Bay Area art publisher moving HQ - and 30 jobs - to Portland
Pomegranate Communications Inc., a small art publishing business in the Bay Area suburb of Petaluma, is moving to Portland.
The company leased the former SCS Building at Southshore Corporate Park, near Portland International Airport, and expects to complete the move by late March 2013.
Katie Burke, who co-owns the business with her husband, company founder Thomas Burke, confirmed Pomegranate began scouting Oregon locations as its Petaluma lease was set to expire.
Burke said she and her husband love Portland and wanted to move their art-related company to a more urban setting than their existing suburban location.
“Portland just kind of worked out,” she said.
- See who else is moving to Portland in the Real Estate Roundup database
She expects some of the company’s 30 employees to move to Oregon but details are still being worked out.
The company, which distributes its own work, will move into the 84,184-square-foot Southshore building, 19018 N.E. Portal, near Portland International Airport after racking and other equipment is installed.
Dick Shafer Jr. of Shafer Realty represented Pomegranate; Peter Stalick of Kidder Mathews represented the property.
Thomas Burke began Pomegranate as ThoFra Distributors, a poster distribution company, in San Francisco in 1968. The business began publishing art work in 1970. As the company grew, it moved north in pursuit of additional distribution space.
The company works directly with artists and museums to produce art books, calendars, cards, paper gift products including jigsaw puzzles and children’s items.
Katie Burke said Pomegranate does not disclose revenue.
The Portland Business Journal is a KATU.com news partner
Jobs coming to Oregon, that is great!!!
Just one of thousands of companies moving out of CA. Please OR, stop following CA's example. You don't want to be like them.
What's with all the haters? I'm thrilled to see a creative young company relocating here, and bringing jobs with them. What a boon for Portland.
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Note to KATU: Southshore Corporate Park is off Airport Way, but it's not even remotely near Portland International Airport. It's over seven miles east... about as far as you'd have to drive to get to, say, Irvington, Kenton, or East Vancouver. Show us you know our city!
Yup! Definitely more urban!
Relocating near the Portland Airport seems more urban? Sounds more like an industrial area. I would have thought art publishers would have liked a more bucolic rural setting. And bringing in some of their employees also. I guess that's OK, especially if most of them were renting in the "rural" Bay Area. Probably means more bicycle rides up there in the laid-back area around PDX. Good luck!
Great, more Californians... NOT.
Let me guess, the city fronted them 2 million and gave them a contract for no taxes for 15 years?
@iamright555 I didn't think there was any money left in the sewer fund?
âPortland just kind of worked out,â she said.
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Because at nearly $50 a square foot, and Portland under $10 a square foot, it sure makes Portland "work(ed) out" better on the bottom line.
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A space downtown Portland costing $12,000 a year would cost $60,000 a year in San Fran.
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 @Repoman Yeah, it's good that you outlined the obvious fiscal considerations (that the story really didn't delve into at all) -- having said that, it would be nice to know that the company was relocating here because they really wanted to be here vs. just running away to a cheaper location.
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For the relative newcomers among us and/or lurking here, as a long time native born local to the NW, 'it isn't what it used to be'. Â Unfortunately, the influx has eroded the quality of life here pretty significantly over the last few decades. Â The transplanted Californians I know are always quick to share their opinions and criticisms of the place (as if, anyone here actually ASKED to hear them /sigh - I didn't): "it's too wet here", "people are slow/bad drivers", "you have silly regulations", etc. ad nauseum. The last thing I want for Oregon is to end up anything even remotely resembling California. Â So, to you whiny transplants all I can say is: Shut Up! If you don't like it here, leave already.
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