publisher@santaynezvalleystar.com

With the new year comes change, including some major changes at the Santa Ynez Valley Star. At the time this issue goes to print, there will be new owners of the Santa Ynez Valley Star. Nic and Hayley Mattson, of 13 Stars Media are taking over publishing of the Valley’s best source for local news. 

Raiza Giorgi, publisher of the Santa Ynez Valley Star.
Photo by Jessica Maher Photography

My time as publisher of the Star has come to an end, and I have complete faith in the Nic and Hayley to continue. They are local to the Central Coast, and their vision is the same as mine, which is to bring community together and keep local news in the forefront. 

Looking back, I think I was a bit crazy to start a newspaper, but the Valley deserved to have a publication that would shine a light on all the wonderful people, businesses and organizations that make up this world-class area. The Star was born and I want to say that these past six years have been an amazing journey for myself and the people who have made my dream come alive, which includes you, the readers. 

I started the Santa Ynez Valley Star as a monthly publication back in 2016, and with the help of my small Star team and a dozen advertisers, we created a high-quality news publication and grew it into a twice-monthly publication within that first year. 

We won “Best of the Best” our first year at the California News Publishers Association awards, and countless awards in the years since for writing, photography, breaking news, sports features, advertising campaigns and more. 

Some of my best memories have been working to cover local news and ensuring the word got out about what was happening in local government, new businesses opening, and of course how to help our fellow neighbors in times of need — especially at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

I want to thank all the people who have contributed to the Star over the years including Dave Bemis, Aimee Reinhart Avery, Shana DeLeon, Victoria Martinez, Amberly Lahr, Ebers Garcia, Jen Trupiano, Mike Chaldu, Pamela Dozois, Daniel Dreifuss, Barry Sigman, John Copeland, Sheila Benedict and Vida Gustafson. 

I also want to thank each and every advertiser that has put their advertisement in the Star, because without them the Star wouldn’t have been born at all. I am so deeply appreciative and thank every single one of you from the bottom of my heart. 

Life has pulled my family to another adventure away from the Santa Ynez Valley, and even though I no longer live here we will be back often to visit as our multi-generational family still does. 

I wish each and every one of you all the best and encourage you to welcome Nic and Hayley Mattson into the community. 

With love

Raiza Giorgi

Former Publisher

Santa Ynez Valley Star

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Solvang’s “State of the City” address, an annual luncheon presentation from city leaders about what happened in the past year and what’s ahead, will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 30, at Root 246.

The city’s report will be presented by Mayor Ryan Toussaint. The keynote speaker will be Raiza Giorgi, owner and publisher of the Santa Ynez Valley Star.

Giorgi started the Star in February 2016 and has turned a monthly publication into a bi-monthly one. She will be talking about the importance of local news, the road that led her to create a print newspaper in a digital world, and the way she uses the best of both worlds to communicate.

The city’s presentation will give attendees a report of events Solvang over the last year, which includes a description of construction projects, water reserves, tourism updates and more.

Also up for discussion are inter-agency and government relations, which are important to Solvang because, for example, solid waste collection, law enforcement and fire protection are provided on a contract basis.

The Solvang Parks and Recreation Department will also give a report on its activities over the past year and what they have in store.

Traffic will also be on the agenda, as well as capital improvements, new businesses, tourism and the city budget.

The cost to attend the luncheon in $40 per person. To attend, RSVP to taryn@solvangchamber.com.

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Publisher

Being an entrepreneur is scary, and difficult. It’s a lot like going through parenthood.

But like parenting, it’s also rewarding.

That’s how I felt last month when The Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation honored the Santa Ynez Valley Star as this year’s top emerging business.

I was lucky to be chosen. I think that I and all other entrepreneurs do the hard, scary work because we have an idea that just can’t be contained. We also have families to support, and we want to make the world a better place. A little cheesy, but true.

In fact, the reason I created the Santa Ynez Valley Star was that I had become a parent and wanted to do something to help support my family while keeping the flexibility to be as involved as possible in my children’s lives.

I’ve had so many jobs I don’t think I can count them all. I’ve pretty much worked everywhere in the Santa Ynez Valley, starting as a grocery bagger at El Rancho Market, fitting people at Solvang Shoe Store, waitressing at many restaurants and serving coffee at the Roasted Bean. I’ve sold tickets at Parks Plaza Theatre and been a tour guide on the Solvang Trolley.

I have said many times that I got into journalism because of my beloved dog Taxi, a yellow Labrador my family loved and cherished. When she died in my late teens I wanted to memorialize her in a story. I got it published in a local paper and thus decided that I was destined to be a journalist.

I loved being a journalist, but I also realized that I loved promoting businesses. For a while I worked doing social media for the Buellton Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau but I didn’t want to stop there.

I got a lot of criticism and dire warnings about wanting to start a newspaper. Everything seems digital today, and the talk of newspapers dying was everywhere.

The Santa Ynez Valley is a different place, though. We have such a love for our community, and the news and stories I wanted to tell couldn’t be found on national news services. I wanted to publish stories that mattered to locals, about locals who were making a difference and building community.

I wanted to publish something that was above the “Fake News” arguments and divisive politics, that didn’t push a political agenda and wasn’t a soapbox for an ideology. I wanted to highlight kids raising money for cancer patients, organizations helping seniors, firefighters getting kitties out of trees, and businesses cutting ribbons. I wanted to blend old-school journalism with a social media and online presence to highlight stories as well as advertisers’ products and events.

To help me put it together I called my mentors, former colleagues who were now freelancing, and friends I trusted. I had a vision in my head that I couldn’t wait to get onto paper.

I called in a lot of favors, and those first dozen advertisers I can’t thank enough for believing in me and supporting the Star. Without them we wouldn’t be here in our third year of publication.

I don’t do this alone, either. My Star team is the best, and I am so lucky to work with them. I never say they work for me; they work with me. They believe in the Star just as much as I do, and that’s quite a lot.

We do this to earn a living, to send our kids to dance class and sports practices, and to pay for summer vacations. We do this because the stories need to be told.

It makes me so happy when people say “I love reading the Star,” or “Thank you for telling our story. We got a lot of people at our event.”

Every day is different. I meet new people, I see old friends, I go to events and take photos of people enjoying and supporting our programs and organizations. I love attending parades and festivals and other valley functions.

I still stop and give tourists directions to the museums, hand out newspapers, field phone calls, whatever it takes. I love it. Every single second of it.

I encourage anyone with an idea to pursue it. As my father says, the only failure is not trying at all.

I hope the Star is around for a long time, and I promise that I will give it my all. I’m grateful to the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation for recognizing all the amazing women and students in our area who are doing great things.

Until next time, thank you for reading the Star.

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Contributed

Those in the ballroom at the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort on the evening of May 4 will hear, “The envelope, please,” and 11 outstanding women entrepreneurs will receive the 2018 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards.

The winners to be revealed that night were selected from some 115 nominees in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties by independent judges who live outside the tri-county area and are not connected with the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (SOE) Foundation.

Three Santa Ynez Valley women — Puck Erickson-Lohnas, Jody Williams and Raiza Giorgi — are among the finalists.

“It is exciting for everyone involved,” said Cathy Feldman, board chairwoman and CEO of the foundation. “We had an amazing group of candidates this year, and it was difficult for our judges to narrow it down to the top three in each of the categories.”

The 33 finalists will be recognized for their business achievements at the SOE awards dinner.

“These remarkable women have such a variety of enterprises that we think it is important to tell the community about them. In fact, every one of them deserves recognition,” Feldman said.

One recipient — Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree — was unanimously selected by the foundation board and announced prior to the awards for the indelible community impact she has made as a woman business owner and philanthropist.

She will be honored at the event as the Rock Star: Life Achievement winner for 2018.

She is CEO of Pacific Air Industries, a company based in Chatsworth that supplies airplane parts to airlines and companies around the globe. Lady Ridley-Tree is a very hands-on entrepreneur, traveling to the office several days a week.

The 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 Southern California Edison. This fulfills the foundation’s mission of supporting entrepreneurship at all levels in the Santa Barbara community.

Before dinner, guests and the public can meet the high school and collegiate finalists from New Venture Challenge and learn about their proposed businesses.

For the first time this year, the students will be joined by previous winners of the SOE awards to help these businesses recover from the recent floods and mudslides.

Tickets are available until April 30 and can be bought by visiting www.soefoundation.org and clicking on the red banner at the top. For more information, email Cathy Feldman at info@soefoundation.org or call 805-682-8380.

The 33 finalists for the 2018 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards are:

Agriculture & Wineries:

Marta Alvarez, YCE Inc., www.YCEinc.com

Puck Erickson-Lohnas, Arcadia Studio, www.arcadiastudio.com

Jody Williams, Broken Clock Vinegar Works, www.brokenclockvinegarworks.com

Emerging Business:

Carey Bradshaw, Hooter Holster by Carey Bradshaw, www.hooterholster.net

Raiza Giorgi, Santa Ynez Valley Star and Santa Barbara Family & Life Magazine, www.santaynezvalleystar.com and www.santabarbarafamilylife.com

Lele Miranda, Lele Patisserie, www.lelepatisserie.com

Green & Social Entrepreneur:

Diana Pereira, Impact Hub of SB and Balance Financial Management, www.impacthubsb.com

Marine Schumann, Brighten Solar Co., brightensolarco.com

Cecilia Villasenor Johnson, Sun Pacific Solar Electric, sunpacificsolar.net

Health & Wellness

Robin Long, The Balanced Life, www.thebalancedlifeonline.com

Melodee Meyer, Kickboxers/Martial Arts Family Fitness, www.kickboxers.com

Marlo Tell, Marlo’s Therapeutic & Sports Massage, marlosmassage.com

Hospitality & Tourism

Nirasha Rodriguez, The Food Liaison, www.thefoodliaison.com

Diane Smith, Joy by the Spoonful, joybythespoonful.com

Tammy White, Grapes and Hops, www.grapesandhops.org

Media & Communications

Lindsey Carnett, Marketing Maven, www.marketingmaven.com

Marjorie Large, WitMark Marketing & Branding Group, www.witmarkgroup.com/

Emily Solomon, The Food Marketer, thefoodmarketer.com

Nonprofit organizations

Anne Cremarosa, MIYB California/Santa Maria Business Development Center, www.santamariabdc.org

Debra Manchester, Family Therapy Institute of Santa Barbara, ftisb.org

Sarah Otterstrom, Paso Pacifico, pasopacifico.org

Professional Services

Laurie Gross, Laurie Gross Studios, www.lauriegrossstudios.com/

Terri Hilliard, Terri Hilliard PC Estate, Elder and Special-Needs Law, www.terrihilliard.com

Ann Levine, Law School Expert, www.lawschoolexpert.com

Retail

Claudia Cordova Papa, Aqua Skin and Nail Care, aquaskinandnailcare.com

Zdena Jiroutova, ZFolio, www.zfolio.com

Johanna Zlenko, The Closet Trading Company, theclosetsb.com

Science & Technology

Kristin Denault, Fluency Lighting Technologies, www.fluencylighting.com/

Jenny Du, Apeel Sciences, www.apeelsciences.com

Laura Nixon Miller, Redi Match, www.redimatch.com

Wholesale, Manufacturing & Global Trade

Yvonne Erwin, YARD CARD, www.stakeastatement.com

Michele McDowell, Wiggins Lift Co., www.wigginslift.com

Andrea Ridgell, Mishay Salon & Spa; Glop & Glam, glopandglam.com

The post Entrepreneur awards to honor 11 women appeared first on Santa Ynez Valley Star.

The Solvang Rotary Club honored seven community members June 6 with the club’s annual Ethical Service Awards.

Framed certificates were presented to the seven people, nominated by community members,  “who demonstrate strong ethical behavior and character in their workplace and in the community on a daily basis,” a club spokesman said.

The 2017 recipients were Raiza Giorgi, Santa Ynez Valley Star publisher (not pictured); Bonnie Holdren, Montecito Bank and Trust president; Marvin Johnson, Solvang Senior Center volunteer; Jim Rhode, Solvang Senior Center vice president; Tommy Speidel, SYV YMCA executive director; Steen Weber, Pacific Western Bank; and Susan Weber, Pacific Western Bank (retired).

During the past 15 years more than 75 community members have received the awards.

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Raiza Giorgi, publisher of the Santa Ynez Valley Star and the Santa Barbara Family and Life Magazine was recently named a finalist for the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards, which will be on May 5 at the Biltmore in Santa Barbara.

“I feel very honored to be a finalist, and love what the foundation is doing for the community by inspiring our youth and people in the community that have the entrepreneur bug. I already feel like a winner, and couldn’t do this without my amazing team behind me,” Giorgi said.

Giorgi started the Santa Ynez Valley Star as a monthly publication in February of 2016 with 16 pages and a dozen advertisers and grew it within a matter of months to a bi-monthly publication and took on the Santa Barbara Family and Life Magazine in January of 2017.

The The Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards event is hosted by the Spirit of Entrepreneurship™ Foundation. The event is unique in that student entrepreneurs are inspired by successful role models in addition to winning cash prizes as seed money for their businesses as well as scholarships. At the same time, outstanding women entrepreneurs are honored with beautiful engraved awards from Tiffany. The proceeds from the event go toward funding the student awards the following year.

The students, who receive cash prizes (in the form of seed money) and scholarships, are the winners of SBCC Scheinfeld Center’s New Venture Challenge one-day business pitch awards. The top three student winners at each level are selected by judges a week before the SOE Awards and attend the Awards dinner and ceremony as the Foundation’s guests.

For more information or to purchase tickets to the event, log onto www.soefoundation.org.

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By Raiza Giorgi

Being troubadours themselves for years, playing night after night at different venues, brother and sister Ron and Carole Ann Colone have both lived the life of wandering musicians.

They know the life on the road and how hard it can be. which is why they wanted to provide more than just a venue for fellow musicians coming to play their concert series, Tales from the Tavern, when they launched it 15 years ago.

The siblings grew up in a blue-collar household with music around them in Detroit, and they say that music helped shape their souls. Ron got inspiration from the lyrics of Bob Dylan songs, and he knew that he would be involved in music throughout his life.

“I remember driving over the San Marcos Pass one day, sick as a dog, and a song came on that I hadn’t heard in a while, and I felt so much better by the time I got to Santa Barbara. I really believe that music has the power to heal,” he said.

Photo by Barry Sigman
Brother and sister Ron and Carole Ann Colone founded Tales from the Tavern 15 years ago as a way to bring music to the Santa Ynez Valley that people wouldn’t normally experience here.

Carole was part of a rock opera group, Enoch, and has played congas and percussion with Peter Green, the LA rendition of Poco, and now with Michael on Fire. She’s traveled around the world but ended up following her brother to the Santa Ynez Valley about 25 years ago.

Every music event has a different feeling or experience for the audience. At some shows you dance, at others you sit and listen, and at others you treat the music like background noise while you have a conversation. The Colones wanted to create a completely different world when a musician walked on stage.

“Tales from the Tavern was born at Mattei’s Tavern, hence the tavern in the name, but it has grown into more than just a venue space but a place where people can come and really experience the music from the artist’s perspective and engage,” Ron said.

“People really trusted us to bring them a great experience, because when we first sold the idea of the concert series to Mattei’s at the time, we told them they couldn’t serve food. We sold tickets in advance of the audience knowing who was playing, and it sold out in less than an hour,” Carole added.

One of their musicians, Marcia Ball, a well-known roadhouse rhythm and blues musician, has played all around the world and even at the White House. But when she played Tales from the Tavern she said she was nervous because it was so quiet, and people were actually paying attention, Ron recalled.

After their first year at Mattei’s the shows became so popular that they had to find a bigger venue. David Walker of Firestone Walker said the company was building a new restaurant in Buellton and offered them a chance to play there and even built a stage.

“That first show was nerve-wracking because we were starting the show at 7 p.m. and at 4:30 p.m. they were still doing construction. Luckily it all came together and we loved our time at Firestone,” Carole said.

A memorable show from their Firestone years was played by John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The Colones also love it when people who aren’t familiar with the musician end up falling in love with the music.

“We are so humbled by the community that has supported this journey over the last 15 years. It’s incredible that we are known for bringing music, and an experience, like nowhere else,” Carole said.

After Firestone evolved into a restaurant setting after five years, the Colones decided it was time to move the again so they found the series’ current home at the Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez.

“We got some interesting questions when we moved to the Maverick, but when people walked into the hall they were awed at how we transformed the space,” Ron said.

Every season the hosts and the artists create a series that sometimes surprises the Colones. This year they wanted more of an edge, and they ended up with a lineup of musicians that has more of a folk sound such as John Gorka, Michael on Fire and Heather Maloney with Peter Mulvey.

The musicians are astounded when the Colones explain that the audience often has no idea who they are when they pay for season tickets. The musicians are also treated to food and the wine cellar at Trattoria Grappolo.

“We want the artists to know they are appreciated for their talent, and now we are getting submissions from hundreds of artists that want to play,” Carole said.

Some of the past performers include Priscilla Ahn, Janis Ian, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Tom Rush, Wil Ridge, Owen Plant, Carlene Carter, John Corbett and Gerald DiPego.

Carlene Carter brought a nine-piece band, so the Colones were glad to be at the Maverick where they could accommodate the musicians and have the necessary space for the audience.

“We film every show, and it’s been an honor that our footage has been used for such events as inducting Chris Hillman from The Byrds into the BBC Hall of Fame, and Dave Stamey, to induct him into the Western Music Hall of Fame,” Ron added.

To see the full lineup of artists and dates for the next season of Tales from the Tavern, which begins Feb. 15, or to buy tickets, log onto www.talesfromthetavern.com.

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The Santa Ynez Valley Star has won honorable mention for the 2016 EconAlliance Innovation award, which will be presented during the Future Forum and annual dinner at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3.

“The award committee selected SYV Star as an honorable mention due to the innovation of translation into Chinese, the tremendous content growth of the paper, and the community building aspect of the organization,” in an email to Raiza Giorgi, publisher of the SYV Star.

The topics will be “Nano, Bio and Artificial Intelligence – Technology that will Transform Your Tomorrows” and “The Future of Housing — It’s The Shape of Things to Come,” featuring Christine Peterson on the technologies that will soon be impacting our lives and businesses and Daniel Parolek on new concepts for today’s neighborhoods.

Peterson is co-founder of the Foresight Institute in Palo Alto, a think tank focused on beneficial applications of trans-formative future technologies. Parolek is the principal of Opticos Design Inc., a nationally recognized architecture and planning firm known for its leading-edge “Form-based coding” practices and for “missing middle housing.”

Event highlights will include a silent auction and the Innovation Award recognition.

For tickets and information, email initiatives@EconAlliance.org.

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