Inspirational Business People

My thoughts from the Global RedwoodJS Conference held in Grants Pass

October 11, 2023

I attended the RedwoodJS conference in Grants Pass last month.  RedwoodJS is a relatively new OpenSource JavaScript full stack platform formed and run in Bay Area Silicon Valley roots. RedwoodJS is the latest open source project of Tom Preston-Werner, the Founder and former CEO of GitHub. So it’s a big thing and it has the…

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SOU alumnus and Foundation Board member inducted into inventors’ academy

October 11, 2023

Daniel A. Henderson, a 1984 graduate of Southern Oregon University and emeritus member of the SOU Foundation Board of Trustees, is among 169 innovators worldwide who have been inducted in this year’s class of fellows in the National Academy of Inventors. Henderson is best known for his patented invention of wireless picture and video messaging used in every…

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Community Building in Coworking

September 12, 2023

Driving through the downtown areas of cities such as Denver, Seattle, Portland, and Los Angeles, it seems like coworking spaces are popping up everywhere you look. There’s a wide range of coworking spaces in major cities, some of them occupying newly renovated industrial buildings while other coworking spaces are located in charming curated boutique storefronts.…

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People’s Bank Co-Founder Ken Trautman retires 

July 16, 2023

I have written about Ken and the bank he co-founded (People’s Bank) many times over the years. I met Ken while we both served on the Jackson County fair board. One of my companies (Project A) banked with People’s Bank because it is a community bank and the manager of the Ashland Branch was a…

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Anyone can be successful, Just ask Nathan Miller

May 11, 2023

I first met Nathan Miller, Founder, President of Rentec Direct (rentecdirect.com), a Grants Pass based Software as a Service(SAAS) company in the landlord/property manager space, when he was the CTO (Chief Technology Officer) for a company in Grants Pass that was a SAAS for Internet Service providers, VISP.  I was a new customer of VISP…

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Taking solar to new heights

June 5, 2022

Interview with Jeff Sharpe, Life-long Entrepreneur and Community Advocate, Founder and CEO of Stracker Solar Jeff Sharpe is the Founder and CEO of Stracker Solar, an Ashland-based solar manufacturer and installer firm. He has been a professional engineer and the founder/owner of various successful businesses for the past 35 years. JT: Welcome, Jeff! Please tell…

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Jim Wright was born in Ashland, ran LTM (now Knife River), served on several local non-profit boards and is retiring off The People’s Bank Board after 19 years.

May 10, 2022

When the zoom interview with Jim Wright started he asked me the first question, which is unusual since I’m the one interviewing him.  “I have a question for you. What do you see?” That question took me aback a little. I wasn’t prepared for it. I stared at my screen and thought about what I…

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Sid Deboer honored as a 2022 Oregon History Maker by the Oregon Historical Society

April 6, 2022

History Makers The Oregon Historical Society’s annual Oregon History Makers Awards & Dinner recognizes contemporary individuals and organizations that are positively shaping the history, culture, and landscape of Oregon. Event sponsorships, ticket sales, and donations in honor of the History Makers support the Oregon Historical Society’s important work to collect, preserve, and interpret Oregon’s past. ohs.org…

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ALL IN – A Masterclass on Leadership from Gene Pelham as he retires as CEO of Rogue Credit Union

April 6, 2022

I have known Gene Pelham for many years and when he announced last year that he was retiring on March 31, 2022 as CEO of Rogue Credit Union, I reached out to him for a quick interview over zoom. I thought this was going to be a simple story about a business leader retiring and…

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Meet John Scott and his Famous Food Truck “Fatso’s Cheketos”

February 7, 2022

Interview by Jim Teece John Scott is the owner of “Fatso’s Cheketos” a Keto Food Truck at 807 South Central in Medford.  He’s typically there from 11 to 3:30 Monday through Friday and when he’s not there it’s because he is out doing a catering job somewhere.  That location has been his permanent location for…

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Meet Dr. Kimani Borland, A Naturopathic Physician, from Jamaica, in the Rogue Valley

February 7, 2022

Interview by Jim Teece Dr. Kimani Borland was born in Jamaica, earned her naturopathic medical degree in the US in 2018  and went back to Jamaica to work part time for a year and a half.  Then the pandemic hit and in February 2021 she decided to move her family to Medford to work with…

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Meet Simon Turner, Owner and Operator of Blahq Sage Media LLC

February 7, 2022

Interview by Jim Teece Simon Turner is a US Army Veteran and the owner and operator of Blahq Sage Media LLC in Roseburg, Oregon.  He started the business in 2020, during the pandemic lockdown, but has been doing DJing and wedding photography for about 5 years, since moving to Southern Oregon from Bakersfield, California. Growing…

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