Last quarter, we sat down with board member Colin Brooks and this quarter we met up with his father, Conley Brooks, Jr. who has been a Brooks Resources board member for 4 decades. In this interview, Conley shares his background and some of his family’s legacy with us.
Q: What is your background or history with Brooks Resources that led or drew you to become a board member?
A: My family has been involved since 1915 with Brooks-Scanlon and later with Brooks Resources. It was an honor to be asked to join the board along with my father, Conley Brooks, Sr., and the other notable board members from that time, including Brooks Ragen and Bob Straub.
Q: What have been your proudest accomplishments as a board member?
A: I’ve gained the most satisfaction from working with the other board members, Mike Hollern, and the staff to deal with hard times like in the 1980s. But in more positive decades, it has been very gratifying to oversee the development of so many successful projects like Awbrey Butte, Awbrey Glen, NorthWest Crossing, The Tree Farm, Discovery West, and others.
Q: What do you hope you will help Brooks Resources achieve in the next five years?
A: Since establishing Taylor Brooks, the partnership with the Taylor family, Brooks appears to be pivoting from developing large-scale, master-planned communities (where opportunities have diminished) to more industrial, multi-family, and other income-producing projects. In five years, I would hope that the square footage the company owns and manages will have reached a large critical mass.
Q: What do you imagine Bend would be like today if Brooks were not such a key contributor to the local development landscape?
A: With the decline of the logging and sawmill industries in Central Oregon and the sale of Brooks-Scanlon in 1980, I believe that Bend was at risk of significant decline. The sawmill jobs which were once the backbone of Bend employment were gone. However, even earlier, the other attributes of Bend and Central Oregon began to be recognized, and Brooks Resources was a major contributor to this trend, along with other local organizations.
Brooks Resources’ residential projects set a high tone which elevated the housing stock, which in turn attracted more affluent residents. The expansion of the Redmond airport was important too – I remember when there were only a couple of flights a day and they were on tiny, cigar-like prop planes.
Another key aspect of the flourishing of Bend was the fostering of the cultural life of the city, in which Mike and Sue Hollern played a very significant role. Without them and others in their circle, Bend might be a cultural wasteland.
Q: Do you serve on any other boards or are involved with any other organizations? Which?
A: I’ve served on many non-profit boards over the years, most of them in Minnesota where I live, including foundations, public radio, a private school, a community foundation, and others. Since I retired in 2022, I’ve cut back on these involvements, and now serve only on the board of the Midwest Art Conservation Association.
Q: Please tell us a bit about your professional and personal background.
A: I’ve been married to my wife Carol for 49 years. We have three sons, two marvelous daughters-in law, and seven – soon to be eight – grandchildren. We’ve lived in the Minneapolis area since our marriage. After service in the Navy, then business school and eight years working for two Minneapolis-based corporations, I joined my father in the family business, Brooks Associates, Inc., in 1982. Brooks Associates was a family office formed after the sale of Brooks-Scanlon in 1980. I worked at Brooks Associates and its successor, Sawmill Trust Company, for forty years, retiring in 2022.
Q: What is your favorite way to enjoy time off, especially since retiring?
A: In the summer, we enjoy going to our family cabin on Gull Lake in northern Minnesota. It has been in the family since 1931, and remains a great gathering spot for the extended family. In the winter, we stay in Minnesota (despite the cold and snow), but travel quite a bit to mostly warm places.
Q: What has been your greatest takeaway or learning from your time serving on the Brooks board?
A: I’ve truly enjoyed serving and participating in the impact that high-quality residential development, cultural offerings, and thoughtful infrastructure can have on the growth and quality of life in a community like Bend.
