A Redmond company that makes herbal supplements and a Bend tech company that makes machines to clear out and store natural gas in pipelines have something in common: They’re both innovative companies in Central Oregon that are growing.

Both Central Oregon firms were among 32 businesses in Oregon receiving funds from the $25 million Emerging Opportunity Fund to help businesses with funding gaps launch a product or become more stable, said Capi Lewis, Business Oregon regional development officer. 

“This grant was an opportunity to help a business with a new product line that was innovative, too,” Lewis said. “The Legislature approved this fund and I had been looking for projects in the region and these kept checking boxes of eligibility.”

Oregon’s Wild Harvest received $212,000 to help fund its processing of its herbal supplements. The company operates a farm on the old McCall Ranch in Redmond and a production facility on NE Hemlock Avenue in Redmond.

And Onboard Dynamics, the manufacturer of equipment used by natural gas pipelines, received $800,000. They were selected, Lewis said, because there is market demand for innovative technology and Onboard plans to expand its exporting to support the growth. 

“We’re incredibly grateful for Business Oregon to really get behind innovation around clean technology,” said Rita Hansen, Onboard Dynamics CEO. “This is a project that we can see will continue to add to the community.”

Homegrown Central Oregon businesses

Hansen, a Bend resident, started Onboard Dynamics a decade ago, making small progress in funding and growing the company that ultimately is about reducing methane gas.

When natural gas pipelines need to shut down, the industry standard is to release gas into the atmosphere or burn the fuel. The technology that Onboard has developed captures and stores the natural gas while the portion of pipe is shut down. But it takes a long time to remove the gas.

In business, time is often money,  Hansen said.

In 2021, BP Energy Partners LLC, a Texas equity investment firm, invested in the company in exchange for an equity ownership. The influx of cash allowed the company to produce its patented mobile natural gas pipeline equipment and get it to market, hire more employees and grow.

It was a tough decade, scrambling to grow and scale a company that is now developing even more advanced technology, with the creation of GoVac Max, Hansen said. But the capital let Hansen grow from nine employees to 40. 

“When you’re in growth mode, like we are today, we have to have the right technology at the right time, solving a big problem that will create a better environment for future generations,” Hansen said. “That’s a fun job.”

And she wants to continue growing with the same principals: Use local products and local people to do the work. The grant will enable Hansen to go forward with the development of a product that improves on the first by speeding up the gas evacuation process.

“Our products capture and recover the gas in the line and re-injects it back to the pipeline,” Hansen said. “Our current product that we sell, lease or hire crews for, is limited by size and capacity. That’s the problem we need to solve. Our equipment needs to go faster and be bigger.

“It’s all about innovation. If it works will it matter.”

Harvesting herbs 

Oregon’s Wild Harvest produces herbal supplements in liquid and capsule form using roots and herbs grown in their own farm, said Pam Buresh, company co-owner. The company sells mostly to retail outlets around the country.

It initially began more than two decades ago in Sandy, but moved nine years ago to Redmond after the purchase of a vacant facility on NE Hemlock Avenue. 

“We started selling to other manufacturers,” Buresh said. “Then we decided we couldn’t compete with China and other places, so we started manufacturing it ourselves. That made the business.”

The grant from Business Oregon will help the company purchase equipment and build a processing building for plant materials, Buresh said. The company employs up to 70 people during peak harvest season on the certified organic farm, she said. 

“We are unique in a lot of ways, but we’ve always been growers,” Buresh said. “We’re farmers at heart. The grant will help with processing and equipment so we can scale our business and sell larger quantities of the products we harvest.”

Granting innovation

The staff at Business Oregon had to find companies that were founded on supplying a public benefit with the one time funding, Lewis said. The Legislature had approved the funding and each region received a share of the $25 million, she said. 

It’s difficult for startups to attract funding, she said. Grant funds like this work to encourage businesses and support them while they’re trying to grow.

“These funds support the company to continue to grow and create new jobs,” Lewis said. “These businesses support our mission.”