Must Reads

Portland is earning a reputation as a hub for business minds who want to change the world.

FLIR Systems announced an agreement to acquire ICx Technologies for $274 million.

Walmart is making plans for seven new stores that could bring an estimated 2,000 jobs to Oregon.

Digital brand builder Paul Barron stood in front of social media aficionados and restaurant and hospitality industry folks in Lola’s Room, above the Crystal Ballroom. 

The last time I spoke with Sid DeBoer, his two key suppliers, GM and Chrysler, had recently declared bankruptcy and his company, Lithia Motors, was recovering from its worst year ever. But he had a plan to turn things around. A year and a half later, it seems to be working.

Portland-based Cascade Web Development has launched a product that takes live video to the next level.

The Saturday Market is an icon of the craft movement and a Portland institution. 

The solar co-op effort, which originated in Portland, made its way to Salem with a goal of bringing solar energy to 100 area residences.

I got the opportunity to sit down with Matt Nees and Bryce Yonker the other day, and within an hour my story idea list had doubled in size. There’s a lot going on with tech innovation in Oregon, and Nees, who’s been president of the Software Association of Oregon for about a year now, and his colleague Yonker have a sharp inside view of not only what’s happening, but also what’s coming.

My conference call with two Jive Software executives on Monday was quite a workout. It isn’t easy to type in synch with people so excited about their prospects that they can barely complete a sentence without flinging out phrases like “ awesome growth trajectory,” “totally stoked” and (avert your eyes now) “kicking ass and taking names.”