2009 Candidate Profiles

Voting members of The Chamber of Medford/Jackson County, the largest Chamber in the state and among the most influential in the region, will cast their ballots by Monday, May 11, for eight directors to serve a three-year term beginning September 1, 2009 and ending August 31, 2011.

Curt Bennett, UBS Financial

Born and raised in the Rogue Valley, Curt joined UBS (then PaineWebber) in 1995. He is currently a First Vice President-Investments.

An active member of the community, Curt has served on the Medford City Council, is a past president of the Medford Rogue Rotary Club and serves on the boards of the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County (he currently serves as Vice Chair for Creating a Strong Economy), the Salvation Army, Rotary First Harvest and Providence Medford Medical Center.

Curt and his wife, Carol, enjoy traveling, gardening, golf and their grandchildren.

Chris Borovansky, Jackson County Expo

Chris Borovansky is the director of the Jackson County Fairgrounds/Expo and Lithia Motors Amphitheater, and is completing his first term on The Chamber Board of Directors. He has been the director of the fairgrounds for nearly 21 years, and brings nearly 30 years of business experience to The Chamber Board.

Prior to coming to southern Oregon, he was president of Event Tech, an event planning firm specializing in festivals, concerts and horse racing. He is active in the community, currently serving on the Boards of St. Mary’s School, ACCESS, Hearts and Vines and the Crater Foundation, in addition to The Chamber.

He is a co-chair of Red White and Boom!, Medford’s 4th of July Celebration, and a volunteer with Medford Youth Sports and Rogue Valley Medical Center Hospice.

He is a member and past president of Central Point Rotary, and is a former board member with Community Works and the D9 Foundation.

Borovansky has served as president and legislative chairman of the Western Fairs Association, and is a member of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions and Oregon Fairs Association.

He lives in Medford with his wife, Deborah Martin, daughters DeLayne and Albie and son A.J.

Curt Burrill, Burrill Resources

Curt Burrill is the principal Broker and Managing Member of Burrill Real Estate, LLC in Medford. Burrill Real Estate, LLC specializes in commercial real estate sales, leasing and development. Curt has over 15 years of commercial real estate experience in southern Oregon and manages one of the largest industrial land portfolios in southern Oregon.

Curt previously served on the Chamber Board of Directors from 1999 to 2007. He was the Chairman of the Board during the 05/06 Chamber year. Curt has been actively involved with numerous action committees including Transportation, Legislative, Land Use, Awards and the ad-hoc Fee committee. "I feel that involvement is the key to success. The Chamber has provided me with numerous opportunities to be involved with committee’s relevant to business issues that affect my business and my community."

Curt’s other community involvement includes the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Rogue Valley, SOREDI, Goodwill, Boys Scouts of America, Medford Rogue Rotary, White City Planning Commission and the Highway 62 Citizens Advisory Committee.

Curt was educated in the Medford School District and received his BS in Business Administration from Southern Oregon University.

Curt has been married for almost 10 years to his wife Margo and together they are raising four children. In his limited free time, Curt enjoys hunting, fishing, golf and camping with his family.

Mike Crennen, Knife River

Family:
Wife (Louellen) and son (Michael 10)

Carol Flynn, Rogue Valley Physicians

Carol Flinn, Chief Executive Officer for Rogue Valley Physicians, has lived and worked in Medford for almost 20 years. Rogue Valley Physicians is the largest independent physician practice in the Rogue Valley, with 32 primary care providers in six offices in Medford and Central Point, as well as a specialty group of seven physicians that will be joining in July. Carol was formerly Executive Director for Oregon Advanced Imaging, and has worked in health care since she moved here, also serving as administrator for OB-Gyn Health Center, Chief Operating Officer for the original Medford Clinic, and doing independent consulting work for medical offices. She holds a B.S. degree in Nutrition from Oregon State University, and a Master in Business Administration degree from University of Portland.

Carol’s community activities include her recent reelection to the Prime Care IPA Board of Directors, after serving on this board from 1999-2003. She is also a member of Soroptimist International, Sunrise chapter, and actively participates in their many community projects. Carol served on several Chamber of Commerce sub-committees, including the Health Care Committee (1995) and the Community Development Committee (1996-1997), and also participating in the 1996 Chamber of Commerce leadership class. Other community activities that she was involved in previously included participation in the Southern Oregon Health Care Consortium, the Jackson County Perinatal Task Force, volunteering at the Festival of Trees and as a Girl Scout leader, and serving on the local board of the National Human Resources Management Association.

Carol and her husband Larry, a Medford native, have two almost grown children, 17 and 20.

Dr. Edward Helman

Dr. Ed Helman has practiced family medicine in Medford for almost 30 years. In addition to primary care, he has a sub specialty in occupational and aerospace medicine and has provided medical care and assistance to many employers and their workers.

Dr. Helman has been an active participant in the medical and business communities. He served as chairman of the department of Family Medicine at Providence and Rogue Valley Hospitals. He has been on the Board of Mercy Flights for many years and currently serves on the Providence Medical Center Community Board. Dr Helman has been active on the board of the Chamber of Medford and Jackson County for the past three years and is pleased to be considered for another term on the board.

In running for the board position, Dr. Helman is both a physician who is intimately involved in the rapidly changing field of medicine and a small businessman who supports the Chamber’s mission to stimulate and build the business community in southern Oregon.

Bill Maentz, The Maentz Agency

Being re-elected to The Chamber Board of Directors would be an honor. As an active board member for two terms, I have worked hard and been totally dedicated to the goals and objectives of The Chamber. I look forward to continuing its commitment of Creating a Strong Economy, Networking, Promoting the Community, and Representing Business Issues.

I currently serve on the Chamber Board of Directors, the Chamber Executive Board as Vice-President of Promoting the Community, the Medford Visitors & Convention Bureau Board of Directors, and the Legislative Action Committee. I have also committed many hours to enhancing the programs and events of the Chamber, including the MEDDYS Annual Awards Banquet, the Medford Jazz Jubilee, Red, White and Boom, and ChamberPAC.

As president of the Maentz Agency Inc., I have specialized in message, marketing and media strategy. I have a marketing degree from Southern Oregon University with 21 years of experience in advertising, marketing and all fields of public information.

I have a strong commitment to the community and sit on the Board of Directors of the Greater Medford Rotary, the Southern Oregon University Foundation, The Salvation Army/Medford Citadel, and the Medford Cruise Association, as well as advising to over 10 non-profit organizations.

Mike Mastroni, Beecher Carlson Insurance Agency

Mike Mastroni his wife Jenny and two children have been residents of the Jackson County since 2005. Mike has a 20 year career in the field of property and casualty insurance and is currently Vice President at Beecher Carlson Insurance Agency. He is a graduate of University of California at Los Angeles.

He is passionate about volunteer work and giving back to the community. Mike was a volunteer firefighter with Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. He served on the United Way cabinet for the United Way Willamette Valley. He has also volunteered his time with Junior Achievement. Most recently he has served on the Board of Directors for Community Works for the past 4 years and is currently the Board Chair.

"I am a strong believer in the work conducted by our Chamber of Commerce which supports our community and our local businesses. It would be an honor to serve an organization so invested in the well being of our community."

Gary Miller, ACCESS, Inc.

Gary and his wife Candy are long-time Medford residents. They are the proud parents of two married children and have four grandchildren. He retired from Qwest, the local phone company, in October 2002 where he served as community affairs manager for the southern Oregon area for the last 13 years of his 32-year career. He then held the position of Director of Development for the Rogue Valley Manor Foundation before assuming his current position of Executive Director of ACCESS, Inc. in March, 2006. Candy works as a teacher’s assistant at Wilson Elementary School.

He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Southern Oregon University and his MBA degree in marketing from the University of Oregon.

Gary is very involved in a variety of community activities. He is a member and past president of Medford Rotary; president of the Medford Youth Baseball Society; co-chair of the Medford/Jackson County Chamber’s 4th of July Red, White and Boom! committee; and a Medford/Jackson County Chamber board member; The Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce selected him as Member of the Year in 2002.

Kathy Peckham, Bank of the Cascades

Kathy Peckham is Senior Vice President/Senior Commercial Lender of the Southern Oregon Region for Bank of the Cascades. Kathy has over 32 years of banking experience which includes positions of Senior Vice President of Corporate Banking, Senior Vice President/Regional Manager, Commercial Relationship Manager and Commercial Lending Officer. She is responsible for business development efforts and relationship management for commercial clients in Jackson and Josephine Counties. Kathy is a graduate of the ABA School of Bank Marketing and Management at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Chamber Involvement: She has been involved with the Chamber since 1995 and has served on numerous Chamber Action Teams including Chair of the Membership Event in 2006 which brought in 254 new members making us the "largest Chamber" in the State of Oregon, Annual Dinner Committee, Directors and Officer Nominating Committees, Marketing Advisory Action Team, Business Development Committee of the VCB and Long Term Strategic Planning Committee to name a few. She is a Past Chair of the Board of the Chamber of Medford/Jackson County, Past Chair of the ChamberPac Board and Past-Chair of the Visitors & Convention Bureau Business Development committee. She currently serves as Chair of the Jackson County Business Retention and Expansion Survey Action Team.

She also serves as Treasurer and member of the Executive Board for the Asante Foundation, as Vice-Chair of the Three Rivers Hospital Foundation Committee as well as a member of the Properties & Facilities Committee of the Asante Governing Board. She is a past president of the Rogue Gateway Rotary club and of the Josephine County Christmas Basket Program.

David Wright, Commercial Property Management

David Wright is a Rogue Valley native and holds Business Management and Communications degrees from Oregon State University. He became a partner and president of Commercial Property Management, Inc. in 1999 and has served as Principal Broker at the company for the past five years.

Along the way, David became a Certified Property Manager (CPM®) through the Institute of Real Estate Management. He has been a member of the National Association of Realtors and Rogue Valley Association of Realtors since 2000.

David is known for his direct leadership style, his positive energy and for bringing a fresh perspective to the business table. He is a dedicated family man with a passion for serving the southern Oregon community, from non-profits to foundations and business organizations.

For the past two years, David has acted as Board Chair of the Southern Oregon Chapter of the Red Cross. He is Past President and currently on the Board of Trustees of Hearts and Vines Foundation. David is on the Board of Directors for Southern Oregon Multiple Listing Service Inc. and on Oregon Community Foundation’s Southern Oregon Regional Advisory Council. He is also a former Board Member of Medford Rogue Rotary.

David’s commitment and service to the Medford/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce spreads many years. He is the Past Chair and Board Member of the Chamber’s Rogue Valley Foundation and has served twice on the organization’s Membership campaigns. David was also a member of the Chamber’s Leadership Class for two consecutive years.