Pearl Jubilee

In 1996, the Oregon-Columbia chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) pursued the idea of a professional development conference in Portland, and invited the local chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) to help organize the event as a joint venture. Originally called the Portland Communicators Conference, the event is stronger than ever after three decades.

According to friend and colleague Tom Unger, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA, who was president of the local chapter of IABC in 1996, the conference was the brainchild of Julie Piper Finley, Vice-President of Professional Development at the time. Since then, I have attended and presented at numerous CommCons over the years. Congratulations to the Northwest CommCon on its pearl anniversary celebrating 30 years!