Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

At the Port of Portland, we stand together against racism, discrimination, bigotry and intolerance. Because we know that our actions influence the socioeconomic and environmental fabric of our region, we believe that our work should help all communities prosper.

That’s why we focus on addressing historical inequities and why we aim to leverage our resources to make the region we love even better.

Prosperity for All

How our equity journey began.

 

 

While the Port has always valued inclusion and service, our formal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts began in 2013 when we hired two consultants to advise the Port. In 2018, the Port of Portland Commission approved our first-ever social equity policy.

Using the guiding principles from this policy, which leads with race, we asked the 18 different departments across the Port to develop their own equity action plans. The common themes across these strategies became our equity plan, which features three business priorities:

  1. Increase small business participation
  2. Create an equitable, inclusive and welcoming place to work
  3. Engaging community

The Port began formal implementation of our social equity plan in July 2019. Read our 2023 progress update.

Increase Small Business Participation
We believe in the power of small businesses and work to help them bid for contracts, expand their operations, and connect with mentors.

Eliminating Barriers

We are focused on eliminating barriers for small business participation – with a particular emphasis on women and minority-owned businesses – and applying an equity lens to rethink how we conduct business and award contracts.

ELIMINATING BARRIERS
Technical Assistance

Technical Assistance

To further empower small businesses, we offer the support they need to better position themselves for contracts with the Port and other public agencies.

Connecting with Mentors

Our Mentor Protégé Program has brought together more than 100 small businesses with established companies to help them grow their business.

Connectiong with mentors
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Create an equitable, inclusive, welcoming place to work
Advancing racial equity and creating a welcoming and inclusive place to work requires organizations to embark upon systemic and organizational change. We developed strategies to enhance employee-centered programs, eliminate recruitment and advancement barriers, and elevate employee understanding of DEI and cultural competency.

Employee Demographics

We closely examined our organizational culture, how we promote and retain our employees and our demographic makeup. Explore our employee demographic dashboard, which we update each year.

Employee Demographics
Emplyee Engagement

Employee-Centered Programs

We developed employee-centered programs focused on growing and strengthening our workforce. Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Business Resource Groups (BRGs), a PoP Culture team, and employee wellness and training programs contribute to the Port being a dynamic organization. Learn more about our ERGs.

Recruiting

A more inclusive culture starts with recruiting, which involves more than simply having a diverse slate of candidates. We apply an equity lens across the entire hiring process – looking at how we can reduce barriers for applicants, remove bias from the interview process and create a welcoming environment for new hires.

Recruiting
Emplyee Advancement

Advancement

Recruitment may be the first step, but that’s not the end. We want all Port workers to have equitable access to growth at the organization. Our goal is to ensure that the rate of promotions for women and people of color is equal to the percentage of employees who work at the Port.

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Engaging Community
Exchanging ideas and information with community partners helps us make better decisions.

Using an Equity Lens

While public agencies like the Port have shaped policies through community input for decades, we now incorporate an equity lens into our planning and processes to ensure the way we seek feedback and distribute resources is equitable.

Equity Lens
Community Value

Bringing Community Value

Our Community Engagement focuses on matching department needs with diverse community expertise. Our goal is to deepen these relationships so that community organizations find as much value from the partnership as the Port.

Gathering Feedback

We are also working to develop a deeper understanding of how our engagement is perceived by community partners and asking for their feedback on opportunities for improvement.

Feedback
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Measuring Our Success
We are committed to learning and growing on this journey. When something really matters to you, you pay close attention to its progress. That’s how we feel about our DEI work. We are working to establish meaningful quantitative metrics to measure success and identify opportunities for improvement.

Please download our Annual Shared Prosperity Report (PDF) to view our metrics and progress.

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