Oct. 27, 2025 6:45 a.m.

With a presentation he wrote and practiced himself, 12-year-old Wyatt Bradley took home both First Place and Audience Choice prizes in the Umpqua Growth Talks Pitch Night Grand Finale on Thursday night at Backside Brewing in Roseburg.

Drew Winkelmaier has the details: “Drew1” Q: News Radio 93-9 FM and 1240 KQEN

A release from the Umpqua Economic Development Partnership said the presentation was buoyed by the remarkable story and early success of Wyatt’s Waterfowl Co. Wyatt has gone duck hunting with his father, Buddy since he was two years old. They started collaborating on ideas for duck calls and with his father’s engineering experience, began producing and selling calls around the world. As a budding social media startup, Wyatt features his family’s duck calls online, adding to his reach and fueling his startup success.

Along with earning the Pitch Night champion honors, Wyatt also received the Audience Choice award, adding $1,250 to his $5,000 prize. Joy Marlow of Infinity Professional Cleaners was the second-place finisher, earning $2,500. Jill Fay of Better Together Events & Rentals was given the third-place award, receiving $1,250.

Since its inception in 2019, Pitch Night events have surpassed $100,000 in support for local entrepreneurs, thanks to a long list of sponsoring companies and organizations. For more information about Pitch Night, go to: www.umpquagrowthtalks.com