BY THE BOOK Literary Arts expands 2024 When Coming to Work Is a Total Blast BATTLE OF THE BANDS Musicians fight Live Nation plus $4.99 October | November | December 2024 OregonBusiness.com
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⁄Contents⁄ October | November | December 2024 FEATURES 24 Package: Making Space Big changes are afoot in the arts world, in Portland and beyond. 26 Sound the Alarm Earlier this year, Live Nation announced plans to build a new venue in Portland’s Central Eastside. Not everybody is cheering. 30 Reading the Room Literary Arts is moving into a bigger, more publicly accessible space that will also be its permanent home. 36 Loud and Clear Friends of Noise is building a nonprofit, all-ages music venue in a space once limited to adults. 45 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon 2024 Cover Story Our annual ranked list of the best nonprofit organizations to work for across the state REGULARS 06 Editor’s Letter 08 Newsfeed 14 Tactics Farhad Ghafarzade, founder of Green Drop Garage, on running an environmentally friendly car-repair company 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 STORIES 10 Oregon Community Foundation The Community Rebuilding Fund, a partnership comprising four major foundations, is changing disaster response in Oregon. 18 Pendleton Convention Center World-class event amenities, service and flexibility mark this charming Western town’s convention center. JASON E. KAPLAN CHECK OUT THESE EXCLUSIVES (AND MORE) ON OREGONBUSINESS.COM 2025 2025 2025 Follow @OregonBusiness for breaking news, blogs and commentary. 26 68 Downtime Live, work and play with Niki Price, executive director, Lincoln City Cultural Center. 70 Policy Brief Scott Kerman, executive director of Blanchet House, writes about the deflection plans that have replaced Measure 110. n State Releases Latest Rent-Control Cap — Limit on allowable rent increases for older homes and apartments will be 10% in 2025. n Intel Wins $3B DoD Grant — Hillsboro chip maker scores a win amid layoffs and stalled expansion plans. n Following Strike, Providence Nurses Continue Push for Better Wages and Benefits — Q&A with Denise Arnold, R.N., section leader with Oregon Nurses Association n Oregon Joins Lawsuit Against Property Management Software Company — AGs including Ellen Rosenblum allege RealPage Inc. runs a price-fixing cartel for landlords. Two neighborhoods in Oregon are said to be affected. 100 BEST NEWS Never Miss a Survey Again n The 100 Best Companies annual survey period is August through November. n The 100 Best Nonprofits annual survey period is April through July. n The100 Best Green Workplaces are determined through participation in one of the above surveys. To be notified when the next survey period opens, visit OregonBusiness.com/ 100BestNotify. 4
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⁄From the Editor⁄ Stand Up and Cheer EVERY OCTOBER WE PUBLISH OUR LIST of the 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon. This year’s list, which appears on page 45, includes some names that have appeared on the list many times now — and some that are brand-new. Each year as we review survey comments, we learn about different ways organizations reward and retain employees. They include perks like snacks in the break room, discounts on products offered by partnering organizations and paid time off to volunteer. And continuing a trend, some of the most frequently mentioned and highly praised workplaces offered employees the flexibility they need to care for their families and attend to other responsibilities. The word “flexible” itself comes up again and again in survey comments from satisfied employees, but the results also include a number of specific examples: four-day workweeks, paid time off to care for a sick family member and mental-health days as well as mental health benefits. All the employers on this list should be commended for finding ways to recruit and keep great employees in a labor market that continues to be tight. For this issue, we also explored a trend through the lens of three specific sets of events. “Making Space” (p. 24) is a package exploring the state of spaces in Portland’s arts world. We covered Live Nation’s plans to build a venue in the Central Eastside — and the resulting backlash (p. 26, “Sound the Alarm”). We also covered Literary Arts’ move into a 120-year-old building on the Central Eastside, which represents a physical expansion for the organization as well as a commitment to being more accessible to the public (p. 30, “Reading the Room”). And finally, we talked to Friends of Noise as it inked a deal to do what it set out to when the organization was formed almost 10 years ago — create an all-ages music venue with a business model that puts artists at the center (p. 36, “Loud and Clear”). There are lots of things happening in the arts sector around the state, but we hope these three stories give us at least a useful glimpse into what’s happening in the sector in 2024. VOLUME 47 ⁄ NUMBER 8 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 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 WRITER AND PHOTOGRAPHER Scott Kerman, Julie Showers 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 6
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT ●Lost language. Portland’s KUNP dropped its affiliation with Spanish-language television channel Univision. The move is a consequence of KUNP’s parent company, Sinclair, becoming the new exclusive carrier of Portland Trail Blazers basketball games. ECONOMY & FINANCE ●Growth per Branam. Kimberly Branam has left the helm of the city’s economic development agency, Prosper Portland. The agency’s head of economic development, Shea Flaherty-Betin, was named interim executive director until a replacement is hired. ●Clearance Salesforce. Business-software maker Salesforce will close its Hillsboro office, which employs 150 workers. The San Francisco-based company opened the location in 2013 with help from a state grant. EDUCATION ●Care shares. Lake Oswego- headquartered KinderCare plans to attempt an initial public stock offering after abandoning an earlier attempt in 2021. Founded in 1969, the company is one of the largest early-childhood education brands in the U.S., with more than 1,500 education centers. ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ●Burn notice. State regulators ruled Pacific Power’s parent company can’t limit how much it pays for the damage caused during the 2020 wildfires that burned 2,500 properties and killed nine people. The subject of numerous lawsuits, PacifiCorp may ultimately have to pay more than $8 billion to parties in Oregon and California. HEALTH CARE ●Over the hill. Oregon Health & Science University and Legacy Health submitted merger plans to the state for official regulatory review, which could take six months or longer. The two hospital systems announced plans to merge last summer and signed a merger agreement in May. ●Heart goes out. A study by physicians at Oregon Health & Science University could improve survival rate for cardiac arrest. An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests placing the pads of cardiac defibrillators on a patient’s front and back to spark the return of spontaneous blood circulation. LIFESTYLE ●Just did it. Nike announced that its CEO, John Donahoe, 64, would retire from the company in mid-October, amid declining share prices and falling post-COVID sales. Company veteran Elliott Hill is set to take his place. ●Pay to play. The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will soon raise rates for camping, parking and reservations. Increases of between $2 and $5 are associated with record visitation numbers and rising costs. REAL ESTATE ●Lien times. After coming close to being auctioned off in June, the historic Gordon’s Fireplace Shop building was spared from a bank auction by lenders. The City Council had foreclosed on the property as the owners piled up $150,000 in liens on the decaying building that overlooks Interstate 5 at NE 33rd Ave. and Broadway. RESTAURANTS & RETAIL ●Sweet deals. Spanish fashion retailer Mango plans to open a store in the Pioneer Place mall in downtown Portland. Founded in Barcelona in 1984, the chic fast-fashion retailer is rapidly expanding in the U.S. but has yet to open an Oregon location. ●Dessert Big Apple. Portland ice cream chain Salt & Straw opened two locations in New York City. The Upper West Side and West Village locations offer New York-themed flavors Cinnamon Raisin Bagels & Schmear, Chocolate Babka & Hazelnut Fudge, and Pastrami on Rye (with meat sourced from Carnegie Deli). TECH ●Within PayRange. San Francisco-based private equity firm Ridgeview Partners has acquired PayRange, a Portland mobile-payments software company. CANNABIS ●Joint labor committee. A measure approved for the November ballot will ask voters whether to make it easier for cannabis workers to unionize. Weed-industry workers are often prevented from organizing due to federal prohibition. SPORTS ●Let her Rip City. Portland will get a new sports franchise with the announcement of the Women’s National Basketball Association. The as-yet-unnamed team will begin play at the Moda Center in 2026. ●Yards sale. The Portland Diamond Project agreed to purchase a 33-acre site at Zidell Yards on the Willamette River waterfront south of downtown as a location for a potential Major League Baseball park. FOOD & FARMS ●Skimping on shrimp. A former employee sued Pacific Foods, alleging he was fired after he discovered one of the company’s subsidiary holdings was undercounting the weights of catches it purchased from shrimp boats. POLITICS ●Mistaken identity. The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles caught heat for erroneously registering to vote more than 1,200 people who failed to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. The agency was further criticized for waiting two weeks to notify elections officials after discovering the error. ⁄Newsfeed⁄ The Portland Diamond Project has signed a letter of intent to purchase a 33-acre site at the Zidell Yards as a potential MLB ballpark. COURTESY OF PORTLAND DIAMOND PROJECT 8
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10 BRAND STORY PRODUCED BY THE OREGON BUSINESS MARKETING DEPARTMENT BY VANESSA SALVIA In the quiet town of Chiloquin, nestled in the forests of Klamath County, Fire Chief Mike Cook stands beside a gleaming 36,000-gallon water tank. This isn’t just a water storage facility; it’s a symbol of community resilience and a testament to the transformative power of strategic philanthropy. This tank has changed how Cook and his team fight fires. They used to drive 16 miles round trip to refill their trucks. Now, since Cook’s crew protects not just Chiloquin but 1,000 square miles of northeast Klamath County, they can respond much faster. “It’s a huge benefit for not just Chiloquin Fire and Rescue, but also for numerous fire departments in central Klamath County,” Cook says. This life-saving improvement didn’t come from a federal grant or state funding. Instead, it’s one of the many lasting legacies of an innovative initiative born in the aftermath of Oregon’s devastating 2020 wildfires: the Community Rebuilding Fund. A New Model of Disaster Response In September 2020, Oregon faced a crisis as wildfires swept across the state. The fires created unprecedented challenges, but also the opportunity to rebuild stronger communities. In response, the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF) joined other foundations to create a unique collaborative effort that would change the landscape of disaster response in the state. The Community Rebuilding Fund, a partnership of OCF, The Ford Family Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and the American Red Cross, has redefined how Oregon responds to disasters. Before the fires had been drenched, then-Governor A Legacy of Resilience in Rural Oregon Lomakatsi Restoration Project A new 36,000-gallon water storage tank, paid for by the Community Rebuilding Fund, helps Cook’s crew protect 1,000 square miles of northeast Klamath County. Community Rebuilding Fund
11 BRAND STORY Kate Brown reached out to OCF with an urgent request. State and federal resources were on their way, but they would take time to arrive and wouldn’t be enough to address the immense immediate need. Meanwhile, individuals and organizations across Oregon and the nation were eager to help, but there was no single entity capable of strategically pooling and directing donations to support fire-stricken communities statewide over the long term. This unique initiative has evolved into a model of rapid, flexible, and community-driven support that continues to shape the state’s approach to crisis management. “There’s always going to be a need for some quick-acting dollars from philanthropy that can move at a much swifter pace than the larger public dollars can,” says Carlos Garcia, OCF senior program officer for environment. “And it’s better that we acknowledge that and plan for it.” Community-Led Solutions In Medford, the impact of the fund is evident in the work of La Clinica, a community health center that has expanded its reach thanks to grant support. La Clinica has been able to train and embed community health workers in local schools and outreach teams, which has been crucial in supporting Latino/x adults and children, including many farmworker families who were deeply affected by the fires. This community-led approach is a hallmark of the fund’s strategy. By putting decision-making power in the hands of those most affected, the fund has ensured that resources are directed where they’re most needed. In the McKenzie River Valley east of Eugene, where fires displaced many residents of the area’s small rural communities, this translated into the construction of a new childcare center serving low-income families — a critical component of the area’s long-term recovery and resilience. Building Capacity for the Long Haul Perhaps the most significant impact of the Community Rebuilding Fund has been its investment in long-term recovery groups. These local organizations, many of which didn’t exist before the 2020 fires, have become essential hubs for disaster response and community support. The philanthropic dollars from the fund got these groups up and running when federal and state resources weren’t available. “That’s one of the biggest things that (the fund) has been able to do: To provide real capacity that stays in communities, that can help people who have been through traumatic events,” notes Max Gimbel, director of rural community building at The Ford Family Foundation. “Now instead of waiting nine months to get access to resources, they can receive them in nine hours.” This investment in local capacity has paid dividends beyond the immediate recovery efforts. In Chiloquin, the momentum gained from Community Rebuilding Fund support has enabled local leaders to pursue other transformative grants, including a potential $20 million project to build a community resilience hub. A Ripple Effect Across the State The success of the Community Rebuilding Fund has inspired a broader shift in how Oregon approaches disaster preparedness and response. The Oregon Disaster Funder Network, now comprised of OCF and 36 other funders, activates multiple times a year to respond to various crises across the state. OCF has also established the Oregon Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund, a permanent resource that provides rapid response grants for immediate needs like shelter, food, and supplies in the wake of disasters. This fund has already been activated for events ranging from the 2022 Cedar Creek Fire in Lane County to flooding and ice storms in Tillamook County in early 2024. Looking to the Future As climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather events, the lessons learned from the Community Rebuilding Fund are more relevant than ever. The fund’s legacy lives on in stronger, more prepared communities across Oregon. “Finally, a small, Tribal, disadvantaged, historically underserved community feels like somebody cares,” says Chiloquin community builder Cathy Stuhr. “There are people who recognize our situation and will provide assistance, so that people in our community can take that support and move forward and do something on a bigger scale for the community.” n McKenzie Valley Long Term Recovery Group “There’s always going to be a need for some quick-acting dollars from philanthropy that can move at a much swifter pace than the larger public dollars can.” CARLOS GARCIA, OCF SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER FOR ENVIRONMENT
Together, for better health Learn more about Optum in Oregon. optumOR.com For our patients We want you to have ample time with your doctor, whether you’re at an annual checkup or seeing a specialist for a new or ongoing condition. We want to make your care convenient, with on-demand online visits. And with same-day urgent care access, we can be there for you when you need us most. For our clinicians We’ve made a commitment to each of our partner clinics: To ensure local, trusted clinicians can do their best work. We help them tap into Optum resources, innovations, technology, and an ever-growing array of ways to help them provide coordinated, whole-person patient care. For our communities Optum cares for more than 130,000 patients in over 22 clinics across the state. That’s a lot of family, friends, and neighbors. By keeping our goal in mind — making the health care system work better, for everyone — we can build a stronger Oregon, one person at a time. The Corvallis Clinic, P.C. and Oregon Healthcare Resources, LLC d/b/a Oregon Medical Group (the “Practices”) are both physician owned and led practices having complete authority for all medical decision-making and patient care through their physicians and other licensed professionals. Optum, through its management organizations (“Optum”) provides non-clinical administrative services to support the Practices and their physicians. Neither Optum nor its management companies employs, engages, or supervises physicians or other licensed professionals, or determines or sets the methods, standards, or conduct of the practice of medicine or exercise of medical judgment or health care provided by the Practices or by any of their licensed professionals. © 2024 Optum, Inc. All rights reserved. The company does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in health programs and activities. We provide free services to help you communicate with us such as letters in other languages or large print. Or, you can ask for an interpreter. To ask for help, please call 541-687-4900. ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, hay servicios de asistencia de idiomas, sin cargo, a su disposición. Llame al 541-687-4900. 請注意：如果您說中文，我們免費為您 提供語言協助服務。請致電：541-687-4900. A feel-good health care partnership “I recognize the importance of value-based care that’s focused on outcomes. It requires research, skill, and the right people supporting the process. I’m grateful to Optum for the support they provide me in my practice. Optum brings the technology, education, safety, and structure necessary to ensure my patients have a team that can care for them now — and into the future.” – Dr. DeOna Bridgeman, Medical Director, Davies Clinic
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⁄Tactics⁄ When you started Green Drop in 2009, were you focused on biodiesel vehicles or were you kind of open to everything? You work on all kinds of cars now. When we started, I thought it would be a 70/30 split. I thought it would be 70% repair, 30% vegetable-oil conversions. Now we’re at 99.9% repairs. We only see one or two conversions per year, but we do about 60,000 other invoices that are just regular repair and maintenance. As I started the business, I realized I could hit a bigger cross-section of the market with maintenance and repair with a new model. We meet people where they are; the products we use are a bit more eco-friendly, environmentally better. That’s the way we’ve approached it. With the number of conversions being a lot lower than you thought, is that just because demand is for conversions is lower now, or lower than you anticipated? It’s only 5% of car drivers who drive a diesel car. Maybe only a few percent of them want to spend a lot of money for a conversion to run on vegetable oil. We are the oldest actual businesses doing vegetable-oil conversions in the area. So it’s not so much that the market got smaller as it is that I realized other services are more scalable. A vegetable-oil conversion still requires a high degree of engagement from me and engineering; it’s not like a brake job. We started doing the other services more frequently, as a higher percentage, just because we wanted to grow the company and to get out of the onesie, twosie, where I’m involved with each job. We got to scale and serve more people by focusing more on just regular maintenance repair rather than a specialty of vegetable-oil conversion. How many employees did you have at first? When we started, it was me and one other employee. We slowly grew, and now we have about 40. Farhad Ghafarzade Drives Ahead Ghafarzade started Green Drop Garage to convert diesel engines to run on vegetable oil. Now focused on general car repair, the company just opened its fifth location. INTERVIEW BY CHRISTEN McCURDY In the mid-2000s, Farhad Ghafarzade was studying biology at UC Santa Cruz (and repping the school at sporting events as its mascot, the Banana Slug). He planned at first to go to medical or dental school. But in college, he learned how to convert diesel engines to run on vegetable oil. “I just wanted to go surfing and I couldn’t afford gas,” he tells Oregon Business. So purchased a diesel car, converted it to run on vegetable oil and started fueling it with oil he found behind the school dining hall. After college he moved to Portland, where he worked as a bartender and started converting friends’ cars to run on vegetable oil in an effort to pay down his student loans. Over time, Ghafarzade learned to fix cars and in 2009, opened Green Drop Garage. At first Green Drop was focused on biodiesel conversions, though the first garage — situated in Southeast Portland — also did some basic maintenance and repair. Over time the business model has flipped, with maintenance and repair making up more than 99% of Green Drop’s workload. That decision was necessary in order to scale, says Ghafarzade, and it has paid off: In July Green Drop opened a shop in Vancouver, adding a fifth location to its portfolio. (All four other stores are in Portland.) OB spoke with Ghafarzade about the early days of the business, Green Drop’s hopes for the future — and how he goes about running an environmentally friendly mechanic shop. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 14
JASON E. KAPLAN So as you scale up, what sorts of things are you looking at in terms of sticking to the triple-bottom-line idea? As we open new locations, we just keep getting better and faster. At our older locations, we adopted different practices after they opened rather than at the beginning. So it’s getting actually easier to keep the triple-bottom-line mentality and its application to a new location. What I’m excited about is that as we open locations, it gives our staff ability or an opportunity to lead. So we have grown our staff again, not only in size but also in skill. And those who want leadership positions have an opportunity to do so without having to wait — you know, “Wait your turn, wait ’til he retires.” Where do you see this industry heading? There’s more support for electric than there’s ever been. Does that require a different skill set? We have our staff that are certified on electric vehicles; we work regularly on hybrid and electric vehicles. Electric is, I think, good for car repair; I don’t see maintenance and repairs going anywhere. And the beauty of it is that car repair as a trade isn’t going anywhere because you can’t outsource it like many other jobs — like copywriting, which is being heavily affected by AI, and like many other jobs, which have been affected by offshoring. The beauty of a trade is that you can still produce jobs worth having and jobs that support families and that are stable. So that’s one really exciting thing we want to do as a company in the coming years, is to become extended regionally. Our goal is to double our footprint in three years. That’s our modest goal right now for what we want to do. A lot of industries — including skilled trades — are facing challenges with a tight labor market. Is that a challenge you’ve had in your business as well? Yeah, we have, but it’s opening up. And honestly, the challenge is I think that, as employers, we have to up our game and attract the right talent. It’s an opportunity to show how people are treated by the company and what do we provide for technicians to be attracted to us. But it’s opened up a little bit. People are easier to find. Where are you finding people? Are you hiring from community colleges, like Mt. Hood, or people who’ve apprenticed at other shops? We do look to hire from Mt. Hood Community College. We do like people coming in earlier in the career, and we can train them up. But we also do hire professional technicians who want a better place to work. We pull from some dealerships, some larger repair organizations. We like to bring in newer [talent], but we also have done well with technicians who just want a better place to work. You talked about using products that are a little bit more eco-friendly. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? It’s not like we were innovative or we invented something; it’s kind of like the New Seasons or Whole Foods type of model, where we’re bringing in products that are already more conscious. So the motor oil we use is a recycled oil that is 85% less energy-intensive to produce than oil from virgin petroleum. And it costs more to purchase, so what we have to do is promote the value of it and make sure that we also inform the customers why it costs more. We offer whatever we can reduce or eliminate in terms of carbon credits. We buy wind power. We also, where we can, use enzyme-based cleaners — stacking all those little things on top of a better place to work and better employee benefits. We’re also a certified B Corp, and we recertify every two years. What do you do when you’re not at work? I’ve got a family; I have two small kids, 7 and 9. In the winter I like to ski. In the summer, a good road trip is always great. 15
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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18 BRAND STORY PRODUCED BY THE OREGON BUSINESS MARKETING DEPARTMENT BY JON BELL There’s a huge transformation that happens every year at the Pendleton Convention Center. It comes during the annual Pendleton Round-Up, the four-day rodeo and celebration of Western heritage that draws more than 50,000 people to Pendleton the first week in September. It’s then that the convention center, which offers more than 40,000 square feet of meeting and event space, becomes Goldie’s Bar, beckoning Round-Up attendees for some fun — music, dancing, gambling — into the wee hours. The Grand Entry at the Pendleton Round-up “By Saturday night, we’ve got 5,000 people in here dancing and drinking and having fun,” says Pat Beard, event manager for the Pendleton Convention Center. “It’s the biggest night club in Pendleton.” And then, just like that, the Round-Up’s over and Goldie’s reverts to its convention center self, ready to host meetings, events and conventions of nearly any size and sort. “It’s a pretty juxtaposed position,” Beard says. “We finish the biggest party of the year, and then the next week we have a religious event in the same space. It just shows how fast we can shift gears.” The Promise of Pendleton The Pendleton Convention Center offers world-class event amenities and service in a charming Western town.
19 BRAND STORY That flexibility is just one of the draws of the Pendleton Convention Center, which can accommodate everything from Rotary Club lunches all the way up to conventions for 3,500 people. The center does just that, hosting more than 500 events every year for a wide range of organizations that come from around the Pacific Northwest. Beard says more organizations have chosen Pendleton for their events for a number of reasons. For starters, Pendleton’s location is about as central as can be, just three hours from Portland, Boise and Spokane and four from Seattle or Bend. While that’s an easy drive for most, a scenic flight in from Portland on Boutique Air takes just 45 minutes and offers what Beard calls “one of the most beautiful flights you’ll ever take” with Cascade Mountain views for miles. Groups are also drawn to the Pendleton Convention Center for the level and quality of service it’s become known for. “We have a team that is really committed to customer service,” Beard says, “and our AV services are second to none. We have experts in event management, sound, lighting and catering that have been on staff for several years and love the industry.” Part of that service is also connected to the convention center’s catering partner, Pendleton Catering Company. Able to cater meals for up to 600 attendees at a time, Pendleton Catering Company works from a large commercial kitchen, but Beard says the team is innovative, creative and that the food has “just skyrocketed.” The latest editions include artisan charcuterie boards and a cannoli cart that’s ideal for smaller breakout meetings. “They are really nailing it,” Beard says of Pendleton Catering Company. Value and cost also play a role when groups decide to hold their gatherings in Pendleton. “The Pendleton Convention Center is a very moderately priced conference and convention location that offers incredible catering and AV services in a safe, welcoming community,” Beard says. “We are hosting events that were formerly being held in larger communities, and once those events found that the Pendleton Convention Center offers catering, AV and local lodging at much more reasonable pricing, they have become our customers.” While the Pendleton Convention Center already has ample offerings, there’s more to come before the end of this year: a new 60,000-square-foot event center next door with an arena and spaces for food trucks. The result of a partnership between the convention center, the city of Pendleton and Blue Mountain Community College, the new arena will be able host all kinds of events, from RV shows and BMX races to rugby tournaments and large indoor equine events — which fit perfectly in with Pendleton’s wild west character. “We’re a western-themed town,” Beard says, “and we live like that every day.” That, too, is part of the draw to Pendleton — it’s unique sense of community and all it has to offer beyond the convention center. Beard emphasizes that Pendleton is a safe, friendly city without the traffic and other concerns of larger ones. It’s home to more than 40 unique restaurants, 1,000 hotel rooms and two golf courses. There’s also the Pendleton Round-Up & Happy Canyon Hall of Fame, the Pendleton Center for the Arts, the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute — a museum that tells the story of western expansion from a tribal point of view — and the Pendleton Underground, a series of tunnels and hidden rooms that, via a tour, offer a peek at the seedier side of Pendleton’s history. “It really transports you back to an interesting, wilder time in Pendleton,” Beard says. n The Convention Center can rapidly switch gears to become “Goldie’s Bar.” For more information, visit MeetInPendleton.com.
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OREGON’S 2024 UNCLAIMED PROPERTY REPORTING SEASON IS NOW OPEN IT’S VOLUNTARY Oregon law requires businesses and other organizations to report and remit unclaimed property when certain conditions are met. Failure to comply with these laws can result in penalties up to $50,000 and interest for late reporting. YOU CAN KEEP THE UNCLAIMED PROPERTY AS REVENUE Some may believe that when property goes unclaimed, they can keep it as revenue. That is inaccurate. Unclaimed property belongs to their owners forever. It is the state’s responsibility to hold it for them until they can claim it. IT’S A ONE-TIME PROCESS Unclaimed property reporting is an annual legal requirement. Businesses and other organizations must regularly review their records and report their unclaimed property by November 1st every year. TO LEARN MORE VISIT UNCLAIMED.OREGON.GOV COMMON MYTHS ABOUT UNCLAIMED PROPERTY REPORTING Does Your Business Know Its Obligations? Stay Informed. Report. Avoid Penalties.
I’ll be real with you: This package was a happy accident. For this issue, I asked staff writer Garrett Andrews to write about the conflict that arose after Live Nation announced plans to open a music venue in the Portland area, one large enough to hold between 2,000 and 4,000 people—occupying the “missing middle” of music venues in a town that has plenty of small venues and a handful of very large ones. Some welcomed the news — but others ranged from apprehensive to angry about what it will mean for Live Nation to build a venue in Portland, the last major city in the United States that doesn’t have one. Separately, I looked into stories about Literary Arts’ move and expansion into a new space in the Central Eastside. The new space, which includes a bookstore and cafe as well as classroom space, is scheduled to open this fall. And I also spoke to Andre Middleton, the executive director of Friends of Noise, as his organization was finalizing a lease agreement that will allow them to build a new, all-ages venue in a building that until 2020 contained a strip club. It wasn’t until I was partway through my own reporting process that I saw the common thread running through all three of these stories. They’re all about either arts spaces in Portland that are either completely new or newly accessible to the public. There are important differences in these stories. One is a small, relatively new nonprofit. Another is a large, for-profit company that is currently the subject of a federal lawsuit for anticompetitive practices. Another is a decadesold arts organization that is almost certainly one of the largest organizations exclusively devoted to the literary arts. But considered in aggregate, these stories suggest that big things are happening in Portland’s arts community. And they aren’t the only signs of big changes afoot. As this issue went to press, Portland City Council was mulling the future of Keller Auditorium, which hosts touring Broadway shows as well as performances by the Portland Opera and Oregon Ballet Theatre. The Portland Art Museum has unveiled plans for a major transformation of its downtown campus. And there are changes beyond Portland as well. Brian Rogers, executive director of the Oregon Arts Commission, notes that there is a movement to renovate old theaters — ones originally built to show movies or touring Vaudeville acts, but that became other things, like retail storefronts, as television became more popular. But in recent years, local arts groups have taken the time and trouble to renovate old theater spaces for live theater or music performances, or to reopen as movie theaters. In INTRODUCTION BY CHRISTEN MCCURDY We took a look at three big, physical shifts in Portland’s arts spaces this fall. MAKING SPACE Ongoing construction at the new home of LIterary Arts in Southeast Portland COURTESY OF LITERARY ARTS 24
WORKS PROGRESS ARCHITECTURE, LLP All rights reserved. (EA 24-004964 DA) Lloyd Center - Concert Venue, 901 NE Lloyd Center 9' - 0" WORKS PROGRESS ARCH 3/16" = 1'-0" 3 BOH @ Hallway APP 3.4 PERSPECTIVES SET IN CONTEXT North Bend, the 100-year-old Liberty Theatre recently completed a nine-year renovation project and now showcases performances by the Little Theatre on the Bay. The Baker Orpheum Theatre — once an opera house hosting touring opera performers as well as civic celebrations—now hosts performances by the Eastern Oregon Regional Theatre and other regional organizations. Rogers also notes that some community organizations have also worked to turn old schools into performing arts spaces, with the Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg and the Lincoln City Cultural Center (of which you can see a glimpse on p. 68 in this issue) being examples of school buildings being repurposed for arts and culture. All of these changes were years — and in the case of some rural renovation projects, decades — in the making. But they also give us a sense of what’s happening in Oregon in 2024. Monqui Presents’ interest in the Lloyd Center Mall suggests an interesting possible future for that space, which was struggling with high vacancy rates even before COVID19 hit. Andrew Proctor, executive director of Literary Arts, told me that his organization’s move was possible partly due to a transformational gift from a late board member and a massive capital campaign — but also due to lower commercial property values. He argued that arts organizations are often at the vanguard of economic recovery for cities and neighborhoods, and can be a stabilizing force in challenging times. How these projects — and others like them — will pan out, and shape the culture in the long term is hard to say. But we hope they offer at least a partial picture of what’s happening in the arts in 2024. Rendering of Monqui's revisioning of the former Nordstrom building at Portland's Lloyd Center Literary Arts' new space as rendered by Bora Architecture Live Nation's proposed venue near the Willamette River's east bank in Portland LEVER ARCHITECTURE WORKS PROGRESS ARCHITECTURE BORA ARCHITECTURE 25
SOUND THE ALARM Ronnie Carrier books shows at the Alberta Abbey, among other things. 26
Like nearly all Portland musicians, “musician” isn’t Ronnie Carrier’s only job title. The indiefolk artist splits her time with live-music production, and since moving here 10 years ago, she’s worked nearly every role from runner to stage manager. At the Alberta Abbey — a small, vibrant community arts center in Northeast — she’s helped book nationally touring acts like North Mississippi Allstars, Pokey LaFarge and Nik West. “The nice thing about music venues is they understand my schedule; everybody’s a musician,” she said on a recent tour of the Abbey. With several world-class large music venues and dozens of small independent stages spread around the city, Carrier understands there’s a “missing middle” in the local music scene. For lack of venues in the 2,000- to 4,000-capacity range, major acts already skip Portland in favor of venues in Bend, Ridgefield and Seattle. But local leaders have chosen to address this need in part by selling public land to developers partnered with Live Nation, a global entertainment company accused by the federal government of predatory and unfair business practices. It’s a “worst-case scenario” for Carrier, and she and many in the city’s storied music scene are girding for a lengthy battle with the behemoth. “We know that we’re past the point of stopping them from coming,” she says. “They’re here, so we need to think about how we’re going to hold them accountable.” A Venue by Any Other Name Future Portlanders will likely know the project at Southeast Water Avenue near the Hawthorne Bridge by some other name. It could be the name of a wealthy donor or a corporate sponsor. The name could change over time, à la Providence Park (formerly Jeld-Wen Stadium, formerly PGE Park and several others). For now, the planned $47 million concert BY GARRETT ANDREWS | PHOTOS BY JASON E. KAPLAN As a proposed Live Nation venue clears final hurdles, Portland’s noteworthy music scene mourns and readies for a fight. Live Nation's Portland venue is currently planned for the middle of the three vacant lots shown here. 27
hall on the Central Eastside is known to many simply as “the Live Nation venue,” a name that seems to irk the development team of Beam Construction & Management and Colas Development Group, despite the lack of a preferable alternative. The venue’s proposed location, a .8-acre lot in the so-called Workshop Blocks, has been vacant and used for parking since 2017, when the Oregon Department of Transportation sold it to the city’s economic development agency, Prosper Portland. Beam originally conceived a project much broader in scope: a mixed-use development with a venue as well as coworking and light industrial space. But the pandemic caused demand for industrial office space to crater, and the developers sought new partners for the project. Project leaders, including Colas head Andrew Colas and Beam president Jonathan Malsin, prefer to focus on the future venue’s benefits, like large set-asides for women and minority contractors, hundreds of thousands of expected concertgoers and the millions they bring in multiplier-effect dollars. “Our project will create jobs, foster a positive economic impact and energize the neighborhood,” the two wrote in a statement to Oregon Business. “We are grateful to all who voiced their support, as well as those who expressed concerns. We genuinely care about our city and will use this valuable feedback to build an exceptional community asset that brings Portlanders together.” In a statement to Oregon Business, Mary Clare Bourjaily, Live Nation’s market president for Oregon, writes that the company is proud to bring economic development to Portland alongside partners Beam and Colas. “As members of Portland’s vibrant music ecosystem, we look forward to continuing to engage with the community to share more about how this project will benefit the local fans and artists,” she writes. To be sure, Live Nation had been in Portland for years through its event promotion and artist representation services. But Live Nation also operates venues in every major market in the U.S. Opponents say Live Nation squeezes out local competition when all three components of its business model work in concert. And as a massive corporation, it can undercut local prices and absorb losses until competition drops out. Other tactics include purchasing major venues and closing them down, buying buildings and leasing to independent venues at rates higher than valuation, and denying artists under their representation the opportunity to perform at independent venues. This “playbook” is described in detail in the federal lawsuit against Live Nation/ Ticketmaster. “I’m blown away that the legal departments of both Prosper Portland and the city went along with this nonsense,” says concert promoter David Leiken, a mainstay in live music in the Pacific Northwest for five decades. “What if the government breaks up Live Nation? Then who are we doing business with?” Leiken recently provided written testimony “Our project will create jobs, foster a positive economic impact and energize the neighborhood.” ANDREW COLAS, LEFT, AND JONATHAN MALSIN, RIGHT, IN A STATEMENT TO OREGON BUSINESS Portland City Council meeting in September during which people testified about Live Nation's proposed new venue 28
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