Nominee | Marta Tarantsay, Regional Development Officer with Business Oregon & Current DMA Board Secretary
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/martatarantsey
Nominator | EJ McManus
Bio | Working with businesses and agencies in Oregon to promote economic and community development since 2014.
Marta earned an MBA in 2013 from Atkinson Business School in Oregon, USA, and is always looking for opportunities to bring her knowledge of marketing, passion for sustainability, multicultural approach and positive outlook to a new project or a challenging task. Public administration and public service caught her attention when she started volunteering for a small-town library and the city hall in the heart of Willamette Valley. Studying so close to the Oregon State Capitol inspired her to pursue coursework in public management and intern with a local safety net program focused on policy. Marta is a co-designer of a biomimicry bus stop project several years in the making – which, to be precise, is really in hiatus now as the market has come up with amazing versatile designs since then. Marta has 5+ years of volunteering and community relations experience and is keeping her quantitative analysis skills sharp by continuing to consult for an organization where she has interned as a data analyst.
Nominee | Clay Bearnson, Owner of The Gyspy Bar
Nominator | Courtney Toll
Bio | In 1985, my family moved to Medford from Idaho. For the past 20 years my girlfriend Robin and I have raised her daughter. The two of us have worked for a multitude of businesses over the last 25 years before we were led to The Gypsy Blues Bar, which we eventually purchased in 2003, and continue to operate in downtown Medford. We love being downtown and I am committed to its vitality. Its success is shared by everyone here in Medford—businesses, residents, and visitors.
Being a small business owner gave me a new and unique perspective of how we all contribute to our community. I have served eight years as a Medford city councilor.
Nominee | Jason Nelson, Licensed Real Estate Agent at Rutledge Property Group
LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-nelson-867562164
Nominator | Courtney Toll
Bio | For the past year and a half I have been a Licensed Real Estate Broker in Southern Oregon with Rutledge Property Group. Previous to this I was based in Ashland as both the Sales & Catering Manager and Event Manager for Neuman Hotel Group. I have always had a passion and love for downtown. For me, Downtown is truly the heart of any community and I want our downtown to always have a pulse whether it’s breakfast time on a Sunday, a visitor rolls into town on Wednesday night at 8:30pm or it’s the Fourth of July and my family wants to have some fun. My vision for my time on the board is to help engage downtown Medford and create a place where businesses can be profitable, where residents feel safe and where visitors go to experience Medford. When I was in my 20’s my now wife and I opened a bakery in Klamath Falls, Oregon. We always knew we wanted to keep it located in downtown Klamath Falls and over the years it grew and grew, the local downtown association embraced us and helped make our passion project a career. My time on the board of the KFDA was remarkable. I loved creating a place for residents and visitors to flock, I loved working to make Third Thursdays, Scarecrow Row and all the events magical for attendees and business owners. I would be honored to be given the chance to have the same impact in my new home of Medford.
Voting takes place December 13th. To be considered an active member and cast your vote, join us today!
