Ebb and Flow: Portland Biz Alliance announces new board


A weekly list of new hires, fires and promotions, as well as business openings and closings.

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Melina LaMorticella, an attorney with Tonkon Torp, has been elected chair of the Oregon Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. LaMorticella works as a business immigration lawyer, helping companies with employment-based immigration. The AILA works to promote justice and reasonable immigration policy.

The Portland Business Alliance has announced its new board officers for the fiscal year. The alliance named its 17-person board, including new chair DJ Wilson, of KGW Media Group. Read the full list here.

Cameron Krauss has been hired as Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs for Seneca Sawmill Company in Eugene.  Krauss will oversee legal and public policy for Seneca. He will replace longtime Seneca employee Dale Riddle, who is retiring.

Openings and Closings

Wilsonville-based Flir Systems acquired a California based company, Armasight. Flir paid $41 million, cash, for the company. Armasight will increase Flir’s scope and sights division for hunters and law enforcement.

Typically, when businesses open new facilities it’s with the intent to be profitable. Lagunitas Brewing, however,has opened a Community Room in Northeast Portland to support nonprofits who need fundraising opportunities. The space will reportedly be donated to any nonprofit organization, along with the necessary beer, to raise funds needed to carry out their missions. The new space will open August 1.

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A lack of foot traffic on North Williams Avenue in Portland caused Lardo to shutter its doors. The popular sandwich shop started as a food cart in 2010, before opening a brick and mortar. Lardo still has two locations in Portland, on Southwest Washington and Southeast Hawthorne.

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Cannon Beach opened its first full-service grocery store last week. Fresh Foods held its ribbon-cutting June 29. The store employs about 25 and cost about $4 million to open.

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Hopworks Urban Brewery announced today it will open a new 6,000-square-foot brewery in Vancouver. The brewpub wil open this fall on Mill Plan Boulevard.

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Seattle-based Unico Properties has sold the Commonwealth Building for $69 million. The 215,000-square-foot building, located at 421 S.W. Sixth Ave., is now owned by KBS Capital Advisers, based in California. Unico had just purchased the building in 2014 for $41 million.