Page 85 - December2022

The inspiring force keeping Oregon horse
racing alive
[Dutch Bros. coffee chain founder] Travis Boersma decided to step aside from the forefront of the state’s racing issues.”
As a result of his new responsibilities, Rod has put his building contracting business
on the back burner to organize and help the OHBPA purchase the equipment that Travis bought in his quest to grow racing at Grants Pass Downs, and to get race dates approved there for the upcoming season.
HIS EARLY YEARS
Although Rod grew up in Montana, he
attended George Fox College in Newberg, Oregon, between Portland and Salem. After a year there, he hadn’t found his passion through studies, although he considered being a youth pastor. But he had dabbled
in the construction business for two years while in high school and did maintenance and construction in his college work-study
Charlotte Angin Photo
program, which led to him obtaining his contractor’s license. “The college liked what I did, so they hired me the next summer to help build a new girls’ dormitory,” he says.
Contracting provided his living for the next several decades, during which he moved back to Montana and bought his first horse, a yearling, at an auction.
He kept the horse at his parents’ place for a while, then decided to buy 20 acres about
““ “ H H e e ’ ’ s s b b e e e e n n k k i i n n d d o o f f t t h h e e s s a a v v i i o o r r o o f f S S o o u u t t h h e e r r n n O O r r e e g g o o n n
h h o o r r s s e e r r a a c c i i n n g g a a t t G G r r a a n n t t s s P P a a s s s s f f o o r r m m a a n n y y y ye e a a r r s s . . H H e e’ ’s s b b e e e e n n instrumental in fifiguring out ways of helping not only the fairgrounds at Grants Pass, but the race meet there as
w w e e l l l l . .” ” D D a a v v e e N N e e l l s s o o n n , , a a n n O O r r e e g g o o n n Q Q u u a a r r t t e e r r H H o o r r s s e e R R a a c c i i n n g g Association (OQHRA) board member
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