In this episode, we will be exploring a seemingly simple question that, turns out, has a rather complicated answer. What is Wallowa Resources? In order to understand the core values of our organization, we have to go back to the beginning. Wallowa resources was founded in the backroom of a bakery in 1996. At that time, our rural community was in crisis. Due to changes in timber harvest laws, our county’s sawmills shut down and 20% of the workforce lost their jobs overnight. A group of folks began meeting once a week to try and come up with a solution. How can we ensure that displaced forest and mill workers find new, meaningful, and rewarding work? How do we prevent families from leaving the county? What can we do to save our schools and hospital? These were just a few of the challenges that lay before what became the inaugural board of our organization. By speaking with our past and present directors, Diane Daggett and Nils Christoffersen respectively, and our longest sitting board members, Mike Hayward and Larry Nall, we share the story of our genesis.