The Brooks Resources Story

The story of Brooks Resources Corporation is the story of Bend and its transition from a frontier settlement to a timber boomtown and then on to a diverse city in the heart of Oregon's high desert. On August 18, 1915 The Bend Bulletin broke the news that "Brooks-Scanlon Will Build Here at Once." By spring of 1916, both the Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company and a competitor, the Shevlin-Hixon Company, were operating sawmills on opposite sides of the Deschutes River.

These lumber mills, made possible by the railroad's arrival in 1911, sparked a boom that fueled the town's growth for the next half century. Bend grew from a sleepy western village of 258 pioneers in 1903, to a bustling town of 5,414 by 1920, the fastest growth of any city in the United States.

For the next several decades, both Brooks-Scanlon and Shevlin-Hixon mills operated as the world's biggest pine sawmills. But in 1950, realizing that the long-term timber supply could not provide both mills with enough logs to meet their combined capacity, Shevlin-Hixon sold out to Brooks-Scanlon. This consolidation compelled both Brooks-Scanlon and the Bend community to consider a more diverse economic base.

In 1969, Brooks-Scanlon Inc. formed a subsidiary, Brooks Resources Corporation, to acquire and develop property. The following year, the company launched its first major project, Black Butte Ranch. Today, Black Butte Ranch remains among the state's most celebrated resort developments. Brooks Resources continued with new developments, giving special attention to each community's natural setting. In 1974, Mount Bachelor Village Resort was developed offering second-home condominiums.

This was followed in the 1980s by Shevlin Center, the company's first premier business and industrial park, and by Awbrey Butte offering spectacular hilltop homesites. In the 1990s, developments included the private residential golf community of Awbrey Glen, a Conference Center at Mount Bachelor Village Resort, and the Shevlin RiverFront mixed-use development.

In the early years of the 21st Century, several key projects moved forward. Century Washington Center was added as Bend's newest commercial/retail/office park. The active adult resort community Touchmark at Mount Bachelor Village was launched, as was the vacation community of RiverWild. The mixed-use development of NorthWest Crossing, a joint venture with Tennant Family Limited Partnership, became one of the most popular and recognized developments in Central Oregon. In addition, the communities of Awbrey Park and Awbrey Village welcomed homeowners, and new retail buildings added to the appeal of Awbrey Village. The North Rim residential community added a new perspective with its spectacular natural landscaping on one-acre homesites. And with the help of Botanical Developments and Drake Design group, Brooks' developments and those throughout Central Oregon will be on the leading edge of native landscape restoration and landscape design. Brooks Resources Corporation's roots are inseparably entwined with Bend's past. The 2004 move of the company's headquarters into the historic former convent for the St. Francis Parish in downtown Bend further connects the past with the future.

In 2006, Brooks Resources was honored as a recipient of the Oregon Ethics in Business Award, and honor that recognizes business that demonstrate ethical responsibility, integrity, and social and environmental stewardship. Brooks Resources is the first company in Central Oregon to receive this prestigious award.

Referring to founding partners M.J. Scanlon and Dr. Dwight Brooks, a longtime employee said, "These men had vision and could see things as they hoped they would ultimately develop." Decades later, Brooks Resources Corporation stands testament to their foresight and continues the tradition.

Just as in 1916 when the first Brooks Scanlon sawmill fired its boilers, the people of Brooks Resources pledge to be leaders in the continued health and success of the community.