Columbus
Portland Business Journal
Major Portland metro manufacturer names new CFO
Railcar manufacturer Greenbrier has found its new chief financial officer.<\p> The Lake Oswego company (NYSE: GBX) said Tuesday that Michael J. Donfris will become its CFO and principal financial officer in July after it files its report for the fiscal quarter ending May 31.<\p>
Two Portland construction mainstays retire after 20 years
A prominent Portland construction company said its co-founders have retired two decades after starting the company.<\p> Bremik Construction's Brent Parry and Mike Greenslade made the transition as the company marks its 20th year in business. Taking their leadership helm role is Spencer Bradley, who started with the company as an intern in 2008.<\p>
Renewable energy giant acquires Oregon project, eyes more investments
There's a new player in the Pacific Northwest renewable energy and storage market — a big one.<\p> It's RWE Clean Energy, an arm of Germany-based RWE that calls itself the third-largest renewable energy company in the U.S. It has a solar and wind portfolio totaling more than 9 gigawatts and employs some 1,500 people.<\p>
Two Oregon foundations unveil combined $10M in grants
Two of the state's leading charitable foundations said this week they've made nearly $10 million in combined gifts to Oregon groups during their most recent giving cycle.<\p> The Murdock Charitable Trust ($4.5 million-plus) and Oregon Community Foundation ($5.2 million-plus) gave the money to, in OCF's parlance, "nonprofits making an impact across the state." OCF gave its local money to 281 nonprofits while Murdock, as part of 96 total grants made to Pacific Northwest groups, backed 18 Oregon nonprofits.<\p>
Group helping Black Portlanders keep their homes wins nonprofit status
An Internal Revenue Service letter marked a turning point for Randal Wyatt. <\p> "We're pleased to tell you we determined you're exempt from federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) Section 501(c)(3)," the IRS wrote in its January missive to Wyatt, founder of Taking Ownership PDX.<\p>
St. Johns cafe teams with ex-Paley's Place executive chef
Whimsical St. Johns destination Wonderwood Springs has teamed with Luis Cabanas, the former executive chef at Paley’s Place, on a menu for its new outdoor patio. <\p> Wonderwood Springs is a fantasy-themed cafe and immersive mini-golf course on North Lombard. It was created by Portland artist Mike Bennett, whose cartoon cutouts garnered attention during the Covid-19 pandemic as they proliferated around town. He went on to create the installations Crypto-Zoo, with cartoon cryptids, and Dinolandia. <\p>
Workers with learning disabilities face stigmas in the workplace
There remains a big stigma facing workers seeking workplace accommodations for certain disabilities — and those employees worry asking for help will hurt their careers. <\p> A new survey by The Harris Poll on behalf of nonprofit Understood.org, which works with people who have learning and thinking differences such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia, found while 69% of workers know their employers must provide reasonable accommodations for disabilities, about 60% said there is still a stigma around asking their employer for support.<\p>
After 5-year odyssey, new taproom debuts in Oregon City
Oregon City has a new taproom. <\p> Pour Choices, located at 19119 Beavercreek Rd., opened May 4, joining what is a fairly crowded marketplace for beer in Oregon City. Three other taprooms — Arch Bridge, Growler Run and Madison Taproom — also call Oregon City home, as do two breweries — Oregon City Brewing and Shattered Oak Brewing. <\p>
Portland's population loss appears to be slowing in new census data
This story is available courtesy of Portland Business Journal media partner KGW-TV. <\p> Portland's population decline seems to be slowing, new census data shows, a sign that the great exodus of residents from the city, once known as a beacon for newcomers, could be petering out. <\p>
Restaurateurs see opportunity to expand Hawthorne's food cart options
A pair of restaurateurs are opening a new food cart pod in a section of Hawthorne Boulevard they say could use some more activity. <\p> Uday Seelam of Dwaraka Indian Cuisine and Ben Bui of Vietnamese restaurants Fish Sauce and Short Round have teamed up for the project at 4225 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd. <\p>
Oregon psilocybin entrepreneur credits Elon Musk for career change
Karyn (Kat) Thompson has Elon Musk to thank, in a weird way, for a radical career change.<\p> Three days after the billionaire Tesla CEO took control of Twitter, Thompson’s 20-plus year stint in the tech industry came to an abrupt end. She learned she was part of a 4,000-employee layoff when she lost her access to the company Slack at 9:52 p.m.<\p>
Lake Oswego investment firm merges with growing national company
Lake Oswego investment management firm Morrison Street Capital is merging with Minneapolis-based Northmarq, the companies said on Tuesday.<\p> Founded by president and CEO Rance Gregory and Portland real estate firm Norris, Beggs & Simpson in 2002, Morrison Street Capital invests in a host of assets, including private equity, public debt and private debt. It serves foundations, family offices, pensions and others. <\p>
Portland mass timber prez on how new acquisition will drive growth
Timberlab, contractor Swinerton's Portland-based mass timber subsidiary, is making another supply chain move as it aims for growth.<\p> The company is acquiring Diversified Wood Resources, which does business as American Laminators. It has two plants in Oregon where it makes glued laminated timber, or glulam, an engineered wood product that can be used for beams and columns in mass timber buildings. <\p>
A primary Portland affordable housing tool comes under fire in audit
The city of Portland must be more specific with what it wants out of the inclusionary housing program that forces private developers to put rent-restricted units in many new residential developments, according to a new audit.<\p> A report from the city auditor's office says the goals for inclusionary housing, which started in 2017 and generally has developers include a share of affordable homes when they are building 20-plus new units, or pay a fee to the city, were too broad and the city should improve them.<\p>
Celebrated Portland restaurateurs closing downtown outpost
Toki, the downtown restaurant opened by the couple behind the celebrated Han Oak, is closing for good later this week. <\p> The team announced on Instagram that it is closing after brunch service on May 26. <\p>
A beloved former Blazer wins a top NBA award
One of the more popular Portland Trail Blazers of this century has been honored for his community work.<\p> CJ McCollum, now of the New Orleans Pelicans, won the 2023-24 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. The honor, named after the NBA’s second commissioner, goes to "a player, coach or athletic trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community."<\p>
Portland children's apparel company names chief technology officer
Portland-based children's apparel company Hanna Andersson has hired a new chief technology officer, weeks after hiring a new chief brand officer.<\p> Mike Frazzini brings more than 25 years of experience in software product delivery, systems integrations, e-commerce and business intelligence, according to a press release. Frazzini comes to Hanna Andersson from the floral and gift marketplace FTD, where he served as second-in-command of its more-than-300-person technology division.<\p>
Former Nike exec sentenced for $5M fraud scheme, media reports say
A former executive for Nike and Meta was sentenced to five years in prison last week for stealing more than $5 million from the companies she worked for.<\p> Barbara Furlow-Smiles pleaded guilty to the theft in December, according to the Los Angeles Times. Her case was widely reported in the media, including by the Oregonian. <\p>
Are investors re-entering the housing market after two-year retreat?
Investors could be launching a bit of a comeback in the U.S. housing market — although the reversal of fortunes comes amid a strategy shift for many investors in the face of low inventory. <\p> Purchases by investors grew 0.5% on a year-over-year basis in Q1, according to analysis by Redfin Corp. (Nasdaq: RDFN). Redfin defines an investor as any buyer whose name includes LLC, Inc., Trust, Corp. or Homes, or any buyer whose ownership code on a purchasing deed includes association, corporate trustee, company, joint venture or corporate trust.<\p>
Five Things to know for this week: Dossier woes, ZoomInfo rising
In honor of the coming short week (OK, it's a week away, but we're oddly fixated on having a day off one week from today), here's a truncated version of Five Things. <\p> Jonathan Bach's stellar piece on issues faced by owners of the Dossier hotel highlights the challenges all downtown hotel operators must overcome, even after pandemic travel concerns have seemingly abated. Ugh.<\p>
Portland Business Journal
5K+
Posts
476K+
Views
The Portland region's source for local business news, breaking news alerts, newsletters, business intelligence and local business networking. An American City Business Journals publication.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.