PSU Magazine Winter 2000

I - Studying the nursery biz An emerald arborvitae or bare-root rose is as easy to buy as a dozen eggs at almost any grocery store. The phenomenal increase in nurs– ery stock sales is good news for Oregon and its $500 million a year wholesale industry. Yet, nurserymen and other farmers face issues of shrinking land and bad press for labor, water quality, and safety practices. A six-county economic study focus– ing on Portland-area nurseries could help save some of the region's farm– land from development and help boost the image of agriculture. The "Nursery Products C luster Analysis," conducted by the PSU Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies (IPMS), will measure the industry's economic impact and map producer, supplier, and workforce loca– tions. The fi ve Oregon counties included-Multnomah , Washington , C lackamas, Yamhill, and Marion– produced 87 percent of Oregon's $492 million in wholesale nursery sales in 1997. Clark County, Washington , is also part of the project. The study is part of the IPMS Regional Connections project, which will result in detailed descriptions of not only the region's nursery products indus– try, but also high-tech and creative services. In addition to technical reports on the findings, the project will produce an accessible, engaging story of the region's economy targeted to citizens and elected officials. The initial report should be out in early 2000. Scandinavian Sampler The more than 200,000 people of Scandinav ian descent living in the Portland area help make each year's Scandinav ian Sampler a success. Individuals of any descent are invited to learn more about the history and languages of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden on campus March 31 and April l. Main speakers are Niels Jensen , retired president of SeaFab Metals Corp., and Scott Bums, PSU professor of geology. For more informa– tion, call Inger O lsen, 725-3528. D PSU mourns loss of Ahlbrandt Roger Ahlbrandt, dean emeritus of the School of Business Administra– tion, lost his battle with cancer Nov. 17. Ahlbrandt, who served as dean since 1993, significantly increased the visibility and enhanced the reputation of the business school. He championed faculty develop– ment and strengthened the under– graduate and MBA curricula. Ahlbrandt created the School's Small Business Outreach Program, and its comprehensive Food Industry Leadership Center. He expanded the internship program and developed curriculum concentrations and was board chair of the Neighborhood Partnership Fund. Those who worked with Ahlbrandt knew him as a scholar with strong convictions and a deep sense of justice, who had the courage to break traditional barriers to promote learning and effect change. He created a variety of partnerships to encourage cooperation among academia, busi– ness, and social service organiza– tions, and spoke forcefully in support of schol– ars who shared his sense of responsibility to the whole community. in the areas of supply and logis– tics management and the manage– ment of emerging growth compa- Before his death in November, Roger Ahlbrandt brought increased stature to the School of Business Ahlbrandt received a B.E. in metallurgy from Yale University in 1963, an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1965 and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Washington in 1972. He nies. Administration, where he served as dean for the past six years. In the Portland community, Ahlbrandt donated his time to causes that reflected his lifelong commitment to fair housing. During his early career, he was a director at ACTION-Housing, Inc., of Pittsburgh, and he was appointed by President Reagan to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development position in Washington, D.C. In Portland he served as a director of Albina Community Bancorp and the Albina Community Bank, an insti– tution dedicated to urban renewal, continued to be an active researcher, and one of Ahlbrandt's proudest achievements was his co-authored book, The Renaissance of the American Steel Industry, which earned the 1997 Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing Research. Although Ahlbrandt never smoked, he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1999. In August, the School of Business Administration organized "Roger's Romp" to raise money for cancer research. The walk/run raised $22,000 and drew over 100 participants. WINTER 2000 PSU MAGAZINE 5