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.
Emily Eilers
My love for photography started at a young age. I’ve always had a passion for taking photos, especially editorial and fashion magazine-style photography. As a little girl, I was inspired by pop culture and fashion, and that inspiration grew into a desire to create images that told a story. Read more>>
Susan Vaslev
I grew up at Enchanted Forest. My father, Roger Tofte, began building the park by hand in 1964 with a dream of creating a place where families could step into the pages of their favorite fairy tales. When the park opened, my brother and sisters and I helped wherever we could—working in the park and learning every aspect of the business. Read more>>
Antonio Diaz
My friend, Casto Moreno, started this business over 20 years ago, and we were involved from day one. I later began working for Casto and learned how to make all of the products. In 2018, he decided it was time to move on and transitioned the business to my brother and me. Read more>>
Todd Luce Montgomery
In February 2022, I made one of the most important decisions of my professional career: I transitioned from Edward Jones, where I worked as a financial advisor, to SilverTree Wealth Partners, where I could serve clients through a more comprehensive private wealth-management approach. I remain grateful for my years at Edward Jones. Read more>>
Bianca Youngers
I’ve been making art since college, but for most of my adult life I was also helping run Binks, a neighborhood bar on Alberta Street in Portland that my husband and I have owned for 25 years. Painting was always there in the background, but life, family, and business often came first. During COVID, everything changed. Read more>>
Angie Snell
My fascination with stained glass began while attending church as a child. I was captivated by the colorful windows and the way light transformed them throughout the day. In my twenties, I took a beginner stained glass class with a couple of friends in Portland. Ironically, I cut myself badly during the very first class and ended up at urgent care for stitches! Read more>>
Kari Natwick
I’ll start by telling the part of my story where my life changed. I was living in Petersburg, Alaska, a small fishing community with a deep connection to the land. For a variety of reasons, I moved back to my home state of Minnesota, away from a place and a lifestyle that made me feel grounded. Shortly after that I had my son. Read more>>
Ester Tillett
Thank you for being interested in my story. Looking back, I believe my story began long before Salem Balloons & Flowers. As a child, I spent more time decorating my dollhouse than actually playing with the dolls. That was probably the first clue that I was going to become a designer. I was always drawn to creative activities. Read more>>
Ashlyn Jensen
When I was a kid, stories were my comfort. I’d spend hours imagining beautiful worlds that I could fill with people and places beyond my circumstances. Places where I felt empowered and safe. Naturally, story became the language I used to interpret everything around me. When I decided to go to college for creative writing, no one was surprised. Read more>>
Oceana Berry
Oceana’s path to becoming a personal trainer and health coach wasn’t traditional, but it gave her unique insights that inform everything she does today. At 19, she experienced a stroke that left her without the use of the left side of her body. That experience of recovery, of fighting to regain mobility and strength, planted seeds that would bloom decades later. Read more>>
Kenichi Shiba
I first stepped into a Shotokan karate dojo in 1983 at the age of nine. What began as a childhood activity became a lifelong passion and eventually my life’s work. The values I learned through karate as a child – respect, humility, and perseverance – have shaped every decision I’ve made, both in my career and in my life. Read more>>
Michael Fox
I started my chiropractic practice in April this year… but my chiropractic journey started long before that, I’ve been seeing a chiropractor since I was 2 years old and after noticing the benefits on my own health and the people around me, how could I not tell the world! Read more>>
ELISE WAGNER
Our paths as artists began in very different places, but they eventually brought us together in a shared creative life. Elise grew up in New Jersey and has spent her career as a painter and printmaker, always drawn to experimentation and the intersection of art and science. Read more>>
Tammy Fuhrman
It all started with my own journey, finding health, fitness and happiness for myself. I struggled with my weight and health as long as I can remember. Then my dad died, my world shattered and I got the heaviest and most unhealthy I had ever been. I coped with food and pretended that I loved myself the way I was no matter what. Read more>>
Annie Lee Bartelamia
Lee Farms: Seven Generations of Heritage, Family, and the Women Leading Its Future Nestled in the heart of Tualatin, Oregon, Lee Farms is more than a beloved seasonal destination, it is a living piece of Oregon history. For over 150 years, the land has remained in the hands of the same extended family, making it one of the region’s longest-standing family farms. Read more>>
Bobby Bradshaw
I originated in AZ coming from 69th and Bethany Home in Glendale. While not the best area it was perfect to get my start in music. Glendale is where I established my first self made studio ‘EBE: EveryBody Eats’. At 23 I learned how to work on other peoples music and work with other artists. Read more>>
Neil Richardson
I went back school in 1997 at the age of 55 to attend the University of Oregon where I graduated with a Master Degree in Architecture.in 2001. Upon graduation I worked for CH2MHill for nine years. I obtained my license as an architect in May 2006.. I started my own practice in 2010 and have built a successful on-going business. Read more>>
Jon Schlottig
My friend call me by my middle name, Mike. I moved to Grants Pass via the Bay Area the summer before 9th grade. I graduated from Grants Pass High School in 2005. I earned a Dean Scholarship to U of O but left after the first term of my sophomore year and enrolled in an Energy Management Program at Lane CC. Read more>>
Mayra Molina Santana
My journey into this work started with my own health. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and the only answer I was given was to wait until it got worse before starting medication. I wasn’t willing to do that to my body. Read more>>
Cyndy Smith-English
Clackamas Community College had a thriving theatre department, led by my husband, David Smith-English. The college decided to invest in building a performing arts center in support of students and the community. We recognized that there was this beautiful theater built on campus that was going to be empty all summer. Read more>>
Emily Konkol
Cheetah Pak was born from my passion for helping business owners build brands that not only look beautiful but also connect with people. Funny enough, I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter just two weeks before officially launching the business. It wasn’t exactly the timing I had planned, but in hindsight, it couldn’t have been more fitting. Read more>>
JOEL MATES
My journey into business ownership was deeply personal. My son was born with a rare and serious skin disease called epidermolysis bullosa (EB), which requires extensive daily care, frequent medical appointments, and a great deal of flexibility from our family. His condition changed my perspective on work and life and ultimately motivated me to work for myself. Read more>>
Nick Alexander
I was born and raised in southern Oregon. As a child I always enjoyed the art of storytelling, picking up a camcorder and filming silly skits with my three sisters starting in fifth grade. In middle and high school I took video production classes, learning how to film and the technical aspects. Read more>>
Missie (Melissa) Wikler
My story started with my own experience of living with an overloaded nervous system—driven by the stress and demands of everyday life. I found refuge in the natural world and in my yoga practice. When I started teaching high school in 2007, those demands exploded even more, but it was also where I realized I could share what I was learning to help others. Read more>>
Molly Behnke
I began working in restaurants as a hostess at 16, shortly after getting kicked out of high school. I quickly learned acts of service and sharing a meal with a loved one was a universal language as cooking became my contribution to the household. Read more>>
Emilio Johann
Hi! My name is Emilio Johann. I have been a full time entrepreneur since August of 2008. I have run a web design and development company since then. The name is Otter Creative Studio. In 2025, a shift began to focus on exploring new ways to make money. I founded a cold outreach company with minor success that I ran up until July of 2026. Read more>>
Deanna Smith-Love
N the Zone Ink actually started by accident. Late 2009: My husband, Josh Love (boyfriend at the time), had worked for a local screen printing shop many years prior while he was in high school. Years later, all of the equipment and supplies from that business came up for auction. Read more>>
Heather Campbell
I’ve always thrived on change, adventure, and the pursuit of new knowledge. Early on, that drive was purely intellectual—a desire to stretch and expand my mind. It wasn’t until my late 20s, while advancing in my corporate career, that I realized I could challenge my physical body in the exact same way. Read more>>
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>>
