Business Portland News & Event Round Up, June 15

Recent business stories of note:

• Manufacturing accounts for 26.2 percent of Portland Gross Metropolitan Product, 3rd highest in the country
  The manufacturing sector is not as powerful as it once was, but it is still a driving force in markets across America

• Oregon may see more jobs added due to Japan based companies locating and expanding here
  The Oregonian reports that the Japanese-owned company Shimadzu plans to expand from 125 to 153 employees

• Bridgetown Natural Foods bakes organic snack bars, granola and sweet jobs
  The aroma coming from Bridgetown Natural Foods is the smell of prospects in the oven, baking nicely

• Daimler Trucks' Portland plant builds its most complex trucks
  In October, the company said it would add 425 workers to its Swan Island operations by the end of 2012

• The James Beard Public Market has taken a step forward
  Multnomah County commissioners voted to approve a deal to sell land at the west end of the Morrison Bridge

• New Enterprise Zone proposed for East Portland
  Since 1986, the North Portland enterprise zone has led to industrial investments totaling more than a billion dollars

• The Pacific Northwest Cleantech Open has announced its 2012 class of early-stage companies
  The semifinalists — seven of them from Oregon and greater Portland — were selected from a pool of entrepreneurial companies from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia

• A significant share of small business owners in Oregon and Portland are immigrants
  About one out of every 11 small business owners in Oregon in 2010 was born outside the U.S.

• Meet the Startup: Portland Seed Fund Demo Day
  Portland Seed Fund participants making their end-of-session presentations at last week's Demo Day

• How to get a dedicated charging station installed in your company parking lot
  Although your car gets a full recharge every night, you’d like to convince your boss to let you plug in at work

• AppFog moves to bigger quarters as headcount grows
  The Portland startup has raised $9.8 million in venture capital since its inception in 2010

• SoloPower is ready to start Flexible Thin Film Solar production in Portland
  The company is installing equipment at the new factory in Portland and bringing the machines online to roll out its solar panels

• A Bank of America grant will help Mercy Corps Northwest tap low cost funds to support local entrepreneurs
  Approximately 25 Northwest businesses expected to benefit from new access to SBA capital

• Salt & Straw and Saint Honore are both expanding and opening locations on Southeast Division Street
  Southeast Division Street has already claimed its throne as the king of Portland's eat streets

• Stumptown helps to explain what espresso is
  Here's what espresso is not: it is not a type of bean

Some business announcements and events of note:

• Neighborhood Notes has introduced The Localist: a locally owned business directory

• Retrofitting Healthier Suburbs is on June 18

• A Revenue Acceleration Workshop is on June 19

• The 2012 Manufacturing Workforce Forum is June 22

• 2012 PSU Social Innovation Incubator Pitch Fest is June 29

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