Opportunity Foundation Redmond ‘Business of Year’

On Friday, January 24, the Opportunity Foundation of Central Oregon was awarded Business of the Year at the Annual Redmond Chamber Awards Dinner.

Each year, the Redmond Chamber of Commerce takes nominations for local businesses and, after a vote, the Board of Directors selects a winner.

“This is an organization whose roots run deep in Redmond,” said Eric Sande, Executive Director of the Redmond Chamber, at the event. “The positive economic and social impact they provide to the area cannot be overstated.” Established in 1965, The Opportunity Foundation is approaching fifty years of providing life improvement services to Central Oregonians with disabilities through residential and vocational programs.

“We are very proud of this accomplishment,” says Seth Johnson, Executive Director at the Opportunity Foundation. “We provide paid employment for over two hundred individuals with significant disabilities, most of whom would otherwise struggle to find and keep a job. Combined with our administrative and support staff, we are one of the largest private employers in the region.”

It’s not just the Redmond business community benefiting from the Opportunity Foundation’s presence, Johnson points out. The Foundation provides housing and operates thrift stores in Madras, Redmond and Bend and makes a positive economic impact in the tri-county area. In addition, “we own and operate a series of businesses, which include janitorial services, document destruction, recycling, wood mill products, as well as assembly and packaging services.”

“We are very fortunate to have this organization in our community,” says Sande. Johnson feels the reverse is also true: “We owe Redmond and the surrounding communities a big thank-you for supporting us. We are truly honored by this recognition and will always strive to improve the lives of everyone in the communities we serve.”