2024 PLUS DELAYED DEPARTURE What caused the construction pause at PDX FULL CYCLE What Ridwell does with tricky trash June 2024 | OregonBusiness.com
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⁄Contents⁄ June 2024 FEATURES 34 Super Fly Phase I of construction at Portland International Airport is due to wrap this summer after years of planning. 43 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon 2024 Cover Story One hundred companies and nonprofits putting sustainability front and center REGULARS 08 Editor’s Letter 10 Newsfeed 14 Tactics Jennifer Camota Luebke, CEO of Relay Resources, talks about how universal design principles can make everyone’s job more accessible. 22 Profile: Fighting a Plastic Planet Ridwell’s fight to get hard-torecycle items out of the waste stream 28 Spotlight: The Big Fix Small repairers talk about why they fought for a Right to Repair law in Oregon. 56 Powerlist Banks ranked by deposits in Oregon and Washington. Plus: Banks Keep Shedding Branches. 58 Policy Brief University of Oregon professor Douglas Toomey writes about an AI tool that could make firefighters’ jobs easier. Subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter featuring the best of OregonBusiness.com, plus articles from our print publication. To sign up, go to OregonBusiness.com. BRAND STORY 18 Get There Oregon Rethinking the workplace and commuting to enhance overall employee experience 2024 PLUS DELAYED DEPARTURE What caused the construction pause at PDX FULL CYCLE What Ridwell does with tricky trash June 2024 | OregonBusiness.com COVER ILLUSTRATION: Joan McGuire JASON E. KAPLAN CHECK OUT THESE EXCLUSIVES (AND MORE) ON OREGONBUSINESS.COM n Federal Marijuana Rule Change Could Save Oregon Cannabis Businesses Millions — Move to reclassify pot from the most serious drug category is lauded by advocates. n Daimler Staying Put in Oregon With Planned $40M Swan Island Expansion — The German automaker opted to grow its Portland footprint after considering two other sites. n Burgerville Announces New Investors, Plan to Add Restaurants — The popular PNW fast food chain considered selling to embattled investment firm Sortis Capital but instead will expand with new locations starting in Salem and Keizer. n Crux Lists Bend Taproom for Sale — Hoping for cash infusion, craft brewer floats unique lease-buyback. 100 BEST NEWS The 2024 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon Survey Is Open! How satisfied are your employees with their jobs? Find out through our anonymous and confidential survey. Register at OregonBusiness.com/ NPregister. For information on how the survey works, visit OregonBusiness.com/Statements. Follow @OregonBusiness for breaking news, blogs and commentary. 60 Downtime Live, work and play with Nora Apter, director of programs, Oregon Environmental Council 62 Storyteller-in-Chief Stuart A. Wells, executive director of the Bird Alliance of Oregon, writes about the organization’s name change. 34 4
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⁄From the Editor⁄ Branching Out FREQUENT AIR TRAVELERS KNOW that something big is happening at Portland International Airport, as the air terminal has undergone a massive remodel in recent years. They will soon get to see it with their own eyes, as Phase I of the terminal project is set to complete this August. As Garrett Andrews notes in his first feature for Oregon Business (“Super Fly,” p. 34), Phase I was originally set to complete in May but pushed back due to safety concerns. Andrews describes the massive scope of the project and the way planners sought to use local materials and create a calmer, more naturalistic atmosphere from the beginning. For “Fighting a Plastic Planet” (p. 22), Amy Milshtein looked at Ridwell — the Seattle-based startup that began picking up hard-to-recycle items from Portland-area homes in late 2020. Milshtein detailed the challenges Ridwell has faced in setting up operations, in finding recyclers who will take its scrap (a Styrofoam recycler abruptly shuttered early this year, putting Ridwell in the position of taking Styrofoam to the Seattle area) and in heading toward a viable business model. And on the subject of things that aren’t easy to recycle: For this issue (p. 28, “The Big Fix”) I looked into Oregon’s Right to Repair law, which Gov. Tina Kotek signed into law this spring. This law is unusual in that it contains language that takes direct aim at parts pairing — which manufacturers use to restrict the use of replacement parts for repairs. Along with a set of other complex forces — including offshoring of labor that has made electronics plentiful and cheap — it means consumers are often put in the position of replacing their computers, phones, tablets and other devices rather than getting them fixed. That’s bad for consumers and for the environment (since electronics aren’t easy to recycle and contain heavy metals that are bad for soil and water). But the new law, advocates hope, will make it easier to fix electronics and keep them in use longer. Every June we honor the 100 Best Green Employers in Oregon — a list of companies and nonprofits, ranked based on employee surveys assessing the organizations’ commitment to employing green practices day-to-day and to big-picture sustainability initiatives. This year’s list (p. 43) includes a mix of new contenders as well as repeat honorees, and as always, we recognize a mix of large, medium and small outfits. Congratulations to those organizations that made the list. EDITORIAL EDITOR Christen McCurdy christenm@oregonbusiness.com ART DIRECTOR Joan McGuire joanm@oregonbusiness.com STAFF WRITER Garrett Andrews garretta@oregonbusiness.com STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Jason E. Kaplan jasonk@oregonbusiness.com COPY EDITOR Morgan Stone CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Amy Milshtein, Doug Toomey, Stuart A. Wells PUBLISHING PUBLISHER Courtney Kutzman courtneyk@oregonbusiness.com EVENTS MANAGER Craig Peebles craigp@oregonbusiness.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Evan Morehouse evanm@mediamerica.net ADVERTISING AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Greta Hogenstad gretah@mediamerica.net DIGITAL PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Alison Kattleman alisonk@mediamerica.net PRESIDENT AND CEO Andrew A. Insinga CONTROLLER Bill Lee BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN André W. Iseli PRESIDENT Andrew A. Insinga SECRETARY William L. Mainwaring TREASURER Win McCormack VOLUME 47 ⁄ NUMBER 5 OREGON BUSINESS (ISSN 02798190) is published 8 times per year, monthly except Mar/Apr, Jul/Aug and Oct/Nov/Dec issues, by MEDIAmerica Inc. at 12570 S.W. 69th Ave., Suite 102, Portland OR 97223. Subscription inquiries should be directed to 503-445-8811. Subscription charge is $24.95 per year, $49.95 for two years in the USA. Single copies and back issues available at above address and at selected newsstands. The editor is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. Copyright © 2024 by MEDIAmerica Inc. All rights reserved. All material is protected by copyright and must not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Printed in Oregon. Periodicals Postage Paid at Portland, OR. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Oregon Business, 12570 S.W. 69th Ave., Suite 102, Portland OR 97223 8
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ECONOMY & FINANCE ●Short-terminal. Gov. Tina Kotek unveiled a $40 million plan to maintain operations at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6, at least in the short term. About a month earlier, the port announced it would cease operations at the beleaguered shipping facility. As part of her deal, Kotek asked the port to increase container volume and reduce financial losses. HEALTH CARE ●World of FLiRT. A new COVID-19 variant has gained ground in Oregon and could drive a summer surge. The so-called FLiRT variant, named for variations of the KP.2 strain, has been less responsive to existing vaccines. REAL ESTATE ●Foot in the door. Fast- growing athletic footwear brand Hoka is expanding its Oregon — ahem — footprint with plans to lease office space in the Canvas building near Portland’s Providence Park. The California-based brand has taken market share from the Swoosh and, with several open positions, could look to hire away top talent. POLITICS ●Primary importance. Janelle Bynum defeated Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the May primary election, winning the right to face Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in the general election to represent Oregon’s 5th congressional district. And in a race that was the subject of national attention (and big spending), Multnomah County district attorney Mike Schmidt lost his reelection bid to Nathan Vasquez, a longtime prosecutor who pledged to be tougher on crime than his progressive boss. MANUFACTURING ●Sawn dynasty. Oregon mass timber company Timberlab announced ambitious plans including the acquisition of one of its glulam suppliers, American Laminators, with factories in Drain and Swisshome. ●Chips are down. Microchip Technology announced it will furlough the 900 workers at its Gresham semiconductor factory for two weeks at the end of June following another quarter of disappointing revenue. The Arizona-based company did the same thing in March. TECH ●Age in space. In September an astronaut from Oregon will return to space for his fourth NASA mission. Flight engineer Don Pettit, a Silverton resident and Oregon State University alum, is also ●Oregon’s up, Portland’s down. The Oregon Tourism Commission released an economic report showing tourism has returned to prepandemic levels, with travelers spending $14 billion in the state in 2023. On the flip side, Travel Portland reports that occupancy rates and room prices at Portland hotels lag behind those of comparable cities, with bookings down 22% from pre-pandemic levels. ●Springs into action. Oregon’s beloved Bagby Hot Springs reopened to the public four years after closing during the pandemic. Known for rustic wooden soaking tubs and nestled in the old growth of Mt. Hood National Forest, the area now features updated amenities though one less soaking area. FARMS & FORESTS ●Out to munch. Five counties received $100,000 each to combat grasshoppers a year after a historic and destructive infestation. The Oregon Department of Agriculture hopes to relieve ranchers in Baker, Harney, Malheur, Klamath and Lake counties under emergency rules declared in April. The 2023 infestation of grasshoppers or Mormon crickets affected 7.7 million acres. EDUCATION ●School’s out. Trustees of the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine voted in May to close the institution, citing declining enrollment due to crime and homelessness in downtown, and a related drop in the school building’s value. OCOM lost half its student body over the past four years. the agency’s oldest active astronaut at 69. His mission will study the effects of aging in space and other subjects over six months. ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ●Carb-load. A Silicon Valley startup recently debuted a carbon-sucking direct air capture (DAC) site amid the data centers that overlook the Columbia River near The Dalles. The company, 280 Earth, hopes its carbon- capture technology is commercially successful and can attract outside investment as well as tax breaks. TOURISM & HOSPITALITY ●Back inn business. VIP Hospitality Group purchased Newport’s Sylvia Beach Hotel, known for its stubborn refusal to adopt Wi-Fi or television, from its longtime owners for an undisclosed sum. ⁄Newsfeed⁄ Stepping on some toes? JASON E. KAPLAN Port of Portland’s Terminal 6 on the Columbia River Jigsaw puzzle or cards, anyone? 10
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⁄Tactics⁄ You’ve been in your current role for about nine months. How has that been? It’s been great. It’s been exhilarating. It’s been challenging, but also has just been a lot of fun getting to know the Portland community, getting to know all the employees and what they do, and trying to solve problems and create a vision for the future. There are many nonprofit agencies that are very similar to Relay, and they run very similar programs. I’ve got a lot of creative ideas that I think will really leapfrog into the future. So what I’m really focused on is what is disability inclusion going to be like in employment in 20 years? The way that we do disability inclusion right now is very person- centered. You start with a person with a disability, you look at their strengths and their weaknesses and what their interests are, and then you try to help them find a job. All of that is really great, because we’re really taking the individual into consideration. The problem with this model, though, is that it’s incomplete. The problem with this model is that once that person with a disability has a new manager, or let’s say there’s a brand-new leadership model, or let’s say there are new products that they want to sell — if that organization isn’t committed to hiring people with disabilities and supporting them, it’s very easy to lose a job and then to have to start all over again. When it comes to changing employment for people with disabilities, what are you seeing in the landscape now? That idea of building the job around the person is one that I think makes a lot of sense to people, and I think that’s what a lot of people are familiar with. What are some of the other models that we could consider? The key thing here is to normalize disability inclusion in our communities. Many companies have programs, like an autism program or a neurodiversity program, and I think that that’s a great place to start. I really want to commend companies that are intentionally trying to create space for people with a variety of disabilities to be included. But true inclusion or belonging, that’s not a program. It’s got to be part of what you do on a normal basis. I think that companies are on the right track, but I really see in the future that it’s more than awareness, it’s more than a special program, it’s more than charity or nonprofit. It’s really, truly leveraging universal design to take into account all the voices — not just people with disabilities but people who are racial minorities, people who are in the LGBTQIA+ community, just looking at all of the needs of people. Because when we consider everyone, then we have a much better chance of building systems and processes that are truly inclusive and meant for everyone, building spaces where people truly feel like they belong. I think in the future we really need to think through universal design, to capture all those minoritized populations and make sure that we build spaces, employment spaces, schools, communities where people belong, and that we normalize disability. Disability is just a natural part of the human condition. Any one of us can be disabled at any time. When we think about it that way, it’s not this foreign thing where we’re afraid of it or scared it can happen to any one of us. I think the more we widen the doors to people who have a variety of differences, a variety of ways of being, I think we just have a better society altogether. Jennifer Camota Luebke Wants to Change the Game for Disabled Workers The president and CEO of Relay Resources reflects on her new job, and how employers can put hiring people with disabilities front and center. INTERVIEW BY CHRISTEN McCURDY “I always like to tell people that first and foremost, I’m a mom,” Jennifer Camota Luebke tells Oregon Business at the start of a Zoom call in April. She’s been advocating for people with disabilities for decades—her 25-year-old son has an intellectual disability and is a recent graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology through its EXCEL Program — but only in recent years has her paid work focused on disability issues. Previously, Camota Luebke worked for companies like Electronic Arts, Genentech and Juul Labs in a series of finance-centered roles. In 2016, she cofounded Ability Revolution, an organization that provides training and advocacy on disability justice, equity, diversity and inclusion and advocacy for students and companies. From 2021 to 2023, she served as the chief workforce inclusion officer at PRIDE Industries, a social enterprise organization that partners with large employers in sectors including health care, aerospace and renewable energy to place people with disabilities in new jobs. Last year Camota Luebke — a lifelong Californian — relocated to Portland to take the helm of Relay Resources, a social enterprise organization also focused on employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Currently, Relay has three lines of business, which employ 700 people altogether. The first is janitorial; the company has contracts throughout the state of Oregon, and some in Washington, to provide janitorial work, landscaping and floor care for clients that include the Portland Airport and Portland State University. The second line of business is document solutions, which involves digitizing and indexing paper documents. The third is supply-chain solutions, which includes light manufacturing, packing and shipping for clients that include Danner Boots, Oregon Soap and Bob’s Red Mill — which hires workers to put labels on products that are set to be shipped internationally. Relay also owns 19 different affordable- housing apartments, which are not necessarily for people with disabilities, though many residents are disabled. Camota Luebke spoke with OB about her first months on the job and how employers can make disability inclusion a priority rather than an afterthought—and rooting for the Blazers after a life of cheering for the Warriors. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 14
JASON E. KAPLAN When you talk about universal design, how would you define that term? And how does that play into creating better employment outcomes? I think that if companies truly are using universal design, that’s not just for people with disabilities, it’s for really any minoritized population. One way to normalize disability is, in the interview or the onboarding process, to talk about all of the supports or different development that a company can provide or does provide already. That could be saying, “We have an EAP program, we have Excel classes, we have a sign-language interpreter for any employee who needs one, we have different computer equipment for people who need it.” You take away the stigma and say, “This is just a normal part of what we do, and here’s the list of things that we provide to employees.” If you phrase it in that way, you don’t make it this thing where employees have to self-disclose because they need an accommodation, right? Are there universal design principles that play out in the way that Relay Resources is run, or that you’re looking at implementing? We are really in the beginning stages of expanding our employment. One of the things that we’re looking at is implementing universal design in everything we do. We’re also really looking at how can we be a place to convene for employers to get best practices — whether it’s in universal design or in any other type of approach to become more disability-inclusive. I’ve got some really cool ideas, one of which is to create an area where we have a simulation space. The best way to do this is not to simulate the disability — like putting a cloth over someone’s eyes to simulate blindness — to change the environment so that a nondisabled person feels like they don’t belong in that environment. So for example, if we were to have a space where the ceiling was five feet tall, the doors were maybe twice as wide as normal doors and there were no chairs in this space. That would be perfect for somebody in a wheelchair. But for someone like me — I’m 5-foot-8 — my back would start hurting, I’d be looking for a place to sit, it just would be very uncomfortable. So that’s a way to kind of drive the point home, about making spaces universally designed for a variety of people. I think creating spaces that typically abled, nondisabled people find uncomfortable can really help people understand that, for many people who identify with a disability, it’s not the disability that restricts them. It’s the environment and the attitude of people that is restrictive. So we’re looking to that to teach others what we do. What do you do when you’re not at work? I love basketball. I’m adopting the Portland Trail Blazers as my basketball team, though I’ve been a Warriors fan my entire life. I’m getting more involved in soccer — I just love watching sporting events. I have a cat — it’s actually my son’s cat; his roommate is allergic. So I like to hang out with my son’s cat. My husband’s a special-ed teacher, and so we work with a lot of different families to really help them advocate the IEP process in schools. There are a lot of college programs for people with intellectual disability. So we help a lot of families navigate that admissions process and the process of having their child, perhaps away from home for the first time, taking different classes. We do a lot because we love this population. We really take the work that we do seriously. But to have fun, I definitely watch sports. 15
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Better Commutes for a Thriving Workforce Access Oregon’s free employer tools & services Employee commutes and work experience play big roles in job satisfaction, retention and recruitment, productivity, and more. Access free employer tools and services from Get There Oregon and partners to improve employee commutes and work experience, while serving critical business needs. Commute Solutions Toolkit Free & Easy Access Oregon’s Commute Solutions Toolkit is accessible online with free, ready-to-use and customizable content for your employees at GetThereOregon.org/CST. Promote Commute Options & Tools Access employee materials and digital content covering all types of commute options— carpooling, vanpooling, transit, biking, and remote and compressed work. Plus, get details and materials about local services and Get There Connect, Oregon’s free commute planning and rewards tool. Co-Brand & Customize Content Posters, flyers, and digital content can be co-branded and customized without graphic design software. Materials are print-ready and digital content can be used in employee communications and Intranet sites. Serve Business Needs Retain & Recruit Improve staff retention with higher job satisfaction, while offering enticing benefits to attract talent. Cut Costs Lower costly staff attrition, plus reduce parking facilities costs. Boost Health Improve employee health and wellness by easing commute stress. Improve Sustainability Reduce CO2 emissions and other environmental impacts. Access employer guides & toolkits.
Get There Connect Support Services Connect employees with commute options using Oregon’s free online tool, Get There Connect, accessible via computer or mobile device. There’s no set up required—employees can sign up at GetThereOregon.org. Free technical support is available. Employee Commute Planning Equip employees to find and use commute options, join or start carpools and vanpools, track metrics, and more. Challenges & Rewards Take advantage of challenges and local rewards programs as added motivators for your employees. Custom Employer Networks Set up free employer networks with custom URLs and QR codes for employee use to track metrics, offer rewards, conduct surveys, and more. Commuter Surveys Conduct commuter surveys among users to gain workforce insights and improve employee programs. Consultation & Planning Get assistance creating employee commute benefits programs from Get There Oregon and our partners. Tips & Insights Gain insights and expert advice to take your employee commute and work experience to the next level using our employer guides and toolkits. Get There Oregon and partners also provide regular trainings and webinars. Employee Surveys Get help conducting surveys to evaluate employee commute habits, needs, and interests, including as required by Oregon’s ECO Program in the Portland area. Promotions Support Access ready-to-use employee materials to promote commute options and tools in our Commute Solutions Toolkit. Plus, Get There Oregon partners can provide commute planning onsite and at resource fairs. Resources. Support. Solutions. Need Help? Consultation & Planning Employee Surveys Promotions & Outreach Support Contact: Employers@GetThereOregon.org 971-202-9758 Visit GetThereOregon.org
Because DREAMS look different. This summer the NW Natural Street of Dreams is ON TOUR! For more details about the show or to purchase tickets, scan the QR code or visit StreetofDreamsPDX.com. Official show of the Home Building Association of Greater Port and. August 1-18, 2024 Extended weekends only! Thursdays - Sundays Explore more in '24
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⁄Profile⁄ Fighting a Plastic Planet BY AMY MILSHTEIN PEOPLE WHO SUBSCRIBE to Ridwell love Ridwell. And really, what’s not to love? For a monthly fee, the startup whisks away hard-to-recycle items — things your regular garbage hauler can’t process in their single-stream recycling bins — right from your doorstep. Ridwell provides adorable, reusable drawstring bags for sorted trash and a branded bin — reminiscent of an old-timey milk box — that sits on your front porch and signals to neighbors that you are part of the solution. But are you? Since launching in 2018, Ridwell has diverted 20 million pounds of waste from landfills in the eight metro areas it serves, according to Taylor Loewen, the company’s West Coast regional director. This includes waste from Ridwell’s approximately 25,000 members in the Portland Metro area. However, we are a nation swimming in plastic waste, with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimating some 32.2 million metric tons now fill our landfills. No one expects a 200-employee, venture- capital-backed startup to solve problems created by generations of free-market, consumer capitalism. But for people who want to do a bit more, and have the budget to spare, Ridwell offers convenience and the warm feeling that comes from doing something, anything, to effect change. Subscribers simply schedule a twicemonthly pick-up through an app. Then one of Ridwell’s 45 local employees drives up in a Sprinter van and — just like that — plastic film, batteries, clamshell containers, and more disappear. These items don’t go to the local landfill. Instead Ridwell ships them to partners near and far to be reused, repurposed or recycled. Want to know where it all goes? Just check the company website’s regularly updated transparency page to see where the trash lands. There are even precise percentages (with decimal points!) to quantify JOAN McGUIRE Feeling guilty about existing in a world drowning in plastic? For around $18 a month, Ridwell absolves the shame of generating waste for a select few living in the Portland area. But can the startup really solve our plastic-waste problems? 22
how much ends up being reused versus landfilled. Ridwell also engages in robust communications with its members through email and social media about what it should collect next. Often, these conversations result in actions. “Hundreds of Ridwell members wrote in about having guilt around throwing their coffee bags straight into the landfill,” recalls Loewen. In response, Ridwell partnered with HydroBlox, a Pennsylvania-based company that turns multilayer plastic, including coffee bags, into composite drainage materials for landscaping use. “So now it’s easier for those people who have a daily caffeine ritual.” A team of Ridwell employees, based in the company’s head office in Seattle, finds and vets these partners. “We want to make sure we feel good about their level of transparency. If we’re putting that company name on our website, then we feel good about them,” says Loewen. Others are a bit more skeptical. “The market for these materials is more volatile than what we put in the curbside bin. That is specifically why municipalities choose carefully what they accept curbside, so they have a reliable end market,” says Etosha Terryll, program administrator for Portland State University’s Community Environmental Services research and service unit via email. She is also a second-year graduate student in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program and a Master Recycler. “Personally, I’m somewhat dubious about their end markets.” And just because a partner company is operating today doesn’t guarantee they will be there tomorrow. Even the people at Ridwell were surprised when Agilyx, their Tigard-based partner for recycling polystyrene (Styrofoam), closed abruptly in March. Ridwell still accepts polystyrene but now ships the material to two different partners in the Seattle area. Which complicates issues even more. Ridwell searches for local partners where they can, according to Loewen, but most are far afield. Trex Company, for instance, turns plastic film into composite decking material from manufacturing facilities in Virginia and Nevada. Green Impact transforms clear plastic clamshells into feed to make new clear plastic clamshells in Juarez, Mexico. Ridwell also sends hard plastics to Merlin Plastics in British Columbia, Canada. Sure, it’s better than shipping trash overseas, but the carbon impact of moving all this waste around is undeniable. Trying to shrink that footprint, Ridwell recently teamed up with Bob’s Red Mill to carpool 23
multilayer plastic waste generated during their manufacturing process to HydroBlox. “It helps both Ridwell and Bob’s clear out their warehouses faster and make for efficient loads,” writes a Ridwell representative in an email. The company would also like to move to an all-electric fleet according to Loewen, but has no timeline set for that upgrade. AS A GROWING STARTUP, RIDWELL is not profitable but is “working as hard as we can to become self-sustaining,” according to a Ridwell representative via email. That profit must come directly from Ridwell subscribers as opposed to the partners that accept the waste. “For most of the materials we collect, there is no exchange of funds,” according to the representative. “We do make a small amount of income on some items, and in some cases, we pay partners to pass on the stuff we pick up from members.” That makes growing its subscriber base an important part of its business strategy. Most of Ridwell’s current customers are female, age 35 and up, living in single-family homes and have an extra $14 to $24 a month for the service. This fee naturally limits the pool of potential customers. “Considering what residents already pay for standard curbside pickup, this is an unattainable cost for many low-income individuals and families,” says Terryll. (Ridwell offers a Community Supported Membership program and asks cities to subsidize membership. As of April 2024, 215 free memberships have been awarded throughout all of its markets.) Local municipalities also stand in the way of expansion. In 2022 Ridwell sued Washington County after the government agency banned pick-ups in unincorporated areas; litigation is ongoing. “It’s due to resistance from garbage haulers that want to protect the status quo,” says Loewen. “Many jurisdictions have been pressured by haulers rather than welcoming a new and innovative approach.” Washington County does not comment on ongoing legal cases. But shortly after stopping the service, they launched Recycle+, a similar albeit far less expensive specialty-recycling service. Run by local garbage haulers, Recycle+ costs between $2.50 and $2.70 a month, plus an on-call pick-up charge of under $10. “Recycle+ is an attractive service for people who are willing to pay for the convenience of having certain items picked up versus taking them for free to a depot,” says Wendy Gordon, communications coordinator for Washington County Health and Human Services, via email. “It’s also going to be attractive to people who care deeply about recycling and who want to go above and beyond what goes in the regular bin.” Ridwell would love to add the 1,350 customers currently enrolled in Recycle+ to its subscription base. However, the company has no interest in expanding outside the Portland metro area. That leaves motivated recyclers living along the I-5 corridor, on the coast, in Bend or anywhere else in the state on their own when it comes to disposing of hard-to-recycle waste. At least for now. The recently passed Recycling Modernization Act should make it easier for everyone in Oregon to deal with unwanted waste. Currently in the rule- making phase, the law will increase access to collection of plastic bags and film, plastic clamshells, and more either through depots or expanded curbside pick-up. More exciting, consumers may not have to foot the bill. “Extended producer responsibility is a big goal of the Recycling Modernization Act, and this will hopefully 24
make companies help pay for disposal costs and incent them to make products that are easier to recycle in the first place,” explains Terryll. “It will also require more transparency and accountability for end markets.” Implementation of the Recycling Modernization Act is, in the words of Gordon, “complicated and still a ways off.” Because of this, both Recycle+ and Ridwell will continue to pick up our plastic waste. Or consumers can make a different choice. “We [at Community Environmental Services] advocate for reuse above all else, which ultimately is about resource sharing,” says Terryll. “In a city like Portland, with a strong reuse community, it’s fairly easy to find most things you need without buying new, through groups like Buy Nothing and community partners like Free Geek and Community Warehouse.” However, even Terryll can’t live a plastic- free existence. “I try to avoid buying things that have packaging that I can’t recycle curbside. That said, I do have a 3-year-old who loves berries, and I end up collecting clamshells from time to time.” Her solution? “I have utilized Ridwell pickup through neighbors in my Buy Nothing group.” Taylor Loewen, Ridwell’s West Coast regional director, at the company’s new Northeast Portland facility 25
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⁄Spotlight⁄ MARK GIBBS’ FAMILY got their first computer when he was about 10. They lived in a small town in southern Oklahoma, and the nearest computer store was an hour and a half away in Oklahoma City, leaving them largely on their own if something went wrong. Gibbs started learning to use and fix computers, mostly teaching himself, then learned about them more formally in high school and at Murray State University, where he received a degree in information technology. In 2009 he started a repair business called BrainWave Computers; it’s had a physical storefront in Beaverton since 2017. Much of his business comes from residential customers bringing in computers or other devices — Gibbs briefly paused our in-person interview in April to answer an employee’s question about a gaming system — but he also has some bigger, regular clients. They include smaller school districts, nonprofits and businesses The Big Fix Oregon’s Right to Repair law, signed into law this spring, could have a big impact on small repair shops. BY CHRISTEN McCURDY PHOTOS BY JASON E. KAPLAN 28
that aren’t eligible for big tech- support contracts. “Working with tech and working with people are the two things I’m really passionate about,” Gibbs says. Fixing electronic devices has come with a special set of problems and obstacles since at least the 1990s, when home computers became inexpensive enough—and easy enough to use — that most homes had them. The relative low cost and the speed of technology meant that in many cases, it was cheaper to replace a broken computer with a newer, faster one than to get it fixed. The same forces that made that possible also applied to other electronics — like stereos or small appliances — more generally. And often, replacement parts aren’t available, are hard to find or are prohibitively expensive. And that’s not even the worst of it. Even if one can get the right parts, they may not work properly, due to a practice called parts pairing—creating software locks on the parts that come with a device that mean they can only be used with that specific device and won’t function if transferred to another device. In other words, the manufacturer “has to bless the repair,” says Romain Godin, whose repair shop, Hyperion Computerworks, is situated in Southwest Portland. “We can buy two iPhone 13s new from the Apple store and switch the batteries, and you’ll get a bunch of messages saying, ‘We can’t tell if this is genuine,’” Godin says. That means people who use Apple products need to go to Apple- authorized repairers to get their devices fixed — even when the repair is as simple as swapping out a battery or screen. While Apple has become notorious in recent years for parts pairing, there’s a similar practice in car manA custom computer in Gibbs’ shop. Below, Gibbs at work. Mark Gibbs, owner of BrainWave Computers in Beaverton, says the new Right to Repair legislation will allow him to make repairs better as he’ll be able to access OEM (original equipment manufacturerer) parts. 29
ufacturing called “VIN locking,” and manufacturers of kitchen appliances have also begun pairing parts with serial numbers, making it harder to make simple repairs. According to Godin, manufacturers say they do this to prevent counterfeiting, but he thinks there would be fewer counterfeit parts on the market if companies made replacement parts readily available to customers and to business owners like himself, and provided more support for repair. It’s created a situation where it’s often easier for customers to dispose of and replace electronic devices rather than replace them. But the tide is turning. EARLIER THIS YEAR, Gov. Tina Kotek signed Senate Bill 1596, which requires manufacturers to make the same documents, parts and tools available to the owners of consumer electronic equipment that they make available to authorized service providers for repair, maintenance and troubleshooting. At least three other states have passed similar bills in recent years — notably California, which passed a Right to Repair bill in 2023. Oregon’s law is notable, though, because it was the first to take direct aim at parts pairing. Under the law, manufacturers may not use parts pairing to prohibit an independent repair provider or device owner from installing or enabling the function of an otherwise functional replacement part or component of consumer electronic equipment. The bill goes into effect Jan. 1, 2025, but enforcement doesn’t start until 2027, at which point consumers will be able to complain to the attorney general’s office if they believe a company is in violation. If the office finds a company is in violation, it can impose a civil penalty up to $1,000 per day as the violation continues or enjoin the company to restrain the violation. “We wanted to make sure that as we see other policies that have come into play, and as we put this language together, that we were allowing companies to make potential changes to their process so that they can be good actors in this,” says Sen. Janeen Sollman (D-Forest Grove). “This was never set up as a gotcha. We wanted to make sure that we were good partners in this process.” The bill passed 42-13 and enjoyed broad bipartisan support, with Republican Sen. Kim Thatcher, R-Keizer, co-sponsoring the bill. Republicans got on board once they saw that much of the business community was on board, Sollman says. One big supporter was Google, which described the measure as “a win for consumers who are looking for affordable repair options, for the environment, and for compa- “Parts pairing was such a sticking point because I felt that if we eliminated the language that we had in the bill, it would essentially provide Apple the lane in which they could continue doing the practices that they do, which to me was very anticonsumer behavior.” SEN. JANEEN SOLLMAN (D-FOREST GROVE) Hyperion Computerworks co-owner Romain Godin at the shop’s soldering station 30
nies that want to invest in making their products more repairable and sustainable,” per a statement from Steven Nickel, Google’s devices and services director of operations. But even as the coalition of supporters broadened, Sollman says, the parts-pairing language remained an important sticking point. So Apple — which supported California’s Right to Repair legislation — did not follow suit when Oregon’s law was introduced, likely due to the parts-pairing language. “Parts pairing was such a sticking point because I felt that if we eliminated the language that we had in the bill, it would essentially provide Apple the lane in which they could continue doing the practices that they do, which to me was very anticonsumer behavior,” Sollman says. THE CURRENT PUSH to support tech consumers’ right to repair and to push back against manufacturers’ restrictive practices dates back to 2013, when the Digital Right to Repair Coalition — now known as the Repair Association — was formed in response to trends in electronics manufacturing. Manufacturers had stopped selling replacement parts or even making manuals available, and blocked customers and independent repairers from getting access to already installed firmware. Oregon was actually the first state to introduce Right to Repair legislation, in 2019. That bill died in committee, and two subsequent attempts to introduce a Right to Repair bill also failed. Oregon’s current effort was led by the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group, which built a coalition of support including Hyperion and BrainWave, as well as environmental organizations like the Oregon Environmental Council and governments like Oregon Metro and the League of Oregon Cities. In the interest of full disclosure: I worked for one of the organizations in the coalition, Free Geek, in 2005 and 2006, and have in recent months volunteered for two others — SCRAP PDX and Repair PDX — as a sorter of donated craft supplies and repairer of clothing. That is to say, I was not involved in the Right to Repair campaign, but my brief tenure at Free Geek piqued my Sen. Janeen Sollman (D-Forest Grove) helped write the bill that recently passed the Legislature with bipartisan support. 31
Our Business is Yours Your success is our success—and the success of our entire region! Our mission and purpose is clear: We support businesses of all types and sizes in succeeding and thriving throughout our region. Dr. Laura Armstrong and James Armstrong, Co-Founders of Alberta Eye Care interest in the problem of electronic waste. Electronics aren’t easy to recycle, and if disposed of in trash, they can leach toxic metals like mercury, lead and cadmium into soil and water. OSPIRG estimates that Oregonians dispose of about 4,800 cell phones every day, and that 85% of the energy and climate impact of cellphones is from the manufacturing process. So prolonging the life cycle of cellphones—not to mention computers and tablets — stands to have a real environmental impact. Since the passage of Oregon’s bill, Colorado has passed a Right to Repair law that also includes language prohibiting parts pairing — and includes language specifically mentioning wheelchairs and farm equipment, which are increasingly subject to similar restrictions on repairs. Oregon’s law includes some exceptions: It doesn’t apply to video- game consoles, medical devices, HVAC systems, devices powered by combustion engines and energy- storage systems. In addition to fixing computers, Gibbs refurbishes and sells used computers and recycles them — it’s the best way to teach interns how computers are built, he says — and is hopeful that the recent wave of legislation will impact not just the way electronics can be fixed but the way they’re made. “It’s definitely nice to have something that’s on our side rather than having to figure it out on our own,” Gibbs says. “I really hope it improves the relationship between repairers and manufacturers.” Rigoberto Martinez, the threeyear employee of BrainWave who asked Gibbs a question about PlayStation controllers, told Oregon Business he was a strong supporter of Right to Repair and a climate activist. He’s hopeful that the law will make it easier for do-it-yourselfers to access the right documentation, and to keep products out of landfills and recycling facilities for longer periods. “If we can’t reduce, then at least reuse,” Martinez says. Godin says the new law is a win for just about everybody. “It’s better for the consumer, better for the environment,” Godin says. “The only people it doesn’t benefit are shareholders of the [big tech] companies — and I’m sure they’ll be fine.” An iPhone logic board at Hyperion Computerworks in Southwest Portland 32
Plus January 2024 | OregonBusiness.com A FAMILY AFFAIR The Suhs invest in Northeast Portland A BROKEN SYSTEM How do we fix glass recycling? Our Yearly Guide to Top Businesses & Nonprofits Leaders weigh in on what’s up next and where they’ve been July/August 2020 | OregonBusiness.com THE HEALTH CARE ISSUE ELDER CARE Nursing homes reexamine approach to services BUYING LOCAL Small farmers reap bene ts of supply-chain breakdown HOPE FOR HOSPITALITY McMenamin brothers plot future for pub chain Digital Doctor Telemedicine has transformed health care. But is it here to stay? Dr. Elizabeth Powers, Winding Waters page 33 July/August 2022 | OregonBusiness.com THE HEALTH CARE ISSUE IS BALA BACK ON ITS FEET? Footwear startup tries a heel-turn WHO CARES? Oregon’s caregiver shortage spirals ON CALL Nurses join the gig economy plus A Rebirthed Tradition More Oregonians seek midwife care $4.99 May 2019 | OregonBusiness.com TSUNAMI THREAT *][QVM[[M[ LQ ٺ MZ WV PW_ \W XZMXIZM A BAD REP +WUKI[\ PMIL [MMS[ JZIVL ZMLW PEOPLE BUSINESS ;\I\M TMVLMZ [MMS[ P]UIV \W]KP / / Broadband gives life to rural economies, but not all can get connected GOT DATA? Natasha Allen, welding instructor November / December 2021 | OregonBusiness.com The New Face of Manufacturing Can a new training center remake the industry? ALWAYS HUSTLING College athletes cash in PLAYING DEFENSE Can Oregon become a big defense-industry player? Plus THE MANUFACTURING ISSUE Prime The Manufacturing Issue BIG CHEESE The cream rises to the top in Oregon’s artisanal cheese industry GRÖN IN OREGON A cannabis company goes global THE CHIPS ARE IN Making room for the semiconductor industry A FOUNDATIONAL SHIFT OCF’s new director $4.99 November/December 2022 | OregonBusiness.com February 2020 | OregonBusiness.com THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ISSUE BEEFING UP BOOKKEEPING Accountants turn their hand to advising KEEPING IT LOCAL Why consultants are working less and ying fewer miles ROBO LAW How AI is changing the face of the legal profession The Great Disruption May 2020 | OregonBusiness.com HILLSBORO’S DATA CENTER BOOM Big Tax Breaks But Few Jobs PORTLAND’S NEW TECH WAVE Growth Pressures Sector’s Identity ADDICTION IN THE WORKPLACE The Cost of Not Helping Employees Coronavirus Pandemic Forces Adaptability and Innovation July/August 2019 | OregonBusiness.com The leaders retooling the next generation of coordinated care organizations State Health ERIC HUNTER CEO, CAREOREGON LAST ACTS /ZMMV J]ZQIT[ ÆW]ZQ[P BRAIN WAVES 6M_ TQNM NWZ WTL LZ]O[ OPEN SIGNAL <M[\QVO I]\WVWUW][ JZWILJIVL / / of Are you in? Of course you are. Subscribe Today. Get your All-Access Pass to OB Prime when you subscribe to Oregon Business. ■ Eight issues (one year) of Oregon Business print edition, plus the digital edition of Oregon Business, readable on any device. ■ Special monthly emails that may include bonus story content, event discounts, special research stories, and/or additional photos. OregonBusiness.com/subscribe $4.99 June 2019 | OregonBusiness.com The Brave New World of Green Businesses redefine the mantle of sustainability LOADED UP Electric grid gets a revamp CAP AND TRADE An investor’s perspective BEYOND RECYCLING Three portraits from the 100 Best / / PLUS EXCLUSIVE: Intel CTO on the future of tech February 2021 | OregonBusiness.com THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ISSUE Scotty Fenters, farmer FACING DROUGHT Searching for Solutions in the Klamath Basin BETTING ON THE FUTURE Port of Portland rethinks growth plans COLLABORATIVE SPACES New era of of ce design RUSH TO THE SCREEN Digital marketing dominates ad spend WHAT’S NEXT FOR COLUMBIA RIVER PORTS? Also RECLAIMING WILLAMETTE FALLS Tribes make new plans for site PIPE DREAMS Irrigation gets a makeover $4.99 January 2022 | OregonBusiness.com P OB2 W0O 2OE R2K Little Loans, Big Results What microfinance is doing for Oregon entrepreneurs April 2023 | OregonBusiness.com MONEY IN THE BANK How consumer banks are dealing with increased interest rates MAKE IT WORK Staffing trends in 2023 plus THE FINANCE ISSUE ELECTRIC MINDS How Oregon companies are using AI A FLUID SITUATION Will OSU’s new tech hub make the grade? A Special Rep t February 2024 | OregonBusiness.com THE TECHNOLOGY ISSUE
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