Mayer/Reed, Author at Mayer Reed

Celebrate the New St. Helens Riverwalk

You’re invited! Join us for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, June 26 to celebrate the completion of Phase 1 of the St. Helens Waterfront Redevelopment Project — encompassing a riverwalk and street extensions into the new waterfront district.

Mayer/Reed’s riverwalk design revitalizes the former industrial site. The first phase improves public access to the Columbia River and creates places to gather and play.

Photo courtesy of the City of St. Helens

Festivities begin at 4:30 p.m. at Columbia View Circle (Strand & Cowlitz Streets) with a ribbon cutting and remarks from city leaders. After the ceremony, explore the new stretch of ADA-accessible riverwalk as you head over to the revamped Columbia View Park for live music, food and craft vendors, games and a beer garden. The celebration continues every Thursday this summer with a weekly concert series, 13 Nights on the River.

Mayer/Reed Gallery Artist Profile: Sabrina Obeso

Our in-studio gallery recently exhibited the works of Mayer/Reed visual communications designer, Sabrina Obeso. The eight monochrome portraits represent her artistic journey into realism and the study of light, shadow, contrast and precision. Her subjects range from cultural icons to horror monsters, each selected for their expressive features.

Trained in fine art, Sabrina is obsessed with details and gravitates toward the challenges of realistic portraiture, a genre she describes as “one of the hardest things to get right, as there’s no room for error.” Working in pencil, charcoal, graphite and ink, she layers media to heighten contrast. Her devotion to working in black and white allows her to isolate and emphasize tonal depth without the distraction of color.

A process of spontaneity and reflection shapes each portrait. Sabrina doesn’t keep a sketchbook or follow a set routine. Inspiration hits when it hits. She begins pieces in bursts of inspiration, allowing the initial form to emerge quickly. Then she steps away, sometimes for days, before returning with fresh eyes. “When I come back to it, I immediately know what it needs and I focus in on the detail.”

Spring Openings

This spring, Mayer/Reed celebrated a series of major milestones as several transformative public spaces and civic projects officially opened their doors.

Excited officials and community members gathered on April 26 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the brand-new Lake Oswego Recreation & Aquatics Center. The state-of-the-art facility, designed by Scott Edwards Architecture, features landscape architecture by Mayer/Reed that prioritizes environmental resilience and accessibility.

On May 19, the new Clackamas County Courthouse in Oregon City opened to the public. Designed and funded by Fengate-led Clackamas Progress Partners, the new courthouse on the Red Soils Campus replaces the outdated and seismically vulnerable 1936 building. Mayer/Reed designed signage and wayfinding that puts clarity and legibility first, with high contrast text, icon usage and strategic sign placement to encourage a smooth visitor experience.

The front entrance of the new Clackamas County Courthouse with signage designed by Mayer/Reed

The University of Oregon (UO) welcomed students to its Portland Campus Center on May 29. Environmental graphics and wayfinding at newly renovated space by Opsis elevate the vibrant academic hub and celebrate UO school pride.

The interior lobby of the UO Portland Campus Center features yellow wall graphics represesnting an aerial map of Portland. A large "O" for the University of Oregon mounted above the stairwell.

And later this month, Metro’s Operations & Maintenance Campus at Blue Lake Regional Park wraps up FFA-led improvements with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 14. Mayer/Reed’s site design for the 2.3-acre campus includes ecological restoration of the existing park and outdoor spaces for staff to gather and relax. The site is designed to achieve the International Living Building Challenge’s Core Green Building Certification.

We’re proud to help shape these places that serve, inspire and strengthen our communities.

Mayer/Reed is DBE Certified in OR, WA

In addition to being a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE), Mayer/Reed, Inc., is now certified as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the Oregon Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity (COBID) and the Washington State Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises (OMWBE).