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Portland Business Journal
Inside the comeback of Oregon's powerhouse tourism industry
It's hardly a secret that Oregon's tourism sector absorbed several debilitating blows over the past four years. The pandemic, of course, wiped out travel across the globe, and word of Portland's struggling downtown, home to increased drug use and related crime since 2021, has discouraged many would-be visitors from making forays into the Rose City.<\p> Yet the state's tourism skeletal structure, which continues to rest on Oregon's natural beauty and access to urban and cultural accoutrements, remains intact. To illustrate, the Oregon Tourism Commission recently released data that shows a travel comeback is underway.<\p>
The AI boom is coming for these at-risk manager roles
For years, front-line workers have worried about automation taking their jobs. It may end up being middle managers who are most in danger.<\p> Companies are gaining access to new artificial-intelligence tools and capabilities at the same time many are re-assessing their operations in a challenging post-pandemic economic environment. That combination of potential new efficiencies and a desire for cost savings is putting management-level employees in the crosshairs.<\p>
Five Things to Know this week: PDX food news and new 40 Under 40's
Good morning. Hope you soaked up some sun during the balmy three-day weekend. Here are Five Things for a back-to-work Tuesday.<\p> It seems like last week was full of big restaurant news, and we're not even sure where to begin. But let's start with our annual list of Portland's best restaurants, chosen by PBJ readers. This year's list will have some familiar names, but some new ones, too.<\p>
10 years on, Portland attorney recounts victory for same-sex marriage
It’s been 10 years since a federal judge struck down Oregon’s constitutional ban on same-sex marriage.<\p> The marriage equality case remains a career highlight for Misha Isaak, a litigator and partner at Stoel Rives. He was 32 years old, just six years out of law school, when he and attorney Tom Johnson took on the case pro bono. <\p>
Bill Walton, a Portland legend, dies at 71
Bill Walton, the schoolboy and college basketball legend who helped bring Portland its only NBA championship, has died.<\p> Walton died after a long battle with cancer, according to a statement issued by the NBA.<\p>
How Oregon landed the world's largest Dark Sky Sanctuary
A 2.5-million-acre area in Lake County earned a singular distinction in March when it was certified as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary. <\p> The Oregon Outback International Dark Sky Sanctuary is the largest such sanctuary in the world. Awarded by the nonprofit DarkSky International, the certification is given to areas with exceptional starry nights and protected nocturnal environments. <\p>
Inside 8 new Oregon wine tasting rooms opening despite visitor slump
Tasting room visits are down, but wineries don't appear to be backing off on offering new venues that could help their bottom lines — and those of businesses that benefit from wine tourism.<\p> There's been a steady stream of tasting room openings this spring. For some wineries, it reflects optimism that the region will emerge from a stubborn post-pandemic dip in visitors. For all, it demonstrates the place direct sales have in their business plans.<\p>
Who's in town: The National Minority Supplier Development Council
On May 22, representatives from more than 30 companies, including Intel, Salt & Straw, ZGF, Truebeck Construction, Swinerton, Leatherman Tool Group, OHSU, PGE and New Seasons Market gathered for a roundtable discussion on supplier diversity. Organized by Prosper Portland and hosted at the Portland Metro Chamber, the group was joined by Fernando Martinez, senior vice president of network success for the National Minority Supplier Development Council.<\p> The conversation was off the record, meaning no press in the room. That gave executives the freedom to talk frankly. Afterwards, though, I caught up with Martinez, Kimberly Branam, executive director of Prosper Portland, and Andrea Gall, a senior project manager at Prosper.<\p>
How business travel is boosting this suburban Portland eatery
This week’s cover package explores how tourism impacts the regional economy across several signature Oregon industries — food, wine, outdoors and more. <\p> In Portland, where the culinary scene is foundational to the city’s identity, there is one element of travel that might not be top of mind but could prove just as important given that leisure tourism can be fickle: business travel. <\p>
Portland's restaurant scene is sizzling, feeding a tourism comeback
Portland’s national reputation has taken a hit in recent years, but there is one aspect of it that has continued to sizzle.<\p> “Nobody is saying the food isn’t good,” said Marcus Hibdon, communications director for Travel Portland, which markets the region to tourists, meeting planners and conventions. “Food and culinary has always been an integral part of our marketing campaigns. Food and the Portland experience are synonymous with each other. There is no Portland without the culinary scene.” <\p>
Editor's Notebook: How Fort George chooses its 3-Way brewing partners
Ah, the sounds of spring...the crack of baseballs hitting bats, music wafting down boulevards during street fairs, the ka-koosh of a 3-Way IPA can opening.<\p> That last one is audial nectar to those who eagerly await the signature Fort George Brewery product that has landed around this time for each of the last 11 years. The Astoria treasure (which won our 2024 Oregon Beer Showdown honors) enlists two different brewing partners to create gloriously crafted IPAs that vary in profile from year to year.<\p>
These are PBJ readers' favorite Portland restaurants for 2024
Ten very short years ago, the Portland Business Journal began asking readers which local restaurants constitute their very favorites.<\p> It's not a question we ask lightly. Portlanders, as well as Oregonians, take their food preparation very seriously. Bad word of mouth can sink an eatery more quickly than one can saute a chopped leek. By the same token, strong allegiances can sustain a restaurant for decades.<\p>
Real estate commissions shakeup will require more agent scrutiny
The National Association of Realtors and several brokerages have struck big money deals to settle an array of class-action lawsuits around real estate commissions.<\p> It might become harder for homebuyers to figure out how to pick the right agent to work with in the wake of the settlements. That's because the settlements, which now add up to hundreds of millions of dollars, will also bring with them changes in how buying agents are paid, how homes are listed and may require more buyers to pay for an agent directly when buying a home. And if buyers potentially shell out thousands of dollars or more, they will have to do their own due diligence.<\p>
Major Oregon utility announces CEO change
Oregon natural gas utility NW Natural will have a new top leader next year with the retirement of CEO David H. Anderson.<\p> NW Natural (NYSE: NWN) announced Friday morning that Anderson will retire April 1, 2025, and that he will be succeeded by Justin B. Palfreyman, its current president.<\p>
What employers need to know about the crushing childcare costs
In the coming weeks, schools around the nation will be out, and many employees will find themselves scrambling for child-care options. <\p> But child-care costs are soaring, thanks to the child-care cliff, a lack of new child-care centers and workforce shortages in the industry, among other factors. <\p>
A Portland sports exec offers ways to bolster workplace inclusivity
Jen Armbruster is the executive director of Adaptive Sports Northwest, a nonprofit that offers sports to youth and adults with disabilities. After completely losing her vision as a teen, she went on to become a seven-time goalball Paralympian.<\p> Portland-based ASN recently partnered with Adidas to create wheelchair athlete-specific uniforms for the PNW Reign women’s wheelchair basketball team to wear to the NWBA Champions at the end of April. These uniforms were made with ASN athletes’ input, and feature “lightweight woven front panels for durability and full mesh back panels for breathability,” according to Adidas.<\p>
First look: A $253M Beaverton project launches (Renderings)
The $253 million Beaverton High School rebuild is underway, and the architect has produced renderings of what students and parents can expect when it reopens.<\p> The new school will be 300,500 square feet in size over three stories, with an enclosed, 15,500-square-foot courtyard, among other features. It is expected to open in fall 2026 for some 1,500 students. The development is the most expensive from a 2022 bond measure, according to the Beaverton School District, but is necessary because the district's oldest school, built in 1916, could fall down in an earthquake. <\p>
Exclusive: Han Oak owners on why they closed their downtown restaurant
News of the restaurant Toki's impending closure has sent ripples through downtown as a high-profile corner of the west end comes available just before what many hope will be a busy summer travel season. <\p> Getting out just before the change to good weather, and potentially more business, was intentional for celebrated restaurateurs Peter Cho and Sun Young Park. The couple hope new tenants can get a solid start taking on the space now rather than at year's end, when the lease officially ends. <\p>
Oregon businesses could see hefty spikes in health insurance premiums
Oregon health insurers want to raise premium rates by an average of 9% in the individual market next year and 12% in the small group market, reflecting inflation in medical and other costs, according to a Thursday announcement from the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services.<\p> Six companies submitted rate change requests ranging from 5% to 11.6% in the individual market, for a weighted average of 9.3% — higher than last year’s average 6.2% request.<\p>
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