Learn how the Midway Business Association is spotlighting cultural entrepreneurship in outer East Portland …
Inside this beloved outer East Portland restaurant, guests enjoy hot pizza and salad as the Midway Business Association launches its “Portraits & Persistence” series at Pizza Baron by honoring father-and-son owners Bill and Jeffrey Dayton.
Story and photos by David F. Ashton
The re-energized Midway Business Association (MBA) hosted its new Midway ‘Monthly Mix’ at noon on September 4th, filling Pizza Baron on SE 122nd Avenue with business owners, community leaders, and longtime friends of the neighborhood.
Sixteen businesspeople gathered in the dining room of the family-run pizzeria, where the MBA launched its new series: “Portraits & Persistence: Stories of Cultural Entrepreneurship”.
As the meeting gets underway, local business folks network and discuss ways to support outer East Portland’s commercial district.
Guests enjoyed sizzling hot pizza, salad, and soft drinks, as they heard how Pizza Baron’s owners – father-and-son team Bill and Jeffrey Dayton – built a neighborhood institution that has anchored this part of outer East Portland ever since 1983.
During the program, artist and entrepreneur Hampton Rodriguez – a former MBA treasurer – unveiled mixed-media collage portraits of Bill and Jeffrey. The artwork marks the first installment in an ongoing series, designed to honor local business leaders at future Monthly Mix gatherings.
‘Monthly Mix’ brings business owners into neighborhood storefronts
Greeting guests as the gathering gets underway, it’s MBA President Laura Martinez, and Hampton Rodriguez – the artist behind the association’s new “Portraits & Persistence” series.
MBA President Laura Martinez explained that Midway’s ‘Monthly Mix’ brings business owners into local storefronts to reconnect face-to-face, after years of digital disruptions.
“We chose Pizza Baron because they’ve been here since 1983, and they’re an avid supporter of the community,” Martinez said. The venue was a fitting start, as co-owner Bill Dayton was the MBA’s founder and original President.
Bill Dayton reflects on building community – and surviving change
Jeffrey and Bill Dayton admire their portraits, after bringing out a party-sized ‘Baron Bonanza’ pizza during the Midway ‘Monthly Mix’ at Pizza Baron.
Interviewed during the gathering, Bill Dayton reflected to East Portland News about receiving such an honor after decades of operating Pizza Baron, and guiding the business association.
“I don’t know if it was an honor or a compliment or a reward. It’s all three!” Dayton remarked. “Time goes fast. I remember when it all started, and you’re right there by our sides, helping us form the association. [It] took a long time, and then the city came and said, ‘Well, we want you to be president’.”
From the East Portland News photo archives, here’s a look at the “End of Summer Cruise-In” hosted at Pizza Baron by the MBA in June of 2014 – one of the many popular car shows organized by founder Bill Dayton.
Dayton recalled gathering a hardworking core of volunteers to build self-sustained initiatives like car shows and local fundraisers. He stressed that supporting the surrounding neighborhood remains central to his restaurant’s identity.
“We still do. We still do. We do a lot with schools, sports, churches,” he stressed. “We just yesterday had the back-to-school for all the teachers in David Douglas. We had probably 300 teachers come in, getting pizza and salad and drinks.”
Jeffrey Dayton, and guest Mark Whitlock from Portland Eco Laundry, serve themselves pizza as Bill looks on.
“Survival comes with working with the people, not against them”
Dayton explained that, when he took over Pizza Baron in 1983, his approach was grounded in personal values and neighborhood needs, rather than financial ambition.
“When I took it over in ’83, I did it because I knew how to survive,” Dayton reflected. “Survival in any community comes with working with the people, not working against them.”
Dayton observed that social media and pandemic disruptions eroded active participation across outer East Portland’s Neighborhood Business Districts – like Midway, Gateway, Parkrose, and Hollywood.
At this Neighborhood Business District event, guests meet face-to-face, rebuilding local business networks during the Midway “Monthly Mix” at Pizza Baron.
“Social media started in-person organizations slowly declining, because people wanted to meet online, and then COVID wiped everything out,” Dayton said. “There is no more coming in for a meeting where I’m taking my gavel and [saying], ‘Okay, here we go’. By the way, the gavel’s in my office.”
Despite these struggles, Dayton voiced optimism for rebuilding local connections. “Things aren’t so bad. I’ve been here 52 years,” he said. “I hope we can bring back enthusiasm not only to this community, but to the whole world.”
From reluctant worker to neighborhood fixture
Dayton shared that after high school, having suffered frequent layoffs, he had once sworn off restaurant work. However, returning to the business ultimately allowed him to forge deep and lasting connections across the district.
“It’s great. I’ve met all sorts of people,” Dayton recounted to laughter.
Bill Dayton says, “After graduating high school, I’d [thought I’d] never work in a restaurant again”, drawing laughs as he recounts how he then became a fixture of outer East Portland dining.
Looking ahead, he urged local business owners to meet face-to-face and set their own agenda, rather than relying on municipal guidance. “Getting together and talking, not always relying on the City of Portland to tell us what we need to talk about, but doing what we want to talk about – that’s what’s really important.”
Son carries the legacy forward
Picking up the story, Jeffrey Dayton reflected on what the family business has meant across generations, stating, “it’s been a dream working with family; this is more than a business, it’s been a labor of love.”
With portraits on display, hot pizza on the tables, and local entrepreneurs swapping cards and stories, the Midway ‘Monthly Mix’ demonstrated the face-to-face persistence Dayton advocated – setting an active, collaborative tone for future storefront gatherings across outer East Portland.
Learn more about the Midway Business Association at their website: CLICK HERE or Instagram page: CLICK HERE.
© 2026 David F. Ashton ~ East Portland News™
