Business Journal-Portland articles from September 2000

Business Journal-Portland archives from September 2000

Paying price may test Assisted living.($30 million settlement between Assisted Living Concepts and its shareholders)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... A hearing is scheduled Monday in U.S. District Court on initial approval of a proposed $30 million settlement between Assisted Living Concepts and its shareholders, who said they were damaged by the company's precipitous stock decline over...

Physician association busts up over $$$$$$.(Portland Clinic and Northwest Primary Care Group pull out of Providence Health Plans)
September 29, 2000... In a dispute over equitable pay for physicians, The Portland Clinic and Northwest Primary Care Group have pulled out of the Providence Health Plans' physician association. Portland Clinic, the region's largest physician organization, has...

Downtown space race Puts squeeze on tenant.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Robert Dale was released from prison in 1997, after completing a drug-treatment program and serving three and a half years for commercial methamphetamine trafficking. The Oregon Department of Corrections set him up in a transitional housing...

Jingling of suburban gold galvanizes Meier & Frank.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Portland-based Meier & Frank is negotiating to develop a department store at The Shops at Tanasbourne, a proposed mall near the Hillsboro-Beaverton border, sources said. Parties to the discussions did not return calls or declined to...

Tradition aside, Esco opens steel door to superhighway.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Esco Corp. is embarking on its second high-tech venture. The Northwest Portland-based steel foundry and distributor established nearly 90 years ago is getting ready to plunge into the business of the internet. After building its own...

Rentrak CEO takes look at debtors, 3PF.(Paul Rosenbaum)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Rentrak's new interim CEO said the company will keep the same personnel while radically changing its upper-management operating philosophies. Paul Rosenbaum, the Michigan executive who led a shareholder takeover of the videocassette...

New ballpark? You'll pay for much of it, of course.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... You gotta love it. This summer, only the short-season Portland Rockies called Civic Stadium, oops, PGE Park, home Boring. Then we learned this week that the San Diego Padres' Pacific Coast League affiliate will begin playing at the renovated...

Timberline invests in ballroom-dancing site.(Timberline Venture Partners, Dancescape.com)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... * Timberline Venture Partners, a Northwest venture capital firm, is apparently getting ready to play at The Predators' Ball. Timberline said it has invested $650,000 in first-round funding in the DanceScape Corp. of Burlington, Ontario....

eFusion Inc.(information on services)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... * Soon you'll be able to argue the artistic merits of "Stairway to Heaven" from the comfort of your laptop computer while on that business, trip to the Windy City. All this and more, thanks to eFusion Inc., the Portland provider of online...

BreastHealthNetwork.com.(to launch National Breast Cancer Awareness Month on Oct. 1, 2000)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... * BreastHealthNetwork.com, a new Portland-based web portal with a comprehensive internet search engine dedicated solely to the topic of breast health and breast cancer, will launch October 1, the first day of National Breast Cancer Awareness...

Crown Pacific Inc.(to participate in forestland protection program, Oregon)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 29, 2000... * In an agreement signed Tuesday, Northwest timber company Crown Pacific Inc. partnered with the Deschutes Basin Land Trust and the Oregon Community Foundation to "protect and enhance" more than 3,000 acres of forestland in Central Oregon's...

Freightliner LLC.(purchases Western Star Trucks Holdings)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... * Freightliner LLC, a Portland-based DaimlerChrysler AG unit, announced that its acquisition of 100 percent of the outstanding stock of Western Star Trucks Holdings closed today. Freightliner acquired the company for a purchase price of $453...

Vitamin World.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... * Vitamin World, a national retail subsidiary of NBTY Inc., plans to use the Healthnotes Online version 6.0 in 460 stores across the United States. The database, developed by Portland's Healthnotes Inc., includes information on dietary...

Williams Controls Inc.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... * Williams Controls Inc. (Nasdaq: WMCO) of Portland said that its subsidiary, GeoFocus Inc., has signed an agreement to provide the company's on-train Global Positioning System-based train information management system, called TrainTrac, to...

Djangos.com Inc.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... * Djangos.com Inc., retailer of used, new and hard-to-find music and movies, is launching its first new co-branded Djangos Moby Disc store today on the University of California in Los Angeles campus. The agreement brings 1,600 square feet of...

Padres pick Portland after Dodgers choose Vegas.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... After much speculation, the Portland Class AAA franchise has a parent club. Now all it needs is a name. And a field surface. Not to mention a guarantee that the stadium will be completed on time. Portland Family Entertainment said this...

Natural Step headed to national forefront soon.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Throngs of corporate, government and academic leaders will converge on one of America's least sustainable cities Oct. 5-7 to talk about, well, the notion of sustainability While Portland may be the U.S. trailblazer for The Natural Step,...

Business will be served if East County issue passes.(East Multnomah County school district)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... With issues as volatile as gay rights and tax reform flooding November's ballot, it's easy to see how a simple bond measure in two school districts might get overshadowed. Residents living in the Gresham-Barlow and Reynolds districts,...

OPERF assets to go through Clarion firm.(Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund, Clarion Partners)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 29, 2000... The Oregon Investment Council reassigned real estate assets owned by the state government pension fund, designating investment strategies for holdings valued at more than $750 million. On Sept. 27, the council approved dedicating $575...

Port wants to keep 'landing slots' for Japan flights.(Port of Portland, Portland International Airport)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... The much-coveted right for airlines to land at foreign airports is the subject of a three-way battle centered in Portland. When Delta Air Lines announced Sept. 6 that it will cut service from Portland International Airport to Tokyo and...

DEQ delivers when old cars get junked.(Oregon Department of Environmental Quality )(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Noting that older cars are responsible for a fair share of the air's toxicity, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has teamed with a group of Portland businesses to encourage people to dump their junkers. Under the CHOICES...

Promising start-ups get chance to strut their stuff.(Angel Oregon Conference)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Eight of Oregon's most promising early-stage companies will get the unique chance to present their businesses to an audience of investors and entrepreneurs while competing for a prize of $25,000 of support services at this year's Angel Oregon...

Blues to go forward with affiliation plan.(Regence BluCross BlueShield)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Regence BluCross BlueShield chairman Richard Woolworth predicts that its proposal to affiliate with Blues plans in five other states will be sent to state insurance regulators by November. The company is now in due diligence with Blues...

Gunderson will benefit from Alaska oil projects.(Gunderson Marine Incorporated)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Like wolves eyeing a piece of steak, marine transportation companies in the Northwest are salivating over prospects that new energy projects in Alaska will fuel a huge expansion in their business. Companies that transport heavy equipment...

Energy costs threaten old NW industry.(Northwest, aluminum industry)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Kaiser Aluminum's two-year strike may be over, but only 44 of nearly 300 striking Tacoma, Wash., workers will return. The rest will have to wait for the plant, now idled by high energy prices, to start making aluminum again. Around...

EXECUTIVE PROFILE: Joe D'Alessandro.(head of Portland Oregon Visitors Association)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... PERSONAL INFORMATION Name: Joe D'Alessandro Organization: Portland Oregon Visitors Association Title: President and CEO What we do: We promote Portland as the preferred destination for conventions, meetings and leisure...

Portland ... as in Portland State.(attempt to link the city and college)
September 29, 2000... The city bas ramped up its commitment to the university Portland Mayor Vera Katz and Portland State University President Daniel Bernstine have a vision. When people mention the word "Portland," Bernstine and Katz want them to reflexively...

Highlights from high-tech report tamer than most.(Oregon)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... It's time for the annual Technology Oregon Benchmarks State of the Industry Report, which leads to the question: Just how is the industry doing? The report, which tends to put as positive an angle on trends as possible, is surprisingly...

EDUCATION SUFFERS WHEN.(the need for greater spending on education in Oregon)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... I've heard many arguments about how more money doesn't necessarily equal better education. And I'm willing to concede that some of those arguments make sense. But more money definitely makes a difference. Just look at the lists of school...

QUEST, NOT PRODX.(Quest Marketing)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Since I'm quick to pounce on the mistakes of others, I guess it's only fair that I own up to my personal mistakes. Or, at least most of the ones that are brought to my attention. A recent inexplicable blunder involving my coverage of the...

CLARITY, QSENT BAG BUCKS.(Clarity Visual Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... A pair of local companies are a bit richer thanks to venture capital deals. Clarity Visual Systems received some $6.5 million from Needham Capital Partners of New York. It's the first ventuere infusion the local maker of big displays has...

Lucy.com gets physical, opens new retail locales.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Women's wear retailer lucy.com will soon open physical stores to augment its online offerings, said Deborah Pleva, public relations manager for the Portland e-tailer. Pleva declined to give details, but indicated that a company...

GALLERY PLANS.(Pearl District gallery)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Portland art dealer Tracy Savage plans to open a Pearl District gallery next year at 416 N.W. 10th Avenue. Savage said she has signed a lease for a gallery featuring contemporary art, but has yet to decide who she will represent or what she...

THRIFT STORES CHANGE.(St. Vincent de Paul Society)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... The nonprofit Society of St. Vincent dePaul has largely revamped its Portland-area thrift-store operations. In the past couple of months St. Vincent closed its smaller stores in Hillsboro, Oregon City and Gresham. On Sept. 22 it closed...

NO MARGARITAS.(Cisco and Pancho's, Mexican restaurant)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Mexican restaurant Cisco & Pancho's will go to court to fight the cancellation of its liquor license, said Abraham Ndayala, a consultant to the restaurant who said he is dealing with the license issues. The Portland restaurant, at 107...

DOWNTOWN FASHION.(J. Jill store opening in Portland, Oregon)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Fashion retailer J. Jill will open its first Oregon store at Pioneer Place by the end of September. The Pioneer Place store will be one of only a dozen J. Jill retail stores in the country, augmenting the New Hampshire company's catalog and...

Williams rolls down Pill Hill and into classroom.(Chuck Williams, Kids for a Drug-Free Society)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Shriners Hospital lost, but kids have gained from Chuck Williams' departure from Pill Hill. The former public relations director will return soon to teach classes in his new role as regional director of Kids for a Drug-Free Society. The...

MERCY CORPS OUTDOES NEWSWEEK.(annual report)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... The Portland-based humanitarian agency Mercy Corps sent out an impressive 1999 annual report, almost more of a magazine on world crises than a financial update. The four-color annual, with a striking photo of a young Chechen refugee on...

BUSINESS HAS DIM VIEW OF LEGISLATION.(patient rights legislation)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... TV ads and magazine covers are not the only sign that Congress is making a last-ditch push to pass patient rights legislation. The American Association of PPOs is circulating an e-mail claiming that the number of people without insurance...

TICKETS ON SALE FOR DOERNBECHER PARTY.(Doernbecher Foundation Junior Executive Board)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... The Doernbecher Foundation Junior Executive Board is converting the Aero Air hangar at Hillsboro Airport into a concert hail for the Third Annual Doernbecher Generation Jam Oct. 7. Tickets are on sale for $50 at the foundation office or by...

Brownfields Showcase chooses five for face lift.(environmental upgrades in Portland, Oregon)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Get out the bioremediation systems and enzyme ground pumps: City leaders are breathing new life into a handful of forsaken North Portland properties. Five properties were selected to garner environmental assessments and development...

WORKERS UNITE!(Quest Group Trust VII buys building in Clackamas County, Oregon)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... The union-friendly pension fund Quest Group Trust VII bought the Sunnybrook Corporate Center in Clackamas County last week for roughly $13 million. Beaverton-based Specht Development Inc. sold the building to Quest, which requires 100...

MILWAUKIE CORRIDOR?(new office building in Portland, Oregon)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Tech-savvy Class A office space in the sleepy Southeast borough of Milwaukie? You betcha. Never mind the lack of creativity in the name, the 224 Corporate Center off Highway 224 promises to give Milwaukie its own sampling of Sunset...

The technology spinout.(Oregon State University: technology transfer)
September 29, 2000... Technology transfer between universities and businesses will be the hot topic at the Venture Oregon 2000 Conference. Oregon State University's technology transfer record is improving faster than that of its football team. In fiscal...

VC funding picture looks bright for Oregon firms.(venture capital expected to remain strong for Oregon businesses)(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Despite some shifts in investment approaches, Oregon companies will likely continue to reap generous amounts of venture capital during the second half of 2000, observers said. Oregon, like the rest of the nation, extensively benefited...

MAKING LINKS.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Technology transfer brings research to market Oregon colleges and universities have a ways to go when it comes to efficiently and profitably commercializing technology developed by their faculty. They already operate offices of technology...

Some firms grow up and leave home.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Sometimes the midwives who spin companies out of Oregon universities do everything right. And end up being too successful. Such is the case with Templex Technologies, spun out of the University of Oregon five years ago. To the extent...

Market could be a hot one.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... A vast market potentially awaits any company that can develop heat-sensing devices that reliably function at extreme temperatures. Don Hagge, president and CEO of the fledgling Caldus Semiconductor Inc., has his eye on that market. A...

OHSU portfolio gains will fuel more research.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... While working at Oregon Health Sciences University's Vollum Institute in the early '90s, researchers Susan Amara and Roger Cone lined up a series of gene-technology patents. OHSU licensed the patents to Amara and Cone, who founded a...

They asked for cash ... so, where are they now?
September 29, 2000... Now in its sixth year, Venture Oregon has played host to some remarkable companies that sought funding during their start-up days. Some participants blossomed and conducted public offerings, richly rewarding those venture capitalists who...

Do you have what it takes to be an 'angel'?(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Investors with the moxie and skill to help inventors turn an idea into a profitable business can grow extremely rich. They can also lose a ton of money. It takes a special set of characteristics to be a successful angel investor, someone...

It takes more than money to get off the ground.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Money, money, money. The quest for funding dominates so much of the entrepreneur's world, it's easy to forget that it takes more than green to get a new venture off. the ground. That's why, the winner of OEF's Angel Oregon 2000...

New technology embraces old-fashioned relics.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... A one-man company spun out of the Oregon Graduate Institute is working to integrate the display of data in both electronic and paper forms. The initial efforts of the year-old company, Natural Interaction Systems, are in the field of...

Computer lingo liaison.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... Speech-recognition developer Fluent releases its first product and is folded into a larger company--all in one week. Voice synthesis methods pioneered by Fluent Speech Technologies allow users to communicate through animated talking...

Some rules: Nix negatives and humor, keep the big logos.(Brief Article)
September 29, 2000... It's human nature to love rules. Rules provide parameters we can work within and feel comfortable, a sense of order instead of chaos and so forth. The trouble is, rules can also limit our creativity and stifle bold initiatives. For...

Congress may require SBA to track contract bundling.
September 29, 2000... Small businesses know they are losing government contracts because of federal agencies' growing tendency to bundle procurement deals into large packages, but they lack hard data to prove how harmful the practice is. That may change with...

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE.
September 29, 2000... ARCHITECTURE Mulvanny.G2 Architects promoted Ming Zhang to its board of directors. CONSULTING Energration LLC named David Backen as business development director. EDUCATION Pacific University appointed Irene Moszer,...

Let's make the PSU commitment.
September 29, 2000... We applaud Portland Mayor Vera Katz and Port land State University President Daniel Bernstine for their determination to boost PSU's reputation because, historically, it's been a well-kept secret. The two civic leaders are correct when...

Who accounts/for tech blunders?
September 29, 2000... Recently my computer crashed. In the past, when I heard others say this happened to them, I had the vague feeling they must have made some stupid mistake. Now it was my turn. Strange icons appeared on the screen. Working ifies could not...

Surrendering South Mountain? Enough is enough.
September 29, 2000... To the editor: Just a quick note to elicit my support and thanks for Brian Back's piece, "Two writers struggle with one river's haunting Why?" (Sept. 15). In the world of "ists," I guess I'm a pragmatist, I'm also a fifth-generation...

Winners & Losers.
September 29, 2000... Epson Portland Inc. How many companies can boast complete "sustainability"? Epson Portland, for one. As of March, all of its waste is being reused, recycled or converted into renewable energy. That feat recently earned Epson Portland...

The Numbers Game.
September 29, 2000... 1998 Population and Per Capita Personal Income * The Portland-Vancouver metro area's per capita income was 47th highest in 1998. In fact, Portland exceeded the per capita income of the nation's metro areas as a whole ($28,872) by $558....

Insider Trading.
September 29, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Top commercial printers.
September 29, 2000... [TABLE HAS BEEN CLIPPED]

Games win gold for belly flop [*].
September 29, 2000... Yuck. Except for swimming, the Games are outdated. Forget the Sydney time difference: The Olympics, live or not, are boring. And embarrassing. Qatar bought itself a weightlifting team. Marion Jones is a great athlete, but for some reason, she...

Turmoil hammers Legacy psych unit.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... A child and adolescent treatment program at Hospital & Health Center is in turmoil--and facing physician backlash--after the swift exit of four prominent child and adolescent psychiatrists. State children's agencies and mental health...

We're low on dough, says Electric Lightwave.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... Electric Lightwave Inc. is telling investors that it is close to running lout of money. But, the Vancouver company insists its major shareholder won't let the company melt down--at least not any time soon. The company's second-quarter...

Nike exec Salazar takes his team on a fast track.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... After a light practice run, Central Catholic cross-country runner Michele Wilson approached her new coach. "How are you feeling today, Michele?" coach Alberto Salazar asked, showing equal parts interest and empathy. When the huffing...

Suppliers may challenge Deschutes Co. bid award.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... Two Portland office-furniture distributors say Deschutes County awarded a large materials and installation contract to a competitor that, perhaps, didn't offer the best deal. One supplier, B & I Furnishings, said its attorneys are...

'Turnaround Thomas' sustains CAP revolution.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... This Saturday, Louise and Walter Pollock will be leading the PGE AIDS Walk to raise money for the folks at Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) who are battling AIDS. It's the first time CAP has had a full corporate sponsor for the event, and PGE exec...

Minority contractor settles suit filed against the port.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... Baugh Construction and a subcontractor have agreed to settle of a complaint brought by a Portland contractor who alleged racial discrimination in a Portland International Airport construction project. James Posey filed the complaint in...

New owners say Heathman won't change.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... The Heathman Hotel and its name have been purchased by Rim Corp. of Modesto, Calif., and the hotel restaurant will be managed by local restaurant company McCormick & Schmick. Although The Heathman will no longer be locally owned and...

Planar's military losses lead to a market retreat.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... * Portland's Planar Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: PLNR) said that it will exit its unprofitable business of supplying high-performance, full-color AMLCD flat panel displays for military avionics. The decision will result in restructuring and other...

Kaiser Permanente.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... Kaiser Permanente said it will continue in the Oregon Health Plan in Marion, Polk, Multnomah, Clackamas and Washington counties for another year. However, the health plan has put a limit on new members to limit its losses, said Denise Honzel,...

Merix Corp.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... Merix Corp. (Nasdaq: MERX) of Portland said sales for the quarter just ended were $51 million--a 50 percent increase over the $34.1 million reported for the first quarter of fiscal 2000. This was a 10 percent increase over the $46.2 million...

Digimarc Corp.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... Digimarc Corp. (Nasdaq: DMRC), the Portland maker of digital watermark technology and applications, said that Royal Philips Electronics and Macrovision Corp. invested approximately $60 million to support Digimarc's development of new markets...

Electro Scientific Industries Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 22, 2000... Portland-based Electro Scientific Industries Inc. (Nasdaq: ESIO) announced record results for its fiscal 2001 first quarter, ended September 2. First-quarter sales were $129 million, an increase of 18 percent over fourth-quarter sales of $109...

Medscape.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... Medscape (NASDAQ: MDLI), the Portland provider of digital health records and online health information, hired Kevin Hutchinson as COO. Prior to joining Medscape, Hutchinson was member strategies vice president at VHA, a nationwide network of...

Emerald Solutions Inc.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... Emerald Solutions Inc. of Portland appointed Joseph Gatto COO. He will be responsible for day-to-day operations and sales initiatives companywide. Gatto joins Emerald from Cap Gemini Ernst & Young Consulting with more than 15 years of...

CORRECTIONS.(Brief Article)(Correction Notice)
September 22, 2000... * Last week's article, "Business leaders rally around Natural Step," incorrectly stated the time period covered by Paul Lorah's economic study. Data was compiled between 1969 to 1997--almost 30 years worth of information.

New PSU center attunes campus with its spry city.(Portland State University)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... The buzz you'll hear at Portland State University next week won't just come from the bustle of scurrying new students. Officials believe many campus denizens will laud the school's new Urban Center and Plaza, which could provide a...

'Issues' cause Port to delay Hayden Island project.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... Bowing to outside pressures, the Port of Portland's scheme to develop 827 acres on West Hayden Island has been delayed for further study. The Port of Portland has been working for years to develop its West Hayden Island property for...

Rentrak makeover: New board directors, new CEO.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... After the most tumultuous 10 days in its history, Rentrak has emerged with new leaders, new financial targets and, all parties hope, the same potential for top-notch video distribution. Rentrak shareholders voted overwhelmingly to replace...

iGate Capital opens office in Portland.(Brief Article)
September 22, 2000... The venture capital arm of Pittsburgh-based iGate Capital Corp. said it has opened two West Coast offices, including one in Portland. Andre Turenne, a former executive with Intel Corp. in Oregon, will serve as the Portland partner for the...