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  1. Portside

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month – and the Power of Diversity

October 05, 2023
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With Hispanic Heritage Month underway, you’ll see Port employees celebrating by attending lunch and learns in the office and out in the community at Bella Noche or El Grito events. Read on to learn more about the significance of Hispanic Heritage Month from Mina Mora-González, who leads the Port’s Latinx + Friends employee resource group (ERG) and – as the Port’s HQ receptionist – will be familiar to anyone who’s visited our front desk.

As a Mexican-born woman who was brought from Mexico as an infant and struggled to assimilate in a predominantly white community, my journey toward embracing my culture and identity has been a transformative one. I credit my parents for instilling in me the language and traditions of our heritage, which laid a strong foundation. However, it wasn't until adulthood and becoming a mother that I truly understood the importance of passing down this rich cultural legacy to my children.

As a history enthusiast, I have witnessed how our diverse cultures have intersected and supported each other throughout history. This realization fueled my desire to educate others and create a stronger, more inclusive future. To achieve these goals, [the Port’s Latinx and Friends Employee Resource Group] recognized that bringing in exceptional local speakers while enjoying delicious food would be an effective way to engage and educate our community [during Hispanic Heritage Month].

Ernesto Fonseca, Chief Executive Officer of Hacienda Community Development Corporation, joins Port employees on the HQ patio

Yessenia Carlos, Port Talent Acquisition Specialist, preparing elotes (grilled Mexican street corn) bought from a local farmer
John Cárdenas, Port Contracting Manager and
Ernesto Fonseca
Elotes are typically served with a variety of toppings
Ernesto Fonseca shared his story with Port employees

Why is it important to you personally to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month?
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month holds personal significance for me as it allows me to honor the sacrifices and contributions of those who came before me. It's a time to recognize and celebrate the rich tapestry of Hispanic cultures, which have shaped our communities in countless ways. By celebrating together, we can foster understanding, appreciation, and pride in our heritage. It's about preserving our traditions, amplifying our voices, and ensuring that future generations grow up with a sense of belonging and cultural pride.

Why is it important that we celebrate this at the Port, with our Port colleagues?
The Port is a microcosm of our diverse society, and celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month within our Port community is an opportunity to foster inclusivity and strengthen our connections. By recognizing and celebrating the cultural contributions of our colleagues, we create an environment where everyone feels valued and respected. We can break down barriers, bridge cultural gaps, and cultivate a sense of unity and appreciation for the rich diversity within our workforce. Together, we can build a stronger and more inclusive Port community.

What was the Latinx and Friends vision for this year's Hispanic Heritage Month?
The vision of Latinx and Friends for this year's Hispanic Heritage Month was to educate, inspire, and create dialogue. Our goal was to showcase the interconnectedness of our cultures, emphasizing how we have helped each other through history's challenges. We aimed to provide enlightening experiences by inviting exceptional local speakers who could share their unique perspectives and expertise. Through these educational initiatives, we aspired to foster a greater understanding and appreciation for the contributions of Hispanic communities.

"Let's celebrate the power of diversity, embrace our shared heritage, and continue to create a supportive and united community within the Port."

 

- Mina Mora-González

What do you want our colleagues and our partners to take away from this year's Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations?
From this year's Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, I hope our colleagues and partners gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the richness and diversity of Hispanic cultures. I want them to recognize the resilience, creativity, and contributions of our communities throughout history. By learning from each other's experiences, we can build bridges of understanding and work towards a more inclusive and equitable future.

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Timeline

A new purpose for Terminal 2

2017-2019 aerial of terminal 2

With an abundance of breakbulk cargo terminals along the lower Columbia River between the ocean and Portland, the Port began to consider whether Terminal 2, located on the Willamette River, should continue serving as a marine terminal. Multiple studies confirmed it: T2 was no longer needed for breakbulk cargo.

Instead, the terminal would provide the greatest economic benefit – meaning it creates quality jobs for the people who live and work in our region, and opportunities for rural and urban businesses – if redeveloped as an industrial park or manufacturing hub, especially given the short supply of industrial land in the Portland area.

Finding possibility in mass timber

2020

Wildfires devastated rural Oregon, wiping out thousands of homes and increasing the region’s urgent need for more affordable housing – and sparked new collaboration between state and Port employees, who create an informal network to provide housing for fire victims.

Meanwhile, at PDX, we were bringing together partners from across the region to construct a new airport roof made of mass timber. Designed and built in the Pacific Northwest, with materials supplied by 40 Oregon and Washington landowners, mills and fabricators, the new 9-acre airport roof changed the region’s idea of what’s possible. Some of the wood was even harvested to reduce the impact of wildfires.

The PDX roof was just the beginning.

Create a coalition to do something big

2021 Oregon Mass Timber Coalition logo

The next step was to formalize partnerships that had started taking root, leading to the formation of the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition. Our goal was – and is – to create a regional hub for innovation and mass timber industry growth through sustainable design, manufacturing and housing construction.

Coalition members include the Port of Portland, Oregon Department of Forestry, Business Oregon, Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and TallWood Design Institute.

EDA funding kick-starts plans for a mass timber modular factory

2021 Still rendering of T2 Mass Timber site concept

Another EDA grant enabled the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition to launch a comprehensive strategy for expanding the mass timber housing market.

Funding targeted coalition projects across the state, from fire and acoustical testing of mass timber products for use in multifamily housing, to wildfire reduction and sustainable, traceable wood harvesting in regional forests, to developing the workforce training needed for new jobs in an emerging industry. It also provided funding for the Port to begin site preparation at Terminal 2.

Transforming a longtime marine terminal this way requires a lot of planning, investment and infrastructure work before construction of new buildings can begin. We started identifying partners to help build and operate a new mass timber and housing manufacturing factory, and working with Mackenzie, a local firm, on high-level master plans to guide ongoing development.

Demonstrating mass timber’s promise for housing

2023 interior example of fully furnished mass timber home

One of our early partners was Hacienda Community Development Corporation, a local nonprofit that built six prototype homes from mass timber at T2. The Mass Casitas pilot project, funded in part by $5 million from the 2023 Oregon Legislature, not only provided homes for families in Madras, Talent, Otis and Portland. It demonstrated that mass timber modular construction can provide a quicker, more efficient and cost-effective way to build housing.

Around the same time, the Port also began leasing space to modomi, a Portland-based company specializing in sustainable modular housing, and modomi began renovating an old warehouse into a modular housing manufacturing facility.

Campus plans take shape

2024 Rendering of UO acoustics lab: modern timber building

Two years of plans started to become reality with multiple anchor tenants announced for the campus.

The Port approved leases with the University of Oregon for a new mass timber acoustics laboratory, along with Zaugg Timber Solutions, which took over the warehouse renovated by modomi to create a temporary mass timber manufacturing facility. With plans for a permanent mass timber modular factory at T2 as well, Zaugg began efforts to build an interim modular manufacturing facility and recruit for its training program in Switzerland.

Throughout all this excitement, we continued working out costs and plans for making sure soil is stable for future construction at the campus, and securing additional federal funding for developing critical infrastructure.

What’s next

2025-2028 man in hardhat and harness working on timber building

When complete, the 39-acre Mass Timber and Housing Innovation Campus at T2 will include manufacturing, research and development, skills training, and incubator space for small and emerging businesses.

In 2025-26, we’ll work on soil stabilization and critical campus-wide infrastructure improvements. We’ll also work with University of Oregon as they undergo design and permitting for their new acoustics lab – expected to begin construction in 2026 and open in 2027 – and finalize plans with Zaugg for a new, permanent mass timber modular factory to open in early 2028. Zaugg will begin producing mass timber modular housing units, industrial and commercial buildings, and prefabricated mass timber building components even sooner, as early as 2026, in their interim facility.

And we’ll continue collaborating with partners to make sure workers are prepared for the new, high-quality jobs in the emerging mass timber industry.

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