Michael Patrick Partners, a branding and identity consulting firm, is planning to expand its operations into the Pacific Northwest, as it will open a branch office in Portland, Ore., on September 4,
2001. The 22-year-old firm will retain its headquarters in Silicon Valley. A few of Michael Patrick Partners' credits include major brand revitalization programs for E*TRADE and Mercury Interactive,
being named the San Francisco Bay Area's tenth-ranked web design firm for 2000, and designing IPO annual reports for such companies as Beringer Wine Estates, E*TRADE, Hambrecht & Quist Group, Mercury
Interactive, The North Face, Oracle, Palm, Rockshox, and Sam & Libby.