The Oregon Business Institute (OBI) and the Oregon Executive MBA program (OEMBA) officially opened in downtown Portland at 200 Market Street on Feb. 16.

The new facility provides expanded executive education offerings and services to benefit Portland’s business community, alumni, the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business, and the region’s economy.

Formerly located in Beaverton, the OEMBA program is now the cornerstone of the OBI, the new umbrella organization founded by the three partners that have successfully operated the OEMBA for 21 years—the business schools at the University of Oregon, Oregon State University and Portland State University. Its goal is to better serve the Portland business community.

The OEMBA program offers an 18-month Executive MBA degree program that allows senior managers to complete an advanced degree without interrupting their careers. The degree is granted by the Lundquist College of Business.

In addition to the OEMBA, the OBI is offering several short courses in response to a surge in demand among professionals for advanced executive education. Through its short courses, OBI gives business professionals, as well as alumni from the three business schools, a chance to stay abreast of the latest developments and research affecting all aspects of business. Current OBI short courses cover marketing strategy, human resources, basic accounting, and taxation. Additional courses are also in the works. Ultimately, the institute hopes to offer more services to further link Portland businesses with support from the state’s business schools.

OEMBA students began taking classes in the new building in late February. The building features an executive case room built on the Harvard model, another classroom providing flexible configurations for different needs, and a conference room, all with state-of-the-art multimedia equipment and technology.

“The facility provides a great learning environment that is enabling us to expand our program,” said Julianna Sowash, executive director of the OEMBA program. “The new downtown Portland location and the building’s amenities enable us to draw students from a broader base of companies.”

Russell Development, Inc., the owner of the 200 Market Street building, completed nearly $1 million in improvements to provide the classrooms and other spaces to OBI. Portland developer John Russell, president of Russell Development, feels that by funding the improvements he has made an investment in Oregon’s economy.