Investments Blog

Two Hawaii-based companies – Sweet Creams and Fork & Salad – are opening their second locations on Friday.

Sweet Creams will open its second location in the newly renovated Downtown section of Pearlridge Center. Hawaii natives Jeffrey Kao and Bari Carroll became the first in Hawaii to capitalize on the rolled ice cream trend when it launched as a catering company in 2016, and then expanded to its first location in Honolulu last year.

The rolled ice cream process, which has pervaded social…

Welcome to the Portland Business Journal’s 2018 Small Business Innovation Awards special publication.

Small businesses are the heart and soul of Portland. This is a city that thrives on innovation and creativity, much of which is generated from the entrepreneurial minds of our small business leaders. We created this program to showcase some of Portland’s most impressive and innovative companies that continue to prove great ideas come from the smallest of enterprises.

The challenges to launching…

Townshend's stretches beyond kombucha to make spirits distilled from tea

Land O'Lakes Inc. announced on Thursday that its CEO Chris Policinski will retire next month; the company will begin searching for a new top executive right away.

Policinski's last day with the Arden Hills-based cooperative will be June 30. He has been CEO of the farmer-owned business since 2005.

During his tenure, Land O'Lakes pressed its global expansion into markets like South Africa and Kenya. Policinski also oversaw the company's biggest-ever M&A deal, when Land O'Lakes merged its…

Out of its new North America base in Wilmington – from which it plans to officially launch next month – an Australian-based doggie wash business has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against a competitor previously licensed to sell its products in the U.S.

Tru Blu K9000 Dog Wash filed suit in federal court May 30 against The Evolution Dog Wash Company, based in Los Angeles, and its manufacturer.

Formed back in 2005 from car wash origins, Tru Blu “created a self-service dog wash vending…

Another fast-casual chain is expanding in metro Birmingham.

Moe's Southwestern Grill has opened a new location in Gardendale, adding to the northern suburb's recent retail growth.

The chain's new Gardendale eatery is located off Fieldstown Road near Interstate 65. It's in the same retail complex that includes a Publix, Hobby Lobby, Starbucks and TJ Maxx, among others.

As we've reported, Gardendale has seen increased interest from commercial developers and retailers in recent years – buoyed…

Construction has finally begun on remodeling and expanding the former Houston City Club at Greenway Plaza.

More than a year ago, Life Time Inc. inked a deal to take over the former club’s space, which shuttered last June. But the Minnesota-based company, formerly known as Life Time Fitness, has begun renovating its 89,000-square-foot space and expects to reopen the athletic facility in the second quarter of 2019, a spokesperson confirmed.

Life Time’s in-house general contractor recently filed…

NOBULL Specialty Foods creates scratch starters made without harmful ingredients

Company president offers insight into the acquisition strategy.

American beer brewers got more bad news Thursday, as the Trump administration announced it would end the exemption from steel and aluminum tariffs for Mexico, Canada and the European Union.

Tariffs on global aluminum and steel went into effect March 23, but aluminum prices had already spiked after President Donald Trump preliminarily announced them in early March. Mexico, Canada and the European Union have all subsequently responded with retaliatory tariffs against American products.

Earlier this…