Rooted in Eugene | Part 4: The Life I’ve Always Wanted
Eugene, Oregon may not immediately land on your radar, but for those in food manufacturing, the region is known as a nearly perfect place for producing products and distributing across the west coast. Saddled on the southern edge of the fertile Willamette Valley, the metro area’s modest size, lack of traffic congestion, and inexpensive highly renewable hydropower supply pair wonderfully with its location less than 500 miles from both Seattle and The Bay area.
Eugene attracts professionals seeking opportunities that compliment a high quality of life outside of the office. Downtown is just minutes from hiking tails and no more than an hour from the coast or snowy mountain tops. Locals enjoy a seemingly endless array of outdoor activities all in close proximity to home and work. Better still, commutes rarely exceed 15 mins, even for those living on the outskirts of town. Those looking to ditch the car completely are often pleased by the substantial alternative transportation options. In 2019, REI ranked Eugene as the third most bikeable city in the country.
Working in food science, Casey Jenkins was on a strong upward trajectory working for Annie’s Organics based in the Bay Area. She loved her job and knew there was plenty of potential for growth in her role. Yet, she was also tired of a two-hour round trip commute and the incredibly high cost of home ownership for her family.
Leann Swims celebrating her graduation and subsequent job offer at NuNaturals
When Yogi Tea recruited her for a position based in Eugene she decided to explore the opportunity. “Everything is 15 min away up here.” Jenkins says. “When I started living it, I was like, wow I can’t believe I spent so much time in the car. That’s 2-4 hours that I’m not spending with my family, going for a walk, or doing any of the things that I like to do.” She’s also enjoying the robust local network of other food professionals. “The sharing of information is really lovely. It’s nice to have other companies locally that you can lean on and have a community with.”
Leann Swims was admittedly picky when she began looking for a new place to live. Originally from Asheville, North Carolina she had spent the majority of her life enjoying the benefits of living close to small farms and abundant outdoor activities. Swims discovered Eugene while working for the Asheville Tourism Bureau. Her colleagues were raving about the area after viwting to learn more about the City of Eugene’s bicycle infrastructure. Their enthusiasm for the area was at least partly responsible for her decision to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism.
She recounts her first drive into town. “Seeing the rivers and how blue they were, and how beautiful the trees were…. We had a feeling this was the right decision.” Beyond the beautiful landscapes of Swims first drive into town she also discovered a career in the food products industry. During her graduate studies, she took on an internship with NuNaturals that unexpectedly grew into a full-time marketing position. She’s also discovering a community of friends and co-workers that align with her values. “Everyone is just so nice. Even nicer than we were expecting!”
While Jenkins and Swims found something new in Eugene, Elizabeth Fisher had already fallen for the region when career pulled her out of State in 2010. “My goal when I left in 2010 was to get back, and I did.” Nearly a decade after leaving, Fisher found the opportunity she was looking for. With over 20 years of experience managing human resources in a variety of manufacturing operations, she was a perfect fit for Danone North America’s Human Resource Manager position in Springfield, Oregon, an increasingly popular town just east of Eugene.
Elizabeth Fisher, Human Resource Manager for Danone North America
Fisher found exactly what she was looking for in the new position. “I moved back to where I wanted to live and was able to really make a difference at this organization.” She is relishing her return to a place that resonates with her values. “I love the diversity of thought and the openness people have here.” She says. “I love how thoughtful people are about decision making.” Leading human resources at a large employer, she also has the pleasure of welcoming new transplants to the region, who often are pursuing much more than an upwardly mobile career. “We have people who come here simply because of the outdoor lifestyle they have access to.”
Dan Vishny’s journey also took him away from the area before ushering him back to something more sustaining. After what he calls an “absolute failure” attempting to launch a healthy fast food restaurant concept in Eugene back in the late nineties he left town for a much-needed paycheck managing finances and accounting for a family business in the fashion industry. After a decade in the fashion industry he found a role at a startup based in Eugene from the same industry.
Dan Vishny loves owning Red Ape Cinnamon and living the Eugene lifestyle
Upon returning to Eugene he quickly identified many other small companies, mainly in the food industry, that could benefit from fractional CFO services, thus Promised Land Consulting emerged. Vishny has worked with numerous companies from complete startups to those with eight figure sales. He’s even managed to pick up his own brand along the way when he purchased Red Ape Cinnamon in 2013.
Vishny is proud of the niche he’s carved out and the life he enjoys working and playing in the Eugene area. “I just love it here.” He says. “Eugene’s a great place to live. It’s a great community. It's a great place to raise kids and there’s a great food culture.” While his credentials likely could earn him more dollars and professional accolades in other larger markets, he has no intentions of leaving anytime soon. “I prefer to have a small natural foods company in Eugene because it’s awesome here, and there’s a lot of cool people doing the same thing I’m doing.”
People from across the country are beginning to take note of Eugene’s potent combination of professional opportunity, outdoor access, and alternative transportation options. The Washington Post recently featured the Eugene, Oregon as a leading city with “20-minute friendly” transportation options.
Rooted in Eugene highlights stories of people who chose to live, work, and play in the greater Eugene area’s dynamic food and beverage manufacturing industry
Check out the rest of the series!
Part 1: Love and Natural Foods
Part 2: High Quality Ingredients