BUSINESS OREGON
by Stephanie Prybyl, Business Oregon Review of recent event: Sept 13-14, 2021
Do you care about infrastructure? Are you a member of our dynamic infrastructure sector, consisting of community leaders, financiers, regulators, service providers, developers and more? Do you recognize resilient infrastructure as key to solutions that will overcome economic, social and environmental uncertainty? About the Summit: Jointly presented by Business Oregon and the Northwest Environmental Business Council, and in partnership with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the Oregon Infrastructure Summit explored the interconnectedness of basic infrastructure with community and economic development and long-term sustainability and resilience. This unique event featured 5 keynote presentations and 24 educations sessions across 4 distinct tracks to engage the latest knowledge and best practices, develop business and foster relationships. 6
Summit Preparation: A lot of preparation goes into an event of this size and scale. The Summit’s purpose was spearheaded by a Leadership Roundtable, a group of multi-disciplined professionals who gauge peer status and have an eye on the horizon, so as to anticipate Oregon infrastructure needs. The culmination of discussions held last spring was presented at the conference opening. Representing port districts at this forum was Michele Bradley, Tillamook Bay, and Lisa Mittelsdorf, Morrow. Many thanks to both of them for committing to this effort! Direction stemming from the Leadership Roundtable was implemented by the Planning Committee, a group of multidisciplined professionals who coordinate among the infrastructure sector and manage logistics behind conference sessions. Representing port districts in this capacity was David Ashton, Portland. David has assisted with multiple conferences and is excellent at honing relevant information for the benefit of attendees. Featuring the Blue Economy: Like prior years, educational sessions spanned tracks about infrastructure fundamentals, evolving topics, adaptation and resiliency. But *NEW* this year was a track dedicated to the Blue Economy, highlights of which included, but are not limited to: WWW.PDXMEX.COM | THE EXCHANGE
