Building Trust, Representation, and Opportunity with Titonian Wallace Sr.

Kim Allchurch Flick: Hello everyone. This is Kim Allchurch Flick with the Mighty Measure Podcast, and this is designed to bring inspiration from a variety of individuals who are doing wonderful things in the world, and collectively it makes our world better. Today we have to, Titonian Wallace Sr. From Nesace Media. Titonian Wallace Senior is a community leader, business owner and founder of Nesace Media, who has built much of his work around rep representation, trust, and economic opportunity.

He became the first black chair of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce in its 129 year history and has helped grow black business membership through the Black Business Advisory Council. He also created Hillsborough Juneteenth celebration and has worked to connect business leadership with real community impact.

His work is rooted in making sure people feel seen, supported, and able to participate in spaces that have not always felt open to them. Today we’re talking about building trust, representation, and opportunity through community leadership. Titonian welcome. It is a delight to have you here. 

Titonian Wallace: Yeah. Thank you for having me here, Kim.

It was great seeing you again. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Yes, we met because of organizations and small conferences, local business gatherings, and it’s been wonderful. And then through the small business development center, you were one of the teachers for the Business Builders program, and that was wonderful. I learned so much about your business acumen to 

Titonian Wallace: that.

Kim Allchurch Flick: Yeah. 

Titonian Wallace: Thank you. Yeah. And that was a great opportunity. I thank you for even offering that to me at the time, and I think. How long did I do it for? A year and a half or so. Year and 

Kim Allchurch Flick: a half at least. Yeah, 

Titonian Wallace: before I had to step back because. I was I guess volunteering for other roles, but I was gaining other leadership roles at the time that kind of took me away from that, plus running my business at the same time.

But I highly enjoyed it and I hope all the businesses that went through the course and still likely still do to this day that they really got a benefit from that program. Yeah. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Oh, they did the feedback was terrific. And I see you as a multipotentialite. You’re one of these people that seems to be doing many things at once and doing them well.

What is your origin story the inspiration and values that have brought you to this point? 

Titonian Wallace: My origin story and what brought me here, my values at my, so for me, I am, I’m originally from Benton Harbor, Michigan. And then I lived in Topeka, Kansas before I came here. But at my core of who I am. I would say goes back to my, my upbringing and my mother, Sharon Wallace who raised me and my younger sister.

I think one of the most profound things that she left on me that I carry to this day. And I try to share with my children and even other kids that I even mentor now. One of the strongest phrase she ever said to me that keeps me moving forward is never say you can’t. So I grew up not with that, believing that if I tried and did my best, there was nothing that I couldn’t do.

So because of that, I don’t allow. Outside individuals to limit what they think of me or what I can and can’t do. You can’t do that. Only I can do that and I won’t do that. And so I thank my mother for that and I think our youth today need more of that to understand that. You are more than your situation and your circumstances.

I grew up poor. I grew up in Benton Harbor, Michigan. A population I think may have been 14, 15, 13 to 15,000 at the time, predominantly black city often compared to your Flint, Michigan and your Detroit, Michigan, because of crime levels and everything like that. But I had a group of, a small group of friends.

We grew up feeling like there’s more to life than this, than what we see here, where we’re from, and we don’t want this as for the rest of our lives. And we all fought hard to get out. I’ll tell you my from high school, my top 10 graduating class was a mixture of your nerds and your athletes.

So we had geeks and athletes that were almost one unified circle. Different avenues and paths that we were taking. Some of us were using academics to get through school, others were using sports. But the unifying thing, the unifying message between all of us was, we’re gonna get out of here.

And several of us did. And that doesn’t happen where I’m from. So to be able to do that and then to get to this point where I am, to where I am trying to make a difference really. I think resonates with people as well as you see when you can see yourself, when you know everyone struggles.

Everyone comes from something somewhere. And most of us aren’t born with a silver spoon or a trust fund or a rich aunt and uncle that leaves you a large inheritance. We have to work for it. And I get the way the world is now, it seems like we’ve worked our butts off and we get nickels in return. So there, there’s a dynamic shift in the mentality of probably my generation and younger generations, even my kids and even those younger than them.

To where we’re questioning that mentality of work hard, do good, you’ll get it because it seems like the American dream is no longer accessible by the normal, average person. So that’s my core. Benton Harbor, Michigan. I did go to, I, and I was the kid that did really well in school. I went to.

What most people don’t know because it’s not on my resume, it’s not in my bio or anything because it’s, it was a part of my story that I had to learn to deal with almost a failure. So right out of high school, I did go to the University of Michigan. I majored in industrial operations Engineering.

And I went for about three and a half years. Back in that time it was about a five year program, so I was a little over the midway point, but there were things in life that, I won’t go into too much details here, but I was taken out mentally and emotionally and that meant there was nothing left in me.

And so that potential career path that I had went away. But I do, I will say that my love for education. Took me back to school when I was in Topeka, Kansas. An older adult, married three kids in the home, so we had a household of five. My wife went back to college first ’cause she was like me, a firstborn, overachiever, but didn’t finish.

But her job that she had was really pushing her towards an accounting degree and she was loving it ’cause she was working for a tax firm at that time. So her and I made a, an agreement, a pact together, and that agreement was since your job, you have this job that’s pushing you towards this degree and you love it.

Why don’t you go back to school first? I’ll pick up the slack here in the home, but you go to school, get your degree, your accounting degree, and when you finish, I’ll go back to, and I’ll go back and then I’ll get that degree that I felt it wasn’t gonna be engineering anymore.

My passions had switched. And plus. I wasn’t sure if I was still that math as sharp math mathematically as scientifically as I was when I was younger. But plus I had a business in Topeka. I was trying to tailor my education to help further that business at the time as well.

And so I ended up going back. My wife got her degree. The funny part with the story of how I actually started back. Was she finished, she got her degree, we celebrated, her family came down and all of that. And then it was time for me to start applying Washburn University where I was going to attend.

And I hesitated and I continued to hesitate because in the back of my mind I remembered. I’m a student in high school, grade school, middle school, graduated fourth in my class from high school, blah, blah blah. Got a full tuition scholarship to the University of Michigan. But in the back of my mind, I remember something happened and I failed.

At college once already, the University of Michigan time. So that put some, like for me it was, I think the hesitancy was like, do you really have it? Are you really as sharp? Are you who you were and used to be and say you are. And it, it put a hesitancy in my step of taking that next step to apply and get it done.

And I don’t know why, because I’ve never hesitated like that before, but I think that that may have been my first bout with self-doubt, and that doesn’t happen. So that was the first and the biggest. So with that going on and me procrastinating of going back. I came home one day and my wife said, your FAFSA filled out.

You need to finish the application for Washburn. And I was like, oh. She started the process for me. She put her foot in my butt and said, do it. And I did it, and I needed that. And I’ll tell you, my first semester at Washburn University, I got all A’s. I’m 30 something years old. I’m in this, I’m in class with these 19 year olds and these kids are in school talking about Cs, get degrees.

And I’m like, in my mind, I felt God gave me a second chance to get what I lost and he’s not going to give me a third. And a C is not enough for me. And I got all A’s. And once I got that 4.0 that per, I was like, oh yeah, I’m back. Yeah. And, I breezed through Washburn as well. So I ended up graduating Bachelor of Arts and Mass Media with a minor in sociology.

I graduated with a 3.9 GPA from college as well. But then I’m such a lifelong learner. I wanted some marketing credentials behind my name for the business that I had then at that time. But I didn’t want to go another four years. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to get a doctorate, so I was like, well, let me go get a marketing certificate.

I can get that faster can get those credentials behind my name and show the potential clients that we were working with. Then that, yeah, I am a marketing professional as well, and so I went right back and it was. For me, it was invigorating to be able to start learning again and to then start applying it in the business that I had.

So that’s my back journey, school journey. The roundabout of going to college right after school, not, right after high school, but then having about a 15 year break with life and wife, kids a divorce in there too. So there was a lot going on that. Prevented me from making that jump back into education, even though I loved it so much.

And then with all of that being said, to this day, even now today, we, I have a black, I have a scholarship fund for students as well here in Hillsborough, Oregon. So that’s full circle for me. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Oh wow. What a story. And that brings us to now what are you doing now? 

Titonian Wallace: Yeah. So now. I, and I know you’re aware of, so I had been the the first black chair of the Washington County Chamber of Commerce.

But I have been involved with them. I joined the chamber. When I moved here, I started my business in the safe media. About 2016, I believe is when I started it, 20 16, 20 17. And I had a, I had previous experience with the Chamber of Commerce when I was in Topeka. Different experience. This one’s way better here.

But I was aware that this is what. How you get your business out. You meet with like-minded individuals. After they get to know, like, and trust you, then potentially they become clients and all of that and so forth. But with all of that, I ended up being in a lot of leadership roles in the chamber over the last five years here.

I recently stepped down from all of those roles on in December of 2025 because I am a. I decided to take the next step in leadership and impact, and decided that I’m running for Hillsborough City Council. But I also find myself in a situation to where I’m running for a council campaigning, but I’m also job hunting.

The economy has negatively impacted a lot of small businesses, including my own, the ones that I talk to, not just on Main Street, those that work remotely or work from home but we are all being impacted and having to make tough decisions. And it’s not just within our businesses, it’s within our households and families.

Costs are sky high, cost of living, inflation, interest rates gas, groceries, and it’s getting tough. And here where we are, it’s not just. Intel families that are filling and hurting from those lay from their layoffs. There’s regular families like mine that aren’t even intel related, that have been impacted by a layoff and a spouse having to take a job at a significant pay cut.

A small business owner realizing. There’s not enough to help sustain the home from the business and then having to reenter the workforce. So those, that’s where I am now. I’m trying to balance running for office, potentially looking for employment, taking care of the mental wellbeing of my family as well during this time, and still wanting to continue to make a difference and an impact in the community where I live.

Kim Allchurch Flick: That is something that I see. Thank you for sharing that because we are in communities where it is getting rough. For some I, you and I are both surrounded by entrepreneurs and small businesses and seeing that not everyone is thriving as they had been in the past. And there have been some differences that have come on slowly and some that have.

Come on. Like flipping a switch. Yeah. Particularly when it comes to consumer goods and things like that we know what’s happening and this is April of 2026. And we’re talking about Oregon, but also talking about a broader scope. And yet you, you do so much and running for office is something that I am in awe of people who do that.

So congratulations. 

Titonian Wallace: Oh, thank you. Thank 

Kim Allchurch Flick: you. And sadly, I don’t live in your city, so I can’t vote for you, but I can certainly advocate. What do you see as in the community and what is. Additional obstacles and challenges that you see for yourself and those entrepreneurs and other people around you?

Titonian Wallace: In the community right now we can’t talk about what’s impacting the community without initially discussing the federal administration’s immigration enforcement on the Hispanic community. Which is our community here in Hillsborough, Oregon. They account for up to almost 25% of the population here in Hillsborough.

So what happens to them matters, and it should matter to all of us. And what we’re seeing from these families they’re in constant fear. And when I look at it, when I try to analyze these things myself. My analogy for this last year under the current administration, how it’s impacted all people is, I feel it’s put everyone in a fight or flight response 24 7 and that stress, tension, cortisol, angst, all of that.

All the time. And especially for our underserved communities, our minority communities, our communities of color, whatev, however you label them personally. But right now, specifically our Hispanic community is hurting. The businesses are hurting. We are seeing individuals not show up because they’re afraid.

They can be taken away. Their kids, their family, things like that happen. So that on the business level also bothers me, but that’s a large community issue as well. But with that, I think also there needs to be messaging to all communities of color that you all need to ban together moving forward and put aside any excuse this language is, if it sounds harsh to some, but any idiotic or asinine.

Racial or sta racist stereotypes that you have against other communities of color, you need to get rid of that because it’s not a matter of when they come for you, it’s a matter of when, not if they come for you, but when and then also if we don’t ban together and lock arms together, the day will come when you look to your left and right and you have no allies.

And that makes you the easier target. You see it now, one by one is how they attack us, other than with sweeping policies that are affecting education, especially for black and brown kids. The dismantling of the Department of Education. So that’s on that wider national level. But even on the state level, we have a state that’s not really doing enough to promote.

Business friendliness. Our economy here and I don’t even wanna say the economy, the job market here is in dire consequences right now. We need something to, we need people and leaders in place that understand that you need jobs. To have the services that your cities, your county, and your state depend on.

You need those property taxes. You need the the payroll taxes on the state level, property taxes here on the city level. So those are some things that I’m seeing holistically. But on the local level, what I would really want is for our local leaders to understand that we have more than one crisis going on at the same time.

One is humanitarian, one is economic, and we need to address both to the best of our ability right now, and then put things in place to where in the future no one particular group of people should feel like this ever again. Ever. I’ve often say I can’t believe I’m in 2026 and have to deal with racism still at this level.

And having it being encouraged from the federal government at such a systemic level so high that I feel advancement for people of color has been set back at least 30 years and is going to take more than one democratic administration to change this and get it back to what we thought we were almost good.

I just I’m appalled that we’re here and I wanna do my part, but I don’t want to, I don’t wanna come off too preachy to people, but I’ll make my points, especially during my run for office and just let them know there, the only way we’re gonna get out of any of this is if we work together.

Put aside your petty differences. Let’s learn to communicate and collaborate and believe the democratic process will work when good people are in place. ’cause right now, we I just feel our leadership, especially on the national level, all needs to be changed. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Indeed. And you’re one of those good people.

Thank you for running. You said a word that has always struck a nerve with me as being one of the most cruel, and that’s the word, stereotype because. When a sentence is started with those people or they, and encompassing an entire mass of individuals, most of whom are on the receiving end of a stereotype, are saying, that’s not me.

I’m nothing like that. And these caricatures that, 

Titonian Wallace: yeah, 

Kim Allchurch Flick: create division between people are very cruel because most people are not the stereotype. And yet a stereotype is bestowed upon them by others, and it does become cruel and it does create these things we’ve seen. So thank you for being so candid about all of this.

It’s super important. With that, what makes you optimistic?

Titonian Wallace: The number one thing that make me more optimistic and this is, once again, it’s federal level, but here locally. The day when high school what? When? When high school kids in the city of Hillsborough walked out and protest against ice. That gave me hope because that showed me, there is some in the younger generation that are saying, enough is enough.

Were tired of this. And now what they’re really doing and saying is, okay, adults, you need to do something now while. Because you are in power. You are the ones that can, but we’re going to continue this fight next too. So that gives me hope that there’s a generation of potential leaders that are being.

Being made right now because of the situations that we’re in they’ll be sharpened, they’ll be hardened because of what we’re seeing, what they’re seeing happen to their friends and family and their neighbors and chiropractors dropping off their kids at preschool. Being snatched up and 5-year-old kids being taken to detention centers and people being killed across the country.

But I also want others, I want. That gives me hope and optimism, but I want to take a step back. I also want people to realize this happened to black people in 2020, and I don’t want you to lose sight of that. We were the ones on the list. Then our Hispanic community is on the list now and there is some division about, well, who shows up for who?

Show up for every community. Because we’re not, like I said, we’re not gonna make it through. We’re not gonna get to a better place without doing this together. But the kids that I’ve seen that did that walkout, that gave me, I smiled. That gave me hope. And then I think the other thing that gives me hope is I I attended a college and career fair.

With I was at a booth that the Hillsborough Community Foundation had there with Madeline that works for Hillsborough Community Foundation and realizing that entire college and career fair was put together by the Hillsborough Youth Advisory Council, another group of high functioning kids making a difference, not just for themselves.

Before an entire graduating class from the city of Hillsborough, that gives me hope. There, there are kids that care that wanna see students like them reach their dreams, whatever path that may be, whether it’s academic or vocational. And I love that. I think between the high school walkout and being a part of that college and career fair create put on by young men and women.

That gives me hope. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Thank you for sharing that. What gives you hope for entrepreneurs and businesses? Is there anything else that 

Titonian Wallace: in the state of Oregon that, oh, Kim, a lot has to change. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Yes. 

Titonian Wallace: And that it has to come from the state level and we haven’t seen it. The one thing that gives me hope.

Is that I know that there are leaders in place now across jurisdictions or that are running for certain offices that, and hopefully will be in those positions that have made it clear that they are open to dialogue across these jurisdictions. To do what we can to try to make the job market the economy better for all of us as a whole, because they recognize what I’m saying, what I’m saying on the social level about we need to work together.

That applies on this governmental level as well, whether you’re city, county, region so all of those entities. I want, I’m hopeful that there are good leaders. Stepping up and wanting to step into these roles, and they’re willing to have the conversations, but not just have the conversations collaborate and get away from the negativity that’s in politics and realizing we’re here to do work for the people to make things better for them.

And I’m not a politician, right, but I feel like. I had the, I had an opportunity while being a part of the Chamber for so many years to have an impact on not just the 800 business member organization, but on a city. Without being an elected official yet and seeing that impact. And that’s why I’m so freaking driven to want to continue doing it.

When you see the good impact and the other people that then take it and do good work as well, that’s infectious. And it, it can drive you to, to say, well, I’m gonna keep doing good work until the city says no. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: I love that. An impact without being a politician, that means all of us can do something. 

Titonian Wallace: Any, you have to do it.

Here’s what I’ll say, and I, it is not profound, but we as individuals, and that’s all of us right now, no one can sit back and say, what are they going to do about this? What are they going to do to change this? Because right now, the date the they is you, the date the they is you and I, we are the ones that have to.

And I’m not gonna say they is everyone. ’cause there are some, the radicals we’re I’m done. We’re done. And that’s both sides we’re done with that. But the common sense, common good work for the majority, not the minority outside voices that just happen to be the loudest. That’s where we are now.

Kim Allchurch Flick: And it seems also that business sustainability is a nonpartisan issue. It should be that having businesses be strong, having businesses where people can support their families, and Oregon is one of those states. Where the collectivity of small business is the economic engine of the state. And that’s built.

Oregon founders said that Oregon in Oregon consumer goods is to Oregon, what tech is to Silicon Valley. And thinking of it that way in the collective matters, so the individual health of, and sustainability of every single business. Matters collectively, regardless of how people think politically.

Titonian Wallace: Yeah. And it matters on so many levels because that’s just the start, right? Of course when you talk about business, you have to talk about land which here, the laws kind are very restrictive on what we can and can’t do. But what a number that fascinated me that I learned early 20 20, 20 25.

That I don’t think is out there enough in messaging is when you talk about the development of the land in Oregon. Before we try to get down to Hillsborough itself, only 3% of the land in Oregon is developed or populated 3%. That means there’s 97% open. Maybe room to grow. What if we only needed to get to 7% to get our economy where it needs to be?

Then that means we still have 93% of the great air, great water the wonderful views, the beauty. That we so value and we improve the standard of livability because now we can afford the services that we need. We’re in a position now to where I think people, I want the general public to realize you’re we’re likely about to see trickle down economics work, meaning, and it’s never get, make the money at the top and it trickles down.

I’m talking about the deficits. You’re gonna see that finally work because the state is nearing what near a billion dollar deficit they’re gonna have to do. Cuts. Counties are going to eventually have to do cuts and cities are eventually gonna have to do cuts, and then you’re gonna see degradation of services.

Maybe that’ll start waking up some individuals to realize we need jobs. We, we absolutely need it. And families are hurting and this is how things are paid for in this state. So things would have to change on the state level drastically. But if it doesn’t, I believe regional coalitions need to get stronger in inter city Coalitions need to get stronger.

We need to have those conversations about. What can we do to shore up our economies as neighbors because the city isn’t doing us any because the state isn’t doing us any favors right now. What can we do together collectively? What can we do across counties? What can we do regionally include metro in that conversation as well?

So that’s where my thought is. I don’t think we can get out of any of this used go by you, the old methods. Stand by trying to go it alone as single jurisdictions. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Wow. Exclamation point. That’s so profound. Is there anything else you’d like to share? 

Titonian Wallace: Let’s see. I don’t know. What did I miss?

Anything? With everything that’s going on. I just, I would just say I want business. Business is good, not just for the economy is good for standard of livability. It’s good for neighborhoods, it’s good for communities it’s great for schools, and which is another thing that, that really resonates with me.

I also sit on the Hillsborough School Board bond development committee for 2026. So we’re in the middle of that, going back to the people asking for money for schools. But I think that’s very important and that’s something that I would never not support. Right on, right alongside libraries, public safety and school education and workforce development, and those things that we need to do.

So I, I would say, I know it’s hard to stay positive now, but lean on your family, friends, and neighbors. Find the good that’s around, maybe turn the news off a day or two. I’ve had to do that. I’m an avid news reader. Most, a lot of other people, they may read books. I read news, knowledge, information data.

That’s what I do. I don’t just read for fun. Sometimes the news can be very, depressing. How many wars are popping up? How many the criminal aspect of the government that we’re seeing? I’m right there with you. I’m in the fight. I want you all to join the fight, speak up.

What we’re living through right now is not the reality that I hope the majority of us wanted or expected. Let’s do what we can to get back to some sense of normalcy is what I would say. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Yes, indeed. I appreciate that. How can people reach you? 

Titonian Wallace: Yeah, so I can be reached. You can reach me. My, my business is Nesace Media, which is a digital marketing agency.

It was full service, but I think I’m pulling certain services out during this time that I’m even going through in my personal business. I do still take on clients but you can reach me via go to the website at NeaseMedia.com. That’s NesaceMedia.com. You can email me at TWallace@NeaseMedia.com. Either one of those methods will work. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Absolutely. Thank you so much. This is a conversation that can and should be ongoing and I really appreciate all the points you’ve mentioned so far. It is a important futuristic looking. Conversation to be had, and I appreciate all the points you’ve mentioned.

The final question is, if you could have dinner with anyone living or deceased up to three people, so you have a nice table of four, three, or two, who would they be and why? 

Titonian Wallace: Okay, so given it a little thought, I think the two, the one alive person I would want. So I have dinner with is Barack Obama, president Barack Obama.

The reason why ’cause that he is recent history and to me he is what an exceptional leader looks like and acts like and behaves like compared to what we’re seeing, and that’s why. Likely he’s constantly attacked because of those differences. Because when you talk about the best of the best, and he may not have been the best president, but normalcy empathy, how he treat and how regular individuals felt when they mentioned him, saw him, got to shake his hand or meet him.

That’s an impactful leader. That’s that’s someone that resonates across cultural aisles. Generational. He has something in him that I probably need to learn. So I would love to sit down and pick his brain, especially if I’m going on a political route. Like I’m not going to be like you. I’m a I’m my own person.

I’m really straight up and down, straightforward, speak my mind, speak my peace. But I do it from a aspect of I take data, knowledge, information, pros and cons, evaluate, then make a decision, but I’m decisive and we move forward if it works. We do what we, if it doesn’t, we go back and rebound. But I think he would he had the pulse of the people during his time in office and the hope that he helped invigorate in a nation.

Some of that needs to come back. And I don’t know how. Because we’re so divided self-inflicted, I like to add as well based on the current government. So he would be one that I was like, what would you do to get us back to something that’s normal to where we all can work together, pick his brain on tho on those levels.

But then just how his rise how he still maintains a public persona. He is still well loved out of office right now. And that’s something the current president can’t stand to. So I would love to sit down with president Obama, the second person. I would sit down with Albert Einstein just because I’m a math and science nerd, and nowhere near that genius level that, that he was.

But God, wouldn’t it be fascinating to sit and listen to that mind, speak to you in person? I think it would just blow me away pro I probably wouldn’t understand much. Right. It depending on if he gets into, well, I’ll understand a little bit about the theory of relativity because like math and science was my thing.

But he can go into some, I don’t wanna say some abstract concepts that I probably haven’t even thought about, and that would be a, a very. Intellectually stimulating conversation and an attempt to learn from a real genius, right? That, so he would be the other, and I may have another one, but I need time to think about it.

So those would be the two that, different ends of the spectrum, different purposes, but they both fit who I am and what I would like to know, learn, do, and the type of individuals I would love to be around. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: I think that’s a fascinating dinner table. 

Titonian Wallace: I don’t know if you’re gonna have anybody else ever say those two together, but that works for me.

Kim Allchurch Flick: Good for you. It’s your table.

So a bit of an epilogue. We were having a discussion about history of Oregon, and I mentioned that when I moved into Oregon back in the early nineties and had a job where I traveled a lot, I drove through small communities, large cities, and observed that it was an era where a lot of people were unemployed because the timber industry shifted and.

We were talking about our observations of how the economies have shifted through time.

Titonian Wallace: And that was, as you know, it led me into into my talk, which I have had on my mind here for a while, and something that I think I would have to try to vocalize to, to the general public.

I, what I feel is that. The general public may not be fully aware of the changes in the economy that has happened over time, even here in the state of Oregon, and hit City of Hillsborough. I think I was also mentioning how, some individuals have that nostalgia of what it was and wanting it to remain that what remain the same.

But there are things that happen around us that dictate. Change and growth are necessary, and we’re in one of those times right now, and I related it back to, as the economy of this state in the past. I don’t have the years at the, in the top of my head before 80 something I would believe.

Was the timber industry is what, what led the economy in the state of Oregon and the surrounding cities and whatnot. And then now after, I believe you were mentioning when you came, was it 85 when Nike was a little smaller? 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Yes. 

Titonian Wallace: When you came here. And I’m not sure how big Intel was yet, but. During the switch, then we switched.

We became the silicone forest here which is another switch in the economy from the temporary industry to advanced manufacturing in the semiconductor industry. And that required change, new jobs and growth. We are in another shift right now. Do generally caused by AI and advancements in technology and GPU usage and all of that, and energy storage and usage and things like that.

But we’re in that, we’re in another change now to where we have to be able to adapt to what this new economy is going to look like if we’re going thrive and create the jobs that are needed for families to be able to stay. Here we are. The population in Oregon is stagnating or if not declining from the last study, if that.

I remember reading there, there wasn’t as many transplants such as myself moving in but more moving out, especially from counties with high taxes and whatnot. There’s things that we need to be able to do and talk to and speak to the general public. These shifts in the economy are almost existential crises that we need to address.

Quicker than what we have. And I believe we’re at a point now to where we should have been doing something four to five years ago to help us now because we lost 3000 something jobs from Intel in 2025. We lost a Edwards vacuum. Part of that, that supply chain, if I look at the state, we lost a Dutch bros moved to Arizona because we are no longer competitive.

That means we’re going to, we’re losing jobs and it’s affecting all of us. So I hope, my hope is that people start seeing, like the shift in the economy dictates the things that we need to do to try to help our overall economic health. And we need to really consider what’s next in order for us to continue to thrive.

Now, if we do nothing, you will see the cost for. Cuts. And I’m not just talking about just budget cuts, I’m talking about job cuts, cuts to critical key services that your city, your county, your state, depends on. You will start seeing that and sometimes I wonder, does our local population need to see Hillsborough begin to fall on that?

That list of best places to live in America? Will you get it when we start falling down? And it’s because of the economy and the lack of jobs. The lack of op the lack of affordability. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Yeah. 

Titonian Wallace: How starting at 600,000 is not affordable, so that’s why I believe they’re moving more to dense construction to where more apartments is here in Hillsborough will be built over single family homes.

Like it may not be an option Now. So yeah, so that’s what we talked on stepped on 

Kim Allchurch Flick: and very realistic. 

Titonian Wallace: Yeah.

Kim Allchurch Flick: Titonian Wallace, Sr. Thank you so much for your time and to all the listeners, thank you for your time as well. This is Kim Allchurch Flick with the Mighty Measure Podcast, and Mighty Measure impacts coaching in support of. Impact driven businesses.

Thank you all so much. Have a great day. 

Titonian Wallace: Thank you. 

Kim Allchurch Flick: Bye-bye.