Toni Camacho
It all started with my love for nature and natural medicine, Natural healing and herbs have been my interest and passion almost all my life. I began studying herbs and natural medicine when I was a teen. Even at that young age I was attracted to any literature that I came across related to both topics and read anything I could get my hands on. Read more>>
Emily Keaney
This Boston girl recalls her roots. It all started with an orphan dog named “Annie”. She was among a litter of black lab mixes found abandoned in a park in Boston. She was my first “love”, a sweet, gentle family pet. From there, my interest in animals expanded beyond the “ordinary”. Read more>>
Angie Cavallini
I worked as a part time massage therapist for many years while pursuing my college degrees. Through the years, I never considered that massage therapy could be my career. I always saw it as a job I was doing temporarily. Read more>>
Kim Sian
I was looking for a product that I knew had done well in other countries and wanted to also follow my passion which is BBQ, so it made sense to bring to the USA a sausage that has flourished in all the countries it has been introduced to. Read more>>
Benthe Fahr
I started working in retail back in CT, where I am from, and took to it like a “fish to water”. I worked in many parts of the industry, mostly managing – for Dept. stores, chain stores, and privately-owned boutiques. After thirty plus years of working for others, and a short break running a home business, I was approached by my partners, and we realized that there were less and less for women who wear Women’s Sizes to choose from. Read more>>
Pedro Molina
I transferred as a Junior from East Los Angeles college to major in Business at San Diego State. Not sure where that was going to land me. Feeling like I had no real career goal at the time, I got the feeling to do something radical to shake things up. Read more>>
Charles Oreve
I started my activity in Paris, France, in 2000. In 2001 I moved to San Diego, and started my agency, The X Concept. Later on, some clients in the Extreme Sports industry got me to move to Hawaii, where I operated my company for over ten years. Read more>>
Scott Orman
The story behind Surf Munkey really started after, with support from my wife (Sue), I decided to take some extended time off from work, and really upped the amount of surfing I was doing. During a routine visit to the dermatologist around that time, the doctor told me that due to the amount of skin damage to my scalp, I *had* to start wearing a hat every time I’m out surfing (scalp and neck cancers are the leading cause of death in surfers). Read more>>
Christopher Lynch
Growing up, I was what you would call a water baby. My mom was one of the first ever female Navy Salvage divers and she had me in the water before I could even walk. I remember learning how to scuba dive at the bottom of our pool and driving from Modesto, where I grew up, over to Santa Cruz to learn how to surf, skipping school days to go to the lake and wake board. Read more>>
Alan and Uri Bialostozky
I come from a business-oriented family and ever since I was young, I have loved doing business. In high school, I started my own successful t-shirt brand, Stozki, and realized that I was onto something. One day, near the end of my college career, a good friend approached me with the idea of starting our own custom apparel printing company and naturally, I said yes. Read more>>
Dat Nguyen
It all started while I was working for Tweeter, a well-known car audio shop where I was the West Coast Trainer and Custom Car Audio Installer at the time. Although I was very happy there, I always wanted to have my own business. Read more>>
Cheryl Ehlers
I believe in the power of mentoring and the good that comes from just “one” special person in your life that believes in your capabilities, something, sometimes no other person sees. I had one such mentor when I was in high school, my art teacher, Mrs. Moncla. Read more>>
Jeanne-Marie Paynel
I founded Voila Montessori six years ago, with the sole purpose of offering parents answers to their ever-ending questions about how they could encourage and nurture their child’s full potential at home. After many years in a Montessori classroom, I realized parents had many questions and wanted support to be the very best parent they could be. Read more>>
Yonatan Whitten
While I was finishing my bachelor’s degree at San Diego State, my then girlfriend developed something called Bell’s Palsy. It was a truly frightening experience because half of her face became paralyzed overnight and seemed to be drooping more each day. She couldn’t even sleep at night because she had lost the ability to close her eye. Read more>>
Irene Patton
I am a classically trained vocal artist who has sung from a very early age and continues to this day. But after securing a multi-dimensional career as a manager in a Fortune 500 company, I turned to the visual medium of oil painting which combined what I think is my sensitivity to business with my understanding of cultural. Read more>>
David Toma and John King
John: The motor bicycles are an upscale lifestyle brand created by John Allen King, who is a longtime resident of Southern California and lives in Rancho Santa Fe/Del Mar area of San Diego. John talks about his idea…. Read more>>
Dr. Debbie Rodriguez
I am a doctor of acupuncture & Chinese medicine. I became involved with his profession because I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, an autoimmune disorder. I was in a lot of pain and I was allergic to the medication so I sought out an alternative means to restore my health. Read more>>
Kyle Valery
I am a rare San Diego Native but grew up in a small town (and by small town I mean 5000 pal) in Texas. I have always been athletic and played basketball, baseball, track, cross country, and powerlifting. After high school, I moved back to San Diego in 2002 and could not think of anywhere else I would rather be. Read more>>
Jodi Stolove
It all began, more than 30 years ago, when I “stumbled” upon an idea. After breaking my foot, the necessity to continue teaching my dance and fitness classes had me “dancing in my chair.” The benefit: I was staying fit and happy! Soon after, while teaching at a Medical Weight Loss Center, it was my job to introduce exercise and motivate healthy compliance by the patients. Read more>>
Gavin Stone
I started out as an electronic engineer in South Africa. I joined a startup company called Zyray Wireless developing a 3G cellphone chip in the early 2000s and we managed to get funding from a venture capital firm in San Diego. Part of the deal was to move the whole company out to San Diego. Read more>>
Brett and Jack Geyer
J Geyer Plumbing got its start back in 2006 when John Geyer founded the company. The focus was new construction commercial projects all over San Diego, and has thrived for over eleven years now. Vickie Geyer, John’s wife, joined the team shortly after it began and not long after both of their sons, Brett and Jack were following in those footsteps. Read more>>
Lindsay McNicol
I had just arrived from living in Japan for 5 years and I understood how important it is to know more than one language. I learned how to speak Japanese and I craved that knowledge and contentment that comes with learning a new language and culture. Read more>>
Trey Foshee
Born in Hawaii and raised in Ojai, California, Chef Trey Foshee has always drawn inspiration from the ocean. His restaurant career began as a busboy earning tips to support his surfing habit. Today, he is the executive chef, partner and creative force behind George’s at the Cove, one of the highest grossing independent restaurants in America, and Galaxy Taco, a casual Mexican eatery in La Jolla Shores. Read more>>
Mark Hagen
We have been involved with small trailers for about 15 years. We have carried several brands including Aliner, TAB, TAG, Little Guy Teardrops, Silver Shadows and Sylvan to name a few. We have carried vintage trailers and used but nothing did exactly what we wanted so we started building the MeerKat. Read more>>
Collan Koeppen
At 8 years old, I suffered a neck injury while playing football. My head was stuck to the side for a week with my ear nearly touching the shoulder. The medical doctor said I should be ok. The following school year my principal commented on how much nicer I had been the year before and asked me, “What happened?” Read more>>
Josie Cicero
My career started at the age of 13 when a family tragedy catapulted me into the work force; I decided then that wherever life was going to lead me I would give 150%, with integrity at the core of my work. So, I embarked on a journey to discover my gifts and talents, and my purpose in life. Read more>>
Tom Campanaro
Our story has a 43-year history. It started in the 1970’s when I made a deal with God. I told him that if he would get me to California (from Philly), find me a good woman (which turned out to be Joy), and help me start a business, that I would serve him the rest of my life. Read more>>
Kelly and Jerry Sinclair
Jerry and I bought Business Office Outfitters in 1990 and it was an office furniture and office supply company located in La Mesa California. Neither side of the company was making money at that time and with Office Depot and Staples moving into the area we decided to discontinue selling office supplies and focus solely on office furniture. Read more>>
Bronner Handwerger
I received my undergraduate degree in biochemistry and proceeded to further my graduate studies in Ethnobotany. I lived in Costa Rica studying and documenting the uses of medicinal plants by native peoples in the treatment of disease, during which time, I organized and developed sustainable rainforest projects and assisted local health departments with rural health programs. Read more>>
Amy Cleveland
I grew up in San Diego and went to University City High School where I played basketball, volleyball and softball with basketball being my main sport. I sat out my junior year of high school sports after tearing my anterior cruciate ligament in my knee. Read more>>
Dr. Cynthia Burzell
I am a Ph.D. Marine and Medical Microbiologist and scuba diver. When diving, I often noticed that some underwater surfaces were covered with “fouling” — barnacles, mussels, algae — but other surfaces were not. I hypothesized that those clean surfaces must have good bacteria on them — a protective surface microbiome, just like we have on our skin. Read more>>
Randy Sarmiento
I grew up in Spring, TX – a small town about 45 minutes North of Houston, but was ultimately brought to San Diego by the U. S. Navy. I served 8 years as a Navy/Marine Corps Corpsman (FMF). Deploying in and out and serving in duty stations primarily here in the Various San Diego Area Bases. Read more>>
Georgia and Steve Goldberg
My wife, Georgia and I, were shopping for our two Airedale Terriers Harry and Arthur and we couldn’t find a store that satisfied our desire to find the best quality products available for health, style and happiness. Our dogs were family members and we took them with us whenever and wherever we could. Read more>>
