‘The Man to Call’

Jon Stark is exactly where he wants to be.

In 1999, he came to Central Oregon from Seattle, where he worked in the hospitality industry and didn’t feel a part of the community.

Initially he moved to Bend, but he found the vibe there to be similar to the larger metropolitan area he’d just left.

So Stark moved to Redmond in 2001 and later joined the team at Redmond Economic Development, Inc. as senior manager in 2008.  

His experience in Redmond has been what he wants.  He knows the people he works with.  He has built fulfilling relationships within the community.  And Stark has become a part of the community, one that he doesn’t plan on leaving.  

“My intents and my passions are much like many of the people who live here,” Stark says.  “So that makes me feel very connected. I’m very embedded in the community.  I’m grounded here.  It’s a place where I can be myself, and I didn’t feel that way in Seattle.”

Stark says he wants Redmond to prosper and wants current Redmond youth to stay in their hometown instead of moving to find a better job in a different area.