written by Anna Bird | photos by Bruce Ely After turning 50 and working in the shoe industry for eighteen years, John Tawney learned that his 19-year-old daughter had cancer. When she was halfway through her chemotherapy treatments, he thought, “Was this it? Selling shoes—is this what life was all about?” He sat down that night and figured out what he wanted from life and a career. He wanted to make a difference. He had a passion for consumer products. He wanted to challenge himself to do something new, and he wanted to work with great people. The umbrella motivation was to spread empathy, to start conversations that would establish common ground, encourage people to stand for progress and walk in someone else’s shoes. The metaphors kept pouring in, and the next move was obvious. In November 2015, Common Ground Footwear launched with four designs based on social issues: gender equality,…

Nearly 1,000 Oregon companies have shifted away from creating profits as their primary goal and joined the growing benefit movement.

Surfboard crafter Michael Hall designs boards that accommodate Oregon’s rugged and wild ocean waves.