Regional Interests

College Athletes | Non-Compete Agreements | Chown Hardware

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Natasha Stone, Sage Van Wing, Tess Novotny

Published October 7, 2019 at 8:21 AM PDT

#160;

California just passed a law that allows college athletes to hire agents and make money for endorsements. Whitney Wagoner, Director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, will tell us about the effect this California law might have in Oregon.

#160;

In 2008, Oregon banned companies from forcing most workers to sign non-compete job agreements. New research suggests the law increased wages and job-hopping for Oregon workers. We hear from researcher Michael Lipsitz about what non-compete agreements are, why companies use them, and how Oregon’s workforce has changed since they were banned.

#160;

The oldest hardware store in Portland just celebrated 140 years in business. Chown Hardware opened in September 1879, before lightbulbs were sold in stores. We discuss the history, present and future of the company with the current president and CEO, Kyle Chown.

Kyle Chown points to himself in an old newspaper clipping in the Chown Hardware archive in Portland, Ore., Friday, Oct. 4, 2019. Chown is now the president of the business, which has been in has family for 140 years.