Recent Stories
Job market expected to recover slowly
Job growth is expected to recover slowly beginning in 2010 and continue building into 2011 and 2012.
Health care sector shows strong pulse
Job growth slowed in 2009 but didn't stop
What I’ll remember most are the people
The adage about a picture being worth a thousand words has never been more true than at The Columbian, where a cadre of talented, hard-working photographers has brought visual impact to business news stories. Columbian photographers added pop and sizzle to tedious person-sitting-at-computer photo assignments that I’ve been handing out for the past 26 years. Those photographers and their editors are among the many newsroom colleagues who deserve special thanks as I leave my job as business news editor. Special thanks to Linda Lutes, photo assistant, who handles business mugs and downloads photos from my own Canon 780.
County is unique and better for it
In terms of world history, 26 years is not very long, but long enough to see plenty of change for Clark County’s economy. In late 1983 when I joined The Columbian, Interstate 205 had only recently opened east Vancouver and Camas to development. Cascade Park was not yet part of the city and Southwest 164th Avenue was just coming off the drawing boards. Old line manufacturing — paper, aluminum, lumber, chemicals — was king along the Columbia River waterfront from Washougal west to the Vancouver Lake Lowlands. Hewlett-Packard’s Vancouver engineering think-tank had not perfected its breakthrough inkjet printer technology. And Japanese semiconductor businesses were just beginning to discover Clark County.
Cost of living stable in metro area
Statistics show some expenses declined from 2008 levels
The cost of living in the Portland-Vancouver-Salem metropolitan area remained tame in the second half of 2009, according to a report Friday from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Inflation stays low in Vancouver metro area
Rate inched up 0.5 percent
Vancouver Clinic Construction begins on B.G. medical building
The Vancouver Clinic has wasted little time getting construction started for its new $12 million medical office building in Battle Ground.
Clark County auto dealers say the worst is over
Companies refocus energies as they work to recover from toughest year in decades
Despite the “cash for clunkers” trade-in incentive program last summer, 2009 turned out to be the worst year for Clark County auto dealers in … well, a long time. “You’d have to go back to the early 1980s to see sales as low as last year,” said Jon Creedon, owner-manager of Vancouver Ford off state Highway 500. “But we think that was the bottom. We’ve already seen some improvement in bank lending, loan delinquencies are down and repos are down. We’re seeing a significant increase in online inquiries, a precursor to buying.”
Finding the cracks in glass ceiling
With half the jobs in the U.S. filled by women, those of us who’ve been working full time for the past 30 years have something to say about opportunities for workplace advancement for women. As business editor of The Columbian for most of the past 26 years, I’ve had the good fortune to interview and write about a lot of people, both men and women, in this business community, charismatic leaders, people who had drive and focus, bright people who knew how to solve problems. There also were dullards. Those reading from out-of-date manager manuals, who could not grasp the big picture and failed at creative problem solving.
Expert sees economy’s way ahead
Market outlook information I’m am sharing with you today comes from Laks Ramachandran, director and senior market strategist with U.S. Trust, the investment strategies group at Bank of America. He spends a good part of his time advising high-net-worth clients on where best to invest their money. Here’s what Ramachandran said last week: n 2009 was a great year for people who believed in the markets, but “sadly, many stayed away,” he said. Investors sought refuge in bonds rather than equities, even though markets improved dramatically throughout the year.
