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Open for Business

If a business needs to relocate due to the project, TriMet and its partners can provide relocation assistance. These are examples of how this assistance has provided businesses with new opportunities.

Genealogical Forum of Oregon

Like unearthing a forgotten family photo album from a box in the attic, the Genealogical Forum of Oregon (GFO) allows people to revive their histories, reconstruct the past, and make new discoveries about themselves and their ancestry. The organization’s resources can do more than trace a family tree: they can help describe a person’s existence and solve mysteries. That’s one reason why the non-profit organization attracts a diverse population.

“We’ve had adopted children use the library to search for their birth parents. Others come to research missing persons, identify suspects or learn about history,” says Laurel Smith, GFO’s board director-at-large. “Our resources help members paint a picture of how their ancestors actually lived, which builds excitement and a deeper understanding of family.”

Launched in 1946, GFO is a completely volunteer-run nonprofit organization that serves 850 members. Members pay a nominal annual fee for unlimited use of the library, which includes access to extensive online content and over 32,000 volumes of information—from public records and census information to books, microfiche and periodicals—filled with data from throughout the United States and Europe. A one-day use fee is also available, and the library is free to the public the first Monday of every month.

For the past 15 years, these important resources were housed on a dead-end street in Southeast Portland. The alignment of the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project precipitated GFO’s relocation and, after an exhaustive search, GFO’s board found a new home in the historic Ford Building at 2505 SE 11th Ave. According to GFO board member and past president Don Holznagel, TriMet’s financial assistance was instrumental in helping the organization set up in its new, more visible location.

“The intense level of detail that goes into planning, space modifications, and moving a library with fragile materials dating to the 1860s meant that having adequate funds were crucial,” explains Holznagel. “The Ford Building owner offered us the long-term lease we needed, and we’re excited to be in a building with such vibrant tenants.”

Michael Tevis, president of Intrinsic Ventures Inc. which owns the Ford Building, says that GFO fits his vision for the property’s future. “The new light rail’s 12th & Clinton Street station will make this area a true destination and nexus of activity,” says Tevis. “GFO brings a demographic with wisdom and experience to the building’s arts and culture community, and I’m thrilled to have them as a long-term anchor tenant.”

Von Tundra

On a summer afternoon, Dan Anderson and Chris Held perched on metal stools around a large square worktable in the new space of Von Tundra, their Portland design studio. Von Tundra's portfolio emphasizes furniture and fixtures, but the design house has a history of diverse work. In addition to tables, chairs and cabinets, the firm has produced original art pieces for gallery exhibitions and art shows, a custom designed carport and even a food cart.

After four years in their original space, the studio relocated to 534 NE 18th Street. Although they weren't planning to move from their Brooklyn neighborhood location, the alignment of TriMet's Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project meant that relocation was essential.

"It was good timing for us," explains Anderson. "We've grown as a business, and we were ready to reorganize our practice with what we've learned up to this point."

As part of the relocation effort, TriMet teamed with Business Outreach Program at Portland State University (PSU) to help Von Tundra create a business plan. PSU provided Anderson and Held with an in-depth market analysis, customer demographics and a financial plan to bring prudent business advice to their artistic endeavor.

"It was great to get an outside perspective," says Held. "PSU's research gave us details on what we are doing and how we're doing it compared to other local companies as well as insights on the overall market."

"We're trying to design around our ideas instead of just our means and integrate creativity in new ways," reflects Anderson. By 2014, Von Tundra hopes its limited edition furniture line, sourced from high quality materials, will comprise 60 to 75 percent of the firm's revenue. To give these plans further momentum, PSU's Business Outreach Program is helping Von Tundra apply for small business grants.

Anderson and Held infuse a contemporary aesthetic and a commitment to exceptional quality, local craftsmanship and sustainable materials in their pieces, and although they are ready to step up their business plan, they are clear about maintaining their integrity. "We bring our own sense of responsibility and creativity to anything we're doing," asserts Held, "so we'll adopt and adapt traditional business strategies to operate within our framework."