An Update on Employer Use of Criminal Background Checks from the EEOC By Barran Liebman LLP Oregon law firm The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has now modernized its stance on the use of criminal background checks by employers, a topic it had not formally weighed in on in over […]

Two Oregon businesses have just filed for bankruptcy. By Oregon Small Business Association Portland’s HemCon Medical Technologies Inc., makes bandages for wounded warriors. With only 65 employees, HemCon had revenues of $73 million four years ago. But for more than six years, it has been the target of a patent-infringement […]

by Sean Hackbarth Free Enterprise U.S. Chamber of Commerce Monday feels like forever ago when Al Armendariz resigned as an EPA Regional Administrator after his “crucify” oil and gas company comment zipped around the internet. Today, both the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal tackle what his comments mean for […]

Video of the week goes to WSJ for experts talking about what is Facebook worth and the fear of it being over-valued at the start of their IPO.

Tim Duy Oregon Economic Forum University of Oregon Economic indicators were again mixed in February 2012. As expected, the Oregon Measure of Economic Activity rebounded to -0.34 from an upwardly revised -1.10 in February (“zero” for this measure indicates the average growth rate over the 1990-present period). The three-month moving […]

by Bill Conerly Conerly Consulting, Businomics I’ve described my international economic forecast over on my Forbes site, comparing my views to the recent International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook, April 2012. For a quick preview, consider the risks to the global economic outlook: International Forecast

Taking a Bite Out of Wage and Hour Audits — Portland restaurateurs take heed, the Department of Labor could come knocking on your door soon! By Barran Liebman LLP Oregon law firm On April 5, 2012, the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor unveiled a Fair […]

By Patrick Emerson, OSU Professor Oregon Economics Blog I find the news that Reed College has hired John Kroger completely fascinating. To say he is an unconventional choice is a massive understatement. Outgoing Reed President Colin Diver was the one who really broke the mold, with only a B.A. and […]

By  Phoebe Colman Oregon Employment Department, Discussions about job creation in the U.S. economy often focus on the relative importance of small versus large businesses as engines of economic growth. More recently, this conversation broadened to include questions about the dynamics of young businesses and the importance of business age […]

by Shawn Narancich, CFA Vice President of Research Ferguson Wellman Capital Managment Portland, Oregon Is Another Summer Swoon on the Way? Meanwhile, economic data continues to weaken in the month of April as euro zone manufacturing activity declined andEnglandofficially entered recession while domestically, durable goods orders fell in March and […]