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Success stories

Ami Sol, Santa Rosa

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 ecommerce web site and blog, Connie is able to sell her clothing line to consumers, plus offer 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.

Electronic Solutions, Cloverdale

Jim and Susan purchased this Radio Shack store in September of 2004. At that point the store was practically empty (all that remained was $20,000 in inventory in the 1,000 sq. ft. store).

Inspiration Stones, San Rafael

Company Profile:
Inspiration Stones, Inc.™ started business in 1998 and first brought to market the product known as Pocket Stones™, a successful inspirational item created and produced by Theodora Scott, owner and award-winning designer. Since their creation, more than a million Pocket Stones have been sold. Initially, factories in Larkspur and Petaluma, CA created the first engraved inspirational words on pocket-sized semi-precious stones which were sold primarily to gift stores. Today, Pocket Stones™ are manufactured in both the USA and in Asia.

Delice de la Vallee, Sonoma

Sheana Davis wears many hats. Working as a chef and caterer under her name, she also founded the Epicurean Connection in 1992, dedicated to culinary education and all things epicurean, especially fermented foods – cheese, wine, and beer.