Clark County businessman Kyle Corwin set a high standard for business people and community leaders
John McDonagh
is the publisher of the Vancouver Business Journal.
Kyle Corwin 1946-2006
Regardless of which of the many roles we play in life – spouse, parent, friend, owner, volunteer – to claim accomplishment is never a certainty. Strive though we might, becoming accomplished takes commitment, passion, focus and effort. Nineteen accomplished individuals are chronicled in today’s edition. These are young people, under 40, many just beginning their careers, who have already distinguished themselves in multiple roles.
Last week our business community lost one of our most accomplished leaders of the last three decades. Before losing his battle with cancer last week, Kyle Corwin quietly went about building on and expanding a family business founded by his grandmother and parents. Yes, it was somewhat expected, but Kyle loved the business and could only imagine being the best. But beyond building Corwin Beverage into one of the top Pepsi bottler/distributors in the nation in 2005, Kyle was committed to his community and he demonstrated his commitment in a significant way.
The accomplishments and contributions by Kyle and his company Corwin Beverage began when he was a young man taking over the family business and continued throughout the 30 years I had the pleasure to know him.
Always a hard driving competitor in business, Kyle brought that competitive spirit to his true avocation – making certain Vancouver and Clark County were special places to live. Terms on the Vancouver School District Board of Directors and the Vancouver Civil Service Commission were public ways Kyle chose to be involved in his community. There were also less public, though not altogether private examples of his involvement. Kyle’s philanthropy quietly touched community events from the Vancouver Sausage Fest and the Fort Vancouver Fourth of July Celebration to the Clark County Fair and Little League concession stands all over the county. Many in the nonprofit community also enjoyed his family’s support – including the Community Foundation of Southwest Washington, YWCA and Share.
A believer in small business, Corwin invested in a number of local ventures, including the company that produces this publication.
The VBJ’s Accomplished and Under 40 has been in the community for only the last five years. Had there been such a program thirty years ago Kyle Corwin could very well have been an inaugural member, given the fact that he was already at the helm of Corwin Beverage and actively involved in a number of community events. Yes he could have been recognized but, knowing Kyle, it is doubtful he would have allowed it.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made to the Vancouver School District Foundation or Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation. For friends who are able to, the family requests that you make a blood donation, in Kyle’s memory, or organize a blood drive at your business, school or place of worship.
