A day at Nike, Beaverton, OR

Thursday, 6/25/09 Just when you think the trip can't get any better...it does. Today was our day to meet daughter, Nancy at Nike Co in Beaverton, OR for a tour of Nike and lunch & a visit with Nancy.

Beaverton is approximately 2 hours away from Netarts, where we are staying so we set the clock for 6 am to get up early and get going. Well early we did, our meeting with Nancy & Nike was set for 10:45 am and we arrived at 8:45 am. Now we are both "on-time people" but that is ridiculous! We found Nike, checked out where we were suppose go and then decided to take a ride and see the surrounding area, of course not venturing to far. Several blocks away we went into K-Mart and then on to our new favorite, Fred Meyer. Before long we decided to just go to the Nike parking lot, read the newspaper & wait for Nancy. At 10:30 am I looked up and she was parked next to us just smiling....what a treat.

You can't imagine how big and beautiful the Nike Campus (that's what they call it) is; over 150 acres.. The grounds are meticulous groomed and of course everything is GREEN. They have a large berm around the entire property & on that berm is a running track for the employees. There are water features and waterfalls unlike anything you can imagine. It truly is spectacular. With that we went into the reception area and waited for the people Nancy was meeting with.

Enter Christopher, who was meeting with Nancy and Kathy, his assistant who was to be our tour guide for the morning. We started about 11:00 am and finished at 12:30 pm and we only wished it could have been longer, there is just so much to see. The campus is composed of many different buildings and each building is named after an athlete, Christopher & Kathy work in the Michael Jordon building. The lobby has Michael Jordon memorabilia & the building is filled with pictures & so much more. The architect is amazing. We also went into the Tiger Woods Center (my personal favorite) Mia Hamm, Bo Jackson, Lance Armstrong Center (the exercise center) Nolan Ryan, Dan Fouts and there were more we didn't see. Each of the buildings are done the same way, memorabilia after the person it is named for.

We got a wonderful history lesson on how Nike started, about the people who started it, and the swoosh logo. In the hallway were face statues of famous athletes and so much sports history and how it related to Nike. I really can't begin to do this place justice as it was so beautiful and so much to see and try and take in.

I think of the jobs Will and I have had over the years, and certainly are grateful for what we have today, but to see the job benefits and beautiful place the Nike employees work at is amazing. We all should be so lucky. First off the dress is Friday casual, everyday. They have amazing restaurants, gyms with every imaginable kind of class....spin class, palates, yoga & so much more. They have a wellness center, Doctors, acupuncture's, massages, every kind of sports area, soccer field, tennis & basketball courts, sand volleyball, swimming, a 18th hole replica of Pebble Beach that Tiger hit the ball from, even a sand trap with white sand from Augusta, GA. They have a two child care centers, one for babies/toddlers and one for school age children and there is always a waiting list. Nancy said one of the woman she worked with when she found out she was pregnant put her name on the waiting list & when the child turn one year old, she was finally accepted.

It goes on and on & I forgot more than I can remember but it was truly a wonderful experience. We can't thank our guide, Kathy, a Texas transplant, who has worked for Nike 7 years and says it is truly a family. You really do get the feeling they are a family when you are there. During our tour there were employees working out, playing sports, which they do on their lunch hour or if they have down time in some part of the day, they can go work out. During the summer months they take Friday afternoon off and you rarely seeing anyone working late. Nike is truly a family orientated company.

At the end of the tour Kathy delivered us to a restaurant on campus where we met Nancy for lunch. Of course I headed to the salad bar, after spotting the tofu, and made myself a healthy salad with a delicious lentil, lemon & spinach soup....out of this world. Will meantime was building his own sandwich, picking out what he wanted. When we got to the cashier, we discovered they weight the plates and you pay accordingly. I almost freaked out , now my friends who have been with me to Sweet Tomatoes, at home, know what kind of a salad I can build....YIKES. Fortunately, Nancy generously bought our lunch.

Well this day was truly a highlight of our Oregon & Washington adventure, one Will and I will never forget. Our deep appreciation to Christopher, Kathy and especially Nancy for making it happen. Signing off with love to family and friends.