On the evening of May 9 at the Fess Parker Resort, Lynda Weinman, Co-Founder and Executive Chair of lynda.com, will ask for “The envelope, please,” and reveal the nine outstanding women entrepreneurs who have won the 2014 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards. The winners were selected from a field of over 80 nominees in Santa Barbara County by independent judges do not live in Santa Barbara and are not connected with the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation, the non-profit that hosts this unique 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 categories.”

The twenty-seven finalists will be recognized for their achievements at the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards dinner. “These remarkable women range in age from 23 to 70. That’s why we wanted to tell the community about them because they all deserve recognition,” Feldman pointed out.

One winner was selected by the Foundation board and announced prior to the Awards: Betty Hatch, who will be honored as the Rock Star: Life Achievement winner for 2014. Betty was one of the first successful women entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara. She will be receiving her award at the gala dinner.

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, in the form of seed money, as well as scholarships for the winning student entrepreneurs. Several sponsors also contribute directly to the student awards including Montecito Bank & Trust and lynda.com. This fulfills the Foundation’s mission of supporting entrepreneurship at all levels in the Santa Barbara community.

Tickets are available until May 4 and they can be purchased online by going to www.soefoundation.org and clicking on the Buy Tickets Now button. For more information email info@soefoundation.org or call 805-682-8380.

The 27 finalists for the 2014 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards by category:

Agricultural/Winneries:

Kathy Joseph, Fiddlehead Cellars, www.FiddleheadCellars.com

Sonja Magdevski, Casa Dumetz Wines, www.casadumetzwines.com

Denise Woolery, Acanthus Landscape Design, www.acanthusdesigns.net

Emerging Business:

Amy Chalker, Isabella Gourmet Foods, www.isabellagourmetfoods.com

Robin Elander, Global Good Impact, http://globalgoodimpact.com/

Pam Tanase, WorkZones, www.workzones.com

Green Business:

Dr. Sharon Donohoe, Turbine Technology Partners, www.turbinetecpartners.com

Lacey Grevious, The Refillery, www.the-refillery.com

Kimberly True, True Nature Design, www.truenaturedesign.com

Health:

Sandra Hirsch, Isolite Systems, www.isolitesystems.com

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

Marlo Tell, Marlo’s Massage, http://marlosmassage.com

Media/Communications

Holley Proctor Malia, Grey Matter Marketing, www.greymattermarketing.com

Marianne Partridge, The Independent, www.independent.com

Lorrie Thomas Ross, Web Marketing Therapy, www.webmarketingtherapy.com

Professional Services:

Janean Acevedo Daniels, Law Offices of Janean Acevedo Daniels, www.jadanielslaw.com

Renee Grubb, Village Properties, www.villagesite.com

Kymberlee Weil, Strategic Samarai, http://strategicsamarai.com

Retail/Hospitality/Toursim

Calla Gold , Calla Gold Jewelry, www.callagoldjewelry.com

Kiona Gross, Curious Cup Bookstore, www.curiouscup.com

Sherry Villanueva, The Lark/Lucky Penny/Les Marchands de Vin, www.thelarksb.com

Science/Technology

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

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

Dr. Chandra Krintz, AppScale, www.appscale.com

Wholesale/Manufacturing/Global Trade

Patricia Bragg, Bragg Live Foods, www.bragg.com

Anita Chambers, Odulair, LLC, www.odulair.com

Karen Klein, Karen Klein Life, www.karenkleinlife.com

Rock Star: Life Acheivement

Betty Hatch, La Belle Modeling Agency, SelfEsteem.org, www.selfesteem.org

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 9 from 6-9 pm at the Fess Parker Doubletree, go to www.soefoundation.org or call 805-682-8380.

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