by Justin Aufdermauer
Executive Director
I am pleased to introduce this week John Jackson, the Chamber Board’s second new member.
John joined the Chamber Board this month this to get more involved with the Tillamook community. He’s lived here in Tillamook for just about a year, serving as the general manager of the Pelican Tap Room.
“My wife and I met in Oregon 13 years ago at Crater Lake, and we’d always talked about moving to the Oregon Coast,” he said.
Those dreams came true when John was offered and accepted the job at Pelican. He said he originally planned to move to another Pelican location. However, he fell in love with Tillamook and asked his boss if he could stay here, instead.
“I’ve been wildly impressed with not just the warm and gracious welcome from businesses here, but also how they communicate and come together to help each other,” John said. “My wife and I both grew up in small farm towns, so Tillamook felt like home really quickly.”
The local teachers also caught his attention, and he said he and his wife wanted to keep their kids in Tillamook, too.
John brings 27 years of experience in the hospitality industry, including working on cruise lines and in restaurants. He’s helped build a successful team at the Pelican Tap Room, an accomplishment of which he is proud.
His board position started as a request to volunteer with the Chamber, he said. You may recognize him as one of our award presenters from the Chamber’s Annual Community Awards Banquet; he graciously volunteered to get up on stage and speak in front of a crowd — and that didn’t scare him off!
“I had approached Justin because as a general manager for Pelican, they want us to be community involved. So I asked Justin if there were any more community volunteer positions at the Chamber,” John said. “There just happened to be a board position open, and I decided to apply.”
John wants to lend his fundraising knowledge and hospitality experience to the Chamber Board. He said he looks forward to working with other board members to “learn as much as I can about being on a board” and help build a strong community where businesses can thrive.
“I’m really impressed with the work that the Chamber does in the community. I’ve lived in other cities where the Chamber is kind of rag tag, but in Tillamook it’s very professional and well put together,” John said.
John also volunteers with the Tillamook School District and recently joined the local Oddfellows group. He also is a three-time life saver.
“I’ve helped saved someone’s life three times. Twice It was with the Heimlich Maneuver, and one was preventing someone from drowning while snorkeling in Hawaii,” he said.
I am excited to work with John, and I think his knowledge from nearly three decades in the hospitality industry will prove extremely insightful for the Chamber Board.
If you catch John out in the community or while grabbing beers at the Pelican Tap Room, be sure to say hi and congratulate him on his new position.