MAC Entrepreneurs Are the Tastemakers of Portland

By Jake Ten Pas

As a venue for connecting with other successful Portland professionals, MAC is a cut above. The club’s culture of entrepreneurial energy could be described as downright intoxicating, and one might even say that the proposition of membership seems designed to bring great minds together to make each other better.

Take it from the barber, brewery co-founder, and interior designer who share their stories below, or simply ask Dave Hanna, who took the reins of MAC’s Professional Business Networking Group during his time as manager of the Membership department from 2007 to 2018.

“MAC has a strong reputation for attracting some of the most prominent community and business leaders in Portland. This is not by accident. From a membership perspective, we market the club for this value proposition. As a result, the diversity of our business representation is likely unmatched against any other single Portland-based entity not designed to serve that role specifically,” he says.

Now a first-year member of MAC’s Board of Trustees, as well as the Director of Development for Willamette University, Hanna continued to facilitate the group’s discussions as a member before turning moderating duties over to his successor, Scott Jacobs. The group continues to meet at 7:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month, and Hanna feels like it provides a valuable resource to the club community, as evidenced by his own experience with it.

“I’ve learned quite a bit about business strategy, marketing, sales, financial management, risk management, human resources, and public relations. Being present and engaged in such high-level conversations for years makes it almost impossible not to glean and learn,” he reports.

Even members who haven’t yet discovered the joys of early-morning connections with fellow professionals in an organized setting can find ample networking opportunities at MAC. Just chatting with others in the community while working out, having dinner, or attending a social event can yield surprising yarns of successes attained, challenges overcome, and the wisdom gained along the way.

The Mane Attraction

The versatile Roberto Villalobos, for instance, has reinvented himself so many times that he’s a one-man testimonial to the power of selfawareness and perseverance. The proprietor of Fisticuts Barbershop in the Hollywood District of Northeast Portland, he’s right at home among stars, whether of the silver screen or soccer field.

“All of the Timbers came to my shop at one point,” Villalobos proclaims, listing off former clients such as Dairon Asprilla, Diego Valeri, and Vytas. “That was invaluable to have professional athletes showing up to give me that clout, that credibility. It helped me establish what I have today.” to learn his new art form, and after dedicating himself to the craft, Villalobos attained a level of craftsmanship and understanding of the inherent culture of the barbershop that allowed him to take his practice to the next level. He moved to Portland, worked in others’ shops for a few years, and ultimately opened Fisticuts in 2018.

Never mind that most of those players moved onto shops closer to their homes during the pandemic. The word was out that if you wanted the latest in football fashion, you went to Villalobos, and his business has only grown since. Perhaps the most important takeaway from the experience was the importance of looking for an unfilled niche.

“When I moved here, I noticed that the culture is different, so the hair types are different,” he says. “My philosophy is that when people are coming in to get a haircut, they want something that makes them feel good. That’s what I’m trying to do as a hair professional.

“I used to have clients come in and show me a photo of David Beckham or Ronaldo. Now, they’re showing me social media influencers with hair swooping in the front, and that’s the look. Creativity is accepted, and I love it.”

Villalobos’ discovery was that many Spanish-speaking Timbers couldn’t get a decent haircut due to both language barriers and a lack of local shops with experience in the culture and techniques of Latin American barbering.

“All of this was the power of social media,” Villalobos explains. “I was looking at the players and wondering, ‘Who is cutting their hair?’ So, I messaged the entire team, Lucas Melano was the first to respond, and he said, ‘I can’t get a decent haircut! People don’t understand what I’m saying.’ One player led to another, and I kept building off of that.”

Born to Salvadoran immigrants in San Francisco, Villalobos speaks both Spanish and French, which has helped him to travel the world and absorb the latest fashions wherever he goes. After initially working in IT out of high school, he chose to honor the sacrifices his parents had made in bringing their children to the United States by going back to San Francisco State to earn his degree in speech and communications. At the same time, he started performing standup comedy in local clubs, which eventually led him to Los Angeles in pursuit of fame and fortune. He ended up opening for the likes of Robin Williams and Dave Chappelle while also taking bit parts in shows such as Law & Order: Los Angeles.

Despite such wins, Villalobos began to realize that this particular dream wasn’t working out the way he’d hoped, and he wondered if going to barber school might provide a more stable base for his life. With its incredible diversity of individuals, L.A. proved a fertile ground.

Anyone with a great stylist can relate to the fact that the relationship sometimes is built upon trust and personal chemistry as much as how they look, and Villalobos has found success in building a team able to meet every client’s needs while building a solid rapport. He also still finds an opportunity or two to continue to practice past dreams while staying focused on the one at hand.

“I’ve had some of the best and biggest laughs with clients over the years, and the talking part came very naturally to me. I would be lying to you if I said, I don’t try to slip in an occasional joke every now and then. That helps me keep my creative muscles flexed, right?”

Together in Perfect Harmony

Sometimes the universe gives you a truly unambiguous sign. For MAC member Emily Dodge and her partner in Olive & Ivory Interiors, Kelsey Stephenson, it came in the form of a Crate & Barrel catalog perused at just the right moment in their professional lives. In 2020, both were laid off from Nike during the early days of COVID, and had just discussed the possibility of starting their own business with the realities of the situation setting in.

“I got laid off on Monday, and was flipping through the Crate & Kids catalogue, and a beautiful, well-styled bedroom pops up. In the background of the image was a letterboard sign that said, ‘Emily & Kelsey Are Awesome.’ I got full body chills,” she recalls. They met for coffee a couple of days later, came up with some ideas, and had launched their new business about a month later.

“Sometimes you need that push that you aren’t even giving yourself. It’s hard to leave a job that you’re very comfortable in, even if you have dreams, desires, and aspirations to do something completely different. It’s hard to leave security and comfort.” Dodge credits the longtime friends having very supportive partners who gave them the time they needed to focus on their business for several months. They also had a client on day one, and despite it being a nerve-wracking time to start a business, they’ve managed to grow it ever since.

“When we started the business, we went into it saying nothing is more important than our friendship, and when you know in your hear of hearts that you can walk away from the business to maintain the relationship as the most important thing in your life, then it’s going to work out,” Dodge explains.

She adds that the design duo are incredibly aligned both in their vision for the business and their clients. “The last thing we want to do is try to push through a style that they’re not excited about just because we may be excited about it as designers. We want our clients to be super proud of the home that we’ve helped them create, we want their personality to shine through, and we want them to feel really heard at the end of the day.”

While the pandemic was a challenging time to start a business, with supply shortages and clients often trapped at home, it also offered opportunities. People were tired of seeing the same interiors while working and living at home, giving Olive & Ivory a fertile market for renovations. Dodge adds that great communication never goes out of style, and in addition to their consistently clean aesthetics, the company has strived on the strength of their ability to always be reachable, as well as proactively in touch.

“We always say that even though we work in design, we almost work more in customer service because it’s our reputation. We want our clients to feel well taken care of, and communication is just the most critical part of that.”

Open Minds, Open Cans

Migration is more than just a beer. It’s a state of mind committed to movement, change, and diversity, both of flavor and people. Since 2010, member Eric BanzerLausberg has dedicated himself to this idea by fermenting a revolution in local beverage culture.

“It’s a constant journey that we’re all on. If you have a beer with new people, it can continue to open up new doors, ideas, relationships, and adventures,” he says.

The seeds of Migration were planted at a Portland pizza-and-pitcher mainstay, Lucky Labrador, where Banzer-Lausberg, distribution; his brother McKean, CEO; Mike Branes, head brewer; and Colin Rath, pubs director, all worked in various capacities.

“I don’t want to say we had nothing to lose, but there was not much risk. We did it on a shoestring budget. Our team, we just had confidence in each other, what we all brought to the table, and our previous skillset and experience. We used that to our fullest to then make a name for ourselves,” Banzer-Lausberg says.

Having great beer doesn’t hurt either. Capitalizing on the growing popularity back east of New-England style IPAs, which thirsty folks all across the country now know as hazy IPAs, Migration began making a less bitter, fruitier, and more aromatic concoction that consumers of all ages enjoy drinking. Mo Haze Ic IPA is Migration’s flagship take on the style and the company’s most awardwinning beer. It’s taken bronze at the Great American Beer Fest, the most prestigious such event in the country.

Banzer-Lausberg says another recent award is even more significant, though. This year Migration claimed the Small Business of the Year Award for the state of Oregon, the first time a craft brewery’s been selected for the recognition. “We have 50 employees we provide jobs to, and all of them have access to health insurance if they want it. It’s a true economic impact, especially right now as people are looking for jobs.”

He says Migration is committed to spreading their success around, and in addition to a number of charitable endeavors such as of charitable endeavors such as sponsoring Self Enhancement, Inc.’s Soul of the City event, Portland Pride Beer Week, and the Govy 500 at Mt. Hood Meadows, the brewery regularly donates beer to the MAC for basketball, golf, and pickleball events.

And Migration’s fortunes keep growing. After opening two more locations in the wake of their initial Glisan Brewpub, they’ve delved into pop-ups, opening one on a rooftop across the MAX tracks from MAC. In addition to a range of IPAs, they’ve expanded into Belgianstyle beers with their Paloma Sour, and are set to launch a non-alcoholic beer – capitalizing on yet another emerging trend — to all local grocery outlets in September. While Migration’s distribution now reaches as far as Idaho and Colorado domestically, and Japan, Thailand, and Hong Kong internationally, Banzer-Lausberg says Oregon remains its primary focus.

“The old term in the beer world is it’s better to dig a mile deep rather than an inch wide,” he says. “We would love to continue to grow, but our backbone is here. We want to see Portland come back to what it was preCOVID. We love our city.”

Even more than that, Banzer Lausberg emphasizes that, “We’re just open-minded. We love all humans, and that’s something we’re proud of, hence the name Migration. We’ve always come into it that open-minded mentality of everyone’s welcome at our establishments.”

Back at MAC

How does all of this fit into the club’s robust, business-forward culture? “I believe you are who you surround yourself with, and you can’t be successful alone,” Jacobs says. “Multnomah Athletic Club provides a lot of varieties of excellence, and business networking — or some say business connecting — can be facilitated right here because of the quality and variety of members we have. For me, this is a melting pot of business professionals.”

The founder of Jacobs Consulting Group should know. During the early days of COVID, he and his wife downsized, getting rid of unnecessary offices and consolidating their work lives at home. Now, Jacobs conducts much of his business from club spaces ranging from the Cornerstone Lounge to the recently upgraded Work From MAC suite in the King Hill and Chapman rooms on the second floor. He’s a ubiquitous presence who thrives on making connections between people, professional opportunities, and untapped potential.

“MAC provides you the broadest spectrum and opportunity to interact because business isn’t always done across the table. It can be done in the workout room, at a social event, or on the court. I find holistically that this is the best place for me to put my roots as a professional business coach,” he explains. Hosting the monthly Professional Business Networking meetings on site provides yet another resource to lifelong athletes, who can connect in as many ways as they can play within the club.