Portland Business Journal honors Ryan Webb in its 2025 ‘40 under 40’

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

The Portland Business Journal is honoring Tribal Engineering & Community Development Department Manager Ryan Webb in its 2025 “40 under 40” list of influential professionals.

Every year, the journal accepts nominations for “40 rising stars in the local business world who have distinguished themselves in their companies, their communities and their industries — all before their 40^th birthday.”

Webb said he nearly missed the announcement. “I was honestly going to send the email to IS Helpdesk, as I thought it was a spam email,” he said in an email.

Unknown to Webb, his team had worked with his supervisor, Tribal Council Chief of Staff Stacia Hernandez, to submit an application.

“We congratulate Ryan on his award and recognition as one of the Portland areas up-and-coming leaders and raise our hands to those that selected him,” Hernandez said in an email on behalf of the Tribe. “Ryan has been a tremendous asset to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and we are fortunate to have someone as talented as him as a member of our valuable team and Tribal family. Over the years, he has helped lead the way on a number of projects that are important to our community, including the Cheryle A. Kennedy Public Health Building, Elders phase III housing project, homeownership, and the child development center. We look forward to continuing our work with Ryan for years to come as we carry out our vision to create a healthy and sustainable future for our members; and we applaud Ryan on his work and award.”

Webb, 39, is married to Tribal member Ashlee Webb. They have three children; Violet, Amelia and Andrew. Originally from Gloucester, in the United Kingdom, Webb met Ashlee at Oregon State University, where he was an exchange student. They later married and moved to the United States, where he worked for the city of Portland for nearly 10 years as a civil engineer. He was hired by the Tribe in 2020.

“I am truly honored,” Webb said.

He will be speaking at the award ceremony on Thursday, July 17 in Portland. Tickets may be purchased online at www.bizjournals.com/portland/40-under-40.