Success Awards

Verde Valley/Sedona businesses honored for their achievements

The Annual Success Awards event was  hosted April 14 by the Arizona Small Business Development Network at the Arizona Capitol lawn April 14^th 2022. The event was to honor businesses from across the state.

The Small Business Development  Center (SBDC) at Yavapai Community College honored three Success Award Winners this year from its  region because of the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 events.  

Those who were awarded for their entrepreneurial success were the following: Bryan and Lema Nowicki, owners of Farm A  Go Go in Cornville; Adam and Chris Bean of  TAC Fabrication in Cottonwood; and Anita Marcus, owner of  LaserGirl Skincare Superhero™ with locations in Prescott and Sedona.

These entrepreneurs were described as  contributing greatly “to our area economy, growing their businesses in spite of the  challenges brought on by the pandemic.”

Farm A Go Go owners Lema and Bryan Nowicki started their business with minimal resources and a vision of a true Farm to Table experience in rural Arizona. They grew their business through one of the most challenging times for small businesses. They were able to reframe their  product delivery and retain their employees, never wavering from their core values, now establishing  themselves as a real Farm to Table destination.

TAC Fabrication owners Adam Bean and Chris Bean were recognized for their outstanding business achievement  and expansion efforts in the region. Both are experienced welders and metal fabricators. Their team has grown the  company with welding, CNC plasma cutting, sheet metal bending, tubular structure and general fabrication  services, and meeting exponential demand for fabrication across Arizona.

LaserGirl Skincare Superhero™ owner Anita Marcus worked tirelessly to build and expand her brand and  services. Through her growing business now in two locations, she provides what is described as “exceptional care and attention to a  long list of clients, particularly those with extreme skin problems that other medical treatments have left  unresolved.” She has also established key relationships with medical professionals who value her ethical standards  and dedication to effective solutions for patients’ specific medical needs.

The three Award winners worked with the Yavapai Community College SBDC team, on multiple aspects of their  business including marketing, branding, expansion, organization, and strategy, to name a few.

Source:  Jennifer McCormack, Yavapai College news release, April 15, 2022; Prescott|eNews Yavapai College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Honors Three Success Award Winners | Prescott eNews.

Elinsky and spouse, Cottonwood mayor Tim Elinsky,  are long-time supporters of small business development in the Verde Valley

Ruth-Ellen Elinsky Photo from Yavapai Community College news release.

It was announced in an August 19, 2021 news release from Yavapai Community College that the Community College has named Ruth-Ellen Elinsky as its  program director for the Small Business Development Center. Elinski has been a certified business analyst for Yavapai Community College SBDC since 2018.

Elinsky has been a Verde Valley resident since 2004, where she now lives in Cottonwood with her husband and two daughters.  Her husband, Tim Elinsky, is mayor of the city of Cottonwood. She holds  a bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs and Management from Indiana University and an associate degree in Accounting from Northern Arizona University.

Richard Hernandez, Executive Director of the Regional Economic Development Center at the Community College, said that she “is the right person at the right time to lead the SBDC team to new levels of service in our community. The SBDC has been instrumental in not only providing but leading business support services and is well respected in the County.”

The Community College news release said that Elinski has first-hand training in management, budgeting, and manufacturing and additional experience as a non-profit director leading alongside a 20-member Board of Directors. She is a Fellow of the Arizona Center for Civic Leadership’s Flinn Brown Leadership Academy, a returned Peace Corps volunteer, and most proudly, the mom of two brilliant daughters.

The SBDC provides no-cost business consulting services and access to funding. Helping small business owners start, grow, or exit their business. The SBDC is hosted by the Regional Economic Development Corporation  and is funded jointly by the Community  College and the Small Business Administration.

Sources:  Blog research and Yavapai Community College news release, August 19 authored by Mr. Tyler Rumsey.

Jeri Denniston, a Yavapai Community College  adjunct marketing instructor, replaces SBDC Director Kurt Haskell, who retired in April

Yavapai Community College announced on June 29, 2017 that Jeri Denniston, a Community College adjunct marketing instructor who lives in Prescott Valley, was hired as the new director for the Small Business Center.  You may read the College’s press release by clicking here. Denniston is a former San Diego Union-Tribune community relations director and Thunderbird School of Global Management graduate. She is a partner in an international consulting business with her husband, Eric. The firm specializes in helping businesses with strategic and financial planning and management. 

Denniston has taught internet and social media marketing at Yavapai Community College since 2011 for small business owners and entrepreneurs as part of the Entrepreneurship Course. You may read more about Ms. Denniston’s background by clicking here.

The Small Business Center is located in Building 29 on the Prescott Campus, however, appointments may be made by phone to meet with staff on the Verde Campus.  On its current web site, the Center currently offers four classes in Prescott, and one each on the Verde Campus and in Prescott Valley. 

If you own a small business or are thinking about starting one, the SBDC  offers both short and long term counseling at no charge, and seminars and workshops conducted by experienced business professionals. Hands-on training can be provided in such disciplines as business planning, record keeping and personnel management. Classes are sometimes offered in web design and other like areas of the internet. There is a charge for most classes.

You may read more about classes and their cost by clicking here.

Center honored for “hard work, great ideas and dedication”

The Yavapai College Small Business Development Center was honored at the 24th Annual Enterprise Business Awards Luncheon on May 18. The recognition was for  “hard work, great ideas and dedication” of the Small Business Center’s mission: serving as an educational resource to small businesses.

The event was held in Phoenix at the Biltmore hotel and hosted by the Arizona Small Business Association  and the United States  Small Business Administration. The Enterprise Business Awards recognize the previous year’s exceptional accomplishments in the small business administration lending arena.

You may read more about the honor by clicking here.

Small Business Development Center (SBDC) on Verde campus has new business analyst

Ms. Kathy Bazan has joined the Yavapai College Verde Valley Small Business Development Center (SBDC) as its new business analyst. The SBDC is part of Yavapai College’s Regional Economic Development Center (REDC). It is located on the YCC Verde Campus in Clarkdale.

The College describes the SBDC as a “resource center for small business owners and entrepreneurs, helping businesses succeed through counseling in finance, management excellence and marketing.” Ms. Bazan has experience in marketing, social media content writing, editing and career counseling. She will share her expertise in these areas to help local businesses grow.

For the detailed announcement for this new position, please click here, which will take you to the YCC website.