Best Practices Trips

As the regional convening organization and primary organization responsible for the region's economic development strategy, Greater Portland Inc offers best practices trips each year. Our hands-on approach includes learning best practices of cities across the U.S. and the world, and then presenting lessons learned for application to the local economy.

For more than 30 years, these trips have united public-sector officials, private-sector business executives and higher education leaders to collaboratively accomplish three key categories of work:

• Research and strategic regional planning
• Project management of major economic advancement initiatives
• Best practices education and networking for local government economic developers

Visits to other cities worldwide have proven to be incredibly enlightening, offering valuable lessons about the successes, failures, and obstacles overcome by other major cities addressing public policy challenges. Through these visits, we have explored business attraction and retention, land use, transportation, public transit, growth limitations, immigration, and the unique culture and challenges of each one of these communities.

Our trips have included visits to Nashville, Brooklyn, Japan, Toronto, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Charlotte, Boston, Washington DC, New York City, Philadelphia, Vancouver BC, multiple Scandinavian cities, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, Madrid and Barcelona, Spain, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Israel, Austin and Houston.

GPI Board Director Randy Miller leads the annual best practices trips and encourages all with an interest in making Greater Portland a better place to attend. Past attendees include public officials, both elected and support managers, business leaders, non-profit leaders, and education professionals. All are welcome, and Greater Portland champions are encouraged to attend.

Upcoming Best Practices Trips:

Fall 2023 - Milwaukee
 

Spring 2024 - South Korea

For participation availability or more information: 

Randy Miller
Chairman, GPI Best Practices
Randy@ProduceRowLLC.com