Monford Arthur Orloff (March 29, 1914 – February 13, 2000) was an American businessman, financier, lawyer and philanthropist. He was married to Janice Orloff and had three children
Jon
Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given", and an alternate spelling of John, derived from "YHWH has pardoned".Chester. Orloff was known as an aggressive supporter of the arts.
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, he grew up in Nebraska and
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and completed high school in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
Phi Beta Kappa
The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...
, in 1940 he graduated with a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He served in the
U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
first as an infantry officer then in intelligence.
In 1951, he settled in
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham ( ) is the most populous city in, and county seat of Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies south of the U.S.–Canada border in between two major cities of the Pacific Northwest: Vancouver, British Columbia (loc ...
and began practicing law there. In 1952, Mt Baker Plywood, one of his clients, was facing bankruptcy. Orloff signed on as general manager and successfully turned the company around.
In 1959, he bought the Aberdeen Plywood Co., in Aberdeen, Washington. As the CEO of Aberdeen Plywood and Veneers Inc. he orchestrated a merger with Plymouth,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
based Evans Products in 1961. He became president of Evans moving the corporate headquarters to
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
. Under Orloff's leadership the company developed a combination of retail building materials stores, building and wood products, railcar and trailer manufacturing, heavy equipment leasing and home building and financing.
In 1972, he resigned. Two years later, due to interest rate increases and cuts in housing starts bringing massive losses to Evans (the company saw its stock fall from $13 a share to $2 a share) Orloff returned to his post. He cut many of the company's money-losing sectors, bringing confidence back to his investors. In 1979, Evans' share price rebounded and the company produced $1.5 billion in annual sales.
Evans Products was taken over by
Victor Posner
Victor Posner (September 18, 1918 – February 11, 2002) was an American businessman. He was one of the highest-paid business executives of his generation. He was a pioneer of the leveraged buyout and became notorious for asset strippin ...
in 1983 and Orloff stayed on as a consultant until 1985 at which time he became Chairman of FEI Corporation in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Philanthropy and boards
Orloff donated generously to the arts and higher learning including $3 million to the Oregon Community Foundation for a performing arts center. He sat on the boards of the Oregon Community foundation,
Reed College
Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, with Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at ...
, OPB Foundation, the
Oregon Symphony
The Oregon Symphony is an American symphony orchestra based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded as the 'Portland Symphony Society' in 1896, it is the sixth oldest orchestra in the United States, and oldest in the Western United States. I ...
, the
Portland Art Museum
The Portland Art Museum in Portland, Oregon, United States, was founded in 1892, making it one of the oldest art museums on the West Coast and seventh oldest in the US. Upon completion of the most recent renovations, the Portland Art Museum beca ...
, the Oregon Art Institute, and
Oregon Graduate Institute
The Oregon Graduate Center was a unique, private, postgraduate-only research university in Washington County, Oregon, on the west side of Portland, from 1963 to 2001. The center was renamed the Oregon Graduate Institute in 1989. The Institute m ...
(OGI) board. As president of the Oregon Community Foundation, he vigorously supported the foundation's program to fund undergraduate and community college scholarships for Oregon and Clark County, Washington high school graduates.
Honors
* Phi Beta Kappa
* Vice Chair of Reed College (1970–1990).
* Commissioner for Oregon Public Broadcasting.
* Chairman of the OGI Science Park.
* 1979 Reed College distinguished lay scholar.
* 1981 National Business Community Award for the Arts.
* 1982 Torch of Liberty Award for his "contributions to human relations and the pursuit of excellence in the community" by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.
* The National Conference of Christians and Jews' Oregon Brotherhood Award.
* Lewis & Clark College's Aubrey Watzek Award
* 1982 Oregon Governor's Arts Award