“I take a market-driven, community building approach to civic renewal. Drawing on a decade of experience in private sector development and commercial leasing, I teach the building blocks of revitalization, which we then apply to your city or neighborhood commercial district. The key is to create a shared vision and bring it to life through a set of concrete goals and action items.”

Thumbnail image for Retail, REITs and Cannibalization

Retail, REITs and Cannibalization

May 4, 2012

When he got his start in the grocery business with Fred Meyer decades ago, Gary Slabaugh said he knew EVERY property owner that surrounded the store where he worked. He knew them, their families, their kids’ birthdays. Part of managing the store was participating in, and being a member of, the surrounding community. Smart business [...]

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Hot Lake Springs…The Arkansas of Oregon?

March 30, 2012

Earlier this week, I paid a visit to an intriguing place called Hot Lake Springs, which is located in what felt like the middle of nowhere in eastern Oregon. Back in the day, Hot Lake Springs billed itself as the “Arkansas of the West” — after Hot Springs, Arkansas. (The site in its full glory [...]

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My Secret Garden…of Zen

January 22, 2012

In the summer of 2011, I found myself mystified as to why, after speaking at the Pacific Intermountain Parking and Transportation Association (PIPTA) conference, I had received a plastic bag of salt, a picture frame, some straws, a few pebbles, a tiny Buddha, and two small mock stone candles. You see, fairly frequent speaking gigs [...]

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There Is No Such Thing as a Rain-Free Downtown Experience

January 1, 2012

If I were supernatural, I might choose to be an awning fairy. My mission? Roaming the land, eradicating horrible awnings with the touch of my sparkly magic wand. (By roaming, I mean that I would be flying, of course.) Sadly, I am coming around to the fact that I won’t be manifesting any special powers [...]

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Thumbnail image for Second Largest Waterfall in the US is at Blue Heron Paper Mill

Second Largest Waterfall in the US is at Blue Heron Paper Mill

October 8, 2011

The second largest waterfall in the United States is located between West Linn and Oregon City, Oregon (pictured here circa 1918). The spectacular horseshoe-shaped cascade of water is called Willamette Falls, and it’s pretty inaccessible, hidden from public view by mills on both sides of the Willamette River. In fact, the base of the falls [...]

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