Ken Tomita has a mantra he repeats as he moves from the woodworking area to the design floor of his rapidly growing company, Grove: “We build everything here.”

A couple of years after the Natural Capital Center, a pioneering green office building in the Pearl District, was completed in 2001, the LEED gold-rated structure underwent a “post-occupancy evaluation” to see if it really consumed less energy than a conventional office building. The audit showed the structure did meet pre-construction expectations, says Sidney Mead, director of events for Ecotrust, the nonprofit that owns the Natural Capital Center. But several years later, Mead adds, Ecotrust added three new “kitchen-ish spaces,” including a coffee kiosk and walk-in freezer, both of which “used quite a bit of energy.” It was only because the nonprofit also happened to install solar panels that “total energy use came out kind of a wash,” she says.

“It’s been nothing but positive so far,” says Zach Dotson, chef and manager of Dan & Louis Oyster Bar in Portland’s Old Town neighborhood. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Dotson was pouring a glass of milk for a thirsty patron of Voodoo Doughnuts  — and waxing enthusiastic about one of Portland’s first pedestrian-only streets, on Southwest Ankeny between Second and Third avenues.

Employment in Washington County increased by 3.2% between December 2009 and December 2010, an uptick driven by the “employment services” sector, otherwise known as temp hires. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics and Oregon Employment Department analyses, during that one-year period, Washington County added 3,100 temp jobs, an 11.4% increase from the year before.

A flood of cheap Chinese imports is swamping the global market for solar panels, driving down prices dramatically, but Oregon officials say their investments in solar manufacturing remain solid. 

Oregon spins seventh among U.S. states for electrical generating capacity from wind power, just a puff behind Washington, according to a report from the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).

Western softwood mills sawed 11.1 billion board feet of lumber in 2010, 27.9% more than 2009. July year-to-date they have produced 6.5% more lumber than last year.

  All “latest” numbers are for July 2011 unless otherwise noted. Latest Month Previous Month Previous Year Annual Change EMPLOYMENT/BUSINESS LISTINGS Total employment State of Oregon, thousands (Aug.) 1,829.3 1,823.8 1,792.7 2.0% Total unemployment State of Oregon, thousands (Aug.) 188.4 188.4 210.0 -10.3% Unemployment rate Ore. civilian labor force, seasonally adjusted (Aug.) 9.6% 9.5% 10.7% … Read more

Portland lost some allure during the recession, but developers once again are smitten by its culture, community and cost of living.

Flood-ravaged Vernonia stakes its future on a new green school and the hope of what it can ignite.