Letter from the Editor: We’re investing in business news

Very last 12 months about this time, we launched on a venture to seem at the difficulties confronting downtown Portland soon after (we’d hoped) the height of the pandemic and protests. That task, “Downtown in Distress,” included reporting on homelessness, the mood of downtown residents and the problems for vendors, as very well as outcomes from an impartial poll.

The delta and omicron variants threw a wrench in anticipations for a swift return to standard in 2021. And just a week back, far more bad information. A longtime retailer, Margulis Jewelers, introduced it was closing its landmark downtown retailer.

“Customers are unwilling to arrive downtown to shop,” operator David Margulis claimed in a news launch. “Employees select not to operate downtown.”

It is clear that much more than two several years into the pandemic, Portland has significant economic challenges. And The Oregonian/OregonLive proceeds to spend in business enterprise reporting.

“We’re mobilizing around a objective to go over all factors of Oregonians’ financial lives, from the effects of the condition and countrywide economic climate, to buying for items and products and services, to housing, personalized finance, and function lifestyle,” stated Elliot Njus, who qualified prospects our Small business & Economic system workforce.

Njus earlier coated serious estate/housing, transportation and other subjects. Most just lately, he led the improvement of podcasts for our newsroom.

Protection of two key companies in our space falls to veteran small business reporters Mike Rogoway and Jeff Manning.

Rogoway is Oregon’s indispensable examine for news about Intel, just one of the state’s most significant private companies. At the begin of the pandemic, he pretty much singlehandedly birddogged the issues the Oregon Employment Section had receiving jobless advantages to Oregonians.

With politics reporter Hillary Borrud in 2020, he broke the story of how Oregon’s failure to waive a week’s hiatus ahead of added benefits started would cost Oregonians additional than $100 million in federal aid. The governor speedily vowed to remove the “waiting week.”

Rogoway, who has a master’s of company administration from College of Washington, also handles technological know-how, computer software and relevant corporations. He keeps an eye on rising businesses as nicely, this sort of as Dutch Bros, the drive-through coffee chain that had its first public offering very last calendar year.

Manning covers Nike, as perfectly as linked firms and the intersection of sporting activities and organization. He also stories on well being treatment firms and specializes in investigative function with an eye towards white collar crime.

Jamie Goldberg, who experienced included the Portland Timbers/Thorns and the Portland Path Blazers for us, transferred to business enterprise when sports shut down at the start off of the pandemic in 2020. She has expended the earlier two a long time masking the unemployed, the plight of tenants and landlords, and the struggles and successes of modest enterprises.

Goldberg, who has a master’s diploma in journalism from College of California, Berkeley, is also a breaking news editor aspect of the week.

A further relative newcomer to the team is Jayati Ramakrishnan, who joined The Oregonian/OregonLive in 2019 from the Hermiston Herald. She begun on the breaking news crew but now handles transportation and housing. She is a graduate of the University of Oregon College of Journalism and Communications.

Just this thirty day period, we’ve included even more reporting firepower. Kristine de Leon covers retail, tiny business enterprise and other company traits for us, these kinds of as her new explainer on why gasoline selling prices change so substantially dependent on which Oregon county you are in.

De Leon was pursuing a Ph.D. in microbiology right before catching the reporting bug. She gained her master’s in journalism from College of Southern California. She is expert in knowledge examination, coding and net advancement, which will serve her effectively as she explores company and economic trends.

When I begun at The Oregonian in 1983, the Small business office, like the relaxation of the newsroom, was predominantly staffed by adult males. What handful of women of all ages reporters we had were being mainly in the capabilities section, creating for the Dwelling part. It’s good to have a crew of Company reporters with these types of varied everyday living experiences, views and pursuits.

The team’s operate is supplemented by other reporters, these as Ted Sickinger, who addresses forestry and utilities Borrud, who reviews on state govt and politics and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, who is on the Portland City Hall conquer.

We know interest in business enterprise matters is robust. We can see that through the big numbers of individuals who go through articles or blog posts on OregonLive and observe us on social media (On Twitter, @OregonianBiz has the 2nd largest adhering to right after our primary account). You can indicator up for our Oregon Company Insights e-newsletter at oregonlive.com/newsletters.

The Oregonian/OregonLive’s staff remaining our downtown places of work and went to remote operate March 17, 2020. This spring, we anticipate some journalists will return to our workplaces along Southwest 1st Avenue and many others will carry on to perform remotely. I hope to see our reporters and editors back again going to workplaces, masking situations, and conference resources for coffee encounter to deal with, just as often as we made use of to. I’m searching ahead to paying more of my time in our downtown newsroom yet again.

Notice: Longtime Oregon civic leader Gerry Frank was asked to produce a column for The Oregonian back again in 1988. His column, named “Friday Surprise” right after the Meier & Frank revenue by that identify, appeared in the A part for quite a few years.

Extra not long ago, in the functions part, his well known monthly column highlighted Oregon journey and dining potential customers for viewers. Frank died March 13 at age 98. We know viewers will miss his useful guidelines and insights, as will we.