Program date: June 6, 2025
Air date: June 9, 2025
From the City Club of Eugene:
The Prefontaine Classic is more than just a track meet, though it’s one of the best in the world. Like other sports events in Eugene, the Classic is an economic driver, bringing tourists and their dollars into Lane County. The nature and extent of the contribution of this race is surprising. It stands out among track and field, and indeed all sporting events in Lane County.
How important are travel and tourism to Lane County’s economy in general? What might the future hold? In this program, two professionals who pay close attention to economic development will describe how tourism contributes to the local community now and hear their predictions about the effects of tourism from the coast to the Cascades in the next 10 years.
In this episode of City Club of Eugene, get the facts and figures and learn what is on the horizon.
Speakers:
J.B. Carney is the Senior Director, Sports, and the Interim Director, Conventions, at Eugene, Cascades and Coast, where he collaborates with event operators and local partners to attract and host events of all sizes in Lane County. He works closely with organizations like TrackTown USA, the Eugene Marathon, and the University of Oregon. With 20 years in the hospitality industry, J.B. has held leadership roles in sales and operations and has spent the past decade contributing to the Eugene community. He served eight years on the Travel Lane County Board, including two as Chair, and volunteers regularly at community events. He co-facilitates the Welcome to TrackTown project and serves as Co-chair of the Sports Events and Tourism Association College Events Community. Outside of work, J.B. embraces the outdoor lifestyle of Lane County—running, hiking, skiing, and paddleboarding.
Matt Sayre is the Executive Director of Collaborative EDO, a regional economic development nonprofit serving all of Lane County. A native of Springfield and a University of Oregon graduate, Matt brings more than two decades of experience bridging innovation, infrastructure, and impact. His career spans work at Nike, ESPN, and the Technology Association of Oregon, where he helped secure designations like “Mozilla Gigabit City” and “Top 10 Up-and-Coming Tech City.” Through Collaborative EDO, he supports industry-sector strategies that grow jobs and attract employers, including Uber, Southwest Airlines, and SentinelOne. Recognized by the City of Eugene, Lane Council of Governments, and Oregon’s congressional delegation for his community leadership, Matt brings a data-informed, people-first lens to economic development—especially when it comes to the transformative potential of sports in shaping Eugene’s identity and economy.
About the City Club of Eugene:
The mission of the City Club of Eugene is to build community vision through open inquiry. The Club explores a wide range of significant local, state, and national issues and helps to formulate new approaches and solutions to problems. Membership is open to all, and Club members have a direct influence on public policy by discussing issues of concern with elected officials and other policy makers. The City Club’s mailing address is PO Box 12084, Eugene, OR 97440, and its website is cityclubofeugene.org.
Video and Broadcast
This program will be live streamed, and the videotape will be made available on the City Club of Eugene’s Facebook page and You Tube Channel, in addition to our website. It will be broadcast on Monday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m., on KLCC 89.7 FM.
Contact: For more information, visit CityClubOfEugene.org.