Bringing the world to Ventura is a Ramirez family goal. After living in the Middle East for 2 years and scouring the globe for handmade treasures, Michelle and Anthony are thrilled to have brought them back to share with our community. For a taste of wanderlust visit Passport Habits at 1987 E. Main St. Open Wednesday-Sunday.
645-6708 – Passporthabits.com
Melody stated “I’m so proud to accept this award, which is presented to the agents who are the top 2% of Berkshire Hathaway agents. I could not have accomplished this without your referrals and friendship. I promise I will continue to provide hands on, exceptional service to you all. Thank you so much!”
Melody O’Leary has over 16 years of experience in the real estate industry. After 13 years with Coldwell Banker, she became affiliated with Berkshire Hathaway in February 2013. She is proud to be associated with Berkshire Hathaway for a number of reasons:
Melody said “I was born and raised in the beautiful seaside community of Ventura and I feelextremely fortunate to have lived here my whole life. I have traveled the world but I’m always happy to come home to Ventura. I love the people of my home town, who are friendly, approachable and unpretentious – a description that I’d like to think fits me as well.”
“My husband, Alex is a local dentist and together we have four grown children. One of our favorite shared interests is purchasing, refurbishing and reselling homes. My passion for interior design not only provides me with much personal enjoyment but also has proven to be an asset to my clients. I am able to help them maximize the value of their home without incurring the additional expense of a professional stager. In my free time, I also enjoy gardening, searching Flea Markets for treasures and camping in our vintage Airstream trailer, Kitty. “
Her awards include: President’s Circle for Top Sales in 2005-2012 at Coldwell Banker, among the top 100 agents at Prudential California Realty in 2013, Good Rotarian of the Year and Rotary-Paul Harris Fellow.
She is an active member in N.A.R., C.A.R., Ventura Downtown Rotary Club, and Ventura Botanical Gardens. Former member of National Charity League Juniors, former President of Mound School Site Council, Channel Islands Waterfront Homeowners Association, and Ventura High School Interact Club Advisor.
Passport Habits in Midtown has opened. Bringing the world to Ventura is a Ramirez family goal. After living in the Middle East for 2 years and scouring the globe for handmade treasures, Michelle and Anthony are thrilled to have brought them back to share with our community. For a taste of wanderlust visit Passport Habits at 1987 E. Main St. Open Wednesday-Sunday.
645-6708 – Passporthabits.com
Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV) recently celebrated the accomplishments of ten men and women graduating from the WEV’s Basic Spanish Self-Employment Training program.
Graduates left the course with an understanding of whether they are ready to take the next steps in launching their own business.
A new urgent care center, Urgent Care on Main, is now open at 2660 East Main Street, Suite 100. Hours will be noon-8 p.m. Monday-Friday (several weekdays open at 9 a.m., please call 667-8750 to confirm) and Saturday/Sunday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Urgent Care on Main’s experienced physicians and physician assistants provide care for many common illnesses and injuries including strains and sprains, burns, lacerations, bites and stings, ear infections, colds and the flu.
Visit http://www.urgentcareonmain.com for more information.
The Ventura County Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) invites you to join them as they celebrate outstanding women in business and leadership at the 17th Annual Bravo awards and luncheon on Friday, April 1st at the beautiful Serra Center in Camarillo. This is sure to be the must-attend event of the season with over 200 local business owners, executives and active members of the business community recognizing this year’s ten outstanding honorees. Early bird tickets are available now at www.NAWBOVC.org.
“We were impressed with many exceptional nominations this year,” stated Dr. Janis Shinkawa, President, NAWBO Ventura County.
Speech coach and author Mimi Donaldson will join these outstanding honorees as this year’s Mistress of Ceremonies. Mimi has authored four books, including, “Pitch Perfect: Speak to Grow Your Business in 7 Simple Steps.”
Bravo 2016 would not be possible without the generous support of its sponsors, Montecito Bank & Trust and The Metropolitan Water District. Sponsorship opportunities are available at www.nawbovc.org.
NAWBO Ventura County – The local Ventura County chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners is committed to strengthening the wealth creating capacity of its members while promoting economic development within the entrepreneurial Ventura County community. www.nawbovc.org.
Jo Hawthorne and Alioune Diouck have opened a new hip business in the Ventura Harbor Village.
Island Creations is a laid-back seaside boutique offering a collection of stylish, hard to find Tropical and Afro-Caribbean clothing and accessories. 1591 Spinnaker Dr. #113 www.IslandCreationsVHV.com.
Three recent graduates of WEV’s Self-Employment Training (SET) Program will join forces in a free yoga and coffee event for the community.
For those with a love for both yoga and coffee, three local entrepreneurs are hosting the perfect event. On Saturday, February 27th, WEV Self-Employment Training graduates Michelle Nouraei, Marilyn Hefferen, and Ashley Tindall will combine their passions to provide the community with a leisurely afternoon of yoga and coffee.
The event will kick off with a relaxing yoga class taught by Hefferen, an instructor at Yoga Rhythms. After the session, attendees can enjoy a delicious cup of hot coffee made from Tindall’s coffee and yoga business, Soul Bean, while shopping the latest trends in yoga apparel from Nouraei’s online yoga clothing store, Funk Zone Fashions.
Date: Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: 1593 Santa Ynez Street, Ventura, CA
Cost: Free admission, RSVP encouraged but not required
For more information or to RSVP, contact Ashley Tindall at (303) 815-6265 or ashleytindall77@
About Women’s Economic Ventures (WEV)
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. WEV serves all of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties from offices in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Santa Maria. 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).
A pioneer in the field, WEV was founded by Marsha Bailey, a nationally recognized advocate for women business owners. Marsha is the board president of the national Association of Women’s Business Centers, and sits on the National Women’s Business Council.
Consortium Media, an award-winning brand development agency for local, regional and nationally-recognized businesses, non-profits and government agencies, announces the addition of two new employees to its dynamic team.
Multimedia Specialist Briana Frank’s scope of responsibilities includes project management, public relations outreach, social media coordination and new business development. Prior to her role at Consortium Media, Frank worked as Support Service and Development Director at the Ventura Family YMCA where she oversaw donor development, stakeholder relationships, community outreach and signature events.
Melina Esparza was promoted to Creative Media Associate after completing an internship with Consortium Media. In her new position, Esparza develops web content and art graphics, manages client social media accounts, and assists with video and photography projects. You should find out more about video production if you’re interested in this line of work as it is one of the most successful forms of marketing, especially when it comes to social media, this century. The popularity of video marketing is quickly becoming the norm, with websites littered with online video promotions and ads. According to digital marketing reports, video marketing could be one of the most successful digital marketing forms with explainer videos, marketing via social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, pulling in potential customers to a business. The California Lutheran University (CLU) graduate was active in college serving as a photo editor for the Echo student newspaper, as well as a student assistant at the Pearson Library and took the position of executive marketer for the Associated Students of CLU Government.
“I’m thrilled to welcome these skilled professionals to our branding firm,” said Denise Bean-White, President and CEO of Consortium Media. “Their expansive knowledge and passion to learn will help us continue to significantly grow our clients’ brands and enhance our client services.” Enhancing brand awareness is something that all businesses are all looking to strive for. There are many different types of techniques that can be done to achieve this such as the ones that Consortium Media uses as well as creating any video content for a business. Getting in touch with somewhere like The Storyteller Studios can begin the increase of your brand awareness as soon as possible.
Consortium Media is a renowned firm known for its expertise through its Five Pillars of Marketing Success©, which strategically combines advertising, events and promotions, public relations, complementing web strategies, social media and creative design to build successful brands. Social media is a growing force for any business or production looking to reach their audience. Businesses often use social media to interact with their customer base and grow their brand. Companies similar to SidesMedia help businesses by managing and building their social media presence.