ePoint :: News from the Oregon Convention Center

Oregon Convention Center sustainability coordinator earns LEED accreditation with operations and management specialty

Portland, Ore. - Oregon Convention Center (OCC) sustainability coordinator, Brittin Witzenburg, was recently designated by the U.S. Green Building Council as a LEED Accredited Professional with an Operations & Maintenance specialty.

By earning this designation, the Green Building Certification Institute recognizes her practical experience in identifying and implementing sustainable practices that reduce the environmental impact of the center over its functional life cycle.

“Brittin has played an instrumental role in making the Oregon Convention Center the sustainability leader it is. This accreditation confirms her professional acumen in the world of LEED certification,” said Scott Cruickshank, Oregon Convention Center executive director.

He added, “After achieving LEED certification and LEED Silver re-certification, our goal is LEED Gold re-certification in 2013. That is no easy task for an existing building totaling one million square feet, but I have every confidence in our ability to accomplish it.”

According to the Green Building Certification Institute, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited professionals with a specialty in operations and management demonstrate the exceptional expertise of green building professionals implementing sustainability practices, improving performance, heightening efficiency and reducing environmental impact in existing buildings through enhanced operations and maintenance. Those who hold the LEED AP O+M credentials are considered the vanguards in their industry, transforming the built environment and possessing thorough knowledge of the LEED rating systems and their implementation.

The Oregon Convention Center will seek LEED Gold certification in 2013 and has invested in a number of efficiency measures in recent years to count towards the necessary points, including major light fixture upgrades, water facility retrofits, and improvements in waste reduction efforts.

The OCC is owned and operated by Metro and managed through the Metropolitan Exposition Recreation Commission. Visit www.oregoncc.org  for more information.

Contact:
Stephanie Soden, Metro Venues
503-797-1818 (office)
971-227-1195 (cell)
stephanie.soden@oregonmetro.gov

Wheel of Fortune Portland shows to air - April 30-May 25, 2012

During the month of May, Portland and the Oregon Convention Center will be featured on Wheel of Fortune! Yes, Pat and Vanna were here, and they are just as nice as they seem on TV!

Four weeks of shows were taped at the OCC in late March and early April, and the first Portland show airs Monday, April 30th at 7:30 PM on KATU Channel 2!

Here’s the full schedule:

• Going Green Week (4/30-5/4)
• Portland Week (5/7-5/11)
• College Week (5/14-5/18)
• Great Outdoors Week (5/21 - 5/25)

Visit the official Wheel of Fortune website to check out photos, videos, and more!

WATCH WHEEL OF FORTUNE WEEKNIGHTS AT 7:30 PM ON KATU 2, ON YOUR SIDE!

OCC's pacificwild nominated for a BEST Award for sustainable food leadership

The folks at the Oregon Convention Center were recognized in Sustainable Business Oregon this week for their stellar work on sustainable food service by pacificwild, OCC's caterer. pacificwild is in the running the a City of Portland BEST Award (Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow). Wish them luck! Awards will be announced at the annual BEST Awards on April 25th.

Excerpt from Sustainable Business Oregon: Where to find Portland's sustainable food leaders...

Pacificwild Catering was created by its parent company, ARAMARK, as an exclusive brand for the Oregon Convention Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, and Portland Expo Center. ARAMARK has partnered with these venues since 1999, but created Pacificwild to put greater emphasis on local, sustainable food systems on a large scale.

Given the freedom to adjust ARAMARK standard practices based on the venue and client needs, Pacificwild partners with each facility to develop, train and implement sustainable practices within all departments.

Over the past 12 years, Pacificwild catering has consistently purchased from local businesses within the 44-block area surrounding the Oregon Convention Center. This represents approximately $1.8 million annually in food and beverage spending. When in season, 70 percent of Pacificwild’s produce is locally grown.

Through the purchase of a unique type of Energy Star oven, Pacificwild Catering has seen about 20 percent less shrinkage of proteins during the cooking process. This has reduced the need to order larger meat portion sizes to accommodate for the old cooking process. Pacificwild also switched appetizer serving methods — from large platters to small, hand passed small trays — in order to reduce leftovers and allow any leftover food to be donated.

Read more about the most sustainable businesses in Portland in the full story from Sustainable Business Oregon: http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/columns/2012/03/where-to-find-portlands-sustainable.html.

Read more about the BEST Awards and Portland's free Sustainability at Work assistance program: http://sustainabilityatworkpdx.com/recognition/best-awards/

For more information, contact Brittin Witzenburg, Sustainability Coordinator for the Oregon Convention Center at BrittinWitzenburg@oregoncc.org.

Oregon Convention Center recycling rate hits 82%

The Oregon Convention Center recycling recovery rate is a point of pride for OCC staff who work hard to ensure that recyclable and compostable materials get diverted away from the garbage. The average recycling rate for the facility for the first six months of the current fiscal year is 72.3%. The facility had a particularly good month in December, with a recycling rate that reached 82%.

Brittin Witzenburg, OCC's Sustainability Coordinator, tracks the amount of materials collected at the facility for recycling and composting. Here are some highlights of the mid-year report:

    * Organics (food waste and other compostable materials): 25.65%
    * Donated pre-consumer food waste: 7.8%
    * Comingled recyclables (i.e. beverage bottles, cans, office paper): 9.21%
    * Wood: 8.34%
    * Cardboard: 11.13%

Other materials collected at OCC include: yard debris, vinyl (tablecloths, banners), plastics, metal, glass, and electronics. They also donate usable materials to area reuse outlets.

For more information on the OCC recycling program and more about our sustainability efforts, visit www.oregoncc.org/sustainability.

 

Oregon Convention Center opens new Portland Roasting café

The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) opened the first of two brand new cafes operated by Roast Magazine’s 2012 Macro Roaster of the Year, Portland Roasting Coffee.

In a grand opening event held earlier this week, representatives from the coffee company, convention and tourism industries, and local food product companies celebrated the introduction of Portland’s highly touted coffee culture to visitors from across the globe through a coffee tasting, or “cupping” ceremony, in which small cups of freshly roasted coffee are infused with boiling water and evaluated for aroma and flavor profiles, among other elements.

“Portland has earned the reputation as a city with distinct taste for quality, small-batch coffee and a commitment to sustainability,” said Karen Totaro, OCC’s assistant executive director. “By offering Portland Roasting as our exclusive coffee in our catering and cafes, convention visitors from around the world can literally taste the essence of Portland during their stay.”

The new café was designed with the Pacific Northwest aesthetic in mind; a large slab of reclaimed Oregon old-growth fir frames the entrance and also serves as the platform for tables and the coffee bar inside. While the beans are sourced from locations throughout the world through fair trade agreements, the coffee is roasted just blocks from the OCC at the company’s headquarters, and delivered in compostable bags by bike. Café cups and utensils are biodegradable and a host of local food companies are represented in the baked goods and refreshments offered to café customers.

Totaro cited Portland Roasting’s dedication to environmental stewardship, ranging from global water protection and resource initiatives to operating a zero-carbon facility, as primary reasons the partnership works for OCC.

“We take sustainability very seriously at OCC and we’re proud to be considered a sustainability leader in the convention center industry,” said Totaro. She added, “Partnerships with local companies such as Portland Roasting, who share our commitment to sustainability, help us continue to walk our talk.”

Portland Roasting Coffee’s second OCC café is scheduled to open in early 2012.

About Portland Roasting
Portland Roasting has been a steadfast pioneer of Portland coffee culture since 1996, navigating the coffee-growing regions of the world to bring the best of each season’s crop to Oregon.

The first coffee company to deliver its products to clients by bike, the company provides coffee through wholesale, retail and online channels as well as through private businesses and institutions. Portland Roasting’s sustainability platform includes the Farm Friendly Direct program and the Northwest’s first biodegradable Ecotainer. Visit www.portlandroasting.com for more information.

About the Oregon Convention Center
The Oregon Convention Center is the largest convention center in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and a top meeting destination. It leads the industry in sustainable operations and business practices as the first to earn LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Existing Building) in 2004, and in 2008, the first to be recertified LEED-EB Silver. Totaling one million square feet of space, it hosts an average of 650 events and over 700,000 visitors annually. Visit www.oregoncc.org for more information.

The Oregon Convention Center joins the Portland Expo Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts and Oregon Zoo in a family of visitor venues owned and/or operated by Metro regional government. www.oregonmetro.gov.

VIDEO: OCC Sustainability Tour

 

Join OCC Sustainability Coordinator Brittin Witzenburg for a personal back-of-house tour highlighting Oregon Convention Center's environmentally responsible operations and sustainable business practices.

For more information visit: www.oregoncc.org/sustainability

Contact:
Brittin Witzenburg
Sustainability Coordinator
Oregon Convention Center
BrittinWitzenburg@oregoncc.org
ph. 503.731.7949

Classically Trained Chef with Sustainable Focus Incorporates International Flavor at Metro’s Visitor Venues

The Oregon Convention Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA) and Portland Expo Center have selected Allan Wambaa as the new executive chef for the three Metro Visitor Venues.

pacificwild catering co., the exclusive premium food and beverage brand for the venues, selected Wambaa after an extensive national search that included event menus planned with locally-sourced ingredients and “think outside the box” demonstrations such as creating gourmet concession items that would be at home on a food truck; a nod to Portland’s famous foodie culture.

“Allan’s creativity during the interview process combined with his background with international cuisine made him a natural choice for the position,” said Teri Dresler, general manager of Metro’s visitor venues. “His commitment to using sustainable ingredients along with his creativity and credentials make him a perfect fit for our venues.”

A native of Kenya, Wambaa comes to Portland after working most recently as the executive chef at the Tacoma Convention and Trade Center. Prior to that, he served as executive chef of the Bell Harbor International Conference Center & World Trade Center, Washington Hospitality and Wolfgang Puck Catering at Benaroya Hall. He also served as the Chef de Cuisine in Saudi Arabia for Prince Fahad bin Khalid al Saud.

“The challenge in the convention business is for our menus to be fresh, sustainable and in-line with local trends,” said Oregon Convention Center executive director Jeff Blosser. “Chef Wambaa is well up to the challenge and we are excited with what he is bringing to the table.”

Wambaa will be responsible for the strategic direction of all catering services and lead menu planning for venue-specific and event-related meals. He will also manage the team of food and beverage staff responsible for the in-house dining establishments in each of the venues - the Art Bar & Bistro housed in PCPA’s Antoinette Hatfield Hall, Keller Auditorium’s swanky martini bar, Keller Café, the Portland Expo Center’s brand-new West Delta Bar & Grill, and Stir cocktail lounge in the Oregon Convention Center.

The Portland Center for the Performing Arts is thrilled to be working with a chef who has a background working at a performing arts center,” said Robyn Williams, PCPA executive director. “We expect Chef Wambaa to take the ArtBar & Bistro and the Keller Café to new heights.”

“With West Delta Bar & Grill still in its infancy, I am looking forward to see what direction Chef Wambaa takes us at the Expo Center,” said Chris Bailey, director of the Portland Expo Center.

Chef Wambaa is a Pro-Chef II certified graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and is also a certified chef and member of the American Culinary Federation. Wambaa started work at the Oregon Convention Center on Thursday, August 25.

pacificwild catering co. is the exclusive premium brand created by ARAMARK specifically for the Metro Visitor Venues, with an emphasis on serving seasonal, local and sustainable food. For more information, please visit http://www.oregoncc.org/pacificwildCatering/.

The Oregon Convention Center, Portland Expo Center and Portland Center for the Performing Arts are managed by Metro. For more information, visit www.oregonmetro.gov.

Contact:
Alicia Crawford Loos
Public Relations
503.274.6591
alicia@pcpa.com

[GLUMAC NEWS] "The Convention Center that Challenges Convention"

The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) is one that stands out from the pack of convention centers across the United States. It is the largest convention center in the Pacific Northwest, with approximately a million square feet of meeting rooms, exhibit space and two large ballrooms. The OCC was the first convention center in the world to be certified in the LEED Existing Buildings 1.0 category, as well as the only to re-certify at a higher level - LEED Silver in LEED EB 2.0. The decision to continuously improve sustainability and minimize their carbon footprint is what sets the Oregon Convention Center apart the most. The facility has been recycling since its completion in 1991, long before it became "cool" to talk about being green. For the past decade, the OCC has set increasingly impressive sustainability goals to improve the building’s energy performance and operational efficiency.

READ MORE AT GLUMAC.COM»

New cafe will offer fresh, seasonal lunch fare and much more - paid internships available to disadvantaged culinary aspirants

On June 20, the Hoyt Street Station Community Café will open its doors to Lloyd District residents and neighbors, serving healthy and delicious salads, sandwiches and soups with a focus on locally-sourced ingredients. Named after the future nearby Portland Streetcar stop, the café is a joint collaboration between Metro’s Oregon Convention Center (OCC) and its food and beverage service contractor, Aramark/Giacometti Partners, Ltd.

A unique distinction of the Hoyt Street Station Community Café is its commitment to the “triple bottom line” – people, planet and profits – throughout all aspects of the operation.

The café will be staffed with Aramark employees, along with two paid interns participating in an 18-month food service management training program geared towards individuals in underserved communities who face barriers to entering culinary management careers. The program includes a broad array of topics including food production, service, safety and hygiene; menu planning and food procurement; employee supervision, training, scheduling and labor relations; sales and marketing; cash and inventory controls; and customer service. Divided into three sections, interns will begin with six months of hands-on training and instruction at the OCC, followed by two six-month segments, back and front-of-house, in the café. Upon completion of the program, participants will be eligible to apply for additional grants to be used for culinary school tuition or as seed money to start their own businesses.

During café construction, attention was paid to utilizing local contractors classified as minority and/or women-owned or emerging small businesses (MWESB), and firms located within in the immediate vicinity of the OCC, known as the First Opportunity Target Area or FOTA. Of the thirteen contracts awarded, eleven were to MWESB and/or FOTA businesses, totaling roughly two-thirds of the total contract dollars.

Efforts were also focused on using local, recycled, reused and LEED-certified products and materials. Energy-efficient refrigerators, dishwasher, hand dryers and lighting were installed. The carpet, table bases and chairs, and fluorescent lights are reused and the bar and table tops were constructed with reclaimed wood from Refind, a division of the Rebuilding Center. Portland-based Schoolhouse Electric light fixtures offset walls covered in Metro’s recycled paint, recycled quartz countertops and tile backsplash and Evoke vinyl flooring. A refurbished classroom chalkboard serves as the menu display.

“It is extremely satisfying to see our vision for the community café project come to fruition,” says Jeff Blosser, Executive Director of the Oregon Convention Center. “Creating good jobs that translate into successful and meaningful careers is what we do at the Oregon Convention Center. With the support of Metro and partnership of Aramark/Giacometti, we’re able to make a huge difference in the lives of those who need it.”

Profits from the project will be reinvested into the café and internship program. Recruitment is currently underway for interested individuals. Applications and more information can be downloaded at http://www.oregoncc.org/communitycafe/.

Located at the northwest corner of the Metro Regional Center plaza, at 622 N.E. Grand Avenue in Portland, the Hoyt Street Station Community Café will be open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. beginning June 20, 2011.

Media contact: Stephanie Soden, Metro Visitor Venues, 503-797-1818 (office), 971-227-1195 (cell), Stephanie.Soden@oregonmetro.gov

Oregon Convention Center ‘walks its talk’ by choosing local, sustainability-focused coffee vendor, Portland Roasting

International convention-goers and local event attendees can now enjoy craft specialty coffee from beans sustainably harvested and processed from around the globe at the Oregon Convention Center (OCC) thanks to a new partnership with Portland Roasting.

All catered events at the OCC, as well as the Portland Expo Center and Portland Center for the Performing Arts, began offering coffee sourced and roasted through Portland Roasting this week. Later this year, the company will open two newly-renovated coffee shops inside the OCC, currently occupied by Starbucks. The first is slated to open August 1.

“The Oregon Convention Center is considered the portal to Oregon’s bounty for visitors from around the world and we are proud to serve fresh, high-quality ingredients by vendors who share our commitment to practicing sustainability,” says OCC executive director Jeff Blosser. “Offering Portland Roasting allows us to improve the coffee-drinking experience for our clients while adding to our long list of green operations.”

Located within blocks of the OCC, Portland Roasting has earned a reputation as a sustainability leader and innovator while, at the same time, staying true to the small batch, craft-roasting ethic. The company has built long-standing relationships with farmers committed to stewardship of the land, supports international and local community-building initiatives, and utilizes products that are healthy for consumers and the environment. Portland Roasting uses compostable bags for cargo delivery and transports its products by bike through Portland-based B-Line Bikes. While the quantities necessary to meet the OCC’s needs may exceed bike capacity, delivery to the venues will remain emission-free as the company’s alternative mode of transportation, a new electric Nissan Leaf, is put to use.

“Being chosen as the local coffee of choice at the Oregon Convention Center is an honor in addition to a great business partnership,” says Mark Stell, managing partner at Portland Roasting Company. “We are thrilled to offer locally-roasted, specialty coffee to visitors. Good coffee is a cultural asset to Portland and to Oregon. Being able to align with the convention center, an operation that is making business decisions based on sustainability, is what Portland Roasting is all about.”

About Portland Roasting
Portland Roasting has been a steadfast pioneer of Portland coffee culture since 1996, navigating the coffee-growing regions of the world to bring the best of each season’s crop to Oregon. One of the first coffee companies to deliver its products to clients by bike, the company provides coffee through wholesale, retail and online channels as well as through private businesses and institutions. Portland Roasting’s sustainability platform includes the Farm Friendly Direct program and the Northwest’s first biodegradable Ecotainer. Visit www.portlandroasting.com for more information.

About the Oregon Convention Center
The Oregon Convention Center is the largest convention center in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and a top meeting destination. It leads the industry in sustainable operations and business practices as the first to earn LEED-EB (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Existing Building) in 2004, and in 2008, the first to be recertified LEED-EB Silver. Totaling one million square feet of space, it hosts an average of 650 events and over 700,000 visitors annually. Visit www.oregoncc.org for more information.

The Oregon Convention Center joins the Portland Expo Center, Portland Center for the Performing Arts and Oregon Zoo in a family of visitor venues owned and/or operated by Metro regional government. www.oregonmetro.gov.