The winners were selected from a field of over 70 nominees in Santa Barbara County by independent judges not connected with the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation, the non-profit that hosts this unique Awards event.

“It is exciting for everyone involved, “ says Cathy Feldman, Board Chair and CEO of the Foundation. “We had an amazing group of candidates this year, and it was hard for our judges to narrow it down to the top three in each of the eight categories.”

The twenty-four finalists will be recognized for their achievements at the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards dinner. “These remarkable women range in age from 23 to 80. That’s why we wanted to tell the community about them because they all deserve recognition,” Feldman pointed out.

The same evening the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards will also honor high school and college student winners of SBCC’s Scheinfeld Center New Venture Challenge competition. Proceeds from the Awards dinner will go toward cash prizes for the winning student entrepreneurs, fulfilling the Foundation’s mission of supporting entrepreneurship at all levels in the Santa Barbara community.

Tickets are available until May 6 and they can be purchased online by going here. For more information email info@soefoundation.org or call 805-682-8380.

The 24 finalists for the 2013 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards by category:

Beauty/Fitness:

Fay Doe, Underground Hair Artists, www.undergroundhairartists.com

Chanda Fetter, I=mx Pilates, www.imxsb.net

Joy Kelly, JuicePlus, www.ChapalaGardens.com

Communications/Media/Publishing:

Marjorie Large, Deco Marketing Group, www.decomarketinggroup.com

Melisssa Marstead, Lucky Penny Press, www.luckypennypress.com

Kim Wiseley, LOVEMikana, www.lovemikana.com

Emerging Business:

Heather Gray, Gray Electrical Consulting + Engineering, www.gecellc.com

Jake Kelly-Campbell, Chapala Gardens, www.ChapalaGardens.com

Jill Latham, Vibrant Earth Juices, www.vibrantearthjuices.com

Hospitality/Toursim

Julia Mayer, The French Press, www.thefrenchpress.com

Alethea Tyner Paradis, Friendship Tours World Travel, www.friendshiptoursworld.com

Judi Weisbart, A Busy Woman, www.abusywoman.com

Medical/Science/Technology

Ali Bauerlein, Inogen, www.inogen.net

Michele Hinnrichs, PAT Industries, Inc., www.patinc.com

Annie Meyer, Eiffel Software, www.eiffel.com

Professional Services:

Samantha Keeping, Keeping Interiors, www.keepinginteriors.com

Barbara Klein, Accrued Benefit Administration, www.abainc.com

Suzanne McNeely, Senior Planning Services, www.seniorplanningservices.com

Retail/Wholesale/Manufacturing

Jennifer Beinke, JLB Pet Products, www.kissmymutt.com

Susanne Chess, Fine Fabrics of Santa Barbara/Force Fins, www.finefabrics.com

Calla Gold, Calla Gold Jewelry, www.callagold.com

Rock Star: Life Acheivement

Kathy Odell, Annovium Products, www.annovium.com

Betty Pilkington, Betty’s Fabrics, http://bettysfabric.com/

Jeannine Richards, Santa Barbara Art & Silkscreen, http://sbartandsilkscreen.com/

The Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation’s Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards are designed to recognize the contributions of women entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara County to the economy as well as to support future economic growth through the recognition and education of student entrepreneurs. For more information about the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards on Friday, May 10 from 6-9 PM at the Fess Parker Doubletree, go to www.soefoundation.org or call 805-682-8380.

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