Portland Business Journal

What Portland Business Journal does

Portland Business Journal (PBJ) is a regional business news publication founded in 1985 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It is one of more than 40 sister publications under the American City Business Journals (ACBJ) umbrella, the largest publisher of local business news in the United States. PBJ covers the Portland metro area and Oregon and Southwest Washington business community across vertical beats including technology, commercial real estate, banking, residential real estate, health care, and sports business, with a dedicated innovation sub-brand (Portland Inno).

The company's product portfolio spans a weekly Digital Edition and news subscriptions (digital-only monthly and combined print/digital annual tiers, with pricing not publicly disclosed), the Book of Lists and Book of Lists Unlimited ranked data products, a Public Records Database drawing on local courthouse and government filings, daily and weekly email newsletters, a People on the Move executive announcements platform, and a recurring events and awards program (Oregon Competitiveness Summit, Manufacturing Summit, Best Places to Work, 40 Under 40, Women of Influence, Executives of the Year). Underlying technology is the ACBJ digital publishing platform, with Ethyca-powered consent management for privacy compliance across multiple U.S. state regimes.

PBJ operates a sales-led go-to-market across five revenue streams: digital and print subscription revenue (recurring), display and targeted advertising (sold to local businesses), events and sponsorships (ticketed and sponsored), Book of Lists and public records data products (subscription and per-product), and newsletter sponsorships. The customer base consists of business executives, decision-makers, and professionals in the Portland metro seeking local business intelligence, alongside local businesses and advertisers targeting that executive audience. PBJ is privately held as part of ACBJ, a conglomerate parent, with 38 employees and no public stock listing.

Name

Portland Business Journal

Legal name

Portland Business Journal (American City Business Journals)

Website

https://portlandbusinessjournal.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Business News & Data Publications

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120), Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Financial & Trade News Publishers (MPAJADAC)

Keywords

• Regional business news
• Local journalism
• Business data products
• Business events
• Executive awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Digital and Print Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from digital and print editions of the Portland Business Journal, including subscriber-only content access.
2. Display and Targeted Advertising: Display advertising, sponsored content, and targeted digital advertising sold to businesses targeting the Portland business audience.
3. Events and Sponsorships: Revenue from sponsored and ticketed events including the Oregon Competitiveness Summit, Manufacturing Summit & Awards, Best Places to Work, 40 Under 40, Women of Influence, and Executives of the Year.
4. Book of Lists and Data Products: Sale of ranked business lists (Book of Lists, Book of Lists Unlimited) providing data on top companies in the Portland metro area. Also includes public records and legal filings available to paid members.
5. Newsletter Sponsorships: Sponsored placement and branding within email newsletter products distributed to the subscriber base.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Portland Business Journal delivers local business news, ranked company data, and live events for the Portland metro area and Oregon & Southwest Washington. The core products are the weekly Digital Edition, digital and print News Subscriptions, the Book of Lists data products, a Public Records Database, email newsletters, and signature events and awards programs serving business executives and advertisers.

Product overview

Portland Business Journal is a business news publication offering a unified platform of news, data, and events products. The core offering centers on its Digital Edition (weekly publication) and News Subscriptions delivering local business coverage. The data portfolio includes the Book of Lists (annual rankings) and Book of Lists Unlimited (premium database with week-over-week updates), plus a Public Records Database covering court filings and government records. The events program includes award ceremonies such as Manufacturing Summit, Best Places to Work, 40 Under 40, and Women of Influence. Additional offerings include email newsletters and the People on the Move executive announcements platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Portland Inno: Innovation and startup-focused coverage section of Portland Business Journal
• 40 Under 40
• Best Places to Work
• Women of Influence

Products and services

• Digital Edition Online digital version of the weekly Portland Business Journal publication featuring local business news, analysis, and industry coverage for the Portland metro area.
• News Subscriptions Subscriber-only access to PBJ business news coverage across news, technology, banking, commercial real estate, residential real estate, and Portland Inno innovation verticals, available via digital and combined print and digital subscription tiers.
• Book of Lists Annual business rankings and directories listing top companies, executives, and organizations in the Portland metro area across industries including banking, commercial real estate, and professional services.
• Book of Lists Unlimited Premium digital subscription providing unlimited access to all List data with updated contact information and week-over-week updates for targeted business intelligence.
• Public Records Database Paid access to public records including real estate transactions, new business filings, bankruptcies, building permits, and legal judgments collected from local courthouses and government offices.
• Email Newsletters Daily and weekly email newsletters delivering curated business news summaries, People on the Move, and industry updates directly to subscribers.
• Events and Awards Programs Annual award ceremonies and networking events celebrating regional business achievements including manufacturing excellence, workplace culture, emerging leaders, and executive leadership.
• People on the Move Platform for announcing executive hires, promotions, and leadership changes within the Portland business community.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 1803 FundminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Portland Sneaker Week has partnered with the 1803 Fund as a new collaborator for 2026 events. The 1803 Fund joins Sneaker Week to bring three days of sneaker-themed workshops, parties, and other events to the city. PBJ covers this partnership as part of its sports business and local events coverage.
• Oregon Business & Industry (OBI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Portland Business Journal partners with Oregon Business & Industry (OBI) to co-host the 2026 Oregon Competitiveness Summit & Gubernatorial Candidate Forum. The event serves as a business roundtable addressing major economic and competitiveness issues facing the Oregon business community, with OBI bringing its industry advocacy expertise alongside PBJ's media reach.
• Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC)minorOthersThe Portland Business Journal uses commercial and industrial lending data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) to compile its Fastest-Growing Commercial & Industrial Lending Banks rankings for Oregon and Southwest Washington.
• National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)minorOthersThe Portland Business Journal uses commercial lending data from the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to compile its Fastest-Growing Commercial Lending Credit Unions rankings for Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Puget Sound Business Journal: Direct sister publication under ACBJ covering the Seattle/Puget Sound region with identical business journal model — local business news, Book of Lists, events, and awards programs serving executive audiences.
• Denver Business Journal: Direct ACBJ sister publication covering the Denver metro with the same business journal format, Book of Lists rankings, awards (40 Under 40, Best Places to Work), and digital/print subscription model.
• San Francisco Business Times: Direct ACBJ sister publication covering the San Francisco Bay Area with the same weekly business journal, Book of Lists, events, and subscription model targeting local business executives.

Broad incumbents

• The Oregonian: Long-standing Portland/Oregon general-interest news outlet that also covers regional business news, overlapping with PBJ's core audience and advertiser base in the Portland market.
• Inc. Magazine: National business magazine focused on entrepreneurs and growing companies, overlapping with PBJ's business-owner readership and providing a model for editorial-to-event content monetization.
• Axios (Axios Pro): National business and politics news brand with local Axios editions and paid business intelligence newsletters (Axios Pro), overlapping with PBJ's paid newsletter and subscription offerings targeting executives.
• Bloomberg News: Major global business news outlet whose subscription product and data terminals overlap with PBJ's executive subscription audience, though serving a national/international rather than local market.

Emerging players

• GeekWire: Seattle-based digital tech news outlet covering Pacific Northwest business, technology, and startups — partial overlap with PBJ's technology vertical and Portland Inno coverage of regional innovation.

Regional players

• Willamette Week: Portland-based alternative weekly covering local news and business, including business coverage and events that compete for some of PBJ's advertising and reader attention in the same Portland metro.
• Portland Monthly: Portland regional magazine covering city lifestyle, business, and culture; competes for local advertisers and reader attention with overlapping Portland-area audience but with broader consumer lifestyle focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PDXBizJournal
• Facebookfacebook.com/PortlandBizJournal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/portland-business-journal
• Instagraminstagram.com/portlandbusinessjournal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Portland Business Journal