Jason Beem
Jason Beem is currently the track announcer at Portland Meadows in Portland, Oregon. A Northwest native, Beem grew up attending the races at Longacres with his father Mark as a young child and dreamed of becoming a jockey when he got older. Unfortunately, he outgrew them by age 9, so he turned his attention to the other fascination he had at the track, the announcer. Beem has been a lifelong handicapper and took his first job in racing at Emerald Downs in 2004 working as a turf writer and media assistant. He was hired in 2006 to be the announcer at River Downs Race Track in Cincinnati. Halfway through his first season at River, he was offered the announcing position at Portland Meadows. The two tracks ran opposite seasons so for two years Beem drove across the country twice a year. In 2008 he accepted a year round position at Portland Meadows doing media and guest services work. Beem is also working on a Masters Degree in Mental Health Counseling and Addictions at Lewis and Clark College in Portland. He has hosted a weekly horse racing show in Portland called "The Winning Ticket" as well as filled in on the weekday sports talk shows on 750am the game sports radio. His first novel "Southbound" is slated for release from Pandamoon Publishings.
