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<\/p>\nThe heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we\u2019ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can\u2019t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.<\/p>\n
Kyle Straughn<\/p>\n
Fourth generation farmer. Born and raised in Archer Florida, agriculture has always been very important to our family. My Grandfather Alto Straughn started the blueberry farm over 30 years ago and hopefully my son will take it over one day. There is something that I find very rewarding about being outside in nature with my hands in the dirt.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Virmersy James I\u2019m a stay at a home mom who had to stop working due to my disability, I started getting severe unpredictable anxiety and panic attacks after multiple traumatic events in my life. So I decided to start a business from home and I named it after my late daughter Brielle who sadly passed away 2 days after giving birth to my twins.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Wild Animal Health Fund The Wild Animal Health Fund began in 2012 to fill a need that was being seen again and again by zoo and wildlife veterinarians. Wildlife health threats can spread fast, cross borders, and affect entire ecosystems, but the research and practical tools needed to respond are often underfunded. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Paryse Lambert I began modeling at seventeen, straight out of high school. What followed was a twenty-five year international career that moved fast and never slowed. Spain. Germany. New York. Miami. I worked consistently before children and after children, without pause. Alongside modeling at a very rare 6\u20192 for the industry, I built a parallel career in film, television, and commercial work.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Alex Sanfilippo During January of 2020, I was speaking at a podcasting conference in Orlando, Florida with about 2,000 people in the room. As I was wrapping up my talk, I asked for 1-2 minutes of everyone\u2019s time if they would just chat with me after I was done talking beside the stage.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Joy Case Growing up in Miami, I developed a deep compassion for people experiencing homelessness. I was the little girl who pulled a red wagon around my neighborhood collecting canned goods for donation, and I spent many of my summer breaks volunteering with underserved children.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Nadine King Christmas Come True is a nonprofit organization I founded more than 16 years ago, inspired and guided by God. What began in my guest bedroom as a step of faith has grown into a lifelong calling to serve families who struggle not only to celebrate Christmas but to meet their most pressing needs while dealing with their daily challenges.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Andrew Hesterman I\u2019ve always liked working on cars and customizing them, even before I could drive. During high school, a big Saturday night was working on one of my friend\u2019s cars and hanging out in the garage. Through 25 years in the Marine Corps, I had very little time for the hobby but did do some vehicle restoration\/customization when I had time.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Courtney Kallfelz Shaken & Stirred by CourtneyKCo started from a love of hospitality and a desire to create experiences that feel personal, polished, and genuinely fun. I began bartending years ago in fast-paced sports bars and private country clubs, where I learned how to read a room, work efficiently under pressure, and provide great service no matter the environment. Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Christine Knize Christine Knize, alumna of Tyler School of Art, BFA and Rhode Island School of Design, MFA, born in NYC, inherited her artistic talent from two generations of women artists. Her academic journey led her to spend three years in Italy and France, immersed in the study of the Renaissance.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Adela Hittell I was five when war reached our street in central Bosnia. I was held in a neighbor\u2019s home, then spent the next years surviving. In 1994 I lost family in a massacre near Vitez.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n DM and Bruce Buscaglia-Hotz<\/p>\n Bruce and DM (mother and son) have always loved nature. When Bruce was younger, we spent hours making mud pies and decorating them with weeds\u2014simple moments that grew into lasting memories. As he got older, our love for the outdoors only deepened. We continued to treasure time in nature and discovered a passion for gardening that many don\u2019t have the time or patience for.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n JOBI JONES I\u2019ll never forget the day that Westside Skills Center, now called Frank H. Peterson Academies in Jacksonville, FL, came to my middle school. I was only 14 at the time. The skills center told a group of us middle school kids about an alternative to education during my high school years. They told us we could learn a trade, such as graphic design or cosmetology.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Nicole Schenk I had cleaned for family and friends almost all of my adult life as side jobs and when my youngest was born I no longer wanted a career that I couldn\u2019t control for my husband and kids appointments, ceremonies, field trips, etc.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Haley\u2019s Court Haley\u2019s Court is a 16-room boutique motel in the heart of Vilano Beach, originally built in 1951 during the area\u2019s tourism boom. It\u2019s the last remaining art-moderne motor lodge on Vilano Road, and its iconic neon sign has long been a symbol of Old Florida travel culture.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Eric Pinnar, M.D., FACS I\u2019ve been practicing surgery for more than 25 years, but my path to where I am today was shaped gradually through experience rather than a single defining moment. I trained as a general surgeon and spent many years practicing broadly, caring for thousands of patients with a wide range of surgical conditions.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Kevin Strite After 27 years as a pastor, I moved into online business and coaching in 2019-2020. That process led me to a particular piece of software that I became quite proficient with. So I began training people how to use that software, which led to a shift from coaching to technical assistance of solopreneurs and entrepreneurs online.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Angelina Sims I was born and raised in Minnesota but spent much of my childhood in Wisconsin with my grandparents. My love for baking started in my grandmother\u2019s kitchen, some of my fondest memories are making her famous Pumpkin Bars (trust me, they\u2019re heavenly!). I moved to Florida in 2011 and now live in historic St.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Teresa \u201cTeri\u201d Davis My journey into entrepreneurship began in healthcare, not business. I\u2019m a nurse by training, and for years I worked inside clinical systems supporting people at some of their most vulnerable moments\u2014before and after procedures, during recovery, and through lifestyle changes that directly affected their quality of life. What I kept seeing was a gap: patients were being treated medically, but not holistically.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Kelly Potter Prohibition Pizza started as a family driven effort to build something rooted in craft and community. What we do is simple in words, but intentional in practice: we make authentic New York\u2011style hand tossed pizza with handmade dough, house\u2011crafted sauce, and a focus on consistency and quality in every pie.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n 1) Skye 2) Fiona 1)Gillispie 2) Fitzgibbon We both own Bootstrap Branding, a branding agency we\u2019ve run remotely since late 2019. Over the years, we grew increasingly disillusioned with spending 8 hours daily behind screens, isolated and missing the tactile satisfaction of working with our hands and connecting with our community in person. We started brainstorming ways to build a side hustle that brought us joy and got us into the community.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Marijo St-Laurent Dean I was born in Quebec, Canada and spoke only French until I was about 14 years old. After graduating from university, I had a strong desire to see the world and experience life beyond what I knew. That dream led me to an incredible opportunity working for Norwegian Cruise Line, where I spent three years traveling the world and living at sea.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Jessica Lea My story actually starts with old buildings and a roll of black-and-white film. As a kid, I was obsessed with the architecture in Savannah; I\u2019d wander around trying to capture the soul of these historic places. But the \u2018lightbulb moment\u2019\u2014the one that made me realize this could be a life and not just a hobby\u2014was actually watching Natalie Portman in Where the Heart Is.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Jennifer Webb This is the story of Shakespeare Animal Fund, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit that was founded in Reno, NV in 2004, in memory of my beloved cocker spaniel Shakespeare. After he died I was devastated, and couldn\u2019t have imagined how I would feel if I could have saved him but didn\u2019t have the funds to get veterinary treatment. That\u2019s when I founded Shakespeare Animal Fund.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Elizabeth Fell How I Went From Burnout to Bikini Bodybuilder to EmpowerHER Fitness Founder. I didn\u2019t start in the fitness world. In fact, for more than 30 years, I lived in a completely different universe \u2014 the insurance industry.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Nicole Adams Hi, my name is Nicole J. Adams, and I am a Christian, a wife, a mother, a business owner, a mentor, and an aspiring author. The people in my life would say I am the epitome of \u2018I don\u2019t look like what I\u2019ve been through.\u2019 My life has been one of great resilience in the making.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Jonathan Cochrane I grew up in CT and always visited a nursery called Hollandia. It was a store that you could relax and learn about plants. No need to purchase anything, it was for families and the community to enjoy. I have core memories of a few places like this from my childhood.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Martha Torres<\/p>\n I was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, and from a young age I knew I wanted to work in business. I studied Business Administration and began my career in property management in 2003, working with public housing in Puerto Rico. In 2008, I made the life-changing decision to move to Jacksonville, Florida, with my three children.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Valarie Pothier-Forrester<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been an artist most of my life, and began teaching at the University of Florida\u2019s J. Wayne Reitze Union Arts and Crafts Center. I went on to work at the Florida Museum of Natural History as an art department. As a natural progression I finished my degree in Art Education and started teaching at the University Laboratory School.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Joanna Ale Building TSI Cares Network was not born from a business plan, but from witnessing the gaps that young adults aging out of foster care and individuals in vulnerable transitions routinely fall through. It also started with a stubborn girl from New Jersey in her early 20\u2019s who transplanted to Florida to escape the winter.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Kim Hafner I have always had a passion for photography, but my photography story really started in 2008. As a single mom looking for a new career, I was in X-ray school and wasn\u2019t very happy in that field.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Bob Scallan In the spring of 2023, my wife and I decided to relocate from Naples to the Jacksonville area. Before moving, I researched the area and discovered a wealth of local history. Once we settled in Orange Park, I immediately joined the Historical Society of Orange Park and immersed myself in learning local history.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Coakley Taylor I created Pathways to Flourish because I saw how scary and complicated talking about mental health can feel especially when people don\u2019t see themselves reflected in traditional spaces. Mental health is real, it\u2019s personal, and it affects everyone, not just certain demographics. That stigma that it\u2019s only for \u2018some people\u2019 is simply not true.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Isabella Gaden I started 4th & Anchor simply as a hobby. One night I just decided to make a hat & then from there, I realized wait this is fun and I could really make this a business! I decided to hop on canva and start making a logo and it took off from there. I do local markets around town, in the Jax area!\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Megan Brady Our story actually starts on Facebook, after a beautiful Sunday church service Pat and I were headed to the beach with our three girls in the back seat. Pat was driving, I was scrolling on facebook and came across a post saying Kids Can Be Kids was for sale.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Stephanie Cafcules<\/p>\n My story starts when I went to school for computer science right after high school. After taking my first couple of C++ classes, I absolutely hated coding and decided to do a complete 180 into the Arts.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Live the Life Jacksonville One of our biggest wins happened right here in Jacksonville. Thanks to a grant that enabled us to greatly expand our reach in Northeast Florida, between 2015 and 2017, we were able to decrease the divorce rate in Duval County by 28% \u2013 and save an estimated 2,100 marriages! Shortly after the success, though, came difficult times with the pandemic and loss of a major grant, which reduced our staff and ability to conduct classes. Thankfully, since the Covid restrictions were lifted, we\u2019ve been able to regrow and are working towards expanding to Michigan, Kansas, and Oklahoma!\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n Mel & Chris Adams Luna Roaches started very organically and out of necessity rather than as a traditional business plan. We are homesteaders at heart, and a big part of our lifestyle has always been about being more intentional, more self-sufficient, and more thoughtful about how animals are cared for, no matter the size. Like many reptile keepers, we initially began raising discoid roaches to feed our own animals.\u00a0Read more>><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. 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