Honoring the best of Portland: 2025 Business Leadership Evening

The Portland Metro Chamber’s 2025 Business Leadership Evening went off without a hitch on Wednesday, November 12 at the Portland Art Museum. The event celebrates business leaders who exemplify philanthropy, civic engagement, and commitment to our city. Our program honored the President and CEO of Schnitzer Properties, Jordan Schnitzer, for his leadership and service to Portland, and Albina Vision Trust (AVT), represented by Winta Yohannes, for their nationally heralded, precedent-setting model for restorative development and for their leadership in our business community.

Featured speakers at the event included U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, former State Senator Betsy Johnson, Chamber President and CEO Andrew Hoan, Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of Oregon Christopher Long, Senior Vice President and Regional Branch Network Executive at Wells Fargo Julia Banks, and honoree Jordan D. Schnitzer. They highlighted how the resilience and creativity of Portlanders has shined especially bright recently in the face of federal and local challenges. They also emphasized the integral role of business leadership in driving innovation, fostering collaboration, and building a strong and inclusive Portland economy.

The Chamber honored Jordan D. Schnitzer with the William S. Naito Outstanding Service Award, recognizing his decades of visionary leadership in building one of the West Coast’s most successful commercial real estate portfolios and driving regional economic growth. Schnitzer remarked, ““I’m honored to accept this year’s William S. Naito Award. Bill and I served together on several commissions and if there ever was someone that committed his heart and soul to helping improve Portland, it was Bill Naito.”

The President’s Award was presented to Albina Vision Trust for its exceptional accomplishments to transform the future of our community—leading the largest restorative development effort in America with the mission to revitalize and repair decades of displacement and divestment in Portland’s Albina neighborhood.

“I am honored to accept this recognition on behalf of the entire Albina Vision Trust team,” said Executive Director Winta Yohannes, noting the partnership between the Chamber and AVT. “The Portland Metro Chamber was right there cheering on our landmark partnership with the Portland Trailblazers, called the Albina Rose Alliance.” Yohannes added, “Whenever we’ve asked PMC to show up in Salem to testify alongside us, they’ve never wavered. They’ve rolled up their sleeves to join us in coordinating national coalitions for infrastructure investments.”

Thank you to our presenting sponsor, Wells Fargo, and our cocktail sponsor, the University of Oregon, for their ongoing, generous support of the Portland Metro Chamber’s Business Leadership Evening event.