It's the law of inverse summer proportions: The higher the sun in the sky, the quieter grows the city. This is vacation season, when commerce lulls and deals ebb, as business communities empty out onto our resplendent beaches. Even so, in recent weeks, Oregon's seen bursts of economic promise from points north south, east and west.

In Portland, just as the Rose Festival fleet pulled away from the docks, a blockbuster of a ship came in for two of Oregon's powerhouses. Clinching big deals were Nike, which snagged a $90 million contract with 18-year-old NBA draft fave LeBron James; and Wieden+Kennedy, whose new client America Online is expected to deliver some $100 million in billings over the next several years.

The Nike coup capped a three-way wooing match -- Reebok, Adidas and Nike vying for the favors of young King James via private jets and mansion parties, rap tributes and custom shoes. As for Wieden+Kennedy, the AOL catch was most welcome relief, following as it did a dry spell that forced layoffs and cutbacks.

Hail to the heroes, but the celebration is all of ours to share, as the deals bolster the region's reputation as a hot pocket of creativity and a cool place for young talent to claim as home.

And speaking of young talent, another win for the metro area: Women's World Cup soccer has selected PGE Park to host first-round, quarterfinal and semifinal matches this fall. The stadium, which will expand seating to 30,000, will be the first venue to have hosted matches in consecutive Women's World Cups.

In rural Oregon, too, happy news: As door-and-window giant Jeld-Wen comes out of the closet (see Mitchell Hartman's cover story) in K-Falls, just to the west, Medford has scored with Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions. The California company, which makes "particle counting machines," is slated to bring in a manufacturing plant, up to 100 new jobs and more than $10 million annually to the region. Hood River, too, has clinched a hot deal: Minnesota-based Cardinal Glass will be siting a glass manufacturing plant that promises 75 family-wage jobs.

The prize for most promise per square mile, however, may well go to the tiny community of Fossil. Setting the stage for future commerce, the All America City finalist (pop. 470) boasts recent grants for sidewalk and downtown revitalization, the city water system and school district, and Fossil's first-ever industrial park.

Look around and take heart. Doonesbury notwithstanding, even the crustiest of Oregon critics, between grumblings about regulatory red tape and business unfriendliness, have got to admit we're doing some things right.

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Copyright 2003 Oregon Business magazine