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.
Antonio Martinez 
I like to think that I’m a bit lucky. I was born into a musical family and been around instruments since I can remember. The earliest memories I have are being taught by my dad. Since about 5 years old, he would take me to all his gigs. I had an assigned seat on the floor next to him on stage and at rehearsals. Read more>>
Lyndsay Maderis 
I definitely didn’t take the traditional path into the beauty industry! I spent my early career working in healthcare, including the American Red Cross and pharmaceutical and surgical sales. On paper, I had a successful career, but the stress was taking a toll on me, both mentally and physically. Read more>>
Brad Kohler 
Good Dough really started long before I opened the doors. I fell deep in love with bread while working my way through Portland’s food scene. After culinary school, I found my way into wedding cakes and eventually landed at Ken’s Artisan Bakery, where I worked overnight shifts. Read more>>
Kelly Lowe 
My first coaching experience was as a teen. I coached gymnastics in Salem. That was in 1992. I moved on to study Construction Engineering Management. I graduated that program in 1998. While I enjoyed the work I always missed coaching and physical fitness. My fitness career started in 2008. I became a personal trainer and started teaching classes as well. Read more>>
JOSEPH HENDERSON 
I started my business in 1996 and built it by working part time for 5 years until I took it full time in 2001. Read more>>
Clayton McCune 
My dad was a union laborer at the Port of Vancouver in Southwest Washington, and my grandfather was a wheat farmer in Eastern Washington. I grew up skateboarding and listening to punk rock and ’90s rap. Somewhere in my late teens, I also developed a deep love for classic country music and all things Americana and vintage. Read more>>
Tess Burns 
In March 2012, I packed whatever I could in my Jeep and set out to Oregon with a wide-open spirit and zero plans to stay long-term. I’d never experienced the West Coast before, but I met my husband and started a lovely little family. The natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest helped the transition to call this ‘home’. Read more>>
Jennifer Gill 
Not sure what the following questions will be, so I will just go from the beginning…I was born and raised on the wild and windy plains of Laramie, Wyoming. A rural, fly-fishing, horseback riding lesbian who also enjoyed belting musical theater torch songs. In college, I was faced with the choice of playing intramural rugby or playing the leading lady in the musical. Read more>>
Megan Gray 
I consider myself a lifelong artist—from the moment I could hold crayon to paper, I knew that art marking was important to me. It was always something I ‘just did’ for enjoyment and mostly kept to myself. After encouragement from family and friends, I began sharing some of my work at local galleries and on social media. Eventually I was recommended for a mural job. Read more>>
Cecilia Buccola 
My path into hair actually started with social work. I initially attended Central Oregon Community College to pursue that field, but I realized I needed a career with more of a creative outlet. In class, we learned that hairstylists and bartenders are often considered “natural helpers,” and that stuck with me. Read more>>
Fabiola Poulsen 
I’m originally from Peru and moved to the U.S. in 2016. Entrepreneurship has always been part of my life. My dad was an entrepreneur, and I heard the stories of him building things from the ground up, and that always had a huge influence on me. He passed away, but so much of the drive I have today comes from him. Read more>>
Nolan Hall 
I’ve had a camera in my hand for as long as I can remember. I started taking photos when I was around four years old, usually with my mom’s camera, and I wanted to bring it everywhere we went. The beach, family trips, anywhere outdoors I could photograph. I’ve always been drawn to cameras and the idea of capturing a memory that lasts forever. Read more>>
Lee Takasugi 
It all started in the late 70’s on Peacock Lane, an actual street in East Los Angeles that had wild peacocks roaming on it. I would wake to the sounds of them scratchin’ about on our roof, mixed with my mom playing ‘Malagueña’ on her grand piano. Other days the music would vary. Read more>>
Summer Shield 
I grew up in Austin, TX with a community that was enthusiastic about art. It did not come to much of a surprise that I jumped at the first opportunity to turn my art into my career. I started my tattoo journey at 19 years old, one year after moving to Eugene, OR. Read more>>
Jen and Mark Pendergrass 
We began taking care of the building in 2015, long before it was a wedding venue. At the time, it was simply an old North Portland building that needed love, attention, and a lot of restoration work. We didn’t come in with a big business plan or a perfectly laid‑out vision. Read more>>
Taylor Miller 
I was born and raised in Salem, Oregon, which makes building my business here especially meaningful to me. Salem has always been home, and I feel incredibly grateful that I now get to serve the community that raised me. I’m also a proud Oregon State University alumna, where I studied Nutrition and Public Health, Go Beavs! Read more>>
John Herman 
I spent my formative childhood years on a 1,200 acre ranch in Modoc County, California, so agriculture has always been part of my life. Today, my wife Renee and I run Lazy Z Ranch in Sisters, Oregon, where we are raising our kids and building a business around caring for the land. We began reimagining the ranch as a regenerative bee ranch in 2020. Read more>>
Laura Gabriel 
Laura came to Oregon about 8 years ago from Texas, where she was very fond of the breakfast taco scene, and was surprised to find no such thing out here in Oregon. After a few years of working in recruiting in the medical field she wanted to find a change of pace and try something completely different. Read more>>
SCOTT EDELMAN 
Scott Edelman’s love of helping people find their home began when he started his career as a leasing agent in San Francisco. After several years of success in residential leasing, Scott made the leap into real estate. When he and husband, Scott ‘Gunner’ Friesen made the move up to Portland, Oregon, he got his start at Knipe Realty. Read more>>
Wendy Place 
We started Vivid Vector in 2021, when my twin boys were 15 and my daughter was 18 and the boys were looking to start their first jobs. However, we were still in the middle of COVID, so we talked about what the boys might enjoy learning. Read more>>
Robert Lafady 
I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and got into photography at a young age when my father introduced me to film cameras. Being behind the lens gave me a way to observe the world and eventually led me into filmmaking. Over time, storytelling became much more than a creative outlet. Read more>>
Vanessa Jo Bahr 
I am a printmaker and educator currently living and working in Ashland, Oregon. I run a community printmaking studio called Scavenger Studios that offers classes, workshops and membership, along with an artist residency program. I am also the Printmaking Professor and Studio Technician at Southern Oregon University. Read more>>
Chelsea McCoy 
I opened RHM Hair Co in March of this year, but I think it’s important to know that I NEVER wanted to be a salon owner. In 2023, I found myself getting extremely burnt out in my career. Read more>>
Nilam Punjani 
In 2015 after being diagnosed with Her2+Breast Cancer and going through 6 rounds of chemo and left breast mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and surviving I decided to create a company making plant based protein samosas. Read more>>
Erik Trexel 
I started out as a tile installer in the Midwest in the late 90s. My mother was an art teacher and her coworkers husband was a tile setter and gave me a job after high school. I was an artist and was drawn to the creativity in tile. Read more>>
Karen Haugan Tomlinson 
My name is Karen Haugan Tomlinson and I am artist living in Lake Oswego, Oregon. In 2014 I started Greentree Pottery Studio in the lower level of my home, after moving from Denver to Lake Oswego. While living in Denver I enjoyed a 20 year career as an exhibiting painter and teacher of drawing, painting and ceramics. Read more>>
Christine 
Wildflower Postpartum Care really grew out of my own experiences with motherhood, and seeing the demands of mothers freshly postpartum. After having my children, I experienced firsthand how beautiful, overwhelming, isolating, and physically demanding the postpartum period can be. Read more>>
Stephanie Cotta 
I am a fantasy author based in Jacksonville, Oregon, and have been crafting imaginary worlds for the past thirteen years. I am passionate about stories, and as an author, editor, proofreader, and illustrator, that passion for storytelling shapes my creative life. Read more>>
Ky Fifer 
I’ve never really had a plan to become a musician. In fact, for much of my life, I’ve probably spent more time trying to avoid that outcome than pursuing it. Somehow, music just kept happening to me. I grew up on the Beatles and other classic music that prioritized melody and craftsmanship. Read more>>
Jeany Birdeno 
I am born and raised here in Astoria. I am the youngest of 3 girls. My Mother’s family has been here since turn of the century and Father moved here in the 60’s. Having my Mom’s roots here has always been very special to me. My Grandmother was the 3rd oldest of 13. There truly is a certain pride you feel being from here. Read more>>
Lewis Birdseye IV 
This is a hard question to answer. I’m most certainly a product of my experiences and my journey. There are layers to me. I consider myself, first and foremost, a human being—a member of the human race. I suppose that I have always wanted to make a difference during my time on Earth. Read more>>
