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.
Braeden Counts
I grew up listening to all kinds of music. My mom was always playing artists like Rascal Flatts, Reba, Garth Brooks, P!nk, Hoobastank, Three Doors Down, and Cher. My dad was more into Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Beastie Boys. Between the two of them, I got a little bit of everything growing up. Read more>>
Greg Holdsworth
I’ve always been the “art kid” who gravitated toward drawing, drafting, and anything visual. I actually started in college as an architecture major, but halfway through I realized it wasn’t the right fit. I switched over to Graphic Communication, literally the next building over, and it clicked immediately. After graduating, I landed my first advertising agency job that fall. Read more>>
Anna + Chris Hall
Jackson’s Corner has been part of Bend since 2008. It started as a neighborhood restaurant built around good food, good bread, and a place where people could gather without it feeling too precious. Over time, it became one of those places people folded into their everyday lives — coffee in the morning, breakfast with kids, lunch with friends, dinner after work, bread to take home. Read more>>
Hanna Antolik
Rise Cycle Fit Co. was founded by Sophia Sheldon, Whitney Johnson and Hanna Antolik back in 2024. But the vision for RCFC started years before that. The trio were working for a large indoor cycling franchise and were frustrated with the sales tactics and lack of genuine connection between the brand and clients. They knew they could do it better! Read more>>
Lindsay Boslar
I went to my first Jazzercise class with a best friend in 2016, and after class I was hooked! After a year of classes I decided to become an instructor. Jazzercise became my happy place and I wanted to do more of what I love. Jazzercise has helped me, especially with my Crohn’s disease. After sweatin’ it out and moving, I would always feel better. Read more>>
Joni Buyes
I got started in my photography business over 12 years ago when my husband gifted me my first DSLR camera for Mother’s Day. I wanted to take more photos of my kids but the camera itself was overwhelming with all the settings and buttons. Read more>>
Pamela Tan
My journey into bridal started in the 90s when I was shopping for my own wedding gown. At the time, the bridal experience was very different than it is today. I remember visiting bridal shops where there was little to no assistance, struggling to get into large wedding gowns and felt overwhelmed. Read more>>
Taunie Stoller
Little Sprouts Outfitters officially launched in September 2025, but the idea behind it started long before that. I’ve always loved fashion, curating outfits, and supporting small businesses. At the same time, I grew up surrounded by horses, livestock, and agriculture, and today I still work full-time in the animal health industry. Read more>>
Summer Brendlinger
I started working with clay in high school, continued on in college and have been working with clay ever since. After my undergraduate degree, I went back to school to study for my Masters in Teaching. I began teaching elementary school and my pottery became something I worked on in the early mornings to help keep balanced. Read more>>
Caitlin Rose
I started working as a dance instructor in 2013 while pursuing my bachelors degree in dance from Western Oregon University. Two years after graduating, I saw a post in a local Facebook group looking to train and hire barre instructors and the next day I was signed up Splendid Barre’s instructor training workshop! Read more>>
Aga Paschal
The story of Paschal Winery & Vineyards began in the 1980s, rooted in a vision and a few humble rows of vines. In those early days, Southern Oregon wasn’t even a blip on the global wine map. It took a true entrepreneur’s spirit and unwavering grit to see the untapped potential of this beautiful region. Read more>>
Jeff Akers
We started in 2017 after finding out that most coffees were roasted using petroleum or electric hot air. We decided to engineer and build a one of a kind wood-fired coffee roaster. Once this roaster was built our focus turned to research which revealed to us, via many published studies around the world, that using hardwoods to roast coffee produces less titrated acids. Read more>>
darren kling
I started flying hot air balloons in 1994 in NW Montana. Since that time I’ve accumulated over 3,000 hrs of commercial flight time, flown balloons around the country as well as internationally, taken up tens of thousands of passengers, established a corporate balloon program in the PNW, and have made several first ascent flights. Read more>>
Brett Tuft
We started as a food truck! My son needed more individual help at home when he was 2, I left my Executive Chef job, bought a 1937 dodge truck and transformed it into a mobile pizza kitchen(2013), wood fired oven included. Our goal was to offer a truly healthy, great tasting pizza for both adults and children. Read more>>
Jonny Braithwaite
I started out working for my dad, doing mostly inside remodeling jobs, weekend and holidays when I was 13. Finished school at 16 and started working for a local stonemason. Worked with him for several years before going to trade school to get my qualifications as a bricklayer. Read more>>
Tony Marino
Tony Marino is the founder of Aerial Northwest, a Pacific Northwest-based commercial drone, photography, and video production company specializing in real estate, construction, business marketing, and documentary-style media. With a background that spans entrepreneurship, marketing, aviation, photography, broadcasting, and media production, Tony brings a unique combination of creative and strategic experience to every project. Read more>>
Lainey Morse
My name is Lainey Morse and I’m the Founder of the Original Goat Yoga that started right here in Oregon ten years ago. My idea went viral and changed my life. I quit my corporate job and started licensing our brand out to other goat farms around the USA. Read more>>
Jashiel Espiritu
Started in Automotive Industry as a part-time job in September of 2000 until I got to my real job. I learned parts and then quickly started to learn how to help customers repair there vehicles and keep them maintained. I gravitated towards many online training programs as early has 2005 and then went in 2011 started going to in-person training seminars 5-12 times a year. Read more>>
Anne Arasin
In 2018, I quit my day job as an editor and started backpacking through Central and South America. I lived on the road for 2 years, supporting myself through freelance editing and teaching positions while volunteering for local companies that piqued my interest. Read more>>
HECTOR SANCHEZ
I started landscaping during the 2009 recession when construction work became hard to find. What started as a new job quickly became something I truly enjoyed. After working for several landscaping companies and learning the trade, I decided to start my own business. In 2014, I founded Green Bee Landscape. Read more>>
Itai Pearl
My name is Itai Pearl, and I am the founder of Comprehensive Home Solutions, a moving company based in Portland, Oregon. My entrepreneurial journey began with a desire to build something meaningful from the ground up and create opportunities for my family and the people around me. Read more>>
Crista and Jeremy Bredemeier, Wood
The Main Squeeze started with a simple love for health, fresh food, and helping people feel their best. What began as making juices for friends and family gradually grew into something bigger as more people started asking for them and sharing their own health journeys with us. Read more>>
Alina Mohr
I have loved photography since I was a kid. I remember getting my first camera when I was maybe 10 or 12 years old. It was a small film camera and I was very excited about it. Since then, I kept photographing as a hobby, and I enjoyed capturing moments and documenting experiences. For me, it was a way of saving memories. Read more>>
Carissa Morris
Another Realm Yoga Cooperative grew out of my long-standing connection to yoga and the McMinnville community. I’m Carissa Morris, and I’ve been teaching yoga in the McMinnville area for almost 20 years. Read more>>
Jill Hammel
I grew up in a creative family. My mom and dad both worked in the fashion industry. My mom is seamstress who creates incredible quilts and is exceptionally creative. My dad, brother and I all are bird photographers. My grandpa, who is 95, is a painter and is still doing so. Read more>>
Dan Linn
Dan Linn was born in Portland, Oregon, into a poor working-class family with deep roots in both Oregon history and the protest movements of the 1970s. His grandmother, Roberta Beryl Linn, nee Koopman, was born in Halfway, Oregon, after her grandparents settled there following the Oregon Trail. Read more>>
Jesse Springer
Your Story Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like. For as long as I can remember, I have always been someone who liked to draw. Read more>>
Andrew Bloom
My path to founding Profit Logic wasn’t a straight line. I originally pursued a very different career path and spent years studying nonprofit leadership, ethics, and community-building. During that time, I was faced with a significant chronic health challenge that forced me to reevaluate my plans and rebuild my life from the ground up. Read more>>
Crystal Nelson
I started my journey as a teen mom with no support when it came to breast pumping. Over the years, I had three children of my own and later became a surrogate, delivering five additional babies for other families. Throughout all of those experiences, I realized how many gaps existed in support, education, and products for pumping moms. Read more>>
Mark Burton
The very first sale 4 Seasons Estate Sales ever did was in the fall of 2022, way out in Stanfield, Oregon. Considering we were based in Salem, Oregon, it was quite the drive—and quite the gamble. The sale took place on an old farm that had been in the same family for 120 years. Read more>>
Lucy De Leon
My journey started working in the agricultural fields at a young age, where I learned the value of hard work, community, and food. Today, I share authentic Mexican flavors through my restaurants and food production business, serving schools, local markets, and beyond. I’m passionate about creating opportunities, building connections and inspiring other women, especially Latinas, to grow and pursue their dreams. Read more>>
Becka Bonner
Becka Makes Buttons was born out of a lifelong love of creativity, community, and helping people bring their ideas to life in a tangible way. What started as making custom buttons grew into something much bigger, a creative business centered around connection, self-expression, and accessibility. Read more>>
Genevieve Ma’yet
My journey to where I am today is a story woven together by a lifelong love for the natural world, a passion for education, and a creative awakening that grew out of a time of global isolation. By trade and training, I am a scientist and educator. Readmore>>
Camille Bangerter
My story began in 2022, when my daughter was born. I was just one month away from the end of my maternity leave, and I couldn’t imagine being away from her. That’s when the “crazy” thoughts started creeping in — thoughts about quitting my job so I could stay home with her full time. Readmore>>
