Every day we have a choice. We can support an up and coming podcaster, try a new family-run restaurant, join a boutique gym started by a local fitness champ or we could keep giving away our money to the handful of giants who already control so much of our commerce. Our daily decisions impact the kind world we live in; if we want a world where small businesses are growing and artists and creatives are thriving then we should support them with our time, money and attention. We’re proud to highlight inspiring creatives and entrepreneurs each week in Hidden Gems series. Check out some of our latest local gem features below.
Chris Tokatly
Our company, Portal Adventures, started in 2017. Myself and my two brothers, Anthony and Benjamin have always been close and wanted to work together since we were kids. We have always been drawn to the entertainment industry as we spent lots of the rainy days in Oregon playing video games and watching movies together. Read more>>
Anna Long-Stokes
I’ve always been drawn to two things: people and the deeper, energetic layers of their stories. I chose social work and counseling as my professional path, and for years I quietly cultivated the intuitive and energetic side of myself as a personal practice. Eventually, those two worlds stopped feeling separate. Read more>>
Gary Boyer, NMLS# 57785
Since a little before the millennium, I have been helping people navigate the world of home financing, and it all happened by accident. Once upon a time, when I had hair on my head, I envisioned a career in human resources. However, fate had a different plan for me where a chance meeting at a Portland Trailblazer’s basketball game changed my life. Read more>>
May Han
I was 21 when I moved from China to the United States. I came with a genuine curiosity about people—why we connect the way we do, why relationships can be so hard, and what it takes to really understand another person. Growing up, my parents separated when I was young, and I think that experience quietly shaped my interest in relationships. Read more>>
Dani Iosefo
Here’s a first-person version that weaves everything together and reads like you’re actually talking to the interviewer: My path to fitness ownership has taken me all over the world, literally. Read more>>
Jonathan Williams
I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina and always had a love for animals. My family was never without a dog and/or cat as pets were always seen as a part of the family. I graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Zoology knowing that I wanted to become a veterinarian. Read more>>
Corey Billings
My story started over 20 years ago as general labor on a golf course construction job on the Big Island of Hawaii. I worked my way up to become a lead shaper, learning from some great mentors along the way — golf course architects, construction pros, and golf course superintendents who taught me the craft from every angle. Read more>>
Youtheary Sim
We’re sisters, raised in Hillsboro, Oregon, and Sweet T Bakery is our way of honoring our late father and the Cambodian heritage he passed down to us. Growing up, food was how our family celebrated, connected, and shared our culture. During the pandemic, Soma, who has lupus, underwent her third kidney transplant. Read more>>
Shawn Kormondy
I’ve always been drawn to building things, whether it’s businesses, real estate developments, or communities. My career began in real estate, where I focused on investing, land development, and transforming overlooked properties into places with lasting value. Along the way, I discovered that what I enjoyed most wasn’t just developing real estate, it was creating destinations and experiences that people genuinely appreciated. Read more>>
Dawning McGinnis
Dawning was born in Tillamook Oregon, but lived in the small neighboring town called Cloverdale. Her family soon separated and gave her the opportunity to live what she likes to call a “split life.” Part of her life was spent on the road with her dad, and the other part of her life was spent living with her mom and step family in SW Portland. Read more>>
Jeremy Cassel
I started as an apprentice, sweeping floors in a glass studio, and slowly acquired the skills i needed to branch out on my own and begin creating. I worked for several years in my garage before renting a farm and working in an old horse barn with a group of others. Read more>>
Kelly Peters
My journey into sound healing started 11 years ago because I was looking for healing myself. For years I struggled with depression, anxiety, racing thoughts, and I could never seem to get my mind to slow down. My talk therapist suggested I try a sound healing session as another tool to support my healing. I honestly had no idea what to expect. Read more>>
Tyler Simpson
Where We Started The Rock Store was built in 1932 — from rock and petrified wood pulled from the land itself, at a crossroads in Eastern Oregon that has always been the heart of Owyhee country. For decades, it stood as a landmark and gathering place, long before our family ever walked through its doors. Read more>>
Jay Bowen
My love for travel started back home in Zululand, South Africa, where I volunteered at Backpackers Hostels giving tours around Zululand to international visitors. I loved meeting people from around the world, and I can honestly say this is where my love for travel started. Read more>>
Will Cath
Movement has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the Midwest with 2 brothers and amazing parents, and we spent most days outside playing sports with friends. I played basketball, soccer, track and field (hurdles and pole vault) and football as a kicker, punter, wide receiver, and safety. Read more>>
Nicole Bennett
My journey to becoming a business owner and a leader really happened by chance. About 15 years ago, I was working in medical research with three kids at home, and I began exploring what I wanted to do next. My employer offered to sponsor my enrollment in a pilot program to train registered nurses. Read more>>
Bryan Northrup
Half Pint Ice Cream Co. started as a family idea with a bigger purpose behind it. We wanted to create something fun, positive, and community-centered, but also something that represented our family’s heart for autism awareness, disability inclusion, and giving people meaningful opportunities to be seen, valued, and involved. Read more>>
Jacob Norris
I apprenticed with my mentor Ken Roth starting when I was just out of highschool. Another artist friend of mine Nathaniel Praska was also an apprentice to Ken. The three of us would go out to the countryside and edges of town and paint together. I began with Plein air painting, using Oil paint as my main medium. Read more>>
Tim ‘Rev’ Thompson
I started my career more than 30 years ago in live television, producing some of the biggest broadcasts in the world, including the Oscars and the Emmys. From there, I moved into the entertainment design industry, working with studios like Imaginary Forces on projects for filmmakers including David Fincher, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and Tom Cruise. Read more>>
Elias Khoury
EZ Freezy was inspired by my father, he came to America looking for the American dream and got a job working at a frozen yogurt manufacturing plant Yocream. He started as low level worker and by the end of his 30+ year career he retired as the director of manufacturing for the whole company. Read more>>
Santha Priya Santha Kumar
Looking back, my journey has been filled with dreams, challenges, and countless lessons that have shaped who I am today. I’ve always believed that when people feel good about themselves, it positively impacts every part of their lives. That belief inspired me to become a licensed esthetician and eventually pursue my dream of opening my own business. Read more>>
uju uzuegbunam
My name is Uju Uzuegbunam, and I am the founder of Ozznek — a children’s footwear brand built from lived experience, resilience, and a deeply personal need I saw as a mother. My journey began when I came to the United States from Nigeria as an asylum seeker with my two-month-old son. Read more>>
Christine Azar
I was born in Beirut, Lebanon and moved to Oregon in 2001. Starting in 2003, I built a successful, fast-paced career in corporate finance that spanned the next 13 years. While I thrived in the financial world, life took a beautiful, unexpected turn in 2015 when my grandmother came to visit me from Lebanon. Read more>>
Kaylee Hopkins
I have been passionate about design and architecture for as long as I can remember. As a child, I spent hours reading architecture and design books, creating art, and building things alongside my dad and grandpa. Long before I understood the principles of design, I knew I wanted to spend my life creating beautiful, meaningful spaces. Read more>>
Heidi Semler
My career began in 1989 when I started working for an interior design firm in Portland, Oregon. I worked alongside some of the most talented interior designers in Portland at the time. I worked for eight years, cultivating my design sense, understanding the importance of scale, and learning to see and think critically about every space we designed. Read more>>
Joshua Carlsen
We like to think that we have control of our daily lives. However every once in a while life chooses a day for us whether we’re prepared or not. June 24th, 2021 started like any other day…until my wife called. She was crying so hard she could barely speak. Read more>>
Wendy Finch
If you had asked me twenty years ago if I would someday own a lavender farm, I probably would have laughed. It wasn’t part of any grand life plan. For more than two decades I built marketing strategies and business stories for other people. Read more>>
Kinship House
In 1996, five therapists and a state child welfare manager identified a pressing need in our community: to empower children experiencing foster care in a way that didn’t yet exist. That’s how Kinship House began. Read more>>
James Foss
I definitely didn’t take the typical path into web development. For over 13 years, I worked as a diesel mechanic. I enjoyed solving problems, whether it was tracking down an electrical issue or diagnosing a complex engine problem. Looking back, I think that’s where my passion for problem-solving really started. Outside of work, I found myself becoming more and more interested in technology. Read more>>
Breanna Schwinge-Tuck
At 21 years old, my life changed overnight. I became incredibly sick and spent months in and out of hospitals, seeing specialist after specialist, searching for answers. Time and time again, I was told my symptoms were psychosomatic—that it was simply my body’s response to stress. Deep down, I knew something wasn’t right. Read more>>
Joanna Tillson
Ever since I can remember, I have done photography as a hobby. When I had my own senior photos taken for graduating high school, I connected with my photographer on a level beyond just being a one-time client. Read more>>
Galen Murphy
I grew up on my family’s farm in rural Oregon — four generations deep — the simplicity of that life, gave me a lasting love for antiques, vintage finds, and rooms that aren’t overly fussy. My parents gave me an appreciation for art, cooking, nature, and doing things on my own. Read more>>
Mark J Wienert
I began my professional teaching career in 1994. For 10 years I studied and pursued my passion for nature studies to someday teach wilderness survival to adults and teen groups. I trained under Tom Brown Jr. during the early 1990’s through 1998, building my credentials in animal and human tracking and wilderness survival training, becoming a volunteer instructor and peer. Read more>>
Nikki Shevitz
Hi! I’m Nikki, wife, homeschooling mama of 4, and owner of The Fold Bread Co. a microbakery in Hillsboro. Like many busy families, we love bread, but I struggled to find one that was nourishing, simple in ingredients, and easy to access. As a functional nutritionist by trade, I’ve always believed in eating real food with clean ingredients. Read more>>
Marcie Nunnelly
Thank you, I’m excited to share my journey! I truly focus on TUNING IN…. Tuning inward Tuning to balance Tuning into… purelife I am the founder of PuraVida (purelife) Reiki and believe you are your own healer… Our bodies innate abilities to self-heal are nothing short of miraculous. Read more>>
Carolyn Brazil
My background is a study in contrasts, with my mother’s side influencing me in the arts and music, and my father’s side exposing me to a more traditional business world. My maternal grandfather was an abstract and figurative painter, and my mom and her brothers were very musical. I always had my hands in some type of creative endeavor, be it music or art. Read more>>
Brogan Woodburn
I’ve always been drawn to both creativity and systems. When I was younger, I taught myself music, but I was also the kind of person who liked taking apart old computers just to understand how they worked. Music was my first serious path. Read more>>
