Stumptown Soiree

The University of Oregon Chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America hit the road once again for its second professional development tour of the year, this time in Portland. Joining the group as UO PRSSA professional advisor, we toured Edelman, Gard Communications and the Portland Timbers and Portland Thorns soccer teams.

The tour started at the Portland office of Edelman public relations/marketing with an discussion led by Account Supervisor Casey Olsen, a University of Oregon SOJC graduate in the public relations sequence and former programming director for UO PRSSA. There, we were joined by my fellow PRSA Oregon board member, Dianne Danowski Smith.

Next up, we visited Gard Communications, an agency specializing in corporate and public policy communication. I reconnected with my former students Hannah Smith Perreault and Liz Vargas, now both working as account managers at Gard. Since 1979, Gard has become one of the Northwest's most respected creative, digital and public relations firms.

The final stop on our tour was Providence Park, home of the Portland Timbers and the Portland Thorns, the popular professional men's and women's teams. The park is adjacent to Lincoln High School, my alma mater, where I played varsity baseball. Known as Multnomah Stadium back then, the park served as the home field for the Lincoln Cardinals.

Here, we received an extensive tour of the facility from UO SOJC public relations graduate Kacie Van Stiphout and learned about the dynamic world of professional sports teams from Collin Romer and Brian Costello, who provided insights into life as a communications professional in the wide, wide world of sports. Overall, it was a most memorable day.