PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Portland's office market is showing signs of stabilizing, but the city still has a lot of space.
One tech company, OpConnect, is going against that trend — opening a new facility in SE Portland and planning to add dozens of jobs, saying they're betting on Portland.
"Moving into this building marks a new chapter for OpConnect," said Dexter Turner, the company's founder and CEO.
Turner says it'll give the clean-tech company more room to build and develop EV charging technology.
OpConnect makes, repairs and services EV chargers — with customers including the city of Portland, PGE, Multnomah County and TriMet.
"This facility is going to help us scale not just our manufacturing but also our service," Dexter said.
It's welcome news after years of companies downsizing, moving out of some Portland offices, leaving the city with a lot of unused space.
However, a new report from commercial real estate firm CBRE puts office vacancy at 27% in the second quarter. That number dropped slightly from earlier this year — a sign the market may be starting to stabilize.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson says the growth could also mean more jobs — with up to 55 full-time positions expected over the next few years.
"The central eastside is really critical to our city's future, and we've been working extremely hard on bringing back livability and revitalization," he said.
The company also plans to add a solar canopy and microgrid at the facility.
Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley says investments like this could help Portland build on its clean-tech industry.
"The thing that we have to do is have this fast transition from dirty fossils to clean renewables," he said.
For a city still trying to fill empty office space, OpConnect is putting new space to work, believing Portland can help power its next stage of growth:
"There is no place in the country like Portland," Turner said.
OpConnect says it considered moving out of Portland, but support from Prosper Portland, including a $2 million loan, helped the company stay.
The company also says it prioritizes local suppliers, keeping as much of its spending as possible with Portland-area businesses.
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