A pack that can do it all

Executive file

A fix-it man for i-devices

May 7, 2013 4:00 am

Matt Farrell lives in Bend, but he traveled more than 7,000 miles to find his business calling. A website designer and marketing consultant, Farrell launched his own iPhone and iPad repair business in Bend last year after spending time in Australia,....MORE

Executive file

A flair for fundraising

April 30, 2013 4:00 am

From choosing the event theme and setting up folding tables to arranging transportation and buying last-minute supplies, the Event Divas were the Jills of all trades at the Foodie Crawl on Sunday. The event, a fundraiser for Bend Community Center's....MORE

Executive file

Tilapia help garden grow

April 23, 2013 4:00 am

One of Central Oregon’s newest community supported agriculture efforts takes waste reduction to a whole new level. Bend residents Jimmy and Shannon Sbarra are about a month away from unveiling their eco-friendly fish and produce business,....MORE

Executive file

A taste for the outdoors

April 16, 2013 4:00 am

Itching to get out of the office and into a career that supported her passion for the outdoors, Brittany Manwill started her own energy bar company, Mazama Bar.“We really made Mazama Bars to support healthy, adventurous lifestyles and....MORE

Executive file

One-stop builder shop

April 9, 2013 4:00 am

On their own, they were 13 homebuilders and subcontractors, struggling through the aftermath of the Great Recession. Together they are 686 Design Center, a Central Oregon construction cooperative. Spearheaded by Frank Ring, owner of FRC Builders, 686....MORE

Executive file

New treats for nutrition

March 26, 2013 4:00 am

Two of Bend’s newest residents have found business success by turning a passion into a profit model. Jesse Thomas and Lauren Fleshman are bringing their gluten- and dairy-free nutrition bars, called Picky Bars, to Central Oregon. The bars, made....MORE

Executive file

Quilting made easier

March 19, 2013 4:00 am

Last month, Mary Pat “Mattie" Rhoades received an email from one of her customers, a 68-year-old Canadian resident who desperately wanted to make a quilt but never had before.“He asked everybody he knew if they would make a Mariner's....MORE

Executive file

Buying local, giving back

March 12, 2013 4:00 am

A group of Bend businesspeople wants to give new meaning to shopping local. In addition to supporting local merchants, the group sees an opportunity to bring merchants and customers together by donating to local charities and nonprofits through a new ....MORE

Executive file

Skullastic enrichment

March 5, 2013 4:00 am

From “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" notebooks to “Nightmare on Elm Street"-themed glue, Redmond native Don Rich makesschool supplies that help put the “cool back into school" and let students express themselves.“If our company had ....MORE

Executive file

Water, water everywhere

February 26, 2013 4:00 am

A pair of longtime Bend residents want to make fresh drinking water available for everyone. And they have the technology to make it happen. Gary Cruikshank, CEO of Aquamira Technologies, and Noah Lemas, Aquamira’s vice president of sales and....MORE

Executive file

Getting folks back to work

February 19, 2013 4:00 am

What began as three co-workers in Klamath Falls who shared a passion for job coaching has transformed into NextJob, Inc., a Bend-based re-employment firm that helps job seekers across the country find work.“All of us come from a public policy....MORE

Executive file

Giving trees a second life

February 12, 2013 4:00 am

When a storm knocks down a tree somewhere in the Northwest, Mike Ross gets to work. Ross depends on the elements to supply his Bend company, Natural Edge Furniture. Natural Edge sells benches, dressers and other home furnishings, made from downed....MORE

Executive file

Keeping it cold-blooded

February 5, 2013 4:00 am

About a dozen people filled The Reptile Zone on Saturday, many holding snakes or lizards, some watching the giant tortoises walk around and others asking questions about the cold-blooded creatures. This is how Jeff Jensen, owner of the Bend reptile....MORE

Executive file

Off the grid and off-road

January 29, 2013 4:00 am

Lance Gillies wants to bring a new kind of recreational vehicle to Bend. He wants to create some jobs, too. Gillies’ vehicle, called the EarthCruiser, is a new addition to the camper market. But it’s far from a typical RV. Powered by a....MORE

Executive file

Clean, comfy beds for pets

January 22, 2013 4:00 am

Inside her east Bend home, Beth Larsen has hundreds of yards of fleece fabric stacked and stored for one thing: to make Waggletops. Larsen created the first Waggletop, a removable, adjustable pet-bed cover, in December 2010 as a solution to....MORE

Executive file

Coffee, beer, a side of gear

January 15, 2013 4:00 am

For David Marchi, skiing down some of the world’s must rugged mountainsides in Alaska, Nepal, India and Indonesia is all in a day’s work. But starting a business? That’s a real adventure. A ski-mountaineering guide who leads tours....MORE

Executive file

Personalized senior care

January 8, 2013 4:00 am

After experiencing the struggles of caring for her grandmother who suffered a stroke, Lauren Dovolis-Rix was inspired to start a business, Caring Homes of Bend, which operates five adult foster care homes in Bend and provides an option beyond a....MORE

Teaching safe shooting

January 1, 2013 4:00 am

More than six months have passed since Bend resident Ryan Fraker started his firearm instruction business. But recent events across the country have sparked wider interest from Central Oregon residents in Fraker’s business, Hot Brass Firearms....MORE

Executive file

What safety sounds like

December 18, 2012 4:00 am

Bob Cameron saved countless hikers stranded in snow and stuck on rocky mountainsides in his 55 years as a search and rescue specialist. But his greatest accomplishment may have come more recently. Cameron is the co-creator of a rescue whistle capable ....MORE

Executive file

Trailer lock is a safe bet

December 11, 2012 4:00 am

When Milt Hultberg’s wife, Carolyn, and daughter, Randi Garthweigt, compete in rodeos, they carry about $24,000 worth of equipment in their horse trailer. After the theft of several halters — the headgear worn by horses — Hultberg....MORE

Executive file

A spirited take on ice cream

December 4, 2012 4:00 am

Working two jobs can be a tall order. For Rio Forest, it's the only way to realize a childhood dream. The Bend resident and employee at Backporch Coffee Roasters serves up caffeinated brews by day. But when the sun sets, she gets really busy,....MORE

Executive file

When things heat up, company plays it cool

November 20, 2012 4:00 am

Scott Zettle could have expanded his business, Bend Heating and Sheet Metal Inc., when Central Oregon's red-hot housing market brought record profits to the company in the early and mid-2000s. He could have added more workers, purchased office space, ....MORE

Executive file

Not your average oatmeal

• Redmond company attributes its rapid expansion to unique flavors, quality ingredients

November 13, 2012 4:00 am

In little more than a year, Patricia Bartelson's oatmeal has made its way into 35 different Central Oregon locations, across the country, and to Canada and Guam. In fact, since her company, Straw Propeller Gourmet Foods, started in September 2011,....MORE

Executive file

Carving an iPhone niche — out of titanium

November 6, 2012 4:00 am

David Crosier and Robert Jeffrey never want to see a broken iPhone again. The Sisters residents and brothers-in-law have been working for more than a year on their new prototype: an iPhone case made out of titanium, one of the world's strongest....MORE

Executive file

Photo fun (and a nice profit, too!)

• A portable photo booth means entertainment and laughs for customers of Redmond High teacher Nate Munoz

October 30, 2012 4:00 am

When you step inside Nate Munoz's portable photo booth and press the touchscreen, the countdown begins.4, 3, 2, 1 — flash!Whether you're ready or not, your look will be captured and printed out seconds later. Munoz, the owner of High Desert....MORE