Women's Business Center of Utah Blog

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Press Release: Kamea Johnson to be honored as Woman Entrepreneur of the Year

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH (July 18, 2019) – The Women’s Business Center of Utah, a statewide entrepreneurial center for women hosted by the Salt Lake Chamber, has selected Kamea Jonnson, owner of Chosen Creative, as their 2019 Woman Entrepreneur of the Year.

“We are thrilled to honor a woman business owner who is an example of the female entrepreneurial spirit,” said Ann Marie Wallace, state director of the Women’s Business Center of Utah. “Kamea is a standout client who deserves to be applauded for her passion and perseverance in starting and growing a successful business.”

Kamea Johnson is the owner of Chosen Creative, a stationery company based in Salt Lake City, which sells cards, wall art, vintage paper goods, custom wedding invitations, business and wedding logos, various notepads and paper goods. She uses bold typography and unique images to create charming designs.

“I have been in business for 2 1/2 years but really it took a lifetime to get here,” said Johnson. “The setbacks, mistakes and lessons learned were only part of my journey to this celebrated event. The Women’s Business Center of Utah helped changed my life and I can only hope to inspire other women to never give up on their dreams and reach for the impossible every chance they get.”

Additionally, Johnson also created the Utah Letter Writing Club in June 2018 as a way of attracting like-minded creatives who love to write. Club members from all walks of life join forces once a month to write, laugh and heal their wounds through writing. They have pen pals all over the world and the Utah Letter Writing Club was added to a global registry of letter writing and correspondence societies.

Johnson will be honored on Thursday, August 15, 2019, at the 19th Annual Women in Business Summer Social. Event details can be found at wbcutah.org.

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ABOUT THE WOMEN’S BUSINESS CENTER OF UTAH

The Women’s Business Center of Utah (WBCUtah) is a 501(3)(c) nonprofit organization that helps Utah women business owners build confidence, create opportunities and experience success in small business ownership. The organization is in part funded through a Cooperative Agreement between the Salt Lake Chamber and the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Women-Owned Business Window Decal Design Contest

Women’s Business Center of Utah is excited to host an open design contest!

WBCUtah will be making and distributing window decals to women-owned and operated businesses across the state. The purpose of the decals is to give recognition to and encourage support of women-owned businesses. For home-based businesses, digital decals will be available for their website. We are reaching out to our community for design ideas for the decals.

SEE OFFICIAL RULES

The winning design should reflect being a woman business owner in Utah. The WBCUtah logo (the white logo or the color logo) will be incorporated into the final design. The design can be a simple graphic, a picture of a hand-sketch (we will digitize) or something more complex. We want to see something that women business owners will be proud to display in their window, to show others that they are a woman-owned business.

We are intentionally leaving room for creativity. There is no specific size or shape in mind, we leave that up to you.

WBCUtah staff will narrow down the designs to three finalists. Those final designs will be shared and voted for on WBCUtah social media. Please read full contest rules and submit your design!

SUBMIT YOUR DESIGN

Spotlight on Women Business Owners: Jennifer Davis, ERA Realty Center

On the Move

Jennifer Davis is practically a household name in the Iron County Area. She is an Associate Broker with ERA Realty Center in Cedar City. She has sold Real Estate for over 25 years in Southern Utah. In that time she has been named Iron County Board of Realtors Top Producer, and ERA Realty Centers Top Producer for several years consecutively. Jennifer has been honored as Cedar City’s Woman of the Year, and has ranked in the Top 25 Realtors nationally with ERA for the past 15 years with most of those years being ranked in the Top 5.Read More

Spotlight on Women Business Owners: Lana Arthur, Patio Diner

Saving an Icon

Patio Diner in Blanding, Utah serves speciality hamburgers, sandwiches, salads, homemade onion rings, coleslaw and ice cream, cookies and shakes. The batter for the onion rings are Lana Arthur’s own recipe and her speciality. They also feature homemade salad dressings and cookies. Everything they can make from scratch is done in-house. Lana acquired the coleslaw recipe from a previous owner of the building. She received permission to use the recipe that dates back to an owner from the 1960’s. Patio Diner prides itself on cooking from scratch and to order. Although they serve burgers and fries everything is on the healthy side because they use fresh products and real ingredients. Read More

Spotlight on Women Business Owners: Kate Meek, Pork Belly’s Eatery & Catering Co.

Using Her Expertise

Pork Belly’s Eatery and Catering Co. was established in 2014, by Eddie and Kate Meek, who have over 17 years in the restaurant and hospitality business. They smoke their meats in-house and use it to create unique dishes. Pork Belly’s is a full-service restaurant and they also offer catering. Kate and Eddie recently decided to grow their business and now have a second location in St. George that opened about three months ago. Kate says, “They enjoy making people happy and that being with food.” Read More

Spotlight on Women Business Owners: Kara Laws, Small Town Hub

Boosting Rural Economies

The Mission Statement of Small Town Hub is: Creatively and collaboratively boost small, rural economies while embracing the lifestyle of local residents and supporting their local businesses. Kara Laws CEO of Small Town Hub states: “We help small rural businesses expand and not just survive but thrive.” Kara’s business works with small rural businesses and their cities to help them get online, sell online and help them attract the right customers. Essentially they help rural economies to grow. Read More

Spotlight on Women Business Owners: Sally Hunter, The Wizz

Finding Out What You Don’t Want

The Wizz is a truly eclectic little shop. Sally Hunter has run this unique store for the last twenty-nine years in Cedar City. She opened the doors in 1990 and she prides herself on sticking to her brand which means thinking outside the box. Her store sells a mix of quirky, unusual, cool and unique items. The Wizz sells everything from lamps and decorations to clothing, jewelry, costumes and much more. There is no one thing that defines her business and this makes it unique from any other business in town. This uniqueness is what sets her apart. She likes the unusual and is a very creative, open and fun person by nature. Sally says, “it’s not just what I sell, but it’s the feel that brings people back.”Read More

Spotlight on Women Business Owners: Kaylee Spinhirn, CoachingWithKaylee.com

Not Your Average Accountant

Kaylee Spinhirn is a yogi, accountant, money coach, and nomad. She is taking her second cross-country road trip with her puppy (check out her adventures on Instagram!) while simultaneously helping entrepreneurs strengthen their relationship with money, increase business profits, and keep more of the money they make. She takes the person behind the numbers and leverages their business to create a life of wealth and freedom. She offers e-courses, planners, bookkeeping services, and coaching. When she isn’t working, you can find her at a local coffee shop or on top of a mountain. Read More

Recipe for Success: SLICE, Diane Sheya

We sat down with Diane Sheya, co-owner of Salt Lake Culinary Center (SLICE). SLICE is hosting our Recipe for Success Kick Off event.

WHY DON’T WE START WITH AN INTRODUCTION?

My name is Diane Sheya. In 2013, my husband and I became co-owners of the Salt Lake Culinary Center. About twenty years ago, my husband and I were involved in a gourmet cooking club with some friends. Every month we would get together and cook a meal, if you were hosting you would decide the menu. We would rely on menus from Gourmet magazine back in the ‘80s, and we started to see a trend in cooking: from using dried herbs, to “hey, I’ve got parsley growing in the garden, why am I not using it?” We decided that we were going to start cooking classes in our home using fresh herbs. We’d come up with menus every month and it was really fun doing the research. That’s what drives me, finding a new ingredient, or finding a new technique, or a new cuisine I’m not familiar with. Read More

Spotlight on Women Business Owners: Judy & Geana Schachet, A Touch of Country Nails

A Mother & Daughter Business is Born

Judy and Geana Schachet are approaching a big milestone this May, one year in business. Judy and Geana are co-owners of the business A Touch of Country Nails in Cedar City. The pair are originally from Las Vegas, Nevada but they had always wanted to live in Utah. About nine years ago Judy was laid off from a good paying government job and she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do next, so she took a couple of years off to think about it and she moved to Utah. Her daughter Geana was a dog groomer and she was impressed with how she had been able to build such a loyal following of clientele. Judy figured if Geana could do it with dogs, then surely people would be easy too.

Judy decided to go to nail school and become a nail technician and eventually got her instructors license. About a year later Geana decided she had burned out on dog grooming and wanted to try something new, so she followed in her mother’s footsteps and went to nail school. They both went to work together at a nail salon owned by someone else. During this time they learned a lot of lessons about what to do and what not to do in running a business. They developed a loyal list of clients and started to dream. Read More

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