Mayor Sam Adams

Earlier this week, Mayor Adams carried the message of climate prosperity and renewable energy into the heart of the hydrocarbon economy. The mayor led a delegation of Oregon legislators, business leaders, and public sector officials to the annual summit of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Summit (PNWER). This year’s host was Calgary, Alberta, the energy capital of Canada and site of the Calgary Stampede. Calgary is connected to Portland by a direct Air Canada flight.

The primary goal of the trip (funded by Travel Portland) was to recruit participation in next year’s PNWER Summit, which Portland will host. Mayor Adams promoted Portland as a “different kind of energy capital” than Calgary. He pointed to the strong presence of leading international renewable energy companies, including Iberdrola, SolarWorld, and Vestas. In addition, he noted the progressive nature of our legacy utilities, PGE and PacifiCorp, “both of which vie for the most sustainable utilities in America.”

On Sunday, July 11, the Portland Timbers club will host historic, top-flight Mexican side Club Deportivo Atlas in an international exhibition match at PGE Park. The game comes one day before Mayor Sam Adams meets with a delegation of elected and business leaders from Guadalajara, Mexico. Guadalajara is one of Portland's nine sister cities from across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

"Sunday will be a celebration of soccer and our relationship with Guadalajara," said Noah Siegel, Director of International Affairs for Mayor Sam Adams. "Fans can go from the World Cup final to the Timber-Atlas game."

The game offers more than just great family entertainment for the summer. A portion of the proceeds from the match between the Timbers and Atlas will benefit the Jardin Portland Foundation. Jardin Portland Foundation is an educational and experiential resource dedicated to promote understanding of the Portland region's culture, livability and environmental best practices. The Foundation is designing and constructing a sustainable and educational-based project in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico.

One of the most unique international projects of its kind, Jardin Portland in its completion will feature a Verde (green) Learning Center, demonstrate the characteristics of Portland as well as provide a global model for landscape design, environmental sustainability, and cultural, educational and economic exchange in the urban park Bosque Colomos.

The match between the Timbers and FC Atlas, one of Mexico's most storied teams, will begin at 6PM. For more information, visit http://www.jardinportland.com/and join those "making a sustainable difference." Tickets for the exhibition match start at $15 in advance and are on sale to the public through the PGE Park box office, area Ticketmaster locations, online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/or by phone at (800) 745-3000.

About the Guadalajara Sister City relationship
The Portland-Guadalajara sister city relationship exemplifies the incredible initiative of Portland's citizens. In the early 1980's, Royal Rosarian Tom McDonald and his wife Sharon McDonald visited Guadalajara and immediately fell in love with the city. The McDonalds returned with the desire to turn Guadalajara into Portland's second sister city. The McDonalds met with then Mayor Frank Ivancie and organized a second trip to Guadalajara with over 60 Portlanders including the Mayor and his wife. In 1983, Guadalajara was established as a sister city to Portland.

The Mayor held the second annual International Business Awards dinner on June 9, and it was a breakthrough event. This year, the City of Portland and the Portland Development Commission (PDC) partnered with the Oregon Consular Corps (OCC) to produce a single, marquee event for the international business community. The dinner honored international business leaders in Portland, and served as a fundraiser for the OCC scholarship for students at Oregon universities.

Daimler Trucks North America President & CEO Martin Daum arrived straight from the airport to receive the Mayor's award for success in Portland's manufacturing sector,  Daum's remarks emphasized the importance of Daimler's Portland facility, and the many advantages of doing business in the city. The Portland Truck Manufacturing Plant employs about 80 people, and manufactures Freightliner-branded military vehicles as well as the company's Western Star on-highway and severe-duty trucks. Several weeks after the award, Daimler announced a new three-year collective bargaining agreement, signaling an ongoing commitment to manufacturing in Portland.

Daimler was also a corporate supporter of the scholarship fund. Other top level supporters included Lewis and Clark College, Vestas, and APIC Inc. A leader in bringing Asian investment to Portland, APIC was recognized at the dinner for its recent acquisition of the KOIN Center.

Other international company's also used the event to make new announcements. Ajinomoto, a Japanese food processing company, shared details of a $12.5 million expansion of its Portland facility. The facility employs about 200 people, and has been doing business in Portland since 2000.  Mayor Adams first discussed the expansion with Ajinomoto during a visit to the Tokyo headquarters in 2009.

Iberdrola Renewables, the largest wind power operator in the world, was similarly recognized for advances in the clean tech sector. The Spanish company operates its U.S. headquarters from Portland, where they employ 450 people.

LaCrosse Footwear received an award for achievement in the sports apparel economic cluster, having recently opened a new manufacturing facility in Portland. LaCrosse has a strong export presence in Asia and around the world, with broad brand recognition for its Danner boots. The company also supplies the U.S. Armed Forces in their deployments overseas.

Last year's awards focused primarily on exporters, so the 2010 event was targeted at the foreign direct investment that is so critical to the Portland economy and job market. The awards were chosen by a selection committee made up the Port of Portland, the Department of Commerce, Business Oregon, the Portland Business Alliance, the Portland Community College Small Business Development Center, and PDC.

The OCC recognized three additional awardees for their critical contributions to Portland's share of the global economy. Delta Airlines maintains Portland's direct flights to Asia and Europe, and recently announced an extension of service to Nagoya Airport in Japan and to Schiphol in Amsterdam. Port of Portland Executive Director Bill Wyatt emphasized the importance of these links in his summery of the recent Oregon trade mission to Asia.

President Wim Wiewel received an award for his initiatives to expand Portland StateUniversity's international ties, and for working with the City of Portland to promote shared goals in electric vehicles, sustainability, and other fields. President Wiewel accompanied Mayor Adams on his trade mission to Japan, and advanced Portland's position in meetings with Nissan and Mitsubishi, two leaders in electric vehicles.

Finally, Ziba Design was honored for the company's cutting edge approach to design and innovation. Ziba's fast-paced video highlighted efforts to introduce the Chinese sports apparel company Li Ning to the U.S. market, and on last year's China Design Now exhibit at the Portland Art Museum.

The Portland Art Museum was filled with nearly 350 guests, and included a strong cross-section of the business and diplomatic communities. Portland's two official missions from Japan and Mexico were on hand, as were representatives of the French and Philippines Consulates in San Francisco. The evening was deftly MC'd jointly by OCC Dean John Bates and Gerald Baugh of PDC. Guest were treated to a wide assorted of local wines, donated by Soter Vineyards, Cana's Feast Winery, REX HILL, Domaine Serene, Sokol Blosser, and Torri Mor.

Those in attendance commented that it was great to see the range of Portland companies engaged in international trade and investment, and the number of impressive overseas investors creating jobs in our community. Next year's Awards are scheduled for May 17, and will be combined with an International Road Show that pairs foreign trade representatives with Oregon companies to help us promote our goods and services overseas.

The Mayor's Office recently was host to Indonesian Consul General Asianto Sinambela, based in San Francisco.  Asianto was joined by Consul Trini Sualang for Economic Affairs, and both stressed the importance of trade relations with their Pacific Rim neighbors in the United States.  The Consul General assumed his post in January of this year, and this was his first visit to Portland.

The visit also drew participants from a growing group of Portlanders looking to expand our traditional Asia focus beyond China and Japan to some of the up and coming ASEAN economies.  Richard Woodling of Green Touch Design and Honorary Consul for the Philippines was present, as was the Honorary Consul for Thailand, Nick Stanley of Veber Partners.  Both were strong promoters of Portland's clean tech industries, including waste management and green building.

As the Head of Section for the Global Environmental Conventions, Asianto had a keen interest in Portland's climate action plan.  He stressed Indonesia's efforts to reduce its own carbon emissions, and the need for outside help to provide technological assistance to enhance these efforts. 

The Consul General met earlier in the day with members of the Indonesian community in Portland, and was accompanied by Polo Catalani of the Office of Human Relations.  He emphasized the need to engage the enormous potential of Portland's Indonesian community in created stronger trade and cultural linkages across the Pacific.

Blessed this year with beautiful weather, our friends from Kaohsiung returned to Portland for the annual Rose Festival and Dragon Boat Races.  The delegation from our sister city was led by Deputy Director General of Education Kwo and Councilman Wong, representing Mayor Chen Chu who remained in Kaohsiung to oversee a consolidation of the city with surrounding counties.  

Both were accompanied by a strong contingent of teachers and school administrators who were exploring educational ties with the United States.  Taipei Director General from Seattle Daniel Liao represented the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office at the festivities.

This was the 23^rd year of Portland’s Dragon Boat Races, organized by the Portland Kaohsiung Sister City Association (PKSCA).  The event came off flawlessly on the morning of the June 12, under the guidance of PKSCA President Mack Lai, and culminated in an elaborate float in the Grand Floral Parade.

The Kaohsiung also included a contingent of high school students, hosted by the peers at David Douglas High School.  The group treated Portlanders to an evening of traditional music and dance.

The night before the races, the group was hosted the PKSCA at a VIP banquet at Wong’s King restaurant.  The evening was notable for its inclusion of President Jim Mei of the Portland Suzhou Sister City Association.  This reflects ever warmer relations between Taiwan and the Chinese Mainland, and to recognize the shared Chinese culture that unites diverse communities. 

The group was received officially by Mayor Sam Adams earlier in the day, which was reported in both the local and international Chinese media.  The Kaohsiung showered the City of Portland with gifts, including a piece of original pottery.  The Mayor proudly shared bottles of Torri Mor Chehalem Mountains Select Pinot Noir.

Portland celebrated Canada Day a bit early, with a June 27 gathering of the Canadian American Society of Oregon (CASO)at the Eastmoreland Golf Course.  It was a star-studded event featuring well-known celebrities with Canadian connections, including and Sarah Rothenfluch of Oregon Public Broadcasting and Tom-A-Hawk of the Portland Winterhawks. 

The gathering featured a diverse sampling of Canadian cultural activities, including hockey for the kids and beer for adults.  The festivities culminated in rousing renditions of "O Canada" in both English and French, and a gift drawing that included complementary tickets on Air Canada (now offering direct flights to Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto).

Honorary Consul Jim Baumgartner offered remarks about the enduring importance of U.S.-Canadian relations, and the sheer volume of trade between Oregon and the Canadian provinces.  He praised the work of the newly formed CASO Business Group, which helped plan upcoming trade delegations for Mayor Adams to Calgary and Toronto.  The presence and support of companies such as TransCanada, Nike, and Forest City Trading Group helped emphasize the importance of cross-border trade.

This month, a team of five representatives from the Portland Suzhou Sister City Association (PSSCA) left for China to represent our city at 30th annual celebration of sister city relations throughout the world.  In addition to Portland, Suzhou also maintains Sister City relations with Venice, Italy and Victoria, British Columbia, among others. 

PSSCA Secretary Robert Fraser reports the following:

China's growth in the global economy fills the daily pages of the Economist and Financial Times, is now officially Oregon's largest trading partner and many Portland-area businesses have significant investments in China. A more recent phenomenon, however, is the flow of reverse investment from China to Portland.

The recent entrance of American Pacific International Capital (APIC) into the Portland real estate market is a prime example of this trend. APIC President and CEO Wilson Chen has operated the investment fund from Portland since 2002. Until recently, the company focused exclusively on financing projects in mainland China, including real estate projects, hotels, and oil processing facilities.

Given the current opportunities in the U.S. market, however, and amidst some concerns about possible saturation in China, APIC has made a number of moves in Portland and California. APIC purchased the KOIN Center at the end of 2009, closing the deal in about 40 days. They now operate out of the tower, and marked the occasion at an official open house on June 10.

On April 30, APIC launched a new hotel chain (HAIYA) with the purchase of three hotels in San Francisco. On May 6, APIC acquired the Oregon Pacific Building ("Octopus Building"), where they are working with investors to open a high-end restaurant on the first floor, a music club on the second, and offices above.

Chen gave Mayor Adams a personal tour of the building last month. He explained that APIC will begin renovating for fire and earthquake codes immediately, and will pursue LEED certification for the facility. Chen believes there is strong potential for increased Chinese investment in the coming years, given Portland's growing size and visibility as a Pacific Rim city.

APIC is now headquartered in the KOIN Center, and has over 20 subsidiaries in China, Hong Kong, and the U.S. All together, the company employs over 1000 people worldwide. Chen himself came to Oregon from China over 20 years ago, and earned an engineering Ph.D. from Oregon State University in 1996. He then started several internet and environmental businesses, founding Wilson Environmental Consulting in 1998.

Chen is an active participant in both the local Chinese community and the Portland business community. APIC was a key patron for the 22nd anniversary of the Portland Suzhou Sister City Association, and a scholarship supporter at the International Business Awards. The company also worked with the Regional Arts and Culture Council at their KOIN opening to feature local artists. Guests voted on their favorite pieces, one of which will be featured permanently in the building's entrance.

On June 3, Mayor Adams met Consul General Bart van Bolhuis of the Netherlands at Portland City Hall. The Consul General was accompanied by Honorary Consul Ted Runstein of the Oregon Consular Corps.

The Consul General described his country's recent branding exercise, in which the Netherlands chose to focus on its character as a pioneer of international business, and a tolerant, cooperative culture. Given the many shared characteristics between Portland and the Netherlands, the visit quickly evolved into an in-depth discussion which touched on bicycle cultures, land-use planning, pre-fab construction, and sustainability. The Consul General suggested a visit from the Dutch Minister of Transportation in the near future.

Van Bolhuis has spent most of his career in the Ministry of Finance, where he was assigned to a team that prepared Europe for the introduction of the Euro currency. He has spent considerable time working on public/private partnerships as Secretary of the Dutch Board of Trade. With a strong focus on trade and investment, the Dutch Consulate recently decided to move its main offices from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and Van Bolhuis emphasized his interest in expanding economic relations with Portland.

The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in the world (16.5 million citizens) and ranks 10th in GDP per capita. The Dutch economy is considered an island of stability in Europe at the moment, and was the single largest recipient of U.S. investment last year.

Portland itself has strong economic ties with the Netherlands -- Wieden and Kennedy, Survey Monkey, and other creative firms maintain strong Amsterdam offices.  In addition, the Ace Hotel is planning a branch in Amsterdam, complete with a Stumptown Coffee Shop.  Our economies are linked together by a direct flight with Delta.  For these reasons and more, Portlanders have begun to organize to promote a sister city relationship with Utrecht, something van Bolhuis said he would support enthusiastically.