Minority & Small Business Week
P a g e AI6
September 24, 2008
Business, Community
Leader Honored
Pacific Power a Division
of Pacificorp
joins with
nrtlanh (Observer
in Celebrating
M in o rity E n te rp rise
D evelopm ent Week
Let us take time to honor the energy,
determination, and optimism of our state’s
minority entrepreneurs.
Pacificorp believes that support of the
sustainable business development can be
an integral part of the development of an
economically strong and livable community.
“Together We Will Succeed”
First female CEO at Portland General Electric
A respected business and
community leader who is re­
garded for her steadfast dedi­
cation to her co-workers, her
company and the community
will be presented with the 2008
Hope Award by the National
Multiple Sclerosis Society
Peggy Fowler, chief execu­
tive officer and president of
Portland General Electric, will
be honored for her philan­
thropy, community service and
leadership during a Dinner of
Champions gala at the Hilton
Portland & Executive Tower,
Thursday, Oct. 9.
Her journey to the CEO’s
desk at PGE began in 1974
when, with a chemistry and
mathematics degree in hand
from George Fox University,
she joined the company as a
chemist. Within six years, she
had become general manager
of environmental and analytic
services. She went on to man­
age almost every major area
of*the company before her
appointment in 2000as PGE’s
first female CEO.
Fowler has guided Oregon’s
largest electric utility through
difficult challenges and im­
mense scrutiny through years
of ownership uncertainty. She
is known for responding to the
demands of the job with grace
and confidence and keeping
her focus on PGE’s core busi-
ness.
Fowler’s leadership helped
give PGE a new beginning in
April 2006 when the company
regained its independence as
one of Oregon’s largest pub­
licly traded companies.
•»
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Peggy Fowler started as a chemist at Portland
General Electric in 1974 and became the company's
first female chief executive in2000.
Under Fowler’s leadership,
PGE continues its efforts to
meet customers’ growing en­
ergy needs and to embrace
new
tec h n o lo g y
and
sustainability efforts, such as
renewable power programs,
solar in sta lla tio n s, sm art
meters, energy efficiency and
charging stations for electric
vehicles.
In addition to her business
accomplishments, Fowler is
generous with her time and
energy working with a variety
of organizations committed to
improving Oregon’s quality of
life. Fowler serves in several
volunteer capacities that con­
tribute to the future of the
com m unity, including the
boards of Oregon Business
Council, the Regence Group,
R egence
B lueC ross
BlueShield of Oregon, Fed­
eral Reserve Bank of San
Francisco - Portland Branch,
SOLV Founders’ Circle, the
Oregon Global Warming Com­
m issio n and G reen lig h t
Greater Portland.
She was an ambassador for
the
A m erican
H eart
Association’s “Go Red for
i i i • . ’ ■
continued
on page A22
Summit Looks at Art as
an Economic Engine
continued
from A l l
Ragtime, Coming to America,
Bulworth, Sommersby, Gods
and Generals, Malcolm X,
W aiting to Exhale, Tyler
Perry s Meet the Browns, The
Thomas Crown Affair and
HBO S The Wire.
Another keynote speaker is
Roscoe Orman, best known to
most Americans as Gordon on
the Sesame Street children's
television program. In his var­
ied careerOrman's made guest
appearances on hit television
shows such as Sandford &
Son and Kojak in the 1970s,
and continued to make occa­
sional appearances in such
programs as All My Children
and the drama Law & Order.
The third keynote speaker
will be Marc Acito whose de­
but novel. How I Paid for Col­
lege: A Novel of Sex, Theft,
Friendship and Musical The­ ecutive director of NW Busi­
ater won the Oregon Book ness for Culture and the Arts;
Awards' Ken Kesey Award. Eloise Damrosch, executive
The book was also selected as director, Regional Arts & Cul-
a top Ten Teen Pick by the tureCouncihChristine D'Arcy,
executive director,
American Library
Oregon Arts Com­
Association. The
m ission;
C arol
New York Times
Pelton, trust man­
chose College as
ager, Oregon Cul­
an Editors Choice
tural Trust; and Rip
and it's been
Caswell,
artist and
optioned for a film
owner o f Caswell
by Columbia Pic­
Gallery.
tures and is trans­
The Center for the
lated into five lan­
Arts
Foundation is
guages.
dedicated to provid­
The summit will
ing affordable, edu­
also hear from a
cational
and acces­
renowned panel of
sible facilities for lo­
experts to discuss
arts as an e c o ­ Novelist Marc Acito cal, regional and na­
tional perform ing
nomic engine, in­
and
visual
arts in a sustainable
cluding Lanie McMullen, di­
rector of economic develop­ environment, that serves as a
ment for the city of Everett, gathering place for the com­
Wash.; Virginia Willard, ex­ munity at large.
Corporate Diversity Progress Slow
Portland East Side CSO Tunnel
for Project Information, please visit www.kbbescso.com
t
Most people would agree
that cultural diversity in the
w o rk p lace u tiliz e s our
country's skills to its fullest
and contributes to our overall
growth and prosperity.
The reality of the situation
is that the results of those
ideals haven't been fully real­
ized and progress remains
slow. The gap between the
"haves" and "have nots” con­
tinues to widen.
According to the online job
help site diversity.com. one of
the reasons for this has been
the lack of diversity in corpo-
rate America. By not devel­
oping a diverse workforce
from the top down, African,
Hispanic (Latino), and Asian
Americans are unfairly rel­
egated to lower-skilled, lower-
pay positions and are not able
to fulfill their true potential.
Many corporations have
recognized that diversity con­
tributes to the bottom line by:
making it easier to retain good
employees, lowering costs by
developing skills in-house,
and developing a reputation
that helps attract new em ­
ployees. This is especially
important with the economy
doing so well, and the de­
mand for skilled labor at
record levels.
If you are an African, His­
panic (Latino), or Asian Ameri­
can trying to advance your
career, working for%a com­
pany that values workplace
diversity is extremely impor­
tant. This will give you a good
indication whether your em­
ployer will value your contri­
butions, grant you promotions,
train you to take on more re­
sponsibility, and pay you ac­
cordingly.
I