State economic development officials have certified three large industrial properties in an attempt to brighten the jobs outlook in Prineville, The Dalles and Ontario.

Attorney General John Kroger has banned a major national telemarketing firm from operating in Oregon. Sadly, the agreement has no impact whatsoever on the annoying fundraisers who stalk pedestrians in downtown Portland.

Day after day, rail cars full of a mysterious white powder, marketed by a cartel and desired by people all over the world, stream into Portland.  This powder, responsible for hundreds of local jobs and millions of dollars of revenue for local businesses, illustrates an important, if not often discussed, strength of our region’s economy.

Many CEOs feel creativity should be limited to new-product development and advertising.  They are missing out in a big way.

Umpqua Bank opened its newest location today on SE Hawthorne Boulevard, a branch styled as a folksy hangout to further the bank's goal of embedding in Portland neighborhoods. This is the first of five "stores" that Umpqua plans to build through 2011, an expansion by 25% within the metro area for Oregon's dominant regional bank.

Nike's fiscal second-quarter earnings increased 22%, exceeding analyst expectations of Oregon's largest company.

The Portland Timbers expect to surpass 10,000 season tickets sold by the end of the year in advance of their inaugural season as a Major League Soccer franchise.

CEOs have to deal with difficult people all the time - and sometimes they themselves are the difficult ones. What are some proven ways to deal with difficult people?

SolarWorld's five-year expansion has ended on target, with the company's addition of its 1,000th worker in Hillsboro.

Jon Thenhaus’s latest business idea grew out of a simple desire to have an infinite supply of fresh basil within easy reach in the kitchen. That wish grew more complicated as he refined his ideas and followed his muse, from herbs to worms and fish. Nine prototypes and several “massive failures” later, the 37-year-old founder of Fishy Farm has developed an ingenious ecosystem for the kitchen or the back yard.

Fiscal calamity or a decade of budget austerity loom for Oregon as the recession leaves thousands of Oregonians jobless and the demand for government money outpaces its ability to pay for services, business and political leaders agreed on Monday.

The Oregon Business Plan's seventh annual leadership summit got under way this morning with the theme of breaking from business as usual. This theme comes despite major similarities between the state economy now in 2010 and in 2002 when the first summit was held.

Google's head of consumer marketing has nothing but nice things to say about Portland. “We chose Portland because it has the perfect demographic, in terms of entrepreneurs and technology," says Bernardo Hernandez. "It’s dense, it’s fun, it’s lively. There’s a real community dynamic. It’s a younger crowd. And the weather is really good for this time of the year.”

Hillsboro-based Phoseon Technology, one of the fastest-growing clean tech companies in Oregon, announced this morning that it plans to expand its manufacturing capacity by 50 percent.

Boeing anticipates the creation of 300 jobs and $14 million in annual impact in Oregon if the company wins its bid to build the Boeing NewGen Tanker for the U.S. Air Force.

Portland-headquartered Naturally Advanced Technologies plans to begin using flax to make organic thread with the same patented technology the company uses to process hemp.

The City of Portland Economic Development Strategy has a goal of creating 10,000 jobs within the next five years through an industry cluster strategy. The initiative has fostered some promising projects for job growth within the Portland metro area.