Look for meetups in your area (virtual) on Meetup.com or FB Groups, attend free webinars, start reading as much as possible on any and all topics related to investing and real estate.

Since the closing is just before college gets out I would like to hire my son and some of his buddies. 

There are so many decisions to make when rehabbing or choosing tenants, hiring and firing contractors, choosing ceiling fixtures and coming up with more money when the unexpected happens.

@Howard ThomasMake sure to hire a qualified inspector to make sure the foundation, electric (not knob and tube), roof, and plumbing is in good condition.

Once you narrow down your preferred markets for purchase, hire a knowledgeable realtor who understands the STR regulations and the "sweet spot" of each market. 

Is it possible to "hire/rent" somebody's brokerage license to that they could be my broker-of-record but I can go ahead and build my PM company as I see fit?

Get a solid track record of generating leads YOURSELF till you know through and through how, and why it worksThen test, scale tweak improve it.Now you know your system is solid, you turn it into a system by writing EVERY step of the procedure on paper and test it againNow you can hire an employee and have them do that task, Teach them, make them understand the hows and whys and supervise them, alwaysThis is what you need to do.

The company my landlord hired ended up taking down the ceiling in the 2nd bedroom, and that was the last I've seen of them.  

Try to line them up soon so hopefully you can be in the hiring process in the next few weeks.

If Portland contractors are too expensive, could you hire a contractor from a rural town or Idaho or other area to come out and do the work?