Diving In EVERY JANUARY WE PUBLISH the Power Book, a collection of lists ranking the biggest players in business, nonprofits, higher education and professional services throughout the state. Some lists are pulled from public records; most are derived from surveys sent to the institutions themselves. Putting together the Power Book is a massive task that involves outreach to hundreds of organizations, and every year we work to make sure the Power Book is as thorough and accurate as we can make it. We think it provides a valuable glance at what’s going on in Oregon companies each year. This issue also includes several stories about Oregon institutions that stand out from the pack in some way. One is Immersion Research (“Making a Splash,” p. 20), a maker of kayaking gear that started in Pennsylvania but opened an Oregon location a few years ago. As writer Ellee Thalheimer details, owners John and Kara Weld started out making their own gear, then decided to outsource production as they found that running a domestic sewing factory was more difficult than they imagined. But after they relocated to the Columbia River Gorge, the itch to make things in-house returned, and the Welds have arrived at a hybrid business model where some items are made onsite in Hood River and some are manufactured overseas. They also found that relocating to Hood River — an epicenter for outdoor outfitters — gave their company cachet and access to resources they couldn’t find anywhere else. Britany Robinson’s story, “How Do You Stop an Invasive Species? Try Eating It” (p. 26), is a deep dive (pun intended) into a problem that has plagued Oregon’s underwater forests for the past decade. After an outbreak of sea star wasting illness killed off their key predator in 2013, purple sea urchin populations have gotten out of control. They’ve wreaked havoc on Pacific Ocean kelp forests, but — because they can live for years on few calories — the destruction of that critical food source hasn’t put a check on their numbers. But a Newport-based startup has been working to put a dent in their population — and supply local restaurants with a delicacy they’d normally import. Garrett Andrews’ feature for this issue, “Reporting for Duty” (p. 32), profiles Rachel Smolkin, the newly appointed CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting. In addition to offering a portrait of Smolkin herself and her vision for the organization, Andrews offers a glimpse of the media environment Smolkin is stepping into as the leader of one of the few Oregon newsrooms that’s grown in recent years, while others have laid off staff or folded altogether. In that story’s sidebar, “Going Paperless” (p. 34), Andrews mentions a development that is worth announcing more formally in this space. In 2025 Oregon Business is reducing our publication frequency to four print issues per year. The next issue, due to publish in March, will look familiar in some ways — we’ll be publishing our annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For — and different in others (notably, it will be perfect bound). We’ll continue to run great exclusive content on OregonBusiness.com as well. Our staffing numbers haven’t changed — we remain small but mighty — and neither has our commitment to producing high-quality, deeply reported business journalism. We look forward to diving in. ⁄From the Editor⁄ VOLUME 48 ⁄ NUMBER 1 OREGON BUSINESS (ISSN 02798190) is published 4 times per year 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 WRITERS Jason Delserro, Tim Neville, Britany Robinson, Ellee Thalheimer, Junki Yoshida 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 4
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