Thad Fisco Safety Advocacy
Thad has been tirelessly working to improve the business climate in Portland, including meeting with the Portland Police Bureau directors, and city commissioners, testifying on behalf of security and policing in our business districts, and supporting local business-minded political campaigns.
I love Portland for its restaurants, access to green spaces, and livability, and I don’t ever want to leave.
This was not my sentiment when on February 27, 2022, my business suffered the third significant robbery in 18 months. In this incident, our delivery vehicle, a gooseneck trailer, and a Kubota backhoe were stolen. Prior to this incident, our offices had been broken into multiple times, computers stolen, and the check safe looted. In our “secure lot,” twelve high-value refrigeration units were destroyed for the copper components. In 18 months we lost in excess of $200,000 in equipment, and our insurance company refused to renew, even after doubling the deductible twice and our premium once. The exterior of our shop was becoming increasingly inhospitable. My employees were wading through piles of trash and filth left by the people living around our facility. I was done.
I felt that Portland had abandoned its core values, and livability had suffered to an extent that it was beyond salvage. To me, Portland felt like it was on its way to becoming a rust belt city of the West.
I traveled to Utah, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Cleveland, Detroit, Denver, Dallas, San Francisco, Seattle, and elsewhere in search of a new home and a better business environment.
Somewhere between looking for new cities from which to run my business and dealing with insurance claims, I had an opportunity to meet a candidate who was running for Portland County Commissioner. A lawyer, a Father, and a concerned citizen with common sense and a pragmatic agenda. I donated to his campaign and began to listen and learn. In subsequent weeks the daunting prospect of moving from Portland[1] gave way to a glimmer of hope that things could get better.
I made a decision to invest back into the city that I love. I read the daily articles about our challenges. I put aside the fear of retribution and alienation, and cautiously began commenting on what I was experiencing and how the status quo was destroying Portland’s renowned livability.
To my surprise, I discovered an enormous amount of dissatisfaction just below the surface. Nearly every person I spoke with was fed up, and most were investigating ways to leave the city. All of my business partners and many of my associates already had. I had discovered a largely silent majority, fed up, but unwilling to speak up for the Portland they, at one time, loved.
What I know now is that every voice matters. I am a strong advocate for people getting directly involved – after all, if you’re not willing to be part of the solution your commentary carries no value. It’s simply complaining.
I believe the tide is turning. At the city level, things have improved markedly. The renewed push to revive livability, clean the streets, restore order, and respect laws is happening because business leaders are taking a stand and the city is listening. It’s refreshing. Progress is being made, but by no means is the work complete. Hazarding a guess, we are in the first half of inning two of a nine-inning game.
At a recent monthly NIBA meeting, I learned that our city has somewhere between 30 and 35 business organizations similar to NIBA, each of which is purely voluntary and not funded by the city. I also learned, surprisingly, that there is no known common thread or means of communication between these business groups. My current project is to network these associations into a cohesive group, which represents a powerful voter block, prepared to advocate for a more business- friendly city by including provisions in the new city charter being negotiated at city hall this year.
If you want to learn more about Portland Kettleworks & Thad’s experience as a business owner working with the City of Portland, you can reach him at: thad@portlandkettleworks.com
