Sport Oregon CEO Jim Etzel Named One of Portland’s Executives of the Year

Sport Oregon Chief Executive Officer Jim Etzel has been named one of Portland’s Executives of the Year by the Portland Business Journal. The award-winning executives were recognized at a luncheon at the Sentinel hotel in downtown Portland on April 18.

Etzel was named the chief executive officer of Sport Oregon on January 1, 2018. During his tenure, Sport Oregon has attracted many significant events to the state, including the 2030 NCAA Women’s Final Four and Ironman 70.3 Oregon. The organization also played a support role for events including World Athletics Championships Oregon 22. Etzel and Sport Oregon have also played a critical role in the revitalization of the Portland International Raceway, the only track in the world to host three major circuit races, including the NASCAR Xfinity Series, INDYCAR and Formula E.

“In addition to locking in major wins over the last year – including securing the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2030 – Jim has spent his first years as CEO of Sport Oregon raising and meeting the expectations of what an expanded sports commission could do for the Portland and Oregon markets,” said Megan Conway, chief strategy officer for Travel Portland. “Jim’s passion, commitment, creativity and collaborative spirit are critical to Portland’s success and the economic engine that is sports in this region.”

In 2022, Sport Oregon launched the SHE FLIES initiative with a mission of keeping girls in the game, empowering women’s coaches and promoting fitness for life. The initiative increased its Community Grant program in 2023 by awarding $125,000 in grants to eight deserving organizations, thanks largely to the generous support of Alaska Airlines.

In addition to a rebrand of the organization and the development of new offices near Providence Park, Sport Oregon has doubled the size of its board of directors, tripled the size of its staff and developed the organization’s first fundraising programs. Sport Oregon was honored by Travel Portland as the recipient of the prestigious 2022 Portland Award, which recognizes the greatest overall contribution to Portland’s visitor industry. It will also host next week’s Sports ETA annual symposium.

The Portland Business Journal honored eight categories of executives. Categories include dramatic revenue growth, global expansion, key strategic direction shifts, transformative acquisitions, major strategic fundraising rounds setting the company up for future growth, or other events leading to the transformation and outperformance of the organization.