But, most importantly, I’m in love with this city, the people, the business community here, its proximity to the awe-inspiring outdoors.  We, as Portlanders, define ourselves by what we enjoy doing, not solely by our occupation.  It is this powerful emotional connection to the region we represent that differentiates us most from other business communities and I am a huge advocate of bringing that passion, positive energy, and relationship-building to the table so that we collectively can be the magnet that draws and retains “A” talent, innovative entrepreneurs, companies, and entire divisions of companies to and in Portland.

Again, thank you.  We all get wrapped up into the hundreds of things happening in our companies, community involvement, and families, but you should all take at least 30 seconds of time to be proud of creating a new organization that has gained significant early traction and will, with its partners in the region, be the driving force behind taking the Portland business community to the next level over the next 10 years.

I almost forgot, I know many of you are inundated with emails, so this will be my only “reply to all” email unless requested.

Thx,

Ryan