Scott Hamlin Comes Full Circle Posted in: Energy and Environment, Manufacturing - The founder and CEO of Looptworks has been working to find a way to “turn a T-shirt back into a T-shirt” since 2009. A Gresham facility opening this month makes it a reality.
- Downtime with Jaime Eder Posted in: Lifestyle - How a director at Visit Central Oregon unwinds
- Washington Updates Model Toxics Control Act for First Time in Two Decades Posted in: Brand Stories, Uncategorized - New updates contain material changes that will impact the course of cleanups in the state
100 Best
- 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon in 2023 - Congratulations to all the organizations who made the list.
- 2023 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon -
Welcome to the 2023 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon.
- Information About The 100 Best Nonprofits Survey - Find out about eligibility requirements, benefits of participation and the schedule of our free nonprofit workplace survey.
POLITICS
- Exit Interview: Blumenauer Says Last Years Were Most Productive - ‘I have a lot of things I want to work on, and I don't think any of them are going to be advanced in a dysfunctional Congress’
- Oregon, 29 Other State Regulators Reach Settlement in $68 Million Silver Scam - The case alleges defendants deceived elderly and retirement-age customers by inflating the price of its precious metal coins.
- Measure 110 Partial-Repeal Would Use Criminal Justice System for Early Intervention - Two alternative ballot measures would recriminalize hard drugs in Oregon, but the organizing group’s founder Max Williams says he hopes the Legislature comes up with a better alternative.
- Kotek Signs Billion-Dollar Housing Package into Law - Bills fund a large-scale expansion of the HCSD, as well as housing assistance programs and new rent controls.
ECONOMY
- Textured Hair Styling Academy L&M Hair Company Wins $20K Key4Women Grand Prize - The salon was selected from a pool of 212 applicants after making an ‘overwhelming’ pitch
- Medford’s Income Growth Outpaced 91% of US Metros Between 2019 and 2022. What’s Behind the Boom? - The uptick reverses decades of decline, according to Census data.
- Genesis Financial Solutions Becomes Concora Credit - The rebrand follows a year of furniture retail partnerships for the company, which provides financial services to customers with subprime credit.
- Oregon Workers’ Compensation Costs Expected to Keep Falling - The decline mirrors a national drop in workers comp, but Oregon’s low-cost rival states with less robust protection.
RESTAURANTS AND RETAIL
- Tigard Entrepreneur Pitches Mess-Free Gingerbread House on ‘Shark Tank’ - Miranda Vaughn’s Tomte Cake kit is on track to sell 20K units, and says her pitch on Shark Tank left her ‘feeling confident.’
- More Cooks in the Kitchen - Oregonians are proud of the state’s array of small, locally produced food. But small- and medium-batch food manufacturers struggle to find spaces to make and package their products, especially when it’s time to scale up.
- A Hole New World - Katie Poppe, CEO of Blue Star Doughnuts, talks about what inspired her to try to sell a gourmet doughnut, how the company weathered the pandemic — and what’s next.
- Stumptown Replaces Starbucks on Alaska Airlines - The Seattle-based airline chose Stumptown as its new coffee provider based on a high-altitude taste test.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
- After a Landmark Year, Oregon Humane Society Looks Ahead -
In 2022 the Oregon Humane Society merged with another shelter system and opened a community veterinary clinic. President and CEO Sharon Harmon says it’s just the beginning.
- Wieden+Kennedy Co-Founder Dan Wieden Dead at 77 -
Wieden, who coined Nike’s “Just Do It” tagline, made memorable ads with an edge.
- Death Care Goes Green -
Oregon becomes the third state in the nation to allow human composting, representing a wider turn towards ecological burial options in the death care industry.
- Tactics — Elisabeth Kramer, day-of wedding coordinator -
The journalist-turned-wedding planner talks about what's next for the industry
TECH
- Semiconductor Process Equipment Maker ACM Research Opens Hillsboro Location - The company says the facility will serve as its new sales and service hub as it expands its North American footprint.
- OSU To Launch Aquatic Technology Chair with $20 Million Gift - The Gaulke Center for Marine Innovation and Technology will focus on an interdisciplinary approach, combining AI, robotics and oceanography to solve pressing climate challenges.
- Twist Bioscience Says It Can Deliver Manufactured DNA in 5 to 7 Days - The CEO of the controversial firm says the new service is possible to due its existing technology, plus increased capacity at the Wilsonville facility
- Keeping Score - A popular app with AI capabilities — fittingly called GameChanger — makes it easier than ever to track and share every moment of a sporting event. The company has upended the world of youth sports and now has its sights on the big leagues.
ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
- Scott Hamlin Comes Full Circle - The founder and CEO of Looptworks has been working to find a way to “turn a T-shirt back into a T-shirt” since 2009. A Gresham facility opening this month makes it a reality.
- OSU Study: Wildfires, Drought Have Reduced the Value of West Coast Timberland By $11.2 Billion - Perceived risk, rather than direct damage, was the main driver of the devaluation over the last 20 years, which has cost Oregon timberland $4.5 billion in lost value.
- Tech Acquisition Company Cancels Merger with NXTClean Fuels, Formerly NEXT Renewable Fuels - The company says the aborted merger will not impact its proposed Oregon refineries, but NXT’s critics say this is one more reason to be skeptical.
- California Sustainable Refuse Company Purchases Portland-Based Sunset Garbage Collection - The employee-owned Recology will add the Portland operation to its 136-community West Coast refuse-collection operation.
