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.
Tivonya Stephenson
My favorite “toys” growing up were my mom’s art supplies from when she went to art school in college. She had a big box of seed beads. So that’s when I started making jewelry. She helped me register a business when I was in high-school & we did a few craft shows & art fairs. That was my first “taste”. Read more>>
Michelle van Hees
QUESTION 1: I grew up in Spokane, Washington and I spent a lot of time with both sets of grandparents. My grandmothers were very good cooks and I was always hanging out in the kitchen. I remember sitting on the counter while Grandma Betty was rolling out pie dough, and I kept eating the scraps. Read more>>
Santiago Plancarte-Benson EA, LTC
My journey into the tax profession started over 14 years ago working alongside my mother in her tax business. She built that business to serve the Latino community, and growing up around it showed me how much of an impact you can have by helping people navigate something as important and often stressful as their finances and taxes. In 2021, my mother passed away unexpectedly. Read more>>
Mandy Stigant
I’m a reformed theater kid. I earned my BA in Drama at University of Dallas in 2002. During my senior year I realized I didn’t want to go on to a career in professional theater, which had been my dream since I was 12. As realizations go, it was pretty de-railing, and I felt rather lost for a while. Read more>>
Tyler Sloan
My journey started where I grew up, in Louisville, Kentucky. I haven’t always been a photographer. My first career started at the age of 15, where I landed in a boys home because I was an incorrigible troublemaker! Read more>>
Bag&Baggage Productions
Bag&Baggage Productions began over 20 years ago as a small, nomadic theater company. We performed Shakespeare classics at vineyards, campuses, and other outdoor spaces, carrying all of our props and costumes in suitcases, and thus in true Shakespearian fashion, ‘Bag&Baggage’ was born. In 2008, B&B began performing at The Venetian Theater in downtown Hillsboro. Read more>>
Dominick Barbero
I began taking photos at a relatively young age in Eugene Oregon, eventually I hit an age maybe late high school I was no longer satisfied with the lack of control of an automatic camera. Read more>>
Daniel Sheil
My path doesn’t follow a straight line, for which I am very grateful. I grew up primarily in Virginia, and like many kids, I didn’t fully fit the world around me. I moved to Germany at 16 and graduated high school from a US Department of Defense high school. Read more>>
Mokshajyoti Chumki
I am Mokshajyoti, and my story began in a small town in northeastern India. I come from a Bengali family, and my mother tongue is Bengali, though I also grew up speaking the Sylheti dialect. My childhood was simple. We lived in modest apartments, often around 700–850 square feet, and I grew up without many of the conveniences that are considered normal today. Read more>>
Meara Baker
As a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) since 2006, I have worked in a variety of settings. From 2003-2006 I worked full time as a school-based SLP Apprentice as I attended full time graduate school at the University of Northern Colorado. During this time I also started a family – my kids have 100% of my heart! Read more>>
Nadia Padzensky
I started using cameras a child, borrowing my mom’s Konica film camera and blazing through disposable film cameras on trips with friends, holidays, and just around my home. My favorite subjects were animals and nature back then. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I never had a shortage of such things to photograph. Read more>>
Aubrey McCormick
I was born and raised in Orlando, Florida, in a loving family where my parents instilled strong values in me from the start. I’ve always had a strong personality, a ‘can do’ attitude, and a deep belief that anything is possible. I grew up with two sisters, surrounded by sports, music, and constant activity of some kind. I feel blessed to have had that foundation. Read more>>
Robin Faber
I’ve always had a passion for making people happy. When I was a child I would visit hospitals and nursing homes and ask if I could sing to the people staying there so it could bring there minds off thier day and could help them smile. Read more>>
Brian Lindley
Psilocybin helped me on my own healing journey. I felt called to make this available to others that could benefit. I joined the campaign to make psilocybin legal in Oregon. Started a Service Center in Ashland Oregon and in the three years that we have been in operation have helped over 1800 clients. Read more>>
John Leithner
After leaving the wood products industry I started in the financial services industry with Edward Jones and then eventually ended up being an independent financial advisor with Commonweath Financial Network. I am also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER(R) professional. Through that journey, I’ve had many bumps along the way but always with a focus on serving clients and being a fiduciary which places the client first. Read more>>
Elizabeth Marshall
Bloom was created to support families. For the mother who is battling crushing postpartum depression with a baby who’s in pain, struggles to latch, and cries constantly. To the parents that learn their child’s diagnosis isn’t compatible with life. For the woman that gives birth after years of infertility, only to have that baby sustain a brain injury from perinatal complications. Read more>>
Kim Hall
After earning my PhD in Applied Economics from Oregon State, I realized life in academia wasn’t for me, but I wasn’t sure where to go next. I’ve always believed that everyone was created for a purpose, and that people are at their best when they pursue that purpose, which in turn makes the world a better place. Read more>>
Susan Connelly
Hi, my name is Susan Connelly-Pace, and my husband, Mike, and I are the owners of Cranberry Station Soap Co. We have proudly called Klamath Falls home for the past 20 years and have owned our company for the last nine. Read more>>
Vicki Irish
NW Love In A Box began with founder Kim, who launched the business after a spark of inspiration at the Portland Night Market in 2015. What started as a simple idea quickly grew into something special—rooted in her love of thoughtful gift giving, locally made products, and a commitment to caring for our environment. Read more>>
Kenneth Haseltine
I began my floral career as a designer in a fast-paced, high-volume operation that sold affordable flowers wholesale to the public – what I often called a ‘flower factory.’ It was there that I learned to design quickly, work efficiently, and thrive under pressure. At just 20 years old, I opened my first flower shop with very little understanding of day-to-day business operations. Read more>>
Nick Valentine
Nicholas Valentine – Interview Bio For more than four decades, I’ve had the privilege of building businesses, mentoring teams, and helping people improve both their businesses and their lives. Entrepreneurship has always been part of my family’s DNA. I grew up in a family of business owners whose roots were in the hospitality industry, operating everything from nightclubs to fine dining restaurants. Read more>>
Daniel Nickels
Music has always been a part of who I am. I grew up around country music and storytelling, and over the years I realized that the songs I connected with most were the honest ones—the songs that made you feel something. That’s the kind of artist I’ve always wanted to be. Read more>>
Eliza Wilson
I grew up in Central Oregon and experienced housing instability and homelessness as a child, so I understand firsthand how much stable housing can change the trajectory of a family’s life. That experience is what ultimately led me into this work. Read more>>
Jennifer Stalker
My name is Jennifer, and first and foremost, I’m a nurse. I’ve spent my entire nursing career in acute and critical care, and today I work at one of Portland’s major metropolitan hospitals while also owning BioLume Med Spa. What started as a small aesthetics practice has grown into two locations. One is on Portland’s South Waterfront, and the other is in St. Read more>>
Natalie Kiyah
I grew up on a humble one-acre farm in a small rural town in Oregon, part of a large family where food insecurity was a quiet undercurrent. I didn’t recognize it then — only later did I come to understand it for what it was. Read more>>
Judy Leidy
Quandary Vineyards is the dream of two Colorado couples who have been friends for more than 20 years. We’d owned property together before, but nothing quite like this. Our story began with a trip to Oregon’s Willamette Valley in the fall of 2016. Read more>>
April Ferguson
I have a background/career in tech industry events, but wanted to try my hand at something more meaningful. I wanted to create something that would make a difference in my community. In 2023, I opened Playful Paws Cat Café in Bend, Oregon. The idea was simple: create a welcoming space where people could relax, connect with adoptable cats, and hopefully fall in love with one. Read more>>
Sho Roberts
Opening a bookshop was always a dream of mine. When I moved across country to Oregon in 2013, I thought what if I started small to see if this is something I can do. While working multiple part time jobs, I started a mobile kids bookshop in 2014. On weekends in the summer I would attend every street fair I could. Read more>>
Elizabeth Brown
I’ve always been a lover of self care and wellness ever since I was a little girl – especially skincare. I found the ritual so fun and expressive, and deeply individualized. It felt like there was a place for everyone in skincare. In college, I dreamed of opening my own skincare line. Read more>>
Taylor Palin
I have been with the Hillsboro Farmers’ Markets since April 2024. Prior to my current position of Coordinator, I spent many years in corporate retail, customer service, and even pet grooming. Read more>>
Grace Thomas
I started my journey in fashion at the ripe age of 20 as an assistant stylist to a celebrity stylist. My story continued as I pivoted into a world of corporate fashion, working at the Nike HQ in Beaverton, Oregon and taking on roles in merchandising, styling and buying. Read more>>
Henry Ryals
As the son of an Architect, I’ve lived and breathed construction all my life. Some of my earliest memories are of job site tours (complete with a hard hat that was comically oversized for my little head) and of helping my dad with home renovation projects. Throughout my childhood, weekends and summers were spent working on our home or rental property. Read more>>
