Member Spotlight: Katharine Reinhold, Executive Director of Built Oregon

Meet Katharine Reinhold, Executive Director of Built Oregon, a nonprofit dedicated to championing the founders and entrepreneurs behind Oregon’s consumer brands.

From food and beverage to apparel and outdoor gear, Built Oregon connects, amplifies, and accelerates the companies that define Oregon’s product culture, helping founders access mentorship, retail opportunities, educational programs, and a supportive community.

Katharine and the Built Oregon team have called CENTRL’s Portland Pearl location home for several years, and it’s easy to see why the fit has lasted.

For Katharine, the work has always been about people. “The best part of my job is being able to help founders grow their companies,” she says. It’s a philosophy that extends to how she thinks about leadership more broadly, and one she brings to everything Built Oregon does.

What inspired you to get into your line of work?
The people! They are everything. The best part of my job is being able to help founders grow their companies.

What about CENTRL works for you?
I love the staff so much. The location is also perfect, and the space itself has a really cool vibe.

Is there a book that has inspired your work?
I’m a reader, so I have a lot of books that inspire me. My favorite on leadership is Unleashed: The Unapologetic Guide to Empowering Everyone Around You by Frances Frei and Anne Morriss. The main message is that leadership, at its core, is about empowering the people around you, full stop. That means if it’s about you, it’s not about leadership. It’s a super important message, and it helps us get out of our heads and into doing the good work that needs to be done in the world.

Follow Katharine Online
builtoregon.com