The Lights Went Out at Gorge PitchFest. The Hub Behind It Stays On.

Jun 24

Written By Columbia Community Connection

From Mid-Columbia Economic Development District:

By Jakob Lillvik

The Dalles, Ore. June 24, 2026 — When a spring storm cut power to the Granada Theatre late last month, the judges of the 2026 Gorge PitchFest were still deliberating.

The pitches were done. More than a hundred people sat in a dark, century-old theater waiting on a decision. Rather than send everyone home, the organizers finished by phone light: the crowd raised their screens toward the stage, and one by one, all five finalists came up to collect their checks.

The largest went to Kaahreena Ochoco of Vibe Consignment, who took home the $10,000 grand prize. With the second-place finalist named first, the math caught up to her before the announcement did. She put her hands over her mouth; one of the other founders reached over and squeezed her shoulder. Vibe had taken the night.

Now in its fourth year, Gorge PitchFest is the flagship event of the Mid-Columbia Innovation Hub, run by the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District (MCEDD). Through grants from Business Oregon, the competition grew out of the former Wasco Innovation Initiative and has since opened to the wider region. This year it drew roughly 130 people to the Granada on May 28, with food from Lake Taco.

Five local finalists were each given seven minutes to pitch and field questions from a panel of judges. Greg Price of the Columbia Gorge Small Business Development Center announced the results. This year’s judging panel included Cara Turano of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network, Tracy Bech of 60 Minute CFO, James Martin of Sunshine Mill and Copa di Vino, and Brandie McNamee of Basecamp Antelope, last year's PitchFest winner.

The finalists were a broad example of what people are actually building in the Gorge:

Vibe Consignment (Kaahreena Ochoco) — a curated consignment boutique in The Dalles, pairing its storefront with growing online sales.
Iliana Maura — a plant-based butter that tastes like the real thing, without the additives common to most alternatives.
Tenn Tools (Russ Tennison) — a patent-pending tool built on the job to save concrete masons time and effort.
Brick City and Games (Leslie and Jay Wilson) — a game shop built around community, a place to gather and play, not just to buy.
Hilltop AdOS (Shawn Hill) — software that uses AI to help small businesses catch the customers who call, reach voicemail, and never call back.

All five finalists were left with funding from a $16,000 prize pool. Beyond Vibe Consignment's $10,000 grand prize, Iliana Maura took second place, Tenn Tools earned the audience favorite award, and every finalist received a cash award for reaching the final stage. (Full breakdown: Vibe Consignment, $10,000; Iliana Maura, $2,000; Tenn Tools, $1,000 finalist plus $1,000 audience favorite; Brick City and Games and Hilltop AdOS, $1,000 each.)

For MCEDD, the event is the visible tip of a steady, year-round effort. “When money is on the line in a competition, business owners start looking at their business differently,” said Jakob Lillvik, Venture Catalyst with MCEDD & the Mid-Columbia Innovation Hub. “My favorite part every year is seeing the wheels start to turn as these entrepreneurs start to think big about where their business is going and how they can continue to grow and thrive.”

But PitchFest is one night. The rest of the year, the Innovation Hub works alongside Gorge entrepreneurs in quieter ways: hosting free HubTalk events where local founders share what they’ve learned, connecting business owners with mentors and funding, and helping people navigate the financing that’s more difficult to access in a rural region. The Hub’s help is free and open to anyone in the area with a business or business idea, whether or not they ever set foot on the PitchFest stage. Through its parent organization, MCEDD, that support reaches further still, into business lending and economic-development services across the Gorge.

Gorge PitchFest is administered by MCEDD and supported in part by Business Oregon’s Rural Opportunities Initiative and its Regional Innovation Hub program. This year’s sponsors included Google, WaFd Bank, Narwhal Business Strategy, and The Dalles Area Chamber of Commerce, with additional support from the Columbia Gorge Small Business Development Center.

Business owners, aspiring founders, and the merely curious are welcome to reach out, sit in on a HubTalk, or simply see what's on offer. Learn more and get in touch at midcolumbiainnovationhub.org.

About MCEDD: The Mid-Columbia Economic Development District works to create family-wage jobs, diversify the regional economy, and help businesses start, grow, and stay in Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, Gilliam, Klickitat, and Skamania counties. Learn more at mcedd.org or call (541) 296-2266.