Business Journal-Portland articles from September 1996

Business Journal-Portland archives from September 1996

Bank born with deep pockets. (Northwest First Bank)
September 6, 1996... The reading on the giant thermometer soared in late August, and it had nothing to do with summer heat. Drawn on poster paper inside Northwest First Bank's interim offices at 227 S.W. Pine St. in downtown Portland, the gauge displayed the...

Expanded bottle bill draws heated debate. (Oregon's Ballot Measure 37)(Interview)
September 6, 1996... Opponents call Measure 37 costly, confusing Tom McCall might roll over in his grave if he could hear the rhetoric over a ballot measure to expand the 1971 Oregon bottle bill. Grocers and bottlers say Ballot Measure 37 is costly and confusing...

High-tech wages up, subcontracting down. (Oregon)
September 6, 1996... Median wages and total employment are climbing rapidly, but high-tech companies buy few of their supplies from local vendors. So says the annual Oregon Technology Benchmarks study due out Sept. 10. The median wage level for technology employees...

IHS installs new president at Creative Multimedia. (IHS Group; Mike Forgash)
September 6, 1996... Exactly seven days before his first anniversary as president of Creative Multimedia, Len Jordan slipped a peg in the corporate pecking order in favor of a veteran executive from the firm's corporate parent. IHS Group of Englewood, Colo., has...

Ruling the road by putting customers first. (Oregon City U-Haul)(Company Profile)
September 6, 1996... Sheila Lloyd's U-Haul dealership wins praise and more customers Through an unlikely blend of retailing, counseling, merchandising and old-fashioned customer service, Sheila Lloyd vaulted over hundreds of established businesses to create a...

Wilsonville biotech company Oligo files antibiotic patent. (Oligo Therapeutics Inc.)
September 6, 1996... A Wilsonville company that manufactures compounds for the biotechnology industry has filed a patent on a new class of antibiotic it claims is effective against even the most antibiotic-resistant bacterial illnesses. Oligo Therapeutics Inc....

Know from the start the benefits of technology purchase.(CyberSense)(Column)
September 6, 1996... In a previous column, I began a discussion about quantifying or justifying the costs of technological investments with a look at why it can be so difficult to do so. In this column, let's continue by considering how to justify technology for...

Business groups, unions both fight cut-and-cap. (Oregon's property tax Measure 47)
September 6, 1996... Business leaders are joining ranks with unions to oppose the cut-and-cap property tax measure on the November ballot. PGE, PacifiCorp, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Legacy and some leading high-tech companies have pledged money to fight Measure 47,...

Bendl/Parks initiatives get low marks from law deans. (Oregon tax reform measures proposed by Ruth Bendl and Loren Parks)
September 6, 1996... Ruth Bendl and Loren Parks made the dean's list three times, but it's nothing to write home about. A committee of six former Oregon law school deans has concluded five of the 23 ballot measures on Oregon's November ballot are unconstitutional....

Venture funds drawn to SBIC pot o' gold. (small business investment companies)(Focus on Finance)
September 6, 1996... Small businesses benefit from revamped program The phrase "venture capital" conjures up images of wealthy industrialists and deep-pocketed corporations pooling money to bankroll fledgling companies. But former banking executive Kurt...

Adjustment bureaus act as detour from bankruptcy.(Focus on Finance)
September 6, 1996... In today's politically correct world, a distressed business debtor - usually an insolvent company on the verge of bankruptcy - could be called "fiscally challenged." No one wins when a company goes out of business. The debtor often files...

Is it time for a checkup of your company's benefits?(Focus on Finance)
September 6, 1996... When was the last time your company conducted a comprehensive assessment of its total benefits programs? If your firm is like many others, the answer is probably "never" or "when we installed the plan." But if your company fails to audit its...

Consulting program focuses on small technology companies. (Oregon Manufacturing Extension Program)
September 6, 1996... A $2.1 million pool of funds is about to launch high-tech's equivalent of a county extension agent program. Rather than telling farmers how to get rid of hornworms on their tomatoes, the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership will focus on...

Psychology of investing shows that most are too risk-averse.(Focus on Finance)
September 6, 1996... Last year's billion-dollar losses at Barings and Daiwa Bank were both attributed to traders attempting bigger and bigger bets to recover from losing positions. This willingness to gamble to recoup losses is one example of common investor...

Be wary of investing in mutual funds late in the year.(Focus on Finance)
September 6, 1996... Many investors do not think about the adverse effect of taxes on their investment returns. However, taxes are a significant consideration if you have assets subject to income and capital gains taxes - assets that are not in Individual Retirement...

Fred Meyer stock offering seen as KKR divestiture strategy.
September 6, 1996... Fred Meyer Inc.'s sales are up and its leading shareholder is floating a secondary public offering of 4 million shares of common stock. FMI Associates, an affiliate of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. LP, will sell the stock. FMI currently...

Energy Department drops set-asides for women, minorities. (contracts awarded by the Dept. of Energy for minority-owned and women-owned businesses)
September 6, 1996... DOE joins other federal agencies in ending set-asides WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Energy plans to drop the contracting programs it sets aside for small, disadvantaged businesses (SDB) and women-owned businesses. In revising the...

U.S. Bank of California gets fourth president in four years. (Joe Colmery)
September 6, 1996... U.S. Bancorp has picked its fourth president in four years to head its California operations. The choice, some bankers think, could signal more acquisitions in the future. Chosen as head of Sacramento-based U.S. Bank of California is Joe...

Boston Chicken founder to help Maroni's Pizza expand. (George Naddaff appointed director of strategic planning for Tony Maroni's Famous Gourmet Pizza)
September 6, 1996... It took Tony Riviera nine years to build a chain of five upscale pizza stores with an estimated $2.5 million slice of the Seattle market. But his Tony Maroni's Famous Gourmet Pizza could be expanding a lot more quickly now that it's enlisted...

Cole & Weber names Debby Kennedy president.
September 6, 1996... Cole & Weber has named Debby Kennedy, an executive at the firm's Portland office, as president of the Seattle-based advertising agency. The move prompted a top-level management shuffle in which current president Austin McGhie now takes the...

Health insurance portability raises confidentiality issues. (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)
September 6, 1996... Consumer advocates question electronic networks WASHINGTON, D.C. - The passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act promises flexibility for all workers. But in the process, medical data confidentiality may be compromised....

Developers claim city's growth goals just don't add up. (Portland, OR)
September 13, 1996... Like a fourth-grader struggling with his math homework, Scott Barrie is scratching his head over a word problem. Here's the question: The city of Portland must put out the welcome mat for 70,704 new households by the year 2017. To do that, how...

New owners pour heady plans for BridgePort. (BridgePort Brewing Co.)
September 13, 1996... BridgePort Brewing Co.'s management team wants to tap the full potential of the venerable Portland brewery by tripling its brewing capacity to 60,000 barrels and opening new standalone pubs. Founded in 1984 by Oregon's wine-making Ponzi family,...

BofA Oregon charter lost in regionalization; bank shuffles execs, cuts 60 Oregon jobs. (Bank of America Oregon)
September 13, 1996... On July 1, Bank of America Oregon ceased to exist. Not that many customers of the state's third-largest bank noticed. No branches closed, no buy-cut took place, no press release was issued. Instead, parent company BankAmerica Corp. simply...

Ballot measures spur TV advertising blitz; fall campaign to break spending records, say stations, media buyers.
September 13, 1996... Last Sunday morning, KOIN-TV aired a special mixing vignettes of breast-cancer survivors with live footage of a fund-raising run for cancer research. Midway through the Race for the Cure special, tobacco companies aired a commercial panning a...

Wildflower seed business blossoms; Willamette Valley's palette is brightened by strong demand.(Small Business Savvy)
September 13, 1996... About 1,500 acres of vividly colored wildflower fields are going under the combine as Willamette Valley's seed producers scurry to meet a seed market they've nurtured for a decade. Production of wildflower seed has increased as much as 40...

Wellness coming on strong. (employee wellness tests)(Focus on Health)
September 13, 1996... Companies from Tektronix to Fred Meyer are using wellness tests on employees Randy Turner, 37, hadn't been to a doctor for nearly six years. During the 11 years he spent in the military, he was regularly poked and prodded and routinely...

Third-World saviors keeping busy at home. (Northwest Medical Teams International)(Focus on Health)
September 13, 1996... Northwest Medical Teams bring van to Oregon's needy Northwest Medical Teams International Inc. is best known for dashing around the globe to help disaster victims in the Third World. What is less well-known is that the nonprofit group of...

How to ask the right questions when shopping for an HMO. (health maintenance organization)(Focus on Health)
September 13, 1996... The state of Oregon has been at the forefront of the managed care revolution which has swept the nation. The shift away from traditional indemnity health plans to preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and health maintenance organizations (HMOs)...

OHSU scholar appointed to national bioethics panel. (Occupational Health and Safety University; Patricia Backlar; National Bioethics Advisory Commission)(Focus on Health)
September 13, 1996... Clinton-tapped commission to tackle difficult questions Five years ago, when 35-year-old Susan gave birth to a 1-pound baby less than six months into her pregnancy, doctors in the renowned neonatal unit at Emanuel Hospital didn't waste a...

U S West, GTE see red over FCC ruling on competition.
September 13, 1996... In July I wrote that telecommunications competitors were anxiously awaiting the August Federal Communications Commission interpretation of this year's sweeping telecommunications legislation. At stake is how quickly smaller local service...

Overbilling Medicare or Medicaid is no laughing matter.(Focus on Health)
September 13, 1996... With all the media hype over the "fleecing"of America's Medicare and Medicaid programs, physicians are asking what they can do to protect themselves. While most physicians are not submitting fraudulent bills, the investigations and allegations of...

Variety of sleep disorders take their toll on U.S. businesses.(Focus on Health)
September 13, 1996... Productivity in the workplace is determined by a myriad of factors, from the level of training or experience in specific duties or tasks to the proper attitude and morale. One of the most insidious detriments to productivity is sleep deprivation,...

Phil Knight: after 24 years building Nike into a worldwide presence, Knight seeks to perfect his masterpiece.(Oregon Enterprise Forum: 1996 Oregon Entrepreneurship Awards)
September 13, 1996... Looking out across the serene landscape of Nike's world headquarters from the balcony of Phil Knight's office, it's easy to see why he's come to think of the company as his canvas. The nerve center of his $6 billion business blends effortlessly...

Chris Pieper: Ex-Tek engineer fills accounting software niche.(Oregon Enterprise Forum: 1996 Oregon Entrepreneurship Awards)
September 13, 1996... Wanting to own a business is something entrepreneurs have in their hearts from the day they're born, says Chris Pieper, chief executive officer of the 6-year-old software company ABC Technologies. That's how it was for the young engineer who, in...

Thomas Neilsen: second-generation business owner retools metal shop for new customers.(Oregon Enterprise Forum: 1996 Oregon Entrepreneurship Awards)
September 13, 1996... At a time when speculation and acquisition drive the formation and demise of many companies, a 39-year-old locally grown business like Neilsen Manufacturing Inc. is becoming more and more uncommon. Second-generation business owner Tom Neilsen,...

William Sherertz: temp agency's rocketing growth piloted by Sherertz's steady hand.(Oregon Enterprise Forum: 1996 Oregon Entrepreneurship Awards)
September 13, 1996... Growing up in Bandon, Ore., where his mother had a beauty shop and his father divided his time between logging and cranberry farming, Bill Sherertz says he learned early how to read people. During school vacations, he worked in the woods and in...

Keith Barnes: high-tech exec strives to build up his company, state.(Oregon Enterprise Forum: 1996 Oregon Entrepreneurship Awards)
September 13, 1996... Some folks build successful companies. Others work on creating communities where such companies can take root and flourish. A few do both. Keith Barnes is one of the latter. As president and CEO of 13-year-old (IMS) Integrated Measurement...

Intel ramps up Wash. site. (Intel Corp.'s computer manufacturing facility in Dupont, Washington)
September 20, 1996... Oregon design work feeds manufacturing facility in DuPont DUPONT, Wash. - After three short months of operation, Intel Corp.'s 800 employees here already outnumber the 601 residents noted on the sign posted at the city limits. That employee...

ODS Health to anchor Wright Runstad tower. (ODS Health Plan becomes majority owner and prime tenant of Wright Runstad and Co.'s new office building in Portland, Oregon)
September 20, 1996... ODS Health Plans has injected real estate developer Wright Runstad & Co. with the medicine it needs in the race to build downtown Portland's next office high-rise. ODS recently signed a letter of intent to become both majority owner and prime...

Fraction Biologics eyes China, India deals. (Fraction Biologics LLC)
September 20, 1996... A Portland blood products technology company headed by former Oregon Graduate Institute President Dwight Sangrey is on the cusp of potential joint venture deals in India and China. The 2-year-old Fraction Biologies LLC wants to transfer...

Venture firms target NW; but Oregon still lags far behind Washington. (venture capital investment in the Pacific Northwest)
September 20, 1996... Venture capital investment is up sharply in the Pacific Northwest, but Washington-based entrepreneurs are still capturing a much bigger piece of the pie than their Oregon counterparts. Second-quarter venture capital investments REGION...

PacifiCorp seeks tax breaks to mitigate cost of plant cleanup.
September 20, 1996... PacifiCorp says it can slash pollutants from a dirty coal-fired power plant in central Washington, if it wins up to $80 million in tax breaks. In a compromise announced jointly this week with state and federal authorities, PacifiCorp proposed...

Komatsu speeds build-out. (construction of Komatsu Silicon U.S.A. Inc.'s new semiconductor wafer plant)
September 27, 1996... Company goes ahead with second phase of Hillsboro wafer plant Construction workers are pouring concrete one year ahead of schedule on phase two of the as-yet-unfinished Komatsu Silicon America wafer plant in Hillsboro's Dawson Creek. The...

Delta to begin direct service to Frankfurt. (Delta Air Lines Inc.)(includes related article on the Port of Portland)
September 27, 1996... Delta Air Lines will soon begin making daily flights from Portland International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, giving Northwest business and tourism a lift. David Zielke, district marketing manager for Delta, said the inaugural flight of the...

Nike's success leads to office space shortage.
September 27, 1996... Booming sneaker and apparel sales at Nike Inc. have caused the company to add 1,200 employees locally since January, and the gains have put the company in a first-class space crunch. The swelling ranks have the company on a leasing binge...

Partnership wants to build 200-room hotel near OMSI. (Portland, OR)
September 27, 1996... A development group eyeing eastside riverfront property is quietly floating a proposal for a 200-room hotel. George Forbes, general manager of downtown Portland's Governor Hotel, and Dan Yates and Wayne Kingsley, operators of the Portland...

North Macadam becomes hot spot for development. (Portland, OR)
September 27, 1996... As one company struggles to develop its pricey riverfront apartment site, another has swooped in to grab prime neighboring and. A limited partnership led by Los Angeles-based Dynamic Holdings Corp. recently plunked down $3.8 million for 10...

Gresham, Forest Grove push front-porch agenda.(Focus: At Home)
September 27, 1996... Garage-front homes would be hit by proposed mandates Even during the fierce rains of early September, you could find Bruce Bogar out on his front porch. The Tri-Met bus driver bought a home in Clackamas' Sunnyside Village this summer,...

Moving costs encompass a lot more than you may think.(Focus: At Home)
September 27, 1996... In our increasingly mobile society, millions of Americans move from one state to another every year. While coping with the stress of changing jobs, finding and establishing a new home, enrolling the kids in a new school, and other experiences...

Alternative-provider measure faces rocky road if it passes. (Oregon's Ballot Measure 39)
September 27, 1996... Similar Washington measure tangled in legal challenges Oregon's Ballot Measure 39, which would force insurers to let patients seek health care from alternative providers such as naturopaths and chiropractors, faces a battle in the courts even...

Seeing new possibilities for old invention.
September 27, 1996... LeMaster turns entrepreneurial spirit to wheelchair tilt device Susan LeMaster is targeting a niche in the disabled market by rolling out a freestanding wheelchair tilt device that had been gathering dust on a manufacturer's shelf for years....