Umpqua profits down, stocks up
Portland-based Umpqua's stock surged more than 15 percent Thursday to close at $13.08, but earned just $10.2 million in the quarter, a 49 percent drop from the same quarter in 2007. more >
Deal Watch: Troubled TRM gets loan, buys company
IN LATE APRIL Portland-based ATM network operator TRM Corp. created one of the largest nonbank ATM networks in the nation when it purchased New Jersey-based LJR Consulting, which does business as Access To Money, for $15 million. more >
Repos rise as auto loans sink
Bobby Sylvester has a front-row seat to the repo show. Sylvester is the fleet manager for Brasher’s Cascade Auto Auction in Troutdale, one of Oregon’s largest auction lots. more >
Lithia Motors hit with loss of $5.1 million
Lithia Motors will slow acquisitions but push on with plans to build a new headquarters despite reporting a preliminary $5.1 million net loss for the fourth quarter of 2007. more >
Cascades’ stock plummets
Bank of the Cascades, the third-largest bank headquartered in Oregon, saw its stock price drop to its lowest level in five years in March after more than doubling its forecast for fourth-quarter 2007 credit losses from $7.5 million to $15.6 million. more >
Start me up They're young, they’re creative and we’re guessing you’ve never heard of them. Meet some of the coolest startups running around Silicon Forest today. MORE >
Economist Tim Duy uses the "R" word Is Oregon in recession? I have been startled by the unwillingness of many to accept the obvious fact that the Oregon economy has shifted gears markedly.
Munich on the Willamette Gunther Hoffmann knows at least one reason why German tourists are expected to flock to Oregon this summer: “Germans are entranced with the West and Indians,” says Hoffmann, head of the German Consulate in Portland.
Governor hopes to fund water initiative with new lottery money Gov. Ted Kulongoski plans to ask voters to approve lottery money for his Headwaters to Ocean (H2O) initiative, which would fund water supply and quality needs, support related state agencies and set strategy for long-term management of water. Oregon is one of only two Western states without a comprehensive water plan.
Q&A with Bob of Bob's Red Mill RISING PRICES and lackluster consumer spending isn’t bad for all businesses. Take food for example. After all, you’ve got to eat, right?
Feds release LNG impact report In a move that exemplifies the growing rift both within and without Oregon state government over liquefied natural gas terminals, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in June gave an environmental endorsement to a proposed project on the Columbia River.
Sales decline prompts Mt. Bachelor shakeup As the final days of last winter’s ski season wound to a close, Powdr Corp. — which runs the Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort — took the dramatic step of firing the majority of the resort’s top management.
Tactics: LaCrosse Footwear gets some traction hen Joseph Schneider was promoted to CEO of LaCrosse Footwear in August 2000, the shoe industry had changed, but LaCrosse, founded in Wisconsin in 1897 as a maker of rubber horseshoes, had not.
Next: an electronic shoe Need to get a grip or gain a little traction? Maybe your shoes can help.
Boosting sales in a down economy FOR SMALL BUSINESSES without large cash reserves, economic downturns can be especially tough. To stay afloat, you need to keep the cash register ringing even when customers are cutting back — and that means thinking outside the box.
Powering down at the office COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS account for 40% of the energy used in the U.S., and with energy costs on the rise, that’s a huge burden for business.
