Success stories

David's Shoe Repair, Santa Rosa

BACKGROUND
David’s Shoe Repair is a retail western apparel and shoe repair company located in the Roseland Community of Santa Rosa. Roseland is one of the County of Sonoma’s Redevelopment Areas, populated primarily by predominately Spanish speaking businesses.

Knights Contractors, Windsor

BACKGROUND
Knights Contractors; an electrical contractor business to the commercial and institutional building construction industry. They cover the greater North Bay with services for over 30 years. They currently employ 30 full time individuals in four departments.

Wellspring Aikido, Santa Rosa

Traditional Aikido Meets Modern Marketing

BACKGROUND
Wellspring Aikido, founded in 2003 by Michelle and David Keip, offers traditional Aikido training for adults and teens, as well as a Samurai Sprouts program for children ages 5 to 7. David and Michelle have been teaching Aikido for more than 25 years. They met on the mat in 1983 and inspire students with their commitment to the “martial art of peace.”

Until 2009, Wellspring Aikido was run as a part-time business using rented shared space. Their goal was to take the Aikido school to full time operation and to expand the scope of the business to accommodate their vision of a movement and creative arts center.

Ami Sol, Santa Rosa

Turning a Passion for Sun Protection into Profits

BACKGROUND
Ami Sol is an online retailer of organic and natural sun protective clothing for children, toddlers and babies. It was born from the passion of “mompreneur” Connie Ozdil, who wanted a better way to protect her children from the harmful UV rays of the sun than toxic chemical sunscreens.

Through her E-commerce website and blog, Connie sells clothing line to consumers and offers useful advice to moms.

Susanna Frohman Photography, Bay Area

Susanna Frohman is an international and national award-winning photojournalist and visual storyteller who creates and licenses custom photographic print and web products that help corporations, media organizations and non-profit clients illustrate the heart of their mission.

www.susannafrohman.com

Lonjevitea Kombucha, Petaluma

Michaela Biaggi and Mollie Sitkin are enough to restore anyone’s faith in business partnerships. The duo met while attending a Green MBA program at Dominican University and they are both passionate about business and kombucha – a fermented tea beverage, which they made at home to fuel their busy lifestyles. After writing a business plan for a kombucha beverage company in a business planning class, Biaggi and Sitkin realized that the product was not only viable, but something they both had an interest in pursuing.

The Gardening Tutor, Santa Rosa

Company Profile
There are nurseries that will sell you plants, landscapers who will design and install your garden space and yard maintenance services that will come once a week to mow and blow, but whom do you contact to learn how to do it yourself—to design the yard you want or to keep your yard looking its best throughout the seasons? Professionals only want to do the work for you, and garden books may be too generic for your plants and microclimate. This unmet educational niche in the world of horticulture professionals is the one that The Gardening Tutor fills.

Farmhouse Inn, Restaurant and Spa, Forestville

The 6-acre Farmhouse Inn, Restaurant and Spa was purchased in 2001 by siblings Catherine and Joe Bartolomei, whose family has farmed in the Sonoma County area for five generations. The property came with an excellent reputation in the food world; in its May 2007 issue, Gourmet Magazine name it one of the “World’s 36 Best Food Destinations.” The Bartolomeis continue to improve and refine the property, receiving the “One Star Preferred Destination” from the Michelin San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country Guide” in 2007.

Sift: a Cupcakery, LLC, Cotati

Andrea and her husband moved from Las Vegas to Sonoma County in early 2008. The first order of business was opening a flagship cupcake shop. Andrea had her sights sets on a chain of shops and in less than a year she opened store number two. Store number three is in negotiation as we speak.

Alternative Building Concepts, Sebastopol

Founded in 1985, Alternative Building Concepts (ABC) offers residential and light-commercial green building contracting and consultation services. ABC specializes in utilizing highly energy efficient structural insulated panels (SIPS) for residential and commercial applications. Alternative Building Concept’s primary goal is to educate consumers on the numerous energy efficient and environmentally-friendly building options available in today’s market so they can make informed decisions as to what would work best for their project.