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Oregon, Washington Go Big on Workforce Development

Tuesday, March 04, 2025

Companies looking for regions where the workforce is growing have new reasons to consider the Pacific Northwest, as both Oregon and Washington have made significant investments in expanding the regional talent pool in recent years. In Oregon Future Ready Oregon (FRO), a once-in-a-generation $200 million investment approved in 2022, was designed to address economic challenges brought on by the pandemic and support high-demand industries, including healthcare, IT, advanced manufacturing, and construction. The program has accelerated training expansion, enabling faster access to career coaching, scholarships, and work-based learning opportunities. Workforce Development Boards, including Worksystems and Clackamas Workforce Partnership, received initial FRO funding in...

NSI Expands Sherwood branch of Silicon Forest

Monday, June 03, 2024

New industrial space grows regional leadership in the semiconductor manufacturing supply chainView and share a PDF version of this article here.At the heart of the Silicon Forest are people, and at semiconductor industry supplier NSI in Sherwood, you can’t miss them. Before anyone enters the pristine manufacturing floor, they walk by portraits of all 90 NSI employees. They are the ones manufacturing critical components essential to the production of semiconductors and solar panels – some across the Pacific, some a few miles away in Hillsboro. Those faces were also at the center of NSI’s biggest business decision in its history.In 2022,...

Portland’s national rise previewed by new data at Greater Portland Inc

Tuesday, April 09, 2024

CBRE data shows signs of optimism for regional comeback  PORTLAND, Ore. (April 8, 2024) – Oregonians looking for signs of the region’s economic comeback got a dose of optimism Monday with new data from commercial real estate firm CBRE highlighting Greater Portland’s ready workforce, high concentration of life sciences talent, and global reputation for high quality food and beverage products. Speaking at the first ever Greater Portland Economic Nexus event organized by Greater Portland Inc, and sponsored by Business Oregon and NAIOP, CBRE vice chairman Eric Stavriotis shared analysis of how Portland could leverage its advantages to reattract business to the region. Source: CBREA...

Signed CHIPS Act a boon to Greater Portland's Silicon Forest

Wednesday, August 10, 2022

President Joe Biden signed a $280 billion bipartisan bill to boost domestic high-tech manufacturing Tuesday, part of his administration’s push to boost U.S. competitiveness over China.  Flanked by scores of lawmakers, union officials, local politicians and business leaders, Biden feted the legislation, a core part of his economic agenda that will incentivize investments in the American semiconductor industry in an effort to ease U.S. reliance on overseas supply chains for critical, cutting-edge goods.  “The future of the chip industry is going to be made in America,” Biden said in a sweltering Rose Garden ceremony Tuesday, referring...

Finnish Company SIQ Basketball Chooses Portland for New HQ

Tuesday, July 05, 2022

"SIQ Basketball, which makes a technology to give amateur and pickup players the same technological insights as the pros, is the latest startup to pick Portland for a headquarters. CEO Erik Anderson grew up in Los Angeles and went to school at Oregon State University. When he took over the startup in January 2021 he saw the opportunity to return to the Beaver State. The company’s roots go back about 10 years but its current iteration has been around for five, Anderson said. It was started in Finland by Finnish former professional basketball player Harri Hohteri, who also...

World Athletics Championships Put Oregon’s Tracktown USA on the Global Stage

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

  The World Athletics Championships are coming to the United States for the first time ever. This extraordinary showcase featuring 2,000 athletes from 200 nations will take center stage at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. While the World Athletics Championships typically take place in larger cities, Eugene’s unique track and field legacy made it an ideal location for the 2022 championships. Multiple legends of the sport – including Bill Bowerman, Steve Prefontaine, Bill Dellinger, and Ashton Eaton – have all called Hayward Field home. The first artificial track was laid at the...

Oregon chip industry supplier will quadruple its space with new Sherwood factory

Tuesday, May 03, 2022

A Tigard company that supplies gas and chemical equipment to Oregon semiconductor manufacturers plans to quadruple its factory footprint this year by moving to a new site in Sherwood. The company, NSI, is moving from two buildings with a combined 15,000 square feet of manufacturing to a newly built, 62,000-square foot plant. NSI said the new site will “dramatically increase” its production and enable it to meet rapidly increasing demand. The company described the expansion as a “multiple million-dollar investment.” Read the full article from The Oregonian.  GPI was proud to support our partners...

Wilsonville Adopts First WIN Zone to Support Twist Bioscience's $70M Investment

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

City of Wilsonville NEWS RELEASEFor Immediate ReleaseAugust 17, 2021    CONTACT: Bill Evans, Communications and Marketing Manager 503-570-1502; evans@ci.wilsonville.or.usCity Council Adopts First WIN Zone to Support Twist Bioscience’s $70 Million Capital Investment in WilsonvilleWILSONVILLE, Ore. — At the August 16, 2021, meeting of the Wilsonville City Council, the Council approved the adoption of the Twist Bioscience Wilsonville Investment Now (WIN) Zone, a new 4.4-acre site-specific Urban Renewal Area at the Parkway Industry Center (26600 SW Parkway Dr.). This economic development agreement, the first established under WIN administrative rules adopted last year, provides property-tax rebates to incentivize new capital investment and family-wage jobs...

Twist BioScience Doubles Wilsonville Lease, Qualifies for New Tax Incentive Program

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Twist Bioscience has doubled down on its investment in Greater Portland, exercising its right of first refusal to nearly double its "Factory of the Future" in Wilsonville from 110,000 square feet to 190,000 square feet. The facility, at ParkWorks Industry Center on Southwest Parkway Avenue, will house as many as 400 bioscience workers. The new office is slated to become operational in 2022.  Twist, based in San Francisco, is a synthetic biology and genomics company whose proprietary technology enables it to manufacture synthetic DNA by “writing” the DNA on a silicon chip. The larger facility will support Twist's rapid...

High-Tech Apparel Firm Oros Secures Federal Funding, Expands in Portland

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Portland-based outwear company OROS is expanding its operations after securing federal funding in the budget passed by Congress earlier this year. OROS uses NASA technology to create technical apparel that can withstand extreme temperatures. The defense research & development funding will enable the U.S. military to hire the firm to create next-generation protective apparel for soldiers. Greater Portland Inc assisted OROS in securing the federal funding, which will allow the firm to hire more scientists, researchers and designers in Portland to perform the cutting-edge research and development required of a federal contractor.  The company relocated its headquarters from Cincinnati...

Genentech Doubles Down on Greater Portland with $175M Hillsboro Investment

Friday, February 12, 2021

Biotechnology giant Genentech is set to open its newest facility in Greater Portland by the end of 2021's first quarter. The $175-million, 130,000-square-foot facility in Hillsboro will be dedicated to the commercialization of individualized medicines, according to the Portland Business Journal.  South San Francisco-based Genentech said the building represents a “$175 million investment in new technologies and platforms that will allow us to scale our manufacturing capacity and deliver on our vision of providing the right treatment to the right patient at the right time. It will also drive job creation, as we anticipate hiring more than 100 people...

Microsoft Joins Apple, Intel in Grater Portland's Semiconductor Sector

Tuesday, February 02, 2021

Microsoft just made a key investment in Greater Portland: Its new office in Hillsboro will be its regional engineering hub.  "Microsoft is the latest tech giant to expand in the Portland area and tap the semiconductor and hardware talent pool that has grown around Intel's massive presence," the Portland Business Journal reported. "Apple Inc., which is now developing its own chips, recently leased space in Portland's Central Eastside Industrial District."  Microsoft Engineer Selim Bilgin, who spent more than 20 years at Intel and was most recently vice president and general manager for Intel validation engineering, will lead the...

Greater Portland Ranked No. 1 Best Place to Live on the West Coast

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Greater Portland is the best place to live on the West Coast, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report. To compile the annual list, U.S. News analyzed the 150 most populous metro areas and ranked them according to value, desirability, job market and quality of life. Greater Portland scored high in all of these categories, and nabbed a near-perfect desirability score. That score, calculated from a survey of 3,000 people across the U.S. conducted in August 2020, shows that the Portland area remains a very attractive place to live. Overall, the report ranked Greater Portland...

Adidas' Expanded North American Headquarters Nears Completion

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Adidas employees will start moving into the company's newly expanded headquarters in North Portland starting in October, the Portland Business Journal reports.  The expanded Portland campus will "more than double the size of the company's North American headquarters and provide better showroom space in which to display products for large accounts," further cementing Greater Portland's identity as the footwear design capital of the world.  The company broke ground on the campus expansion in 2018, and construction is slated to be complete in 2021. "It's always been our aspiration to have one centralized hub for our Portland employees,...

Beaverton Healthcare Startup GrowthPlug Wins TiE50 Award for Rapid Growth

Wednesday, September 09, 2020

GrowthPlug, an SaaS startup accelerating patient growth and automating front desk operations for healthcare practices, on Tuesday announced that it had been selected as a 2020 TiE50 Winner in the prestigious TiE50 Awards Program. The awards competition is a program of TiEcon, the world's largest conference for tech entrepreneurs.  According to its announcement, GrowthPlug was recognized for its rapid growth, and "is witnessing tremendous customer interest during these uncertain times as healthcare practices are exploring new ways to operate and connect with their patient base." GrowthPlug says hundreds of healthcare practices across the US use its platform to manage...

Intel Unveils Powerful New Chip Made in Greater Portland's Silicon Forest

Thursday, September 03, 2020

Intel on Wednesday unveiled its newest processor, dubbed Tiger Lake. The new chip, made specifically for laptops and PCs, enables higher performance and better power management. The microprocessor was made right here in Greater Portland, maintaining our region's reputation as a world leader in the semiconductor industry.  According to The Oregonian, "Intel crafted Tiger Lake at its Jones Farm campus in Hillsboro (10 miles west of Portland) and the first chips are already coming off the line at the company’s Ronler Acres factory complex nearby. More than 1,000 Oregon employees worked to develop the chip since 2016, an especially...

Apple Latest Big-Name Tech Firm to Expand in Portland

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

The Portland Business Journal reports that Apple is expanding its presence in Portland with a new office located in the Central Eastside Industrial District. Apple's employment board lists 30 Portland positions, many for engineering jobs, the report says. "Portland has become a popular outpost for technology companies headquartered in Seattle and the Bay Area. Google plans to completely move into two floors of the Meier & Frank building by 2021. Amazon in August opened a second office downtown near the AWS Elemental headquarters. "Airbnb, the short-term rental company with approximately 400 Portland employees, in July expanded by 10,000 square...

On Footwear Company Chooses Portland For North American Headquarters

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

On, a Swiss footwear company, has joined Nike and Adidas in siting a headquarters office in Portland. According to The Oregonian, the fast-growing company moved its North American headquarters to Portland from Clearwater, Florida after struggling to find qualified talent there.  Caspar Coppetti, one of the three Swiss friends who founded the brand, praised Greater Portland's abundance of footwear industry talent. “Portland is the Silicon Valley of sportswear,” he said.  Now the company is in hiring mode, as it grows its Portland office from 43 to 71. Read the full story here.

Success Story: Columbia County

Saturday, May 17, 2025

Available industrial land, innovative R&D, and a new manufacturing workforce training center bring new opportunity for business.Columbia County, just north of Portland, has been at heart of the region’s manufacturing since the 19th century.Here they made cobblestones for Portland’s first city streets and U.S. Navy ships for the first world war. Now Columbia County is making a new future with a rising new workforce, trading yesteryear’s timber milling  for advanced manufacturing with new metal alloys and computer-aided design.“Students are deciding as early as 4th grade, especially girls, if they will go into college or pursue a career in STEM or...

Oregon, Washington Go Big on Workforce Development

Wednesday, March 05, 2025

Oregon, Washington Go Big on Workforce DevelopmentCompanies looking for regions where the workforce is growing have new reasons to consider the Pacific Northwest, as both Oregon and Washington have made significant investments in expanding the regional talent pool in recent years.In OregonFuture Ready Oregon (FRO), a once-in-a-generation $200 million investment approved in 2022, was designed to address economic challenges brought on by the pandemic and support high-demand industries, including healthcare, IT, advanced manufacturing, and construction. The program has accelerated training expansion, enabling faster access to career coaching, scholarships, and work-based learning opportunities. Workforce Development Boards, including Worksystems and Clackamas Workforce...

Progressive Oregon has a new Business-Friendly Posture

Thursday, April 11, 2024

PORTLAND, Ore., April 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed into law a raft of new legislation in recent days that shows Oregon squarely positioning the greater Portland area for a historic economic comeback.While the legislative action to end Oregon's legalization of hard drugs has grabbed the most national headlines, the governor's signature on bills to expand the state's semiconductor workforce, further industrial land readiness, and invest in sports all show a state government leaning heavily into economic development."Corporations seek fresh industrial land, high-value talent, and a high quality of life, and the governor's actions this year, including ending...

17 Reasons to Move Your Business to Portland, Oregon

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

  Greater Portland is on the rise. Its thriving economy, highly educated workforce and attractive cost of living make it a great place to start or grow a business. The region's strategic location, strong transportation system and abundant natural resources make it an ideal place to call home. Here are 17 reasons to move your business to Portland, Oregon. Growing labor market: With 7.3% employment growth in 2021, Greater Portland is the fourth-fastest growing labor market in the U.S., according to an analysis of federal data for the 100 largest metros by The Business...

OSU researcher seeking battery 'paradigm shift' wins $3M federal grant

Thursday, November 17, 2022

An Oregon State University researcher will use a $3 million federal grant to study a battery technology that avoids the use of elements that could come into short supply as electric vehicle adoption expands. Xiulei “David” Ji, professor of chemistry at Oregon State, will lead a team that includes researchers from Howard University, the University of Maryland and Vanderbilt University on the project. Growing demand for lithium-ion batteries that use nickel and cobalt, particularly for use in EVs, has raised concerns about the availability of those materials. Read the full article on the Portland Business Journal.

Meet the companies leading Portland’s sustainable apparel cluster

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

Footwear and apparel makers are becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of products that contain polyester-based and synthetic materials that will live on for centuries in landfills, unable to decompose. Portland is a footwear and apparel industry mecca, home to three industry leaders — Nike, Adidas and Columbia Sportswear — and other smaller startups. With so much talent in the city, several companies have risen as key players in what is now a sustainable apparel cluster in the Rose City. Jeffrey Jordan, son of Michael Jordan, and Tim Gobet, a 15-year Nike alum, recently launched Äktiiv, which...

PSU Consultant RFQ for Regional Innovation Hub

Monday, September 12, 2022

PSU released a RFQ seeking a consultant to provide a needs assessment for a Regional Innovation Hub for the metro region. PSU received funding from Business Oregon to support this planning process. The hub was identified as a potential action in the recently adopted Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). GPI is proud to support PSU’s work on this project as one of 15 core partners. Responses are due Sept 21. Please feel free to share with any consultant colleagues or partners that may be interested.   Read the RFQ here.  

Port of Portland Expands Container Service

Wednesday, September 08, 2021

For Immediate Release • September 7, 2021  Susie Rantz • 503.415.6054 • susie.rantz@portofportland.com Port of Portland Welcomes New Marine Service to Terminal 6  Regional businesses and consumers will have more options to move products following pandemic supply chain issues  A year and a half after weekly container service returned to the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6 – thanks to South Korea-based carrier SM Line – more container service is coming to help address critical supply chain issues for local businesses, farmers and growers, and consumers.  The new business at Terminal 6 includes: An...

Portland is a "Goldilocks Place" for Fintech Startups, Says Sila Money CEO Shamir Karkal

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Greater Portland is poised to be the next big hub for financial tech companies. During a Jan. 27 virtual industry tour, co-hosted by Greater Portland Inc and SelectUSA, local fintech CEOs and industry experts shared the many advantages of starting, moving and growing a business in Greater Portland: We've got talent: "You have a confluence of executive talent alongside still having this amazing technology expertise.” - David Nelsen, Bumped CEO Money goes further here: "With the cost of living and the cost of doing business, it’s more economical. We don’t have to raise as much capital as if...

Hillsboro: Blazing a Trail to a Bright Economic Future

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Hillsboro has long been an economic engine of Greater Portland and its growth shows no signs of slowing. The city of 103,000, located just west of Portland, is home to Oregon’s largest private employer, Intel, and is the heart of the Silicon Forest.  Intel employs over 20,000 in Hillsboro at its R&D headquarters. Hillsboro has grown into a global hub for the following industries: Computers and electronics Biosciences and medical devices Communications, software, IT and data centers Advanced manufacturing Big-name Hillsboro employers include Genentech, Thermo Fisher, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, Nvidia, Salesforce, NTT Global, ASML,...

Portland Has 2nd Lowest COVID-19 Case Rate Among Major U.S. Cities

Tuesday, October 06, 2020

A recent study found that Portland has the second-lowest rate of COVID-19 cases per capita among the nation's 30 largest cities. The study, conducted by the Seattle mayor's office, compared coronavirus case rates for the country's 30 most populous cities.  Portland, represented by Multnomah County data, came in second, behind only Seattle. Multnomah County has seen 8.9 infections per 1,000 people, just above Seattle's 7.4 cases per 1,000. While that data isn't strictly comparable, Multnomah County's case rate is lower than that of King County, where Seattle is located.  Meanwhile, Las Vegas, Nashville, El Paso, Memphis and Phoenix...

South Korean Documentary Highlights Portland's Outdoors, Apparel Industry

Monday, October 05, 2020

Portland was the subject of a recent documentary produced by Seoul Broadcasting System, which aired on South Korean public TV. The video features an interview with Shawn Kim, deputy director of the Port of Portland's Korea Representative Office. The piece showcases the Greater Portland region's accessible outdoors, powerhouse footwear & athletic apparel industry and bike-friendly streets.         Greater Portland has seen recent investments by several South Korean companies, including high-tech outdoor apparel company Black Yak. The forests, rivers, mountains and beaches located within an hour of Portland continue to draw athletic apparel firms...

Pandemic Migration Patterns: Greater Portland Top Choice for Bay Area Residents

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

That claim that people are fleeing all urban areas in droves? Not true, according to available data. But more people ARE leaving the country's most expensive cities, San Francisco and New York. Where are they going? Not rural areas, but smaller metros, including Greater Portland.  A recent Bloomberg article examines multiple data sources to better understand where people are moving. It found that there is little support for the claimes that people are fleeing cities on a large scale. In fact, available data shows that fewer people moved between March and June.  However, America's largest, densest, most expensive...

Greater Portland Economy Forecast to Recover Quickly

Wednesday, September 02, 2020

Where should companies invest now? According to a CBRE analysis of an Oxford Economics report, some metro areas will recover more quickly than others from the economic fallout of COVID-19.  Fueled by recent tech industry expansions and a manufacturing industry anchored by prominent semiconductor companies such as Intel, Greater Portland is forecast to be one of the fastest markets to rebound in the coming years. (See Greater Portland's top employers here.) The analysis shows the region's GDP growing 5.6% in 2021 and 2022, beating the forecast growth for the national GDP.  Interested in expanding or relocating...

Regional Report: Technology and Natural Resources Fuel Pacific States' Economies

Wednesday, March 04, 2020

The Greater Portland region was recently featured in an Area Development article highlighting the Pacific States. "The economies of the Pacific States — California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii — represent a diverse mix of industries. Nonetheless, the region has become closely associated with the country’s tech boom, while also helping to supply the world through its robust natural resources."  The article goes on to highlight the area's large pool of skilled workers and locational advantages for international trade. It also addresses the high cost of living, though Greater Portland offers a lower cost of living than many of...

Oregon Insight: Clark County's Economy Has Been Roaring

Monday, January 27, 2020

According to The Oregonian, "Clark County's economy has grown tremendously in the years since the Great Recession." Clark County is located in southwestern Washington, just north of Portland on I-5. Its county seat and largest city is Vancouver, Washington. The article points to three indicators:Sales grew at an annual rate of 8.8% from 2010 through 2018, outpacing Washington's statewide sales growth.The county continues to attract new corporate headquarters (such as PeaceHealth and Banfield Pet Hospital) and see growth with existing local companies (such as ZoomInfo/DiscoverOrg, nLIGHT, HP and RealWear)And Vancouver's new upscale waterfront development (pictured), with its condos, restaurants and wine...