Plus January 2024 | OregonBusiness.com A FAMILY AFFAIR The Suhs invest in Northeast Portland A BROKEN SYSTEM How do we fix glass recycling? Our Yearly Guide to Top Businesses & Nonprofits Leaders weigh in on what’s up next and where they’ve been
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⁄Contents⁄ January 2024 FEATURES 26 Shattered Glass Oregon has one of the best glass-recycling rates in the country — and it’s nowhere near what it could be. Is there a fix for the fractured system? 32 Looking Forward, Looking Back Elected officials and business leaders from around the state share their reflections on 2023 — and their hopes for 2024. 39 Power Book Cover Story The movers, shakers and key players in professional services, finance, health care and education REGULARS 06 Editor’s Letter 08 Newsfeed 16 Tactics John Merriman, the new general manager at Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort, talks about what’s coming for the ski resort — and for Bend. 20 Profile With the opening of Kaya, Ndamukong and Katya Suh expand their investment in Northeast Portland. 62 Downtime Live, work and play with Michael Yates, Of Counsel, Gevurtz Menashe Follow @OregonBusiness for breaking news, blogs and commentary. Subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter featuring the best of OregonBusiness.com, plus articles from our print publication. To sign up, go to OregonBusiness.com. 26 BRAND STORY 12 Comcast Business New technology plays a pivotal role in enabling independent living for residents of Albertina Kerr’s Wynne Watts Commons. Comcast Business provides both Business Class Internet service and VoiceEdgehosted voice platform. 100 BEST NEWS Never Miss a 100 Best Survey! Find out how satisfied your employees are with their jobs through our anonymous and confidential surveys. Visit OregonBusiness.com/ 100BestNotify and sign up to receive information about how to register for future 100 Best surveys. JASON E. KAPLAN CHECK OUT THESE EXCLUSIVES (AND MORE) ON OREGONBUSINESS.COM n SW Architects Adds Mass Timber Expert as Principal — Ben Kaiser brings experience with modular housing and was responsible for developing the tallest wood building in the U.S. n Twist Bioscience Says It Can Deliver Manufactured DNA in 5 to 7 Days — The CEO of the controversial firm says the new service is possible due to its existing technology, plus increased capacity at the Wilsonville facility n OSU Study: Wildfires, Drought Have Reduced the Value of West Coast Timberland by $11.2 Billion — Perceived risk, rather than direct damage, was the main driver of the devaluation over the last 20 years, which has cost Oregon timberland $4.5 billion in lost value. n Tech Acquisition Company Cancels Merger with NXTClean Fuels, Formerly NEXT Renewable Fuels — The company says the aborted merger will not impact its proposed Oregon refineries, but NXT’s critics say this is one more reason to be skeptical. Carbon 12, the tallest all-wood building in the country 4
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⁄From the Editor⁄ Power Players FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DECADES, the story of Northeast Portland, in particular Northeast Alberta Street, has been a story of urban renewal and gentrification. As the area became more affluent, longtime residents of the neighborhood — a majority of whom were Black — in many cases didn’t get a piece of the wealth. In “Hometown Heroes” (p. 20), Jason Cohen tells a different story. Ndamukong Suh, who went from Northeast Portland to a storied career in the NFL, has decided to invest in the Alberta neighborhood. With the opening of Kaya, his wife Katya’s Alberta cocktail bar, the Suhs are making their commitment to Northeast Portland a family affair — and celebrating Black art and fashion on a street where few Black-owned businesses remain. For “Shattered Glass” (p. 26), Hannah Wallace sorted through a heap of information to find out just what happens to glass that’s sent out for recycling — not just beer bottles that are eligible for a deposit, but things like empty pickle jars. She found some surprising statistics — like that while Oregon has one of the highest glass-recycling rates in the country, nowhere near all of it is recycled, in part because there’s little economic incentive to do so. She also learned about an Oregon startup that has a potential solution to that problem, which it’s looking to bring online in 2024. It’s a powerful idea — one that could have as significant an effect as the Bottle Bill itself, if not larger. Every January we publish the Power Book—a collection of lists of the state’s power players in a variety of fields, from professional services and finance to higher education (p. 39). Collecting data and putting the lists together is always a lot of work—but it’s always interesting to touch base with survey respondents and see how different sectors are shifting across the state. For this issue, we also decided to reach out to power players across the state — including elected officials, business leaders and leaders in organized labor — to ask how they felt about 2023 as it came to a close, and what their hopes and fears are for 2024. We ran a selection of their responses on page 32 (“Looking Forward, Looking Back”). The year 2023 was one marked by global turmoil and local political upheaval — including ongoing, devastating loss of life in Gaza and Ukraine, as well as on the streets of Portland and other cities throughout the state. But for all the losses, there were wins, too, and causes for hope. It was fascinating to see the range of things leaders are thinking about and to learn what they plan to do in 2024. Happy New Year! VOLUME 47 ⁄ NUMBER 1 OREGON BUSINESS (ISSN 02798190) is published 10 times per year, monthly except Jul/Aug and Nov/Dec issues, by MEDIAmerica Inc. at 12570 S.W. 69th Ave., Suite 102, Portland OR 97223. Subscription inquiries should be directed to 503-445-8811. Subscription charge is $24.95 per year, $49.95 for two years in the USA. Single copies and back issues available at above address and at selected newsstands. The editor is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. Copyright © 2024 by MEDIAmerica Inc. All rights reserved. All material is protected by copyright and must not be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Printed in Oregon. Periodicals Postage Paid at Portland, OR. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Oregon Business, 12570 S.W. 69th Ave., Suite 102, Portland OR 97223 EDITORIAL EDITOR Christen McCurdy christenm@oregonbusiness.com ART DIRECTOR Joan McGuire joanm@oregonbusiness.com STAFF WRITER Sander Gusinow sanderg@oregonbusiness.com STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Jason E. Kaplan jasonk@oregonbusiness.com COPY EDITOR Morgan Stone CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Jason Cohen, Tim Neville, Gage Skidmore, Hannah Wallace PUBLISHING PUBLISHER Courtney Kutzman courtneyk@oregonbusiness.com EVENTS MANAGER Craig Peebles craigp@oregonbusiness.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Evan Morehouse evanm@mediamerica.net ADVERTISING AND PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Greta Hogenstad gretah@mediamerica.net DIGITAL PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Alison Kattleman alisonk@mediamerica.net PRESIDENT AND CEO Andrew A. Insinga CONTROLLER Bill Lee BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIRMAN André W. Iseli PRESIDENT Andrew A. Insinga SECRETARY William L. Mainwaring TREASURER Win McCormack 6
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POLITICS ●Goodbye, Earl. After 27 years in Congress and 57 years in elected office, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) announced he would not seek reelection. State Rep. Maxine Dexter (D-Northwest Portland), Gresham City Councilor Eddy Morales and former Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal have all announced plans to run for Blumenauer’s seat. ●Hanging Up His Hat. State Sen. Lynn Findley (R-Vale) — who participated in the May 2023 walkout — announced that he will not be seeking reelection next year. Findley, along with four colleagues, is suing Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade for barring them from reelection under state Measure 113 but says his decision not to run again is not related. ●Blown Away. Oregon’s Measure 114, which requires permits and background checks as a condition of the sale or transfer of firearms and was passed by voters in 2022, was ruled unconstitutional by a Harney County Circuit Court. ●Robot Rights. Gov. Tina Kotek announced the formation of the Oregon State Government AI Advisory Council, tasked with developing a plan for artificial intelligence in state government that “values transparency, privacy, and equity” over the next six months. ECONOMY & FINANCE ●Job Dip. November Oregon Employment Department data showed seasonally adjusted nonfarm payroll employment declined by 4,600 jobs in October, following a revised gain of 5,500 jobs in September, increasing the state’s jobless rate to 3.6%. ●Flush. Oregon legislators are projected to have $375 million more to spend during the 2023-25 budget cycle than originally estimated — in addition to the $32 billion spending plan approved by lawmakers on June 25. MANUFACTURING ●Brew Cheese. Medford-based Rogue Creamery and Portland-based Crux Fermentation Project partnered to release an ale brewed with ingredients from the creamery’s Rogue River Blue cheese. ●If the Shoe Fits. Nike filed permit paperwork to remodel its flagship downtown Portland store in the Kress Building. The sportswear giant has also said that it will temporarily set up shop in Pioneer Place Mall while renovations take place. TECH ●Chips Ahoy. Chip manufacturer Intel and German tech company Siemens AG announced a collaboration on RESTAURANT & RETAIL ●Eclipsed. Portland-based Ecliptic Brewing announced that it has been sold to Great Frontier Holdings, a “collective of brands” that includes Eugene’s Ninkasi Brewing and California’s Wings & Arrow. The brewery’s two Portland locations have closed and its archive of rare beers sold. ●Belt Tightening. Oregonians spent 3.1% less on retail last summer, and retail employment declined 1.1%, according to the most recent data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The decline reverses upward trends from 2021, when Oregon retail sales jumped above 10%. FARMS & FORESTS ●Cherry Purée. KeyBank has filed a lawsuit to liquidate the 400-acre Dallas cherry and blueberry grower Meduri Farms, claiming the steps are necessary to recoup $20 million in loan collateral from the company. EDUCATION ●School for Santa. The firstever teachers’ strike in Portland Public Schools’ history ended after more than three weeks. Winter break was cut by five days as part of the agreement, which also included a 14.4% compounded pay increase over the next three years. ●Spiked. A group of three dozen female beach volleyball and rowing athletes sued the University of Oregon alleging Title IX violations and unfair treatment compared to their male counterparts. ●A New Era. The Oregon Jewish Museum announced that Rebekah Sobel will serve as its new executive director, following the retirement of longtime director Judy Margles. semiconductor manufacturing efficiency and sustainability to drive “digitalization and sustainability of microelectronics manufacturing.” ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT ●Breached? A leaked document obtained by the Associated Press said the U.S. government is willing to help build enough new clean-energy projects in the Pacific Northwest to replace the hydropower generated by four controversial dams along salmon runs on the Snake River, should they be removed. ●Running Dry. Oregon tribes, state agencies, farmers and ranchers will receive more than $31 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to reduce toxic pollution in the Columbia River and its tributaries — the last of $79 million in funding allocated by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improving the health of the Columbia River Basin. ●Settled. PacifiCorp, the parent company of Pacific Power — which provides electricity for much of the state of Oregon — agreed to pay out $299 million to settle multiple lawsuits claiming the utility didn’t do enough to mitigate the effects of the 2020 wildfire that destroyed about 170 Southern Oregon homes. ⁄Newsfeed⁄ Rep. Earl Blumenauer is retiring from public office after 57 years. No more bowties. JASON E. KAPLAN 8
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12 BRAND STORY BY NATALIA HURT On its quest to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) lead self-determined lives, Portland-based Albertina Kerr built Wynne Watts Commons—an awardwinning affordable housing complex that offers a new blueprint for inclusive living. Unlike standard affordable housing options, Wynne Watts Commons seamlessly integrates accessibility and sustainability to create a community for individuals with and without disabilities. The concept merges universal design, empowering technology and solar energy, eclipsing the status quo and earning it a Portland Business Journal Landmark Award and the Urban Land Institute’s Terwilliger Center Award for Innovation in Attainable Housing. “We know that people with disabilities need access to affordable, subsidized housing,” explains Allison Stark, CEO, Albertina Kerr. “They have the lowest incomes and are two or three times more likely to be unemployed. But they also want to live in integrative, inclusive communities. Wynne Watts Commons puts those things together and adds accessibility through universal design.” Its universal design approach means that the housing complex strives to be useable by as many people as possible, manifesting as color-coded levels, extra-large apartment numbers, low mailboxes, fob accessibility, automated entry doors and elevator kick pedals. Thirty subsidized, ADA-compliant apartments spread throughout the 150-unit building further prioritize accessibility with pull-out cooktops, multilevel front-door peepholes, motorized kitchen cabinets and sound-proof bedrooms for those with sensory issues. “We’ve put people with disabilities at the center of the design, but it’s better for everyone,” Stark continues. “When it comes to aging, for example, larger numbers are helpful, and being able to push elevator buttons with your foot helps someone with a disability but also helps a mom carrying her kids.” Albertina Kerr has served the I/DD community for over 115 years, resulting in a deep understanding of its needs. Through its work—including 24-hour residential care for youth and adults with I/DD, supported employment services for adults with I/ DD, and in-patient crisis psychiatric care for youth—the human services nonprofit recognized a gap that led to Wynne Watts Commons: Low-income individuals with I/ DD capable of living independently with the right support face meager options—homelessness, staying with family indefinitely or confinement within institutions. According to Stark, unnecessary institutionalization limits freedom and wastes financial resources on disproportionate care: “The ideal system is one in which everyone gets what they need, not too little or too much.” New technology plays a pivotal role in enabling independent living for residents of Portland-based nonprofit Albertina Kerr offers a new blueprint for affordable, inclusive housing. Affordable, Accessible, Sustainable: Inside the Award-Winning Wynne Watts Commons Allison Stark Pull-out cooktop PRODUCED BY THE OREGON BUSINESS MARKETING DEPARTMENT
13 BRAND STORY Wynne Watts Commons. Comcast Business provides both Business Class Internet service and VoiceEdge hosted voice platform. We also provide traditional cable television services for some parts of the program. Individuals can manage their living environments through the SimplyHome customizable application, easily controlling their window shades, thermostat and lighting, making it easier to manage stimulation level and mood. SimplyHome also equips apartments with sensor-based systems that monitor the environment and facilitate safe independent living, a breakthrough for a state short on direct support professionals and the allocated funds to pay them living wages. For example, a sensor on the oven detects if it was left on for too long and can notify the resident before escalating the message to a support worker or family member. A sensor in the bathroom alerts people to overflowing water, while a sensor on the front door monitors if a resident leaves in the middle of the night, prompting a phone call to check in with that person or alert others. “This is a win-win. The state neither pays livable wages nor invests in enabling technology, and we’re advocating for both. If you invest in technology like this for people who can use it, you free up a lot of money for people who actually need 24-hour care,” Stark says. “We’re creating independence and opportunity.” Albertina Kerr’s emphasis on enabling freedom and autonomy also extends into Wynne Watts Commons’ sustainable design, developed with Portland-based Green Hammer Design Build. Solar panels provide 100 percent of the community’s energy, removing the burden of electrical bills and making Wynne Watts Commons the largest net-zero energy affordable housing development in the Pacific Northwest. Residents also do not have to pay for water, sewer or high-speed internet. “We need to become more thoughtful about sustainability and using resources wisely,” Stark notes. “We have seen the impacts of climate change, and when we have wildfires or other natural disasters, they intensely impact people with disabilities. Sustainability goes hand in hand with our mission.” Like all of Kerr’s initiatives, the housing project relied on outside financial support, including from the Wayne & Joan Kuni Foundation, M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon Community Foundation, customers participating in PGE’s Green Future SM program through the PGE Renewable Development Fund, and the, generosity of private donors. Kerr donated 2.5 acres of land in Gresham, Oregon, and worked with Edlen & Co., Ankrom Moisan Architects and Pence Construction to develop the project budget. Some level of collaboration and partnership underpins each of the nonprofit’s highimpact initiatives, such as Project SEARCH, an immersive nine-month internship program for adults with I/DD to explore careers and potentially boost employability. By partnering with Multnomah County, the City of Salem and large businesses, Project SEARCH provides job training for adults with I/DD to help them find meaningful work in the community. Its longtime data services partner, Comcast Business manages a robust allencompassing network solution to help support the nonprofit’s community efforts. Comcast Business provides Wynne Watts Commons with its Business Class Internet service and its VoiceEdge hosted voice platform, in addition to traditional cable television services. With Wynne Watts Commons’ first year of operation in the rearview and a growing waitlist, the Kerr team hopes that its successful blend of affordability, accessibility and sustainability encourages other housing projects to follow suit. “It’s a really innovative, exciting model, and we’re definitely trying to provide technical assistance for others. We’ve done some national webinars and conferences,” Stark concludes. “We know this is a blueprint for others to follow.”n “If you invest in technology like this for people who can use it, you free up a lot of money for people who actually need 24-hour care. We’re creating independence and opportunity.” ALLISON STARK, CEO, ALBERTINA KERR Elevator kick pedals Allison Stark with Kerr clients WYNNE WATTS COMMONS IMAGES: JOSH PARTEE
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⁄Tactics⁄ How did you end up in the ski industry? I’m fairly new to it. I worked at Time Warner Telecom for 14 years in finance, and my last job there was to sell the company [for $5.7 billion]. I got into the ski industry after seeing a job posting on LinkedIn for what was essentially a CFO role at Copper Mountain. I’m a numbers guy at heart. Numbers ground me. But I grew up outside of Portland, Maine, and started skiing there. The first time I went skiing, the very first run, I broke my tibia. Now I get in 125 days a year. The strategy for managing a ski resort in Central Oregon has to be wildly different from Colorado resorts, no? The bread and butter for Summit County is people driving up from Denver. That’s 3 million people versus 100,000 here in Bend. From a business perspective, that means it is much more important to connect with the community here. We certainly have destination skiers, and we want to keep bringing in the Ikon Pass holders, which has been great for us, but Central Oregon requires a lot more partnerships. At Copper, we could own the entire experience. Here we have to rely on hotel partners to help us sell tickets and we’ll help them sell rooms. I love how much more community-based it is here, with a lot more symbiotic relationships than what I was used to. That community hasn’t always been very happy with Bachelor. What’s your strategy for mending those fences? We have a passionate community. Sometimes the tone can be negative, but I’m from New England and can ignore tone. Communication is one of the hardest things you can do, be it with your employees or with guests. If there’s a day where it’s blustery and we’re not sure Northwest is going to open, we’re going to be really clear about that and not say, “Hey, come up! You might see it open!” I think that’s disingenuous. If I get letters, emails or phone calls from people, I personally answer every one of them. We’re also discounting lift tickets on Thursdays [to $99] and donating $5 from those tickets to a new nonprofit every week. There’s sometimes the impression that Bachelor is Powdr’s middle child. Where does the resort fit in, in terms of getting attention from Mom? Someone just mentioned that to me, too, and it’s a misconception, to be perfectly frank. It’s hard to predict exactly when we will get capital, and yeah, there are times when it ebbs and flows, and maybe Copper gets a little more love one year and Killington gets a little more the next, but I think they do a really good job of spreading it. Bachelor has had a lot of love the past few years. My goal is for that to continue. What’s one of the first things you did as GM? I assigned each member of our leadership team a building and asked them to look for everything that could be improved. We broke it down into things we can do now and what we can work on. We replaced handrails and repainted the entire inside of the West Village lodge. We redid a bunch of bathroom countertops. It’s the simple things that can make a huge difference. John Merriman rises to the top at Mt. Bachelor Bachelor’s new general manager talks about last winter’s sudden shakeup, the resort’s upgraded lifts and facilities — and why the company wants to woo Central Oregon skiers. INTERVIEW BY TIM NEVILLE Skiers at Mt. Bachelor always have lots to cheer with reliable snow and fantastic terrain — but last season they also had reason to grumble. Northwest Express, the mountain’s longest chairlift that accesses the most enticing terrain, was on the fritz and wheezing along on backup power. The next lift over, Outback Express, seemed to break down more than it ran. And then there was Skyliner Express, a critical high-speed quad that sits above a parking lot popular for tailgating. It had failed suddenly in 2021, couldn’t be fixed and would be closed for the entirety of the 2022-23 season, too. That one stung. But then the avalanche: In February 2023, executives from Bachelor’s Utah-based parent company, Powdr, including CEO Justin Sibley, flew to Bend with little warning, summoned Bachelor’s seven-year president and general manager, John McLeod, and asked him to “pursue other opportunities.” Bachelor’s director of marketing and communications, John Sereni, who’d been in the job for a scant nine months, was also let go. Stacey Hutchinson, Powdr’s vice president of communications and government affairs, offered the public reassurances of a plan to navigate the upset, including the appointment of an interim director while Powdr did “a thorough search for a new general manager.” The company ran a full hiring process but ultimately didn’t stray far. John Merriman, 52, the VP of finance at Colorado’s Copper Mountain resort, one of Powdr’s nine ski areas, had been encouraged by Sibley to apply for the job. He got it and started in May 2023, making this his first winter in the post. (Lauren Burke left California’s Mammoth Mountain to replace Sereni.) Merriman — a self-professed “numbers guy,” “people person” and affable dad—assumes the role as Bachelor faces several large infrastructure projects, including a long-awaited replacement for Skyliner, a $10 million-plus, top-to-bottom rebuild that brings Bachelor its first six-person chairlift—only the third such lift in the state. Merriman has also more than doubled the mountain’s repair and maintenance budgets while overseeing the replacement of chairlift motors, haul ropes and gearboxes to improve reliability. Soon Bachelor will also fire up the country’s first major biomass plant at a ski resort, a facility that will burn otherwise unwanted forest scraps from federal lands to heat buildings while drastically cutting propane costs. For now, though, Merriman has made it his mission to foster a strong culture among employees and to reconnect with upset locals. “There is a certain amount of people who have been disenfranchised for one reason or another, and we want to win them back,” he says. “It’s not something we can do overnight but I’m 100% confident we’re going to.” This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 16
JASON E. KAPLAN But you have much bigger problems than paint. Our lift infrastructure is a little bit older, and sometimes things happen that aren’t due to a lack of maintenance. This year we’ve replaced the motor on Northwest. We replaced the haul rope on Northwest. We replaced both the motor and the haul rope on Little Pine. We replaced the gearbox on Outback, and we’re replacing the motor on Sunrise. And Skyliner, of course, is an entirely new lift — towers, terminals and all. The shakeup at Bachelor seemed very sudden to us outsiders. Do you feel like you inherited a team or did you see a need to rebuild? There’s always some weeding that happens, and sorry if that sounds crass, because the vast majority of the team really wants success and they’d bleed for Bachelor. You need to hire the right people in influential positions. Our leadership team now has really bought in. They need a consistent leader and somebody who’s going to have their back, all the time. But I like to consult; I don’t ever like to tell people what to do. But obviously you have to make decisions. Absolutely. But I don’t like to. It might even make some people a little uncomfortable. I want to talk through their process so they come to the right decision on their own. What is it you’re trying to cultivate by doing that? Confidence. As a leader, you have to have that. That’s what I feel is my life mission, to develop young leaders, and help people to really spread their wings and grow. You’ve said you want to enhance the employee experience. What does that mean? That is critical to any business, but especially in this business, because every single one of our employees has an impact on our guest experience. One thing I think all businesses suffer from is you take your best individual contributor, and you make them a manager. They’re not really trained for that, so we’ve started this new leadership training. Every employee also goes through an orientation that makes sure we’re all on the same page right from the start. A lot of your employees have to be in this business for the lifestyle, and we want to help that and encourage that. A huge part of that lifestyle requires a place to live. How is Bachelor handling housing for these low-wage workers? At Copper, something like 70% of our employees lived in the [company housing or deed-restricted housing], but Bachelor has zero. But the unique thing about Bend in the ski industry is that Bend is busier in the summer, with occupancy that’s 75% or higher. That flips in winter. So we reached out to some hotels and worked out a deal where we guarantee rooms and then recruit employees to stay in them well below market rate. We just did that with Campfire Hotel, where they set aside 51 beds — 30 rooms — an entire wing for our employees. 17
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BY JASON COHEN NDAMUKONG AND KATYA SUH are eating chicken tenders. His order includes both regular and Nashville Hot, while she picked out the sauces (honey mustard, spicy peach and “Comeback”). There’s also fries — for him, though Katya had already announced her intention to swipe a couple. “That’s fine,” her husband replies. It’s a perfect early-summer Portland day at Bae’s Chicken on Northeast Alberta Street, where the Suhs are meeting up with Oregon Business for an interview — and yes, this entire moment is a celebrity profile cliché. But in this case, the cliché is not only intentional but appropriate. Ndamukong Suh conceived and co-founded Bae’s with longtime Portland restaurant guru Micah Camden (cofounder of Little Big Burger, Blue Star Donuts and SuperDeluxe, the latter of which includes Suh as an investor). And this particular Bae’s — there’s also one in Portland’s Old Town, as well as a concession at the Moda Center — is in a building called Alberta Alley, which is owned by HMS Development, a company Ndamukong cofounded. The indoor/outdoor space at the corner of Alberta and Northeast 30th is Katya, which opened in December and takes its inspiration from music, art and sneaker culture (including Katya’s online “Kicks & Cocktails” video series, which, yes, features both cool sneakers and delicious cocktails). “Kaya’s going to be one that I hope changes the way in which cocktails are done in the city of Portland,” Katya says. “And everywhere.” ⁄Profile⁄ Hometown Heroes Ndamukong and Katya Suh throw down roots in Northeast Portland. also home to a location of Camden’s Boxer, as well as Kinnamons, an over-the-top cinnamon-bun concept owned by MMMCo and Ndamukong’s Generals Restaurant Group. (In mid-December, new locations of Boxer and Kinnamons opened in Beaverton’s Cedar Hills Crossing.) And last but not least, Kaya, a high-end cocktail bar conceived and run by Ndamukong and Katya Suh in Alberta Alley in Northeast Portland PHOTOS BY JASON E. KAPLAN 20
Kaya comes at a time when the Suhs are doubling down on their already strong connections to Portland, which, in addition to their part-time home and business interests, include a family foundation based around the “three pillars” of education, health and wellness. They’re also involved in such community endeavors as financial-literacy programs and backpack giveaways, including at Grant High School, which is not at all coincidentally just a few miles from Alberta Alley. That’s where Ndamukong used to eat the free breakfast as a middle-schooler at Beverly Cleary School before his own time as a Grant student and star athlete. Google the name of the 6-foot-4, 313-pound Super Bowl champion (with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021) and it’s mostly football facts. But the first word of his Twitter bio is “Investor” (with a dollar-bill emoji). And the first words of his LinkedIn summary? “An engineer….” “I’m very proud of my engineering degree,” says Ndamukong, who majored in engineering and construction management at the University of Nebraska, graduating in four years even as he became a Heisman Trophy finalist — rare for a defensive player — in 2009, his senior year. “And I’ve always wanted to be known as somebody more than an athlete.” An athlete who may or may not be retired: Ndamukong played his 13th season last year for the Philadelphia Eagles on a part-time basis, joining the team in November for eight regular-season games and the playoffs; as this issue of OB went to press, in mid-December, Ndamukong had not returned to the NFL, though in theory, he could still sign with a team in January. While many athletes struggle to find their way in “life after sports” — or find something they love as much as sports — neither of the Suhs ever assumed sports would be their careers or only passion. Katya played college basketball for the University of Nebraska and Kansas State before putting her mass communications degree to work in television journalism, marketing, real estate and hospitality. And in Ndamukong’s case, you might say the NFL turned out to be his side hustle. While plenty of professional athletes lend their name and/or money to companies (Damian Lillard Toyota, in McMinnville), new media endeavors (LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company) or passion projects (CJ McCollum’s Heritage 91 wine partnership with Adelsheim) even when they’re playing, Ndamukong pursued entrepreneurship more doggedly than most. He was mentored by Warren Buffet in Omaha and has investments with the Silicon Valley VC firm Andreessen Horowitz, in such startups as Quip (toothbrushes) and Judy (emergency kits) and in the national restaurant chains Blue Sushi and Pizzana. He owns or has owned both hotels and real estate in other cities he has lived in (including Omaha and Detroit). His current Portland company, HMS Development, a partnership with fellow Irvington resident Joel Andersen (of Andersen Construction), has multiple projects in Portland, both residential and commercial buildings, including Alberta Alley. “I tell people this all the time: I was ready for Ndamukong to retire after his second contract,” says former Grant High School assistant coach Joe Rollins, referring to the six-year, $114 million deal Ndamukong — who was originally drafted No. 2 overall by the Detroit Lions in 2010 — signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2015, which made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time. “Because I didn’t view him as a professional football player anymore. I look at Ndamukong Suh as a businessman, a father and a husband now.” Ndamukong and Katya met at the University of Nebraska in 2009; by the time she transferred to Kansas State, Ndamukong, who’d been a senior when she was a freshman, was already in the NFL. He was also just a friend. Sort of. Here’s how they describe it: Boy meets girl, girl holds boy at arm’s length, girl eventually agrees to date. “Courting,” Ndamukong calls it. They stayed friends and, as a couple, were sort of on-again, off-again throughout their 20s and through his moves to lots of different cities. They got married in 2020 and had their twin sons, Kingston and Khari, in March of 2021. “I’m very proud of my engineering degree. And I’ve always wanted to be known as somebody more than an athlete.” NDAMUKONG SUH Ndamukong Suh outside Bae’s on Alberta COURTESY OF NDAMUKONG SUH Ndamukong was a Grant High School student and star athlete. 21
Katya actually came to Nebraska with a passion for STEM and an intent to study chemical engineering, but the major proved to be incompatible with the grind of basketball’s extended calendar. She switched to communications, and in addition to working as a television anchor, as a model, and in restaurants and event planning, she’s put her communications degree to work as something of a social media influencer. All of that experience, plus the Suhs’ passion for social justice and racial equity, comes together in Kaya. Kaya means “dope” in Jamaican, and that is what the bar — and its cocktails — are meant to be as well. Manager Kyle Sanders, formerly of Multnomah Whiskey Library, originally consulted with Katya on her “Kicks & Cocktails” content; Micah Camden, whose MMMco. company is a consultant for the bar in addition to its involvement with the other Alberta Alley restaurants, originally introduced them. Katya already had lots of her own restaurant experience in the front-of-house trenches, and her keen presence on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube is also no small thing in today’s restaurant world. Ndamukong has also been reluctantly but gamely dragged into the social media world of his more gregarious wife, for memes and reels and peeks into their life. “I’m a little bit more energetic and a little bit more talkative — just a little,” Katya says with a chuckle. But Ndamukong is becoming less shy, and his analytical mindset — whether about construction, business or football — also makes him a broadcasting natural. He had an audition with NBC last summer that, according to The Athletic, had insiders raving, and spent the first portion of this season doing commentary for Sky Sports in the United Kingdom when the NFL had games in London. While Ndamukong says he’s “blissfully uninvolved” in Kaya, of which Katya is the sole owner, he does co-own the building, and that — plus the fact that it is part of Alberta Alley’s larger whole — means it starts out with a more stable foundation than the average fledgling bar. As they describe it, Ndamukong has always been a source of advice for her, as she has been for him. “One of the most important things personally, for me, when I have people in my life is that they challenge me,” says Katya. “I don’t think that a good relationshop is one who always tells you ‘Yes.’” To her, the Suhs’ partnership — whether in business, family or philanthropy — is one where they can say to the other, “‘I understand your vision because I know you that well. But why don’t you look at something a little bit differently?’ It can broaden your perspective.” Kaya is meant to be fun and experiential but also high-end and cerebral — Sanders mentions the Chicago bar Aviary as an inspiration, with the promise of “Rube Goldberg-type cocktails: a little bit over- engineered and visually appealing.” In other words, something that’s great to drink but that also demands you take a photo and post it on social media. Naturally, that will include what had become Katya’s signature recipe online: an espresso martini made with tequila, espresso, chocolate and coffee Katya Suh in her new bar, Kaya. Behind her are portraits of Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur by artist Jordan Barros. Katya shows off some custom Nike sneakers at right. 22
liqueurs, and Bailey’s Irish cream, an unapologetically desserty drink. And just as Ndamukong can’t do anything but try to win — whether that’s in football, business or a pick-up basketball game with friends — Katya brings that winning mentality to Kaya. “She wants this to be raising the bar for cocktails in Portland,” Sanders says. “She’s definitely got a very competitive nature in there.” Sports and sneakers are part of the vibe— including custom sneakers for the staff—and patrons are invited to wear vintage thriftstore finds, street style or designers. There’s no dress code. There will be a TV — but just one. The decor will include portraits of some of Katya’s heroes in fashion and music by artist Jordan Barros — all “African-American OGs that I really feel have impacted the fashion and music industry for a long time,” she says. (Among them: Michael Jordan and Grace Jones.) “It’s about paying homage to those who have changed the music and fashion industry, and part of that is sneakers—it’s one of my absolute loves,” Katya says. It’s a place you might imagine players for the Trail Blazers going — as well as Portland’s large community of sneakerheads and sneaker-company employees — but really, it’s for everyone. “I want Kaya to bring customers that feel welcomed and comfortable, and they’re still able to get this really fine-dining, elevated moment,” Katya says. “I want everyone to be able to embrace who they are. Because I am who I am. And I think I’m pretty frickin’ fun and amazing.” In the end, that’s a social and political statement too: about style and culture, but also class and race and the question of who does this space belong to? Who does Portland — and Northeast Portland, specifically, belong to? “One hundred percent,” says Katya. While the Suhs’ primary home is still in Tampa, Fla. (from his time with the Bucs), they also have a home in Irvington, where Joel Andersen also still lives. They are not just giving back to the community but taking back a community. “Alberta and Killingsworth, they’re still very much thought of by Black Portlanders as their streets, right?”says Andersen. On Alberta, a few blocks west of MLK Jr. Boulevard, the Terrell Brandon Barber Shop stood — until its recent closure — as a survivor and an emblem of that history. Then, for the better part of 15 blocks, you’ve got mostly hip and new fancy businesses. And so it is at Alberta Alley — except there, the hip and new and fancy businesses are owned by a Black man from the neighborhood and his biracial wife. During the Suhs’ interview at Bae’s, a customer stops by to say hello. He is Anthony Deloney, a longtime youth-sports coach and the director of development at SEI (Self-Enhancement, Inc.), a local nonprofit for underserved youth whose programming Ndamukong participated in growing up. Deloney is a regular customer, and Ndamukong asks after his son Aaron, a fellow Grant alum and current basketball star at the University of Vermont. The work the Suhs are doing here — even if it’s just an awesome chicken tender or a killer cocktail — is something both a new generation of Northeast Portland kids and adults who haven’t left the neighborhood can appreciate. “I mean, I grew up five blocks away from here,” Ndamukong says. “The best feeling is coming back to the neighborhood and having people recognize that. You take great joy and pride in it.” Better than another Super Bowl, even. Above: the bar at Kaya. At right, Kyle Sanders, Kaya’s general manager, mixes one of the bar’s signature cocktails, the chocolate-espresso martini, called Kat Naste. PHOTOS BY JASON E. KAPLAN 23
Call to Justice THE EDUCATION ISSUE $4.99 September 2020 | OregonBusiness.com UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE COVID-19 Exposes Financial Frailty LANE COUNTY CONNECTOR Micah Elconin Fashions a Food Hub BACK TO SCHOOL Why Lin eld Uni Shuns Online Classes Businesses Face Racial Reckoning July/August 2020 | OregonBusiness.com THE HEALTH CARE ISSUE ELDER CARE Nursing homes reexamine approach to services BUYING LOCAL Small farmers reap bene ts of supply-chain breakdown HOPE FOR HOSPITALITY McMenamin brothers plot future for pub chain Digital Doctor Telemedicine has transformed health care. But is it here to stay? Dr. Elizabeth Powers, Winding Waters page 33 July/August 2022 | OregonBusiness.com THE HEALTH CARE ISSUE IS BALA BACK ON ITS FEET? Footwear startup tries a heel-turn WHO CARES? Oregon’s caregiver shortage spirals ON CALL Nurses join the gig economy plus A Rebirthed Tradition More Oregonians seek midwife care $4.99 May 2019 | OregonBusiness.com TSUNAMI THREAT *][QVM[[M[ LQ ٺ MZ WV PW_ \W XZMXIZM A BAD REP +WUKI[\ PMIL [MMS[ JZIVL ZMLW PEOPLE BUSINESS ;\I\M TMVLMZ [MMS[ P]UIV \W]KP / / Broadband gives life to rural economies, but not all can get connected GOT DATA? Natasha Allen, welding instructor November / December 2021 | OregonBusiness.com The New Face of Manufacturing Can a new training center remake the industry? ALWAYS HUSTLING College athletes cash in PLAYING DEFENSE Can Oregon become a big defense-industry player? Plus THE MANUFACTURING ISSUE Prime The Manufacturing Issue BIG CHEESE The cream rises to the top in Oregon’s artisanal cheese industry GRÖN IN OREGON A cannabis company goes global THE CHIPS ARE IN Making room for the semiconductor industry A FOUNDATIONAL SHIFT OCF’s new director $4.99 November/December 2022 | OregonBusiness.com February 2020 | OregonBusiness.com THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ISSUE BEEFING UP BOOKKEEPING Accountants turn their hand to advising KEEPING IT LOCAL Why consultants are working less and ying fewer miles ROBO LAW How AI is changing the face of the legal profession The Great Disruption May 2020 | OregonBusiness.com HILLSBORO’S DATA CENTER BOOM Big Tax Breaks But Few Jobs PORTLAND’S NEW TECH WAVE Growth Pressures Sector’s Identity ADDICTION IN THE WORKPLACE The Cost of Not Helping Employees Coronavirus Pandemic Forces Adaptability and Innovation 2023 March 2023 | OregonBusiness.com WHAT’S UP DOWNTOWN? Developers rehab the upper floors of Oregon main streets THE TIMBERS’ NEXT PLAY CEO Heather Davis kicks off her new role plus The Real Estate and Retail Issue When Every Day Is a Great Day at Work July/August 2019 | OregonBusiness.com The leaders retooling the next generation of coordinated care organizations State Health ERIC HUNTER CEO, CAREOREGON LAST ACTS /ZMMV J]ZQIT[ ÆW]ZQ[P BRAIN WAVES 6M_ TQNM NWZ WTL LZ]O[ OPEN SIGNAL <M[\QVO I]\WVWUW][ JZWILJIVL / / of Are you in? Of course you are. Subscribe Today. Get your All-Access Pass to OB Prime when you subscribe to Oregon Business. ■ 10 issues (one year) of Oregon Business print edition, plus the digital edition of Oregon Business, readable on any device ■ Special monthly emails that may include bonus story content, event discounts, special research stories, and/or additional photos. OregonBusiness.com/subscribe $4.99 June 2019 | OregonBusiness.com The Brave New World of Green Businesses redefine the mantle of sustainability LOADED UP Electric grid gets a revamp CAP AND TRADE An investor’s perspective BEYOND RECYCLING Three portraits from the 100 Best / / PLUS EXCLUSIVE: Intel CTO on the future of tech February 2021 | OregonBusiness.com THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES ISSUE Scotty Fenters, farmer FACING DROUGHT Searching for Solutions in the Klamath Basin BETTING ON THE FUTURE Port of Portland rethinks growth plans COLLABORATIVE SPACES New era of of ce design RUSH TO THE SCREEN Digital marketing dominates ad spend WHAT’S NEXT FOR COLUMBIA RIVER PORTS? Also RECLAIMING WILLAMETTE FALLS Tribes make new plans for site PIPE DREAMS Irrigation gets a makeover $4.99 January 2022 | OregonBusiness.com P OB2 W0O 2OE R2K Little Loans, Big Results What microfinance is doing for Oregon entrepreneurs April 2023 | OregonBusiness.com MONEY IN THE BANK How consumer banks are dealing with increased interest rates MAKE IT WORK Staffing trends in 2023 plus THE FINANCE ISSUE March 2022 | OregonBusiness.com THE REAL ESTATE AND RETAIL ISSUE FINDING HOME Rural housing prices spiral upward AT THE CENTER What’s next for downtown Portland? Celebrating 2022’s 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon
Oregon’s Bottle Bill, passed in 1971, is famous for being America’s first bottle bill. It was also the country’s first “extended producer responsibility” program, before that term was even coined. In the bill, legislators made beverage distributors (or manufacturers who self-distribute) responsible for reimbursing grocery stores for the refund value. Consumers then pay the deposit when they buy beer or other beverages, but they recoup that when they return the bottles. The whole point of the deposit is to incentivize consumers to reliably return the bottles and cans—and it has worked. The Bottle Bill has undergone many updates over the years: adding bottled water (2009); the Green Bag Oregon’s glass bottle recycling rates may be some of the highest in the nation, but with the state’s only glass recycling plant temporarily shuttered, where is the rest of our used glass being carted off to? And is glass recycling as green as environmentalists once thought? BY HANNAH WALLACE | PHOTOS BY JASON E. KAPLAN program (2010); juice, tea, coconut water and other beverage containers (2018); and canned wine (2022). In 2017 the deposit doubled to 10 cents per bottle, resulting in a spike in returns. According to the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative (OBRC), Oregon had a bottle redemption rate of 85.5% in 2022. Nine other states have followed Oregon’s lead, but when it comes to cans and bottles, Oregon still has the highest recycling rate in the country. In August the Container Recycling Institute, a national beverage container recycling think tank, announced that Oregon’s redemption rate is the best in the nation, followed by Maine, with a redemption rate of 78%. Much of this success has to do with OBRC, the not-for-profit formed in 2009 by Oregon SHATTERED GLASS beverage distributors to efficiently collect empty bottles and cans from retail partners and consumers and sort them by material. OBRC does this via 27 full-service redemption centers across the state, six of which are also processing plants. “We have a statewide network for return infrastructure, the Green Bag program at redemption centers, all coming back through one fully integrated stream,” says Eric Chambers, vice president of strategy and outreach at OBRC. All of this means cleaner bottles and cans, which are a desirable commodity. The glass bottles that OBRC collects from across the state are crushed into “cullet” and sold to Portland-based glass recycler Glass to Glass. But what about the glass that doesn’t have 26
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