Developer and former Eugene Mayor Brian Obie was honored by the Eugene Chamber of Commerce Thursday as its 2025 First Citizen. A celebration event was held at The Graduate Hotel in downtown Eugene.
“You’ve got to realize that I’ve been a future First Citizen for a long time,” he quipped, adding that he has long wondered if he ever would be given the long-running Chamber honor.
His speech included thanks to many people who shaped his career, ranging from his wife Karen Obie, other family members who were in attendance, and former Mayor Les Anderson.
Obie, 84, developed Eugene's 5th Street Market District, turning a former industrial area into a mixed-use neighborhood with hotels, restaurants, multifamily housing and retail space.
Work on the market began in 1976 with a cluster of eateries on the site of a former chicken processing plant.
Obie has taken interest in further developing downtown, devoting a large portion of his speech to strategies on how to further revitalize the area.
"There’s a nucleus of entertainment that’s happening in this community,” he said. “It is my thought that if we want to change downtown, we need to declare it as an entertainment district."
Obie also was part of founding companies in the outdoor advertising and banking industries.
He was Eugene mayor from 1985 to 1988, and also served on its City Council and Planning Commission. He was also a two-term president of the University of Oregon Foundation.
