Naomi Yanike

Merging two of Oregon's largest property management companies "doesn't happen by waving a magic wand." President and CEO of SMI Property Management Gabe Johansen described the reality of the process, saying, "It's a lot of work. It's a painful process. And It's not easy." 

Johansen felt honored when JPM Real Estate Services' Founder, Jack Palmer, cho…

In 2023, Marion Polk Food Share distributed a record-high 10 million pounds of food, providing $14 million in relief to 18,000 households monthly, another record high. 

In an interview with the Salem Business Journal, Marion Polk Food Share President and CEO Rick Gaupo discussed the changing landscape of food banks, economic trends causing record hun…

Salem Keizer Public Schools (SPKS) Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) Principal Rhonda Rhodes and The Salvation Army Kroc Center Salem Executive Director Tony Frazier emerged as this year’s Groundwork Leadership Institute top award winners, graciously receiving the “Captain” award, which is voted on by the 90 alumni who have participated in on

Why Spanish? Political Engagement, Representation, and Necessity

The Salem Business Journal (SBJ) is beginning a new era with its Spanish Print Edition to foster inclusivity and bridge cultural gaps, signaling a commitment to better serve and engage with the vibrant Spanish-speaking Salem business community. 

SBJ Publisher and Entrepenuer Jonathan…

The Salem City Council has returned to the drawing board with a two-fold strategy to gain revenue and to protect the budget, hoping to solve Salem's projected $19.4 million deficit after the employee payroll tax failed on the November 2023 ballot. 

But there continues to be much debate over how much of the deficit should be made up by more proposed t…

Not one, but two possible strikes. 

Salem-Keizer Public Schools (SKPS) may face not just one, but two union strikes if mediation efforts do not close an approximately $200 million divide between the district's offer and the unions' demands for more pay. These demands come in addition to a forecasted $38 million structural deficit for the 2024-25 scho…

Key figures across various sectors in Oregon are raising concerns about the Salem employee-paid payroll tax, voicing worries over its potential to strain family finances and its representation of excessive government involvement in local businesses.

Here's why to vote no on November 7.

At this week's Salem Reporter Town Hall, Oregon Business and Indust…

Salem voters will soon have a voice in the November 7, 2023, Special Election to decide whether the employee-paid payroll tax is the best solution to save Salem. But Salem City Councilors disagree about what exactly Salem needs to be saved from – the General Fund deficit that will cause emergency services to suffer or from the payroll tax itself. 

Salem, Ore. -The Oregon Business & Industry has gathered over 5,000 unverified signatures for the "Let Salem Vote!" petition as of July 30, seeking to put the newly adopted Safe Salem employee-paid payroll tax Ordinance on the November ballot. If the petition is successful, voters would have the chance to reject the nearly 1% payroll tax scheduled to…

Salem’s population is growing, but the budget for police, fire, homelessness, and emergency services is falling behind. The City’s 19.4 million General Fund deficit is preventing the maintenance and improvement of emergency services due to property tax limitations. …