Archives

January 22, 2009 - Interview with businessman and lawmaker Scott Bruun

By Aaron Crowley, Oregon Small Business Association Scott Bruun is not your typical business owner or Oregon State Representative.   He is one of only a handful of citizen legislators serving in Salem who owns and operates a business enterprise.  This business experience brings a much needed perspective to the capital […]


January 22, 2009 - Oregon’s New Meal and Rest Period Rules

Dunn, Carney, Allen, Higgins and Tongue Attorneys at Law, Portland eAlerts, 1/21/09 As you may recall, the Oregon Supreme Court decided earlier this year that employees could not bring wage claims against employers for a missed rest period (click here for the article). In response, the Oregon Bureau of Labor […]


January 21, 2009 - As Legislature Convenes, Business Community Forms Alliance on Key Issues

J.L. Wilson Associated Oregon Industries In the week prior to the start of the 2009 Oregon Legislature, AOI convened a “summit” of Oregon’s leading business associations to talk strategically about the session’s major business issues.  Coming out of that meeting was a dedication to working together under the banner of […]


January 20, 2009 - First bank in Washington closes since 1993

Department Of Financial Institutions Closes Bank Of Clark County In Vancouver, Wash. Umpqua Bank Will Be New Owner Bank of Clark County will reopen Tuesday — with minimal disruption of service throughout this holiday weekend — under new ownership with Umpqua Bank of Roseburg, Ore. Department Of Financial Institutions Release […]


January 19, 2009 - Economic Forecast Updated January 2009

By Bill Conerly, Businomics, Conerly Consulting The worst part of this forecast update is history.  The fourth quarter is still a forecast, because we won’t have official GDP data for another couple of weeks, but the monthly numbers we have are looking worse and worse.  As I mentioned recently, exports, […]


January 16, 2009 - Oregon taxpayers face higher income taxes

By Economist Dr. Eric Fruits, Econinternational Oregon’s personal exemption tax credit is the most widely claimed state income tax credit.  The most recent information from the state indicates that 93 percent of taxpayers claim the credit.  The average taxpayer has a $308 personal exemption tax credit.  Without the personal exemption […]


January 15, 2009 - Ecommerce Sales Thrive While Retail Sales Dive

Ken Niezgoda, BIZ Reporter If you’re a small retail business owner looking for that hedge against the recession, you may not have to look any further than the screen that’s currently in front of your nose.  While retail sales have dropped off, ecommerce sales continue to show gains nationally. “E-commerce […]


January 14, 2009 - The big layoffs. Who is laying off and how how many?

By Alyssa Williams, Below are some of the notable and high profile job losses announced during the past six months. Hynix Semiconductor – 1,400 jobs Hewlett-Packard – 300 jobs Milwaukie Affiliated Computer Services – 285 jobs, Qwest – 101 jobs Tektronix – 150 jobs Con-Way Inc.– 88 jobs DHL Express […]


January 13, 2009 - Mandatory Use of E-Verify Postponed until February 20, 2009

Barran Liebman LLP Electronic Alerts Attorneys practice labor and employment law Electronic AlertSM,Vol.12, Issue 1, 1/12/09 In November, a final rule was announced to enforce President Bush’s Executive Order requiring most federal contractors and subcontractors to use E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility for all new hires and all existing employees […]


January 12, 2009 - Consumer Spending and the End of the Recession

By Bill Conerly, Businomics, Conerly Consulting Following up on this post, I’ve posted a video explanation of the role that consumer spending will play in the recovery from the current recession.