The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Eric Gooch
I started in photography and illustration during high school, which eventually led me to work as a set designer and builder at car photography studios in Detroit and later in Los Angeles. When I first saw what was being done with computer graphics, I was immediately hooked. Read more>>
David Nelson
I decided just after covid lockdowns, and my 3rd child was born, I was ready to finally get my life straight. I had two goals, quit drinking, and lose some weight. I had been drinking since college, where I started at 330lbs. By the time I hit 40, the drinking and weight had gotten out of hand. Read more>>
ethan pap
I’m Ethan Pap, 25 years old, and the owner of Blessed Design LLC. I’m the son of Romanian immigrants, and hard work, persistence, and taking pride in what you do were values I grew up around from a young age. I got started in construction early on and eventually developed a passion for tile work because of the precision, detail, and craftsmanship involved. Read more>>
Gypsy Valentine
Mirror Moonology LLC was birthed just before the 2020 pandemic. As a psychic medium with over 20yrs of experience, most of our time was devoted helping patrons online cope with collective trauma and societal transformation. Using tarot as a guiding tool, we support individuals on their healing journey to recovery, empowerment and self-discovery. Read more>>
Tiffany & Julianne Marlow
Tiffany and Julianne Marlow built Portland City Boxing from a vision rooted in resilience, community, and transformation. Coming from difficult life circumstances and experiencing significant personal loss, they found strength and purpose through fitness, boxing, and coaching. What began as a personal outlet eventually evolved into a passion for helping others rebuild confidence, discipline, and mental toughness through training. Read more>>
Dr. Karen Gray
The Gladstone Center for Children and Families (GCCF) stands as a model of what strong, sustained community partnerships can achieve. This multi-use facility reflects deep collaboration between the Gladstone School District, as well as county and state partners, all working together to support children and families in a comprehensive, coordinated way. Read more>>
Donna Kern
Because of my passion for helping others feel confident in their own skin, my journey into the spa industry began long before Bella Nuova ever opened its doors. For more than two decades, I worked in the medical field—including emergency medicine, where I served as an EMT Paramedic at a local fire station, and later in the Emergency Room at our local hospital. Read more>>
Jennifer Heiden
My mother and her best friend started the business in 1978 (in Corvallis, Oregon) In 1991 my mother moved the shop to Sisters and I bought it when she retired. I have been working at the shop in one position or another, off and on since I was about 13 years old. Read more>>
Beven Byrnes
My journey has always been anchored by a single question: How do we build systems that actually see people? I began my career in education and nonprofit leadership because I believed that schools shouldn’t just be buildings where information is exchanged, but ecosystems that change life trajectories. Read more>>
Lauren Lebien
ClearPath Healthcare, formerly known as Hospice of Redmond, has been part of Central Oregon since 1979. A small group of community members — a surgeon, a nurse, a few neighbors who saw a need — came together to give people another option at the end of life: the option to stay home. We started entirely on volunteer power, serving six patients a month. Read more>>
Zoey Sunghera
At 14 years old, just before heading to London, England on a school trip, my dad bought me a little kit camera from Shutterbug and I never put it down after that. I quickly started a Facebook page and began photographing anyone and anything I could. I photographed my very first wedding at a little diner in a small town for $50. Read more>>
Estes Hansen
My first introduction to making art, as more than a hobby, was when I was introduced to glass art. At the time, I was eighteen years old, and I instantly fell in love with the process and the possibilities of the medium. Fast forward, and I now own and operate a glass art business in which I design and hand-blown every piece myself. Read more>>
Esther Rohr
I picked up my mom’s Kodak point and shoot when I was just a little kid. My obsession for taking photos only grew as I got older. As a young teen I would take photos at friends weddings for $150 or take candids at birthday parties. Read more>>
Brent Baker
My passion for exploration started long before Oregon Adventure Trucks existed. A lot of my early travel experience came from riding dual sport motorcycles across remote backroads and backcountry terrain throughout the United States. Those trips taught me to appreciate freedom, self-reliance, and the clarity that comes from getting far away from crowded cities and busy schedules. Read more>>
Michael Ross
In 2019, brothers Ben Ross and Mike Ross took a chance on a forgotten piece of the Rogue River. The historic Half Moon Bar Lodge had sat silent for more than twelve years — weathered by time, surrounded by wilderness, and slowly fading into memory along one of Oregon’s most scenic river corridors. Where others saw an abandoned property, Ben and Mike saw potential. Read more>>
Crystal Genes
I’ve been interested in photography since I was in grade school, studied film photography in college, and photographed my first wedding shortly after graduating college. I sort of jumped in head first after that and never looked back. Read more>>
Anastasia Corya
I moved to Portland, Oregon 1n 1987 to go to the University of Portland. I had my first child,Gabriella Corya-Pace in 1993. Wanting to have more time with my daughter, job security and command over my schedule, My partner and I decided to open the Delta Cafe 4607 SE woodstock in Portland Oregon. Read more>>
Kris Denning
I fell in love with Yoga when I was in college, which is what began my mindfulness journey. Yoga became a tool to bring me peace and help me through difficult times in my life. After becoming a mom, I began teaching Yoga, and then Pilates at Timberhill Athletic Club in Corvallis. Read more>>
Victoria Herstedt
I’m a live portrait artist and I do drawings for guests at events and weddings! I was already working on occasion as a freelance illustrator, but I met someone on BumbleBFF who was looking for a live guest artist for her wedding. Read more>>
Marilee Hanks
My journey into landscape architecture began in the vast, untamed landscapes of Northern New Mexico, where I spent my childhood exploring the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Roaming freely across thousands of acres of wilderness, I developed an early and profound respect for the natural world. Read more>>
Caitlin Prueitt
We explored different ideas and options to become business owners, starting with the idea of a distillery, and quickly thought “there’s no way we can start a distillery – that’s too far fetched”! So we tossed around ideas like a coffee shop, bakery, brewery, creamery, etc. And eventually came back around to a distillery. Read more>>
Bevin Helm
I have always been an outdoor enthusiast. I grew up in Hawaii. My parents were athletes and made sure my siblings and I were exposed to bikes, the mountains and the ocean. They encouraged us to seek what makes us happy and feel fulfilled. After marrying my husband in 2006 we lived in mountain towns with our two kids. Read more>>
Emma Vaitkus
My career has really grown out of a love for making beautiful things with care and precision. Before Farina, I spent several years in chocolate making, starting in Albuquerque, NM and continuing that work in Portland. What drew me to chocolate was the combination of beauty and rigor: it’s creative and sensory, but it also demands structure, consistency, and attention to detail. Read more>>
Jared Thayer
I grew up around construction through my dad and grandpa, who both did construction work at home. That early exposure gave me an appreciation for building, working with my hands, and solving problems. After high school, I started working for a sign construction company. Over the next several years, my path alternated between school and construction work. Read more>>
Aaron Stubbs
I’ve never been especially afraid of a big pivot, and I’ve always been pretty honest with myself when something isn’t working. Looking back, it seems I was just collecting the ingredients for this life long before I knew the recipe. I started in psychology because I’ve always been curious about people, and I’ve always loved being outdoors and working with my hands. Read more>>
Marcus Holloway
I began shooting photography fairly young. I remember my parents having disposable cameras every once in a while, and I’d occasionally shoot a roll of film, then we’d go to Walmart when we had the time to drop off the camera and wait for them to be developed. Read more>>
Sandi Serling
I grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, a girl who loved climbing trees, watching animals, and spending as much time outside as I possibly could. I was extraordinarily shy. I remember sitting on a bench outside on my first day of kindergarten, crying, terrified of the unknown, wondering if anyone would even remember to come pick me up. Read more>>
Emily Bostian
In 2024, our daughter was getting ready to start kindergarten. Friends had begun to ask me when I was going back to work. (“Back to paid work,” I would admonish them, with a smile.) The problem? I have a chronic illness called POTS, whose symptoms include blurry vision, chronic pain, and sensitivity to light, sound, smells, and temperature. Read more>>
Our Lady of Perpetual Help St Mary’s Catholic Church
Our Lady of Perpetual Help, St Mary’s Catholic Church was established in 1885 by Father Louis Metayer. Our first building was an old school house. St Mary’s Academy was built and opened just a year later. In 1906, under Fr. Arthur Lane, the parish set up a hospital, which they ran for 16 months until they turned it over to the Sisters of Mercy. Read more>>
Sarah Woods
Twenty years ago, ECO’s co-founder, Bethany Thomas, and I were working as environmental educators with another organization, visiting classrooms to teach short science lessons a few times a year. Students were excited, curious, and engaged, but there was never enough time to really dive in. Read more>>
