Business Portland News & Event Round Up, March 2

Recent business stories of note:

• Portland is No. 4 on the Future Metropolis index

• The Portland Seed Fund has named its second class of eight startups

• Tech start-ups take on banks, including Portland's Simple

• Portland State University is going entrepreneurial

• Mayor Adams introduced Produce Row during the State of the City speech

• The Oregon Entrepreneurs Network has named the Angel Oregon “concept stage” finalists

• Portland's industrial vacancy decreases to 8.0%

• Oregon’s unemployment rate falls to 8.8 percent in January as state adds 5,400 jobs

• A public solar power project that raised a bit of a ruckus in Portland is now downtown’s biggest PV system

• Car2Go announces car-sharing service for Portland

• Portland-based footwear maker KEEN has purchased the Pearl Building for its new headquarters

• Respect Your Universe, Portland-run training apparel brand, raises $1.5 million

• Oregon Business announced the 100 Best Companies to Work For in Oregon 2012

• Worksystems scores $9.5 Million for worker training to support regional Portland businesses

• The duo behind Old Town's Davis Street Tavern will open a new restaurant in the Pearl

• Supporting local businesses is one of the things that make Portland unique

• Cargo bike business group works for spot in the Rose Festival

• The Small Business Administration’s new International Trade Loan will help business bring jobs home

Some business announcements and events of note:

• Capture Your Share of the Federal Contracting Pie is on Wednesday, March 7

• Salvaging Commercial Construction Debris is on Thursday, March 8

• The Small Business Education Series, hosted by Advantis Credit Union is on Wednesday, March 14

• Business After Hours @ the Portland Timbers is on Wednesday, March 14

• New class of Getting Your Recipe to Market starts March 20

• Oregon's Cleantech Cluster is on Thursday, March 22

• Doing Business In Russia: An Executive Briefing is on Thursday, March 29

• The Bottom Line: Capturing EB-5 Capital in China and Korea Executive Seminar will be in Portland March 31

• Portland Startup Weekend Bootcamp is on April 21

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