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

Past calendar year about this time, we launched on a undertaking to seem at the difficulties confronting downtown Portland right after (we’d hoped) the top of the pandemic and protests. That venture, “Downtown in Distress,” bundled reporting on homelessness, the temper of downtown people and the difficulties for shops, as effectively as final results from an unbiased poll.

The delta and omicron variants threw a wrench in expectations for a brief return to ordinary in 2021. And just a week in the past, more terrible information. A longtime retailer, Margulis Jewelers, introduced it was closing its landmark downtown retailer.

“Customers are reluctant to occur downtown to shop,” proprietor David Margulis claimed in a information release. “Employees select not to work downtown.”

It is very clear that extra than two yrs into the pandemic, Portland has substantial economic challenges. And The Oregonian/OregonLive proceeds to devote in small business reporting.

“We’re mobilizing all around a purpose to include all elements of Oregonians’ money life, from the results of the point out and countrywide financial state, to buying for items and expert services, to housing, own finance, and get the job done lifestyle,” said Elliot Njus, who sales opportunities our Business & Financial system team.

Njus previously included real estate/housing, transportation and other topics. Most not long ago, he led the progress of podcasts for our newsroom.

Protection of two major corporations in our area falls to veteran business enterprise reporters Mike Rogoway and Jeff Manning.

Rogoway is Oregon’s indispensable study for information about Intel, a person of the state’s biggest personal companies. At the begin of the pandemic, he pretty much singlehandedly birddogged the difficulties the Oregon Work Department experienced acquiring 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 right before added benefits begun would expense Oregonians a lot more than $100 million in federal reduction. The governor immediately vowed to reduce the “waiting week.”

Rogoway, who has a master’s of business administration from College of Washington, also handles technologies, program and related organizations. He keeps an eye on rising enterprises as nicely, these kinds of as Dutch Bros, the drive-through espresso chain that had its preliminary general public offering previous calendar year.

Manning handles Nike, as properly as associated organizations and the intersection of athletics and enterprise. He also stories on overall health treatment firms and specializes in investigative do the job with an eye towards white collar criminal offense.

Jamie Goldberg, who had protected the Portland Timbers/Thorns and the Portland Path Blazers for us, transferred to business when sports shut down at the get started of the pandemic in 2020. She has invested the previous two decades masking the unemployed, the plight of tenants and landlords, and the struggles and successes of tiny enterprises.

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

A different relative newcomer to the group is Jayati Ramakrishnan, who joined The Oregonian/OregonLive in 2019 from the Hermiston Herald. She commenced on the breaking information group but now addresses transportation and housing. She is a graduate of the College of Oregon School of Journalism and Communications.

Just this thirty day period, we have additional even far more reporting firepower. Kristine de Leon handles retail, little business and other business tendencies for us, these as her the latest explainer on why gasoline charges vary so much based on which Oregon county you are in.

De Leon was pursuing a Ph.D. in microbiology ahead of catching the reporting bug. She attained her master’s in journalism from University of Southern California. She is skilled in knowledge analysis, coding and net growth, which will serve her perfectly as she explores enterprise and financial traits.

When I started out at The Oregonian in 1983, the Business enterprise department, like the relaxation of the newsroom, was predominantly staffed by males. What number of women of all ages reporters we had were principally in the functions division, creating for the Dwelling section. It’s good to have a group of Enterprise reporters with this sort of varied everyday living experiences, perspectives and interests.

The team’s function is supplemented by other reporters, these as Ted Sickinger, who addresses forestry and utilities Borrud, who reviews on point out governing administration and politics and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, who is on the Portland Town Hall conquer.

We know interest in company subject areas is strong. We can see that via the large figures of persons who browse content on OregonLive and stick to us on social media (On Twitter, @OregonianBiz has the 2nd most significant pursuing right after our primary account). You can indicator up for our Oregon Business Insights e-newsletter at oregonlive.com/newsletters.

The Oregonian/OregonLive’s staff remaining our downtown offices and went to remote do the job March 17, 2020. This spring, we expect some journalists will return to our offices alongside Southwest To start with Avenue and other people will carry on to do the job remotely. I hope to see our reporters and editors again browsing workplaces, masking occasions, and assembly sources for espresso deal with to confront, just as normally as we applied to. I’m seeking forward to investing extra of my time in our downtown newsroom once again.

Observe: Longtime Oregon civic leader Gerry Frank was asked to write a column for The Oregonian again in 1988. His column, named “Friday Surprise” immediately after the Meier & Frank gross sales by that identify, appeared in the A segment for lots of yrs.

Much more lately, in the features portion, his preferred e
very month column highlighted Oregon journey and eating prospective buyers for visitors. Frank died March 13 at age 98. We know viewers will miss out on his instructive guidelines and insights, as will we.