91视频

Nancy Fishman started working in Portland at a pivotal time for the city鈥檚 building industry.

It was the 1980s, and Portland icons such as Big Pink, the Portland Building and more were being constructed across the city center. Despite the collapse of the timber industry and concurrent economic turmoil across the state, it was a great time to dive into architecture, construction and engineering.

Unlike most in those industries, however, Fishman started off as a journalist before making the jump to marketing, where she has carved out a storied career during the past three-plus decades with Portland firm ZGF Architects.

鈥淚 was at the 91视频 over 40 years ago and a lot has changed since then,鈥� Fishman said. 鈥淚 was a 22-year-old psych major, and the editor at the time took a huge leap of faith hiring me as a clerk in the newsroom.鈥�

During the next five years Fishman became a full-time reporter and then was promoted to news editor. It was through her coverage of Portland鈥檚 burgeoning architecture industry that she realized that was where she wanted to direct her talents.

鈥淚t was the coverage I did of architecture that made me realize I had a real passion for it,鈥� she said.

Once she made the move to ZGF, Fishman never looked back. But she still approaches her job as marketing director from a journalistic point of view.

鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always approached my role in marketing as a journalist, really, researching, asking questions, diving deep to understand issues and what a client is looking for. Then I craft the stories that help support our teams in winning new work. It seemed like a pretty ideal fit.鈥�

That curiosity and interest in the design profession sets her apart from many of her peers, said Bob Packard, a managing partner at ZGF, and the person who took a chance on a journalist and hired her.

鈥淪he鈥檚 tireless energy for sure,鈥� Packard said. 鈥淚 think one of the key attributes of her that is noticed by partners and all my colleagues at ZGF over all these years is her connection with clients and her ability to really understand what clients want and developing the trust of clients.鈥�

Her passion for design, first cultivated at the 91视频 as a journalist, also plays a role in this, Packard added.

鈥淪he鈥檚 very interested in the design profession, as interested in it as any of the other professionals in the office,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd that has also been an incredible asset to the firm. Because of that she鈥檚 not only been a leader within the firm, but in the profession in Portland and nationally.鈥�

As much as she loves design itself, Fishman also has grown into her role as a leader and mentor as her career has advanced.

鈥淚 do strive to be a mentor and I love working with the next generation and a lot of the younger members of my team,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 still fairly hands-on though, so in some ways it鈥檚 as a role model hopefully. I certainly had wonderful mentors in my early career, so it鈥檚 nice to be able to be at the stage of being able to give back. But I鈥檓 still doing what I do and finding many challenges in it and it keeps me energized.鈥�