Centerstance

Matching Donation for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Download My LLS Story

Hi Folks,

Today is my birthday and I thought that the best way I could celebrate was by helping others. Artisan Spirits will be participating, by donating product, tomorrow in the Leukemia & Lymphoma society charity auction at the Governor Hotel at 6:00 PM. In addition I have setup a matching fund for today, my birthday, until tomorrow at 2:00 PM. Greg Togni (attached pdf) will be the matching donor.  So if you are interested in sending me a birthday gift or just want to leverage your dollars and take advantage of this special match please go to: http://or.llsevent.org/gtogni

Please remember, that every dollar counts (so no amount is too small, or too large).
 
Thanks again for your support!

Shane Thatcher

Centerstance Service Project

I just wanted to send out a reminder about the Centerstance Service Project on April 25th from 9am-12pm. If you have any questions, please contact Liz Dooley.

Spruce Up Mt. Scott Learning Center

Support alternative education, community development and environmental sustainability all at the same time by volunteering with Mt. Scott Learning Centers on April 25th! Volunteers are needed to help support the beautification effort of the new/old high school and main offices. Flower beds need weeding, plants need planting, and mulch needs to be spread. Some of the exterior sides of the school are in desperate need of cleaning as well as a new coat of paint. Other projects include cleaning out an old shed and basement storage area, painting some areas of the interior of the school as so much more. Your support is greatly appreciated!

You are welcome to bring your own tools as long they are not power tools. Also don’t forget to wear clothes that you won’t mind getting dirty and please no open toe shoes.

 

Info about Mt. Scott Learning Centers:
Mt. Scott Learning Centers exists to provide an educational setting tailored to the special needs of students who struggle to fulfill their potential in the traditional school environment. Through a nurturing and engaging educational community, students will gain knowledge, apply skills and become positive, knowledgeable and productive members of their local and global communities.

 

Location
Mt. Scott Learning Center - High School
6148 SE Holgate
Portland, OR 97206
* Parking is available along SE 62nd Ave.

Centerstance is Hiring......

PERMANENT / DIRECT HIRE

System Administrator

Portland, Oregon
$55-65K

Requirements:
· Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Management Information Systems or related field strongly preferred.
· Minimum of three (3) years progressively responsible work-related experience in lieu of degree required.
· Microsoft certification, or working towards, in at least one (1) of the following: Exchange Server 2003/2007, Windows Server 2003/2008, or SQL Server 2005.
· Excellent project management skills.
· Experience with SQL Server 2005, Exchange Server 2003/2007, Active Directory, IIS 6, Windows Server 2003/2008, Systems Center 2007, Terminal Services, Veritas Backup Exec 10, Visual SourceSafe, and Windows XP/Vista.
· Familiarity with Cisco ASA appliances, SSLVPNs, and routers.
· Experience with support and configuration of Microsoftweb servers.
· Experience with application troubleshooting and deployment.
· Knowledge of network and systems security including set up of routers, switches, and firewalls.
· Availability on-call 24/7.

IT Operations Analyst

Portland, Oregon

$45-60K+ Bonus

Requirements:
· Bachelor’s degree in management information systems, business, or related field.
· Four years of related experience.
· Experience with business process analysis and design a plus.
· Experience pulling data/reports using SQL or PL/SQL
· Proven project management skills with the ability to keep track of, prioritize and report status of multiple tasks.
· Exceptional organizational skills, with the ability to follow through on tasks.
· Proven ability to work with changing requirements and priorities using internal and external resources.
· Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
· Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with team members, Member Firms, Carriers and vendors.
· Experience with life insurance and/or financial services a plus.
· Experience with Quality Assurance and vendor relationship management a plus.

Senior Internal Systems Support Analyst

Portland,Oregon
$40-55K + Bonus

Requirements:
· BS/BA Information System or related degree
· MCDST with a minimum of two years experience with certificate or MCSE with a minimum of two years experience with certificate.
· Help Desk Institute Analyst or other certification.
· Ability to be flexible on hours.
· Strong working knowledge of PC skills: Windows XP, Microsoft Office 2003 and 2007, Active Directory, Group Policies and Internet Explorer.
· Strong working knowledge of workstations, printers, laptops, PDAs, Video Conferencing, etc.
· Experience with providing personal, desk side support to clients in a professional environment.
· Understanding of financial applications.
· Experience with project management methodologies.
· Familiarity with Knowledge Management methodologies (KCS)
· Experience with help desk management software (LANDesk, Magic, Remedy, HEAT, etc.)
· Strong experience with automated software distribution tools.
· Working knowledge of Windows Active Directory.
· Excellent customer service, time management, prioritization, and organizational skills.
· Thorough, detail-oriented work habits with good follow-through and follow-up.
· Ability to meet aggressive deadlines and work with a high level of customer service.
· Ability to analyze challenging technical issues and develop new solutions in a timely and accurate manner.
· Ability to wear a pager/cell phone/PDA for after hours support.

CONTRACT/CONTRACT-TO-HIRE

Senior Java Developer
Portland, Oregon

6 month Contract
$50-60/HR

Required:
· Strong Java EE developer skills - 4-5 years experience in Java EE Some experience in enterprise application modeling & design.
· Experience with Eclipse IDE, specifically the IBM RAD 6.0 team environment (RAD 7, RSA 7.5 experience a plus) Extensive experience implementing Web Services (using SOAP, Axis, JAX-RPC and JAX-WS.)
· Object-oriented analysis and design skills. The ability to read and produce UML models/diagrams Familiarity with WebSphere Application Server 6 Experience writing unit test using JUnit Experience applying design patterns Familiarity with UNIX command line utilities (grep, sed, awk, etc.) Familiarity w/UNIX shell scripting (bourne shell, ksh, bash, etc.)

Nice to have:
· Relational data modeling skills, ability to read and produce entity relationship diagrams (erd's.) Experience creating secure web services with WS-Security, and  SAML, etc.
· SQL and Oracle PL-SQL.

Nicer Still but unlikely:
· BPEL and BPM.
· Familiarity with Sun Java Application Server 9.1 (aka Glassfish) Sun Java Composite Application Programming Suite (JCAPS5, JCAPS6.)

J2EE Contractor

Portland, Oregon
Contract

Required Skills:
· Java/J2EE
· SOA
· Web Services
· JDBC
· JSP
· Scripting

C++/Java developers

Portland, Oregon

Contract
$100/HR

Requirements:
· C++ - 3 years of experience.
· Java - 5 years of experience.
· A big plus is someone who has experience implementing web services.

SEATTLE/TACOMA POSITIONS

Senior Cognos BI Developer

Tacoma, Washington

Perm
$70-100K

Requirements:
· Five years of development and admin experience with Cognos BI products (Series 7 and 8, and ReportNet) and 8 years of IT experience.
· Excellent knowledge of Cognos 8 BI Suite (Query Studio, Report Studio, PowerPlay.
· Transformer, Metrics Studio, Event Studio, Framework Manager, administration).
· Extensive experience with SQL and relational databases, particularly SQL Server to include tuning SQL query performance.
· Experience with customer and production support.
· Familiarity with data warehouse functions and ETL concepts to include experience with dimensional and relational data modeling.
· BS or MS in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related fields.

Artisan Spirits Event

Join Artisan Spirits and Gran Prix Imports for
an afternoon of Lamborghinis and martinis

January 17th, 2008

2–4 p.m. Lamborghini Test Rides
4 p.m. Spirits Education and Invitational Social

To R.S.V.P, call Artisan Spirits @ 503 957-0404

Sample Portland’s newest, most unique small batch vodkas and meet the distillers.

Apia Artisan Vodka distilled from Buzzing Canyon Apiary’s raspberry
blossom honey from Eugene

Martin Ryan Handmade Vodka distilled from Columbia Valley Syrah

If you are a qualified interested
Lamborghini fan then this event is for you.
All participants must be at least 25
years of age and have a valid unrestricted
drivers license.

$65 includes admission to the social and a bottle of Artisan Spirits Vodka
$100 includes admission for two and two bottles of Artisan Spirits Vodkas

To R.S.V.P, call Artisan Spirits @ 503 957-0404

Artisan Spirits Distillery
1227 SE Stark St. Portland, OR 97214

More ARCTIC BLAST 2008 Pics

I can't believe that I woke up to an inch of snow today! Hmmm....I wonder what they are going to call this weather event now that it is 2009.

Here are some photos that Steve Mayzak sent in.

 
Dogs on Ice!

 

 

  

ARCTIC BLAST 2008!!!

 
Otto Yelling: "I don't want to wear these stupid shoes in the snow...I am so embarrassed!!"

I don't know about you, but I am glad ARCTIC BLAST 2008 is over. It was fun for about 3 days and then I was done. Please send some of your best Arctic Blast photos and I will post them on the blog. Here are a few of mine.... 

 
Nothing says Christmas like a large security light and a wreath on a security door. At least we are festive!

 
Hmmm...Maybe I should have not left that wood furniture out this winter

 
View from my back door....didn't want to venture out because I might get cold. I don't like to be cold.

CV Briggler joins DAMA Portland Board of Directors

CV is the new VP of Education for the Portland Chapter of the Data Administration and Management Association (DAMA).  The new Board was elected last month at the annual DAMA Day seminar. 

 

"It would be more accurate to say I volunteered than was elected.  I ran unopposed," CV said.

 

DAMA members are data management, data analysis, data warehousing, and business intelligence professionals.  The Education VP is responsible for finding and scheduling speakers for the monthly DAMA meetings. 

 

"DAMA is very strong in Portland and attracts national level thought leaders to speak on data management topics," CV says.  "It will be fun, for a data nerd, to meet and hang out with people like that."

 

Congrats to CV on this accomplishment.  Centerstance encourages all employees to be active in professional organizations in their chosen field.

Natural Preparation for the Flu Season

 

Our favorite Java Developer and Naturopath, Gil Winkelman, will be giving another talk at our downtown office. Gil's last presentation was great and I highly recommend that you attend if you can. Please feel free to invite clients, significant others, etc. Here are the details.

Date:November 20th
Time:4pm
Location: Downtown Office

Natural Preparation for the Flu Season
Gil Winkelman, ND, MA (Counseling)

Is the vaccine necessary or desirable? Who is most at risk? How can I modify my risk if I don't receive the vaccine? Dr. Winkelman, a Naturopathic Physician and owner of Insights to Health, the new holistic medical clinic in Multnomah Village, will address these questions and more in this talk, which will also cover motivating ideas about how to keep your (and your children's) immune response balanced and healthy overall.

Random Networking Events

I will be posting a networking event calendar for November, but just wanted to send out this list of networking events for November.

11.06.08
8:00 am CHIFOO: Creative Solutions Through Innovation Games
8:00 am Skills For The Agile Designer
12:00 pm Lunch & Learn: Technology Roadmapping
4:00 pm Sao - The Smart Grid And The New Electricity Economy

11.11.08
11:30 am AMA Lunch: Radio Made The Video Star Money!
4:30 pm SAO - Selling Your IT/Tech Business - Hood River

11.12.08
12:00 pm SAO - Selling Your IT/Tech Business - Bend
5:30 pm SAO - Selling Your IT/Tech Business - Eugene
7:00 pm Last Ladies Who Launch Evening Incubator Intensive For 2008

11.13.08
8:30 am SEA - 2-Day The Ultimate Search Engine Mastery Workshop - The Essentials

11.15.08
10:00 am Cre8Camp Portland

October Market Commentary from Todd P (our 401k guy)

Dear Clients and Friends,

 

This year has been an interesting one for the economy and financial markets, and October was no exception.  Due to these extraordinary times, I thought it would be a good idea to send you a commentary on what has gone on and where we currently stand.  I will warn you ahead of time, your October statement may be a little scary and you may just want to toss it in the shredder before you open it.  That is what I do with my own.  I am partly joking, but I am serious in some regard because we are long term investors.  We should not get too concerned with the month to month movements of our accounts.  We need to concentrate on the year to year, or even five and ten year numbers.  October marked the “best of times and the worst of times” in the stock market.  Interestingly enough, October has the distinction of being the month with the most market bottoms.  Let’s hope that holds true in this case as well.

 

Some interesting numbers from the month:

-          The Dow lost 14% for the month of October, recording its largest monthly decline since 1987.

-          In the first week of October the Dow saw its largest weekly decline since 1914 and the S&P 500 saw the largest weekly decline of its 51 year existence.

-          Crude Oil prices had their largest monthly drop of 37% since futures trading began 25 years ago.

-          Gold prices dropped 18% in the month of October, the largest monthly decline since 1983.

-          The Dow posted its two biggest one day point gains on record, climbing by 936 points on Oct. 13 and by 889 on Oct. 28.

-          In the last week of October the Dow rallied to record its largest weekly percentage gain since 1974

-          The U.S. Dollar had huge gains for the month of October gaining an astonishing 14.3% against the Euro, 22.3% against the Canadian dollar, and 31.8% against the Australian dollar.  (Time to go on vacation!!)

 

I am not naïve enough to think any of us can predict a market “bottom.”  I do think we are seeing a “bottoming process” if you compare it to other market bottoms we have seen.  Fear is at an all time high, the market is seeing record volatility both up and down, and in the middle of October we saw a complete sell off as many people sold all stocks both good and bad.  All of these actions are consistent with normal occurrences in Bear markets and can often signal that the bottom may be near. 

 

The U.S. economy is surely in a recession now.  Most economists believe this recession started between December 2007 and April 2008.  Interestingly enough, history tells us the official announcement of a recession does not come until an average of eight months after the actual start of the recession.  If you are waiting for the “all clear” signal that a recession is finally over, don’t hold your breath.  We do not get the official announcement that we are out of recession until an average of 15 months after the actual ending.  The average U.S. recession lasts about eight months.  This one will likely be longer by all accounts and many think it could last through 2009. 

 

The economy could be in for a very bumpy ride in 2009, however don’t let the scary news get you off track of your long term investment plans.  The stock market is a leading indicator of the economy.  Stocks and the economy generally do not move in tandem.  On average, the stock market will drop six to eight months ahead of a recession and rebound six to eight months before the end of a recession.  The greatest returns seen in the stock markets typically happen from the half-way point of a recession to the end of the recession.  A study by Ned Davis Research shows the S&P 500 Index has bounced back quickly after bottoming out during the last ten recessions.  The index generated a 24% average return six months after bottoming and 32% a year later.  No one can predict a market bottom, but investors who maintained a long-term perspective and held on to their investments stood to benefit greatly. 

 

We will likely continue to hear an onslaught of more bad news, but we believe the market will begin to rally amidst the negative press.  The last week of October is a perfect example of this.  The stock market had its second largest one day point gain in history on October 28th.  The only headline news that day was a record low Consumer Confidence Report.  Most times this would be seen as very bad, but there is increasing talk in the investment community among traders, economists, and money managers that much of the horrible news to come is already priced into today’s stock prices.  For example, if the traders are pricing in an unemployment rate of 8%, and it comes in as only 7.8%, the market could rally even though a 7.8% unemployment rate is very bad news.  This phenomenon is very common during past recessions.

 

Volatility is uncomfortable but presents the long term investor with vast opportunities.

 

According to analysts at UBS, stock prices in relation to earnings are the cheapest they have been since many companies opened their doors for business.  This is a common theme.  I have heard and read various fund managers and investment analysts over the past several weeks state that this could be one of the greatest opportunities to buy stocks in their careers.  As we all know, Warren Buffet says you must be willing to be greedy when everyone else is fearful.  Recently he took some of his own advice and started aggressively buying stocks in his own personal account.  It takes great courage to “buy low,” but if you believe our country will pull through this crisis like it has every other crisis before, you will profit.     

 

There are several examples of stocks trading on the market today for even less than the stock would be worth if the company shut down and liquidated.  Toyota Motor Company stock has driven down in price by almost half in the last year on fears the company won’t sell as many cars next year.  Toyota, like many other companies, may have a slowdown in 2009 but they are not going anywhere.  Toyota currently has enough cash in the bank to pay their dividend to shareholders for the next 21 years!

 

Our team at First Pacific Associates stands committed to helping you though good times and bad.  We always appreciate working with you but are especially grateful for your trust and confidence in these tough times.  We look forward to being here with you when the storm clouds clear up and we see the sun again.  Please call us if you have any questions, thoughts, concerns, or just want to talk.

 

Sincerely,

 

Todd Pisarczyk

Investment Consultant

First Pacific Associates

7720 NE Vancouver Mall Drive, Suite 100

Vancouver, WA 98662

 

360-254-2585

360-254-2726 fax

www.firstpacificassociates.com

 

Investment Advisory Services and Securities through KMS Financial Services, Inc.