Port of Portland, Stakeholders Deliver Container Service Business Plan

Port of Portland, Stakeholders Deliver Container Service Business Plan

On Aug. 23, the Port of Portland, backed by a coalition of stakeholders dedicated to marine container shipping in Oregon, delivered to Gov. Tina Kotek a business plan outlining how to maintain container service at Terminal 6, the state’s only international container terminal. The report illustrates how essential marine container shipping at T6 is to Oregon businesses, and in its findings, underscores the need for public investment to keep container shipping in service as the port continues seeking a third-party operator. Kotek requested the business plan following her pledge to provide financial support to maintain container service, which the port…
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Port of Portland Installs New Port Commissioner

Port of Portland Installs New Port Commissioner

Financial Investment Executive Rukaiyah Adams is the newest member of the Port of Portland Commission, filling the vacancy left by the commission’s termed-out vice president, Michael Alexander, the port said June 12. The announcement comes after the Oregon Senate Rules Committee approved Gov. Tina Kotek’s appointment of Adams to the commission May 29. Adams is the CEO of the 1803 Fund, which aims to enhance financial and other investments in community organizations. Before leading the 1803 Fund in January, she served as chief investment officer at Meyer Memorial Trust, one of the biggest charitable trusts in the Pacific Northwest, according…
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Port of Portland Reverses Decision to End Cargo Handling at Terminal 6

Port of Portland Reverses Decision to End Cargo Handling at Terminal 6

The Port of Portland, which in mid-April said that it was halting cargo handling services at Terminal 6 later this year due to a funding shortfall, has reversed its decision following an expected new cash infusion from the Oregon state Legislature. A proposal issued May 16 by Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek includes $35 million for the port from her 2025-2027 proposed budget and $5 million in funding that’s expected to be requested at the September meeting of the state Legislature’s Emergency Board. Each expenditure would need lawmakers’ approval. “After the Port of Portland’s April announcement that container service would end…
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Port of Portland Halting Terminal 6 Container Service

Port of Portland Halting Terminal 6 Container Service

The Port of Portland said April 15 that it plans to discontinue container service at Terminal 6 on Oct. 1 due to an inability to fund operations. In a letter to Terminal 6 shippers, the port’s Chief Trade and Economic Development Officer, Keith Leavitt wrote: “Despite the progress and effort we have made over the last year to create a financially sustainable path for container service at Terminal 6, I am sorry to say the third-party lease we were pursuing will not go forward at this time.” Securing that lease was key to keeping the container business going and the…
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Port of Portland Sells Site for Development of Distribution Center

Port of Portland Sells Site for Development of Distribution Center

A new 530,000 square-foot distribution center could open as early as 2025 at Gresham Vista Business Park, after the Port of Portland announced on July 18 that it sold a development site to GV5 LLC, a partnership formed by local firms Specht Development and Colas Development Group. Upon the transaction’s closure, GV5 LLC began developing the site for Red Agate LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of W.W. Grainger Inc., a national maintenance, repair and operating product distributor, the port said. “We’re excited to be working alongside the Port of Portland and Grainger to bring this incredible opportunity to Gresham,” City…
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Auto Import Business Launches Port of Portland’s Terminal 6

Auto Import Business Launches Port of Portland’s Terminal 6

Port of Portland's Terminal 6 has begun processing hundreds of new auto imports, the Oregon port announced March 6. Earlier this month, dockworkers received about 3,100 General Motors vehicles built in China and South Korea, including Buick Envision, Buick Encore and Chevrolet Trailblazers from the ro/ro cargo vessel Dong-A Metis at Berth 601. Most were routed by Burlington Northern and Union Pacific to inland destinations within the U.S., the port said. “From the longshore workers unloading the ships to the folks moving the imports to rail cars destined for the Midwest, this new business further solidifies the port as a…
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Port of Portland, Timber Coalition Members Awarded $41.4M

Port of Portland, Timber Coalition Members Awarded $41.4M

An effort to develop and broaden Oregon’s growing mass timber industry received a financial boost Sept. 2 with $41.4 million in U.S. Economic Development Administration funding to the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition, the Port of Portland announced Sept. 2. The coalition consists of the Port of Portland, Business Oregon, Oregon Department of Forestry, the Department of Land Conservation and Development and the TallWood Design Institute. The funding is to further university research about using mass timber in housing, help the port develop a factory aimed at making mass timber housing, rev up public-private partnerships that would nurture job creation and…
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Two New Port of Portland Commissioners Appointed

Two New Port of Portland Commissioners Appointed

The Port of Portland Board of Commissioners has two new members. They are: Katy Coba, the Oregon Department of Administrative Services Chief Operating Officer and Director; and Richelle Luther, Columbia Sportswear Co.’s Senior Vice President of Chief Human Resources and Corporate Affairs. The Oregon Senate approved the two as Gov. Kate Brown’s appointees to the commission on June 3. Coba replaces Bob Levy on the nine-member commission, while Luther replaces Pat McDonald. As COO, Coba works with Brown, state agencies and legislators to manage state government enterprise. She previously served as director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture for more…
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Port of Portland Receives Terminal 6 Project Grant

Port of Portland Receives Terminal 6 Project Grant

An effort to boost capacity at the Port of Portland’s Terminal 6 has received major financial support. The Oregon Department of Transportation recently awarded the port $7.37 million in funding for Portland’s Marine Terminal 6 Capacity project, the port revealed May 31. Terminal 6, the state’s only ocean container terminal and a vital connection for trade, is approaching capacity. The work involved bolstering pavement structure at Berth 607 to allow for five-high container stacks, as well as stormwater infrastructure and high-mast lighting. “Our aggressive efforts to grow business at T6 during the last five years have paid off,” port Chief…
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