Meet The Team

Steve is the REDI Director for EDCO - Economic Development for Central Oregon. He enjoys empowering entrepreneurs and assisting businesses to grow and prosper. Steve has been a business owner himself and worked with hundreds of small businesses throughout his career doing research, developing strategy and creating brands.

Passionate about people, ideas and business in Oregon, Steve is committed to doing his part to create a thriving community where people can grow and live out their dreams of owning and building a small business.

"I believe that thriving communities are made up of thriving businesses. And developing those businesses is challenging, yet very rewarding. I enjoy working with forward-thinking companies to help them focus their brand, better understand their customers, and seek out the best markets where they can expand and grow their organizations. I have worked with many types of businesses in a variety of different sectors from tech to manufacturing, start-ups to gazelles, local to traded-sector."

His experience includes:

• Professional EOS Implementer.
• Associate State Director of the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network.
• Director at the Small Business Development Center at COCC.
• Business advisor to local and traded-sector companies in Central Oregon.
• Cofounder of a start-up company that has developed an energy efficient wall system.
• Principal of a branding and marketing consultancy.
• Experience in brand development and brand marketing.
• Experience in publishing, managing book cover design.

Mary was born in Portland, OR and brought up in northern Virginia in a military family. Amidst all the moves in the military, one constant that remained was her grandmother’s in Burns, OR.  Redmond, once a sleepy town Mary would pass through on her way to her grandmother’s for summer vacation, now is the place she calls home.

After graduating from Oregon State University she returned to Portland, where she worked as a senior customer service representative and administrative assistant at Main Street Software, Inc.  In 2008 she moved to Seattle to pursue a career in the legal field.  While working as a records specialist at Perkins Coie for the Patent group, she achieved her paralegal certificate from the University of Washington Extension.  Later, she worked as a Patent paralegal for Intellectual Ventures and then returned to Perkins Coie to work with the Trademark, Copyright and Media Branding group.  In 2015, hearing the call to be closer to aging family, she accepted a position with Miller Nash Graham & Dunn, and moved to central Oregon. When the firm closed a year later, Mary decided to try something different.

Throughout her career in intellectual property, there spawned an interest in the world of commerce and economics.  When she was presented the opportunity at REDI, it seemed a perfect fit. Mary’s passion for REDI stems from its formidable purpose and enterprising vision.  REDI’s mission resonates with her own life goals to grow as an individual while contributing to her community’s success.  In reading the Strategic Plan, it becomes an infectious pursuit for our city’s success; not just for business development and economic growth, but for citizens of Redmond and central Oregon to live, work, play and thrive.

When Mary is not having fun at REDI helping procure economic growth, she enjoys skiing, snow shoeing, and ice skating in the winter; hiking, camping, and attending live music events in the spring and summer.

Jessica was born in Hawaii, raised in the South Puget Sound region of Washington, and most recently lived in Texas and New Mexico. However, having always felt like true Pacific Northwesterners, Jessica and her family settled in Redmond in 2023, finding their forever home.
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Her past educational and career endeavors include;

• pursuing a B.S. in Health Education at Linfield College in McMinnville, OR.
• Work as a senior bank teller with Bank of America
• Operations Specialist with Seattle Credit Union, helping launch their remote deposit program
• Receptionist at the Texas Center for Proton Therapy in Dallas, TX
• Receptionist at the Alicia Trevino Lopez Senior Center in San Antonio, TX
• Administrative Assistant for the WellMed Charitable Foundation in San Antonio, TX, including administrative support during the launch of new community support and outreach programs at the onset of the COVID pandemic

In 2020 and 2021, Jessica welcomed two sons and spent four years balancing motherhood while moving across the country with her family. In the summer of 2024, she felt a strong desire to return to the workforce, aiming to work with an organization committed to her community. Finding the position of administrative coordinator with REDI has been fulfilling for her. The field of economic development is a new area of work that captivates Jessica, and she is enthusiastic about continuing to learn and grow in this field.