Rick Eilers is a man of many hats—and maybe even a firefighter helmet or two. Growing up in Wilsonville, Oregon, Rick’s childhood was anything but ordinary. From his mother’s side, Rick is registered with a federally recognized Native American Indian tribe—the Citizen Potawatomi Nation (CPN). Originally from the Chicago area near Lake Michigan, the CPN now calls Shawnee, Oklahoma, home and his family’s five-acre farm was bustling with Duroc pigs, cows, and plenty of hard work. He even showed livestock at the Clackamas County fair, earning his agricultural stripes early on. By eighth grade, Rick’s graduating class had a grand total of 23 kids—so moving to the much bigger West Linn High School was a bit of a culture shock. But Rick’s knack for innovation shone through when he turned his small herd of seven cows into his college fund by selling them before heading off to Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton.
Rick spent his college summers behind the wheel of a wheat combine, working on a dry-land wheat ranch that spanned 2,000 acres. He was also an active member of Future Farmers of America (FFA), competing at fairs and eventually earning a spot in the FFA Work Experience Abroad program. That adventure took him to Germany, where he spent 6.5 months working on dairy and hog farms—a life-changing experience that broadened his horizons (and his appreciation for schnitzel).
When Rick returned to Oregon, he enrolled at Portland Community College to study engineering and began volunteering with the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue. Over the next eight years, he served as a firefighter, Engineer and EMT, all while working full-time at a machine shop. There, he mastered the cutting-edge CNC milling machine, crafting prototypes for big-name companies like Xerox and Tektronix. Talk about multitasking!
Rick, his wife Nancy and son Aden eventually settled on an 8-acre farm in Molalla, raising cows and growing chestnut trees. But life had more adventures in store. A career opportunity for Nancy took the family to Cincinnati, then Seattle, before they found their way back to Oregon and settled in Lake Oswego—the perfect place for Rick to reconnect with his roots.
Since 2011, Rick has been an integral part of the Palisades Neighborhood Association, focusing on emergency preparedness and serving as neighborhood Chair. His passion for community service led to the creation of Prep LO, a city-wide initiative that brought emergency prep to the forefront. Thanks to Prep LO, Lake Oswego now boasts an earthquake valve on its newest 2-million-gallon water storage tank—a critical step in safeguarding the city’s resources.
Rick owns Prepared Northwest, Inc. where he specializes in residential seismic retrofitting, remodels and preparedness consulting. When he’s not on the job, you might find him managing remodel projects around the Portland metro area or whipping up 60 gallons of his own wine each year—grapes sourced straight from The Dalles. As if that weren’t enough, Rick is also a master gardener, growing everything from leeks and onions to kale and squash at Luscher Farm (despite a persistent squirrel problem).
When Rick and Nancy aren’t tending to their garden, they love traveling the globe—Italy, France, and The Netherlands are favorites—or escaping to sunny destinations every February. Whether he’s crafting wine, improving homes, or preparing the community for emergencies, Rick brings passion and dedication to everything he does.
