O'Brien, Michael is a Green Building Specialist at Office of Sustainable Development at City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development. Colleagues describe him as "A breadth of technical knowledge and skill is a keystone for success in any field. That being said, Mike O'Brien brings far more to his work than those qualities alone. I work in government, so when I began attempting to navigate Portland city services to propose a unique method of dealing with a public right of way - I knew I would encounter some challenges. However, even with what I would consider an ''insider's'' perspective, I completely underestimated the level of difficulty and frustration I would experience.
It was only after many phone calls that I encountered Mike O'Brien. Although he was not in a department that could direclty assist me with my endevour, he was extremely helpful, appropriately sympathetic, incredibly encouraging, and took the time to provide the kind of service that makes me proud to be a fellow government employee.
He proved his capability as a bridge builder, mediator and all around pleasant individual and in so doing made his fellow city employees' jobs easier."