Success stories

Estate Documents Organizer, Sonoma

BACKGROUND
The Estate Documents Organizer records book is an A-Z system of topics to organize and manage important records and documents. The book contains tips, tabs and forms and covers family, financial, medical, legal, passwords, and pet information, among other topics. It is designed to assist families and professionals to create order and peace of mind for the expected and unexpected event in life. It is based on the system designed to manage my widowed mother’s affairs for 20 years… and the concept of emergency preparedness for documents.

Spirit Works Distillery, Sebastopol

BACKGROUND
The Distillery’s plan is to be a small scale, artisan craft distillery and will produce and distribute high end, premium spirits and liquors in the US, including, but not limited to Gin, Traditional English Sloe Gin, and Whiskey. The Distillery will occupy at least 4-6000 feet of warehouse space in Sebastopol area of Sonoma County. The new business has secured financing and is in the initial start-up phase with the lease of a location in the Barlow Center of Sebastopol and renovations underway and is set to open in Jan 2013. The purchase the equipment needed for the operation has been ordered and set for deliver from Germany in Oct.

Hip Chick Farms, Sebastopol

BACKGROUND
Hip Chick Farms makes hand-crafted, delicious frozen chicken fingers, chicken meatballs, chicken wings and chicken stock, with all-natural, sustainable ingredients and practices. Hip Chick Farms was created from Chef Jen’s Johnson’s love of food and family, and offers family friendly solutions for lunch and dinner time.

Chef Johnson has served as the Executive Private Chef for Ann & Gordon Getty in San Francisco for the last 11 years, cooking for President Obama, celebrities and Bay Area personalities. Prior to working for the family, she worked at the legendary Chez Panisse for ten years alongside amazing chefs and visionary, Alice Waters.

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.

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.