Schnitzer Investment Adds Outside Expertise

PORTLAND-Schnitzer Investment Corp., owner of some 9 million sf in the Western United States, added two non-family members to its board of directors this month for the first time in its history. The locally based, family owned real estate property investment and development company says it will diversify the board’s expertise in the face of changing times, socially and economically. Schnitzer owns nine million sf of buildings in the Western United States.

One of the new board members is Richard Cantlin, a partner with Perkins Coie involved with the American College of Real Estate Lawyers and the Anglo-American Real Property Institute. The other is Rey Ramsey, CEO of Washington, DC-based One Economy Corp., a former director of Oregon’s Department of Housing and author of the upcoming book “Managingingnonprofits.org” (John Wiley & Sons).

“Appointing non-family members to the board of a family-based business is somewhat unusual,” says Schnitzer President Ken Novack, “but having our board take this step is really consistent with how Schnitzer has always been open to looking at diversified market opportunities and creative joint ventures and business partnerships to generate successful activities.”