A weekly list of new hires, fires and promotions and well as business openings and closings.
Revolving Door
Tamara Rubin has been ousted from the nonprofit she founded five years ago, the Lead Safe America Foundation. The Portland Tribune reports the nonprofit is under investigation by the Oregon Department of Justice. Rubin was accused of mismanaging funds.
Susan Christensen has been appointed executive director of the Greater Eastern Oregon Development Corporation. Christensen had served as the nonprofit’s interim executive director since March.
Eastern Oregon’s Good Shepherd Health Care System has hired two new doctors. Jennifer Poste joins as an internal medicine and endocrinology physician, and Allison Khavkin joins the Women’s Center team as an OB/GYN.
Openings and Closings
JCPenney’s pilot entry back into the appliance business has been a success, so much so the retailer is opening appliance showrooms nationwide including one in the Salem Center mall. JCPenney closed its major appliance businesses more than 30 years ago, but began testing the waters Feb. 1. 500 appliance stores will soon open.
Smallwares, a wildly popular Asian-fusion restaurant in Portland, will close Sept. 24. Chef Johanna Ware announced the decision on Facebook, and told Willamette Week the restaurant was not profitable enough to continue.
The Wild Hunt food cart is picking up its wheels and moving to Newberg’s new Wolves & People Farmhouse Brewery. Wild Hunt will reopen Sept. 23 with a new cheese-focused menu.
Glenwood will soon be home to an 81-room hotel, the third owned by the same local Patel family. Known as the Candlewood Suites, the hotel is branded under the Marriott umbrella and should open next June. Construction broke ground last week.
