Adjacent Project: Jason Sajko

The purpose of the Adjacent Project is to put aside self-promotion for a moment and recognize someone in your sphere who you truly admire. Join the LinkedIn Group to see other people’s posts and share your own story of someone you admire!

Jason Sajko never ceases to amaze me. He’s the CEO, VP of Operations, HR director and a sales and marketing guru, ALL AT THE SAME TIME. Why? Because it’s in his blood as an Entrepreneur and a small business owner.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve watched Jason and his wife, Malia, start and grow three companies; all of which are still going strong. They live in Portland, OR and are the founders and operators of Hello From Portland, Upper Playground (PDX) and UPDX Gallery — three growing retail operations serving Portland’s cool kids and the tourists who want to be like them.

That is until the pandemic hit.

Resilience. It’s an amazing thing to behold.

Following COVID, like many others Jason had to pivot. If it hadn’t been for the payroll protection program, everyone would’ve been laid off. HFP and UP hobbled along and was just getting back at it when … Oregon went up in smoke! Just as retail was starting to recover, things ground to a halt and they had to begin again. I can’t imagine how challenging that must have been for Jason.

What I love about Jason though is his (and Malia’s) resilience, and his heart for his people, community and family. While some might see every setback as the end of the line, Jason rolled with each pivot and recognized the opportunity to spend more time with his family this summer. He found ways to serve his employees and his customers through the toughest possible situation.

It’s still a waiting game for brick and mortar retail, but HFP and UPDX Gallery are both solidly online now to pick up the slack. Meanwhile, Jason and his home and work teams continue to grow themselves and each other, and serve others to the best of their ability. It warms my heart to know there are people like this in my world.

Have someone in your network who you’d like to recognize publicly? I’d love for you to join us in the Adjacent Project. Here’s the link to the official LinkedIn group — request to join.