Portland Business Alliance Annual Meeting
Presented by U.S. Bank
I was so excited to join the Portland Business Alliance this year as a Portland corporate event photographer. When they reached out to have me photograph their annual meeting, hosted at Providence Park, it showed me how much they care for and support their members, even brand new ones like me.
The day started with an intimate VIP event in one of the smaller event spaces inside Providence Park. It was fun to see some familiar faces there, like candidate for Oregon governor, Tina Kotek. Along with a personal favorite of mine, and someone I have voted for more then once, US Congressman, Earl Blumenauer.
No one could have predicted how HOT this day in June was going to be, especially given the cloudy start to this summer we have had. Such a big kiddos goes out to all of the speakers that braved that incredibly hot stage and carried on so everyone had the opportunity to get all of the great information that the Portland Business Alliance had to share.
At the meeting, Alliance Board Chair John Maher shared information about the Alliance’s affiliate agency, Partners In Diversity. They have 400+ member organizations, spanning across Oregon and Southwest Washington, that are dedicated to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong. This year, Partners In Diversity hosted 28 events that educated employers on best diversity, equity, and inclusion practices – as well as events that help build a feeling of belonging among employees of color. Including their signature event: Say Hey!, which is the largest multi-cultural networking event in the region.
Alliance Board Chair John Maher also spoke about the newly-founded agency the Black Business Association of Oregon, which aims to advocate for and promote the successful development of businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and focuses on improving economic equity across Oregon’s diverse communities. The development of the Black Business Association - Oregon was spearheaded by the Alliance and the National Association of Minority Contractors of Oregon. John also had the honor of introducing to the crowd, Lance Randall, the Black Business Association of Oregon’s first executive director, who is leading the charge in advancing a regional black economic prosperity agenda.
The meeting also included an overview from Kate Collignon of "Oregon: The State of Sport," the most robust reports to date of Oregon’s Athletic, Outdoor, Team and Recreation industries. Compiled and presented by internationally-recognized HR&A Advisors, this report is the first time they were able to quantify that Oregon is a massive economic force and home to unparalleled talent in the Athletic, Outdoor, Team, and Recreation Ecosystem. The Ecosystem supports $29 billion per year in economic output, including both direct and spinoff economic impacts. This success is driven by the strength of employers, teams, and talent; its multitude of sports venues and recreational assets; quality of life; and expansive educational and economic development.
The formalities of the meeting ended with a short presentation by Alaska Airlines, which they concluded with a drawing for round-trip airfare to Fiji! Then everyone headed to the top floor of Providence Park to enjoy some appetizers, drinks, networking and a lovely breeze.
After receiving images from the event, Vanessa Briseño, Senior Director of Strategic Communications for the Portland Business Alliance, was kind enough to leave this review on Google about their experience of hiring me to be their Portland corporate event photographer:
"The Portland Business Alliance reached out to Cambrae to photograph the special moments of our Annual Meeting. She did not disappoint -- in fact, she was amazing to work with and her product is beautiful! Cambrae was the ultimate professional from the moment that she took on the assignment. While we tried our best to line up a "Shot List" for her, our event didn't go exactly as planned. Cambrae didn't lose focus, though. She quickly pivoted along with the rest of the team, and managed to capture all the special moments that we were looking for. We'd definitely recommend Cambrae's services!"
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