Recently, I had the opportunity to travel to Portland, Oregon with the David Eccles School of Business, Transfer Scholars students. After touching down in the NorthWest City we used MAX, Portland’s public transportation system, to reach our hotel downtown.We were entertained by some of the most insane halloween costumes… on second thought, they probably weren’t in costume at all. Have you ever thought the city of Portland couldn’t get any more weird? Well believe me when I say it does, especially during the weekend leading into Halloween. We then ended our first day of Portland exploring the city’s nightlife.
The next morning, everyone awoke refreshed and well-read on the two companies we had lined up to visit that day in order to make our best impression. We walked a few blocks from our downtown hotel to reach PAE Engineers, an engineering consulting group focused on sustainable design. During our visit, we were informed of the incredible progress that was being made in sustainable design. I left feeling like it was completely possible to construct a building that was both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally sustainable.
After wrapping up our visit with the executives at PAE, we headed to Portland’s famous food trucks for a bite to eat. I had some incredible vegan food, but don’t worry, they have lots of meat options too! Our next visit took us to the waterfront where we visited Vigor, the leading shipbuilder in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. During our visit, we were provided with a tour of the shipyard before meeting with CEO, Frank Foti. The CEO, a metaphysical man, shared some incredible career advice that made for an intimate experience. We decided to end our second day on a fun note with mini golf and pizza.
Our third and final full day in Portland, took us two hours South to Eugene for the Utah vs. Oregon football game. We made it there with enough time to tailgate before cheering on our Utes! The game helped us work up an appetite, so I think we were all grateful to stop at the Original Pancake House on the way back to the hotel. We caught a flight back to Salt Lake City the next day. Thanks to the Eccles School for an awesome networking experience and a Halloween to remember. 
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