Business Tribune

THRIVING, NOT
JUST SURVIVING
JAMA SOFTWARE
HIRES A CFO
NEW
RESTAURANTS
Tribune
Business
SEPTEMBER 23, 2014
INSIDE
2014 STARTUP PDX CHALLENGE
SIX NEW
UPSTARTS
2 BUSINESS TRIBUNE
PDX
INSIDE
SHWOOD’S
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UNITED GRAIN
LOCKOUT
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BY JOHN M. VINCENT
, 2014
Tribune
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WHY FLEETS ARE TURNING TO
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TAKING
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MARCH 25, 2014
Business
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
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BUSINESS TRIBUNE 3
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
ONES
TO
WATCH
SIX STARTUPS
WIN THE PDX
CHALLENGE
BY JOSEPH
GALLIVAN
T
he Portland Development Commission is in the startup
game, encouraging little companies to make the most of
its assets (mentors, real estate, taxpayers’ cash) and
grow over the next year. Beginning Oct. 1, the winners
of 2014 Startup PDX Challenge will move into the high windowed,
exposed brick space at 115 SW Ash St in Old Town/Chinatown.
Here are six firms whom you may soon be bragging about to
your Portlandia-loving pals, or who may get caught up in the
mincer of capitalism.
In selecting the companies,
PDC favored minorities. So it’s
fitting that Yellow Scope, which
makes science kits for girls, has
one Asian, one redhead and one
African American girl drawn on
the packaging of its prototype
chemistry set.
Yellow Scope is aimed at girls
from grades four to six who have
not yet hit the middle school
STEM (Science Technology
Engineering and Mathematics)
slump, when boys take over science class. Founders Marcie
Colledge and Kelly McCollum
found that most science toys are
aimed at boys — greens and
blacks , explosives, derring do —
while girls get stuck with pink
kits for making lip balm and spa
treatments.
Colledge says a classic example of pseudoscientific thinking
was kids being asked to make
bath salts and then record which
one “felt the most relaxing.”
She adds that kits work because “Research shows when
parents are engaged with their
daughters’ work, they are more
likely to enjoy science and want
to take part in it.”
Girls need context, and a
space to be creative, so there’s
space in the lab notebook for
customizing the experiments —
what educators call open-ended
play.
Like the American Girl toys,
the three girls on the box have
personalities and varied interests. They are not just nerds.
There’s also a friendly lab rat
who handles safety.
“At fourth grade, boys and
girls equally say they like math,
but by eighth grade, the stereotype that it’s not for girls has set
in,” says McCollum. “There
might be different learning style,
but there are no major differences in the brain that make boys
better at science.”
The $44 foundation chemistry
kit has the real lab equipment —
beakers, timers, thermometers,
lab manual — and reagents. Extension kits (new experiments,
new chemicals) will be $20.
They changed their name
from Science Girls to Yellow
Scope so as not to infringe on
the trademark of the PBS show
SciGirls.
But these are trained scientists, not mommy bloggers with
a cute idea for a home-based
business. Colledge has a PHD in
neuroscience, McCollum a Master of Public Health specializing
in Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
With other parent volunteers
they ran the Science Fair and
family science night at their
kids’ school, Alameda Elementary. In one popular Crime Scene
Investigation themed night, kids
had to use techniques such as
chromatography and fingerprinting to find out who stole the
CONTINUED / Page 4
COVER: Bow tie
guy: Corey Cook,
Marketing
Director of
NoAppFee.com,
aims to make
renting an
apartment a lot
easier. Breaking
good: Portland
moms Marcie
Colledge (L) and
Kelly McCollum
make science
kits to keep girls
age 8 to 13 on
track for STEM
education.
TRIBUNE: PHOTO
JONATHAN HOUSE
4 BUSINESS TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
■ From page 3
principal’s lunch.
For now, they are assembling
kits at home but look forward to
having an office and a kitchen to
test experiments. They are going
the Kickstarter route this fall to
produce 1,500 kits.
“We have lots of questions for
lawyers, and other higher-level
thinkers, but the amount of new
information we need is huge so
we’re looking for peer-to-peer
communication. And we would
love some help with social media.”
Good things:
Paige Hendrix
(L) and Inger
McDowell
package up cute
and weird local
products in a
monthly gift box
called Tique Box.
Yellow Scope
yellow-scope.com
Inger McDowell and Paige Hendrix, the founders of Tique Box,
will probably inevitably be referred to as “Ladies” when they
get on The View or Good Morning
America, since what they do is so
Pinterest-friendly. Nonetheless,
they are still hardcore business
people. Tique Box (as in boutique)
is a subscription gift box that
showcases unique Portland
brands, a mixture of food and
beauty products. Tique launched
quarterly in July 2013 and is now
monthly. The October 2014 box is
themed “Spooky and Sweet Portland.”
They hit upon the $25 subscription price (free shipping) after
considerable testing. $19 sounded
too cheap and $30 was prohibitively pricey.
It showcases Portland brands
not found in mainstream stores,
including Shurky Jurky, Pinkelton’s Curious Caramel Corn, and
Wee Mindings (goats milk lavender bath sachets from). It’s like a
cross between the Powell’s Books’
Indispensable (powells.com/indispensable) and Conscious Box
(green stuff for the home).
Their main task in the accelerator will be to learn how to scale:
right now they pore over Etsy,
sometimes personally deliver custom boxes, and hand write notes.
Hendrix once taught grade school,
so she has excellent handwriting.
They also do a business version
targeting harried executive assistants and schmoozy realtors.
“The people at Conscious Box
have been like big sisters to us,
very supportive,” says Hendrix. A
Business
Tribune
Roslynn Tellvik
and Sook Goh
cook up
artisanal mixers
at RAFT Syrups.
TRIBUNE PHOTOS:
JONATHAN HOUSE
fall-themed box, Nesting in Portland, has things like linen spray,
bath soap, a cute towel and a coffee cozy.
The accelerator is also the perfect place to get opinions from other millennials on likely products.
But they want more marketing
help, legal support and office support.
“We’re pretty high touch with
our customers,” says McDowell,
“And we want to stay high touch in
a way that doesn’t tear us apart.”
Tique Box
tiquebox.com
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
J. Mark Garber
Brian Monihan
EDITOR AND
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Corey Cook met with the Tribune to talk about NoAppFee.com,
since the CEO, Tyson Poole was
laid up sick. Cook, who was know
as the Bow Tie guy when he
moved here from Arizona for a
medical marketing job, knows all
about making a good first impression.
NoAppFee.com is an online platform that does background checks
and matches renters with the
properties for which they qualify.
At $25 to $40 per application fee,
Cook says he knows from experience that looking for an apartment
can be expensive and frustrating.
CIRCULATION
MANAGER
Users pay a one time $35 fee,
which is refunded (via the landlord) when they find an apartment. The app populates the online form used by many different
property management companies,
and immediately shows where you
could be looking.
“So if your FICA score of 656
means you can’t get into that place
that wants a 670, it will show you
places nearby that are available,”
he says.
Cook says the app is not especially aimed at minorities, who
might have a harder time than
others finding a place. There are
plenty of requirements, such as
Vance W. Tong
CREATIVE
SERVICES MANAGER
Cheryl DuVal
noappfee.com
RAFT Syrups is a classic artisanal play. Organic cane sugar
plus brewed botanicals (e.g. vanilla, ginger) equals instant handcrafted cocktail chic — or at least
a healthier glass of pop for the
lucky child.
Sook Goh, originally from Malaysia, is the food scientist for the
company, while Roslynn Tellvik
handles the numbers. A former
life coach, she also worked at M Financial in corporate benefits before the itch to start her own company grew too strong. Together
they have been planning RAFT —
the name has a sense of adventure
— since fall 2012. They launched
three flavors in April 2014: hibiscus lavender, lemon ginger and
smoked tea vanilla. (Goh used to
REPORTER
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Joseph Gallivan
Jonathan House, Jaime Valdez
PortlandTribune
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Kim Stephens
Christine Moore
pets or recent work history, that
can trip up an applicant.
He won’t be in the new office
much, he’ll be pounding the
streets looking for big landlords
who can save time dealing with
applicants by just providing a QR
code on a sign. He will also be
forging links with local businesses
who will pay to get their coupons
in a welcome gift basket for new
renters: maid services, movers
and pizza shops.
Property managers will be
billed $2 to $3 per unit for the service, so a 300-unit complex could
bring in $900 a month to NoAppFee.
The ambitious goal is to hit 70
per cent of the Portland rental
market in 90 days, expanding to
Seattle and Houston, where the
founders have contacts with Mobisoft.
The sort of legal help he’s looking for is around subjects such as
converting from an LLC to an SCorp. Cook says he is willing to
share his marketing experience
with the other accelerator companies for free.
“I got my start at age 14 distributing the Journal Sentinel in Milwaukee. My round was 50 papers,
so I’d buy an extra five for pennies
on the dollar, knock on doors and
give them away free until they
signed up.”
That kind of hustle, he believes,
will get the company far, knocking
on doors, so others don’t have to.
DESIGN
Keith Sheffield
CONTACT
[email protected]
BUSINESS TRIBUNE 5
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
TRIBUNE PHOTOS: JONATHAN HOUSE
Soc it to ‘em: Self style Krav Maga and MMF trainer Lynne Le started Society Nine to sell tough
workout wear to even tougher women. Design + Culture Lab’s Joy Alise Davis figures out how urban
design can be more inclusive.
blend teas for Tazo.) A bottle with 24 one-tablespoon servings costs $19.
The botanicals are brewed nights and
weekends at the Three little Figs jam kitchen in Parkrose, using tall, 25-gallon kettles
from brew supplier F.H. Steinbart. It takes
two to carry them.
“Syrups take manpower,” says Goh, detailing the precise chemistry of extracting
phytonutrients.
Customers such as Tasty and Sons, ClarkLewis and Dick’s Kitchen like the product
because with its perfect pH it will keep in
the fridge for two to three months, whereas
home made syrups only last about ten days.
It also retails at Hollywood Liquor and
Beam and Anchor.
“We’re looking forward to being in proximity with other businesses in similar stages to us,” says Roslynn Tellvik.
They plan to use the space to host tastings, instead of driving all over town, hitting
people up at their bars and stores. Then
there’s the strange allure of cube life. The
computer work — planning events, managing orders — could be done anywhere, but
Tellvik says she prefers to be in a professional setting with other people around.
“I’ve always felt there’s a lot of value to
having colleagues, you might overhear
things that give you ideas. It’s different
from being in a coffee shop, or in your basement.”
They produce recipes for social media:
Twitter (the busiest), Facebook, Pinterest
and Instagram, and sometimes Vine. Look
for a six-second lesson in muddling.
Scaling is the challenge they hope to face
in the accelerator.
“Seth Godin talks about the ‘the dip’, how
to get from 10 customers to 100 and to
1,000,” says Tellvik. “And then you don’t
want to grow too fast and lose customers.”
“We grew up in a world before the Internet was everywhere,” says Tellvik. “It’s nice
that we can share physical products around
the world. We had a bar owner from Japan
who saw our stuff at Bull Run Distillers.
And loved it. Went sent some to them by
USPS, and there it is on Facebook.”
RAFT Syrups
raftsyrups.com
Society Nine boss Lynne Le is a badass
— as she will tell you. She teaches Krav
Maga, the Israeli martial art which is all
about taking oneself out of danger by disarming and disabling attackers. She teaches it and kickboxing as a fitness class. But
with a keen interest in in women’s mixed
martial arts (cage fighting), she couldn’t
find workout apparel for her crowd that
was sufficiently badass. That is, tough and
mostly black.
“Brands usually take the men’s line and
shrink it and pink it,” she scoffs.
So in 2013 Le launched Society Nine (a
take on the female athlete law Title Nine)
to e-tail other brands and her own designs,
such as hooded vests, training leggings
and boxing gloves.
“Most women’s fashion activewear
shows a certain type: Nike it’s the runner,
Lululemon someone doing yoga or Pilates,”
says Le. “The real female athlete is not a
size four to six who’s perfectly tan and regimented to eat 600 to 800 calories a day. It’s
the mom, it’s the daughter, it’s the hustler,
the girl working three jobs to pay for her
college degree.”
It’s this stereotype she’s kicking against.
As the mission statement puts it, “Society
Nine is a combat sports brand for ‚¬¨badass women. A badass woman is a fighter
in life: in sport, society and culture.”
While the messaging is heavy on inspirational quotes in all caps (imagine a Wieden
+ Kennedy cross fit team) Le already has a
product to get out and is immersed in colorways, line plans, factory visits and marketing trips the spiritual homes of MMA and
entertainment: Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Whether being a badass will work in
passive-aggressive Portland remains to be
seen. She got a taste for accelerators working at the Portland Seed Fund.
“I feel like it taught me to be a CEO, all
the things no one talks about, the legal
structure, stock agreements with founders,” says Le. “If you want to position yourself to be a high growth business, and get
investment capital, there’s a lot of investment management involved.”
She previously worked on Goldie Blox,
the non-girlie girl’s toy, and learned about
Kickstarter.
“That’s something you do when you
have all your ducks in a row, not before.
Otherwise you end up with ‘Why’s it taking so long to get my hoodie?’ Transparency is the key, more than the money.”
Design + Culture Lab is probably the
hardest company to get a handle on. Theories of Urban Practice graduate student
Renae Reynolds in New York and Joy
Alise Davis, now here in Portland, call
themselves “a social enterprise.” They are
a research-based urban social lab addressing issues of cultural, racial and ethnic inequality within the built environment.
For example, they are consulting in Cincinnati, Davis’s home town, on an outdoor
fitness center.
“We’re working with the gym and the
parks department deciding which park to
use,” says Davis. “We’re doing a lot of GIS
(Geographic Information System), a lot of
engagement, looking at data to see what
works best with the community.”
Davis moved here in May. It may remain
a bicoastal deal because of the useful contrasts between Portland and New York.
“In New York City, as an African American woman I can blend into the background, but here I get noticed and I get
smiles. But its nice, getting smiles, walk
slower, get a little ‘Hi!’”
Davis and Reynolds use ArcGIS to look
at the demographics of an area.
“(At the gym site) we’ll see if they are
likely to use the gym, then have vision
days where people can come and play
games, use storytelling about the use of
space, to find out what people want.”
“It’s a mix between city planning and
architecture. We step out and look at the
street and how the community functions
as a whole.
They’re working on the east Portland
Action Plan and sitting on the brownfield
committee, looking at site cleanup and
ways to get the community involved.
Right now they are looking for interns
from environmental psychology, architecture and urban planning, because they
cross so many different disciplines.
“For us we’re excited about the mentorship, the peer-to-peer monthly sessions
and speakers every other month.” All they
need is place for a camera, recorder and a
computer for CAD, GIS and Google Sketch
Up.
As consultants they will work with architecture firms and developers and planning departments to “think critically
about how they deal with the community,
so it’s a little more focused on who’s setting the table rather than who’s going to
be at the table,” says Davis.
Society Nine
societynine.com
6 BUSINESS TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Jama Software hires a Chief Financial Officer
By JOSEPH G ALLIV AN
The Tribune
Jama Software has hired its
first Chief Financial Officer.
The Portland company hired
Barry Allen from Seattle’s Corbis,
the image firm started by Bill
Gates. Jama, which means “good
code” in Chinese, makes collaborative software used to define,
build and test products. Users
can track their colleagues’ work
and refine a product as it is
made.
In Portland, when a startup
gets a CFO it is usually the first
sign the company is about to
scale toward being acquired or
going public.
Allen will lead Jama’s financial
operations as the company continues its period of rapid growth,
according to a press release.
“Allen has a proven track record of leadership in the technology industry, driving strategic
growth initiatives, increased efficiencies, improved workflow and
providing guidance to ensure
companies scale effectively,” it
COURTESY : JAMA SOFTW ARE
Barry Allen was recently named as the
first CFO for Jama Software.
went on.
“As a company starts to scale
and grow it will hit some roadblocks,” Allen told the Tribune.
“With my background managing
high-growth companies I’m here
to take it to the next level.”
Jama secured $13 million in
funding and has expanded its
customer base to include more
than 600 companies.
“Traditionally a CFO was a
gatekeeper, but now you’re also a
strategic advisor to the CEO.”
He says he will have three areas of responsibility.
■ Controllership, recording the
company’s historical financial information so all stakeholders can
rely on it to make decisions.
■ The treasury function, deciding how to invest, managing risk
and liquidity, debt and equity.
■ Economic strategy and forecasting, looking at the market
and into the future.
“At a high growth company a
great CFO must be a strategic
thinker, a strong manager with
excellent financial skills, common
sense and an ability to predict
the long term performance of the
company.”
Allen says he leaped at the
chance to work at Jama.
“I jumped on the bandwagon
and moved down here on a day’s
notice,” he said.
Of the company’s future, he
predicted, “It’s going to come to a
successful liquidity event. I’m not
worried about today, but about
ON SALE NOW!
“ As a comp any starts to
scale and grow it will hit
some roadblocks. W ith
my background managing
high- growth comp anies
I’m here to take it to the
nex t level.”
— Barry Allen,
Jama Software’s new chief financial officer
continuing our success, making
sure top line revenue grows at exponential rate. We have no target
yet, we’re focused on growing
this company and scaling it. We
want to be a category killer.”
Looking at the traditional metrics of a software as a service
company (SaaS) Allen will work
on efficiencies in churn rates, expansion and the cost of acquiring
new customers.
He praised the company’s culture and said he looks forward to
living in Portland, where he can
enjoy good wine, the outdoors
and walking to work.
“Portland’s a wonderful city,
healthy, clean city with lots of
personality, and the tech world
here is really expanding.”
Jama Chief Executive Officer
Eric Winquist said in a statement,
“This is a pivotal time in Jama
Software’s growth, as the company continues to grow rapidly. In
today’s complex development environments, companies are turning to Jama to manage product
development and delivery across
the entire process.”
Allen most recently was President and Chief Operating Officer
at Corbis working with Bill Gates.
Previously he held the position of
CFO at Corbis, where rebuilt financial operations to promote
growth and increase efficiencies.
He was also CFO at Market Leader, Move.com, Marketwave and
Cascade Design Automation. Allen spent six plus years at Coopers & Lybrand in Seattle, where
he earned his degree in Business
Administration from the University of Washington.
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BUSINESS TRIBUNE 7
Portland startup offers web cartoons
and the stats that underpin them
There are only two prices, $700 for major platforms such as Youand $1,600.
Tube, Vimeo, and Wistia (used by
It uses crowd-sourced temsmall businesses). It looks for
plates, based on a library of pre-li- your particular videos all over the
censed assets. For instance there web. It uses social logins, it can
are “Whiteboard Style,” “Dytell if the video has been shared,
namic Text,” and “Character
embedded, and even commented
Driven” options. Designers scaton. It also measures the SEO of
tered around the world have
the blog it lands on.
very company by now
come up with themes containing
“Our software tells them, ‘You
knows the value of online stock imagery - a man, a woman,
got this many shares, here’s your
video. People will sit
a pet, a house, amounting to hun- customer demographics, here’s
through a 90 second cardreds of items. Theme Dragon
your most popular video.’”
toon but they won’t struggle
staff animate the stills in Adobe
Part of the pitch is that anyone
through a top left 200 word exAfter Effects.
trying to sell online should have
plainer.
“Psychologically, it’s the way
multiple videos in their sales funAre you still with me?
humans prefer to take in informa- nel. So brand awareness (just capLindsay Nelson is CEO of
tion, with the moving image,
turing attention) is best done with
Theme Dragon (themedragon.
sounds and text. Video really con- how to videos.
com), a Portland company she
verts.”
“You have to set yourself up as
and her Cofounder and Chief
The website owner can add
a thought leader,” she buzzes
Technical Officer Jason Champitheir logo, change the color
again. Later videos allow you to
on run out of
scheme, add music
lure in and convert a customer,
their apartments.
and submit a script, and harvest the customer data atTheme Dragon
which is voiced by
tached to the video, which is inmakes it easy to
valuable.
NEWS ABOUT THE actors chosen by
produce a catchy
Theme Dragon. You
“Video marketing is still the
TECH INDUSTRY
animation for
check out on the site wild west, the tools are being dewebsites. Four
and in 10 days we
fined.” Competitors include VidIQ
years ago, the
(stats), PowToon (animations)
BY JOSEPH GALLIVAN deliver a finished
27-year-old U of O
video,” she says.
and SmartShoot (a matchmaker)
graduate started
“Humans edit it, beNelson is rather animated herPaper Krane, which made custom cause they catch things that soft- self — speaking quickly and usanimated marketing videos for
ware can’t.”
ing her hands a lot. She has that
medium to large companies,
Informational/educational vid- entrepreneurial drive and surety
charging from $6,500 to $20,000
eos can be longer, but usually 90
you don’t see every day in laideach, but mostly in the $9,000
seconds is all people will sit
back Portland. She comes from
range. One example is a DEQ exthrough.
brains rather than money: her
plainer about Accessory Dwelling
Like a lot of tech plays, Theme
parents are a marketer/realtor
Units (vimeo.com/87717129).
Dragon is really just the advance
and a Wilsonville K-8 teacher.
She created Theme Dragon to
guard for the real play, which is a She credits not her degree in Instreamline the Paper Krane prosubscription service called Stat
ternational Studies and Economcess.
Dragon and launches this week.
ics, but her time in the UO En“I think Theme Dragon is a
Stat Dragon scrapes your videos
trepreneurs Club in Eugene as
much larger market opportunity, from all your sites, such as Facehelping her realize she wanted
it’s more disruptive,” Nelson
book,
to be in business
buzzwords. “We’ve been listening LinkedIn,
for herself. She
to people’s pain points for four
Twitter
was in the Nine
years and they wanted their
and
Mile Labs accelerquicker video turnaround and a
Vimeo,
ator in Seattle
COURTESY : THEME DRAG ON from January
lower price point.” That is, faster
and tells
and cheaper. A typical company
you if they Theme Dragon, along with Stat Dragon,
though May of
is Lindsay Nelson’s third startup .
that has used Theme Dragon is
are any
2014, but couldn’t
Axial.
good. Not
wait to bring the
“They’re software. Software
whether
company home to
tends to have high level concepts the lighting is right and the faces Portland for the startup scene.
that are hard to convey, so anima- are lovely, but whether they are
“I’m really excited to launch a
tion is perfect for them.”
tagged properly and Search EnSaaS product,” she says, meaning
That makes sense: Generagine Optimized (a transcript
Software as a Service.
tion Whiteboard has found its
helps).
Buzzword or not, she could be a
medium.
It shows how to optimize video convert.
27-year-old talks about
her most “disruptive”
play yet, Stat Dragon,
which launches this week
E
TechTonic
Third startup by 2 7 :
Lindsay Nelson, CEO
and co- founder of
Theme Dragon and
Stat Dragon, which
allow p eop le to make
web videos and
animations cheap ly
and q uickly, then
minutely track the
viewers with the
goal of converting
them to a sale.
8 BUSINESS TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
THRIV ING ,
NOT JUST
SURVIVING
“ W e’re hap p y
to see all
dealership s
doing well
again. It
stimulates
the market,
it’s good for
the country,
it’s good for
everyone.”
-
Ed Tonkin
Local car dealers are
seeing a significant
increase in sales
BY JIM REDDEN
TRIBUNE PHOTO JOHN M. V INCENT
Brad Tonkin talks about bringing Ferrari and Maserati’s corp orate identity to the new W ilsonville dealership . The sp ace is much larger, lighter and brighter than their former location on Portland’s 1 2 2 nd Avenue.
A
uto dealers are enjoying their
highest sales since before the start
of the Great Recession — welcome
news for those who survived the
economic turmoil that shook up the industry
just a few years ago.
During the worst of it, the U.S. government pushed Chrysler and General Motors
into bankruptcies, resulting in the closures
of hundreds of dealerships, including several in the Portland area. Among them were
Timberline Dodge in Portland, Russ Chevrolet in Tigard, and Alan Webb Dodge in Vancouver. Additionally, all the Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and Saturn dealerships in the
country closed when General Motors
dropped the brands.
Now, however, personal vehicle sales are
on the rise. According to researcher Autodata Corp., total sales could reach 17.5 million
this year, the most since 2006, the year before the U.S. economy started to tank.
The increasing sales are especially important to those dealers who invested in new
and remodeled buildings during the economic downtown, a gamble that is paying off
with improved showrooms and service centers that are helping to sell more and more
vehicles.
For Russ Humberston Jr., the risks
mounted as he invested around $13 million
in his Beaverton Toyota-Scion dealership
during the past five years. Planning for the
complete renovation began in 2008 and work
started in 2010, about the time its Pontiac
and Saturn dealerships were being phased
out.
“We had some nervous moments,” Humberston admits.
But seeing the Beaverton Toyota project
through is paying off with a state-of-the-art
dealership that customers appreciate. Its
new service center is LEED certified, and
the new showroom and waiting room will be
soon. It also includes a new car wash that
recycles most of its water.
“The environmental features are important to our customers, especially those buy-
ing and services Toyota Prius hybrids,” says
Humberston.
The waiting room also features a comfortable coffee shop and deli, with an espresso
machine, sandwiches, salads and pastries. If
also has free wifi to help pass the time.
“Like Starbucks, we wanted to create a
third space between home and work where
people won’t mind waiting,” says Humbertson.
A grand opening for the renovated dealership at 4300 S.W. Murray Blvd. in Beaverton
will be scheduled soon.
The Ron Tonkin Family of Dealerships
didn’t lose any of their 17 franchises during
the recession. But the company had to
BUSINESS TRIBUNE 9
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
tighten its belt and work closely with its
bank to achieve the top priority of vice presidents Ed and Brad Tonkin — not laying off
any employees as sales plunged and revenues dropped. Decisions included reducing
truck and SUV inventories in favor of lowerpriced economy cars, moving janitorial and
other services in-house, and cutting back
but not eliminating advertising buys.
“Our employees are like family to us.
That’s why we named the company the Ron
Tonkin Family of dealerships,” says Ed. He
and Brad are the sons of company founder
Ron Tonkin, who passed away in January.
Ed also had a front row seat to the challenges confronting all dealerships across the
country. During the Chrysler and General
Motor bankruptcies, he was chair of the National Auto Dealers Association, which represents new car and truck dealers across
the country.
As a result, Ed spent much of his time in
Washington D.C. negotiating on behalf of
the dealerships with the Obama Administration. He could not understand why the government pushed hard for Chrysler and General Motors to reduce the number of their
dealers, which were not costing the manufacturers anything because of the structure
of their franchise agreements.
“The government simply didn’t understand how the business worked. When the
lists of dealerships to be closed came out, we
were all shocked. Many people lost everything they had with a stroke of a pen,” says
Ed.
During the economic downturn, the
Tonkin brothers also had to decide whether
to open a new Audi dealership in Wilsonville. They did, even as the business landscape was shifting under them. Brad remembers going before the Wilsonville City Council to get final approval for construction of
the dealership and being the only person on
the agenda.
“They approved it unanimously and after
the vote, several councilors came up to me
and asked if we really wanted to be building
it then,” says Brad.
Since the economy has begun to approve,
the company has remodeled almost all of its
dealerships along 122nd Avenue in Portland,
including the Chevy dealership at Burnside
with the iconic Ron Tonkin sign. The dealership is managed by Ed’s son Adam, one of
several Tonkin younger family members
working for the company.
The brothers also moved forward on a
long held dream, the recent move of the
company’s Gran Turismo dealership into
larger facilities in a renovated building at
25300 S.W. Parkway Ave. in Wilsonville.
Brad says the new location honors his late
father, who first began selling Ferraris in Oregon in 1966. He declined to say how much it
cost, but noted that manufacturers like Ferrari and Maserati require a lot of their franchise holders.
Although the car business is highly competitive, the Tonkins are glad to see sales
increasing across the board.
“We’re happy to see all dealerships doing
well again. It stimulates the market, it’s
good for the country, it’s good for everyone,” says Ed.
Russ Humberston with his
family, below and bottom,
at his Toyota-Scion dealership
in Beaverton.
COURTESY BEAVERTON TOYOTA-SCION
TRIBUNE PHOTO: JAIME VALDEZ
Ed Tonkin stands with his son, Adam, in
front of the iconic Ron Tonkin Chevrolet
sign at the dealership on SE 122nd
Avenue.
10
BUSINESS TRIBUNE
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[email protected]
COURTESY : MBANK
Brenda Felix has been named V ice
President and Manager of the G resham
branch of MBank.
MBank names Felix V P/ Manager
of G resham Branch
MBank has announced that
banking industry veteran and
Gresham native Brenda Felix has
joined MBank as Vice President
and Manager of the Gresham
Branch.
Felix comes to MBank with a
background in banking management at US Bank, Unitus Community Credit Union and Key Bank.
MBank President/CEO Jef Baker
said, “Brenda Felix is a great addition to the talented MBank team.
She has proven expertise in Small
Business banking and that is a cornerstone of community banking.
That experience is reinforced by
her personal connection as her
parents are small business owners
in the Gresham area.”
“Of the many great skills Brenda
brings to MBank,” said MBank Senior Vice-President Casey Ryan,
“is her connection to the community. That is vital for a community
bank. She has been an active member of the Gresham Chamber of
Commerce, the West Columbia
Gorge Chamber of Commerce, as
well as numerous community nonprofit groups.”
Ambre Energy files ap p eal
of Morrow Pacific denial
Ambre Energy, the Port of Morrow and the state of Wyoming are
all appealing the Oregon Department of State Lands’ decision last
month to deny a permit Ambre
sought for a coal export terminal it
wants to build near Boardman.
The Morrow Pacific project, as
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
YOURBUSINESS
envisioned by Ambre, would center
around two facilities it wants to
build: the proposed Coyote Island
Terminal in Morrow County, and a
terminal at the Port Westward industrial park in north Columbia
County. Coal would be barged
downriver from Boardman to Port
Westward, where it would be transloaded onto oceangoing vessels for
export. But the project faces opposition from Gov. John Kitzhaber and
many environmental and tribal
groups, and DSL announced its denial of a removal-fill permit for the
Coyote Island Terminal on Aug. 18.
Ambre and the Port of Morrow’s
decision to appeal was announced
Monday afternoon, Sept. 8.
“We disagree with DSL’s decision. We designed the project to
protect the environment while supporting the economy,” said John
Thomas, a vice president at Ambre
Energy, in a written statement
jointly released by Ambre and the
port. “We’ve done that, and we will
prove that again through the appeals process.”
Ambre Energy North America’s
executive director, president and
chief executive officer, Everett King,
suggested the permit was denied
because it was for a coal export
project.
“It’s pretty clear the politics of
coal overshadowed this process
from the beginning,” King said in
the statement Ambre and the port
released.
The port filed a separate appeal.
In the joint release announcing the
appeals, the port’s general manager, Gary Neal, decried the “new regulatory precedent” he said the DSL
denial created.
“We are appealing so that this
political decision does not limit economic opportunity in rural Oregon,” Neal added.
Wyoming, where the coal that
would be exported through Oregon
is mined in the Powder River Basin,
also lodged its own appeal of the decision.
“Coal is the fastest growing fuel
source in the world and this decision by the State of Oregon prevents Wyoming coal producers
from competing in that marketplace,” said Wyoming Gov. Matt
Mead, in a written statement from
his office. Mead added that Wyoming intends to “stand up” for the
coal industry.
The three appeals received the
support of the Alliance for Northwest Jobs & Exports, a trade group
that backs industrial development
in the region. Spokeswoman
Kathryn Stenger said the proposed
terminals “meet the high environmental standards our region
expects.”
Senior care with a sp iritual twist
in W ilsonville
Mark Turnbull’s background is
in the ministry. Today, the Wilsonville resident brings an element of
spirituality to his senior care business, ComForcare Portland South.
“I still treat this as a ministry,”
Turnbull said. “You’re helping people — you’re essentially walking
people through the aging process,
and through that aging process
there’s the spiritual side, but, more
importantly, the physical side.”
Turnbull and partner Christina
Myers, also a Wilsonville resident,
purchased the ComForcare franchise about a year ago. Their office
is located on Willamette Drive in
West Linn. From that office, ComForcare enlists an array of health
care professionals to provide custom care for patients and their
families.
“We provide in-home care,” said
Myers. “We try to keep mom and
dad independent in their home. We
do provide nursing services — we
can do medication administration
and things like that, but we just
want to keep mom and dad independent at home and help them
with the activities of daily living.”
Using a collaborative process involving the entire family, ComForcare does that by designing and
implementing a unique plan for
each client.
“Usually the kids approach us,”
Myers said. “And we just fill in the
gap ... where the kids can’t.”
Turnbull and Myers’ ComForcare franchise serves the south
Portland metro area. For their first
year, they offered only the most basic level of care, known as companion care. Recently, though, the
company received its comprehensive in-home care license from the
state.
Gaining the license was a big accomplishment.
“It’s hard to get in Oregon,” Myers said. “It’s an ordeal.”
Now, ComForcare Portland
South can offer an entire range of
in-home services, and has added a
pair of full-time registered nurses
to the staff.
“We’re both CSAs, or certified
senior advisers, which is important,” Myers said. “We can go into
a home and sit down with the entire family and take a broad brushstroke of what mom and dad’s
TRIBUNE PHOTO: JAIME V ALDEZ
Todd Sap erstein, owner of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, op ened his franchise last week at
Murray Scholls Town Center.
needs are.”
From there, a custom plan is developed.
“It’s a web of interrelated activities that seniors and families are
faced with,” Myers said. “I call myself a connector; I’m constantly
thinking how I can connect people
to solutions to their needs.”
W orkers’ comp ensation costs to
drop for second- straight year
The Department of Consumer
and Business Services (DCBS) announced that workers’ compensation costs will decrease an average
5.3 percent in 2015.
The department approved the
average decrease in “pure premium,” which is the portion of the
premium employers pay insurers
to cover anticipated claims costs
for job-related injuries and deaths.
Workers’ compensation pays injured workers for lost wages and
medical care for job-related injuries. Lower average costs in both of
those areas are driving down the
pure premium for the secondstraight year.
“Oregon’s strong commitment to
workplace safety and health continues to keep costs low for businesses,” said Patrick Allen, DCBS
director. “Efforts to control medical costs and get workers back to
work faster also have contributed
to rate decreases in the past two
years.”
The decrease is based on a recommendation from the Floridabased National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. (NCCI),
which analyzes industry trends
and prepares rate recommendations for the majority of states.
Pure premium reflects only a
portion of workers’ compensation
costs but is the key factor behind
annual cost changes. The decrease
is an average, so an individual employer may see a larger decrease,
no change, or even an increase depending on the employer’s own industry, claims experience, and payroll. Also, pure premium doesn’t
take into account the varying expenses and profit of insurance
companies.
The rate decrease is effective
Jan. 1, 2015, but employers will see
the changes when they renew their
policies in 2015.
Oregon’s workers’ compensation
premium rates have ranked low
nationally for many years. Only 11
states and the District of Columbia
had average rates lower than Oregon at the beginning of 2012, according to a biennial study conducted by DCBS. The department
will release a new study ranking
states’ 2014 worker’s compensation
costs in October.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit
comes to Portland
Todd Saperstein grew up in
Gresham and moved to Beaverton
more than 20 years ago. After
working in the mortgage industry,
Saperstein wanted to be his own
boss leading him to open the first
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in the Portland area. Last week, Beaverton’s
newest fast-casual option opened
with a three-day grand opening
celebration.
“The Portland area has nothing
like Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and everyone is getting excited about trying our authentic barbecue,” said
first time franchise owner, Todd
Saperstein. “Our location is near
Southridge High School, so we’re
looking forward to catering their
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
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[email protected]
events and giving back to the students.”
Saperstein hopes to open more locations
in the Portland area. He resides in Beaverton with his wife and child. The new Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Beaverton is located at
14700 SW Murray Scholls Drive, Suite.
Oregon State Chamber of Commerce
hires ex ecutive director
The Oregon State Chamber of Commerce
(OSCC) has announced its hiring of Brenda
Turner as Executive Director and its retention of Salem lobbying firm
Public Affairs Counsel for
business advocacy efforts
in the State Capitol.
OSCC represents 66 local
chambers of commerce —
and their members — in every corner of the state.
Turner brings with her a
wealth of experience in her
TURNER
new role as Executive Director. She has a strong
Chamber background with her experience
as the past Chamber Executive Director of
the Redmond Chamber of Commerce, a Past
Hermiston Chamber Board Chair and current consultant working with chambers on
goal-setting and strategic planning. Public
Affairs Counsel, headed by longtime business lobbyists J.L. Wilson and Mark Nelson,
is one of Oregon’s most influential lobbying
firms charged with helping OSCC increase
its effectiveness in the state legislature.
TigerLogic p resident retires,
new p resident named
TigerLogic Corporation has announced
senior leadership changes, further strengthening the company’s executive team. Brad
Timchuk has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer and Justin Garrity to the position of President, effective immediately, following the retirement of Richard W. Koe,
who has served as the company’s CEO and
President since 2009. Timchuk previously
served as the company’s Senior Managing
Director of Strategy and Garrity served as
the company’s Senior Vice President of
Postano. Koe will continue to serve as
Chairman of TigerLogic’s Board of Directors.
“I am delighted that TigerLogic is in the
position to capitalize on the strength and
experience of a highly capable leadership
team to continue the company’s transformation and our commitment to our customers
and shareholders,” said Koe. “Brad and Justin have been instrumental in driving our
new customer acquisitions, products, and
partnerships. With the accelerating adoption of the Postano platform, and the rejuvenation of the Omnis business, this is the
perfect time to pass the baton to Brad and
Justin to take TigerLogic to new heights.”
TigerLogic Corporation is a global provider in engagement solutions including the
Omnis mobile development platform, Storycode full service app development agency,
Y OU R BUSINESS
and Postano, a social media aggregation
and display platform.
HFO continues ex p ansion,
adding new staff and broker
The apartment-investment firm HFO Investment Real Estate has added three staff
positions and one broker. Already the largest apartment-only commercial real estate
brokerage in
Oregon and
SW Washington, the
company’s
expansion is
a reflection
of the company’s goal
to constantly
MARONA FEHRENBACHER
improve the
HFO experience coupled
with the
growth in
apartment
development.
Recently
added are
Spencer MaSTEPHENS
KINCAID
rona, Managing Director; Lee Fehrenbacher, Analyst; and Brian
Kincaid, Underwriter. Meanwhile, Jack Stephens has been promoted to Broker, bringing the number of licensed brokers in the
office to nine — its high water mark.
BUSINESS TRIBUNE 1
W illiam s nam ed as new d irect o r
o f st at e’ s o ffice o f film and T V
By KENDRA HOG UE
The Tribune
Tim Williams has been named executive director of the Oregon Governor’s Office of Film & TV, based in Portland. He
officially starts the job Oct. 1.
Previously based in London and New
York, most recently of Los Angeles, Williams
has been an executive and independent producer for more than 25 years. He has a long
history in film and TV production and finance throughout the U.S. and internationally.
He recently worked for Fox Searchlight
during preparations for the film “Wild,”
which shot on more locations throughout Oregon than any other feature film.
“I’m excited about the people, the talent
and the infrastructure that I have met and
seen in Oregon,” said Williams. “I can’t wait
to help build on what is already a thriving
creative community through a program
which seeks to invest in a diverse pattern of
both local and outside projects.”
Williams was hired after an extensive
search, following the March appointment of
former Executive Director Vince Porter as
Gov. Kitzhaber’s Policy Advisor on Jobs and
the Economy.
“I am pleased that Oregon was able to attract someone of Tim’s caliber and experience to join us and build upon Vince Porter’s
great work over the past years,” said Oregon
Film Board Chairman, Gordon Sondland.
“Gov. Kitzhaber and I are looking forward to
being able to work with Tim to continue to
create a robust and stable film and television
employment base in Oregon.”
The film and TV business in Oregon has
grown dramatically over the last six years.
“Qualified spending” that the office recruits
and retains jumped to $110.7 million in 2013
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Tim W illiams has been named ex ecutive director
of the G overnor’s office of Film and TV .
from $49 million in 2008, said outgoing director Porter in March. At that time, Porter expected 2014 to be a record year.
“This is a state I’ve always admired, having family who live and were born here,” said
Williams, “but it wasn’t until working on
“Wild” that I saw the strength of the Oregon
production community and the diversity of
locations that make this such a great filming
destination.”
“Wild,” based on an autobiography by
Portland author Cheryl Strayed, stars Reese
Witherspoon. Its world premiere was Aug. 29
at the Telluride Film Festival.
Kendra Hogue can be reached at [email protected].
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
G uild Mortgage recently sp onsored a Can- Am
Charity Karting event, which was p resented by M
Realty. Pictured from left are M Realty emp loyee
Jeff Brooks, owners G arron and Alicia Selliken,
and front, the Sellikens daughter, Emma.
Kart race raises $ 4 ,0 0 0 for charity
The Lake Oswego branch of Guild Mortgage Company recently sponsored a CanAm Charity Karting event, which they plan
on making an annual occurrence.
The event raised more than $4,000 for
Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) to aid
ill children, teens and their families.
Presented by M Realty, the event took
place at Pat’s Acres Racing Complex. Each
kart racing team raised funds from friends
and colleagues to sponsor its entry in the
race and support CCA.
Teams were able to “rent a pro” by contributing donations to have some of the
country’s best competitive kart racers on
their teams. Teams also raised donations by
securing funds per lap raced.
In addition to dozens of patients and their
families, members of the Chemo Pal program
joined the fun and visited with pro racers.
“It was a great experience for the kids
and a lot of fun for all of the participants,”
Brent Lucas, business development manager of Guild Mortgage’s Lake Oswego branch
said. “What a great way to be involved in
the community. Everyone enjoyed having
the kids and their families come out, visit
with our team and meet the racers. We’re
already working on plans to be involved
next year.”
CCA delivers resources, friendship and
the healing power of music to kids and
teens facing life-threatening illnesses
through MusicRX, FriendshipRX and
PlayRX initiatives.
As part of the Guild Giving Program,
Guild employees donate their time and
money to worthy causes in their communities.
12 BUSINESS TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Aji Tram and
Sabrozon serving up
specialty cuisines
NEW RESTAURANTS
OPEN IN LAKE GROVE
Eric Mann has opened Aji Tram, which offers Asian fusion
foods served in an American modernistic way.
STAFF PHOTOS: VERN UYETAKE
Sabrozon owners Maggie and Raul De La Torre and their daughter, Amber Rago, show off some of the items on their menu.
BY BARB RANDALL
L
ake Oswego resident Eric
Mann has opened Aji Tram,
a restaurant serving Asian
fusion foods served in an
American modernistic manner.
“Aji means ‘flavor’ in Japanese,”
Mann said. “And tram is Vietnamese for ‘station.’” Mann’s flavor station is picking up steam in the
neighborhood.
Mann brings a lifelong passion
for food to the business. Cooking
— especially Asian foods — is a
passion for the whole family. His
first foray into the food industry
was to manage Lucero, a retail
store which sold olive oils and other products from his mother’s family’s California olive orchards. The
experience was valuable but Mann
was ready for a bigger challenge.
“I’ve known I wanted to have
my own restaurant since I was 12,”
he said. “We toured Vietnam and
Thailand. When we traveled to
Vietnam I took cooking classes
and discovered that the foods of
South and North Vietnam are different from each other.”
The menu Mann has created features a variety of small plates. Try
bahn mi sliders, Korean street noodles, tempura popcorn shrimp,
General Tso chicken wings and the
weekly specials. It’s not food
served in a hurry; “when it is
ready it comes out,” Mann said.
“My vision is to make this an inviting vibrant place,” Mann said.
“It’s a place where people can
come and be themselves. It’s casual.”
You won’t see servers in uniforms or white tablecloths. You
will see hip wood décor with red
and black accents, designed by
Todd Conger of Shelter NW, a former classmate of Mann’s.
Aji Tram is located at 4477
Lakeview Blvd.
The restaurant is closed Mondays and open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and
4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to
midnight on Friday; 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday and noon to 8 p.m.
Sunday.
Visit ajitram.com or the Aji
Tram Facebook page for more information.
Just a few blocks away is Sabrozon Fresh Mexican Restaurant and
Catering. According to owner Raul
De La Torre sabrozon means “delicious.” He ought to have named
the restaurant “Mucho Sabrozon”
as delicious falls short of describing the food. Sabrozon serves authentic Mexican dishes using recipes developed by generations of
the De La Torre family.
“Our recipes are family traditions for over 25 years,” De La
Torre said. “This is a family restaurant. My daughters, my moth-
er-in-law, my wife and I are working here.” Partner Luis Millan and
his family also pitch in.
This is the first restaurant for
Sabrozon, which began as a catering company two years ago.
“My wife and I have more than
20 years’ experience working in
restaurants,” De La Torre said.
“We aim to make different items,
and the most authentic as possible. The food tastes different and
people like it.”
De La Torre said they use traditional Mexican ingredients
such as queso fresco cheese and
nopales, the pads of the prickly
pear cactus. They serve homemade corn tortillas and will soon
be making flour tortillas daily. All
food is prepared fresh daily.
Menu items of special note include the street tacos made of a
variety of meats, the Baja taco
plate, featuring lettuce wrapped
fish tacos, chile relleno burrito,
Sonora fresh wraps, tostada sal-
ad, queso fundido, an appetizer
made of melted cheese with chorizo and strips of roasted green
pepper served with homemade
corn tortillas. And don’t forget
the sweets; fried ice cream,
grilled plantains, flan and sopapillas are at the top of the dessert
menu.
De La Torre said catering continues to be a big part of their
business and he offers delivery of
lunches to area businesses. Soon
the Sabrozon taco cart will be
ready to book for parties at your
home or business.
“The taco cart will be great
fun,” De La Torre said. “You can
have a fiesta party right in your
own driveway.”
Sabrozon is located at 17770
SW Pilkington Road in Lake Oswego. It is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Monday through Saturday. The
phone number is 503-908-8488.
Learn more and view the menu
online: sabrozoncatering.com.
BUSINESS TRIBUNE 13
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Training
pooches and S
the people
who love them
BY CLIFF NEWELL
Lucid Dog Training
makes dogs better dogs,
masters better masters
ometimes a dog owner
looks at his dog and
thinks, “Rover is just not
as good a dog as I would
like him to be.”
But has a dog owner ever
thought the dog might be thinking the same thing about him?
This paradox has provided an
opening for a new kind of dog
training business called Lucid
Dog Training of Lake Oswego.
Chris Wojda and Katie Brower
have combined their unique talents to offer a service dedicated
to developing richer relationships between dogs and the men
and women who love them. Dogs
become man’s best friend in fact
as well as in cliché.
“In working with dogs I’ve
been able to get them to do some
amazing things,” Wojda said.
“Not just dog tricks but showing
owners and dogs how to relate.
Our entire curriculum is to help
people understand their dogs
better. It’s a lifetime learning experience. Dog training is not
something you do for six weeks
and it’s over.”
Wojda graduated from Lakeridge High School and recently
moved back to Lake Oswego. He
REV IEW , TIDING S PHOTO: V ERN UY ETAKE
Katie Brower and Chris W odj a want owners and dogs to see each other in an
entirely new way. They are sup p orted in this goal by Brower’s dog, Annie.
had a 16-year career in advertising before he decided he liked
training dogs better than making business deals. He has long
been deeply involved in the intellectual side of dog training.
“It has always been my personal passion to work with
dogs,” Wojda said. “I’ve always
studied it.”
But Lucid Dog Training would
not have come about if Wojda
had not met Brower a year ago.
Brower did not have Wojda’s expertise with dogs, but she was
an expert with people after six
years as an elementary school
teacher and earning a master’s
degree in adult education. Her
meeting with Wojda was a
match made in dog training
heaven.
“I’ve gotten out of public education, and I’ve switched to critters,” said Brower, who also
trains horses. “Chris is very
skilled and knowledgeable about
dogs, and I’m catching up with
him. But my specialty is people.”
Together, Brower and Wojda
are creating golden futures for
owners and their dogs.
“Families can do a lot more
with dogs than they ever imagined,” Wojda said. “Once they
can get their dogs to really
want to do things, the training
is easy. The dog can be made to
see the person as the center of
all things good, the source of
everything it likes.”
Wojda and Brower can teach
dogs to walk nicely on a leash
instead of jerking you all over
the neighborhood and how to
play catch, play recall (training
your dog to come when it is
called), attain impulse control
and much more.
“People see a highly trained
dog and say, ‘If only my dog
could do that,’” Wojda said. “It
can. You can set up your dog for
success.”
A dog owner can’t ask for
more than for their dog to do a
lot of tricks and to idolize them.
Just like Brower’s dog, Annie,
a canine of boundless good nature and a role model for other
dogs on how to act in a park.
For more about Lucid Dog
Training, go to luciddogtraining.
com or call 503-702-3690.
Beaverton / Cedar Hills
2905 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
503.626.1400
Hillsboro / Tanasbourne
2364 NW Amberbrook Dr.
503.352.5252
Oregon City / Hilltop
334 Warner Milne Rd.
503.722.8222
437753.060613 ENT
West Linn / Ristorante
18740 Willamette Dr.
503.636.9555
BUGATTISRESTAURANT.COM
1 4 BUSINESS TRIBUNE
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
OHSU MAKES DATA
STORAGE A BREEZE
Perry G liessman,
Oregon Health &
Science
University’s
director of
advanced
technology,
stands in front
of a geodesic
dome that
houses OHSU’s
new “ Data
Center W est” in
Aloha.
TRIBUNE PHOTO:
JAIME V ALDEZ
Aloha data dome
an innovative marvel
BY SHANNON O. WELLS
A
s the mercury steadily
reaches toward the 80s in
Hillsboro on a bright,
sunny morning, the temperature inside a hulking, silver
spaceship-like geodesic dome
keeps things in the cool and comfy
neighborhood of 70 degrees.
There would be little wrong with
this picture but for the fact that —
unlike at most digital data storage
facilities — there is nary an airconditioning unit to be found.
Through an inherently basic, yet
ingeniously designed “ambient”
louver and fan system, the dome
housing Oregon Health & Science
University’s new Data Center West
in Aloha keeps it cool through
varying velocities of circulated
outside air. As the mild interior
breeze cools the pods of digital da-
ta servers, storage units and controls, the warm air naturally rises
and wafts out through louvers
around the dome’s perimeter.
“This is one of the most efficient
ambient air-cooling systems in the
country,” said Perry Gliessman,
southwest Portland-based OHSU’s
director of advanced technology.
“Most data centers use classic air
conditioning. This one has no A/C
or ductwork. You can get rid of
those systems and have very high
efficiency.”
The continuous airflow cycle —
which is essentially reversed to
heat the building during winter
months — saves thousands of dollars in equipment costs, while saving power for the structure’s primary purpose: storing millions of
electronic gigabytes of invaluable
medical and research data.
Gliessman, a seven-year OHSU
veteran, designed the cooling sys-
tem, along with the rest of the
domed storage facility located on
its West Campus. Construction of
the $22 million facility, designed to
augment the medical center’s
smaller downtown Portland databank for years to come, started in
May 2013. The dome operation was
brought online July 1.
Wired to channel up to 3.8 megawatts of computing power, the data
center comprises modular pods designed to accommodate more computer servers as OHSU’s medical
and teaching facility’s data needs
increase.
At full capacity, Data Center
West could house thousands of
servers and millions of gigabytes
(measured as a “petabyte”) of data.
Scientists and physicians increasingly use computer technologies to analyze a patient’s genetic
profile, use advanced medical imaging and other research techniques in an effort to examine the
“ This is one of the most
efficient ambient air- cooling
systems in the country.”
—
Perry G liessman
human body more precisely to better treat and cure disease.
“What we’re trying to do with
cancer, for instance, is to understand it at many levels of resolution — to help individual patients
and to search for cures,” said Dr.
Joe Gray, associate director for
translational research at OHSU’s
Knight Cancer Institute. “But the
technologies we use to do that generate tremendous amounts of data.
We need the capability of storing
and analyzing that data in ways far
beyond traditional technology.”
Gliessman, a 25-year resident of
unincorporated Washington County, started plan and design work on
the dome in 2010 with OHSU’s Information Technology Group.
A better way
“After being very familiar with
how data centers were designed
and built, I simply believed there
was a better way,” Gliessman said.
“I believed we could build a data
center designed in a way that
made it more efficient and more
easily expandable to meet OHSU’s
vision.”
The building features large airintake louvers toward the bottom
and an array of air vents near the
top. Below the cavernous space be-
neath the dome, 10 computer server “pods” are arranged, like a large
wagon wheel, in a hub spoke and
heel design. The arrangement provides the shortest path route for
circulating air, fiber optic cable and
power distribution.
“It’s a unique combination of design elements,” said Gliessman,
who with OHSU has a patent pending on the design. “You can put a
lot of equipment in a small space
and provide an enormous amount
of power. We’d like to see a data
center like this used as a model.”
The center is linked via fiber optic cable to OHSU’s older data storage facility, which takes up part of
one floor of a downtown Portland
office building.
The connection between the two
centers is part of the dome’s highredundancy design. To account for
routine breakdowns, power lapses,
weather-related mishaps and even
a major earthquake, everything
from power generators to digital
data servers to the cooling fans
have backups of backups.
“We have extra everything,”
Gliessman explained. “To maintain
OHSU’s research, teaching and
health care services, we have to
make sure this is operational 365
days and 24/7.”
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