Oregon Convention Center

6 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 5 clinic for the four hospitals in the region. “We scaled up from 800 or 900 doses a day to peaks of more than 10,000 individuals,” Stroud shares. The efficiency of this system was a point of pride, with the regional health authority commenting that the clinic was one of the most efficient in the country. In February of 2022, the OCC began to rehire staff, slowly building back to pre-pandemic numbers. “At this point, our full-time team is about 95 individuals. Pre-pandemic, we were 117, and then hundreds of variable staff. That’s just our direct center employees, not including our contract partners,” says Stroud. “If you took COVID out of the picture, there’s no question 2023 would have been a record year, just a phenomenal year for us. From a revenue standpoint, we’re expecting to reach near pre- pandemic levels. We think we’ll return to inflation- adjusted levels in the next couple of years. We’re optimistic but cautious at the same time.” On the operations side, OCC relies on valuable partnerships with Levy, who are well known for their quality and reliable food service, and Edlen Electrical, who provide electrical services for exhibit spaces. Partnering with the destination marketing and management organization Travel Portland, along with the hospitality community is a strength for Oregon Convention Center, helping to create an exceptional client experience. Stourd also highlights its great working relationship with GB Manchester who takes care of all of Metro’s security and has worked on Oregon Convention center on different projects including upgrading its sound systems. “We are told repeatedly by clients that they recognize how well our hospitality partners work together to provide a great client experience for the convention center and hotel room block contracts; that’s all seamlessly managed and supported through Travel Portland and our sales teams. That’s a differentiator. We’re easy to do business with,” Stroud boasts, adding, “We don’t compete with one another. Our goal is to get out-of-state visitors into the region, experiencing all the amazing Portland and Oregon offerings,