Are you ready to become an entrepreneur, or expand your existing small business? Afraid to “go it alone,” or unsure how to proceed? WEV’s training programs guide you in taking the next step. Attend a free 1-hour orientation, where you’ll meet a WEV representative that will help you determine if SET, EXPLORE, or another WEV program is right for you!
WEV’s business training classes are offered in English and Spanish throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Free orientations are held throughout the year and are required for enrollment in a training program.
Exact locations given at registration. Free but registration is required
Orientation locations are subject to change. For more information, dates and to register for an upcoming orientation, visit WEV’s Web site at http://www.wevonline.org/orientations.
Women’s Economic Ventures is dedicated to creating an equitable and just society through the economic empowerment of women. WEV provides training, consulting and loans to help entrepreneurs start, grow and thrive in business. While WEV targets its services toward women, it serves men as well, and provides many services in English and Spanish.
Since 1991, WEV has provided business training and consulting to over 14,000 women and men throughout Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, and made more than $4 million in loans, assisting over 4,000 local businesses. WEV is a U.S. Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Center, and a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).
Ventura favorite Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Co. is opening their long-anticipated second location in Camarillo next month. The original is a beloved coastal institution. They’ve racked up national accolades from FiveThirtyEight, Business Insider, the Chive and Foursquare, amongst others, for their delicious, hand-crafted fish tacos, burritos, ‘sushi grade’ ahi tuna burgers, and more.
The new location will be at 311 Carmen Drive, and will open in early May. The new restaurant features a large outdoor patio, tailor-made for enjoying idyllic California evenings.
Spencer Makenzie’s entire line of sought-after sauces will be available for purchase at the Camarillo location, including Caribbean Blaze and Little Sweet, Lotta Heat. Fifty cents from the sale of each of its famous Sweet Chili Fire sauce will go to the family of fallen firefighter Cory Iverson, who lost his life fighting the Thomas Fire.
Spencer Makenzie’s is also nationally famous for its annual End of Summer Block Party and “Throw Down” cornhole tournament. `
Ventura’s Spencer Makenzie’s Fish Co. is located at 806 East Thompson Blvd. For more information, please visit www.spencermakenzies.com.
On March 15 a Ventura ribbon cutting was held for CryoWorks located at 3004 Telegraph, 676-0856.
They provide a holistic whole body cold immersion modality called cryotherapy which significantly reduces inflammation in the body, eases joint pain, improves sleep, and many more health benefits.
Dr. Cathy Chien remembers having a great pediatric dentist growing up and aims to give the same memorable experience to her young patients, much like a Boynton Beach dentist provides on the daily!
by Mira Reverente
Remember those childhood trips to the dentist? It was made or break, smile or cry for most people. They either left a positive impression like after a visit to Dentist Frederick or it went the complete opposite way.
Blast from the Past
For these two pediatric dentists of Oxnard Children’s Dental Group (OCDG) otherwise known as the “spaceship dentists,” positive childhood influences and experiences definitely played a significant role in their choice of career. As we all know how important oral care is, it is important to instill this in your child at a young age. Whether it comes to brushing their teeth twice a day or visiting a Pediatric Dentist in Vineland (for a general checkup), it is good for them to understand the importance of this. When kids start getting into a routine, they are likely to continue this as they get older, which is what we want.
She always knew that the healthcare profession was for her but the decision-making was shaped by a positive childhood experience. “I had a great pediatric dentist growing up,” says Dr. Cathy Chien, a native of Thousand Oaks.
Dr. Betsy Kaplan, has been in practice for 19 years, recently seeing more second generation patients.
For Dr. Betsy Kaplan, it was an unusual fascination with dental visits in her hometown of Waterford, Connecticut. “I always liked going with relatives to see the dentist,” says Dr. Betsy, who has been in practice for 19 years.
Second Generation Patients
“We have a big family environment here,” says Dr. Betsy of their practice comprised mostly by women and moms of varied ages and backgrounds like her and Dr. Cathy.
The family environment has also attracted a second generation of patients whose parents used to see Dr. Betsy and the other staff who have been with the practice for two or three decades. “One year they’re in elementary school and suddenly they’re in college or married, and we’re seeing their kids,” she says.
“It doesn’t feel like work,” says Dr. Cathy, a mom of three boys, who also serves on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Oxnard and the Santa Barbara-Ventura County Dental Foundation.
The Tooth Fairy Reaches Out
If the popular legend was to be believed, the tooth fairy would be in several places at the same time, 365 days out of the year. Not quite to that extreme but OCDG’s very own tooth fairy does make the rounds.
According to Dr. Cathy, the tooth fairy does oral hygiene education talks at local schools, health fairs and even at the local Barnes & Noble bookstore. “Dr. Betsy and I, along with the other dentists, also do free, year-round dental screenings in our offices, for kindergartners,” she says. You can also pick-up this type of care at the Dentist West Long Branch if this is closer to you.
Without the tooth fairy this time, the staff has also embarked on a number of dental missions to Guatemala. Initiated by founding partner Dr. Mark Lisagor, the team takes basic dental hygiene supplies to an underserved community in Rio Dulce, Guatemala and also offers routine dental treatment to children in a rural clinic setting.
For the past five years, a $500 college scholarship has been awarded to a graduating high school senior. For this year, the requirements are: the applicants must be graduating from high school in 2018, must be current patients who are are planning to attend a post-secondary institution and the application must be turned in by August 17. “We choose one winner every year,” says Dr. Betsy.
On to Ventura
The Ventura Children’s Dental Group is slated for a mid-April opening, bringing a touch of its family atmosphere and community involvement to the Ventura College area. Look for the same team of warm, smiling faces!
Las Vegas residents, a young, full of energy, entrepreneurial couple, Alicia and Jeff Wagner bought the Woodcraft franchise store in Ventura in November, 2017. This is a family business, so Alicia’s mother and father-in-law will be working with them to handle the everyday operations. They divide their time between Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Ventura.
The couple dons many hats. Jeff, an architect, has a small architectural practice in Las Vegas. He is also the Director of Construction for the Clark County School District, managing the construction of new schools and renovations. The Clark County School District in Nevada is the fifth largest in America. His job as manager, keeps him busy overseeing one of the largest school building programs in the nation. Jeff recently left a position as a tenured professor at the College of Southern Nevada; he taught evening classes for almost ten years.
Alicia is an interior designer, working for Westfield (the shopping mall company). Westfield has an in-house design and development team; Alicia leads the Aviation Design practice area. Her work is Los Angeles based with weekly commutes between Las Vegas, Ventura and Los Angeles. It keeps her busy.
She sometime jokes about Jeff’s inability to sit still—he often has two or three fulltime jobs at once.
The Wagner’s were exploring business opportunities. They honed in on a Woodcraft franchise store and started discussions about opening a store in Las Vegas. They took a trip last May to the Woodcraft headquarters in Parkersburg, Virginia, learning about the woodworking business franchise. During the visit, Woodcraft mentioned there was a possibility of purchasing the Woodcraft franchise store in Ventura. They lived in Las Vegas, so opening a store in Ventura would be quite an adventure.
Opportunity abound as Alicia and Jeff Wagner are assembling their plans. With the Maker Movement in mind, turning consumers into makers, they deal with the problem directly. Woodworking is seeing an uptick in a time when most retail businesses are struggling against online platforms. They adhere to the educational component of the business (most Woodcraft stores teach classes three or four days a week). The Wagner family adheres to the belief of continued learning and growing.
The Wagner family has big plans for the Ventura store. The current dedicated staff was a deciding factor in purchasing the store. The knowledgeable people in place now work hard to bring their passionate woodworking skills to the public and are there to assist. Woodworking classes will continue in their Ventura store.
They took over in November, are having fun revamping their store to increase merchandise levels, and bring in new product. They have worked with the team to change class schedules and offer new classes.
“It’s been very rewarding to grow the business and see how excited customers are when they walk into the store now,” said Alicia Wagner.
“We’re spending most weekends in Ventura and have also enjoyed exploring the town and surrounding area. While we are not fulltime members of the community yet, we’re looking forward to seeing more this spring and summer.”
On March 6 a Ventura Chamber Ribbon Cutting was held at J Wolf Catering and BBQ at 2271 N. Ventura Ave. They are committed to serving their guests as much farm to table, organic and non-GMO foods as possible and locally sourced meats and produce.. They are a certified green business.
Ernest Romero- chef/owner was on hand to greet all.
Hours are Tuesday through Friday 8 AM -5 PM, Saturday 8 AM – 2 PM (unless catering) and Sundays and Mondays closed. 628-9416
Lynn’s Consignments had an official Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening on Thursday, March 1st. Owner, Lynn Dralle, friends, family, Chamber Members, and community supporters, joined her for this special occasion. Lynn’s new show room is 4000 sq. feet and she features high-quality, very unique furniture and home decor and sells it all on consignment.
Lynn just moved to Ventura and got her love for fun home furnishings from her grandmother who had antique stores in Washington State, which was originally where she thought she would open as well. This special day of March 1, was chosen by Lynn to honor her father who would have turned 84 on that day. Everyone that attended her grand opening received a free copy of her first book “The 100 best things I’ve sold on eBay”.
Store hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-5pm .1975 E. Main St. 628-3289
On Feb.22 a Ribbon Cutting and Mixer was held at Kirby Kia of Ventura to celebrate the opening of their newly redesigned Kia dealership. Kirby Kia’s new state-of-the-art facility features a beautiful indoor showroom, 20-bay service department, dual lane service drive up area, Kia loaner cars, complimentary car wash area and a premium customer hospitality center.
It was hosted by Ventura Chamber Young Professionals Group and Ventura Chamber of Commerce. Chamber members, City dignitaries and well-wishers attended the Ribbon Cutting.
Kirby Kia is located at 6424 Auto Center Drive, in the Ventura Auto Center.
A family business run by Ryan, his wife Davina and his close friends.
by Lyvonne Klinger
The DeCants have built the non-profit, Industry Horror from the ground up with a passion for giving people gifted with special needs a place to feel safe and become independent, contributing members of our society. Industry Horror is a small, grass roots, family business run by Ryan, his wife Davina and his close friends for over 7 years.
A true homegrown and handcrafted company Ryan has found a way to evolve his workspace into an environment where he can design and print his work while training and employing a small staff of only special needs people.
He stated “Our goal is to provide awareness and resources as well as encouragement and confidence for the autistic and special needs community. As we face the challenges of trying to grow our non-profit business into a well-known hub for special needs people to participate in a creative environment while learning to become self-supporting to whatever degree they can be, we are confident that with some help from our community we can make this company a place of hope and fulfillment. “
He went on to say “I find it very easy to be passionate about life, when feeding on its dreams. It’s not so much the hope of mankind that I am worried about, it is the lack of self-reflection and the decline of the pursuit of knowledge. The future is now. And the world is at our finger tips.”
Teryn and her dog, Cooper enjoying a day in Ventura.
by Gail Field
She’s worked in countries in the heart of Africa and in rural towns in Latin America and Asia, following her heart and her love of helping others. She goes after her goals with enthusiasm and energy. She is Teryn Bonime, real estate agent extraordinaire. Through her working life in Ventura County, Teryn shares her insights into real estate and helps her clients get the best possible outcome in their quest to buy or sell a home.
“My love of helping others came from my father,” she says. “He is a retired surgeon who travels to impoversished countries in order to perform much needed surgeries on people with cleft palates and other facial deformities. My sister also has her own organization and when I go on these missions, my role involves working with patients and handling non-medical responsibilities. Those experiences helped instill in me a desire to help people in my career, using the knowledge I gained in my own field.
“Now, when I work with clients in real estate, I like to think of myself as a champion for what they really want. I’ve learned to be a fearless and strong negotiator and use those skills to stand up for my clients.”
Teryn has earned professional designations in her field including Master Certified Negotiation Expert (MCNE) and Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), among many ohers.
“I believe in delivering the best service while adhering to the highest level of ethical standards,” she says. “My clients benefit, knowing that I am helping them to sell or purchase a home for the best possible price, in the shortest amount of time, with the least inconvenience. That is my promise to my clients.”
Ventura is a long way from Teryn’s missions in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Ecuador and Bangladesh, and she smiles to recall her adventures. “My experiences there under challenging conditions make me even more grateful to live and work in beautiful Ventura.”
Teryn can be reached at her office with Keller Williams Realty, 1071 S. Seaward Ave., Ventura. Phone: 665-3474 or at www.teryndowntheroad.com.
