Family Owned COR a Leader in Recycling and Sustainability
COR was founded by Al Simpson, who joined the city of Portland’s maintenance bureau in 1992 and recognized early on the growth potential of recycling in the region.
COR was founded by Al Simpson, who joined the city of Portland’s maintenance bureau in 1992 and recognized early on the growth potential of recycling in the region.
This article covers the pathways to getting insurance, how to uncover the needs of your workforce, how to compare options, and ways to manage the cost.
Policy updates, events and other news
Martin and Helene Meskers came to the Willamette Valley from northern Holland in 1979. The cut-flower farm they established produces lilies, tulips and other varieties in 10 acres of state-of-the-art greenhouses in Aurora.
Policy updates, events and other news
Paid Leave Oregon is in its infancy, and employers still have many questions
Freres Engineered Wood has translated its expertise in Douglas fir veneer production into a cross laminated timber product composed of many thin layers, a design that provides great strength and rigidity..
The A-dec 500 Dental Chair is designed to maximize comfort for both practitioners and patients. It allows practitioners to roll close to patients and operate ergonomically. Its gradual starts and stops prevent jarring movements.
Oregon Business & Industry, in partnership with Here is Oregon, has launched the annual Coolest Thing Made in Oregon competition to celebrate the state’s vibrant and innovative manufacturing sector.
Policy updates, events and other news
Oregon Business & Industry, in partnership with Here is Oregon, has launched the annual Coolest Thing Made in Oregon competition to celebrate the state’s vibrant and innovative manufacturing sector.
On day three, the Roadshow will visit Freres Engineered Wood, Machine Sciences Corp. and PGE’s Sherwood Training Center
On day two, the Roadshow will visit Daimler Truck North America’s High Desert Proving Grounds, Epic Aircraft and BASX Solutions
On day one, the Roadshow will visit Pendleton Woolen Mills, Tillamook’s Boardman cheesemaking facility and Hood River Distillers.
Oregon Business & Industry, in partnership with Here is Oregon, has launched the annual Coolest Thing Made in Oregon competition to celebrate the state’s vibrant and innovative manufacturing sector.
Policy updates, events and other news
Oregon Business & Industry, in partnership with Here is Oregon, has launched the annual Coolest Thing Made in Oregon competition to celebrate the state’s vibrant and innovative manufacturing sector.
Policy updates, events and other news
NSI manufactures precise gas and chemical delivery systems for the semiconductor, LED and solar-panel industries
Dozens of high school students participated in the Oregon Business Academy’s inaugural Business Week, which took place in July at Oregon State University’s Corvallis campus.
Ben Quach, who escaped Vietnam with his family in 1976, started the company in the back yard of his Vancouver home and focused initially on emergency contract work.
Oregon Business & Industry, in partnership with Here is Oregon, has launched the annual Coolest Thing Made in Oregon competition to celebrate the state’s vibrant and innovative manufacturing sector.
OBI’s 2023 Legislative Session Report features key takeaways, spotlighted bills in half a dozen policy areas, a comprehensive index of legislation relevant to businesses and a look at OBI’s advocacy and education plans for the coming months
Experts with the Oregon Employment Department will provide an overview of the Paid Leave Oregon program, discuss updates and answer questions during this online webinar.
Policy updates, events and other news
Legislation approved this year required the Oregon Employment Department to determine that the program trust fund was solvent before launching benefits on Sept. 3, as planned.
Policy updates, events and other news
Approximately 4,000 valid signatures from Salem voters are due Aug. 9 to refer this to the November 2023 ballot.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
Production of the heavy-duty Freightliner eCascadia began last year. Production of the company’s electric box truck, the eM2, will begin by the end of this year.
The economic contribution of the Hops’ new stadium will be significant. According to a recently released ECONorthwest study, construction of the facility will generate a $190 million economic impact, including almost 1,000 full-time jobs.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
Headquartered just west of Roseburg, Blue Heron Vineyards grows several grape varieties on about 720 acres, including pinot gris, chardonnay and, of course, pinot noir, which accounts for about 70% of its plantings.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
In recent years, Oregon has changed from a high-cost state with moderate businesses taxes to a high-cost state with above-average taxes. It has become a much less desirable place for businesses to invest and grow.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
By making general contractors responsible for wages not paid by subcontractors, HB 2057A would create obstacles for new and emerging businesses. General contractors would be incentivized to employ only subcontractors with which they were familiar.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
Lawmakers continue to pursue a state-level single-payer plan that would be so unworkable and expensive that no other state has yet created one. It would require tax hikes of at least $20 billion per year.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
Oregon is the only state in the country that effectively prohibits employers from using bonuses to fill hard-to-staff positions and retain sought-after employees. The consequences for employers and employees are severe.
The bill would make important changes to the Oregon criminal code to ensure that law enforcement agencies and retailers have the tools they need to detect, deter and hold accountable those who commit organized retail theft.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
If passed, the recommendations of the semiconductor task force would amount to one of the most important economic development policy packages the state has ever offered.
The credit created by SB 1084 would be largely refundable for small businesses, transferrable and robust enough to attract significant investment by manufacturers of semiconductors and other products
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
A pair of bills would leverage Oregon’s position as a leader in the sports and outdoor recreation industry, one by establishing a growth-focused task force and the other by supporting the production of state and regional youth sports events.
Duckwall Fruit has served Oregon’s Hood River Valley for more than a century, packing and shipping pears and other fruit while developing new markets and weathering pandemic-related disruptions and workforce shortages.
Senate Bill 68, heard March 27 by the Senate Finance and Revenue Committee, would create an additional exemption of $1.5 million for estates valued at up to $4.5 million. It would be reduced progressively for larger estates.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
The bill would deny Opportunity Zone investors an exemption from state capital gains taxes, effectively making Opportunity Zone investment less attractive.
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
Oregon is the only state in the country that effectively prohibits employers from using bonuses to fill hard-to-staff positions and retain sought-after employees. The consequences for employers and employees are severe.
This crime epidemic harms business on which Oregonians depend for everyday products. It raises prices and reduces both sales and employment, costing Oregon governments tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue per year.
The bill would ban petroleum-based diesel without ensuring that an adequate supply of renewable diesel was available, setting the stage for significant price volatility.
Thanks to its key characteristics – it’s lightweight, insulative and environmentally benign – perlite promises to serve markets that have yet to emerge.
Mann’s experience with policy advocacy, communications and public relations, and political strategy will add tremendous value to OBI’s work on behalf of Oregon’s business community.
Portland-based Shaver Transportation barges grain and other cargo and provides ship-assist and other services throughout the Columbia-Snake River system. The company has 16 tugs and 22 barges.
The Joint Semiconductor Committee’s policy framework is a good start. But Oregon must offer more if it is to compete with states like Arizona for private sector and federal investment.
Over the past year, state and local policymakers have been warned in report after report that Oregon is rapidly becoming a less desirable place for businesses to invest, innovate and create jobs.
SB 38 and SB 42 address Oregon’s eroding regulatory environment by, respectively, giving permittees regulatory certainty and requiring the production of thorough fiscal-impact statement before rules are adopted. The reforms are part of OBI’s Growth and Innovation Roadmap.
SB 159, in effect, would use escalating taxes generated by state businesses to pay extra for work from which those very businesses effectively might be barred.
Papé has acquired an ownership stake in OneH2, which develops small-scale hydrogen-generation systems. Locally generated hydrogen can boost the efficiency of emissions-free fuel cell equipment, from forklifts to big rigs.
Thirty-eight states sensibly don’t have estate taxes at all, and these include Oregon neighbors California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Montana. While Washington does have an estate tax, the threshold at which it kicks in is more than twice Oregon’s.
The current credit is not sufficient to entice the start of a new rural practice or compel an existing one to stay. With the explosion of student debt and other inflationary pressures, the current credit is simply too small.
Enterprise zones allow local governments to abate property taxes temporarily, encouraging businesses to invest and helping them to grow. They are among the few tools local governments have to offset the state’s skyrocketing business tax burden.
HB 2800 would redefine “because of age” in employment discrimination law, including in the definition such “proxy” characteristics as salary and length of service with an employer.
Businesses inside and outside of Oregon are keenly aware of this trend, and investment will plummet unless legislators and other elected officials act to reverse it.
All businesses, not just those with 100 or fewer employees, deserve clear information, prompt service and the sort of advocacy the Office of Small Business Assistance provides.
The bills, which are part of OBI’s Growth and Innovation Roadmap, would make it easier for businesses and others to comply with local taxes by ensuring consistency and directing questions to the Oregon Tax Court.
HB 3028 would require employers to grant unpaid leave to employees for time spent in service on committees and other panels created by statute. The bill’s requirements are open-ended and unworkable.
It is difficult for employers, especially small businesses, to navigate Oregon’s increasingly complex regulatory landscape. These five bills would make Oregon an easier state in which to operate.
While OBI recognizes that colleges and universities must make fiscally responsible decisions, withholding diplomas from those who still owe fees can create barriers to employment and further education.
Senate Bill 498 would ease Oregon’s estate tax burden for families that inherit natural resource-based businesses such as farms and forestry operations. Thirty eight states don’t’ have an estate tax at all, and of those that do Oregon has the lowest exemption threshold.
House Bill 3042 would broaden the scope of products covered under the law to a potentially unknowable degree, increase reporting obligations and redefine “mouthable” in a way that would make compliance in Oregon extremely difficult.
Senate Bill 44 would create an office of business ombuds, which would help employers navigate Oregon’s complex and rapidly evolving regulatory landscape. Employers operating in good faith often don’t know where to go for answers to key compliance questions
A weekly rundown of recent legislative developments of interest to employers and a look at upcoming activity on significant issues.
OBI VP for Government Affairs Scott Bruun urged legislators to address barriers to opportunity by supporting existing economic development tools like enterprise zones, creating new tools like an R&D tax credit and a capital investment tax credit.
Policy team changes include promotions and role adjustments for Scott Bruun, Sharla Moffett and Katie Koenig as well as the addition of Derek Sangston, former legislative director to Senate President Peter Courtney.
The Greenbrier Companies has developed a hatch for covered hopper rail cars that opens and closes automatically, eliminating the need for workers to climb on cars
Boardman Foods created an after-school program for employees in 2004. Then COVID happened, creating a demand for full-day child care. Company officials now run a community day care program at the Port of Morrow.
Proposed DEQ trip-reduction mandates would affect hundreds of employers in almost 70 Oregon cities. The rules would discriminate against industries like manufacturing and hospitality while rewarding employers for taking highly regressive measures.
The Northwest’s hydropower system provides reliable, clean and affordable electricity as well as efficient transportation for barged goods. Preserving these benefits is critical given the increasing importance of electrification and the importance of reducing greenhouse gases.
Southeast Portland-based Bullseye Glass created a process to fuse glass of different colors, allowing for the creation of glass paintings. The company also produces glass for historical restoration, including the windows in the U.S. Capitol cupola.
Salem-based International Housing Concepts produces tiny homes for a range of markets while providing job opportunities for the homeless and for people re-entering the workforce.
Oregon’s September 2022 revenue forecast indicates that the state continues to collect record revenue. Oregon should focus on living within its means rather than considering new taxes.
Kate Brown asks for money to streamline permitting for large semiconductor manufacturers. She deserves credit for her urgency. However, small employers need efficient permitting just as much as large ones do.
Georgia Pacific’s Juno facility, in Toledo, separates paper fiber from about 70,000 tons of household trash every year and uses it to make cardboard used in corrugated boxes.
The task force identifies several impediments to further growth in the semiconductor industry, including Oregon’s regulatory environment, its land use system and its inadequate portfolio of incentives.
The proposed health plan would raise taxes by more than $21 billion per year through a payroll tax on employers and personal income taxes on individuals.
The largely uncoordinated layering of regulations goes virtually unreported in Oregon but creates significant cost and compliance problems for businesses that employ Oregonians and generate billions in critical state and local revenue.
The largely uncoordinated layering of regulations goes virtually unreported in Oregon but creates significant cost and compliance problems for businesses that employ Oregonians and generate billions in critical state and local revenue.
The largely uncoordinated layering of regulations goes virtually unreported in Oregon but creates significant cost and compliance problems for businesses that employ Oregonians and generate billions in critical state and local revenue.
For more than an hour, the three answered questions on a range of issues, including taxation, workforce challenges, Oregon’s land use system, state agency leadership and the appropriate use of executive orders.
OBI President and CEO Angela Wilhelms urged planners and policymakers to maximize vehicle capacity in replacing the century-old bridge spanning Interstate 5.
It will be difficult for employers to offer incentives that will be enticing enough to convince many employees to abandon their vehicles in favor of public transit.
The heat and smoke rules are lengthy and complex, and complying with them will be difficult. We have distilled the requirements of each set of rules and produced a pair of high-level explainer documents.
At our June 7 annual meeting, OBI will hold a gubernatorial candidate forum. Participants will include the winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries as well as other candidates likely to run competitive races.
Oregon OSHA has proposed workplace heat and smoke rules that will cause employers to cancel shifts and employees to lose money. They also will force employers, once again, to become mask police.
Lawmakers in Washington are trying to impose a 6-cent-per-gallon tax on fuel exported to Oregon . Our elected leaders should push back.
Oregon voters are frustrated. That is the overarching takeaway from a statewide voter survey conducted by DHM Research for the OBI Education & Research Foundation in October. Voters are worried about the economy and their own personal finances, are highly concerned about homelessness, see Portland as dysfunctional and harming the state overall, and believe that…
Due to recently passed new taxes and increases of existing taxes, at both the state and local levels, a stunning number of Oregon businesses are now giving serious consideration to leaving Oregon according to findings from a survey of nearly 500 business CPAs and local chamber of commerce leaders.