THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2022 A3
LocalNews
Local business joins Oregon trade delegation
VocalBooth founder heads to
Japan, South Korea
BY MICHAEL KOHN
CO Media Group
VocalBooth, a Redmond-based
company that produces studio-grade
recording booths, is joining an Or-
egon trade delegation to Japan and
South Korea.
Calvin Mann, who founded Vo-
calBooth in 1997, is part of the dele-
gation that includes representatives
from food, agriculture, tourism, man-
ufacturing, and apparel companies.
VocalBooth produces a variety
of products for the voice recording
industry, including booths for pod-
casting, animation voice recording,
and music production. Oregon dele-
gates will meet Korean and Japanese
distributors and retailers, opening
Bulletin file photo
Calvin Mann founded VocalBooth in 1997.
doors for VocalBooth and other
companies to enter new markets.
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown is lead-
ing the 12-day trip to Asia, which de-
parted from Portland on Friday.
“Oregon has strong relation-
ships in South Korea and Japan that
have been built on decades of trade
and the shared values of economic
growth, environmental stewardship,
and a desire for a better tomorrow,”
Brown said in a statement.
The trip marks Brown’s first trade
mission to Asia since 2019 and is
timed to visit the region as it opens
back up following the pandemic. A
sign of reopening occurred on Tues-
day when visa-free travel for U.S.
citizen tourists re-started in Japan,
according to a statement on the U.S.
Embassy website.
South Korea and Japan are Ore-
gon’s fourth and sixth largest mar-
kets, respectively, for export goods
overall, and two of the top markets
for the state’s agricultural exports,
according to a release from the gov-
ernor’s office.
Oregon agricultural exports val-
ued at nearly $600 million are ex-
ported to the two countries. The
agricultural delegation includes the
Oregon Blueberry Commission, the
Oregon Wine Board, and the Oregon
Grass Seed Commission.
Together, Japan and South Korea
represent 11% of Oregon’s $29.9 bil-
lion global export market.
Joining Brown are representatives
from Business Oregon, the Oregon
Department of Agriculture, Travel
Oregon, the University of Oregon
and the Port of Portland.
Brown is expected to lead several
business development meetings, host
women’s leadership forums, and pro-
mote tourism to Oregon. The tour
includes a visit to Toyama Prefecture,
Oregon’s sister state in Japan, located
220 miles northwest of Tokyo.
█
Reporter: 541-617-7818, mkohn@bendbulletin.
com
Endicott wins award from League of Oregon Cities
By SPOKESMAN STAFF
Longtime Redmond mayor
George Endicott received the
prestigious Mark O. Hatfield
Statesmanship Award from the
League of Oregon Cities in Bend.
The award, which hasn’t been
given out since, 2017, is among
the highest honors bestowed by
the league.
A Central Oregon native,
Endicott returned home af-
ter 40 years of federal service,
first serving on the Redmond
Planning Commission, then
was elected to the city council
in 2007. He was elected mayor
in 2009 and has served seven
consecutive terms. He is not
running for re-election in No-
vember.
According to the LOC, the
Hatfield Award is presented to
“a deserving politician who has
provided a lasting benefit to the
quality of life for the citizens of
Oregon.”
Past Hatfield Award winners
have included Betsy Johnson,
Greg Walden, former Oregon
Carpet
Vinyl
Hardwood
Laminate
(541) 526-5543
1950 SW Badger Ave #102,
Redmond, OR 97756
Governor Neil Goldschmidt
and, the award’s namesake, for-
mer Oregon and U.S. Senator
Mark Hatfield.
Hatfield became the young-
est-ever Secretary of State in
1956 at the age of 34. He was
elected to the U.S. Senate in
1966 and is the longest-serving
senator in Oregon history.
Redmond mayor
George Endicott
receives an award from
the League of Oregon
Cities, presented by
former Pendleton
mayor Phil Houk.
Photo courtesy League of
Oregon cities
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