The September meeting will features Angela Wilhelms, President and CEO of Oregon Business & Industry (OBI), and Andrew Hoan, President and CEO of the Portland Metro Chamber, for a State of the State covering Oregon and the Portland metro.
Oregon arrives at the November election with its competitive position unresolved. The 2026 short session produced no relief for employers and set the stage for a significant revenue debate in 2027. Portland has taken visible steps toward recovery, but the cost and complexity of operating here continue to shape where companies invest and hire. Voters will decide the governor's race, a U.S. Senate seat, and every seat in the Oregon House, and the results will determine how much room business has to influence what comes next.
Angela will give finance and accounting leaders a candid read on the state's economic position and the policy landscape heading into 2027. Andrew will bring the Portland view, including what has actually changed in the city and what still needs to, and together they will address what all of it means for the decisions their organizations are making now.
Learning Objectives :
- Where Oregon and the Portland metro stand today on growth, employment, and competitiveness relative to peer states, and what the data says about the trajectory into 2027.
- What the 2026 session did and did not do, what is already queued up for 2027 on the tax and regulatory front, and how the November elections could change that calculus.
- What finance leaders should be planning for now, including local tax burden, workforce cost, and the practical questions to bring to their own budget and capital planning cycles.
Please join us for our Professional Development (PD) Session, taking place prior to the Keynote Presentation. More details to come.
Agenda:
5:00 - 6:00 pm | PD session
6:00 - 6:45 pm | Networking
6:45 - 7:00 pm | Announcements
7:00 - 8:00 pm | Keynote Presentation
**This program is eligible for 2 CPE credit.