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Portland Business Journal
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>
Column: Moving the chains with Oregon's women's tackle football team
Last weekend, my girlfriend and I needed something to do that wasn't going to keep us holed up inside. She just moved here a few months ago, so I went on the hunt for something that even I hadn't done yet around the Portland metro.<\p> That's when I remembered: Oregon has a tackle women's football team, and they just so happened to be playing at home (at Milwaukie High School's football field) earlier this month.<\p>
Heated debate erupts at Oregon alcohol tax task force meeting
The tense debate around whether an increase in beer and wine taxes would devastate the industry or benefit public health was on full display at a Thursday meeting of a state task force dedicated to studying the matter.<\p> The Task Force on Alcohol Pricing and Addiction Services heard from two industry representatives who laid out arguments about why they think higher taxes would be a bad idea, generating some pushback from the group’s chairwoman and from treatment providers.<\p>
In promotions and culture, the Portland Pickles outslug their weight
The Portland Pickles kick off their ninth season next week, and while the team may seem like every other collegiate summer baseball team, the least of owner Alan Miller’s worries is the baseball aspect.<\p> He's instead ensuring that the team’s marketing is funny, and that fans have a good time at games.<\p>
How fired up Timbers' fans helped the team win its new jersey sponsor
Earlier this year, the Portland Timbers dropped their jersey sponsor after allegations of misconduct at the latter company surfaced. Within 24 hours, Tillamook received mass comments, posts, emails and even phone calls from Timbers fans.<\p> “They were all saying ‘It has to be Tillamook, the next sponsor has to be Tillamook,’” said Kate Boltin, VP of Marketing at the Oregon coast-based dairy brand. “We started talking to their team and asking ‘What might this look like?’ and said ‘Let’s do this for the fans.’”<\p>
Judge rules in lawsuit challenging Oregon's hospital M&A oversight law
A federal judge has thrown out the Oregon Association of Hospitals’ lawsuit challenging the state’s new program to review health care mergers and acquisitions.<\p> The association said in a statement Friday that it is considering appealing U.S. District Judge Michael Simon’s ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.<\p>
Some employers are weighing a six-day workweek
Editor's Note: Welcome to The Playbook Edition, a look at stories, trends and changes that could affect your business and career. Want more stories like this in your inbox? Sign up for The Playbook newsletter. <\p> Given how some hiring managers view them and the unique pandemic-fueled hurdles they've faced, Generation Z's debut in the workplace has certainly come with some challenges. <\p>
Column: A no-brainer idea from a small business titan gains traction
In late February, the PBJ hosted our first Advancing Portland Growth Summit event, in which we asked business leaders for ways to help downtown recover, deal with heavy tax burdens and nurture Portland's small businesses.<\p> I introduced the small businesses segment. To seed the discussion a bit, I offered a suggestion from Stephen Green, the Business for a Better Portland executive director, who, for more than a decade has called on the city to hire a small business liaison. This worker would as the PBJ's Malia Spencer once explained, "make sure every step of the operating process is accessible, equitable and clear." <\p>
NW Natural breaks new ground with Bill Gates-backed climate technology
Small amounts of clean-burning hydrogen are flowing on the NW Natural (NYSE: NWN) grid, at least occasionally, produced at a regional station in Inner Southeast Portland in a process that removes carbon from natural gas.<\p> What that means for the 165-year-old Portland company's decarbonization efforts as it faces a headwind known as "electrify everything" is an open question. <\p>
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