A project this size stands on the people behind it. The team behind The Forge in Bend, Oregon is a volunteer board of local hockey families, business owners, and builders who live here and answer to their neighbors. They bring decades of coaching, company-building, and on-ice experience to one shared goal: bringing year-round ice to Central Oregon. Here’s who they are, and why their track records give the project its backbone.

Who Is Behind The Forge in Bend, Oregon?

A founding board of Central Oregon community members leads the Forge. Each of them put their name, time, and resources behind the project. They coach the teams, run local businesses, and skate the same early-morning ice as the rest of us.

That personal investment is the foundation of the whole effort. When the people building a place also plan to live in it, the standard goes up and stays up. They serve as volunteers, donating their hours and expertise to the mission. The result is a board that treats this rink like it belongs to the neighborhood, because it does. Accountability like that is hard to fake.

Hockey Roots and On-Ice Credibility

Hockey is in the blood of our whole crew. Derek Meyer, our President and Campaign Chair, has been on the ice since age 12 and is the owner and operator of Hixon Mortgage in Bend. He brings the same drive he learned in the rink to leading the campaign.

John Kromm, our Secretary, carries more than 30 years of coaching and a lifetime in the game, with a coach’s eye for developing players in the high desert. Tyler Brower, our Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Development, played NCAA and professional hockey, so he understands the full pathway an athlete travels. He now leads the partnerships and hockey programming that will define the place. These are people who have lived the sport from first strides to the pro ranks. Between them, they have logged more hours at a rink than most people spend at the office.

Passion gets a project started, and discipline keeps it open. Steve Elwell, our Executive Director, has spent more than 25 years building and scaling companies, raising millions in funding, and earning 82 patents across 65 countries. That operating rigor shapes how The Forge is planned and run.

A Family Rooted in Bend

The Lehmann family anchors the board in community. Scott Lehmann grew up on Sharks hockey in San Jose and has played for three decades, passing the game down to his three children. He and his wife, Julia Lehmann, have called Bend home since 2020, and pour their energy into making everyone feel welcome—athletes and non-athletes alike.

Brandon Lehmann focuses on expanding access and growing the local hockey community, on the ice and on the trails he loves. Together, the Lehmanns bring warmth, deep roots, and a genuine stake in Bend’s future. Their commitment is a reminder that families are the engine of this project. You will see them at the front desk and in the stands as often as in the boardroom.

Proven Builders and a Validated Plan

The board does not work alone. Outside architects and analysts validated the plan with a feasibility study and market analysis, and founding donors have already committed real dollars behind the vision. It helps that Bend is strong ground to build on. The Milken Institute ranks the Bend area among the country’s best-performing small cities, a sign of the growth and stability this facility is built to serve. That combination of heart and operating discipline is what makes the plan credible.

Meet the Whole Board

The people behind The Forge in Bend, Oregon are neighbors with the experience to build it and the heart to keep it open for everyone. Sign up for our email list to follow the journey from vision to opening day, and get to know the people behind the project.