"The Pacific Northwest is the birthplace to Nike. It started with a handshake between two visionary Oregonians - Bowerman and his University of Oregon runner Phil Knight. They and the people they hired evolved and grew the company that became Nike from a US-based footwear distributor to a global marketer of athletic footwear, apparel and equipment that is unrivaled in the world. Nike's world headquarters is located near Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of Portland." (photo by Mr. Fernandez)