The firm, which among other things makes tire chains for Les Schwab, is relocating from a Pac-Trust-owned building on Northwest Yeon Avenue in Portland. One of the motivations for the move is to avoid Multnomah County's corporate excise tax, according to Mark McClung, the Cushman & Wakefield broker who represented Laclede in its lease negotiations. McClung says that unlike Multnomah County's tax, Washington's business tax only taxes income from sales within the state and a significant portion of Laclede's sales are not in Washington state. A source at Laclede did not return a phone call seeking comment.

McClung says Schnitzer shuffled some month-to-month tenants to make room for Laclede. He declined to reveal the specific lease rate on the transaction, but local brokers familiar with the deal say the rate starts at about $0.31 per sf per month with a $0.65 surcharge for about 3,000 sf of office space. Some free rent and a tenant improvement allowance was part of the deal.

Tucked between Highway 14 and the Columbia River, Columbia Business Center has 2.4 million sf in 26 buildings. The park's leasing agent, Dave Brown of Columbia Commercial Properties did not return a phone call seeking the park's occupancy rate. Columbia Commercial Properties' Web site shows about 500,000 sf of availability in the park.