New biz editor at Oregonian

Bruce Hammond has been named the new business editor at The Oregonian in Portland, replacing Ben Santarris, who has left the paper.

Hammond has been The Oregonian’s senior editor for suburban news. He’s been at the paper since 1987 and previously served as its political editor and as a business section editor.

He grew up in the small timber town of Philomath, Ore., and graduated from Oregon State University. Prior to landing in Portland, he worked as a reporter and editor at several small newspapers in Oregon and Idaho.

Santarris, an assistant business editor at the newspaper since 2000, replaced Mark Hester, who was named the newspaper’s sports editor, as business editor in 2005.

Before joining The Oregonian as technology editor and later economy editor, Santarris served as the assistant managing editor of The Bellingham Herald, where he worked earlier as a city editor, lifestyle editor and reporter.