Business

We’ve come a long way in the 35 years since a small, local garbage dump called the Riverbend Landfill was allowed to be built near the banks of the South Yamhill River near McMinnville, Ore. Even then people understood that a pit filled with rotting garbage was going to leak out into the ground and water, especially in this semirural area between Portland and Salem, where it rains a reliable seven or eight months a year.

“The...

Girvin has always been held in awe by many of his colleagues and peers. Years ago, when I was having lunch with the owner of a major ad agency, Girvin’s name came up in conversation.  He said, “Girvin really is who he says he is. He is a different thinker and an extraordinary talent.” 

Despite Girvin’s success, he carries himself with a certain humility. He knows shopkeepers, restaurant owners and waiters by first name and is...