Bonita Wilcox was born in Southern California and raised in Bremerton, Washington. Owner of PDX Touch Up (PTU), a North Portland-based construction company that is female-led and black-owned. Specializing in all things residential, it is their focus to deliver quality work both efficiently and consistently.
After High School graduation, Bonita worked in various industries from retail, food, hospitality, installation trades, and served in search and rescue with the Civil Air Patrol.
Their Leadership skills were gained after joining the Air National Guard at 17 years old. Obtaining roles of Platoon Guide, Squad Leader, Combat Life Saver, Volunteer Medical Evacuation Personnel, Forest Fire Fighter, Lead All Wheel Vehicle Mechanic, War Time Military Police, and Non-Commissioned Officer.
As an undergrad with a scholarship playing Division 2 Basketball, they worked as Youth Summer Camp Basketball Coach, Campus Medical Assistant, and served as a Certified Peer Counselor. After graduation, they were motivated to complete a Pre-Med bachelors in Science and a second bachelors degree in The Humanities. They then accepted a mentorship opportunity with U.S. Electric Co. as an apprentice Electrician, Carpenter, and Urban Farm Hand for 2 years.
In 2019, Bonita founded PDX Touch Up while practicing medicine part-time at the Gorge Community Wellness Clinic. During this time, PTU started to receive many opportunities through OAME Networking Meetings, due to this Bonita was able to apply more focus on the business and shift their service as a physician from for-profit to volunteering at a low-cost clinic non-profit 501-c3 one day a week.
Becoming an OAME Member in 2020 proved to be what PDX Touch Up needed. PTU persevered, and grew in 2021, going into the 2022 year from being self-employed to now a 7-member crew. OAME Motto, “Everybody’s In, Nobody’s Out”, resonates with Bonita’s leadership style and PDX Touch Up’s co-created Culture of Inclusivity and Employee Development.