October 4, 2017
The
Minority & Small Business Week
INSIDE
Week in Review
page 2
Page 3
This page
Sponsored by:
Equity and Inclusion
Convention
hotel committed
to diverse
workforce
D ana l ynn b arbar
t he p ortlanD o bserver
An agreement between pub-
lic and private parties to create
jobs and employment opportu-
nities for diverse populations
during and after the construction
of Portland’s first major conven-
tion hotel is a leading example of
workforce equity and inclusion in
practice.
Slated to open in late 2019,
the new Hyatt Regency Portland
at the Oregon Convention Center
will establish the city of Portland
as a destination for larger con-
ventions and events, bringing in
more visitors and strengthening
the regional economy by an es-
timated 30 percent, according to
Metro, the regional government
agency sponsoring the project.
Ground-breaking for the hotel
took place Aug. 4 and construc-
tion on the 600-room, LEED
certified hotel is now underway.
The project is overseen by Hy-
att, Mortenson Construction,
and Metro, which owns the Or-
egon Convention Center located
directly across the street from
where the new hotel will be lo-
cated.
The construction will bring in
an estimated 2,000 jobs, while
the opening and staffing of the
hotel will require an estimated
950 hospitality and tourism jobs.
Metro and Mortenson Con-
struction are leading the effort to
ensure job creation and employ-
ment opportunities for diverse
populations during the project.
Together, they implemented a
workforce development plan to
improve access to trade careers
for minorities.
The workforce equity goals
are to employ 30 percent peo-
ple of color, 15 percent women,
and 20 percent from apprentices
in the trades, according to Kar-
ol Collymore, communications
and policy development program
manager at Metro.
Officials are optimistic they
will achieve the hiring goals. Hy-
att and Metro representatives are
committed to meet monthly and
get monthly reports to track prog-
ress. They have made generous
by
O PINION
M ETRO
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
C LASSIFIEDS
C ALENDAR
pages 10-11
page 15
pages 16-20
pages 22-23
page 27
photo Courtesy M ortenson C onstruCtion
A diverse workforce is on the job as footings to start construction
of a convention hotel are put in place at the site of the future Hyatt
Regency Portland at the Oregon Convention Center. An agreement
between public and private parties ensures the hotel is a leading
example of workforce equity and inclusion in practice.
An artist’s rendering shows the future Hyatt Regency Port-
land at the Oregon Convention Center, a 600-room hotel that
will bring in an estimated 2,000 jobs. When opened in 2019,
staffing of the hotel will require another 950 hospitality and
tourism jobs.
contributions totaling $450,000
to increase the number of women
and people of color in the trades,
developing the Construction Ap-
prenticeship Workforce Solutions
program. And in late August, the
companies held a Contractor’s
Open House for women and peo-
ple of color for the upcoming
wave of work expected.
C ontinueD on p age 26