Host Angela Wilhelms talks with Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and Portland Metro Chamber President & CEO Andrew Hoan. Topics covered include unsanctioned camping, overnight shelter construction, increasing trust in government, the city's tax burden and other issues of importance to Portland's residents, visitors and businesses.

When you go to the store to buy a beverage – whether it’s a nonalcoholic drink or a six-pack of beer – you’re aware of the brand you’re buying, obviously, as well as the store at which you’re buying it. But what you don’t see is the distributor that brought that beverage to the store – and probably stocked the shelf. Beverage distributors play an important but largely invisible role linking manufacturers to retailers.

In this episode, Oregon Business Matters host Angela Wilhelms talks with Paul Meade, chief financial officer at Columbia Distributing, one of the largest beverage distributors in the country. Columbia Distributing handles a broad mix of beverage brands, including Molson/Coors, 7-Up and many craft beers and other brands. The company's many Oregon partners include Deschutes Brewery, 2 Towns Ciderhouse, Migration Brewing and Del Rio Wines. Columbia Distributing is also the nation's biggest distributor of Red Bull.

Bullseye Glass is Portland manufacturing institution, producing colored glass used by artists around the world since the 1970s. This fall, the company won OBI's third annual Coolest Thing Made in Oregon contest. In this episode of Oregon Business Matters, host Angela Wilhelms talks with Bullseye Glass founder Dan Schwoerer about the company's history and its unique products.

In the latest episode of the Oregon Business Matters podcast, host Angela Wilhelms talks with Ned Ford, chief operations officer for Harry & David parent company 1-800-Flowers. Ned oversees Harry & David, which maintains its headquarters - along with an impressive operation - in Medford. With the holiday season just around the corner, Ned and Angela talk about Harry & David's evolution, the complex logistics behind the company's Medford operation and, of course, pears.

Matthew Drake, CEO of Mt. Hood Meadows Ski Resort, talks with host Angela Wilhelms about the ski resort business, including challenges posed by weather variability, running an independently owned ski resort, and the threat to resorts like Mt. Hood Meadows created by Oregon's unusual liability law relating to recreational uses.

October is National Manufacturing Month. Host Angela Wilhelms talks with OBI Senior Policy Director Duke Shepard about the importance - and struggles - of Oregon's manufacturing sector. Duke also recaps OBI's annual Manufacturing & Innovation Roadshow, which toured seven manufacturers in the Willamette Valley and southern Oregon on Oct. 6-7.

Tyler Freres is vice president of sales at Freres Engineered Wood, a family owned company that has produced timber products in Lyons and Mill City for more than a century. Tyler talks with host Angela Wilhelms about the evolution of the family business, state and federal forest management practices and Mass Ply, a cross-laminated product developed by Freres Engineered Wood that won OBI's inaugural Coolest Thing Made in Oregon contest in 2023.

If you follow college sports, you've heard the term NIL, which stands for "name, image and likeness." You also probably know NIL refers to the payment of collegiate athletes. Beyond that, you can be excused for knowing little about the complex world of collegiate athlete compensation.

In this episode of Oregon Business Matters, host Angela Wilhelms talks with an expert in this rapidly evolving area. Max Forer is a partner with Miller Nash in Oregon and a former offensive lineman with the Oregon Ducks. If you're at all curious about collegiate sports, this episode is a must-listen.

In this episode, host Angela Wilhelms talks with Brian Hall, CEO of rapidly growing NIC Industries. Based in White City, NIC Industries manufactures powder coatings and liquid ceramic coatings, which it sells around the world. The company's products include its successful Cerakote car-care line, which can be found in retail stores around the country.

NIC Industries is a 2025 recipient of OBI’s Visionary Award, which recognizes people, companies and organizations that strengthen Oregon’s economy and contribute significantly to shared prosperity.

Brian himself was honored in June as EY’s 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year for the Mountain West region, which includes Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Brian and Angela talk about the evolution of NIC Industries, the benefits and challenges of operating in Oregon, and Brian’s successful approach to leadership.

Family owned Duckwall Fruit packs and ships more than two million cartons of premium pears every year in Oregon's Hood River Valley. In this episode, host Angela Wilhelms talks with Duckwall Fruit's Sara Duckwall and Ed Weathers about Oregon pears, running a century-old family business and much more.