James Malarkey: From a $600 Loan to a Legacy Empire — What Happened to the Family Fortune Nobody Talks About

from REI University · host chrismerzre

In this episode, James Malarkey — entrepreneur, restaurateur, real estate professional, and heir to one of Oregon's most iconic family business legacies — joins the Portland REI Meetup to share the unfiltered story behind Malarkey Roofing Products, a company his grandfather built from a $600 loan into a $50.6 million enterprise before selling in 2022. James gets real about growing up on an 800-acre ranch in Scappoose, surviving a 1.62 GPA, selling marijuana after high school, clawing his way back to Oregon State, and eventually carving out his own identity as a real estate professional and property manager — completely separate from the family name.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 7, 2026

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James Malarkey: From a $600 Loan to a Legacy Empire — What Happened to the Family Fortune Nobody Talks About

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