Meet Chief Stacy Jepson, Beaverton Police Department

Stacy Jepson grew up in a blended family way back when that wasn’t a thing… or at least it didn’t have a name. If you’re a person of a certain age, think Brady Bunch… kind of. Stacy’s mom and dad each brought 3 kids into their marriage. Then they added two more, a boy, Todd, and a couple of years later, Stacy. The older six were all pretty much of another generation by this time, so growing up it was Stacy and Todd, and they enjoyed a pretty good home life. Stacy had a strong bond with her dad. 

A tomboy, living in a neighborhood with mostly boys, what would you expect? Stacy excelled in sports, particularly basketball, softball, and soccer, lettering in high school in all three. Then, as life will do to you, she took a curve ball that she didn’t see coming. Her father passed suddenly from a heart attack, then her mom was diagnosed with cancer. And if that wasn’t enough, another light in her life, her grandfather, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s not long after. Stacy had to grow up fast as she became a caregiver for her mom and grandfather. 

Her world turned upside down, suddenly college wasn’t so much on her radar, despite being recruited by some universities with athletic scholarships. She did enroll in a community college and eventually landed at Western Oregon, where a roommate encouraged her to look into law enforcement. That’s when she found her true calling.

Links

• Beaverton Police Department
• Beaverton Police Department Community Academy

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Meet Chris & Dean Hogan of Chick-fil-A Raleigh Hills

When you know, you know. Right? That’s what Chris and Dean Hogan both said when asked about how they got together. Now, this wasn’t one of those connections that happened in early elementary school… kind of. And it could never have happened at all. The two did live near each other on the Oregon coast, but Dean is a couple of years older than Chris, and his family moved inland to Vancouver for a while. So the odds were a bit long for them ever meeting. Then, Dean’s family moved back to the coast, where he was enrolled at Seaside High, where Chris went to school. 

Dean was a standout on the Seaside High baseball team, where he had a knack for hitting homers. Remember that old Nike commercial with the Atlanta Braves pitchers and Mark McGwire? The one that coined the phrase “Chicks dig the longball”? That phrase was on point in this case. Those homers caught Chris’ attention. And so Chris would walk past the gas station where Dean worked to get a look at him. Eventually, she wandered in and the two struck up a conversation. When you know, you know, right

Not long after that they were engaged and on their way to a life together. Now life has a habit of throwing curve balls at you. And that happened with Chris and Dean. But it taught them about adversity and how to hit those curves and put priorities in the right direction to take care of one another, their family, and their community. 

Links

• Chick-fil-A Raleigh Hills 
• Dean Hogan LinkedIn 
• Chris Hogan LinkedIn 

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Meet Pauline Lee, Program for Intellectual Empowerment 

Pauline Lee, even before she came into the world, was putting others' needs ahead of her own. She’s the youngest of 4 kids, the last two being twins, of which she was the younger. But when her mom Nancy went into labor Pauline was the twin who was ready to enter the world first. Then… her sister Patricia began having problems and the docs called an audible and instead of delivering Pauline, brought Patricia into the world first, via C-section. You could make the argument that Patricia owes Pauline her life… tongue-in-cheek, of course.

But there it is, still in the womb and already helping others. That’s just who she is. Pauline devoted her life to helping and lifting up others. In 2018 she felt God leading her to open an education program for children who are neurodivergent. Since then children that were often labeled with behavior problems or socially awkward, began to thrive, learn, grow and discover who they wanted to be and how they could contribute to society.

She’s studied the issues, seen what really works for, well, everyone, those of us who are classified as disabled or not. We’re born to communicate and connect, but more often than not, we forget how to do just that. And you know, that’s a bigger issue that’s really bubbled to the surface over the past several years.

Links

• Program for Intellectual Empowerment
• Artful Autism
• PIE Instagram
• Artful Autism Instagram
• Artful Autism​ Shop
• Whole Person Learning

• Support Meet Me In Beaverton via Venmo or PayPal.

Meet Andy Oldenburg, Marsh McLennan Agency

His grandfather Don served in World War II, came home, launched a retail empire, and was ultimately named Man of the Century. His dad, John, was an attorney who ultimately rose to become a judge of the county courts. His mom, Dianne, found her space in education, helping people gain their GEDs, and then founded a nursing program and community college. No pressure to perform if you’re one of the Oldenburg kids. 

At least you’d think so. But Andy Oldenburg’s parents gave their boys the gift of creating their own stories. For a while Andy thought about following his dad into the legal profession. While he pursued that he took a job at a bank, which he really enjoyed because of the cute teller next to him. But while he was in law school and he realized all the heavy reading involved, then an attorney friend of his was called home on his way to another friend’s wedding to get back to work on a case, then a law school mentor said he’d rather crash his car then go into the office. OK, so maybe politics. While an intern he watched congress people literally taking naps during sessions. So, no-go. Then while working at the Heathman Hotel and lugging bags for Mick Jagger, he realized he didn’t see a path to success. That’s when he discovered a path in helping people with their finances, and well, that cute teller next to him? She kinda gave him a purpose when they got married… so maybe it’ll include being named Dad of the Century.

Links

• Marsh McLennan Agency
• Andy Oldenburg LinkedIn Profile

• Support Meet Me In Beaverton via Venmo or PayPal.

Alicia Bermes, President/CEO, Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce.

Cancer. There’s no way to really prepare yourself when the doctor lays that news on you. Whether it’s your own diagnosis, or that of a family member or friend, it’s a gut punch. Some folks whither when they get the diagnosis. Others stiffen their spine and lean into it. They say no – not here, not now. When I’ve had family and friends receive the news, thankfully, they’ve inspired me with the grace and grit with which they attacked the situation, though sadly not all were able to come through that journey. Regardless, I’ve never been able to help seeing them as the John Wayne version of Rooster Cogburn, facing Ned Pepper across that field, shouting across it, “Fill your hand you son of a bitch!”, then kicking his horse into action, blazing away, twirling his rifle on one hand, and ultimately cutting down the entire Pepper gang. 

In the latter part of 2022, our own Alicia Bermes received a cancer diagnosis, and like the others, she suddenly, in my eyes, took on the form of Rooster barreling into the bad guys. She’s come through the ordeal so far. I know that a lot of my fellow members have been wondering how she’s doing, so in today’s episode, Alicia will be sharing her journey with us and providing an update on what’s ahead. 

She’ll also fill us in after that bit of conversation with a state of the Chamber, so to speak, sharing a recap of the past year, and a look forward to 2024. 

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Meet Dick Nichols of the Beaverton Oregon History Association

For Dick Nichols, growing up on his parents' farm made life pretty simple. During the school year, it was go to school, then chores. Some extra-curriculars like track – he never finished last, by the way, but mostly it was a list of to-dos for him and his two brothers. Then summer came, and it was a full day of work, which might include cleaning the barn or chucking bales of hay onto a truck. For fun, maybe some fishing. Simple. Now, it wasn’t a very social kind of life, but it was a good one. 

There were no plans for college, really. Dick wasn’t much on plans. But the road led him to Clark Community College and an AAS in Auto Mechanics, then he followed his brother down the road to work at a car dealership. That road kept him out of Viet Nam. A good thing. But he did serve in the Air Force Reserve, stationed at the Portland Air Base which was inactive, so most of his time was spent watching movies. After that the road took him to a couple other gigs, then to a dance where he stepped in and took a spin with a young lady who didn’t want to dance with another guy. The two of them became peddlers and Dick eventually made a couple of other stops before he began to wonder about a place called Beburg.

Links

• Beaverton Oregon History Association
• You Know You're From Beaverton Facebook Page
• Mutts Coffee

• Support Meet Me In Beaverton via Venmo or PayPal.

Meet Josh Johnson of Binary Brewing

Josh Johnson’s grandfather, Adolf Leroy, made a simple decision. Instead of getting the milk and bread he went out for back in Nebraska, he hopped on a freight train that landed him in Oregon. If not for that fateful, “simple” decision, we might not have some of the best beer in the area. Like his grandfather, Josh followed his instincts and his need to always be moving and doing throughout his life. 

Thing is, from the get-go, Josh simply wanted to do everything. Scouts, camp, sports, drama, band, and then starting his own businesses as a kid from mowing lawns to hawking second-hand treasures at garage sales. I guess Josh is what one would call a serial entrepreneur and explorer. A doer. A curious mind. 

He poured his first beer behind a bar during his teens and from that moment, serving people became one of his primary M.O.’s. He graduated with a Psychology degree and worked as a counselor at St. Mary’s Home for Boys, coaches middle school football, …you get the picture. But Josh was always drawn to the hospitality industry. Working at a local craft brewery one day he realized a simple truth… it’s just hops, malt, and yeast. The trick lies in what you do with it. 

Links

• Binary Brewing Co.
• Free Geeks

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Meet Donna Meeuwsen, Topography Team eXp

OK, let’s just address the elephant in the room – the open grave. That’s right. That’s where Donna Meeuwsen’s story begins. It’s where her mom met her dad. No, not at a funeral. Barney Meeuwsen was digging a grave when his future wife Janice happened upon him. It’s where they buried their pasts and started a future together. Love was born that day – circle of life stuff. Anyway, Barney and Janice married and had three kids. The second was Donna.  

Being the middle of three kids, with one older and one younger brother, Donna had to bring her game every day. Sometimes that meant being a test dummy for the boys, doing things they didn’t want to do, other days they’d bury her in the garden or race their bikes to and through the cemetery. A theme here? I dunno. But needless to say she had a very active childhood, and wanted to try everything that life could offer. She was in a hurry to do it too, topping 120 miles an hour while racing in the streets at night… still kinda likes hitting the gas, even now. Donna dabbled in college, sampled different careers… you might have heard her on the radio delivering traffic reports… was rejected by law enforcement because, well, she drove too fast, and ultimately landed in her current gig where she’s helping to open doors to her clients’ dream homes. 

Links

• Donna Meeuwsen, Topography Team eXp 
• Blue Mountain PRO

• Support Meet Me In Beaverton via Venmo or PayPal.