2017 100 Best Green Workplaces announced, transportation bill includes surprise snow management mandate and policy makers nix rent control provision.
100 Best Green Workplaces announced
More than 250 people turned out Wednesday for Oregon Business magazine’s ninth annual celebration of the 100 Best Green Workplaces in Oregon. Rumours of the U.S. withdrawal of the Paris climate pact loomed large during the ceremony.
First look at transportation bill shows increased fees and a toll on I-5
The $8.2 billion transportation spending bill was unveiled last night, the Statesman Journal reports. New funding measures include higher gas taxes, increased registration fees, a payroll tax and a toll on some sections of I-5. The bill also responds to Oregon’s long winter, stiuplating large cities need to salt at least 25% of its roads if more than 2 inches of snow accumulate in a period of 12 hours.
Rent control dreams dashed in Senate
A bill focused on evictions and housing stability, House Bill 2004A, included an amendment to allow cities and counties to implement rent control programs. That amendment was removed from the bill just before the Senate Committee on Human Services pushed the bill to the floor with a “do pass” recommendation, the Statesman Journal reports. The bill still prevents landlords from evicting month-to-month tenants without cause.
Monica Enand makes the news — again
One month after she poohed poohed politics in an Oregon Business article, Monica Enand has taken on a new policy role. Gov. Brown appointed the CEO of Zapproved to a task force to cut the pension deficit. Enand is also on the steering committee of the American Immigrant Representation Project, a national effort to provide representation for immigrants threatened with deportation. Enand is arguably the most politically active tech CEO in a city waiting to see how the new crop of software executives will influence public policy.
Beer cachet
Showing just how our powerful the brewing sector is in this state, our media competitor Portland Business Journal has published a list of the top 25 breweries. PBJ’s list comes one month after we published a virtually identical list based on identical ranking criteria. OB Research Editor Kim Moore’s companion article on industry trends, Keeping the Craft Alive, was one was one of the most read articles on OB.com last month.
Speaking of most popular articles
Our readers are keen on stories about Uber’s latest travails, manufacturing in transition and the new face of the post-Silicon Forest economy. We’re looking back at the most popular May stories.
JLR incubator adds two more startups
.@JLRIncubator has two new #startups: @lisnr and @pilot_labs. The new cohorts will focus on connected cars and audio transmission.
— Oregon Business (@OregonBusiness) June 1, 2017
Internet of Things startup lands $3.3 million in funding
Rigado, a startup split between Salem and Portland, makes wireless hardware to help customers build connected devices. The startup formed just last year and has now raised $3.3 million to expand to Europe and Asia, the Oregonian reports. Funds come from investors including the Oregon Angel Fund and Rogue Ventures.
