Businessman, community leader Bob Emrick dies
Arrangements are under the direction of Macy & Son Funeral Directors. A family graveside service is planned; a public service will be held later in the month.
In 2023, Emrick received the McMinnville Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement award. His former company, Western Oregon Waste, was named the Chamber's Large Business of the Year award multiple times.
In addition to owning WOW before selling to Recology in 2010, Emrick owned property, including buildings downtown and vacation rentals.
In 2013, he developed the KAOS building, a three-story structure at the corner of Third and Galloway streets that was the first new building downtown in many years. He also was co-owner of the 1882 Grille that occupies the third floor of the building.
He worked in partnership with his daughter, Ginger. He also is survived by his wife, Nancy Emrick, and grandson, George.
In addition to his business activities, Emrick was a force in the community. He was president of the Kids on the Block Board, which along with the city and school district organized the KOB after school program and annual fundraiser, the Mayor’s Ball.
He was music leader for the choir and instrumental group at the Nazarene Church on the Hill for 10 years. More recently, he and his wife attended The Grove community church.
Emrick also was president of the McMinnville Rotary Club and chaired its annual fundraising wine and art auction. He served on the board for the Chemeketa Community College Foundation and was instrumental in building the school’s Yamhill Valley Campus in McMinnville.
He was president of Hillside Manor, which was created by a group of local businessmen in the early 1980s to develop apartments for seniors and a care facility. He also helped expand Hillside with the addition of independent cottages and other facilities.
Emrick, the son of a Nazarene pastor, moved to McMinnville in 1968 to study and play football at Linfield College, now university. His physics professor recommended him for a job with Ez Koch, owner of the garbage service then called City Sanitary, later renamed WOW.
He worked there to pay for college at Linfield, then from Western Oregon University in Monmouth. He had planned to attend law school but instead became manager of City Sanitary.
He later became co-owner, then purchased the company outright and renamed it WOW. He added trucks and expanded to other areas of the valley and coast.
Emrick also pioneered recycling efforts in McMinnville. He constructed the Greenlands/Recovery Zone recycling center near the headquarters for WOW/Recology on Lafayette Avenue.
In a 2023 story, Nancy Emrick called her husband “a visionary.” She said they were glad they decided to settle and do business in McMinnville. “We love it here,” she said.
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