Commitment to Sustainability

When the building was renovated by the Leftbank Project in 2009 they made sure to take sustainability into consideration with each decision. The team preserved as much of the original building as possible, while still creating a functional and beautiful event space. The overall design and color palette was derived from materials already found within the building; a perfect mix of brick, steel, concrete, glass, and wood to transform a historic building into an urban, industrial event venue. 

During your tour, you will notice a lot of the original features and structures. Here are a few fun ones to keep an eye out for: 

• The Nest was once a combined office and apartment space when owned by entrepreneur Dean Child. Near the ceiling, you will see smoke marks on the brick from his wood-burning stove. (This use is why there are also stairs that lead to nowhere!)

• Running along the top of the Greatroom ceiling is a steel beam with a large hook at the end. This was used to move items of all sorts outside throughout much of the building’s history.

• In the Clubroom you will see a beautiful teal color in random-like patterns on the floor and walls. This is actually leftover paint from its use as a painting school! 

• Salvaged from the initial interior, Douglas fir wood can be found via floorboards, cabinets, trim, and stair treads.

Additions to the building include eco-harvested Southern Oregon trees used for Madrone flooring, non-toxic finishes for most surfaces, concrete counters crafted on-site by a local artisan, dimmable fluorescent lights, and upgraded bathroom features (high-efficiency toilets, automated lights and faucets, and jet towel dryers). 

For the 10 years the Leftbank Project ran the venue, they always took the environment and local sustainability into account. One of the ways they did this was by creating an exclusive list of caterers, each of whom was vetted to ensure that their business and sustainability practices aligned with the venues. As of January 2020, Elephants Delicatessen also has the honor of being the new parent company for Leftbank Annex in addition to being one of the exclusive caterers.

As a certified B Corporation, Elephants Delicatessen is committed to environmental stewardship through waste, resource, and emissions reductions, and helps alleviate food insecurity in the greater Portland area company-wide.

Here are a few fun facts about what we do as a B-Corp (and learn more here)!

• The B-Corp Impact Assessment asks questions about how day-to-day operations create a positive impact for workers, the community, and the environment. In 2019, Elephants’ score was 96 with the industry average being 55!

• Being family-owned and operated, our first commitment is to our employees, customers, and community. We partner with many organizations to donate food and support local non-profits by participating in fundraising efforts.

• At our facilities and onsite at events, we are sure to recycle, compost, and carefully sort all of our waste. This goes for food scraps, common recyclables (paper, glass, etc), and non-standard items needing special disposal (batteries, oil, bubble wrap, and more).

• As a woman-owned company, we are proud to say 57% of our senior managers and 50% of our executive team are also women! 30% of our executive team are people of color as well as 37% of our employees company-wide.

• By increasing renewable energy use, purchasing energy-efficient equipment, supporting the renewable wind power movement, and more we reduced/offset our carbon footprint by 25% in 2019!

Artemis Foods

Artemis Foods has been providing local, organic, and sustainable meals to the Portland area for over 20 years. Their commitment to the environment doesn’t stop with their menu selections, but also expands into the decisions they make for their everyday business needs — electricity, marketing materials, transportation, and more!

We are proud to say that Artemis Foods is one of 9 exclusive caterers at Leftbank Annex. Here are some fun facts about Artemis, from owner Lauren Carr!

• What lead you to open a catering company? I had been cooking professionally in restaurants in my early 20’s then opened a small catering business Lauren Carr Catering, which eventually led me to buy Artemis Foods 4 years ago.

• What type of events do you cater? Weddings, corporate meetings and functions, fundraisers, private events in homes, wine dinners, and more! There are not a lot of events we won’t try to accommodate.

• Is there a certain type of service or cuisine you specialize in? We specialize in local, organic, sustainable NW cuisine. Cooking within the seasons and partnering with local farms and purveyors to highlight the bounty of the NW.

• What sets you apart from other caterers in the area? We are a full-service catering company that helps our clients make the vision for their events come to life. Our event planners assist with arranging rentals, staffing, bar services and décor. We pride ourselves on giving clients attention to every detail to make their event unique and successful.

• What is your favorite thing about the event industry? We are in the business of making people happy with food and events, which is very rewarding and never the same day-to-day.

• Fun fact about you and/or your company: We have a tradition of celebrating the birthdays of our kitchen and office staff with a fun lunch in our catering kitchen, either cooked by the Chef or from a favorite restaurant, complete with dessert and singing happy birthday!

Featured Vendors - Venue: Leftbank Annex | Planning & Design: Under the Veil | Photographer: Sierra Storm Photography | Floral: Lush Floral Design | Food & Beverage: Artemis Foods | Rentals: West Coast Event Productions | Flatware: The Party Place