big ideas. (Aristocrat Donuts owner Ray Canarios)(Small Business Savvy)
October 24, 1997... Eight months ago, Ray Canarios commanded an annual salary of more than $60,000 and numerous benefits as one of Air Express International's top sales executives in the Pacific Northwest. He gave it all up to work 17 to 18 hours a day to making...

Corporate sponsors buy attention at Rose Garden. (Portland Trail Blazers lands corporate sponsorship deals)
October 24, 1997... Pressing to squeeze more revenue out of the Rose Garden, the Portland Trail Blazers recently scored on corporate sponsorship deals that promise to deliver an extra $2.5 million annually. Coors Brewery agreed to use the fourth and final "media...

Agents decry real estate giant's tactics. (NRT Inc.)
October 31, 1997... Owners and agents of residential real estate companies in the path of NRT Inc.'s West Coast buying spree are telling some sordid stories about the tactics of the New Jersey-based company. There are tales of threats to company executives who...

Port's goal: more cargo heading east. (Hanjin Shipping Co.)
October 31, 1997... Prompted by delays in unloading cargo at Long Beach, Calif.'s container terminal, Hanjin Shipping Co. and its shipping alliance partners have decided to make Portland their first port of call on the West Coast. "Railroads, truckers,...