Smiles, laughter, and good cheer prevailed at this year’s Market Mixer. With approximately 85 people in attendance, the enthusiasm to have an in-person networking event was palpable. There was a good mix of client representatives from 11 different organizations, marketers, technical staff, and owners all in attendance at the Sentinel Hotel in downtown Portland.

A special thank you to the client representatives and table monitors who spent their evening talking with the attendees about their programs of work and the upcoming work that the A/E/C industry can support. Client representatives included:

• Oregon Department of Transportation – David Kim, Project Delivery Manager
• OMSI – Preston Greene, Vice President Real Estate & Facilities
• City of Portland, BES – Todd Martinez, PE, MBA, Capital Project Manager
• Port of Portland – Tom Wharton, PE, Project Engineer
• Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde – Ryan Webb, Engineering & Planning Manager
• Portland Community College – Jaime English, Bond Project Manager
• R&C Management Group (K-12) – Scott Rose, Senior Project Manager
• Urban Development + Partners – Sara Zahn, Chief Operating Officer
• Unico Properties – Cody McNeal, Development Manager
• Providence Health Services – Erin Couch, Architectural Standards and Design Director

During the evening, several conversations touched on incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into our work, the influence of technology on delivering projects, and the need for staffing. There were also tips on preparing proposals—straight from the people who review them!

The Programs Committee, led by Christina Villeneuve, RG, Director of Business Development & Marketing at GRI, did a remarkable job planning and executing this year’s Market Mixer. Thank you to everyone who encouraged speakers, moderators, and sponsors to attend, and completing all the other tasks needed to make an event like this successful.

The Market Mixer is an annual event put on by the SMPS Oregon chapter. It’s set up to encourage open, direct conversation about how to get in front of clients, by those who represent and select on behalf of their firms. If you attended the Market Mixer and would like to send in your suggestions for improvements, or tell us what you loved, be sure to participate in our event survey sent to attendees on June 14th.