Portland, Oregon
Micah Mahder is the Facilities Manager at Portland Rescue Mission, a non-profit organization that provides food, shelter, recovery, and other vital services to people of all life stages affected by homelessness, addiction and abuse. His job as a Facilities Manager is to ensure that all physical infrastructure is in suitable condition for the people Portland Rescue Mission serves!
Thank you so much, Micah, for sharing your amazing journey! Your work is truly inspirational, and sheds a bright light on how maintenance can bring so much hope to this world!

How did you get started in maintenance?
In 2012, I moved to Portland, Oregon and began work as a superintendent for a residential homes and development GC. It was through this job that I developed the necessary skills for what I’m doing now! In 2014, through a connection, I was able to get a role as a Facility Assistant for Portland Rescue Mission. The former Facilities Manager was on his way out and knew that he needed to train someone as his replacement. From 2014-2016, he poured all of his knowledge into me. He was an amazing manager because he allowed for me to make mistakes, and used those mistakes as opportunities to help me learn and grow. He mentored and guided me so that when he was ready to leave, he had the utmost confidence in handing his position over to me.
What is one of your proudest achievements?
In 2018, we partnered with a local organization to design a solar panel installation on one of our facilities. It was an opportunity for men and women that are competitors in the solar and electrical space to come together to design and install the system. This also provided an opportunity for a couple women in our rescue program to receive training in the solar industry. Their training eventually led to employment in the same industry! It was a really beautiful thing to see businesses coming together to support the community.
Why do you love what you do?
Portland Rescue Mission is an exciting place to work that really gets me outside of myself and allows me to love and bring hope to the hurting people of our city. Beyond just renovating buildings, we are creating safe, clean, bright, warm, and welcoming spaces for those in need. I’m proud of the work our team does, and am honored to work alongside amazing people to fulfill the same mission – to meet people where they’re at and go at a pace they can sustain.
The greatest part of my job is the testimony of someone coming in to one of our programs with no hope or purpose, and watching them a year later leaving our program with a career in facility work, housing, life skills, job training, and fully equipped to walk on their own again.