(Vic Martinez)
Retiring Former Chamber Board Chair Proud of Role in Advancing Local Economy
A leading light in the local business community and former Bend Chamber chair is heading into retirement leaving a lasting legacy of advocacy for the city’s continuing evolution.
Vic Martinez is saying farewell to the insurance industry after 25-years-plus as a valued agent — most recently as a commercial account executive with PayneWest — bookending a stint in commercial real estate.
But he is also particularly proud of his involvement in advancing Bend’s economic prosperity over the last couple of decades and being a proponent for wider public input regarding shaping the city’s growth.
Martinez relocated to Bend from the Bay Area in 1993, partly drawn by the healthy environment for raising he and his wife Deborah’s two sons, but also attracted by the area’s lifestyle attributes and potential for new business opportunities.
By 1995 he had acquired an independent insurance agency, building up the business as CEO — with an emphasis on nurturing relationships and garnering numerous referrals — before selling in 2008.
Evidence of his desire to serve the Bend community was apparent in the early 2000’s when Martinez joined the board of the Boys & Girls Club, and, as a budding entrepreneur, he also became involved with renowned peer-to-peer mentorship group Opportunity Knocks (OK).
Originally launched by Jim and Mary Schell, the nonprofit helps businesses and organizations achieve excellence by matching industry and community leaders with a trusted, facilitated group of peers who act as mentors to provide expert advice and insight to help propel business and professional growth.
Martinez said, “This is an illustration of one of the things that is great about this community, and which I wanted to help continue to cultivate, in creating a collaborative, mutually beneficial ecosystem.
“Opportunity Knocks provided a safe, confidential environment to share experiences and look for guidance by airing questions and getting the benefit of others’ experience and expertise.
“I both received information as a business owner and then later became a facilitator myself, as part of giving back and building on foundations previously put in place.”
Martinez went on to join Bend 2030 from 2014-20 as a Board member, including two years as chair.
The nonprofit organization was launched in 2006, with City funding, to focus on public engagement, and to take on the role of supporting community members to come together around their shared solutions for shaping the future of Bend.
Martinez added, “Bend 2030 was created to steward the vision adopted by our community in 2006.
“Its job was twofold: to sustain momentum towards the community vision and to bridge the gap between aspiration and action, connecting the values, dreams and passion of Bend residents to the public, private and non-governmental organizations with resources that can make the vision reality.
“As an all-volunteer board of advisors, we addressed all aspects of citizen concerns, canvassing opinions and reporting to the City Council.
“The process encompassed reaching out to stakeholders on issues important to the community, such as affordable housing and transportation, collating diverse input and presenting a report to city council as a kind of conduit for the community.
“The City has listened and incorporated such public feedback in policy, including adopting our recommendation to have an elected mayor rather than it being an appointed position, as it was previously.”
Around the same period, Martinez joined the Bend Chamber as a Board Member, becoming Board President in 2019.
He observed, “My goal was to advance the general welfare and economic prosperity for the city of Bend and promote its economic, civic, commercial and cultural interests.
“This fit with my desire to be involved in helping create and continue a collaborative system to help business grow and prosper and be part of a driving force in shaping Bend’s growth as a premier place to live and work.
“My purpose has been to foster a business environment collaborative and supportive both of people already here and those coming.
“There has been a sense of wanting to return the favor to a community that has given me the ability to succeed. I will always be thankful for the opportunities I was presented with and provided to me and my family.
“It is rewarding to be part of an effort to maintain and grow a positive environment for future generations and as a parent you want to give opportunities for our children to succeed here. You do the best you can and see if you can impact how the community moves in a positive direction.
“You can’t really complain about the ramifications of growth and so forth if you are not prepared to get involved and let your voice be heard.”
As for retirement plans, Martinez is looking forward to not having 7am workday starts, as well as exploring travel destinations with his spouse, in what is hoped will be a post-COVID world, and tackling “a lot of projects around the house!”
About PayneWest: PayneWest is an independent, employee-owned and northwest-based insurance agency with over 700 employees. Prioritizing providing risk management, the company applies industry specialization to their commercial team, with specialty practice groups in construction, development, healthcare and public entities.
