Vision Oregon is OBI’s largest event of the year, bringing together business, community and political leaders to celebrate achievement and discuss timely issues. During the event, OBI presents its highest honor, the Oregon Visionary Award, welcomes keynote speakers and expert panelists and announces the winner of the annual Coolest Thing Made in Oregon contest.
Oregon’s Bounty: Growing and Making What the World Wants
Join OBI for a celebration of those who feed and spark joy in others with all that Oregon has to offer.
Featuring
Remarks by Mike Thelin
A lively panel discussion (stay tuned for panelists)
Visionary Award presentation to ENTEK and Threemile Canyon Farms (see announcement below)
Coolest Thing Made in Oregon Winner Announcement
When
Wednesday, Oct. 28
Social hour begins at 3:30 p.m.
Program begins at 4:30 p.m.
Where
Portland Art Museum
1119 SW Park Ave., Portland
For questions or sponsorship opportunities, contact KelsieGreenacre@oregonbusinessindustry.com.
ENTEK and Threemile Canyon Farms have been selected to receive the Oregon Visionary Award during OBI’s annual Vision Oregon Event.
ENTEK. Founded in Oregon in 1984, ENTEK has been part of the fabric of the Oregon manufacturing community. Maintaining its Oregon headquarters and cultural roots, it has grown to become a global company. The Lebanon-based company has become a world leader in the production of separators (a required component for almost all batteries) and is playing a key role in the global shift toward electrification. ENTEK produces separators that are key components in the batteries we depend on for everyday life. ENTEK products are critical to enable all vehicles, including cars, trucks, EVs, emergency vehicles and military applications. ENTEK’s products are found in almost 80% of vehicles in the U.S. and half of all vehicle batteries worldwide. ENTEK’s products are found in both lead and lithium-ion batteries. The company is growing and is currently constructing a giga-scale lithium-ion separator factory in the U.S. to support both xEVs and battery energy storage systems for renewable energy and data centers. The new plant is a critical part of the developing lithium battery supply chain in the U.S. and will reduce reliance upon imported products. In addition to separators, ENTEK designs and manufactures extrusion and material handling equipment used by our separator plants and many other manufacturers, including plastics, recycled products, building products, biopolymers, food and medical products. There are about 500 employees at ENTEK in Lebanon, Ore., and more than 1,200 employees globally.
Threemile Canyon Farms. Established in 1999, Threemile Canyon Farms is a leader in combining modern agricultural operations with a longstanding commitment to being stewards of the land through its innovative closed-loop system. Its 93,000-acre Boardman operation maximizes efficiency while minimizing environmental impact. At the heart of Threemile Canyon Farms is a large-scale dairy whose milk is trucked a short distance to nearby Boardman, where it is made into award-winning Tillamook cheese. Much of the waste created by the dairy’s herd is transformed into renewable natural gas by an on-site digester, sequestering more than 152,000 metric tons of carbon emissions per year. That’s roughly the impact of 35,000 passenger vehicles. After going through the digester, the dairy waste is moved efficiently through a state-of-the-art irrigation system to fertilize Threemile Canyon Farms’ 39,000 acres of irrigated farmland, which grows much of the feed consumed by its dairy herd. In 2020, the farm received a U.S. Dairy Sustainability Award from the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. In addition, the farming operation produces millions of pounds of food annually for sale, including potatoes, corn and carrots. Its organic farming operation produces onions, carrots, blueberries, grain, alfalfa and other crops. Threemile Canyon Farms employs roughly 400 people in its own operation and supports the employment of hundreds more in Boardman while producing food needed by people across the country.
Check out videos of 2025 Oregon Visionary Award recipients Daimler Truck North America (video here) and NIC Industries (video here).
OBI presents the Visionary Award to individuals, companies and organizations that, through steadfast service to their communities, illuminate a path to shared prosperity, built upon a thriving state economy with opportunity for all Oregonians. Awardees are those willing to set aside individual interests and politics to bring Oregonians together around a common set of values with a focus on practical solutions to the most difficult challenges of our time.
