2013 Archives

The 100 Best Companies project turns 20 this year, so we’re looking back to see what’s changed for great places to work in Oregon.

“How may I light your world?” asks Kay Newell as a potential customer walks through her door. Newell, also known as the Light Bulb Lady, is the founder and owner of Sunlan Lighting.

For many people around the country, Portland sounds like a place where the streets are paved with bacon-maple doughnuts, meticulously roasted coffee and artisan charcuterie. Yes, the city has a vibrant culinary scene, but it also is a hub of food banks, stores and eateries touting local- food sourcing, farmers markets and community gardens.

On a recent Tuesday morning, the Southeast Portland office of Living Room Realtors feels more like a Pearl District art gallery than, well, a real estate company. About 30 people are milling about a warehouse-style space featuring an open-cubicle environment, exposed brick walls and a collage series made of recycled packaging labels resembling brightly colored flowers.

In December a 12-member public safety commission convened by Gov. Kitzhaber delivered its final report, which is expected to impact budget decisions in the current legislative session. The report zeroed in on the Department of Corrections and recommended sentence reductions and cost-effective alternatives to incarceration. The goal is to reduce the state’s rising prison population and prevent an estimated $600 million increase in costs over the next 10 years.

Bullivant Houser Bailey Managing Shareholder Beth Skillern balances life, work and play.

Giving asthma medication to young children is a trying task. Kids don’t like to wear the face mask that allows the nebulized mist to be inhaled, creating stress for parents and resulting in more emergency room visits. In search of a solution, Sarah Cota, a Bend mother with a 7-year-old asthmatic son, has come up with an alternative delivery method.

Itchy and inflamed skin is the bane of existence for people who suffer from atopic dermatitis, a type of eczema most common in infancy that also affects millions of adults around the world. Now scientists at Oregon State University have discovered an underlying genetic cause for the condition, a discovery that may lead to more effective therapies.

The most encouraging thing about the results of our online survey in this issue is that confidence is growing about new jobs becoming available at companies.

The Meeting Facilities Powerlist from our 2013 Power Book ranks meeting facilities by total square feet of meeting space.