The future of downtown Portland will be a focus of the Portland Metro Cahmber's 2005 Annual Meeting. (Portland Tribune file photo)

Continuing downtown’s economic recovery will be a major focus of the Portland Metro Chamber’s 2025 Annual Meeting on Wednesday, June 4.

More than 600 regional business leaders, policymakers and community partners are expected to gather at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel. They are scheduled to receive a vision for the city’s renewal from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s Central City Task Force and a first-hand presentation about how Pittsburgh is recovering from the pandemic.

“Portland is at a pivotal moment in its evolution. The 2025 Portland Metro Chamber Annual Meeting brings together key voices shaping the city’s economic future, uniting business leaders, public officials and community stakeholders around a shared vision for renewal and resilience. As the city continues to recover and redefine itself post-pandemic, this gathering offers not only a reflection on progress but a forward-looking blueprint for revitalizing Portland’s downtown core, strengthening public-private collaboration and fostering economic growth,” the chamber’s event announcement said.

The meeting comes at a critical time for Portland. The city lost population for the first time in memory in the years following the economic shutdowns to fight the pandemic in 2020. Downtown office building vacancy rates soared with the growth of remote work, contributing to restaurant and retail closures. Although other similar cities have recovered, Portland is lagging behind, with the the population and downtown foot traffic only recently increasing.

Kotek recognized the continuing problems facing downtown and appoint her Portland Central City Task Force in early August 2023. It was co-chaired by Kotek and Dan McMillan, president and CEO of The Standard, and included 50 business, nonprofit and community leaders. It released 10 recommendations for revitalizing downtown in December 2023, including increasing safety, cleanliness and homeless shelters, and imposing a moratorium on new local and regional tax increases.

More recently, on May 29, Kotek committed to working with local and regional partners to create a six-month economic development strategy for Portland.

“Gov. Kotek’s Portland Central City Task Force will release a vision for Portland’s renewal and growth,” the announcement said.

The keynote conversation will be held with Bill Flanagan, special adviser to the Pittsburgh Allegheny Conference on Community Development,  the primary organization committed to improving that 10-county region’s economic future and quality of life. In 2020, it release “Next is Now,” a 10-year vision for improving the region’s vitality. He will share his insights on the transformation with participants.

The event also will feature the  release of a report by Oregon State University on its state economic impact. It will include a related announcement that the chamber has joined the Business for Federal Research Coalition, national alliance of Chambers of Commerce that advocates for maintaining and increasing research funding in the federal budget and beyond.

Other speakers will include Steve Isaak, market leader for Oregon and Southwest Washington, U.S. Bank; Jayathi Murthy, president, Oregon State University; and Nolan Lienhart, principal, ZGF Architects.

“The event’s keynote speakers from local leaders aim to inspire actionable change and reaffirm Portland’s potential as a vibrant, innovative and prosperous metropolitan hub,” the announcement said.

Founded in 1870, the Portland Metro Chamber is the oldest, largest and most diverse business organization in Oregon and Southwest Washington. It has evolved over the years and was previously known as the Portland Trade Board (1870-90), The Portland Chamber of Commerce (1890-1984) the Portland Metropolitan Chamber (1984-2001), and the Portland Business Alliance (2001-23). Since 2017, it has helped prepare and release a series of reports on the economy of the city, region and state.