For the purchase of the Heathman Hotel & Restaurant, Rim has entered into a partnership with Taylor Clark, Inc., a company with roots in Great Britain.  Rim has worked with Taylor Clark, Inc. previously on other hotel projects. To continue the Heathman Restaurant�s Northwest flair, Rim approached local restaurateurs Bill McCormick and Doug Schmick to operate the Heathman Restaurant.

�We are popping the champagne corks and celebrating,� said Rim CEO Mark Burden.  �The Heathman Hotel is a world class property and is clearly a much-loved part of the Portland community.  We are excited to be a part of this landmark property�s future.�

�The Rim Corporation is an excellent company with a great deal of experience in this industry,� said Stevenson family spokesperson and chairman of the Heathman Group Board of Directors, Warren Bean. �We are confident that Rim will continue to build on the Heathman�s reputation for excellence, and continue its position as champion of the arts in this community.�

Rim�s Innkeeper Associates, a division which maintains a focus on independent, unique, upscale boutique properties including San Francisco�s Inn at Union Square and Palo Alto�s Garden Court Hotel, will be renamed the Heathman Hotels.  According to Jay Barter, Chief Operating Officer for The Rim Corporation, �The Heathman Hotel is slated to become the flagship property for this division.  We feel finding the Heathman really solidifies our commitment to growing this boutique division of the company.� 

Founded in 1983, The Rim Corporation is a California-based company with more than 17 years of experience in the hotel management field. Rim�s origin was a group of four families, which in 1965 founded the group MTSP as an agricultural and real estate development company. Eighteen years later MTSP evolved into The Rim Corporation with members of the original families remaining involved in the new company�s management.

Today, Rim manages 20 hotels throughout California.  Uniquely they possess beginning-to-end capabilities as both a development and management group whose mission in the industry is to establish standards by which others are measured.  Rim prides itself on building the right product in the right location to create a custom fit for the community and for guests. 

Taylor Clark, Inc., a Delaware Corporation, is owned by Taylor Clark plc, a family-owned company established in Great Britain in 1938. Taylor Clark�s principal activities in England and Scotland are property development, farming, forestry, restaurants and movie theaters.  The Clark family has invested in North America through its US subsidiaries since 1984.  Its investments in North America include vineyards, almond orchards, hotels, office buildings, restaurants and retail shops.

With more than 30 years of experience creating restaurants that have become an integral part of Portland�s community and identity, McCormick and Schmick have signed a lease to manage the Heathman Restaurant.  McCormick and Schmick�s role in the culinary community has been to provide Portlanders with the best in fresh Northwest style seafood.

Fostering and supporting the development of Philippe Boulot�s award-winning, French-Northwest style fare at the Heathman is a priority as McCormick and Schmick look to continue the tradition of the Heathman�s locally-owned and operated past.

What lies ahead for the Heathman Hotel & Restaurant?

Rim is committed to continuing the brand of excellence that is synonymous with the Heathman.  Guests will continue to see Heathman traditions such as afternoon tea service 

and symphony intermissions.  �We are impressed by the arts focus that the Heathman Hotel offers guests and the community. Rim is committed to maintaining the Heathman�s position as Portland�s arts hotel and will continue the hotel�s traditions of arts patronage throughout the community,� commented Rim Corp COO, Jay Barter. �From the get-go, Rim was enthusiastic about the Heathman�s unique involvement with the arts in Portland,� commented Heathman Hotel general manager, Jeff Jobe.  � I know they will look to raise the Heathman�s brand of excellence to the next level.� All existing Heathman Restaurant management has been retained and is focused on continuing and improving

In 1985, the renovated Heathman became the city�s first upscale boutique hotel, known for its intimate, luxurious atmosphere. The hotel has 150 deluxe guest rooms, including 47suites, all with original art and in-room bars.

�I am very excited about this opportunity,� says Executive Chef Boulot, of the Heathman Restaurant.  �Working with McCormick & Schmick will be terrific for both the staff and guests of the Heathman Restaurant.  I am confident that it will be a rewarding partnership for everyone.�  About the Heathman Located at Southwest Broadway and Salmon in downtown Portland, Oregon, The Heathman Hotel holds memberships in Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Historic Hotels of America, and was recently named to Condé Nast�s �500 Best Hotels in the World.� The Heathman Restaurant was voted by Gourmet Magazine in October 99 as �the� place to be seen in Portland for drinks and is also the past recipient of the The Oregonian�s Restaurant of the Year Award.

Executive Chef Philippe Boulot As a 1978 graduate of the Jean Drouant Hotel School in Paris, Boulot's desire to travel and work in the world's finest hotels took him to The Nikko in Paris, Four Seasons Inn on The Park in London, Four Seasons Cliff Hotel in San Francisco, and The Mark Hotel in New York. Captivated by the quality of life and the diversity of  local ingredients available here in Portland, Chef Boulot joined the historic Heathman in April of 1994.