In late 2019, Portland Spirit Cruises & Events was on track to have either its best year in 25 years or its second best. And sales for 2020 “are off to an excellent start,” Dan Yates, president of the Oregon dining and sightseeing cruise company, said late last year.
Even though the region is trade dependent on the Pacific Rim, the economy is holding up well. Unemployment and interest rates are low. Both the corporate and public sides of the business have been strong. His biggest challenge — and...