MAY 20, 2014 Businesspublications.pmgnews.com/epubs/portland-tribune-business-052014.… · 2...

Busin

ess

Trib

une

MAY

20, 2

014

INSIDEWEARABLES UNDER SCRUTINY

BEAVERTON’S DIGIMARK

MANAGING STUDENT DEBT

A COLONY FOR ARTISTS

BOEING PORTLAND: A BIG PIECE OF

BOEING’S BUSINESS

BY JULIA ANDERSON

2 BUSINESS TRIBUNE Tuesday, May 20, 2014

503-224-3900 800-224-3901www.portlandspirit.com

20years

Celebrating

Portland Spirit Cruises & Events

Lunch - Brunch - Dinner - Sightseeing - Group Rates - Private Charters Let’s Celebrate!

468364.051314

Tuesday, May 20, 2014 BUSINESS TRIBUNE 3

You’d think with growing global demand for new fuel-effi cient aircraft and a backlog of more than 5,000 commercial plane orders that workers at Boeing’s Portland plant would be resting easy.

However, while Boeing’s business outlook is good, the 1,700 workers there are being asked to build on their record of quali-ty and cost-effective production.

The plant, operating around-the-clock, seven days a week, is hustling to keep up with the pace of Boeing’s big airplane as-sembly sites in the Puget Sound area and elsewhere.

In this year’s fi rst quarter, workers built an average of 42,737 Boeing airplanes a month and took 787 Dreamliner production to 10 planes per month.

Cost-effective production is a huge part of Boeing’s strategy in a competitive global marketplace.

“Our biggest challenge is cost,” Don Hendrickson, senior fi -nance and business operations manager at Boeing Portland, said. “Airbus is a formidable competitor. Even though we’ve experienced remarkable market success, over time we’ve got to continue to grow market share. We are constantly asking ourselves how do we control and reduce costs going forward and take that to market,” he said.

Hendrickson, 56, who grew up in the small Columbia River town of Cathlamet, Washington, has been with Boeing for 25 years. Most of that time he’s worked at the Portland operation where engineers and machinists design and make components such as airplane engine mounts, gearboxes, landing gear beams and wing “tracking-edge” fl aps that give planes extra oomph on take-off and landing.

The parts — fabricated from titanium, aluminum, steel and

other specialty materials — go into a variety of Boeing com-mercial aircraft including the Dreamliner, the company’s 737 and 767 series planes and other products. It’s a big job.

Boeing Portland workers keep tabs on 6,000 parts numbers. One-third of those parts are fabricated on site with the other two-thirds purchased from suppliers.

Components are continuously reengineered and designed to make them stronger, lighter and less costly. The work goes out years in advance of actual production.

“We’re already putting together estimates and capital re-quirements for planes we hope to build in 2019,” Hendrick-son said. “Our goal is to provide as much employment stabil-ity as we can. And we have a long track record as a reliable supplier.”

BOEING PORTLAND: A BIG PIECE OF

BOEING’S BUSINESSBY JULIA ANDERSON

Assembler Joe Pietrok (rght) looks on as Tuan Duong cleans the slot of a 737 slat track after machining at Boeing Portland.PHOTO COURTESY OF BOEING

CONTINUED / Page 4


Business Tribune

PRESIDENTJ. Mark Garber

EDITOR AND ASSOCIATE PUBLISHERVance W. Tong

VICE PRESIDENTBrian Monihan

ADVERTISING DIRECTORChristine Moore

CIRCULATION MANAGERKim Stephens

CREATIVE SERVICES MANAGERCheryl DuVal

REPORTERJoseph Gallivan

DESIGNPete Vogel

PHOTOGRAPHERSJonathan House, Jaime Valdez

WEB SITEportlandtribune.com

[email protected]

PortlandTribune OFFICES6605 S.E. Lake RoadPortland, OR 97222 503-226-6397 (NEWS)

Cost-cutting measuresTo that end, Boeing, which this year marks

its 40th year in Portland, has been laying groundwork on several fronts related to taxes and labor costs:

■ As part of its relationship with the city of Gresham, Boeing operates in a designated “enterprise zone,” which allows for tax breaks to help larger manufacturing em-ployers retain and add family-wage jobs with benefi ts. Since 2007, the company has been winning property tax breaks from the city on its investment in new equipment and capital expansion. Those investments so far have totaled $500 million. Through the agreement, Boeing will save $12 million in property taxes.

Hendrickson called Boeing Portland one of the most capital-intense sites in the com-pany’s commercial airplane division. Now the location, with 1.3 million square feet of space on 87 acres, is at capacity, he said.

■ A new long-term labor contract between Boeing Co. and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers ap-proved in February should give the aerospace giant a stronger hand in landing new busi-ness. Most of the workers in Portland belong either to the machinist union or the SPEEA (Society of Professional Engineering Employ-ees in Aerospace).

With plant employment likely to remain stable between 1,600 and 1,800 workers, the goal now is to increase effi ciencies within that footprint, Hendrickson said.

Boeing won’t disclose plant payroll fi gures but reports that the Portland operation spent $330.2 million doing business in Oregon with 200 suppliers and vendors last year.

Regionally, the impact is much larger with some 135,000 jobs and $11.5 billion in wages tied to the aerospace industry in the Northwest.

The company, meanwhile, is making money.In this year’s fi rst quarter ending March 31,

Boeing reported total companywide revenue of $20.47 billion. That’s up from $18.89 billion in 2013. The commercial airplane division gen-erated $12.7 billion of that fi rst quarter total, up $2 billion from last year.

Ongoing challengesHendrickson said as the Portland work

force continues to make product quality im-provements the challenges become more complex. He said the operation has 80 employ-ee-involvement teams focused on “how to make operations more productive as we re-place equipment, train people and manage new products that continue to evolve.”

Now on the radar is the 777X — a new se-ries of long-range aircraft that will feature

lighter-weight composite wings. Boeing an-nounced in February that it will build the wings at its Paine Field facility in Seattle. Boe-ing Portland will be part of that effort.

As for long-range labor planning, Boeing is working hard to recruit new workers to the Portland operation.

Several times a year, the company hosts high schools juniors who might be interested in a career making airplane parts. It also sup-ports a three-year apprenticeship program called IAM/Boeing Tech Prep in collaboration with the machinists union.

“We are looking for people with good com-munication and math skills who can be on a team,” Hendrickson said. “We can take these folks and train them to do our work. Once we get people in here, it’s not a hard sell (to keep them).” All of this has meant no work force shortages, so far.

“It’s an amazing time to be in this busi-ness,” Hendrickson said. “The nature of what we do here requires highly-skilled workers. It’s fascinating to see raw materials come in the door and watch a wing component go out. It’s a magical thing to be a part of.”

For Boeing, billions of dollars in sales are at stake as global air travel continues to grow at a resilient 5 percent a year. Cargo traffi c is ex-pected to increase at the same pace.

According to the company’s long-range forecast, those trends should continue for the next 20 years. As airlines replace aging craft as well as add new service, the total world-wide demand for new passenger aircraft is es-timated at 35,280 with a value of $4.8 trillion.

The workers at Boeing’s Portland compo-nent manufacturing plant will play a key role in assuring that their company gets a big share of that business.

■ From page 3

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIA ANDERSON

Boeing Portland plays a key role in the company’s success.

“Our biggest challenge is cost. Airbus is a formidable competitor. Even though we’ve experienced remarkable market success ... we are constantly asking ourselves how do we control and reduce costs going forward and take that to market.”

— Don Hendrickson, Boeing Co. Portland, senior manager for fi nance and business operations

Boeing Portland at a glance:What: Supplies gear systems, fl ight controls, wing extenders and other components used in Boeing commercial airplanes; one of 11 Boeing manu-facturing sites in three countries. Work force: 1,700 including support staff.Where: 19000 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland.Size: 1.3 million square feet of manufacturing space.Oregon suppliers: 200 including Platt Electric, Pro Met Machining, FEI Co., Flir Systems and Les Schwab.Annual purchases in Oregon: $330.2 million.Oregon employment impact: 11,000, direct and indirect jobs.Source: Boeing Co.

Boeing Co. fi rst quarter 2014:Deliveries: 161 airplanes, up 18 percent from 2013.Revenue: $12.7 billion, up 19 percent.Earnings (from operations): $1.5 billion, up 23 percent.Net fi rst quarter orders: 235 planes with an order backlog of 5,100 worth $374 billion.Share price: $130, up 40 percent in past 52 weeks. Source: Boeing Co.

Boeing’s Tech Prep Program:What: A progressive three-year internship pro-gram for students interested in either manufactur-ing or engineering technician training.Launched: 1993.First year enrollment: 120 slots offered to stu-dents who have fi nished their junior year of high school.For more: Contact Portland IAM/Boeing Joint Programs at 800-854-1310 or visit http://www.iam-boeing.com/education_career/techprep-portland.cfm

Don Hendrickson, senior fi nance and business operations manager at Boeing Portland.


By JOSEPH GALLIVANPamplin Media Group

Like a wearing two activity trackers on your wrist instead of one, a pair of talks about wearable computing had overlap-ping conclusions at the Webvisions con-ference at the Oregon Convention Center.

Wearable computing is a subset of the In-ternet of Things (IoT) or objects that gener-ate and upload data to the Internet. A wrist-band that counts your movements and lets you upload the results is a wearable, while an Internet connected thermostat or bath-room scale is more of a “thing.”

On May 8, Barcelona-based Portlander Abby Margolis condensed her work as Research Director at Claro Partners @claropartners into a few observations and principles.

Observations“Data is a huge digital by-product,” she

said. For example we (and the robots) send 144 billion emails a day. However, she point-ed out how all the talk about Big Data is about quantity rather than quality.

Technologists are too quick to say ‘Let’s manage the personal data landscape by mak-ing a personal data locker for everyone.’

“I don’t want to manage all my data,” said Margolis.

Some myths Margolis dispels. Personal Data is the new oil. “No. Data

does not operate like a commodity. Mine is most valuable to me.” As a runner, data about her is worth way more to her than to anyone else.

Privacy. It can be broken down up into Pri-vate, Confi dential and Public. “In the end people want to benefi t from data, they want to use it. Privacy is not about hiding it, but controlling how you share it.” A lot of data is created in a social context, made for sharing.

Data is only for the data scientists. “We’re always hearing about data scientist being a sexy job,” she said, incredulously. No. People can make sense of it, and are, using services such as the travel organizer TripIt (tripit.com) and IfThisThenThat (IFTTT.com) which lets you set alerts about anything, in-cluding obvious ones such as you are men-tioned in Facebook or achieve a certain fi t-ness goal.

Another junk statistic was that 50 billion devices will come online by 2020. The impor-tant change is “Not that our fridge or basket-ball can connect to the internet, but the new services, interactions, and exchanges that this will enable. It’s these services that will defi ne the future of how we work, consume, live, and play.”

She gave examples of new ways people are generating and using data:

RECOMMENDATIONS: Foursquare SOCIAL: Facebook, Highlight, Connectme

for fi nding trusted professionals https://connect.me

IOT: Xively (a public cloud platform to con-nect wired objects)

CROWD DATA: Patients Like Me, patients likeme.com

ACTIVITY TRACKING: Jawbone Identity PREDICTIONS: Hunch (creating taste pro-

fi les) and Ginger.io (using your phone to monitor your health)

Margolis takes a people-centered look at human behavior around data. For example, in Berlin the debate is all about privacy, in New York it’s about using the city as a plat-

form, and in Tokyo it’s data as money.

Principles Anyone wanting to mine data, or create

IoT goods and services, would do well to re-member to:

1. Start with the person — how do end us-ers benefi t?

2. Enable people to do new things.3. Identify unmet needs — whether func-

tional or emotional. Unfriending someone on Facebook is always a memorable (emotional) event because the system asks us if we really want to. Unlike Friending.

4. Allow people to collaborate with you.5. Design the whole user experience, don’t

treat people like widgets.Then she listed some IoT things that work,

and their emotional category:BELONG: Goodnight Lamp. Margolis (in Bar-

celona) and her mom (in Portland) both have Goodnight lamps. Connected over the inter-net, they light up when the other is awake.

CONTROL: Lockitron lets you lock your home remotely.

DISCOVER: Findery lets you map and tag things in the physical world.

ACHIEVE: Jawbone UP helps with fi tness goals.

Margolis concluded, “I don’t think the IoT exists. Right now we have an intranet of things.” This is because the data from the Nest thermostat is not connected to the data from the Jawbone tracker or the Withing bathroom scale, they are all in their own si-los. “We don’t have a user experience of the IoT yet.” But when it comes, it will come from the bottom up, guided by how people use things, rather from the top down, from technologists and companies.

In their talk called “Watch Your Wearables Disappear” K. Mike Merrill (@kmikeym) and Marcus Estes (@marcusestes) of Portland company Chroma showed a slew of wear-ables from Fit Bit to the Sony Smartwatch2, saying how limited they were.

Activity trackers and message alerts are pretty limited.

“Those functions are the best idea of what to do with the device, they come from the de-veloper,” said Estes. “We’re interested in de-veloping for the platforms. If the iPhone soft-ware developers kit (SDK) had never been released, no one would have built a civiliza-tion around the iPhone.”

Estes described his colleague Merrill as “One of the more strapped individuals you’ll meet, he’s a double bander,” meaning he wears two wristbands plus a shirt pocket de-vice that takes a photo every 30 seconds so he can watch a time lapse of his day at night. “But managing all the data is a lot of manual work,” Merrill admitted of his synching and charging routine.

As computers shrink — for example, the Raspberry Pi, on which you can play Quake, and Intel’s Edison — Estes said it is time to “Rescue the category of wearables away from form factor into what it is: moving the computing platform further away from the PC.”

Smart shirts such as the OMshirt that tracks athletes’ vital signs are one thing.

“As makers, though, it’s good to know what’s coming on the different platforms,” Estes said. But developers want the data to be liberated from each device so it can be cross-referenced.

Currently they work with SDKs for An-droid Wear, Pebble (the watch) and Oculus (the virtual reality headset recently bought by Facebook.)

Their company asks not what the business proposition is for wearables, but ‘How could I play with this?’ They cited games such as Slack, Ingress (a location-based Android game) and Map of the Dead (an iPhone zom-bie game).

One of the most creative things Merrill (the strapped guy) has seen is a sensor-packed belt. Whichever side faces north vi-brates. “The person wearing it said after a while he couldn’t feel the vibration, but he al-ways knew where north was. Until he took it off. Then it was like being blind.”

Webvisions PDX 2014: Wearables under scrutiny

MERRILL MARGOLIS ESTES

COURTESY OF NIKE

Wearables like the Nike FuelBand could soon become obsolete.

“It’s not that our fridge or basketball can connect to the internet, but the new services, interactions, and exchanges that this will enable. It’s these services that will defi ne how the future of how we work, consume, live, and play.”

— Abby Margolis,Research Director at Claro Partners


City begins rollback of investments in Wal-Mart

The City of Portland reached a milestone as the fi rst of fi ve holdings in city-owned Wal-Mart bonds will mature, reducing the City’s direct in-vestment in the company by 25 per-cent, or $9 million. This is the fi rst time a Wal-Mart investment will ma-ture — and thus leave the portfolio — since the Portland City Council adopted socially responsible invest-ment principles in October 2013.

Introduced by Commissioner Novick, the City Council’s resolution prohibits the City Treasurer from making any new Wal-Mart purchas-es. This means that as the existing bonds held by the City mature, its in-vestment in Wal-Mart will discontin-ue. The last of the City’s Wal-Mart bonds will mature in April 2016, at which point the City will have elimi-nated a total of $36 million invested in the company as of October 2013.

In addition to prohibiting the pur-chase of additional Wal-Mart bonds, the City Council’s resolution created a temporary committee charged with advising Council about how to implement its socially responsible investment principles. The commit-tee will report back to Council later this year. The principles adopted by Council include health and environ-mental concerns, abusive labor prac-tices, and corrupt corporate ethic and governance, among others.

The City of Portland’s entire in-vestment portfolio ranges from $940 million to $1.29 billion and averages about $1.08 billion during the year. In Fiscal Year 2013, the City’s invest-ment portfolio generated about $4.3 million in earnings, which were dis-tributed to all City funds. Until to-day, Wal-Mart holdings were about 2.9 percent of the City’s investment portfolio.

“A company’s policies and practic-es have a direct impact on families and individuals living and working in Portland,” said UFCW representa-tive Bob Marshall. “A city’s invest-ments should refl ect the values of its taxpayers, and Wal-Mart is consis-tently out of step of Portland values.”

Intel will pay penalty for emissions oversight

Intel will pay a civil penalty and agree to other terms in an agree-ment signed April 23 with the Ore-gon Department of Environmental Quality.

The mutual agreement and order between DEQ and Intel comes after the semiconductor manufacturing company’s failure to report fl uoride

emissions; failure to obtain a permit to emit fl uorides; and for beginning construction of the D1X manufac-turing facility at its Ronler Acres site without proper approval.

According to the agreement, Intel will pay $143,000 in civil penalties for air quality permit violations and will submit an appropriate permit application by the end of 2014. Addi-tionally, the company will make fl u-oride emissions information avail-able on a public website, explorein-tel.com.

The website is active, said Intel spokeswoman Chelsea Hossaini, but does not currently contain informa-tion on fl uoride emissions. That in-formation will be added “shortly,” she said, but offered no fi rm date on when the company will post the in-formation.

Intel offi cials appeared resigned to the DEQ’s punitive action.

“We are cooperating with the DEQ and are prepared to pay the fi ne and take corrective actions,” Hossaini said last week in response to the mutual agreement and order.

New cosmetic dermatology clinic in Pearl District

Skin by Lovely, P.C. recently an-nounced the opening of their new cosmetic dermatology clinic inside

the Pearl Women’s Center in the Pearl District.

Medical Director Lovely C. Laban, NP-C MSN is a na-tive of the Pacifi c Northwest and an internationally-recognized educa-tor on the use of popular facial aes-thetic products.

She leads a team of professionals dedicated to giving their patients the most natural-looking appear-ances possible with their cutting-edge treatment options.

Skin by Lovely is a medical spa that gives patients natural-looking results, and is a recognized leader in advanced medical aesthetic edu-cation for doctors worldwide. They are also a National Educational Center for the manufacturers of Botox, Juvederm, Latisse, Re-stylane, Dysport and Perlane.

West Linn to open small business resource center

With the goal of providing a “home base” for local small busi-nesses, West Linn plans to open a new small business resource center.

The resource center will be lo-cated in a vacated offi ce space in-side the West Linn Library, and should be open by the end of the summer according to Assistant City Manager Kirsten Wyatt.

“For a couple years, we’ve been hearing, especially from the busi-ness community, that having a home base where you could do face-to-face business would be helpful,” Wyatt said. “We had of-fi ce space open in the library and realized it was the perfect place for a small business center.”

Based on planning from the eco-nomic development committee, Community Development Director Chris Kerr and Library Director Holly Mercer, the center is slated to include conference space for up to 12 people, Internet Capabilities, color copying, audio-visual equip-ment and perhaps even notary ser-vices.

The project is the latest addition to the city’s ongoing effort to foster economic development, arriving on the heels of the arch bridge-Bolton town center storefront studio

workshops and the adoption of the 2014 city council goals — which pinpointed economic development as a priority.

Durham and Bates hires new CEO

Durham and Bates, a century-old Portland-based commercial insur-ance broker, has named Jeremy An-

dersen Chief Exec-utive Offi cer as part of its strategic perpetuation plan. William Hurst will remain President of the fi rm.

“Over my 36 year career with Dur-ham and Bates, I have had the op-portunity to help

the organization grow with a team of talented, committed insurance professionals,” said Hurst. “I am proud of our fi rm’s past and very excited about our future as we transition to the next generation of leadership with our ongoing com-

mitment to remaining independent and employee owned”.

Andersen, 40, began his career with Durham and Bates in 1998 in accounting, grew in knowledge and responsibility and in his second de-cade with the fi rm became Com-mercial Lines Manager and Man-agement Liability Practice Leader. Andersen was elected to the Dur-ham and Bates Board of Directors in 2011.

OLCC appoints new licensing director

William Higlin has been appoint-ed as the Liquor Licensing Director for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission. Higlin began his new position Monday, May 12.

Higlin comes to the OLCC from SPIELO G2, where he was Director of Sales for all of North America. Having held a variety of positions during his 15 years at the Oregon Lottery, Higlin is no stranger to state government. He started as a Sales Associate for the Lottery and worked his way up to Assistant Di-

LABAN

ANDERSON


Dr. Robert and Marilyn Pam-plin Jr. were among those hon-ored with Global Business Awards last Wednesday at the Hilton Portland and Executive Tower.

The annual awards ceremony, which benefi ts Special Olympics Oregon, recognizes pillars of the local community for both their commercial achievements and phi-lanthropy.

Master of Ceremonies Gerry Frank introduced Robert Pamplin as head of R.B. Pamplin Corp., a family business with more than $600 million in annual sales, as well as a philanthropist and a scholar who has earned eight de-grees. Pamplin also owns Commu-nity Newspapers, KPAM 860 and the Portland Tribune.

This year’s global business hon-orees included:

■ Albert Starr, M.D., who devel-oped the fi rst artifi cial heart valve

■ Max Williams, former head of the Oregon Department of Correc-tions

■ Ralph Martinez, a South Bronx-born success story who runs Town and Country auto

dealership■ Harry Merlo, former lumber-

man whose name is on the Univer-sity of Portland’s Merlo Field, and

■ Dick Reiten, a leader in the United Way and former head of PGE and Northwest Natural Gas.

Marilyn Pamplin was recog-nized for her philanthropy which includes work with the Junior League, the Parry Center for Children, the Children’s Charity

Ball, Parent Teachers Associa-tion and PEO.

Robert Pamplin expressed his gratitude and quoted the monu-ment at the the Battle of Kohima in India where many British soldiers died fi ghting the Japanese in World War II.

“When you go home, tell them of us and say,/For your tomorrow, we gave our today.”

He also quoted radio commenta-tor Paul Harvey, who said, “For myself success for me is to leave the woodpile a little higher than I found it.”

Eight awards were handed out to family members of recently de-ceased notable civic and business leaders: Nohad & Dirce Toulan, Thomas Vaughan, George Azuma-no, Ben “Flaps” Berry, Joan Aus-tin, Emily Gottfried, Orville Roth and Lynn Lundquist.

Proceeds from the event benefi t-ted Special Olympics Oregon, a not-for-profi t organization provid-ing sports training and athletic competition for persons with intel-lectual disabilities. The event was organized by SOO’s Serge D’Rovencourt, a Holocaust survi-vor who made myriad contacts during his time managing the same Hilton hotel.

Pamplins honored for paying it forward

PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP: JAIME VALDEZ

Dr. Robert and Marilyn Pamplin Jr. were among those honored with Global Business Awards last week.

YOURBUSINESSEmail your business briefs to:[email protected]


YOURBUSINESSEmail your business briefs to:[email protected]

rector of Retail Operations.

After leaving the Lottery, Higlin became the Direc-tor of Regional Marketing at GTECH Corpora-tion before being promoted to Se-nior Director of Sales for the start-

up, GTECH Printing Corporation. Higlin holds a Bachelors of Sci-

ence degree in Business Education from Oregon State University.

Burgerville opens at airport

Burgerville opend their newest restaurant, PDX Burgerville, on Wednesday to showcase the boun-ty of the Pacifi c Northwest. The res-taurant is located in Concourse D post-security at Portland Interna-tional Airport.

The experience, look, and menu at PDX Burgerville were co-de-signed by Burgerville and its guests to satisfy various needs of PDX travelers and airport employ-ees. These innovations include a unique ordering method designed to make every moment memora-

ble for guests, an iconic Burger-ville Northwest Signature Menu, and travel-ready Burgerville Fresh offerings featuring local ar-tisan foods, quality ingredients and a fresh perspective on conve-nient and quick nourishment.

“Our newest restaurant refl ects the feedback and input we’ve re-ceived from PDX travelers and air-port employees throughout the de-sign process,” said Jeff Harvey, Burgerville CEO and President. “One of the important desires ex-pressed by our guests is service. So, we’ve removed the counter that separates our guests from our staff at PDX.”

Travelers will notice their or-ders will be taken personally in the restaurant by a friendly and caring staff member via a hand-held device.

“We have heard travelers want concierge-level, customized ser-vice and an unforgettable experi-ence at PDX Burgerville. We’ve designed this new ordering meth-od to give us an ability to create a relationship,” stated Harvey.

Created from the traditional Burgerville menu and guest feed-back, the PDX Burgerville North-west Signature Menu will feature favorite burgers and sandwiches

made with fresh, vegetarian-fed and antibiotic-free local beef, veg-etarian patties, and sustainably-caught Alaskan halibut fi sh and chips.

Since menu items at PDX Burgerville have been created largely from food grown and pro-duced in the Pacifi c Northwest, 85 percent of the restaurant’s food costs are estimated to be spent lo-cally sourcing ingredients from 988 farms, ranches and artisans inside a 400-mile food shed.

Commercial Vehicle Group moves up layoff timeline

Commercial Vehicle Group in Tigard will begin laying off its em-ployees sooner than anticipated.

The company — which makes seat belts, suspension seats, elec-tronic wire harnesses, controls, switches, mirrors, wiper systems and other products for commercial vehicles — fi led a notice with the state’s Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Develop-ment that it would layoff its 89 em-ployees starting July 9. Layoffs will continue through the end of the year.

The notice announcing the lay-offs comes two months after the

company said it would be closing its doors this year.

The New Albany, Ohio-based company operates a production fa-cility and warehouse at 8005 S.W. Hunziker St.

The Tigard facility makes interi-or trim for large commercial vehi-cles, such as instrument panels and storage cabinets.

The Tigard plant’s 89 employees will have the option to move to other plants. The company also plans to petition the Oregon De-partment of Labor for assistance for laid-off employees.

“Strategic decisions that impact personnel are always diffi cult and are not taken lightly,” said Patrick Miller, the company’s president of global truck and bus, in March when the company fi rst an-nounced it was closing. “But this is a necessary step in response to changing customer needs and in-dustry dynamics.”

Most of that work will be moved to other plants scattered across North America.

“Many of our customers, ser-viced by our Tigard facility, have transitioned their businesses to other geographic regions,” Miller said.

It will cost the company be-tween $3.2 million to $3.5 million to close the Tigard plant, accounting for between $1.5 million to $2.5 million a year in savings.

This isn’t the fi rst time the com-pany has closed plants in the Northwest. It shut down its plant in Vancouver, Wash., in 2009.

Skanska USA announces promotions

Skanska USA has announced two executive promotions in the compa-ny’s regional offi ce covering Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Tim Johnson has been promot-ed to Vice President - Account Manager. In this role, Johnson will be responsible for Skanska’s technology and manufacturing sector. Johnson has worked with Skanska for 20 years, leading mul-tiple large and complex projects, and developing a keen under-standing and partnership with his client base.

Additionally, Blake Devine, a 37-year veteran of the construc-tion industry, has been promoted to Vice President - Operations. Blake has spent his 16 years at Skanska working with large tech-nology manufacturers. Over that time, Devine has become the point leader in marshalling Skan-

ska’s internal and external re-sources to serve the sector’s needs and various expansions and buildouts.

“Both Tim and Blake have shown over many years that a focus on our customers’ needs and outcomes can shift our role from a contractor to a true business partner,” said Jim Link, executive vice president and general manager of Skanska’s Portland offi ce. “As part of our Ore-gon executive team, they will each be instrumental in making sure that customer focus is consistent throughout our business in the re-gion, leading to more growth.”

Port of Portland names Kristen Leonard as Public Affairs Director

Port of Portland Deputy Execu-tive Director Curtis Robinhold an-nounced that Kristen Leonard has accepted the position of public af-fairs director, fi lling a vacancy left when former Public Affairs Direc-tor Tom Imeson left the Port to join Northwest Natural.

Leonard cur-rently owns and operates C&E Sys-tems, a Portland-based company specializing in government rela-tions, fi nancial services, and soft-ware develop-ment. Leonard has also advised clients on commu-nications and public affairs in a private public affairs fi rm and at the Oregon Education Associa-tion.

“Kristen has extensive experi-ence in all the areas to which she has been assigned,” said Robin-hold. “Her strong background in government relations will serve the Port well, and her knowledge of strategic communication and community outreach will ensure the public affairs team continues its high levels of performance to-ward the Port’s mission and to the communities it serves.”

Leonard is vice president and serves on the Board of Directors of the Oregon Capitol Club, a pro-fessional association of lobbyists in Oregon’s state legislature. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Com-munications from the University of Arizona.

Leonard will report directly to Robinhold and her fi rst day at the Port will be July 21.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BURGERVILLE

The experience, look, and menu at PDX Burgerville were co-designed by Burgerville and its guests to satisfy various needs of PDX travelers and airport employees. These innovations are showcased at PDX Burgerville open today at the Airport.

HIGLIN

LEONARD



Digimarc, the Beaverton company that makes watermark-ing software for physical products and media, claims it has a way to save high-volume retailers $4 billion annually.

Digimarc Barcode debuted in January at the National Retail Federation. The fi rm is currently pushing the technology as the missing link that will speed up supermarket checkout times.

The software takes the standard bar code that is on every prod-uct — the GTIN or global trade item number — and converts it in-to a new image that is printed all over the packaging but is not visible to the naked eye. The print on your Raisin Bran box or fi sh oil pellet tub might look normal, but someone looking with a mag-nifying glass might see a faint pattern caused by slightly tweak-ing the color scheme. A three-camera scanner in the Point Of Sale ( POS) machine can read this quicker and more reliably than the old striped rectangle, thus speeding up checkout and reducing ca-shier hours.

“We talked to a lot of clerks who said it would cut down on a lot of injury claims because they won’t have to do this any more,” says Ed Knudson, SVP of Sales and Marketing at Digimarc, mak-ing the swirling motion that cashiers make as they try to engage the barcode with the scanner. “It will also improve eye contact, “ he adds.

The real driver, however, is cost savings to the retailer. Digi-marc’s quantitative model, based on the top 120 high volume re-tailers ( the likes of Walmart, Costco and Fred Meyer) estimates that clerks will scan 33 percent to 50 percent faster, amounting to $4 billion in savings worldwide. “The retailers may choose to har-vest that any way, by reducing hours, or prices, or treating it as a customer service.”

As a publicity stunt earlier this year, the company set the

Chips again? Digimarc Barcode turns the regular barcode into an pattern all over a product’s packaging. The new watermark is invisible to humans but detectable by supermarket scanners, speeding up scanning time by 3 3 to 5 0 percent, according to a company spokesman. Shoppers can use it too with their smart phones.PHOTOS COURTESY OF DIGIMARC

FASTER SCANS, MORE SAVINGS

BEAVERTON COMPANY DIGIMARC IS TAKING US A STEP CLOSER TO THE INTERNET OF THINGS

Digimarc Barcode debuted in January at the National Retail Federation. The fi rm is currently pushing the technology as the missing link that will speed up supermarket checkout times.


Guinness World Record for fastest time to scan and bag 50 items. The rules included exactly 10 items per bag, two clerks who had to switch places half-way through, and the fi nal item had to be the Guinness Book of World Records.

Such watermarking is more useful as we enter the era of the Internet of Things ( IoT) , where almost anything can transmit data about itself to the Internet. Everything on a supermarket shelf could be alive with data.

Consumers can use their smart phone cameras to scan a product and instantly add it to a shopping list. This is a bit more intui-tive than using a smart fridge that, like a Las Vegas mini bar, is supposed to know when your supplies are running low.

Knudson explained that it took the bar code seven years to become established. Retailers formed a consortium and funded its mass adoption. The Digimarc Barcode could be adopted far more quickly because it leverages technology already in place. GT1, which manages the GTIN system, doesn’t need to change, nor do the point of sale scanners, which are already moving over to a multiple camera system. Retailers would have access to a Software Develop-ers Kit ( SDK) to adapt the technology to their use. And it’s still just ink on paper - graphic designers at the packaging compa-nies would simply download a plug in for Photoshop which then adds the invisible image to their work.

Digimarc is hoping to persuade retailers

to start by putting the watermarks on the brands they control — the generics or pri-vate label goods like Kirkland, Kroger and Trader Joe’s. If that works they will have data to show the packaged goods companies like Kraft how valuable it is.

As well as speeding four-cart families though Costco, it in particular promises to work well with medications. Pharmacists al-ready count and package drugs into blister packs. The packaging could also contain the name of the patient and the drug expiration date in the barcode. “That means track and trace and recalls are possible,” Knudson adds.

Digimarc applied the same principle to the electronic media signals starting in 2013. A tone inaudible to humans can be added to the music playing in a store, allowing cus-tomers to pull up coupons or extra informa-tion on the phones. One speaker in the ap-parel department might have a different tone from another in home and garden, pushing a different product, although to the naked ear they are both playing the same Gen X ear candy.

Knudson demoed a TV for a fi ctional cof-fee brand, upon which three different signals piggy backed in three ten second bursts. Whether it was roasting information or a chance to win a trip to Brazil, the aim was to exploit second screen engagement - the mod-ern habit of browsing on a mobile device while watching TV.

So far, this watermarking technology has been used in Ford’s 2014 brochures, and in

magazines such as Cooking Light. Readers can scan food photos to get recipes and stor-able shopping lists. Publishers pay a fl at fee then an annual license fee.

Another idea is a scannable image of your credit/ debit card on your phone for use at checkout. The fact that it’s actually a video, wobbling at 15 frames per second, makes it al-most impossible to screen grab and abuse. And because no data is swiped from the mag-netis strip, the transaction takes place secure-ly in the cloud.

Users opt in by turning on the Digimarc

Discover mobile app, which can hear as well as see. There are already apps by other com-panies that “listen in” as you watch TV. They can tell what you are watching and bring up relevant ads and content. The com-pany tried this in a joint venture with rat-ings system Nielsen two years ago, adding a signal to a Weather Channel show called Over the Edge about dangerous situations, but pulled the plug. The company may have 350 watermarking patents and 400 more in process, but it’s hard predicting what will be a hit with the public.

Face time: Digimarc aims to promote in-store engagement with brands and product. Here, a mobile device’s camera detects a watermark, triggering relevant content such as coupons or product content.

... Or are you j ust pleased to see me? Digimarc’s Virtual Payment Card can also render a scannable image of a credit card on a phone. The image is actually a video, wobbling slightly at 15 frames per second, which prevents screen grabs.

Consumers can use their smart phone cameras to scan a product and instantly add it to a shopping list. This is a bit more intuitive than a smart fridge that, like a Las Vegas mini bar, is supposed to know when your supplies are running low.

Proof of concept: Magaz ine publishers such as Cooking Light license Digimarc’s Discover software. It allows for planting invisibe watermarks in food photos. Readers use mobile apps to connect to recipes, how-to videos and shopping lists.


By ISABEL GAUTSCHIPamplin Media Group

The restaurant is not yet open, but hordes of Estacadans are already lining up for Lew’s.

Word spread quickly when Marvin and Debbie Flora brought the Little Lew’s bus to the indus-trial park near Northwest Technologies in November. The reasonably priced fast food was a hit.

“I love Estacada. Always have,” says Marvin.

Apparently the feeling was mutual. Whether parked in the Industrial Park or in the Just-In Video park-

ing lot, Little Lews’ kept the customers com-ing. The business was so popular that the Floras decided to open up a full-blown res-taurant in Estacada and have since secured

the space near the Estacada Area Food Bank that used to house Scenes and Beans.

Once open, Lew’s Drive-In Estacada will have a 1960s feel complete with retro booths and a jukebox. Marvin discussed plans to play television shows from the 1950s and 60s on a big screen T.V. and hopes of hosting frequent car shows.

“We want to make it as bright and as fun as possible,” he says.

Marvin and Debbie have plans to open the restaurant this summer, but hungry Es-tacadans may still get their food fi x from the Little Lew’s bus in the Harvest Market’s parking lot behind the restaurant space. With so many popular menu items, Marvin has a hard time listing them all. Biscuits and gravy, the bacon cheeseburger, Philly steak, chili dogs and breakfast burritos are all crowd-pleasers.

The Floras both have a wealth of experi-ence in food-related careers. Debbie worked in fast food for several years, while Marvin owned a deli and worked for Dreyer’s Ice Cream running a company parlor and help-ing to open facilities.

The Floras have lived in the Estacada area for about a decade. They had been living in

Tracy, California, when a doctor suggested they move to somewhere either extremely arid or moist after their children suffered from severe asthma-related issues.

They found Estacada and fell in love. Not only did they have a breathtaking view of Mount Hood from their Springwater Road home, but the community welcomed them with open arms.

When the opportunity to purchase Lew’s Drive-In in Milwaukie three years ago, they jumped at the chance.

“Estacada is where we don’t learn hospi-tality, we live hospitality,” Marvin says, add-ing he thought that this sentiment should be the town’s motto.

Listing off numerous ways in which peo-ple have shown kindness to the Floras and

one another, Marvin said that the best part of the effort to open Lew’s Drive-In Estacada has been the community.

“This restaurant is going to be for the community, by the community,” he said.

Beaverton / Cedar Hills2905 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.503.626.1400

Hillsboro / Tanasbourne2364 NW Amberbrook Dr.503.352.5252

BUGATTISRESTAURANT.COM

Oregon City / Hilltop334 Warner Milne Rd.503.722.8222

West Linn / Ristorante18740 Willamette Dr.503.636.9555

4377

53.0

6061

3 E

NT

The popular food cart will soon open restaurant doors

LINING up for LEW’S

ESTACADA NEWS PHOTO: ISABEL GAUTSCHI

The Little Lews bacon cheeseburger is a popular menu item.

FLORA

“Estacada is where we don’t learn hospitality, we live hospitality.”

— Marvin Flora, Lew’s Drive-In Estacada and Little Lews owner


Almost half the students attending the University of Oregon this year have taken out student loans to pay for school. That’s no

surprise since costs can run as high as $41,000-plus a year for nonresidents and $24,582 for state residents.

At the University of Wash-ington, costs range from $46,600 to $27,034 for nonresi-dents and residents. College students in Oregon and Washington are not alone.

Skyrocketing tuition at public and private colleges has forced more than half of all students throughout the nation to take out loans. This year, the total amount of stu-dent loan debt crossed over the $1 trillion mark, reports the Federal Reserve Bank. Many are say-ing this is the next fi nancial crisis facing the nation’s economy.

That’s because kids who leave school with a big loan to pay back could face fi -nancial hardship that may prevent them from buying houses, saving for retirement or even moving out of their parents’ base-ments. Some are putting off buying cars, or having a family because of their debt

burden, said a recent Wall Street Journal article.

Of greater concern is the number of peo-ple falling behind on their student loan payments. Delinquency rates on car loans and mortgage debt are running about 3.4

percent and 4.3 per-cent, respectively. Student loan delin-quency (payments behind 90 days or more) has climbed to 11.8 percent. One in seven borrowers has defaulted.

By the way, most of this is taxpayer

money loaned through federal low-interest programs.

The cost of a college education has been skyrocketing at a rate four times faster than the overall infl ation rate because states cut funding to public universities and colleges as tax revenue dwindled.

In-state tuition this year at public four-year colleges averaged $8,900, an increase of 2.9 percent. In the prior 10 years, tuition increases have averaged 8 percent a year. With the economy beginning to recover

and tax revenues improving, some states have started to restore funding to higher education. But that won’t likely reduce costs, just slow the increases. And it won’t help those who are borrowing big to get an education.

12 million borrowersThe fact is that 60 percent of those

who graduated from college in 2012 went out the door carrying student debt. Of the 20 million people attending U.S. colleges, 12 million have borrowed mon-ey to do it. The average student debt for those who’ve received a four-year de-gree is $26,000 to $29,000. Student loan debt is the only debt that rose through the Great Recession.

According to the Pew Research Center, 40 percent of households headed by some-one 35 years of age or younger are bur-dened by student loan debt. There’s more student debt out there than all our credit card debt and it’s not going away.

Julia Anderson is the founder and ongoing contributor at www.sixtyandsingle.com where she writes for women about money, investing, retirement planning and making the best of it after age 60. To reach her, send email to [email protected].

How to save yourself from student loan debt

473190.052014 BT

.com

4188

03.0

1231

3 A

S

POWERED BY

BUYING OR SELLING YOUR CAR IS ABOUT TO GET A WHOLE LOT EASIER!

JuliaAnderson

S M A R T M O N E Y

Managing student debtHere’s what the experts say about managing student debt:■ Borrow as little as possible. Don’t be talked into taking on debt if you can avoid it. Make sure the certifi cation or degree you are seeking matches up in income with the debt payments you will be facing. For-profi t schools such as the University of Phoenix, City University and ITT Technical Institute have come under fi re for pushing loans on below-average students, who may drop out and default on the loans. Or they many not be able to repay the loans because of the lower-wage job for which they’ve trained.■ If you are consolidating debt, pay off private student loans fi rst. There’s less forgiveness there and more penal-ties than federal loans.■ Consider direct deposit payments. Doing that may get you a reduction in the interest rate you’re paying.■ You can deduct your student loan payment on your fed-eral income tax, up to $2,500 a year.■ Avoid “quick fi x” offers from lenders who promise to “slash” your debt.■ Sign-up for an income-based repayment plan.■ If you and your family have time before you go to col-lege, set up a 529 tax-free savings plan, so the money will be there in advance. Prepaid college tuition plans can lock in today’s tuition costs.■ If you are slammed with student debt, look into loan for-giveness through service. For instance, if you volunteer with AmeriCorps, some of your debt can be “forgiven.” Work with a free credit counselor to explore your options.

See

Your Neighborhood Marketplace

503-620-SELL (7355)

online

374

827.

021612 P

T

www.portlandtribune.com

Fresh new classifi eds every day – all day and night!


By CARI HACHMANNPamplin Media Group

A pond brimming with local wildlife in Troutdale is inspiration for Rip Caswell’s latest brainchild.

Caswell bought the 3.5-acre property at the corner of Jackson Park Road and the East Historic Columbia River Highway a couple years ago.

His plans to turn an old building on the land into a live/work colony for artists is quickly making progress.

Caswell hopes to draw artists and the art-minded to the space — situated in a pastoral setting between downtown Troutdale and the Sandy River — as a place to live and work and stimulate creativity.

“This place has just given me so much in-spiration,” Caswell said. “I fi nd so much peace and tranquility out here, and I want to share that with others.”’

The renowned bronze sculptor is in the midst of having an old two-story Craftsman structure (built in 1911) on the property recon-structed into four one-bedroom apartments.

While the exterior still shows its stripped blue paint, the inside is nearly complete.

With restored red-fi r fl oors and large rugs, each apartment has a large main room, a bedroom, modern kitchen and bathroom, as well as views of the surrounding scenery — grass fi elds, woodlands, an old barn and a small pond.

“The pond is really a gem here in Trout-dale,” Caswell said.

The ponds on the property were originally dug out by the Mayo family, who purchased the land around 1915 and built apartments on it during World War I. Mayo’s ponds were in-spired by those of Captain John Harlow, a for-mer sea captain who is credited with naming Troutdale after the ponds he built near his home.

A fi sh hatchery still exists on Caswell’s property, and the ponds have become iconic in Troutdale.

The pond is stocked with trout and home to turtles, geese, mallards and wood ducks. The animals have become a source of inspira-tion for Caswell, who is known for creating sculptures that imitate nature.

Caswell has incorporated his bronze work

throughout the building’s architecture. For instance, bronze sinks in the bathroom

of each apartment, which he calls “Water’s Edge,” are decorated with blue herons, a frog and tadpoles swimming in lily pads at the bottom of the sink.

An otter that frequently visits the pond is captured in bronze at the top of the stairwell of the second story. And Caswell designed the banister’s spindles to look like pond reeds swaying in the wind.

The apartments will run for $985 per month each, Caswell said.

The artist has more plans to develop the remainder of the property.

He plans to convert an open fi eld behind the apartments into a sculpture garden “that the community and travelers can enjoy.”

Caswell also has mentioned to the city that he would like to turn the corner portion of the property, where Jackson Park Road meets the historic highway, into an educa-tional hub for the community.

“This is milepost 0 (on the scenic high-way),” Caswell said. “It would be a perfect en-try for visitors.”

He has proposed converting an old white house on the corner into a spot for a potential bike hub, which the city is considering.

Because the small building is already out-fi tted with power, water and sewer utilities, Caswell said, “the structure could be built here and it could be a neat little place for bikes.”

However, there is one slight problem, he said.

Multnomah County owns the right of way that runs directly through the structure on his property. Caswell said he is trying to get the county to release the easement back to him, before he would ask the city to build the hub.

Caswell also has pitched to the city the idea of building a bronze statue recognizing the architects who helped design and build the Historic Columbia River Highway — Sam Hill and Samuel Lancaster.

With the 100th anniversary of the historic highway coming up in 2016, Caswell said, “I feel there is just a real need to celebrate these men. They really left us with quite a legacy.”

Caswell invokes visions of Model T Fords leisurely meandering up the highway and through the gorge, their passengers taking in the surrounding beauty and waterfalls.

Much like Model Ts took visitors on a slow-gazing journey through the gorge, Caswell said bikes are the next closest thing.

“This is really going to be a national draw for people wanting to tour on bikes,” he said.

Local sculptor redevelops 3.5 acres in Troutdale as a destination for artists and tourists alike

A colony for artists

PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP PHOTOS: CARI HACHMANN

Caswell hopes to turn the corner of Jackson Park Road and the historic highway into a rest area for cyclists and travelers, with access to information and a garden.ation and a garden.

“I fi nd so much peace and tranquility out here, and I want to share that with others.”

— Rip Caswell, bronz e sculptor of Caswell Gallery in Troutdale

Inspired by the pond on his Troutdale property, Caswell’s bronz e work is featured inside the newly restored apartments.


■ 150,000 weekly readers ■ 60,000 copies ■ 7 local newspapers

To advertise call your Pamplin advertising representative or call 503-684-0360

Business news that’s closer to home.Whether in the offi ce or at home, you now have another wayto reach the metro area’s business leaders.Bu

sines

s

T

ribun

e

THE ECONOMICS

OF FILMTHE DOWN AND DIRTY

ON PORTLAND’S BURGEONING FILM BUSINESS

BY KENDRA HOUGE

MARC

H 18

, 201

4

4806

97.0

3181

4

By KATY SWORDPamplin Media Group

Erika Wilcotts and her husband Aaron have spent more than a year getting the Red Berry Barn in Newberg ready for customers. Now, opening day is right around the corner.

“We’re really excited,” she said. “This has been a long project so it’s going to be exciting to actually open the doors and let people come in.”

The Red Berry Barn is a u-pick berry market, but will also feature already picked berries and local produce.

“My family has been farming in the area forever, so we just kind of wanted to do our own thing,” she said.

Eighteen months later, the former grass patch has been transformed into a large barn and acres of berries, ready to pick.

“The building and everything went just how we wanted,” Wilcotts said.

With a week until opening, there’s still a bit to be done inside, including stocking the shelves with produce. In-side the barn, there’s a corner fi lled

with jars of jam and local honey. Anoth-er holds frozen berries and fresh pies, made daily. The produce counter runs down the middle with assorted garden-ing supplies spread throughout.

“My husband and I saw this piece of property for sale and thought it would be a great location for u-pick berries and produce,” she said. The property is 23 acres, with open fi eld remaining and a large patch of trees at the edge of the property.

“Eventually we’ll just keep trucking over with the berries,” she said.

In the meantime they look forward to the fi nishing touches.

“We have over 1,000 potted plants ready to go in the greenhouse (for Mother’s Day),” she said. “We’re ready to go.”

The Red Berry Barn will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 pm. every day and is lo-cated at 19200 S.W. Chapman Road, right off Highway 99W about halfway between Newberg and Sherwood.

“As long as there are berries out there, we’ll be here,” Wilcotts said.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/RedBerry Barn.

Red Berry Barn is poised to open on 99W

PAMPLIN MEDIA GROUP: GARY ALLEN

Erika Wilcotts, along with her husband Aaron, are opening the Red Berry Barn off Highway 99W. The barn specializes in u-pick berries and is slated to open Friday.


STATEWIDE

By KATHY ANEYEast Oregonian

Matchmakers traditionally bring two people together into a romantic relation-ship, but the concept also makes good sense in the business world.

Matchmaking was the goal recently as the SiteLink Forum revved up at the Wildhorse Resort & Casino. At the conference, econom-ic development people will woo site selec-tors — the folks hired by companies to fi nd locations for factories, call centers and other business ventures — with factoids about their cities and regions.

The 65 attendees met individually with each of seven site selectors during short meetings resembling speed-dating sessions.

It was during one of these meetings at an-other conference in Salt Lake City that Bill Tovey, economic development director for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla In-dian Reservation, talked up Pendleton to site developer Paige Webster. He had come armed with information and images to en-tice the site selectors.

“I had photos, statistics and information about demographics, infrastructure and util-ity costs — everything to get us on their map,” Tovey said. “You have maybe 10 min-utes with each one, then you get feedback.”

He fi nished by inviting Webster to north-east Oregon. The site selector’s curiosity was piqued.

“He asked me and I said, ‘Yeah, let’s go,’” Webster said.

Webster, one of the nation’s approximate-ly 250 site selectors, visited last September during the Pendleton Round-Up to soak in the business vibe, attend the rodeo and visit the Port of Umatilla and some outlying com-munities.

By the end of the visit, Pendleton was squarely on Webster’s map. Later, he select-ed Wildhorse as the location for his new company’s initial site selector conference this week.

The short pitching sessions at the confer-ence were scheduled between presentations by seven site selectors, who specialize in various industries. At the Thursday-night banquet, James Martin was chosen to deliv-er the keynote speech. Martin runs a compa-ny that bottles wine into glass-shaped one-serving containers. He appeared on ABC’s business-themed “Shark Tank” with a pro-posal to trade 30 percent of his profi ts for $600,000. When the show’s tycoon investors balked, Martin walked away and wooed oth-er fi nanciers. Today, Copa di Vino is worth $25 million.

Such are the ebbs and fl ows of the busi-ness world, a world in which the attendees hope to navigate and master.

As the conference got rolling, a trio of at-tendees stood chatting as they waited for

time with a site selector, their new name tags hanging around their necks from lan-yards. All hoped to pitch their regions and also learn what makes a location fl oat to the top of a site selector’s list.

Sara Means-Mizejewski, of Lane County Economic Development, itched to “get in front of a site selector and promote what we have to offer.” She practiced on the local re-porter.

“We have a skilled workforce, a major transportation corridor, abundant water and electricity at very reasonable rates and a great quality of life,” she said.

Tina Wilson, of the Western Alliance for Economic Development, represents two ru-ral Idaho counties.

“My area is well-suited for food process-ing and manufacturing,” she said. “We are very ag-friendly.”

Andrea Klaas, executive director of the Port of The Dalles, said she had come to pick the brains of the site selectors.

“We are in the process of getting some in-dustrial land ready for business,” Klaas

said. “We’re curious about growth indus-tries, marketing strategy and what makes sense as far as industries to target.”

Getting on a site selector’s radar can jump-start the process, Webster said, because “60 percent of all projects for ex-pansion or relocation are done by site selectors.”

Webster said the selectors look at such factors as labor force and costs of transpor-tation, real estate and utilities. They also look at companies already located in the ar-ea, since similar companies and their suppli-ers tend to congregate.

“We look at the whole region,” he said. “We don’t care about borders.”

Tovey said the Tribes’ transportation sys-tem interested Webster, since workforce could commute from as far as Walla Walla,

La Grande or the Tri-Cities if there is ade-quate transportation.

Webster said he considers potential sites subjectively, too. During his fi rst visit to Pendleton, for example, he found himself mesmerized by the western fl avor of the community as he watched the Happy Can-yon Night Show.

“It’s one of the most grassroots, western, theatrical events I’ve experienced,” he said. “I was blown away. I think you have a west-ern experience that’s real.”

When paired with other factors, that au-thentic Old West ambiance could translate into a site selection.

Contact Kathy Aney at [email protected] or call 541-966-0810. This story originally appeared in East Oregonian. Read more on: wallowa.com

Speed dating meets economic development

The short pitching sessions at the conference were scheduled between presentations by seven site selectors, who specialize in various industries.


Star Command, I’m going to be a while.

Keep pace with Lightning McQueen at the transformed Disney California Adventure® Park, featuring Cars Land, Buena Vista Street and World of Color nighttime water spectacular. Enjoy the original Disneyland® Park, with a new Mickey and the Magical Map show, Fantasy Faire character experience and more.

*$88 per person, per day price based on quad occupancy (2 adults, 1 junior and 1 child [age 3-9]), with a AAA Vacations® package, in a standard room at Clarion Hotel Anaheim Resort with AAA Magic Moments savings for 3 nights and 4-Day/1 Park Per Day Disneyland® Resort Theme Park Tickets. Valid for most nights 6/13 - 8/16/2014 with travel being completed by 8/17/2014. Check for offers associated with longer night stays. Total package price starts at $1,407. Offer subject to availability and Blockout Dates; advance reservations required. Not valid with any other discount or promotion. Subject to restrictions and change without notice. 4-Day/1 Park Per Day Disneyland® Resort souvenir tickets are valid for four (4), 1-Park admission to either Disneyland® Park or Disney California Adventure® Park, but not to both parks on the same day, tickets expire thirteen (13) days after first use or 1/13/2015, whichever occurs first, and each day of use of a ticket constitutes one (1) full day of use. Tickets may not be sold or transferred for commercial purposes. **Valid Disneyland® Resort souvenir ticket serves as FREE Parking Pass for one vehicle per day at the Toy Story Lot or other Disney designated parking location. Larger vehicles may require an additional fee. Subject to restrictions and change without notice. †A special card offering savings and values of 10%-20% off at many participating dining and merchandise locations throughout the Disneyland® Resort and on Disneyland® Park Tours (one card per package; nontransferable and void if sold). Walt Disney Travel Company CST #1022229-50 NVST #2006-0198 ©Disney

Every AAA Vacations® package includes:• Accommodations at a nearby Good Neighbor Hotel• Disneyland® Resort 1 Park Per Day Souvenir Ticket• Disneyland® Resort Theme Park Parking Included** • Exclusive! AAA Vacations® Diamond Savings Card†

• Ask your travel professional about more Magical Extras!

Call your AAA Travel Consultant today!

800.222.1768AAA.COM/DISNEY

A 3-night/4-day Good Neighbor Hotel Vacation Package starts at

88 $ *

Per person/per day for a family of 4; includes 4-day, 1-Park per Day Disneyland® Resort Tickets.

For arrivals most nights 6/13/14 – 8/16/14.

Total package price $1,407*

4691

52.0

5131

4

MAY 20, 2014 Businesspublications.pmgnews.com/epubs/portland-tribune-business-052014.… · 2...

Documents

Transcript of MAY 20, 2014 Businesspublications.pmgnews.com/epubs/portland-tribune-business-052014.… · 2...