Oregon Business

"There are certain manufactured products that will need to stay here," Hauge says. "If it’s engineering intensive, if it’s low-volume, if it’s controlled by the government or if it’s a new product where you need to get the bugs out before mass production."

"It’s increasingly clear that the kicker makes no sense whatsoever," said council Chairman Joe Cortright, president and principal economist at Impresa Inc. "It’s something we should get rid of."

The state is one of just five without a sales tax because residents have voted nine times over the years to keep it that way. Oregonians have enshrined a property-tax cap in their state constitution.

The products are growing in popularity among athletic elites — golfer Tiger Woods and quarterback Peyton Manning have tried them out — but some of his biggest fans join him at the pool every Tuesday and Thursday. Killgore calls it his "breakfast club."

The video processing company plans to announce details today of $7.5 million in venture backing led by Steamboat Ventures, the venture capital arm of The Walt Disney Co.

The issue is that the kind of talent that Intel produces isn’t the kind of talent that most Oregon startups are looking for. They need experience specific to their industry, not just talented managers.

The program’s goal, says Bill MacKenzie, communications manager: "Make employees feel happy and appreciated."

"It’s a foundation for us where we can move forward and say: ‘Look at what Oregon can do,’"said Michael Baker, chief executive and co-founder of HD Plus.

But this week, Oregon fiscal analysts dropped a new bombshell on lawmakers and voters alike: Due to weak income tax collections, a fresh, $563 million hole has opened in the budget, and deep education cuts are likely.

Portland-based Tripwire filed with federal regulators today to sell stock to the public, a milestone in a state where no company has held an initial public offering for more than five years.