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

Very last 12 months about this time, we introduced on a challenge to search at the issues confronting downtown Portland just after (we’d hoped) the height of the pandemic and protests. That undertaking, “Downtown in Distress,” integrated reporting on homelessness, the temper of downtown inhabitants and the difficulties for merchants, as effectively as final results from an unbiased poll.

The delta and omicron variants threw a wrench in anticipations for a swift return to typical in 2021. And just a week in the past, much more poor information. A longtime retailer, Margulis Jewelers, declared it was closing its landmark downtown retail outlet.

“Customers are hesitant to occur downtown to store,” operator David Margulis reported in a news launch. “Employees select not to get the job done downtown.”

It’s obvious that extra than two years into the pandemic, Portland has important economic worries. And The Oregonian/OregonLive continues to devote in small business reporting.

“We’re mobilizing all-around a intention to deal with all aspects of Oregonians’ financial lives, from the effects of the condition and national economic climate, to browsing for products and services, to housing, particular finance, and do the job lifetime,” said Elliot Njus, who qualified prospects our Enterprise & Overall economy crew.

Njus beforehand covered authentic estate/housing, transportation and other topics. Most recently, he led the growth of podcasts for our newsroom.

Protection of two main organizations in our space falls to veteran enterprise reporters Mike Rogoway and Jeff Manning.

Rogoway is Oregon’s indispensable study for information about Intel, a person of the state’s largest non-public businesses. At the start off of the pandemic, he just about singlehandedly birddogged the issues the Oregon Work Section had having jobless added benefits to Oregonians.

With politics reporter Hillary Borrud in 2020, he broke the story of how Oregon’s failure to waive a week’s hiatus prior to rewards started would value Oregonians more than $100 million in federal reduction. The governor swiftly vowed to do away with the “waiting 7 days.”

Rogoway, who has a master’s of small business administration from College of Washington, also addresses engineering, software and associated companies. He retains an eye on emerging firms as effectively, this kind of as Dutch Bros, the push-via espresso chain that had its initial public supplying past year.

Manning covers Nike, as perfectly as relevant companies and the intersection of sporting activities and organization. He also reports on health care corporations and specializes in investigative get the job done with an eye towards white collar criminal offense.

Jamie Goldberg, who experienced included the Portland Timbers/Thorns and the Portland Trail Blazers for us, transferred to company when sports activities shut down at the start off of the pandemic in 2020. She has invested the previous two many years covering the unemployed, the plight of tenants and landlords, and the struggles and successes of tiny businesses.

Goldberg, who has a master’s diploma in journalism from University of California, Berkeley, is also a breaking news editor section of the 7 days.

A different relative newcomer to the staff is Jayati Ramakrishnan, who joined The Oregonian/OregonLive in 2019 from the Hermiston Herald. She started on the breaking information staff but now covers 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 much more reporting firepower. Kristine de Leon covers retail, compact business enterprise and other small business traits for us, such as her new explainer on why gasoline charges range so considerably relying on which Oregon county you are in.

De Leon was pursuing a Ph.D. in microbiology just before catching the reporting bug. She earned her master’s in journalism from University of Southern California. She is competent in details analysis, coding and internet improvement, which will provide her nicely as she explores small business and economic trends.

When I commenced at The Oregonian in 1983, the Organization office, like the relaxation of the newsroom, was predominantly staffed by males. What several women reporters we had have been principally in the capabilities department, composing for the Residing part. It’s excellent to have a staff of Business reporters with these diverse life encounters, perspectives and pursuits.

The team’s do the job is supplemented by other reporters, this sort of as Ted Sickinger, who handles forestry and utilities Borrud, who reviews on condition government and politics and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, who is on the Portland City Hall beat.

We know fascination in small business subjects is robust. We can see that through the significant quantities of individuals who examine articles or blog posts on OregonLive and comply with us on social media (On Twitter, @OregonianBiz has the second major subsequent just after our key account). You can indication up for our Oregon Business enterprise Insights e-newsletter at oregonlive.com/newsletters.

The Oregonian/OregonLive’s workforce remaining our downtown workplaces and went to distant get the job done March 17, 2020. This spring, we assume some journalists will return to our offices alongside Southwest 1st Avenue and other individuals will keep on to get the job done remotely. I hope to see our reporters and editors back traveling to workplaces, masking functions, and assembly resources for coffee experience to face, just as frequently as we used to. I’m hunting ahead to expending much more of my time in our downtown newsroom all over again.

Be aware: Longtime Oregon civic leader Gerry Frank was questioned to generate a column for The Oregonian again in 1988. His column, named “Friday Surprise” right after the Meier & Frank product sales by that identify, appeared in the A area for numerous several years.

Much more lately, in the capabilities portion, his popular regular monthly column highlighted Oregon vacation and dining prospects for readers. Frank died March 13 at age 98. We know viewers will overlook his educational strategies and insights, as will we.