We are proud to be an active part of the amazing community of Central Oregon.

Like many people who have moved to Bend, we’ve been visiting for years. But it was a trip in 2017 where we both had an “aha moment” on a flight back to Denver. Fast forward two years to the summer of 2019, we decided to make the leap to relocate our family.

The funny thing is, lobbyist (Sara) and creative director (Kent) aren’t exactly in the job description for this business. But after we sat with the concept and realized it wasn’t about the job titles we had held but about creating a community where, regardless of your profession, your gender, your age or any other factor, you are welcome. It was about creating a space where people who feel isolated working in their homes (and probably their jammies) could come and interact with other professionals. It was about providing a comfortable, professional space accessible to entrepreneurs, small start-ups, nonprofits and others to allow individuals to thrive personally and professionally. It was about community.

Part of the desire to move to Bend was embedded in the notion of creating a vibrant community for ourselves and our family. We wanted to get off the hamster wheel of Denver city life. With two busy careers and two active young kiddos, it was increasingly difficult to find that joy. We were tired of simply slogging through each week until a vacation or extended weekend came along to spend time together as a family and “actually” experience life. You know, the meaningful part…family, friends and social connections.

The explosive growth of Denver and surrounding areas added to our anxiety as our access to the outdoors and places we loved had become crowded and difficult to experience. This realization and subsequent decision to leave our home, friends, family (not to mention our chickens!) has exceeded our expectations. We truly love our new community and are happy to finally call Bend our home.

If you’ve gotten this far, thank you! We hope our vision for Work-Collective inspires you to be part of the community vision we are trying to create.

Sara and Kent Odendahl