Moving with Purpose

With our three airports, four marine terminals, and five business parks, the Port of Portland is an economic engine for transforming this region into a place where everyone is welcome, empowered, and connected to the opportunity to find a good job or grow their business.

Our job is to pull down barriers and connect people and local businesses who have been left out of the region’s economic growth—including people of color, low-income workers, and people with disabilities—to powerful opportunities.

Using our resources, expertise, and influence, we create jobs, help locally owned businesses grow, and help attract more quality employers to the state. We’re leading big projects in the region, including:

• Making the PDX airport more accessible and welcoming; expanding its size while reducing its carbon footprint; and partnering with more than 40 local landowners, mills and fabricators across the region to build a 9-acre wooden roof out of 100% local and sustainably managed wood.
• Transforming a former marine terminal into a site for innovation in the housing construction and mass timber industries – which will boost economic development throughout Oregon, with new jobs in mass timber and housing, a stronger workforce, and viable solutions to address the state’s housing shortage;
• And providing more options for Pacific Northwest businesses to send their products around the world - from Nikes and wheat to cherries and cheese.

Small Business

We connect people with exciting ways to move their businesses forward, from creating pathways for local food and retail businesses to set up shop at PDX, to ensuring at least 20% of Port contracts are designated for small businesses. And through our Mentor Protégé Program, more than 100 emerging businesses have been paired with established industry leaders for three years of strategic support.

Marine

Our marine terminals connect local businesses of all sizes to the global economy by shipping their products to countries around the world. From agriculture to autos and bulk minerals to big machinery, we provide a competitive advantage for shippers and connect people to the products they love. Our marine terminals also support thousands of family-wage jobs in Oregon, many of which don’t require a college degree.

Aviation

Through our three airports, we drive economic growth with quality jobs and support local and regional tourism.

We’re taking steps to lower our carbon footprint and reduce emissions, by electrifying our baggage handling and aircraft equipment; installing a ground-source heating and cooling system to drastically reduce our energy and fossil fuel use; and advocating for a regional shift to sustainable aviation fuel.

And we’re working to ensure PDX is welcoming and accessible to all, from improved signage and wayfinding assistance for people with vision impairments to more all user-restrooms and a dedicated space for travelers experiencing sensory overload.

Industrial Land Development

At each of our business parks, we prioritize partnerships with companies that share our commitment to providing good, family-wage jobs and improving the well-being of everyone in the surrounding community. We’re proud of our ability to bring new employers to the region, help local businesses grow, and drive innovation across industries – as well as our leadership in taking a purpose-driven approach to economic development.