October 25, 2010

This fall, a series of targeted events offers the opportunity to discuss the milestones reached in pursuing the City of Portland’s Five-Year Economic Development Strategy’s call to create 10,000 new jobs, and to review the action plans for the coming year.

The City, the Portland Development Commission and key industry partners are holding events focused on each of the strategy’s central goals: 1) business competitiveness 2) neighborhood business vitality and 3) urban innovation.

“I’m very proud of the work we’ve done to create jobs in Portland, and the relationships we’ve forged to advance the city’s economic development goals,” said Mayor Sam Adams. “While there is still much to do, I’m confident in these smart, focused, public/private efforts to grow our city’s economy and serve Portland businesses and residents.”

Event Series:

Eco-Districts Summit, Mon., Oct. 25 – Wed., Oct. 27, Portland State University
To reach both our job-creation and our Climate Action Plan goals, Portland is embarking on the next generation of green development. Produced by the Portland Sustainability Institute, this forum focuses on neighborhood-scale sustainable development – bringing businesses, developers, architects, planners, engineers, and citizens together to drive urban innovation. For more information: 503.226.2377; info@ecodistrictssummit.com

Advanced Manufacturing Industry Luncheon, Tue., Nov. 2, the Governor Hotel
The luncheon will provide an opportunity for businesses to engage state economist Tom Potiowsky in a discussion of the current state of regional manufacturing and prognosis for the future, and Mayor Adams about the city’s work to date and strategy for growing the industry. This event is sponsored by the Portland Development Commission, the Pacific Northwest Defense Coalition and the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership. For more information: Kevin Johnson, PDC.

Venture Northwest 2010, Thurs., Nov. 4, the Governor Hotel
The Oregon Entrepreneurs Network presents its annual Portland-based conference, which brings institutional investors and investment bankers from across the United States and Western Canada who are interested in early and growth stage Northwest businesses. The conference will convene investors, government leaders and universities to discuss, debate and define how to accelerate entrepreneurial innovation in our region. For more information: www.oen.org.

Activewear Industry Strategy Launch, Tues., Nov. 16, 3-5 pm, location to be announced 
Mayor Adams and industry representatives will release the results of the first comprehensive effort to understand the origins and interplay of the firms that comprise the region’s activewear industry, including a genealogy map illustrating the history of activewear in the region. This report will also include a plan for building on the region’s existing competitive strengths to grow industry employment. For more information: Jennifer Nolfi, PDC

Software Industry Event, Thurs., Nov.18, 4:30-6:30 pm, City Hall 
Mayor Adams, along with representatives from Software Association of Oregon and Portland State University, will present the results from a series of industry surveys to seek industry input and direction to guide the city’s support for the software cluster. An industry-driven action plan for growing the software industry will be unveiled at the event as well. For more information: Gerald Baugh, PDC

Clean Tech Symposium, Fri., Dec. 10, 3-6 pm, Solarworld
The Portland Development Commission and Pivotal Leaders, in partnership with SolarWorld, will host this event featuring industry speakers, a report on recent activities to support clean tech businesses and future initiatives for industry engagement. Confirmed speakers include Mayor Adams; Ron Pernick of Clean Edge; and Bob Beisner of SolarWorld. The event will include tours of the SolarWorld facility followed by a networking reception. For more information: Colin Sears, PDC

The fall economic development event series began with the Neighborhood Economic Development Roundtable: Sept. 13, Portland State University
More than 300 people spent the day discussing neighborhood economic development models, methods, and tools to improve Portland’s effectiveness in targeted neighborhoods. The Roundtable participants represented a wide breadth of stakeholders, all discussing their vision of the future of neighborhood economic development in Portland. Their input will help inform the development of an Action Plan for Neighborhood Economic Development, coming this winter. For more information: Kate Deane, PDC