Finalists for the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards
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.