I’ve spent more than seven years annoying you with bad grammar and third-rate prose on Silicon Florist. And it’s been awesome to have the opportunity to meet so many amazing founders in the Portland startup scene. But for all the awesomeness of Portland, I also realize that Oregon is a big state. With even more amazing founders. That’s what attracted me to Built Oregon.
When Mitch Daugherty and Terry “Starbucker” St Marie were kind enough to let me in on the concept, I was hooked. And I had to figure out a way to help.
I think you’ll appreciate why…
In a Jerry Maguire moment, and possibly over a few pints of good Oregon beer, Mitch crafted the original Built Oregon mission statement. It was a reflection of what he and Terry envisioned and a statement about the opportunity they saw around the idea of developing a digital magazine that told the story of entrepreneurship and innovation that is happening all across Oregon.
Storytelling to raise the awareness about what is happening in Oregon.
Storytelling to instigate conversations around the innovation community, which includes everything from food & beverage to sustainable farming and onto biotech and consumer products.
Storytelling that helps to connect entrepreneurial communities, regions, and the state.
And so we began working on it. We hustled to build a Kickstarter project to give us some funding. That funding—and the validation of the concept—enabled us to work with real storytellers. And to get them chatting with incredible founders around the state. So that we could do our best to give those stories a home.
Many of you followed along on this journey. And helped us out. And kept us going. Now, we have something to show you.
Today, we launched the first issue of Built Oregon, featuring 12 long-form founder stories from around Oregon:
- Bravado Outdoor
- Breedlove Guitars
- Burley Trailers
- Carman Ranch
- Dark Horse Comics
- Nau
- Point 97
- Roguewood
- Rolf Prima
- Ruby Jewel Ice Cream
- Santiam Brewing
- Sawyer Paddles
I honestly can’t wait to get to work on the next issue.
For more on the origin story, see “A small step towards big things.” To stay in the loop, follow @BuiltOregon on Twitter or like Built Oregon on Facebook. And of course, if you like what you’re reading, please join us in celebrating the entrepreneurial stories of Oregon.
