Upgraded Living - May 2021 issue by Upgraded Living

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FROM THE EDITOR May celebrities itself with poles and freedom, mothers and those memorialized. We have revived the pleasure of honoring women in business by dedicating the entire magazine to them. We were rewarded with a bevy of Butte and Glenn County entrepreneurs who have faced fear while focusing on success through serving. The kaleidoscope of stories carries a common theme, ones replete with the brightly diverse coat of many colors. Lynda Barry, a noted writer, may have summed this all up with her quote, “Expect the unexpected, and whenever possible, be the unexpected.” Across the broad swathe we have painted on these pages are living examples of the truth behind those words. Danielle Branham, one of our members of this diverse group, may have struck the right nerve when she stated, “I’m also thankful to the strong and intelligent business women who paved the way for me to do what I’m doing right now.” Of course, it appears common knowledge that behind every successful woman is another woman. Our cover story is so fitting as a shining example of the central theme of our May edition. It is full of both what we refer to as tragic and magic. “Life has a way of humbling you if you pay attention, and Amanda has paid attention.” This quote, from the cover story, very well may capture it all for the owner, Amanda Bellamy, of Bellamy Salon. In addition, Amanda breathes air into Barry’s forementioned quote, by “being the unexpected.” It is a wonderful read, and I urge you to take it all in. As the true centerpiece to our May issue, we can only sing the praises of all of these impressive impresarios. I further urge you to take in each and every story in order to get a full circle impression of the sum total of our “Women in Business.” Enjoy and be energized. I cannot tell you how many times I have had an entire backpage outlined and ready to write when that wild thing I refer to as my personal Ouija Board raises its inventive head. Admittedly, the Ouija’s voice has not let me down to date. Thus, the result graces this month’s Backpage, and you will immediately understand the brilliance of the change. Afterall, how important can it be to tackle the most difficult career on Earth, safeguarded by the toughest and most enterprising women I know. Here’s hoping you enjoy the read as much as I did putting it together for that damn magical board.

UPGRADED LIVING STAFF AVEED KHAKI Publisher/Owner KEVIN DOLAN Editor-in-Chief JASON CORONA Sales Director

DARREN MICHELS Product Integration & Mobility Strategy SHELLY BRANDON Writer TIM MILHORN Writer

CONTRIBUTORS DOUG LOVE

SWEENEY & MICHEL

Real Estate

Finance

HRiQ

DERM BAR

Human Resources

Beauty

DESIREE LAMPRON

JESSICA WILKERSON

Let's Get to the Nine-One-One

Health

Onto June, marking the 46th year I have been blessed with strength amidst all my weakness.

For editorial or general magazine inquiries, please contact: Kevin Dolan kevin@upgradedliving.com

Kevin Dolan Editor-in-Chief

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For sales inquiries, please contact: Jason Corona, 530.591.2634 Sales@UpgradedLiving.com

CONTENTS | MAY 2021 COMMUNITY

FEATURE

10 Budding entrepreneur, Morgan Feeney, of Mystic Mountain Soap, shares her talents with an Orland small business

28 Name in lights: Amanda Bellamy of Bellamy Salon—the folly and success of building a dream

11 ER nurse, Desiree Lampron, takes an emergency break with us in this edition of our frontline salute 12 Bridging animals and therapy, All cats and Dogs is anything but 54 The small-town feel and charm of Orland, championed by Panda Mae Bell

66 Defensible space: master martial artist, Marianne Eberlhardt, on assuredness and safety

AYE-EYE-EYE 16 18 of the faces behind Ridge Eye Care's successful business model 45 Chico Eye Center’s proof that moms see everything 58 Dr. Anna Griffith teaches uncompromised vision and focus

36-44 Licenced to Sell: an intimate look into the lives of real estate's heavy hitters and rising stars 46 Meet the fifth generation of home furnishings, The Austin sisters of Finds Design and Décor 52 Love Builds: a joining of hearts and hands, creating hope in Paradise ON THE COVER: AMANDA BELLAMY

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67 Mary Colgan reopens Tres Hombres' Blue Agave Room 68 Jennifer Hightower sweteens Chico's Park Avenue 69 Get Tipsy with Leslie Lyon's mobile bartending business 74 Chef Lacey Riggs and Alyssa Arguello lead the next evolution of Parkside Tap House 75 Nigella Sativa is the spotlight for this months ingredient, and it’s not what you think 77 Michelle Power celebrates Bidwell Perk's 25th anniversary, and her 15th as its owner

ART & MUSIC 70 Get up to speed, RPM’s that is, with the iconic Melody Music

HOME

FOOD

PHOTOGRAPHY BY: DIANE NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY DESIGN BY: ERIK BROWN

morgan feeney woman-to-be in business This issue is chock full of women in business; women who have, through no shortage of trial and tribulation, succeeded in defying the odds while building businesses—many of which support more than just themselves. These women span the entire spectrum of factors, but few got their start at the age Morgan Feeney did. Six year old Morgan has already done what so many artisans are struggling to do—identify a niche demographic in need of highly-specified products, create small-batches of said products, secure a location to sell those products to the identified demographic, and have the product be in enough demand to need to make more. It probably goes without saying that her story is already nothing if not incredibly impressive. Morgan's story started out of necessity. Having battled eczema her entire life, Morgan's mother used to make soap specifically tailored to her daughter's sensitive skin. The soap was free of harsh chemicals or dyes, made from glycerine, and obtained its scent from essential oil. As Morgan grew up, she decided she wanted to start making the soap herself. She helped her mother make a few batches of soap, experimented with essential oils, and found the combination 10

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that was perfect for her. Just like that, Mystic Mountain Soaps was born. Morgan is a natural entrepreneur, but it doesn't end there—she's also thoughtful and articulate. "My soaps are great for people with eczema!" Morgan said, "It helps make their skin soft and clean without drying it out. Plus, they smell really good! Right now, we're selling our green citrus soaps at Salty Hereford in Orland." As with any entrepreneur, Morgan is constantly tinkering in the lab and already has a number of new products underway. "I am working on a couple new scents." Morgan said, "Soon, we'll have soaps that smell like my favorite fruits—strawberries and blueberries. We're also working on bath bombs that you can drop into the bathtub to help with sensitive skin like mine." Morgan has been selling her soap for a couple months now, and they've been an absolute hit. When she isn't making soap, she's riding one of the eight horses she helps care for each weekend, or watching her favorite TV show, Big Time Rush. If you'd like to support Morgan, visit Salty Hereford at 430 Walker Street in Orland, and buy a bar or two!

Let's Get to the

Nine-One-One

with Desiree Lampron If I wasn’t a frontline worker, I’d be a stay-athome mom. My kids are my motivation, and I want them to be proud of who I am. I wish that I could be with them 24/7. Three critical qualities that got me where I am today are resilience, passion, and faith. I tell myself to stay committed but stay flexible. Explaining my schedule is very challenging! A hospital never closes, and the ER is always busy. It’s difficult to miss family functions. My husband understands my job and provides support, love, and patience. The book Nurse, by Lee Gutkind, left a lasting impression on me. She was able to reflect the dynamism and diversity nurses face everyday in our ever-evolving challenge. Something I want to learn, or wish I were better at, is backpacking! There’s something about being in the great outdoors that is good for the mind and soul. My “go to” Northern California spot is any place with a good running trail. We are so lucky to be able to have such diverse ones. My favorite thing is to put the babies in the double stroller and go for a nice long run. My parents are my inspiration. They’ve always nudged me to become whoever I wanted to be. My mom was the inspiration for my career. She flew with Enloe Flightcare and worked in the ER. I knew I needed to strive for the same adrenaline-filled career. My single biggest indulgence is a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and a good TV show with my husband! It's nice to unwind and talk about our crazy days at work! When I see signs or voices referring to me as a ‘hero’, my reaction is to say, “Thank you!” I feel grateful I get the pleasure to help people on their worst day possible. One thing I wish to share with people is to never be afraid to go for your dreams. Time passes quickly, so why not use that time to mold yourself into the person you want to be. Start where you are—it's your only option. Desiree Lampron ER Nurse at Enloe 11

helps children to understand their body in space and self-regulate in different environments, which allows an increased ability to learn.” Elizabeth notes, “Regulation is needed for any child, and more specifically those children struggling with language development, feedings skills, and expressive communication.”

elizabeth vichi Speech therapist “I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do.” Elizabeth said, “I just knew it would be something geared at helping others.” As someone who often found herself in trouble speaking out of turn in class, it came as no surprise when her mother suggested she better find a job that allowed her to talk—a lot. After enrolling in Chico State, she found exactly what her mother suggested in speech pathology. Elizabeth job-shadowed Glen Eicholtz, a speech pathologist at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Red Bluff, and immediately knew it was the career for her. She decided to specialize in swallowing disorders, graduated from grad school, and set out to pursue the career of her dreams. “Speech therapy is all about helping people.” Elizabeth said, “You get to take care of them and provide a very specific service that not only changes the life of the patient, but everyone around them as well. Not being able to eat properly, communicate effectively, or experience the world comfortably would be a major hurdle for anyone. It’s the mission of speech pathologists to help alleviate those problems in as quick and effective a manner as possible.” Elizabeth began her career at Oroville Hospital and skilled nursing facilities around the Northstate, serving the adult population with cognitive deficits and swallowing disorders. After having her first son, she 12

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realized the schedule was no longer going to work, and began working with early intervention toddlers out of her home. Discovering a major lack of resources in the world of pediatric speech pathology in the Northstate, she dove right in and started Full Circle Speech Therapy. Elizabeth completed additional licensing and certification in infant swallowing disorders, allowing her to provide services to the medically fragile population. Elizabeth’s clientele continued to grow, and as she added a speech therapist, occupational therapist, and a dietician to her team, she needed to expand to consistently larger office spaces, leading to her current location at 643 W. East Avenue in Chico. After a recent remodel and expansion, Full Circle now has a large sensory gym equipped with everything from swings to trampolines. “2020 was actually a really busy year for us.” Elizabeth recalled, “With kids schooling at home full time, any issues they may have been suffering from in the classroom became a lot more noticeable to parents in the home setting. We have had another huge influx of referrals as people begun coming out of their homes and becoming more comfortable with seeking help.” Full Circle Speech Therapy treats a number of issues from oral-motor speech delay and feeding difficulty to sensory integration. “Sensory integration is used with most of our clients, as it

Though there is a high prevalence of oral-motor development delay and sensory issues with patients who have down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy, Elizabeth notes these issues aren’t by any means exclusive to just them. “We treat many children and adults with these disorders, but we also work with clients who have no medical diagnosis other than speech disturbance." She said, “Our goal in all facets is to work with all our patients on the necessary skills to operate independently and effectively to their optimal ability.” Having a medical background and focus in neurology, Elizabeth and her team have been able to successfully provide just that. Focused primarily on youth, Elizabeth’s team at Full Circle Speech Therapy has made huge strides with their patients through regimented activities that are play based. Elizabeth said, “The children don’t feel like they’re working because they are having so much fun, but they are really working their brains overtime during their sessions.” Sessions last 45 minutes, and between the trampoline and obstacle course, the visit feels more like recess, making it easier for children to access new skills that will benefit them the rest of their lives. In closing, Elizabeth notes, “Parents should have their child evaluated if they are worried about development in any area and work with a therapist to develop a plan. Parents are an integral part of the circle at Full Circle, and their child’s success is just as dependent on the parent's participation as it is on the child’s. They’re the key and catalyst to having our training work, and there’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a child’s life changed for the better because of a successful intervention plan.” If you or your child are experiencing difficulties eating, swallowing, processing, or communicating, contact Full Circle Speech Therapy for an evaluation. They can be reached by phone at (530) 892-9127 or via email at fullcirclest@gmail.com.

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commitment to the town of Paradise is easily noticed. “The outpouring of support from everyone has been amazing.” Nicki said, “People from Sacramento, and as far away as San Jose, have driven here just to shop at our businesses and support our town. The amount of press has really helped our community during this recovery. I knew absolutely nothing about the restaurant industry, but I got lucky in that department as well.” That luck came in the way of finding April Kelly, a Paradise native who returned after spending years catering for celebrities in Maui. Now the general manager at Nic’s, she has been steadily growing the business with new menu items and the type of attention to detail you hope for in a dining experience.

Nicki jones bobbi's boutique & Nic's Originally from Chicago, Nicki Jones moved to California in 1946. Her family, looking for a better life, decided to leave the hustle and bustle of Chicago for a more sprawled out hustle and bustle in Los Angeles, eventually settling in Twentynine Palms, near Palm Springs. She remained there until she finished high school. Nicki attended Cal State Los Angeles, earning a business degree with an option in accounting, before being hired by one of the “Big Eight” accounting firms in Downtown Los Angeles. Eventually, she and her husband moved to the Bay Area where they happened upon a Homeseeker magazine. They thumbed through the pages, fell in love with a piece of land in Butte Creek Canyon, and built their first home in Northern California. It didn’t take long for Nicki to get antsy; as anyone who knows her will likely attest to, she’s always working on something. To fill her time, she opened Heavenscent Candles with her sister, Nelda, in Paradise, and the store quickly took off. In fact, it was so successful that it encouraged her to open her first women’s clothing store, Bobbi’s 14

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Boutique, in 2015. Both businesses were humming along swimmingly until the Camp Fire struck in 2018. By the time the fire had burned out, she had lost two homes, two businesses, and her commercial building. For most, a disaster and loss of that magnitude would be nothing short of soul-crushing. This was not the case for Nicki. “I took a deep breath and decided to move forward.” Nicki said with audible determination, “I chose to reinvest the insurance money back into my town and make the best of it.” She bought the building on the Skyway that once housed the Wine Room and decided she would not only rebuild, but expand. As her sister didn’t want to return to Paradise after the fire, she decided to reopen Bobbi’s Boutique and a new restaurant, appropriately titled “Nic’s,” instead. “People say, ‘You’re 76!’” Nicki laughed, “I say the only reason I remember my age is because the articles remind me.” Since losing her businesses in the fire, Nicki has been a bastion of hope in the Paradise area and a focus of numerous articles. It’s no surprise either, as her relentless

As with most other businesses, COVID-19 dealt Nicki one more blow she wasn’t expecting. “It wasn’t easy.” She said, “We closed and reopened multiple times, but again, the community came through. While I was caring for my ill sister, my employees secretly created a video about myself and the restaurant. They submitted it to Aaron Rodgers and the North Valley Community Foundation. I was humbled to learn that we were one of the lucky recipients of his generosity. He was so kind, and thanks to his help in covering some of our payroll and utility costs, we’re able to meet the challenges the pandemic has posed. Because of this help, I feel confident in moving forward with the addition of an outdoor dining patio and Turbo Chef oven, which will help provide a more normal dining experience and expanded menu." “I’m excited to be part of the community as it regrows.” Nicki finished, “Everywhere you drive, there’s a new house going up. It makes me happy to see our town coming back to life. It’s important to be part of the rebuild, and nothing is better than seeing people come in laughing, talking, and visiting—it’s good to know we’re making a difference. If you’re looking for curated women’s clothing, stop by Bobbi’s Boutique at 6264 Skyway in Paradise, and see Nicki. Make sure you set aside enough time to grab lunch or dinner next door at Nic’s as well, and don’t forget to try their Reuben or Cubano—they’re simply out of this world!

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"This project was supported, in part by grant number 90SAPG0094-02 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy."

who runs the world? girls It’s been 14 years since Dr. Isaac Barthelow purchased the once small Ophthalmology practice, North Valley Eye Care. In that short period of time, he and his business partner, Dr. Anthony Rudick, have grown the business to include seven private practices and nine rural clinics across the North State, making their practice the largest eye care provider in Northern California. Though such explosive growth would obviously require no shortage of time, discipline, and business acumen, neither doctor attributes the expansion to themselves alone. “Biz Stone once said, ‘When you hand good people possibility, they do great things’,” Dr. Barthelow recalled. “From our humble beginnings a little over a decade ago, we have grown from a single location to 16, and from a handful of employees to hundreds. Our growth was, and is, led by an almost 16

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entirely female C-Suite and management team. This is a remarkable group of women who do remarkable things. They know, mean, and are our business. Stay tuned; they are not anywhere near being done yet.” The Marketing and Design Chief, Jessica Farrell, is of the same mindset. In deferring credit for the business’ success to the other women in the organization, she also proves that humility is a quality of the company culture, rather than a trait exclusive to any one individual. She has been with the company for 12 years and has seen the business grow every step of the way. Jessica and a team of like-minded individuals have been instrumental in expanding the company and developing the practice’s customer experience. “We truly have a team of amazing women

that are each incredibly talented in their specialty,” Jessica began. “Over the years, we’ve created groups that each take part of the business operations and run them on their own. The business simply wouldn’t function the way it does if each group didn’t take complete ownership of the work they do, and every member of our team has proved they can do exactly that. Whether it’s with billing, recall specialists, surgery coordinators, or accounting, everyone works really well together, and we all respect each other’s ‘lane.’ There’s no drama. Instead, we’ve all agreed to respect each other and let each other shine where we shine.” That level of teamwork and respect is certainly important to normal day-to-day operations, but it proves to be even more vital when faced with a pandemic. As with most businesses, Covid-19 also posed a

wealth of new challenges for the eye care practice. But, instead of affecting just one location, if affected 16 of theirs. “It was certainly a taxing experience,” Jessica recalled. “We had to come up with new methods of doing business on the fly to ensure our staff and community—spread all over Northern California—remained safe. Each team was responsible for making sure their part of the business was able to operate under ever-changing guidelines, and I honestly don’t think we would have been able to do it without the incredible women we have working for us.” Indeed, not only did the organization survive the pandemic, they instead learned to thrive in the face of hardship. After each team completed its due diligence in securing their part of the business, the decision was made to continue moving forward as before. Rather than writing 2020 off, the team at Ridge Eye Care, Inc. took the opportunity to move further into new areas, opening a new rural clinic and purchasing a private practice in Oroville. “We pivoted very

quickly,” Jessica said. “We used our rural clinics to help balance the high levels of traffic we received at our private practices and opened more as the need arose. We immediately started offering Telehealth as well, which further helped keep patients safe and socially distanced during a time when we were still trying to get a better idea of how to navigate the pandemic. Luckily, thanks to the efforts of everyone on our team, we weathered the storm.” As Dr. Barthelow mentioned, the Ridge Eye Care group is run entirely by women, including the Chief Operations Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, Department Directors, and all of the Practice Managers. “Intelligent hiring has been a keystone of the business from the very beginning,” Jessica said with pride. “Not only have our hires proven to be dedicated and thoughtful individuals, but their high-quality work and attention to detail has made it incredibly easy to promote from within. Most of our upper-level management started at the

front desk, as technicians, or in our optical department and have been promoted from within.” “You have to be able to be good with change since we change so rapidly, and our administrative team knows how to be fluid. They’re always able to work with anything we throw at them,” Jessica beamed. “Even though we’re big, it still feels like a small company, since we all work so closely and get along. Dr. Barthelow and Dr. Rudick are always coming up with new ideas and thinking of how to make things bigger or better. They rely on their administrative team to make things happen for them. The doctors have earned everyone’s respect and loyalty by giving that respect and loyalty first. It means everything to us.” With so much more to come, we’re looking forward to what the future holds for the team at Ridge Eye Care Inc. If you’re in need of eyecare, visit them online at www. ridgeeyeinstitute.com to find the location nearest you. 17

at 2259 Springfield Drive in Chico, offering pilates, barre, and yoga. “We wanted to make movement classes more accessible for people.” Jackie said, “Previously, you had to do private classes if you wanted to learn how to do things correctly, but that was expensive. If you wanted affordability, the group was so large you didn’t get much attention. We’ve proved you can have both through small group classes—attention and affordability.” “It’s been such a journey.” Melissa continued, “We’ve opened and closed a number of times in our first year, and have made every pivot imaginable due to the pandemic. We’ve learned a lot from it, and feel we’re better for the experience. Everyone wears masks, we clean like cleaning is our business, and in the end, we’ve become even stronger as business owners.”

Jackie Michaelsen & Melissa Speer Power Through Pilates Intimidation—it’s often the one thing that stands between us and our dreams. Whether we feel intimidated to take that first step to venture out and start our own business, or walk through the door into the first day of our journey to newfound wellness, overcoming fear is anything but easy. Melissa Speer and Jackie Michaelsen did just that in starting The Pilates Barre, their first business together, and they’re determined to take the same intimidation out of the path to finding your healthiest self. Originally from Southern California, Melissa spent her early years bouncing back and forth between Orange County and Tahoe. She fell in love with Los Angeles and the ocean, met her husband there, and decided to put down roots, but when it came time to buy a home, they realized it was nearly impossible. When Dan Gonzales courted Jedrek for a job at Fifth Sun in 2009, the two decided it was the perfect time to move to Chico. Jedrek began his new job as one of Fifth Sun’s art directors, and Melissa began training to become a pilates instructor. Having grown up in a family full of teachers, it was the perfect fit. “I have scoliosis.” Melissa started, “Pilates always helped me overcome the pain from it and 18

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allowed me to live a stronger life. I felt the strongest when I was training and teaching others, so I decided to continue down that path.” Jackie grew up in the Bay Area, moved to San Diego for college, and returned to San Jose. Much like Melissa, the rat race, overcrowding, and expense of living in the Bay Area wore on her, making it feel like she could never get ahead. When the opportunity presented itself to move to Butte County, she took it, expecting to be here for a year. This year marked her 11th, and she has spent the entirety of that time teaching movement and pilates. “This is my 15th year teaching movement.” Jackie noted, “I’ve taught a number of different types, but pilates is one of the most unique. It’s such a different way of moving the body and just ends up being such a beautiful thing for those who experience it.” Melissa and Jackie happened to teach at the same studio together over the years and quickly became friends. The duo realized one of the many things they had in common was the desire to open their own studios someday, and when a space became available at Meriam Park, they decided to do it together. They opened The Pilates Barre

Unlike the standard gym that offers inattentive large group classes or expensive private training, Jackie and Melissa have found a way to offer just about everything to everyone. Private training is certainly available, as are small group classes, but the real win is in their unlimited monthly membership. “It offers unlimited access to everything.” Jackie said, “You can take multiple classes per day if you want, and it really provides a level of accountability. Plus, due to the nature of the practices, you really can visit every day, since you aren’t breaking down your body.” Melissa continued, “There are no cliques. Everyone is so loving, thoughtful, and supportive of each other; we honestly couldn’t be happier with how well the classes function. We’re so passionate about what we teach, and it’s incredible to see that passion echoed back by everyone who takes classes from us. People want to be accepted and supported, and we see them find that acceptance and support day-after-day at the studio while watching each one become better, happier, and healthier versions of themselves.” With prices starting at just $25 ($15 for students) and plenty of other packages to choose from, the type of flexibility you need, and the kind of comprehensive class offerings you crave, The Pilates Barre is setting the bar for what health, fitness, and wellness should look like in Chico. For more information and to sign up, visit their website at www.thepilatesbarrechico.com

PHOTOS BY MICHELLE CAMY

candi williamson master of massage Candi Williamson grew up embodying the entrepreneurial spirit. From a young age, she looked for any opportunity to turn things into business opportunities. Whether she was selling blackberries, lemonade, or flowers to tourists outside her home in Crescent City, or mowing lawns, babysitting, or picking up trash for neighbors, Candi did what she could to take advantage of every opportunity. As adventurous as she was entrepreneurial, she took off in her pickup truck after high school and traveled the United States for four months, sleeping on a sheet of plywood in her truck bed and discovering all she could. When an opportunity arose to move in with a friend in sunny Chico, she didn’t hesitate to say yes. New to Chico, Candi wasn’t completely sure of her next step. She took up various jobs while enrolling at Butte College, but nothing clicked. Her friend, Rachelle, was a professional ballerina in the Sacramento Ballet and needed help loosening up before and after practice, so Candi helped by massaging her, a skill she had honed while on her high school and Butte College dance teams. Rachelle was impressed with how good she was, especially with no formal training, and pushed her to go to massage school. “I didn’t know massage could be a legitimate career.” Candi said, “Rachelle took me to lunch one day, and she stopped at the local massage school on the way so I could meet the owner, Mike Metzger. I signed up and haven’t looked back since.” 20

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Candi graduated from massage school in December 2003, completing training in 15 different modalities, and moved back to Crescent City to start her first practice in 2004. She ran the practice for 3 ½ years, but found herself returning to Chico each month. In 2007, she decided to move back to Chico permanently. She jumped right into networking and began working at Fit One, as Massage By Candi, providing massage services wherever she could to get her name into the community. Within two months, she was booked solid. Business remained that way through the end of 2018, when Candi decided it was time to buy her own building and start evolving the massage business in a new direction—a complete wellness center for the mind, body, and spirit. Understanding that massage was just one facet of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, Candi invited friends and colleagues from similar fields to join the business, eventually creating a comprehensive network of health-focused individuals in one building. She applied for the SBA504 loan, made an offer on the building she's now operating in, and closed escrow in May 2019. Her husband spruced up the building, and Massage by Candi relocated in September 2019, reopening as Creating A Sustainable You: A True Wellness Center. Alongside massage therapy, Creating

A Sustainable You offers yoga therapy by Jeanette Conery, colonics by Marcy Burns, owner of Body Reset, and energy psychology by Christa Dawson. “When we help someone with massage, we can now refer them to someone else within the building that can provide another aspect of the healing experience,” said Candi. “It allows us to better guide people in their journey toward complete wellness.” Though the pandemic certainly put a damper on the early months of Candi’s business, she didn’t let it phase her. Candi recalled, “I read 50 books during COVID, and only one of them wasn’t on business or personal development. If anything, the time just allowed me to become a better businessperson.” Creating A Sustainable You is open once again in its entirety and excited to announce their brand new massage school, complete with a new curriculum focused on training competent and confident massage therapists who not only take care of others’ bodies, but their own as well. If you’re in need of healing—whether that be mind, body, or spirit—visit Creating A Sustainable You online at www.creatingasustainableyou.com and book an appointment. You can also call them at (530) 521-7328.

Enroll Today! Hyaluronic Acid for Hydrated Skin Start your career as a Massage Therapist by enrolling in our July class. Be certified in as little as five months!

Call/text for more information 530-521-5877 or visit our website at www.chicomassageschool.com

With thousands of moisturizing products on the market, how do we decide what's best for our skin? In the past decade or so, hyaluronic acid has come to the forefront as a superior way to lock moisture into the skin. It occurs naturally in the dermis, so allergic reactions to it are unheard of. When applied topically, it creates a film that holds water and binds it to the skin and connective tissues. With more hyaluronic content, there is less need for lubricants or emollients to be added, so it is essentially greaseless, and can be used even on oily skin. It improves elasticity, suppleness, and allows for better penetration of other active ingredients and serums applied to the skin. Retinol, Vitamins C , B, and E, hydroxy acids, and growth factors are more readily absorbed. It gives immediate smoothness to rough skin surfaces, so the complexion is improved rapidly. It can also soothe red, irritated skin by keeping down inflammation and repairing damage. It can absorb up to 1000 times it's molecular weight in water, so the skin will retain it and look plump and dewy. There are hyaluronic serums, moisturizers, and lip plumpers to keep the hydration levels up in parched skin, and some are time-released so that moisture is maintained at an even level all day long. With all of the hyaluronic products on the market, ask your skin care professional what they would recommend for your needs! DERM BAR MED-SPA 85 Declaration Dr. Suite 100 Chico, CA 95973 | 530.342.2672

TRACY RIDDLE PURE HYDRATION If you’ve visited Las Vegas in the last five years, you’ve undoubtedly seen ads for IV therapy gracing billboards, box trucks, and the sides of buildings. With its long list of health benefits, it likely comes as no surprise either, considering most folks visiting Vegas could use a health boost after just one night. Though those benefits certainly do alleviate the strain put on our bodies from drinking in excess, they help in many other ways too, like quickly replenishing fluids, infusing vitamins and minerals to help fortify immune systems, and boosting energy levels. With a perfect blend of students, health-conscious gym-goers, and a perpetually exhausted workforce driven by caffeine, Chico checked all the boxes as the perfect place to open an IV therapy studio—that is, until the pandemic struck. “We were going to open our IV therapy spa, Pure Hydration, at the beginning of April last year.” Tracy Riddle recalled, “We ended up having to push our grand opening to the 4th of July weekend instead. It was a scary time for sure! I had never been a business owner before, and I just saw an awesome opportunity and decided to take 22

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it, though there was no way of knowing what was coming. It wasn’t just scary—it was expensive and uncertain too. Luckily, I had my career as a certified registered nurse anesthetist, which allowed me to open the doors knowing it would take time for things to change.” COVID-19 certainly put a damper on what should have been a perfectly-timed opening for Tracy, but she didn’t let the pandemic derail her. Instead, she looked to how her service could benefit a population that was in dire need of immunity. “As time went on, we were deemed an essential business.” Tracy said, “So we decided to offer whatever we could to help better the health of our community. We invested in a number of IV therapies specifically formulated to help fortify the immune system, alongside injectable vitamins, antioxidants like glutathione, and anti-inflammatories like toradol. Together, the options provided a strong preventative measure for those looking to protect themselves from illnesses, including COVID-19, and strengthen their immune system to fight effectively if they did become infected.”

Though the pandemic certainly didn’t directly do Pure Hydration any favors, it indirectly helped Tracy guide the business into making a name for itself, as health and wellness quickly became top-of-mind for everyone in town. “I made the conscious decision to not let fear guide my actions, and I’ve always been told successful entrepreneurs are measured risk takers, so I measured the risk as well as I could and decided to go all in. We began advertising the services we provided and the products we carried everywhere we could, and we didn't let up.” Tracy said, “It was really slow at first, with days where there was nothing, but then we would have one person show up who said they saw our ad, and then another would trickle in. We were only open on weekends at the time, but after a few months, things suddenly started to take off. Eventually, people were coming in and asking for services throughout the week, so we started taking appointments and opening to accommodate those customers. We had so many other local small business owners coming in and showing their support too. It was honestly overwhelming!” As word of Pure Hydration continued

to get out, traffic continued to increase, doubling within a few short months, and when the vaccine became available, demand increased exponentially. “Most people who get the vaccine experience flu-like symptoms on either their first or second vaccination.” Tracy said, “These symptoms can be minimized, or in some cases avoided completely, by fortifying your immune system. One of our first vaccinated customers was a nurse whose colleague in another state had avoided flu-like symptoms after their vaccination by getting an IV. Once she developed symptoms, she came by for an IV herself and called us within a few hours to let us know the symptoms were completely gone. As soon as we heard that, we changed our marketing message to make sure people knew they could visit Pure Hydration for a helping hand after getting their vaccine.” They’ve been seeing newly vaccinated customers ever since. Though the pandemic may not have seemed like the best time to start a new business, through hard work and determination, Tracy not only kept her business afloat, but grew faster than she had originally planned. What started out as a small boutique IV spa, run

exclusively by Tracy herself, is now home to an on-demand staff of nine, composed of nurses and EMTs. They are currently working to hire the first member of their new full-time permanent staff and plan on being open for appointments and walk-ins by the summer. Even more exciting, the influx in business has allowed them to not only fill appointments at their original location, but opened the door to expansion, with a new Pure Hydration location set to open in Chico’s coveted Meriam Park community by the end of the summer. “So much has happened in such a short time.” Tracy said, “It’s been an absolute rollercoaster, but we’ve always known there was a light at the end of the tunnel. We’re taking the opportunity from all of this incredible community support to accomplish things we didn’t plan on doing for a couple years. On top of opening a second location, we’re changing everything to electronic medical records, so we can pull up our customers’ charts across both spas and make it as convenient as possible for them. We’ve added a number of new products over the past six months, including nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide

(commonly referred to as NAD), and customers have loved the variety. NAD is an incredibly effective, but also difficult to find, additive for IV therapy. It has an incredible list of benefits, and we’re excited to provide it at half the price IV therapy spas in bigger cities charge. We’re here to help people; we’re not trying to get filthy rich.” With a laundry list of products and services perfectly suited to maximizing the efficiency and effectiveness of your immune system, Pure Hydration has perfectly pivoted to meet the demands of the pandemic. With an equally impressive list of services aimed at increasing athletic performance, minimizing migraines, expediting recovery, conquering hangovers, reducing jet lag, and enhancing mental acuity, they are well positioned to prosper long after the pandemic is over. If you’re in need of IV hydration or therapy, and could benefit from the benefits above, visit www.PureHydration-Chico.com or call (530) 400-0142 to schedule an appointment.

The primary purpose of breast reconstruction is not only to enhance the aesthetic appearance, but also to provide mental relief, improve the sense of wellbeing, and raise the quality of life for a patient. A successful reconstruction procedure can minimize virtually all imperfections and help a client steadily forget about the disease, regain functional disposition, rebuild self confidence, and a positive body image. Alongside a successful reconstruction procedure, hyper-realistic areola tattooing creates a tremendous opportunity in the recovery process.

jennie wolfe microblading chico Anyone who has followed Upgraded Living over the past few years has undoubtedly seen and read about local microblading rockstar, Jennie Wolfe, and the incredible work she’s been doing at Microblading Chico. A veteran of the beauty industry for the past 21 years, Jennie has worked throughout the West Coast, bringing beauty and wellness services to her clientele, and developing a network of both happy customers and students along the way. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Jennie was forced to temporarily close Microblading Chico for a period of time, but took the opportunity to not only upgrade her business model, but do it in a way that provided a service to community members who needed it most. After reopening a few short months ago, she’s already ventured out to do just that. “When the pandemic hit, I had to take a long and hard look at my business.” Jennie said, “I loved what I was doing, but I had felt like something was missing for quite some time. While we had provided microblading services that helped customers look and feel fantastic, I just knew there was something else out there in my wheelhouse 24

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that could make a bigger difference in the community. The more I talked to people around town, the more I found there was a need for areola tattoos from women who had undergone reconstructive surgery after having had breast cancer. I decided to dedicate my entire time during the pandemic to perfecting my skills to help give back what those women had lost.” As breast reconstruction typically does not include the areola or nipple, many cancer survivors are left feeling scarred or less than whole after surgical intervention. Areola/ nipple tattoos have become an increasingly popular option among women who have undergone breast reconstruction surgery after cancer. One type in particular—hyperrealistic areola tattoos—achieve the most realistic end result, providing a near perfect match and returning part of what was lost after a mastectomy. Though Microblading Chico has offered the service since opening in 2017, it was not previously at the forefront of their business. A restorative hyper-realistic areola tattoo procedure is incredibly personal and highly rewarding for both client and artist.” Jennie

“Every individual is unique and everyone’s needs are different.” Jennie said, “Just like with semi-permanent eyebrow tattoos and microblading, areola tattoos are made by depositing pigment just beneath the outer layers of the skin. While brows last one to two years, areolas last much longer. There is a great deal of time and effort involved just in the planning phase while determining shape, size, color theory, light, and accounting for scars. When it comes time to tattoo, you have to account for necessary changes in the angle and pressure of the needle to properly correspond with the tightness of the skin. When you’re trying to give something back, it has to be as close to perfect as possible, and that takes a good deal of time. It’s a labor of love in its truest form.” Though hyper-realistic areolas are the wave of the future for Microblading Chico, Jennie and her team continue to provide the same level of exquisite customer care and menu of services they did before, including microblading, scar camouflaging, dry-tattooing, and so much more. Whether you’re a breast cancer survivor in need of areola tattooing, or are simply looking for a beauty boost, call (530) 717-3968 to reach Jennie at Microblading Chico or visit them online at www.MicrobladingChico.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK REBELO

said, “It truly is the best of both worlds. I’ve been a cosmetic tattoo artist for quite some time now, and with each service we provide, we strive to create natural and beautiful results. These results give a high level of happiness and satisfaction for client and artist, although nothing compares to being able to give something back that was lost during an experience as harrowing as breast cancer.”

Y DA

N UR P E AT

O -S M AYM - 5P D N A 10

For over 42 years, 5th street has become a clothing destination where women of all ages and sizes can build an entire working wardrobe. With style, quality, and excellent customer service we have the perfect selection to making your wardrobe just right.

328 Broadway

Downtown Chico 25

amanda bates cryo skin & body Cryo, from the Ancient Greek, means ice, icy cold, frost, chill. Regardless of your tolerance, -220°F is cold—really cold. To put it in perspective, the coldest recorded temperature on earth was -135.8°F, and it was a long way from Northern California, at the southernmost point of our globe in Antarctica. Though -220°F is a temperature inhospitable to life, it is ironically one of the most effective temperatures when it comes to encouraging rapid recovery and body sculpting—two of the many services offered by Amanda Bates, owner of Cryo Skin & Body in Chico. Originally from Paradise, Amanda built an extensive network while bartending, personal training, and operating her own spray tanning business in Chico. After attending Butte College, and later The Paul Mitchell School for Esthetics, Amanda went in search of a bigger business opportunity to call her own. She came across the CryoSkin 3.0 machine, during a visit to a Sacramento beauty spa, and decided to try it herself. Finding that it delivered on its claims of fat loss and non-invasive skin-tightening, and realizing we didn’t have one in Chico, she knew it would be the perfect addition to the 26

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list of beauty services offered around town. She purchased the machine and opened Cryo Skin & Body at 1366 Longfellow Drive, across from InMotion Fitness, in October 2019. The business has grown considerably since Amanda opened her doors. Not only does Cryo Skin & Body offer fat loss and skin tightening services with the CryoSkin 3.0, but it is also the only clinic in Butte County providing a safe and fully immersive Cryo Chamber experience that can reach temperatures as low as -220°F. Though this may seem incredibly cold, it is the perfect temperature to reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and assist in rapid athletic recovery. To fully round out these recovery services, Cryo Skin & Body also has infrared saunas, localized cryotherapy, and offers Normatec leg compressors that boost circulation, blood flow and lymphatic drainage to alleviate soreness and inflexibility after those dreaded leg days. With summer right around the corner, Cryoslimming services are quickly becoming the most sought after item on their list of services. “It’s very similar to CoolSculpting.”

Amanda said, “Cryo-slimming freezes and destroys fat cells while tightening the skin. The entire treatment takes just 30 minutes, and there’s no downtime or pain to speak of. In 5-10 weeks, clients can drop one-tothree inches from their waistline and reduce unsightly cellulite, all while smoothing and tightening the skin.” The result? Firm skin and a slimmer physique just in time for summer. A savvy entrepreneur, Amanda is continuing to invest in the business, scaling not only its offerings, but its availability as well. “We just started offering HydraFacial MD, and we’ll soon be offering Botox and fillers under the second arm of our business—Medical Aesthetics by Cryo Skin & Body.” Amanda said with excitement, “We want to be a onestop shop for anyone looking to take care of themself, whether beauty or health.” Cryo Skin & Body is currently hiring as it continues its expansion, and we couldn’t be more excited for where the future will take Amanda. To see all of their services, visit www.CryoSkinAndBodyChico.com or call (530) 715-7126 to make an appointment.

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Bellamy Salon where clients become friends

Social media feedback is not always accurate or fair, but if you look at reviews for Bellamy Salon on the internet, you will notice a pattern. Not only are the comments wildly positive, but many emphasize one trait—customers came in as clients but left as friends. You will see those comments over and over, and to owner Amanda Bellamy, it’s exactly what she has strived for over the years. Not only would she create a salon that provided excellent service, but one that would welcome clients and make them feel relaxed and comfortable.

What Amanda wants everyone to know is the salon is a symbiotic relationship on a larger scale. Client and stylist operate with each other in mind and form a positive relationship. She emphasizes Bellamy Salon wouldn’t exist without the support of clients, her team, husband Tommy Mattera, friend Katy, and Mailey, her 110-pound Bull Mastiff 28

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who puts everyone she meets at ease. (She grew up in the salon and is a big, friendly fur baby who loves everyone.) Her business began as a two-station studio. As her business grew, so did the need for more space. Unsurprisingly, it’s been a long journey. Amanda recalls, “I didn’t purchase an existing salon, I rented a space and built the salon from nothing.” She came into a business space that had no salon equipment whatsoever. She took what she had, installed the basics, and opened her doors as a four-station salon. During this process, she has made tremendous improvements throughout her extensive remodel. The business has expanded into the space next door, making it almost twice as large, and that is where four new stations are being installed. Before that, however, new paint and fixtures

were put in place, and a new floor put down. She described how they tore up the carpet to find linoleum on the floor. It had been there awhile, to say the least. Using a fourinch scraper, Amanda spent hours scraping the old lino off the cement floor. She just completed the laminate flooring, and the result helps warm the overall ambience of the salon. The goal is to create a space that is an inviting environment that helps calm the nerves and reduce the anxiety new clients might feel when coming to a new salon for the first time. Additionally, new shampoo bowls were installed in April, and they are top-of-the-line. For the long time clients, they are happy to be a part of the transformation. “Without our clients, none of this would have happened. Their support, especially during the pandemic, was phenomenal,” said Amanda. “I just can’t say enough.”

WRITTEN BY TIM MILHORN | PHOTOS BY DIANE NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY

Yeah—the pandemic. It’s amazing how the virus has come to rule our lives on so many levels. We are still seeing and feeling the effects. A walk through downtown shows the closed shops, restaurants, and other family businesses. A drive around town shows even more. Mangrove Avenue didn’t escape the closures, either. The fact Bellamy Salon is still open is a direct result of client support during the pandemic. “We had people sending us money to help keep the salon going,” said Amanda. “One client sent in $700 without me saying or asking for anything.” And that client wasn’t the only one. Many clients sent in money during the closure. “One day, I unexpectedly received $150 from a client. It was perfect timing. I was able to pay the PG&E bill and have enough left over for some grocery shopping,” Amanda added. Life has a way of humbling you if you pay attention, and Amanda has paid attention. “We exist because of our clients. It’s not just about me and my salon. It’s the whole relationship—clients and staff.” It’s symbiosis once again. The positive give and take relationship which turns clients into friends. It’s a relationship developed in the chair. The best stylists not only do an excellent job on the client’s hair, they also become expert communicators. Team members get to know their clients, and a sort of “unlicensed therapist” role (that sometimes goes both ways) is created. Amanda’s team of “salon therapists” is comprised of Cheryl Marinez, Tania Perez, and Danielle Diaz. Tania has six years of experience and Danielle has four. Cheryl, who was Amanda’s instructor at Marinello School of Beauty, is what Amanda describes as her “right-hand woman.” She has years of experience, has seen it all, and has brought her clients and positive personality into the salon. Cheryl is a huge asset and has become a big part of keeping up with the many daily salon tasks that keep the business going. Amanda, in particular, has embraced the idea of helping others. “I eventually want to bring in stylists who need some guidance in their lives,” she said. “It’s one of the things I lacked in my life, especially when I was homeless for a period of time when I was 19 and 20.” Amanda says she needed someone at that juncture in her life to help

her learn “how to adult.” Amanda Bellamy grew up in Red Bluff and attended Red Bluff High School. After high school, she went to Shasta College in Redding where she took classes geared toward being a therapist. However, in the back of her mind, she wanted to be a hairstylist. Her grandmother had been a beautician, and the notion had somehow stuck. Living on your own at 18 has its own challenges. She worked as a sandwich maker, and the low wage contributed to the bills piling up. Soon, she couldn’t afford rent and ended up living out of her car. As she said, she didn’t know “how to adult.” Eventually, she climbed out of the hole and got a job at Crown Motors in Redding. There, she worked for a supervisor who gave her support and guidance, showing her how to be more responsible. He helped her learn how to be an adult. Through this experience, Amanda gained confidence and moved to Chico to work for Ray Morgan Company. The company had nice people and leadership, but it just didn’t match with her future goal of becoming a hairstylist. She applied to the Marinello School of Beauty and ended up graduating, after spending 18 months attending part time. She would work 8:00am to 5:00pm at Ray Morgan and then attend classes from 5:30pm to 10:30pm. That year-and-a-half challenge cemented her arrival into the world of adulthood, and she hasn’t looked back since earning her cosmetology license in 2014. Along the way, she was married and divorced. She started and endured a few relationships, but eventually, 6 years later, met her current husband, Tommy Mattera, who is a marriage and family therapist. Amanda credits Tommy for his huge support and confidence in herself and the business. “Tommy has been great. He’s been a big supporter and has helped me through the insanity of the pandemic and the survival of the salon,” said Amanda. The irony of Tommy being a therapist, a career Amanda hoped for one day, is not lost on her. “This Christmas, we plan on hosting an event so kids can come see Santa Claus and collect donations. We want clients to come in and bring their kids—we are kidfriendly, and we are going to donate the money to charity! It’s always been my plan to give back to the community any way I 29

could,” said Amanda. The essence of what Amanda Bellamy believes is that it’s time to give back to the community. “It’s exciting to think I can help others. I want to provide a mentorship to my future team members so they won’t have to experience what I did.” She went on to say, “It’s so rewarding to see my staff make money, earn a living, and at the same time form these great client-stylist relationships.” For Amanda, Bellamy Salon goes way past just a relationship over hairstyles, it’s developing a close bond with her clients that ends in a friendship. “It’s nice to know the relationship goes both ways. I wear my emotions on my sleeve at times, and I’ve had clients counsel me instead of the other way around. Their care and humanity during my tough times has brought grateful tears to my eyes.” Prominent in Amanda’s core beliefs is a quote by Arnold Schwarzenegger, “The self-made man or woman is a myth. I would never have made it in my life without help.” This partial quote was taken from a commencement address he made that is available on Youtube. The entire quote goes

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beyond those words, and it is indeed an inspiring message. As Arnold says, you can call him anything you want, but don’t call him a self-made man. That is part and parcel of Amanda’s belief in life. She is not self made; she is where she is because of the help and largesse of others.

“I didn’t purchase an existing salon. I rented a space and built the salon from nothing.” Barber, Bill Rhoades, was one of those people who helped Amanda along the way. He passed away suddenly over the winter. Amanda remembered, “Bill was a tremendously upbeat person. He had a positive personality that clients responded to—a good energy about him. He had quite the impact in a short amount of time.” Bill is exactly the type of person Amanda regards when she says support comes from different people and places. Bill’s business cards

are still on the front desk as a tribute and memorial. Once again, the circle completes itself. From a two-chair, unfinished salon, to the forthcoming eight-chair space that has taken months, if not years, to complete, Amanda Bellamy is grateful to the long line of people and support. Her clients, her team, her husband, and her two dogs, Mailey and Sofia (a rescue a little too high strung to bring in), and her dad have all helped create the salon and the symbiotic world in which it exists. Once upon a time, in a reality long ago, Amanda told her dad, Paul (the namesake of Bellamy Salon), that one day their last name would be in bright lights. “It is in lights. It might be little baby Chico lights, but it is in lights,” Amanda laughed. If you want to establish yourself as a hairstylist or give a new stylist an opportunity, contact Bellamy Salon at bellamysalonchico@gmail.com. You can call them at (530) 806-3031, or stop by 1450 Mangrove, Suite 130.Their hours are 10:00am to 6:00pm and by appointment.

WRITTEN BY SHELLY BRANDON

connections made: Silhouette waxing studio The story of Silhouette Waxing Studio evolving from a one-woman business into a sisterhood of three is confirmation of what can happen when women endeavor to support each other in business and in life. Courtney Spangler wanted a career where she could choose her own work environment—the place, the hours, and the people. She had worked at a few salons in Napa as an esthetician and says, “It’s a career that I didn’t really see as something long-term, but it’s been something that just kept working for me.” After moving up to Chico, she noticed people would travel to the Bay Area for their waxing services because the model wasn’t established here as of yet. Seeing an entrepreneurial opportunity, Courtney realized there was an open niche for a waxing salon. She opened Silhouette Waxing Studio in 2007 in order to fill the void and create a space where she could be her own boss. Courtney believes in the idea of women supporting women, both in business as well as personally, and she sought to encourage the idea with her studio. Courtney and her two estheticians, Katie Berlanga and Joanna Garcia, are more like sisters than coworkers, 32

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and their connection is evident the moment you meet them. Courtney smiled, “We give and get a lot of support from each other as well as our clients.” Katie, a Chico native, explains she used to come into the studio to see Courtney for her waxing needs, which is how they initially became friends. Katie discovered she hated working in the corporate world and sat down for coffee with Courtney to talk about her idea of becoming an esthetician, mentioning a place like Silhouette would be her dream workspace. Courtney held a space for her, and she joined Silhouette in 2014. Joanna Garcia, who lives in Paradise, has a background in sales and marketing, but the recession of 2006 resulted in job loss and, like Katie, she decided to switch career paths and attend beauty school. She worked at another salon first, which enabled her to become extremely adept at various waxing techniques. Joanna visited to have her eyebrows waxed by Courtney, and the rest was history. Joanna said, “Basically by the time I left, she had hired me, and I’ve loved having these two as business partners since. We are family.”

Courtney talks about how for most people, work is something they have to do, and she feels extremely lucky working at Silhouette is something she gets to do. Katie says with each day’s schedule, the universe seems to bring in exactly who she needs to see that day. No matter what mood she comes into work with, she knows by the end of the day, someone will have made her laugh or given her that warm moment that makes her day. Joanna is grateful she gets to see her friends every day, noting, “I’m pretty lucky that I get to come to work and it doesn’t feel like work.” She says she never knew what true friendship was until she began working at Silhouette with Courtney and Katie. The breadth and depth of the relationships they’ve formed with each other, and their community, through their time at the studio, has made these three women realize the value in authentic connections. Silhouette Waxing Studio offers brow design, threading, full body waxing and a wax alternative known as sugaring. It is located at 1324 Mangrove Ave, Suite 214. Appointments can be made at their website: www.waxingchico.com or by calling 530-342-7131

the entire employment industry changed with it. We needed to transition huge groups of employees to a work-from-home status, model new policies for sick pay and leave of absence, while guiding employers on new liabilities for workers compensation claims and exposure in the workplace.” HRIQ ended up working with new clients in just about every business you can imagine: restaurants, farms, janitorial, corporate offices, barbershops, retail stores, salons, and many more. Shelby noted, “They all wanted to know what resources were out there for their businesses and employees, so we put a handbook together to help jumpstart their recovery, and it proved to be a very valuable tool at a time where there was so much confusion.”

Shelby Chase hero of Human resources Nearly every business owner took a significant number of gut punches during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while each one was busy pivoting to meet the demands of a new and ever-changing business landscape, Shelby Chase, and her team at HRIQ, worked behind the scenes to support them. As a human resources (HR) professional, it was Shelby’s responsibility to not only know the new rules and regulations for her business, but for every industry in which she had clients. Considering the breadth of clientele she serves, doing so was surely no easy task. Shelby got her start in human resources while earning her master’s degree in Sacramento. She found herself growing homesick and moved to Chico in 2014, deciding instead to commute to Sacramento for work, while coming home to family and friends. She filled what little free time she had helping non-profits, earning positions on various boards—one of which she was elected president of—and working with community organizations like Human Relations Network (HRN) to bridge the gap between government, law enforcement, and the community at large. 34

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While working as an HR employee for three large firms, she began to feel a perception of bias from the employees she was meant to protect. She figured being a third-party HR provider, outside of the company itself, would provide a more impartial environment for the employees she was working with, so she opened her own boutique HR firm, HRIQ in 2018. Unsurprisingly, her old employers signed right up, giving her a book of over 200 employees to provide HR services to, and her book quickly grew from there. When the Camp Fire occurred, she took the knowledge she had from her time in HR and hosted free legal rights training sessions for victims, ensuring they had the proper means to move forward in as positive a way as possible. “Experiencing two major disasters in less than three years certainly wasn’t easy.” Shelby said, “We did our best to make ourselves a point of knowledge and assistance to our clients when the pandemic hit. The pandemic didn’t just modify things, it rewrote the book, and we had to rewrite company policies across the board to keep our clients in compliance. The complexities of HR and liabilities changed overnight, and

Indeed, Shelby and her team’s work helped numerous businesses throughout Butte County, securing over $10 million in cash for her clients during the pandemic. “There were, and still are, a multitude of resources and opportunities available to businesses. Of course, there are the ones most people have heard of already—the PPP, California Relief Grants, and EIDL—but there are a number of others that were overshadowed by the big three. There have been a number of government grants made available and even grants specific to certain groups like women owned businesses. Just knowing what’s available can make all the difference in securing the financial assistance needed to thrive rather than simply survive.” Shelby, and her team at HRIQ, are continuing to provide services and support to clients across Butte County, ensuring they are able to weather the pandemic with every resource available, and come out fighting when things return to normal. “Every business was faced with the same experience, and very few had an idea of how to navigate it—now, many are struggling with how to reopen, get their employees back, and return to some sense of normalcy in operating their business.” Shelby said, “We’re looking forward to helping ease that burden.” If you’re in need of help finding the financial resources available or are in need of human resources at your business—and who isn’t right now—connect with Shelby and her team at HRIQ by calling (530) 680-4747

effie khaki & Sherry Calbert Sisters from different misters Striking out on your own and starting a new business is difficult, to say the least. The risk, expense, and time required to succeed are enormous, and there’s no guarantee things will work out the way you hoped. The list of challenges and sacrifices most business owners must endure is certainly lengthy, but as realtors Effie Khaki and Sherry Linn Calbert are quick to agree, success wouldn’t be as sweet without them.

a letter saying I was essentially a horrible salesperson and fired me for not selling enough. I thanked them for not wasting any more of my time. I decided to get my bachelor’s degree in business and finance at Chico State, and after earning it, took on my next job raising my two kids, which worked out perfectly. They weren’t talking or writing yet, so they didn’t have the ability to fire me!”

Effie began working for herself in 1979 selling beauty products door-to-door. “The company rep sold me a bag of nail polish and lipstick for $15 and told me to go out and sell it.” Effie remembered, “The lipstick and nail polish were priced at 50 cents each, and they expected 50% of the money back on top of what I had already paid. I went door-to-door selling the products, and just when I thought things were going well, they sent the wrong items. A number of customers decided to cancel their orders, and I had to pay for the products, since they didn’t take returns. By the end of the first month, their little “opportunity” had cost me far more than I had made. They wrote me

In 1989, after Effie’s kids started school, she decided to try her hand at real estate. Her father was a broker/owner of a real estate business back home, and though she didn’t know much about the work he did, always felt there was something exciting about the business. She worked at Realty World in Chico for three months before moving to Century21 Jeffries/Lydon (now Century21 Select), and it was there she later ran into her future partner-in-crime, Sherry Linn Calbert. Sherry had sales in her blood too, as her father was a realtor in Illinois. After arriving in Chico, she waited tables at the

legendary Casa Lupe Mexican restaurant, before working in medical transcription, and eventually found her way into real estate, working for Drake Homes. “I was with Drake Homes for four years.” Sherry recalled, “I learned so much and had an incredible time getting to know all of the players in the local real estate community. When Julie Jeffries, the co-owner of Century21 Jeffries/Lydon, told me I should be a realtor, I honestly wasn’t interested, but she had a knack for convincing people. Eventually she wore me down, and I agreed to give it a shot.” Sherry joined Century21 Jeffries/Lydon, and it was there that she met Effie. “We clicked immediately.” Sherry said, “Neither of us really knew what we were doing at the time, but we were both so excited to learn the business. I just thought Effie was so tenacious and so aggressive! She wouldn’t take no for an answer, but she could always make people laugh, so it never came off pushy. I remember thinking, I wanted to be like that.” Effie laughed in agreement, “We really didn’t have any idea what we were doing. It wasn’t like it is today—we didn’t have trainings and skill building. The internet didn’t exist, and we couldn’t just pull up Youtube videos or articles on how to succeed—or even

function—in real estate. All we could really do was watch others in our office and see how they did what they did, then try to do it ourselves. Sherry has always had this contagious, bubbly personality, and I always thought she could be forgiven for anything. That was definitely useful considering how likely we were to make mistakes!”

houses, brokered deals with international buyers, and each earned every award Century21 has to offer nationally, including maintaining a position as top 1% in the nation. Separately, they’ve each also sold hundreds of millions of dollars of real estate locally and made their names synonymous with the industry in our area.

With total admiration, and realizing how well they complemented each other, Effie and Sherry decided to team up for a year at Century21. “We were the original real estate team in Chico!” Sherry said, “We would spend all night on the phone talking about contracts, listings, schedules, sales, etc. We worked as a team and built each other up. If one of us learned something, we taught it to the other. We cried on one another’s shoulders when we made mistakes, leaned on each other to learn the ropes, and pushed each other to not only be better realtors but better people too. I have so many fond memories from that first year.”

“We’ve done tons of transactions together.” Effie said, “We’ve always been each other’s confidant and done whatever we could to help each other, rather than be competitors.”

neither feels their success is due solely to their own work, but also to the support of those around them. They have nothing but wonderful things to say about their office and the 30+ years they’ve spent working there. Each have various people who have positively impacted their lives, but both mentioned their office manager, Doug Love, for the unending love and support he’s shown over the years. They both also mentioned branch leader, Shelinda Bryant, for her tireless efforts in making sure their needs were always taken care of.

Sherry wasn’t kidding. It’s honestly difficult to imagine all the stories the two share from their first year in business together happened in just one year. Many sound perfectly suited to episodes of Seinfeld. From being mistaken as drug dealers, due to the enormous number of messages they received on their pagers, to being mistaken as robbers by Chico PD while parked in the dark outside someone’s home to present an offer at 11pm, the two have countless hours of stories from that first year that could fill a book far larger than this. Effie smiled, “It was always fun, and often didn’t feel like work at all. Don’t get me wrong, we were running around all day and all night trying to get listings and putting transactions together, but it was so much fun working with your best friend. The wins felt better sharing them with a teammate, and the challenges seemed like we could conquer them easier together. It was the perfect way to get started in real estate.” Though Effie and Sherry only worked together as a team for one year, the experience was transformative for both, and they’ve remained sisters ever since. The two shared a private office even after beginning their own separate businesses and have since demanded their offices always share a wall. In their 30 years of real estate, they’ve hosted their own radio show, sold haunted

Sherry continued, “I’ve always said Effie was the best realtor. She’s an incredible negotiator, and if I wasn’t in real estate myself, I would have had her do all my own transactions. Anytime we would go on vacation, Effie would negotiate our extras at the hotel—free champagne, desserts, etc. We’ve always had healthy competition and continue to be happy for each other’s success.” Effie finished, “Throughout all these years, our friendship hasn’t been broken by working together. In fact, we’re even stronger. We’ve been there for each other’s happiness and sadness, and our friendship has weathered all the cycles of real estate.” Effie and Sherry both wanted to note that

“Our office has always been one big family.” Effie said, “If someone is down, the rest of the group lifts them up.” Sherry continued, “It’s been three decades of watching lives evolve. It’s unusual to be in one office for so long, but this is far more than an office to either of us.” Effie Khaki and Sherry Calbert epitomize the strength, friendship, and success we’ve been so honored to discover throughout our women in business issue, and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for both of them. If there’s real estate you’re looking to buy or sell, give Effie or Sherry a call! Effie can be reached at (530) 514-3334, and Sherry can be reached at (530) 514-4855. 37

There’s something about

Sherry LandiS

" Sherry has a wealth of knowledge of the area. After viewing a few homes “Sherry together, sheisknows thebest exact and areainwe are She desperately Landis by far the realstyle estate agent Chico. is trying to find, and she capitalizes it. Her upbeat and professional professional, positive, and hason incredible follow through. She helped us attitudenavigate makes our theway stressful process a home funpurchase and through the saleof offinding two homes and the of another—all at thein same time! Sheany never missed awe beat. Sheduring made sure enjoyable. She is quick answering questions have the we understood the process, stayed in step constant contact with us. Even after all process, and outlines in detailand what each entails --- extremely threefor homes closed, she continued to call, and text to make sure important first time home buyers such as email, ourselves! Wejust loved everything was going as planned. We could not have done it without working with Sherry and would happily encourage those looking forher.” a home, to call her immediately!" -Kaelin Daly — Doug anD CoLEttE RobERtS

(530) 514-4855 landis4sale25@gmail.com | landis4sale@aol.com | www.SherryLandis.com

PENDING Wow!!!This 1920's charming estate will impress you from the gate! This Beauty some call "Sunrise Farms" as you see the sunrise from upstairs bedroom wall of windows and sunset out the walls of windows in this gorgeous home. You'll feel like you've stepped back to yester years when you walk up and see this country estate on nearly 2 acres! There are garage(s) and places to park your cars/trucks/toys!!! In case you need extending living- there is a separate living area of 1 bedroom/1 bath & kitchen approx. 1300 sq. ft. with a peace and tranquility in this setting. The stair case reminds me of something on Gone with the Wind! There's so much to this home! Bed: 5.0 Bath: 3.0 SqFt: 3,367 Price: $900,000

COMING SOON Magalia home on nearly 1/3 acre. Affordable mobile on land with 2 car garage! South Chico on 1.25 acre lot, end of cul-de-sac, large custom 4/2 with beautiful inground pool and spa, 3 car garage, and RV/boat area!!! This was the model home and only one owner! There have been many upgrades including travertine tiles, upgraded carpets, granite, oversized lot, built in desk in media room, special color paint throughout, draperies, landscaped beautifully with slate water fall, flowers galore and redwood trees. RV Access on both sides of the house and two master suites make this home a must see! Bed: 4.0 Bath: 4.0 SqFt: 3,166 Price: $429,000

A terrific Michael Galli floor plan updated and remodeled from head to toe about a year ago. Stainless steel appliances, granite counters, plush carpets, decorator lighting, exterior and interior painting, lush park like yard, sparkling in ground gunite pool, newer 10x10 outdoor shed, wood stove, shows truly like a model home. Open floor plan with so many upgrades! Bed: 4.0 Bath: 3.0 SqFt: 3,675 Price: $665,000

A unique setting close to Bidwell Park with a private gated driveway. This property has been lovingly transformed by two master gardeners and includes several charming outbuildings, raised garden beds, fruit trees, and a meadow area, in addition to the carefully, selectively, upgraded midcentury ranch-style home. The sellers have also added "sustainable" improvements including owned solar with a Tesla battery storage system, and a 5,500 gal. rainwater storage system connected to the extensive drip and sprinkler system. From the recently added 2nd story master suite with balcony, you have a view of the foothills and beautiful sunsets. Included is a 340 sf guest studio or home office connected to the detached garage shop. The home has wonderful outdoor living space, including a huge covered patio breezeway, a large covered front porch, and a 4-person wooden hot tub with an outdoor shower. Too much to list. Call to see it today! Bed: 4.0 Bath: 3.0 SqFt: 2,200 Price: $795,000

Yikes!

My homes are selling fast! Call if I can help by listing home today! Consistently a Topyour Producer! Call or text me

regarding these homes and others

(530) 514-4855

SherryLinnCalbert@gmail.com

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CA-DRE lic# 01084946

"We've used Effie Khaki in four previous real estate transactions over the past few years and have been very happy with her service every time. We would never consider using anybody else but Effie. She is always very responsive and very knowledgeable about the local market. We honestly think she is the best real estate agent in Chico." -James and Janice Peplow, Chico

You will be in awe when you enter into this charming home ! Upon entry, it is impossible to miss the heart of the home, an open concept living area with gas fireplace and its beautiful newer flooring that flow into the warm ambience of the dining room. This darling home was recently upgraded with newly installed dual pane windows, doors, modern fixtures, whole house fan and much more. The gourmet kitchen with its eating bar was upgraded with granite counter tops, gas stove, gas oven with warmer drawer, dishwasher and refrigerator. The bathrooms are stunning with their new tile flooring, tiled walls, vanities and fixtures. The yard is gorgeous with its dining patio, its lush green grass, raised veggie garden, crushed granite pat way, fire pit, its dry creek and offers a numerous spots perfect for relaxing. Did I mention, the Bidwell Park is just a stone throw away Bed: 3.0 Bath: 2.0 SqFt: 1,432 Price: $389,000 from this home.

Bidwell Park is your backyard! Set on 1.17 acres of breathtaking grounds inside Bidwell Park. A location so rare and beautiful, the word “magnificent” seems like a total understatement. Tucked away in a great neighborhood and sheltered by tall, majestic trees awaits this captivating residence. Step through the entry of this delightful home that echoes decades of laughter and happiness. The enormous living room whispers stories of days past, when guests gathered around the fireplace enjoying wine while conversing in the warm ambiance of the dining room. The large kitchen offers a dining nook, two ovens, a refrigerator, and a double-door pantry equipped with pull-out drawers, spice racks, and storage for trays. With two oversized bedrooms, one master suite, an office, and 2.5 bathrooms, this home is perfectly sized for just about any buyer. Other special features include a newer roof, wood floors, wood stove, and lots of large windows that invite ample natural light into the home. To top it off, this home also offers a detached art studio, large out building with plenty of room to tinker, a storage shed and a 2-car garage. The yard is exquisite with its sparkling in-ground Gunite pool, dining patio, and its stately trees. It even has its own private gate opening directly into one of Bidwell Park’s swimming holes. It is impossible to state how unique and rare a property like this is. Truly, it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Bed: 3.0 Bath: 3.0 SqFt: 2,319 Price: $969,000

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In 2019, The Group Real Estate Brokers was purchased by Century 21 Select Group. Since then, Danielle has earned the Master’s Ruby, Diamond International, and Pinnacle Quality Service Awards at Century 21 and has even been voted Best of Chico. “I feel like I make real estate fun.” Danielle said with a smile, “Many realtors lose sight of making it a positive experience for their client." The Ritola Family once commented, “Danielle made the home buying process a dream. She made everything go smoothly and we never had to worry or stress.” Danielle said, “At the end of the day, I want to make sure my clients feel like they are winners, and help them reach their goals while making it as stress free as possible.” Amanda, a previous client states, “She is fun, personable, and professional. She was extremely patient, understood the needs of my family, and shared her knowledge with me. I couldn't imagine going through the process with anyone else.”

Righteous Realtor Danielle Branham “Their business cards were my baseball cards.” Danielle Branham exclaims as she lifts up her fellow female realtors: “Growing up, I looked up to these women Realtors like others looked up to athletes. They were absolutely incredible!” When it comes to women empowering women, Danielle embodies the mission in its entirety, and it comes as no surprise considering she had an incredible family who modeled the same for her growing up. Born in Napa, Danielle was raised by her Nana and mother, both high-flying businesspeople who spent as much time lifting other women up as they did themselves. “Nana was the original real estate Barbie.” Danielle laughed, “She started working in the 70s, had her Cadillac, and was always dressed to the nines. She was so classy and was one of the first female brokers in Napa!” Danielle’s mother wasn’t any different. After moving to Chico while Danielle was in elementary school, she opened Empire Mortgage, a subprime 42

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mortgage brokerage with 20 lenders on hand. “I remember them talking about high interest rates when I was a kid.” Danielle said, “They were 17-18% back then, and I was always enamored by their work and the terminology they used. By the time I was in junior high, I was well-versed in compound interest, escrows, etc. One of my favorite things now is educating everyone on the business language I grew up with. When it came to careers, I always knew my place was in real estate.” In high school, Danielle began working at a title company, and making full well on her commitment to real estate, she earned her license when she turned 19. “I began working at The Group with Georgie Bellin, who I affectionately refer to as my ‘Real Estate Yoda.’” Danielle mused, “She took me under her wing and essentially paid me to work and learn the business.

Danielle said “I love the marketing aspect of things too. You have to do everything you can to make sure someone sees your client's home.” Chances are, you have seen Danielle’s work possibly without even knowing it. A sign writer like “quiet neighbors” on a house next to a cemetery or “not haunted” on a house during the month of October are undoubted attention grabbers and provide the levity Danielle attempts to bring to the local real estate market. “I’m so incredibly grateful for all of the support I’ve received along the way, especially from my husband who is always encouraging me to be my best.” Danielle said, “I’m also thankful to the strong and intelligent business women who paved the way for me to do what I’m doing right now.” Danielle has sold everything from small fixer-uppers to multi-million dollar homes, but her commitment to provide every client with the same level of personalized service has remained unchanged. Bright, bold, and always a riot, Danielle Branham has solidified her place as a top realtor in our community. If you’re looking to buy or sell, give her a call/text at (530) 570-4802

I would be busy at all, and was honestly at a loss for words or direction. It ended up being the complete opposite. There was so much new knowledge that needed to be digested and understood; it actually made me feel like I was finally getting to start at the same starting point as others who had been doing this for years before me. It took a lot to make it through the past year, but if any of us agents can get through the chaos of both of those disasters, then we will be able to get through anything.”

Homegrown & Locally known Carli Koehnen Van Houtte Carli Van Houtte is about as Chico as it gets. Born at Enloe, each school she attended through college began with “Chico,” and home was never more than just down the road from her parents’ place. Carli studied interior architecture at Chico State, and knew early on that her career would involve houses in some way, but wasn’t totally sure which direction it would pull her in. She began working for Bill Webb Construction and Bill Webb Homes while studying at Chico State, and absolutely loved the experience. “Going through everything with clients on new construction catapulted me into real estate.” Carli said, “I’m social, and I’ve always loved spending time with people. With my interior design and architecture background, coupled with my experience working at the Bill Webb companies, real estate just made perfect sense.” Carli earned her real estate license in February of 2018 and graduated from Chico State a few months after. “I just wanted to hit the ground running!” Carli said enthusiastically, “Starting in a career where it takes money to make money isn’t easy, and getting your feet wet in the real estate industry is hard. I didn’t sell my first 44

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house until October of 2018. It was to one of my best friends, and the house ended up burning in the Camp Fire the next month.” As most will remember, the Camp Fire spurred one of the busiest times for local real estate in recent memory, as homes switched ownership rapidly. “I started receiving a ton of calls from friends, asking to help them with rentals and moving. At that point, I had only sold two houses, and I had to really learn everything as quickly as possible. If I didn’t know something, I would just be honest and tell the client I’d find out and get back to them. It was awful with the number of people that needed homes, and there just weren’t enough available. If I hadn’t gone through those crazy months, I wouldn’t be as confident in my job as I am today.” Working through a major disaster like the Camp Fire, one would think Carli had been adequately tested in her career choice, but with only one semi-normal year to speak of after the fire, she found herself tested yet again with a national pandemic. “None of us expected COVID to put the market where it is today.” Carli said, “We all thought no one was going to buy houses or look at them. No open houses; no nothing. I didn’t think

February marked Carli’s third anniversary in real estate, and she couldn’t be happier with her career choice. “I was very intimidated coming into this career.” Carli remembered, “I’m going to be 26 in April. When I started, I was the youngest in my office, fresh out of college, and I felt like I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know what the business would be like, but I was ready, excited, and willing to learn. Everyone at Coldwell Banker Dufour Realty has been so wonderful, and they constantly encouraged me along the way. I was able to watch and learn from amazing realtors within my office and see how they interacted with clients and handled unique escrow situations. It gave me the ability to see how top producers do what they do, and I couldn’t have asked for a better office atmosphere to learn the trade.” Carli has certainly made a name for herself in those 3 short years, closing over $10 million dollars in real estate transactions through 2020 alone, and earning the 4th position out of her office’s top 10 producing agents. Using social media, she has grown her presence to not only give potential clients a look into her real estate world, but her own life as well. “Growing up in an agricultural family and being 4th generation, I was always told to do what I truly wanted to do, whether it was on the ranch or off.” Carli said, “Do what your calling is, and you’ll always be happy. For me, that calling is absolutely real estate, and I couldn’t be more thankful for all of the love and support that’s helped me get to where I am today.” We celebrate her recent wedding, which took place on April 17th, where she officially changed her name from Koehnen to Van Houtte. If you’re in the market to buy or sell your home, give Carli a call at (530) 514-6898 and visit her Instagram page @carlikoehnenrealestate

moms see all

chico eye center come see what you've been missing

When Dr. Heidi Houlihan joined Chico Eye Center in 2004, she was the only female ophthalmologist in Chico. She is now proud to be part of a team of six eye care providers, half of whom are women! Dr. Marina Rocchi joined the practice in 2011, followed by Dr. Kristiane Ransbarger in 2020. In addition, Chico Eye’s office administrator and many senior management staff are also women. Like all working mothers, they have to balance work and taking care of family. The opportunity to balance work, family and community, in addition to providing state-of-the-art eye care, was actually one of the things that attracted Dr. Houlihan to Chico Eye Center in the first place. All three women have children: Dr. Rocchi is a new mother and Dr. Ransbarger has three children in elementary school, while Dr. Houlihan has two children in high school. In addition to providing excellent eye care, community involvement is an important part of Chico Eye Center’s mission. The

doctors all live in Chico and feel an obligation to help make this area a great place to live. Chico Eye donates to over 20 local organizations and charities and the doctors routinely donate their time to the community. Among other organizations, Dr. Houlihan has been a member of the Chico Sunrise Rotary Club for 15 years. She enjoys working on projects for local schools with a focus on literacy. She helps with fundraising, writes the newsletter and volunteers at events such as “Hooked on Fishing”. Dr. Ransbarger is involved with many community outreach projects through her church. In addition, she has been an advocate for her patients by speaking to the School Board as well as involvement with local organizations. First-hand experience and interactions with her pediatric patients has given her a deeper understanding of the challenges for both children and their families with virtual education during the pandemic. Dr. Rocchi has been the president of the Golden Empire Optometric

Society since 2012. Part of this is developing programs for continuing medical education for optometrists at their quarterly meetings. She has also been involved in the American Association of University Women, giving presentations on career options for eighth grade girls interested in STEM careers. Another way Chico Eye uniquely serves our community is by offering specialty care so that patients do not have to leave Chico for their eye care. They have both a cornea specialist and pediatric ophthalmologist, are the only ophthalmologists performing LASIK, PRK and the adjustable lens, and most of the doctors perform glaucoma and eyelid procedures in addition to state-of-the-art cataract surgery. What sets Chico Eye Center apart is their combination of superior eye care, cuttingedge technology both in comprehensive and specialty areas, and their commitment to the community. Since 1978, Chico Eye Center has been a leader in eye care and in the community. 45

Years in the furniture business have taught the Austins which brands have maintained their value and quality throughout the evolution of the industry. When Finds opened, they continued to carry two of their favorite brands from past businesses, Flexsteel and Stressless. Tia says that they have carried Flexsteel for more than sixty years, and the company has been making furniture longer than Ford has been making automobiles. This US manufacturer is known for its great seating products with many custom options on a high-quality steel frame. Stressless furniture is made in Norway and endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association, as they focus on proper body ergonomics and challenging the conventional way of furniture making.

Tia and Anna austin finds design Tia Austin and her sister, Anna, continue to carry on the family tradition of furniture sales along with their father, through their specialty home décor boutique, Finds Design & Décor. The store opened in 2007, but the Austin Family furniture legacy started back in 1920’s Los Angeles and moved to Chico in 1962. Brian Austin worked alongside his father and grandfather at Austin’s Home Furnishings, selling brand name, high-quality furniture until it closed in 2006. Tia explains, “My dad opened Finds Design and Decor in 2007, right before the economy crashed, but with the amazing support of the community, we’re still here. He really wanted it to be more of a boutique—an eclectic place where people could go and shop for those unique and inspiring finds, with things you aren’t going to see everywhere else in a laid-back shopping environment. 46

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Growing up, both Tia and Anna remember trips down to the San Francisco Furniture Mart with their father, as he sought out the newest trends in household furnishings and home décor. Tia says, “Anna and I grew up in the family business; I guess it’s just in our blood.” After high school, Tia moved to San Francisco to study visual communications. She describes it as a mixture of interior design, business, marketing, merchandising, and graphic design. She says that while she likes all aspects of the business, she really loves the hands-on design side and being able to work directly with people as they come into the store. She said, “I found my way back to Chico after college and have been here ever since. I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Her sister, Anna, embraces the backend of the business. Tia finished, “Where my strengths aren’t, that’s where a lot of her strengths are, so it ends up being

Tia shares that while these are their two main seating lines, they carry many other brands of varied accents and accessories. When buying items for the store, Tia tries to have a variety of styles. “I always want to try and have something for everyone whether their style is traditional, modern, or somewhere in between.” Tia said, “Some of my favorite items are the one-of-a-kind reclaimed wood pieces. I love that no two pieces are alike.” She says that you don’t want to overdo it when decorating with reclaimed furniture, but as accent pieces they are perfect expressions of an individual’s personality. Their artisan made rugs from Jaipur are another of Tia’s favorite finds. “I love supporting this business. Jaipur employs over 40,000 artisans in more than 700 villages in India. A major challenge in these artisans' lives is commuting to work which often results in families living apart. Jaipur allows the artisans to work from home with a livable and reliable wage.” As the fifth-generation in the family business, Tia looks forward to building upon what her father, his father, and the generations before built, while continuing to serve the community with quality home furnishings for years to come. Finds Design and Décor is located at 1341 Mangrove Avenue with hours MondaySaturday from 10am to 6pm and are closed on Sunday. They are also available for private showings by appointment only at 530-892-1905.

WRITTEN BY SHELLY BRANDON

a really good balance.”

NOW SELLING

MONTEC ITO BY DISCOVERY HOMES

Meadow Brook R A N C H

47 Pric es, term s a nd condi� ons a re subjec t to c ha nge without no�ce.

shuree wesley Timber Wolf When it comes to women in business, there are few we’ve met quite like Shuree Wesley. As the co-owner of M&S Wesley Tree Service, she has thrived in a maledominated industry for 13 years, manages an entirely male workforce, triumphed over adversity at every turn, and survived two catastrophic disasters both personally and as a business owner. Yet, through it all, she has maintained a strong and confident presence, even if she felt less so inside. Her leadership, and that of her husband Marc, has instilled the necessary elements in their company to maintain a growth trajectory you don’t often see, along with a level of loyalty and respect from their employees you rarely hear about. “Lots of therapy and lots of alcohol.” Shuree replied when asked how she pushed through everything, “None of it was easy, and it didn’t take long before I realized something had to change. I decided the alcohol was the first thing that had to go.” To be fair, there likely wasn’t enough alcohol in the world to numb the place she was in at the time. After all, what can honestly calm one’s nerves after nearly losing family 48

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members and watching their home and belongings disappear in a fire. The Camp Fire not only gutted Shuree’s beautiful home, but jeopardized the business they had toiled for years to build. “We lost half a million dollars in the company overnight.” Shuree said, “It took a good amount of time before we were able to start functioning again as a company, and even more time to feel any sense of normalcy ourselves.” Marc and Shuree lived in a toy hauler through 2019, before purchasing a home in the Cottonwood area at the end of the year. Since work was still in Butte County, the two lived separately for a year, as she ran the business from home, and he operated the business with their team of tree care professionals throughout the county. As always though, the two became even stronger from the experience and managed to triumph over one of the most incredible trials one could imagine. They managed to have a few months of normalcy, before the pandemic hit in March of the following year. “I remember the day when everything shut down.” Shuree said, “Marc and I talked

As the pandemic restrictions started to lighten up, work began to flow back in, and the company found a way to level itself back out. “Our company was hit pretty hard, just like everyone else’s financially.” Shuree said, “We started in 2008 during the bottom of the housing market, so we know how tough business can be. We figured if we started a business in a time like that and succeeded, we could do it again.” Between winning Cal Fire contracts, taking on more work in Paradise, and an influx of residential jobs, they’ve done just that. Marc and Shuree moved back to their property and into a brand new home on the Skyway in July of 2020. The return to normality also helped Shuree get back to something she was working on before the fire—becoming a certified nutritionist. After seeing how much focusing on health and wellness at the start of the pandemic had changed their lives, she and Marc decided to help bring that experience to others by purchasing Nutrishop in Chico. “Our goal is to grow these two businesses and help the community get healthier.” Shuree said, “There’s such a huge need for it right now, and it’s important to be able to talk to someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. Nutrishop offers meal planning and a full nutrition plan that we both love, so we thought it made perfect sense to add it to our portfolio.” Marc and Shuree couldn’t be more excited to own and operate Nutrishop in Chico while continuing to build M&S Wesley Tree Service! If you’re in need of tree care call (530) 343-6809, and don’t forget to stop into Nutrishop to drop those pandemic pounds!

PHOTO BY BEIRON ANDERSSON

about everything; we had already been hit by the fire, but we knew we couldn’t let our guys go. I went in and out of depression for a few weeks, but Marc supported me and helped pull me out of it. It honestly made me even more determined. We said, we’re going to focus on our mind, bodies, and health as it was the only thing we could really control. Our guys saw how quickly it turned things around for us, and they followed our lead, working out more often and taking care of themselves mentally. We got closer as a company; we all even push each other in a group text now, sharing what we’re eating, and motivating each other.”

booked out a couple months, so not being booked out even one week was scary. There was never a day where we weren’t working, but having it be as lean as it was was stressful.” Though the first few months were full of uncertainty, the business financially bounced back. However, the mayhem didn’t quite subside for Aundrea. As the office manager, she had to manage the team along with all the changes that were taking place in the world of employment and human resources. “So much changed in such a short period of time.” She said, “There was a lot to learn. Luckily, I was already used to working remotely, so at least that was one thing I didn’t have to figure out, but regardless, every day had a new puzzle to solve. 2020 was certainly an interesting year, to say the least.”

aundrea baker princess of pine The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as they say, and Aundrea Baker is a perfect example of this. Daughter of Marc and Shuree Wesley, (pictured on the adjacent page), Aundrea grew up in the offices of M&S Wesley Tree Service, watching and learning as the company grew. Though she was a child when the company started, she grew more interested in the business with every passing day. When she was old enough, she officially joined the family business, dragging brush and helping clean up customer's yards before working with customers herself. Eventually she became Shuree’s assistant. Now a mother herself, Aundrea is M&S Wesley’s office manager and has honed that same killer instinct her parents possess, with a defiance towards the status quo needed to succeed in an industry historically dominated by men.

fall far from the tree either. “She taught me to work hard and enjoy the money you earn.” Laughed Aundrea, “In her case specifically, on Louis Vuitton.”

“I learned from the best.” Aundrea said, “My mom is highly devoted to business because she is always wanting to better herself, the company, and our family in any way possible. She has always been an incredible role model for everyone in our family and our company.” Humility, it turns out, doesn’t

As for so many others, one disaster ended right before another began. “COVID-19 was stressful too.” Aundrea said, “Things got really slow for awhile with everything shutting down. We had to make some tough decisions for the company and reorganize to make everything work. Normally, we’re

Aundrea, quite literally, had her trial by fire. She had just recently become a mother before the Camp Fire tore through Paradise, burning her home and belongings. Yet, she counted her blessings and through no shortage of frustration, she pushed through, shuffled her life, and found a way to move forward. “I focused on work to get through it.” Aundrea said, “Some days it was really difficult though. We were trying to prioritize Paradise customers, and a lot of people didn’t understand why. It was difficult to juggle everything on top of trying to rebuild our lives, but we made it through and became stronger because of it.”

Currently on maternity leave, Aundrea recently welcomed a new baby boy into the family, and is excited to get back to work. “Our guys are going into fire season, and I want to make sure I’m there to help everyone through it. We’ve talked about doing fire season every year, and as the fire seasons have become longer and more dangerous, it’s become really important to have more people out there. The entire team will be doing whatever they can to keep California safe.” A mother to two beautiful boys, and a bad ass woman in business, Aundrea is proving you really can have it all. “She's seriously a chick that can manage men, and just about everything else, very well.” Aundrea’s father, Marc, said, “She is smart, not scared to lead, well-educated, and amazing at balancing everything that's put in front of her. I call her my super daughter! She worked with us in the field and worked her way up through the ranks in our company. There's nothing she doesn't understand about the business, and we couldn’t do what we do without her.” Her mother, Shuree, continued, “Aundrea now runs the company alongside her uncle Jason. She’s taken over my position, and he has taken over Marc’s. She is literally everything a mother could hope for in a daughter!”

When her sister, Kelly, decided to open a store of her own, called Retrofit, on 3rd Street in Downtown Chico, Kim and her husband’s furniture became the store’s fixtures and displays. As the furniture quickly sold, Kim realized there was potential for another business altogether, and took the opportunity to open her own store, 3 Seas, next door, in 2016. 3 Seas business was growing so she expanded back into the space where Retrofit was after it closed, introducing some clothing and a line of flannels she distressed herself. The demand for her clothing was so great, she decided to experiment by bringing in smaller artisan brands, and when the opportunity presented itself to move to a larger space at 334 Broadway, she jumped at the chance.

kim colombo retail ronin Originally from the Bay Area, Kim Colombo moved to Paradise in the 6th grade and set out to make friends in her new hometown. When she entered high school, she signed up for Butte County ROP (Regional Occupational Program) and took classes in retail, determined to get an early understanding of a world she had long been in love with. She started her career interning at Brooks Fashions in Chico’s North Valley Plaza Mall, while still in ROP, and the managers were so impressed with her work ethic, they offered her a paid position when the internship ended. She remained with the company another four years through college in Long Beach, before returning to Paradise. “I didn’t give myself much time to breathe.” Kim said, “I returned to town and took over as a manager in training at Jay Jacobs in the new Chico Mall. I eventually ended up managing the women’s and men’s stores before moving to The Limited, and then starting at id in the Garden Walk Mall. When they decided it was time to sell, I talked to my parents about buying the store, and our family ended up operating it together for 22 years! It was a lot of work, but I learned a lot about owning your own business during that time.

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Kim and her mother grew the business yearafter-year until she was whisked back into the corporate world by one of their vendors, Brighton Collectibles, who relocated her to the Roseville Galleria store as the district manager. She remained with the company for four years, training their store managers and helping open their new stores nationwide. Burned out with the corporate world, she and her husband decided to move back, one final time, to Paradise. “We returned and I decided to try my hand at something new, consulting for local retail stores that wanted to learn how to increase their sales and better their layout.” Kim remembered, “It allowed me to have some freedom as a new mother.” A lover of antique shopping, Kim took the time to start a side business upcycling old furniture and selling pieces at booths in 8th & Main Antiques and Skyway Antique Mall. She opened Pomegranate in Paradise, and her husband started on woodworking, building coffee tables and potting benches with barnwood. The two would go down to the Alameda Flea Market each month to sell their creations, and soon found themselves as fixtures at the Under The Freeway show in Sacramento and the Goat Hill Fair in Watsonville.

Six months after opening the doors to her new location, COVID hit, and Kim was forced to close her business for a month-and-a-half. “3 Seas reopened on May 8th.” Kim said, “We immediately got a lot of support from locals and even had people shopping with us from Southern California online off our website. Kim’s daughter, Cydney, helped get the website up and running during Covid, and she also works in the store. We received a small business stabilization grant from Butte County, pulled a small business loan, and also received the Aaron Rodgers grant. Those three things helped keep us afloat, and we couldn’t be happier to be open and operating again.” Kim prides herself on keeping the offerings at 3 Seas as unique as possible. “When I shop for the store, I try to bring back things that are different—things no one else in town carries. That’s important now more than ever” Kim said, “I try and find people that are local to California—artisans that are making things I know I can sell. You’ll never find their items anywhere nearby, and some of the items you simply won’t find anywhere else at all. I have jewelry companies that make items exclusively for us, as well as handmade gift items that are one-of-a-kind.” With 3 Seas open once again, Kim is finally able to flex some of that expertise she’s developed throughout a lifetime in retail. If you’re looking for something unique that you won’t find anywhere else, drop by 3 Seas in Downtown Chico. It might quite possibly be the coolest store ever!

eventually began working with the school’s business manager. “He needed a lot of help.” Joelle said, “Everyone did. Donations were pouring in left and right to help rebuild the school, and it was a big task to keep everything straight. At the end of the school year, he decided to leave, and the school administration asked if I’d be willing to take the position. I said yes after considerable thought and consideration, and split my time managing the school’s business operations while helping with outreach for the church. it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.”

Joelle chinnock LOVE BUILDS 700 volunteers, nearly 300,000 man hours, and 452 sheds later, one of the most ambitious Camp Fire rebuilding projects in Paradise was finally completed. 452 families in Paradise received a shed to store their belongings, as the elements rained down from above, and Joelle Chinnock finally had a moment to breathe a well-earned sigh of relief. Though the moment lasted for just that long before she began working on yet another plan to help further restore Paradise to its former glory. Joelle was born and raised in Angwin, California before moving to Chico to study nutrition and food science at Chico State. She completed her studies, bought a home in Paradise in 2001, and commuted to Fresno for one year to complete her dietetic internship, becoming a registered dietitian in 2004. Joelle returned to Paradise and worked at Feather River Hospital’s in-patient and skilled nursing facilities as a dietitian for two years before her first baby came along. By the time her second arrived, she realized someone needed to stay home full-time, so she did, and two soon turned into four. 52

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As anyone is sure to agree, mothering may be the most difficult job of all, and Joelle was not only raising her four children, but homeschooling them as well. She did so up until the Camp Fire changed everything for their family in Paradise. Though their home didn’t burn in the fire, it took a full 10 months to get back into it. “We couldn’t even start repairs until we worked everything out with insurance.” Joelle remembered, “We started repairs in May 2019 and moved back in on September 8th, exactly 10 months after the fire. We spent the first 6 months crammed into a trailer, and we experienced literally everything in it— vomiting, diarrhea, mold, mushrooms, lice, sleepless nights, and a sewer line explosion. We were so blessed to have friends invite us to house-sit for them for the following four months.” Unable to homeschool her kids in the trailer, Joelle registered them at Paradise Adventist Academy. As part of the school had burned in the fire, Joelle decided to spend any free time she had volunteering on campus and

Joelle’s first outreach project for the church was putting home kits together for families in need. The kits included kitchenware, food, and other items residents would need to get back up and running. She plugged into the community and did whatever she could to find ways to help more people. “I saw a post about someone building a shed for a Camp Fire survivor, and having experienced living in a trailer for six months, I thought it was so awesome.” Joelle recalled, “I thought, what if we built a couple sheds? I ran the idea by some people and ended up contacting Maranatha, an arm of the Seventh Day Adventist Church that does building projects all over the world. I had never done outreach on that kind of scale before, but I pitched the idea, and they offered to help however they could. When we met with their construction manager, he asked if we should try to build 100 sheds. It just blew me away.” Having been exposed to the grant world through her husband’s business, and knowing full well the cost to build 100 sheds far exceeded her original budget, Joelle decided she would go in search of funding. She wrote the first set of grants, submitted them, and got funding from Paradise Rotary, Adventist Health, Paradise Adventist Church, Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, General Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, North Valley Community Foundation (NVCF), and the Butte Strong Fund. Then, Maranatha called, and they wanted to do 200 sheds instead. Joelle went back to her grant writing, and secured the funding to do just that. During the first project, Hope City—a company rebuilding homes in Lake, Mendocino, and Shasta counties after their fires—came down to help. The CEO and

have childcare. It was heartbreaking how many things were working against her.”

founder, Kevin Cox, looked at the project and said to Joelle, “You have to do this again, because you’ve got it down. Stay in your lane and keep doing this!” At its peak, the project was building 20 sheds per day, and thanks to the help of other partners like Americorp, CalFire, Menonite Disaster Services, the group successfully completed all 200 sheds in less than 3 weeks. “I was so empowered and encouraged by his words.” Joelle beamed, “I just knew there was more to be done.” 900 applications flooded in for the 200 available sheds, and it quickly became clear just how large the need was. Joelle reached out to NVCF, and vice president of regional recovery and partnerships, Jovanni Tricerri, brought the American Red Cross on board. Not only did they want to help build 250 more sheds, but they were willing to fund the entire project as well. They began purchasing materials in late February of 2020, working with Chico Building Supply and Lowe’s, until the pandemic brought these incredibly laid plans to a screeching halt. Chico Building Supply paused the order, and Lowes was kind enough to warehouse everything until they were ready to hit play once again. The project didn’t pick back up until the summer, but Joelle and her connections managed to get everything ready for a three-week build starting at the end of August. The production line started, and they made it a week-and-a-half into the build before the Bear Fire shut the line down, forcing volunteers to evacuate from the ridge. As the smoke began to clear, the volunteers returned, completing 118 sheds. Maranatha stepped in five weeks later, and helped complete the remaining 132 sheds. Joelle

then reached out to local building contractor and friend, Mark Balken, who donated his time and equipment to deliver each shed to its new owner personally. Finished with the most intense organizational project of her life, Joelle took the time to mellow out a bit and work with the Love Paradise program started by Garrison Chaffee, providing food boxes every Monday to Paradise families in need. “I honestly told myself I wasn’t even going to think about the next thing.” Joelle laughed, “It all came together serendipitously.” While Joelle was working a huge food box giveaway, the Monday after Thanksgiving, a single mom arrived at the end of the line. “We were out of boxes, and I just felt horrible.” Joelle said, “Here, we had a single mom who was a renter during the fire. She had a 14 year old son and a new baby daughter, and she was living in FEMA housing in Gridley because she had nowhere else to stay. Her husband took off, she lost her job during the pandemic, and the only way to secure a new job was to

Joelle talked to Mark about the experience and expressed the huge need that was out there, realizing this mother could be totally homeless and lose her kids once the FEMA camp wrapped up. The two came up with a plan for a new arm of the Seventh Day Adventist LOVE program on January 29th, which they appropriately named LOVE BUILDS. “Every contractor was building homes for $300 per square foot.” Mark said, “No one wanted to even quote a starter home. We heard about the grant money that was available and started doing the legwork to make it happen. As always, Joelle took the ball and ran with it!” Joelle asked Maranatha if they would be willing to come back and volunteer labor to build new homes. With all international projects shut down due to the pandemic, and being based out of Roseville, the project was the perfect fit at just the right time. The volunteers loved the idea, and Maranatha offered close to 700 volunteers to complete the project with the promise they’d continue coming back as long as there were volunteers willing to work. “Maranatha agreed to build six homes as a trial.” Joelle said, “We drop a slab, and they build it so it’s watertight. Frank Lewis of NorCal Construction drafted four master plans, and we’ve already submitted the first for a local Paradise resident who lost her home in the fire. We’re planning to break ground in a few short months!” With so much on the line for so many people, Joelle and Mark are doing all they can to ensure the six pilot homes are a complete and total success. Luckily, as word has slowly trickled out, more companies, like Academy Mortgage in Arizona, are offering money and labor to help build more. As one of the most dynamic women we’ve ever met, we can’t imagine Joelle will let it be anything else. If you’d like more information on LOVE BUILDS or think you can offer a helping hand, call (530) 896-1100

WRITTEN BY SHELLY BRANDON

Panda mae bell Bless your heart mercantile Panda Mae Bell owns Bless Your Heart Mercantile in Orland, but that’s not where her story begins. It begins in Chico, where she was born and named, not for those cute black and white bears, but in the spirit of family history and sentiment—a combination of her Aunt Pam and Grandmother Linda’s names, “Pa- + -nda.”

noted, “I just love customer service; being able to help people and develop those relationships.” Panda Mae Bell opened her Orland boutique in 2019. She says, “I actually had a dream after the Camp Fire, that I opened up a store and I named it this.” She dreamt that she would call it, “Bless Your Heart Mercantile,” and she did just that.

Her story continues into Paradise where she, her husband Dan, and stepson Derek, had a home. Like so many others in our area, she lost that home in the Camp Fire. Panda Mae and her family began the process of looking for a new home in Chico, but after discovering it was extremely hard to find anything in town, they expanded their search to the outlying cities and towns. This search led them to the town of Orland, just thirty minutes from Chico. Panda says, “We fell in love with Orland because it’s a small town with a real sense of community, and they were so very welcoming to the Paradise families.”

The streetlights, adorned with their cheerful yellow ‘Queen Bee Capital’ flags, welcome you into the city of Orland and emit that small town feel that first drew Panda Mae in. Her shop is situated on the corner of Highway 32 and 4th street and offers the perfect location for a quick trip through the orchards into Orland.

Panda had been her mother’s caregiver for the past 16 years, while dabbling in retail at vintage and antique shops throughout Chico and Paradise. She says that having her own store had always been a dream, and getting to know customers through the antique business while helping them furnish and design parts of their home was something she loved being a part of. Panda 54

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Bless Your Heart Mercantile carries home décor and trendy giftables. Panda stocks it with items that she would put in her own home, so the store is truly a reflection of her warm, genuine, and bubbly personality. “I like finding stuff that makes people happy, and makes them laugh.” Distressed wood, chicken wire, and tin shelves display various themed groupings throughout the store. One display is geared towards the bath, with unique wide-handled toothbrushes, hand creams, soap dispensers, and quirky signs like “The Soap Is Not Just For Decoration.” There’s a vintage roosting box showing off hats tucked into each cubby and another one full of unique coffee mugs. One of

Panda’s most popular features lately is her ‘Air Plant Bar,’ complete with vessels, fillers, and an assortment of air plants and accents to choose from in completing your design. Panda Mae believes it’s important to support the local community through the products she carries, along with the causes she supports. The shop promotes items made locally by women in the Northstate, such as jewelry, soaps, candles, and tie-dyed clothing. She also stocks candy from Joy Lyn’s in Paradise along with items from Farmers Brewing Company in Princeton. Panda also donates gift baskets to schools, churches, and the Moose Lodge for their raffles. Orland’s first Halloween Treat Street, and this year’s Downtown Orland Shop Hop, were organized by Panda Mae to help promote Orland’s downtown and encourage the public to come out and see everything their town’s shops and restaurants have to offer. T-shirts and sticker sales from the Shop Hop event will help support the Orland Volunteer Fire Department. Bless Your Heart Mercantile is located at 701 4th Street in Orland, and it should be a must-see on your list as you explore the cities and towns around the Northstate. Store hours are Monday through Friday 11AM-5PM, Saturday 10AM-5PM and Sunday 10AM-4PM.

“I watched what they were doing from the sidelines, and when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped aboard. They were kind enough to take me into their fold.” Dr. Matthews said, “As surgeons and clinicians, they’re laser focused on the mission; I believe part of that comes from their time in the military. They have a unique ability to filter through the chaos of caring for patients, and the mission—caring for the patient and the patient alone—is their guiding principle. It’s a totally different experience than what I was used to. If I need something to happen today, they find a way to make sure it happens today, and that can make all the difference when it comes to providing a proper level of care for patients with cancer.”

Dr. Doug Matthews “When we need someone to care for us, we want someone who actually cares.” Dr. Doug Matthews said, as we sat across the table from each other at Bidwell Perk. Indeed, healthcare has changed drastically over the last fifty years, in many cases turning care into a bottom-line business rather than a patient-centric service as it was initially meant to be. The sentence sums up his philosophy as both a clinician and a surgeon; it has also shaped his decisions in where he hangs his whitecoat each day and what makes him feel fulfilled as a human being. Dr. Matthews is a colorectal surgeon at Valor Oncology in Chico. His father, also a colorectal surgeon, received his training in the military, and moved the family to Chico after completing his contract. As with many medical families, the option to jump into medicine was open for Dr. Matthews and his siblings, though it wasn’t by any means his first choice. Dr. Matthews attended Santa Clara University and worked for Cal Fire each summer. He loved the experience and inquired with one of his fire chiefs as to the potential for moving up the ladder. His chief said, “There are plenty of us in the fire service who would have been doctors if we could have been. If you’ve got the 56

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opportunity and ability to go to medical school, take it.” Another fire chief reminded him that there were unspoken politics involved in moving up the ladder, and rather than play the game, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps. He attended Boston University for four years, followed by six years of general surgery at University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and completed his studies at UMDMJ in New Jersey for colorectal surgery. He returned to Chico shortly thereafter and joined other colorectal surgeons in a variety of practice models, but found himself growing increasingly frustrated as the years wore on. “I was beholden to the system rather than the patient.” Dr. Matthews scoffed, “It shouldn’t be that way! The challenge of keeping the patient as the sole focus of a medical practice is very difficult, and I found it becoming more and more difficult each year. I wanted to be beholden to the patient alone, and after a short while, I realized it was time for a change.” Dr. Matthews wasn’t the only one who felt this way. In fact, a growing number of doctors and surgeons alike have publicly voiced their concerns with this issue, and many have decided to strike out on their own to do something about it. Drs. Harry Lomas and Erik Stickney, both veterans of

Valor Oncology has proved to be the perfect fit for Dr. Matthews as their vision for better healthcare and overall philosophies align perfectly with his. “We all focus on providing a standard of care that is elevated—the kind of care we’d hope to receive if we were in our patients shoes.” Dr. Matthews said, “There’s a lot of volume at the primary care level before anyone even gets to see a specialist. We’re doing what we can to alleviate some of that work and let primary care doctors focus on what they need to focus on. We provide an opportunity for early referrals so we can handle the items we see on a day-to-day basis faster, ensuring the proper scans and tests are covered by insurance immediately rather than losing time to the waiting game most doctors are forced into. It’s more work for us, but it’s what we signed up for in the first place.” Having a mother who went through cancer treatment, and having treated countless patients, Dr. Matthews attests that the longest times during a patient’s treatment are the times when they know something is wrong, but don’t yet know what. The faster they can get around to finding out what’s wrong, the better peace of mind the patient has, and the more beneficial the outcome. Dr. Matthews and Valor Oncology are focused on doing just that. If you’re in need of oncological care or need help with a referral, call Valor Oncology at (530) 691-5920.

PHOTO BY MARK THAU PHOTOGRAPHY

the United States Armed Forces, did exactly that in opening Valor Oncology.

Unspoken Frustration Unspoken frustration can find its way into our most cherished relationships. People who we love and who deserve our best can also be the people we also trust with our most upsetting emotions and reactions. This is where most people find themselves experiencing guilt for how they have been as a partner, parent, or family member. The guilt plays upon a separate frustration that exists for other life circumstances, but which we take out on those we love, and then we tend to spiral toward ourselves and the people we care about. We promise ourselves and our loved ones that we’ll work on it. We will be more aware of our flaws and we will treat them better. We think if we can change the way we talk to them or act around them, then we will have mastered our emotional responses and our relationships will improve. They will bounce back because we bounced back! But the initial frustration still exists: - Communication breakdown with a colleague is still aggravating all day - Blame we feel from a family member who doesn’t take “no” for an answer is still emotionally draining. - Friends we adore, but who might not be making healthy choices, leave us feeling powerless to choose either to join their poor decisions or drift away. The frustrating issue remains, but we just keep plugging away trying to change the way we interact with the people we love without addressing the underlying cause. Until we figure out how to address what’s truly influencing us, we will continue to try to move mountains when pebbles would have been more effective. You don’t have to go it alone. Therapy helps unravel what is going on within a person so they can understand and strategize more effectively what internal shifts need to happen to impact cause and effect and improve their most beloved relationships. Jessica Wilkerson is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (#104464). She owns and operates Inspired Life Counseling and can be reached at (530) 809-1702.

the normal eye care visits her patients were already used to. The desire to have an ideal space set up for vision therapy, prompted her to open Vision Training Center in the building next door, allowing her to provide patients with a focused program aimed at retraining the way their eyes work. As a collegiate athlete herself, Dr. Griffith took the opportunity with the extra space to also incorporate sports vision training into her practice geared at developing more accurate vision, better depth perception, and faster reaction time for her athletes.

Dr. Anna Griffith visionary Do your eyes feel tired when reading? Do you see the words move, jump, or appear to float on the page? Do you notice the words blurring or coming in and out of focus? Perhaps reading gives you a headache? If you can answer any of these questions affirmatively, there’s a chance your eyes could have an issue with visual skills. Even if you already have glasses or don’t need glasses, visual skill problems can still affect your vision and can be treated with vision therapy. Dr. Anna Griffith of the Vision Training Center is doing what she can to help alleviate those symptoms in our community and return patients to using their eyes comfortably once again. A neurobiology, physiology, and behavior major at U.C. Davis, Dr. Griffith was interested in child development, teaching, and biology. Then, when she learned one of the leading causes of children struggling in school was due to visual skill problems, she decided to dedicate her life to removing those roadblocks. She graduated from U.C. Davis and went on to study optometry at U.C. Berkeley School of Optometry, finally completing her residency at Pacific University in 2012 where she focused on vision therapy. She then returned to Chico and began working at Family Eye Care.

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“Vision therapy treats visual conditions that can’t necessarily be fixed with glasses.” Dr. Griffith discussed, “Many kids struggle in school because their eyes don’t work well together or they track inaccurately. Adults can struggle from similar conditions that often become more apparent when they spend most of their working day on the computer. Other issues arise from head trauma, including blurry vision, double vision, headaches, and even dizziness from the eyes not working together.” When you consider how difficult accomplishing any normal task can be without accurate, unimpeded vision, it comes as no surprise that many children have difficulty learning to read, or learning something completely new if they cannot see clearly. Dr. Griffith continued, “The visual system is very complex, and vision therapy takes those complexities into account. A lot of conditions can be treated with re-training the eyes to function properly together. If something is a little off, depth perception, balance, and more can be affected.” As an optometrist at Family Eye Care in Chico she repeatedly identified many of these conditions, especially in her younger patients, confirming that there is a dramatic need for vision therapy in conjunction with

“There isn’t a set treatment regimen that works for everyone,” Dr. Griffith explains. “Treatment plans have to be tailored to the individual and their condition. When your eyes don't work well together, functioning is affected in many ways. It would take pages to list the many exercises for honing visual skills, but a few examples include 3D pictures that add demand on the eyes, prisms to force the eyes to work harder, and lenses to help challenge focus. Surprisingly, it doesn’t take much time to retrain your eyes either. Dr. Griffith notes that most people can get through a program, on average, in 8-12 sessions, with sessions taking place once per week. Outside of these sessions, patients check out equipment for home use and are given three exercises to practice daily. The weekly appointments ensure exercises are challenging enough and that progress is being made. “Jobs are becoming more visually intensive.” Dr. Griffith mentioned, “As a result, people are starting to realize issues sooner, which is a good thing. At the same time, many adults have suffered with vision problems for decades, before they learned about vision therapy. Many people just think the way they’re experiencing vision is how everyone else is, so they don’t discuss the problems they’re having, and if they’re told they don’t need glasses, they simply think everything is alright, even if it isn’t.” With patients as young as five and others well into their 80s, vision therapy can better the lives of just about anyone. Visit www.ChicoVisionTrainingCenter.com and take their CISS quiz to see if vision therapy might be right for you. You can also call (530) 520-6484 to set up an appointment.

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Featuring Jennifer Fitzpatrick

Author of Cruising Through Caregiving! Reducing the stress of caring for your loved one Jennifer L. FitzPatrick, MSW, LCSW-C, CSP is an author, gerontology instructor, and founder of Jenerations Health Education, Inc. She has been featured in national media such as ABC and CBS, and quoted in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal. This event is for anyone who helps take care of a loved one. Learn from Jennifer how to "Cruise through Caregiving" and reduce your stress.

530-898-5925

WRITTEN BY SHELLY BRANDON

Amber & Elyse Kierig For Elyse I got to sit down with Amber and Elyse Kierig to learn a little bit about how For Elyse has become what it is today. Amber developed a love of fashion at a young age. She worked in a little clothing shop at 16 and “absolutely loved it!” She says, “I knew from then on I wanted to have my own shop someday. I wasn’t sure if it would be vintage or new clothing, but I wanted to be able to offer styles you could love for years to come.” At age 21, Amber and her husband, Jeremy, made that dream a reality. Amber emphasizes, “Jeremy has been supportive from the very beginning, encouraging me to believe in myself, and that anything I want to do is possible. When you have someone like that in your life, the sky’s the limit.” The couple love to travel, and on a trip to Thailand and Nepal were introduced to a family of seamstresses who made some designs for Amber. It was through these unique designs that everything really began to take shape. In the beginning, Amber would drive to Los Angeles every two weeks in order to purchase inventory for the budding shop. These small, frequent buying trips enabled her to consistently have new inventory, and taught her to thoughtfully reinvest her 60

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earnings. After six years, Amber was looking to expand, and found an available building on Broadway Street. During the renovation of the late 1800’s building, 6-year-old Elyse could be found rollerblading around the empty floors as she accompanied her mom everywhere. Elyse grew up working with her mom in the shop and going on buying trips. Amber smiled, “She has been in this industry since she was literally two years old and has a love for what she does that comes through when she’s working with our customers.” Elyse left Chico to attend FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) in Los Angeles and after graduating, returned to run the business with Amber. Elyse says, “I’m grateful my mom provided me the opportunity to work in an environment I really enjoy!” One of the unique opportunities For Elyse offers to their customers is VIP appointments. Clients call ahead of time, give their sizes, what they’re shopping for, and frequently bring in items we all have in our closets but just do not know how to style. One of their stylists will set up a beautiful, personal room based on your preferences. "Enjoy champagne and have your own personal stylist shop for you!" Elyse said, “Everything is set up specifically

for you. It’s a great opportunity for a mother/ daughter day or a birthday celebration.” Elyse and her team love seeing how much fun their clients have. Amber says, "It is important to Elyse and I that our customers not only enjoy shopping with us but also leave here feeling beautiful.” Another unique experience For Elyse offers are their ‘Love Local’ events where they team up with local businesses and artisans to debut special collections they’ve sourced and celebrate local talent. In the past, these events have featured Secret Trail Brewing Co., La Rocca Vineyards, and Pipevine Chocolate, to name a few! Customers can sign up in advance through EventBrite for special access to these artisan nights for the chance to shop, listen to live music, and support local businesses. Now the styling of the store has come full circle as Elyse just returned from her first solo buying trip to Los Angeles, just like her mother did over twenty years ago. Elyse also just bought a new pair of rollerblades, but she may not be skating around their trendy boutique like she used to. For Elyse is located in Downtown Chico at 228 Broadway Street and is open seven days a week. They also have a beautiful website. Check out: www.forelyse.com.

she sold Coature Pet Spa to new ownership and purchased the business that gave her the start of her new life years before. “All Cats & Dogs has been a rock for so many people.” Alex said, “It helped me get through the most difficult time in my life, and it’s been there for so many others too. During the Camp Fire, the business turned into a disaster aid site. We were collecting and distributing donations while volunteers were helping us wash cats and dogs that had been rescued from the fire. I’ll never forget how difficult it was to get the smell of smoke out of them, but it felt so fulfilling to help in whatever way we could.” In the midst of the chaos, Alex’s coworkers stepped up and ran the business for a year while she decided to focus on community service.

Alex Kriz The Goddess of grooming Born in Springfield, Oregon, Alex moved to Chico with her family when she was four years old. She graduated from Pleasant Valley High School, got married right after she turned 20, and moved to Georgia with her husband, a U.S. Army Ranger in the 3rd Ranger Battalion. He was deployed right after 9/11, and Alex went in search of work. While taking her dogs to Petsmart for some treats, she saw they were hiring and applied for a position in their grooming department. She was quickly hired and sent to grooming school in Atlanta where she learned to provide a comprehensive spa experience for our four-legged friends. She spent a number of years working at Petsmart, but felt something was missing. When Alex’s husband left the service, they decided to move to Montana in search of a more serene environment. Alex enrolled at Montana Tech, where she carried a 4.0 GPA. Her sense of duty to her country led her to join the military as a linguist working in intelligence. During her first deployment on a counter-narco terrorism mission, she was sexually assaulted by two noncommissioned officers. Her world collapsed, 62

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including her marriage. Broken by the harrowing experience, she left the military and moved back to Chico to be with her family. “I was dumped with zero mental healthcare despite being in crisis.” Alex said, “When I came back to Chico, I planned to finish my degree in Spanish and go into teaching, but when I enrolled in Chico State, I found being in the classroom was too much for me at the time. I left after two weeks.” Down, but not out, Alex remembered the catharsis she found years prior in pet grooming. She applied for a position at All Cats & Dogs, and was hired. After a year of mentorship from then owner, Gayle Fritz, she was given the opportunity of starting her own business. She left her old shop and opened the doors to Coature Pet Spa. As the years went by, the business grew considerably, and Alex was able to forge ahead in her path to recovery from post traumatic stress with the help of local therapist, Larry Collins. When All Cats & Dogs Grooming was listed for sale in 2017,

As with the Camp Fire, COVID-19 turned All Cats & Dogs into more than another pet grooming shop. “We saw a rise in pet ownership during the pandemic.” Alex recalled, “People would bring their pets in for grooming, and we became one of the only points for outside human interaction. We were fortunate to be able to offer moments of normalcy, and for many, their pets were their only companions during the lockdown. It was important that we made them as lovable as possible.” With back-to-back disasters successfully navigated, All Cats & Dogs Grooming has become a business accustomed to giving back to the community in equal amounts to what it takes in. Realizing so many things were broken after the fire and COVID-19, Alex has decided to increase her footprint in the wellness of our community by going back to school to become a therapist. With the help of Doug LaMalfa’s office to secure her V.A. benefits from the military, she is forging a path to open a psychedelicassisted therapy center for those struggling with PTSD. “If there is one thing that’s stuck with me from the Army, it’s that I’ll never leave a fallen comrade. The members of this community are my comrades and I know many are struggling.” We can’t imagine she’ll stop there either. If your cats or dogs need grooming, and you want to support a business that supports its community, call (530) 894-3647 for an appointment. They’re open 9:00am-5:00pm Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.

make sure we were a one-stop shop, so we handled estimates, painting, and body work right from the start. Linda handled the books and a lot of the operations. I’ve always said the business was built by my hands and her brain.” The business expanded to its current location, at 2267 Esplanade, in 1990, and it’s been there ever since. Celebrating its 39th anniversary this year, Bob couldn’t be more proud of not just his business, but the people who have made it shine. “We couldn’t do what we do without the incredible people we have at Concours.” Bob said, “My mom taught me that I’m human and allowed to mess up, but to never let anyone down. We pride ourselves on customer service, providing quality work, and being good stewards of our community. It’s ‘Quality with a personal touch’—our motto since the day we opened, and it extends to everything we do.”

From surfboards to corvettes Born into an Air Force family in San Antonio, Texas, Bob didn’t have much time to get acclimated, as his family was often on the move. That being said, it comes as little surprise why Bob is so easy to befriend with his happy and welcoming personality, as making new friends must have been a necessary hobby during those early years. When his dad came back from the Vietnam War in 1964, he was transferred to Hawaii, and that’s where Bob’s story truly began. Bob moved into base housing with his family in Oahu’s Foster Village at 11 years old. Wanting to become a surfer, his father imparted a piece of wisdom that would follow him throughout his years, “If you’re going to do something, you have to carry it.” The piece of advice came in regards to Bob’s 11-foot Velzy surfboard, but the advice seemed to work in all other applications of life as well. At 14, Bob figured he could carry the cost of following his passion for surfing by building surfboards for others. He started a surfboard company, called Hanalei Surfboards, with his friend Robert Shirishi, and the two made and sold 326 surfboards before Bob moved back to the states in 1969. As with everything, when Bob turned 15

and wanted to learn to drive, his father suggested he learn how cars worked, so he picked up a job apprenticing with a mechanic at the base’s auto shop. It didn’t take long before he realized he had found his calling, and his love for cars propelled him into a career that would define the rest of his working life. Bob returned to the west coast and learned the art of bodywork, repairing, painting, and detailing cars. He was hired to restore a 1927 Rolls Royce Phantom 1 on his own which garnered him first place at the Rolls Royce Nationals in Washington State, Napa Silverado Concours d’ Elegance, and Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance. “When Bill Harrah, one of the most prestigious car restorers and owner of the Harrah’s Collection in Reno, came up and complimented my work on the Rolls Royce, I nearly fell out of my chair.” Bob beamed, “It was a defining moment for me, and validated everything I had been doing.” Bob married the love of his life, Linda, in 1976, and the two moved up to Chico in 1978. He eventually opened his own business, Concours Elite Collision Center, on April 1st, 1982. “It was important that the shop did everything.” Bob said, “I wanted to

Bob and his team have proved to be better than good when it comes to their stewardship of our community, being actively involved in the Butte Humane Society, Elks’ Lodge, Exchange Club, Toys for Tots program, and many other organizations. In fact, Bob’s car shows alone have raised incredible funding for those organizations over the years, including $13,000 for the Butte Humane Society this past month. “Take care of the community, and they’ll take care of you.” Bob smiled, “It’s proved true over and over again.” Working on over 1,400 cars per year, Concours Elite has been a pillar of both the business and service community for 39 years. They remain true to their founding principles, and Bob maintains one thing above all—behind every successful man, there’s a woman who deserves the credit. “Linda took care of all of the important operations and finance work in the office, while I was able to go into the shop and have fun with my hands.” Bob said, “Even after we had our granddaughter, she would watch her at home while doing the books remotely. I couldn’t have done any of this without her, nor would I have wanted to.” If your car is in need of body work, support a company that supports its community. Call Concours Elite at (530) 891-0234 or visit them at 2267 Esplanade in Chico. 63

from there until she was booked solid throughout the wedding season. It should come as no surprise that once she had her girls, she fell in love with photographing kids. “I had never had a baby around—ever.” Diane said, “I had tried to pose babies before, but it was totally different once I became a mother. I understood the importance of capturing and savoring these precious people through imagery. It helped me discover how to naturally capture them on camera. I started photographing babies, children, and families, and just like with weddings, the business started to take off!”

Diane Clifford The photography phenom

Community over competition—it’s a mantra we’re hearing more and more often, but there are few people who truly embody it and take its meaning to heart. Diane Nicole Clifford is one of these people, and is proving that success comes not from overshadowing others, but by building each other up. “There are so many incredible photographers in town.” Diane exclaimed, “We all photograph completely differently and will each have clients we’re the perfect match for. There are too many babies, kids, and weddings for just one of us."

impossible. She decided to part ways with the East Coast, packed up her gear, and moved back to California where she quickly learned university units seldom transfer from one state to another.

A Chico native, Diane grew up passionate about photography, though she never imagined it would someday be her career. After graduating from Chico High, Diane moved to St. Augustine, Florida. Founded in 1565, it is the oldest city in the United States, with a vibe and history to match. Diane not only fell in love with the lifestyle and living on the beach, but she also found the opportunity to hone her photography skills in the endless sea of possibilities the old city provided. She took classes at Daytona State University and dreamed of being a surf photographer, but found the cost of the equipment alone made it nearly

“I worked a number of jobs while growing my business.” Diane enthused, “I was a wedding caterer and server downtown. I worked in a lot of kitchens over the years, and I learned a lot during that time.” She eventually went full-time on her business in 2014, jumping directly into weddings. Having already worked as a wedding caterer, she knew the industry, and it helped give her the start she needed. She shot whatever weddings she could, building up a solid portfolio, showcasing work across Facebook and Instagram. The more content she produced and posted, the more bridesto-be reached out, and the business grew

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Unphased, Diane started once again, this time at Butte College. To her surprise, the classes in photography were absolutely incredible. Completely engaged, she made quick work of the program, graduating in 2011 and immediately obtaining her first business license.

Little did she know the timing couldn’t have been better, as the pandemic arrived and quickly put a halt to wedding photography throughout 2020. “Weddings were being postponed and canceled left and right.” Diane remembered, “I was thinking what am I going to do now? I completely pivoted from weddings to build my family brand, photographed my first five families under the new company name, and following the same steps from starting my wedding business, I was able to start a completely new arm of the business.” Thanks to a number of opportunities, like the Butte County Stabilization Grant, Diane was not only able to start her new business, but expand her space and offerings as well. “I had a studio space downtown,” Diane recalled, “but my lease was up right when the first shut down happened. I took the opportunity to lower my overhead and stress. When the grant became available, I applied and was selected. I used it to find a new space with perfect lighting that I had full control of.” Located next to Red Tavern in a historical building, the new space is absolutely gorgeous, with four separate rooms, each perfectly lit with its own studio theme. With a perfect new studio and an equally ideal view of how to conduct business, Diane is living the life she set out to create for herself so many years ago. With her wedding, commercial, and family photography services, there are few things she can’t handle. To see more of her work or for more information, visit dianenicolephotography.com, wildsageportraits.com, and sociallifestylephotography.com

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5 Levels of Financial Freedom: LEVEL 4: Financial Freedom

BY RENEE MICHEL, MBA, AND JOE SWEENEY, CFP ®, FINANCIAL ADVISORS AT SWEENEY & MICHEL, LLC

Financial freedom is very personal. If you’ve seen ads on TV, you might mistakenly believe it’s only attained when you can afford a Lamborghini or when you’re drinking champagne on a yacht. However, freedom is about controlling your finances rather than being controlled by them. It’s about curbing worry and uncertainty. In previous editions, we discussed the basics: cutting unnecessary expenses, planning and insuring against emergencies, paying off bad high-interest debt, and investing for retirement. Start by asking—What do you need financial freedom from? What about your finances keeps you awake at night? If you’re at a point in life where you’ve got extra cash at the end of the month and you’re already saving for retirement, consider making some goals to pursue. Some addressable situations we see: You want more monthly income today | You want more retirement income |You want to have a fund dedicated to paying for big vacations | You want to be free of the mortgage | You want to plan for buying a new car | You’d like to plan for a second home No matter what your level of wealth, everyone has some money anxiety. Most people worry about having enough, until one day they grow wealthy and worry about having it taken away. John Rockefeller, (one of the richest men in history) was asked "How much money is enough money?" He replied, "Just a little bit more." One of the few effective ways to combat anxiety is through action. Making a plan, running projections, and getting started is the best way to improve your life. Feel free to reach out to us if you’d like to talk about making a plan. If you enjoyed this article, you can read the rest of the series at SweeneyMichel.com or in future issues of Upgraded Living Renée Michel, MBA and Joe Sweeney, CFP® | 196 Cohasset Road, Suite 100, Chico CA 95926 (530) 487-1777 | renee@sweeneymichel.com | joe@sweeneymichel.com | www.sweeneymichel.com Sources: www.irs.gov; www.ssa.gov; www.medicare.gov | Sweeney & Michel, LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser. This brochure is solely for informational purposes. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Sweeney & Michel, LLC and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital. No advice may be rendered by Sweeney & Michel, LLC unless a client service agreement is in place. 65

Master marianne eberhardt dame of defense Marianne Eberhardt arrived in Chico in 1966 as an infant, and like many small communities all those years ago, safety was rarely of any concern. “Chico was a very different place when I was growing up.” Marianne remembered, “It certainly seemed a lot safer back then. We would do all the things you’d see in the movies—go out and play wherever our bikes took us, and we’d never come back until after dark. We’d sneak into Lower Park at night and play in the dark, we’d ride all over Chico and Durham, and we never once felt we had the need to be concerned.” Certainly, as cities grow, and populations rise, things will change, and much of the innocence of times like Marianne’s childhood will be lost with it. When Marianne turned 28, and had a son of her own, she began noticing the necessity of learning self-defense. She enrolled him in Taekwondo at a local dojo, and while watching his classes became interested in it as well. So, she decided she’d give it a shot too. “I’ve always been pretty athletic.” Marianne said, “I enjoyed the athletic side of the practice, but also grew to love the art and discipline of it, along with the confidence it provided. You have to have a certain amount of discipline to progress through martial arts—practicing, going to classes, and taking care of your body are all vital to that progress. I was typically very shy; I’d go as far as to say I was chronically shy. The self-confidence I learned from martial arts changed everything for me.” 66

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Not only did her time in Taekwondo develop her self-confidence, but it also gave her another way to connect with her son. They were able to practice together, attend the same classes, and when either of them had a bad day, practicing martial arts allowed them to work through it in a more productive way, making each day brighter. Marianne continued to realize the benefits she was receiving from her training, and after earning her black belt, decided she would start training others herself. She began teaching in 1997 and opened her first dojo, Morning Sun Martial Arts, in the Almond Orchard Shopping Center in 2007. “I really thought there weren’t enough women doing what I was doing.” Marianne said, “I believed a woman’s take on self-defense could be good, and I loved teaching, so it felt like the perfect combination. I wanted to run my business in a very family-oriented way; even if your family members weren’t training, they were still a part of the Morning Sun family as a whole. We’ve pushed to make that our focus over the years, and it’s been wonderful. Everyone is just a big family here; they all support each other however they can, and there isn’t some big competition to be better than everyone else.” COVID-19 put a damper on business, forcing Marianne to close her doors for a period of time, but as so many other business owners have echoed, her business has become

better as a result of it. “We figured out how to open back up safely.” Marianne stated, “We marked off boxes where everyone had to stand, all safety measures are taken, and we wipe everything down constantly. We’re still taking temperatures at the door, requiring hand-sanitizing, and you can’t come in without a mask. The precautions are in place to ensure the health of our students and families.” Currently a 5th-degree black belt in Taekwondo and a Master 6th-degree black belt in Hapkido, Marianne is continuing her training by traveling to Los Angeles. Marianne has trained in martial arts for 27 years and helped others find the selfconfidence she found for 24 of those years. With six instructors, Morning Sun Martial Arts teaches a curriculum that includes Taekwondo, Hapkido, and weapons in each rank, providing a more well-rounded and comprehensive approach to martial arts, along with a physical challenge that kids and adults alike are sure to enjoy. The first two group classes are always free, and they have plenty of class times to make training flexible with just about any schedule. If you’re looking to increase your selfconfidence, learn to defend yourself, and become more physically fit while doing so, call (530) 342-5833 to schedule your first set of classes at Morning Sun Martial Arts. Your future self will thank you for it.

wasn’t just handed to you—they had to know they could trust you, and their tips reflected how dependable I was, just as much as mine did. As a server, I realized just how important bussers were, and I learned how to better communicate my needs. A successful dining experience comes from the perfect coordination of a number of moving parts—busser, server, kitchen, bar, and management. Once I entered the management position, everything was tied together, and I could see the big picture. It really does take a village!” As the manager and event coordinator for the Blue Agave Room, Mary is tasked with taking all of the lessons she learned over her 29 years in the industry, and using them alongside the relationships she’s built over the 18 years she’s been at Tres Hombres, to craft a perfect experience for her customers. “The Blue Agave Room is a great private space to enjoy with your guests, free of distractions from the restaurant or other groups.” Mary explained, “It comes with its own private chef, which allows us flexibility in creating a menu that is perfectly suited to any event. You also have your own private bartender and staff that are totally focused on making sure your experience is everything you wanted it to be.”

Mary Colgan: Blue Agave Room Anyone who has planned a large event from start to finish will likely tell you it’s no easy task. Between setting schedules, working with staff, coordinating with vendors, and maintaining proper communication throughout the project, there’s no shortage of opportunities for something to fall through the cracks. It takes a skilled professional to seamlessly manage every facet of an event, and Mary Colgan is certainly that. A veteran of the service industry, Mary has been working in the restaurant business since 1992. Even more impressive, she’s managed to balance her restaurant work over the past 29 years with countless other endeavors, including caring for disabled adults at her family’s residential care business and coaching field hockey for Pleasant Valley High School. After

exhaustedly leaving one of those jobs in 2003, she found herself making friends while having a drink at the bar in Tres Hombres. They offered her a job before she left, and she’s been there ever since. Mary started as a busser and quickly made her way through the ranks at Tres Hombres, becoming a server, cocktail server, and eventually taking over as the restaurant’s office manager. When Tres Hombres’ banquet facility, the Blue Agave Room, began searching for an event coordinator at the beginning of 2019, Mary was the obvious choice. “Having worked in the restaurant industry for 29 years, I feel like I’ve experienced just about everything!” Mary laughed, “As a busser, I learned what it was like to have to earn the respect of my colleagues. It

With full audio/video capabilities, a minimum party size of 20, and a current capacity of up to 50 people, the Blue Agave Room can satisfy the needs of just about any private event, including rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, large groups events, holiday parties, conferences, and more, while ensuring that all necessary measures are taken to ensure compliance with current COVID-19 safety guidelines. “We’re a big family at Tres.” Mary smiled, “Many of us grew up together while working here and consider each other brothers and sisters. It definitely makes the job even more enjoyable, and I love getting to work with some of my favorite people to entertain customers in the Blue Agave Room.” If you’re in need of a private event space, call Mary directly at (530) 521-2747, email blueagaveroom@gmail.com, or visit the Blue Agave Room online at treshombreschico.com/blue-agave-room

WRITTEN BY TIM MILHORN

Helengrace we will bake no pie before its time Do not call HelenGrace Homemade Pastries in December and ask for a cherry pie. Ain’t gonna happen. When Jennifer Cabral Hightower says “freshest possible ingredients,” she means it. So, when locally sourced cherry, peach, or blackberry season comes around, you can be sure to get a pie at its most ripe and sweetest time. Of course, bananas are available yearround, and you can be sure a banana cream pie is available quite often, along with chocolate, coconut, peanut butter (SO good!), caramel apple, and a variety of custards and curds. You can also go to the savory side and take home a chicken pot pie or shepherd's pie, which are available in couples and family size, and are kept frozen for customer convenience. HelenGrace is a locally-owned family business whose roots are well established in the area. Jennifer taught at Butte College for 12 years, but when a “life curveball” 68

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came her way, she decided to go into the pastry business. “When things don’t go your way, there’s always a reason.” She said, “I helped college students for 12 years, and now I’m helping people on another level.” Along with a ton of hard work and countless hours—Jennifer plans on 12 hours a day, six days a week for awhile—HelenGrace will provide the public with exquisite and succulent pies until they sell out or close, whichever comes first. You can then, or anytime, order a pie 48 hours ahead of time, paying when you order. Where did “HelenGrace” come from? First, it’s a play on the phrase “hell and grace.” Second, it’s in honor of grandmothers, Helen Cabral and Grace Hightower. Helen would always speak her mind with “honesty and grace,” and Grandma Grace had a heart of gold and loved to cook. You can see those grandmotherly traits in Jennifer—she loves to cook, and she’s going to tell you

exactly what she thinks—a refreshing quality these days. As she says, “This bakery has been kneaded, shaped, and baked into the business it is today by sheer passion.” You can taste that passion and the love HelenGrace puts into each pie and piece of pastry. They create just about any type of pie you can think of. As Jennifer says, “If it can go into a pie, and you can dream it, I can bake it.” All pastries and pies in stock are baked daily and are available on a walk-in basis. Their hours are 11:00am - 6:00pm Tuesday - Friday and 8:30am - 12:30pm on Saturday. Visit helengracehomemadepastries.com or head on out to 2240 Park Avenue, Suite A, in Chico. You can also email Jennifer at ownerhelengrace@gmail.com or call (530) 624-1272. Also, be sure to check out their Facebook and Instagram pages.

PHOTOS BY LIZ KOSTON AND MORGAN CHANTELLE

leslie lyon tipsy horse A hunter and fisher by birthright, Leslie Lyon grew up in Grants Pass, Oregon. Leslie’s family were avid outdoorsmen. By 14, she had shot four deer, a bear, and had spent countless weeks fly fishing, camping, hiking, and developing an appreciation for the world that existed around her. Leslie moved from her hometown to Orland, CA in 2002, got married, and raised five kids full-time. “My children were super fulfilling but I didn’t feel fulfilled as an individual.” A saving grace came in the form of a farm her new family started. With nine horses that had dietary restrictions, they decided to grow their own low-sugar hay, and found there was a market beyond their own fences. It turned out horses with easily upset stomachs was an entirely untapped market. “I managed everything and realized I was made to be an entrepreneur.” Leslie recalled, “I didn’t know anything about farming, but I worked hard to nail it. It was an incredible experience, but it wasn’t my passion, so I set up my boys to run it, and eventually turned it over to them. It not only showed me a tremendous amount about business, but also exposed a failed marriage. Leslie and her husband divorced, and she took the opportunity to completely recreate herself. She rejoined the workforce and went back to school full time to receive her psychology degree. With two kids still at home, being a full-time student, and working part-time,

Leslie decided to start her own business. One evening, while asleep, one of the business models she was researching took fruition in a vivid vision. In her dream, she saw a mobile bar business—the trailer design, name, logo, and marketing pitch were all thoroughly laid out. The next day, Tipsy Horse was born. Tipsy Horse is a full-service mobile bar experience and takes care of every element from start to finish, ensuring their clients can focus on the other elements of their events. They guide their clients through each stage of planning with ease and efficiency in mind. As events have a variety of moving parts, Tipsy Horse has designed a process that allows their clients and staff to understand key factors and highlight those areas. With 14 bars to choose from, clients can find a style that works with their taste. Three horse trailers, a tap trike, LED-lit bars, numerous standard bars, and a 48-tap, fivewindow Chevy tap truck on the way! Leslie’s “genius zone” is in the client experience and presentation. She has learned to emphasize this by hiring experts in the areas that are not her strong suit. “I was not a bartender, and I knew nothing about bartending.” Leslie laughed, “Every business I’ve been part of, I entered with zero experience. When I started Tipsy Horse, I didn’t even really drink, but I knew if I did the things I was good at, and hired

experts in those I wasn’t, the business wouldn’t fail. I researched, practiced, and learned what I needed to learn. After all, entrepreneurship is about challenging yourself over and over and over again!” And challenged she would be. Many businesses were hit during the pandemic, and those surrounding events were certainly no exception. Unwavered, Leslie expanded the bar and rental options of Tipsy Horse and has started coaching other business owners in conscious business practices. Leslie shares, “There is a mass awakening in the business world that there is so much more to life than business ownership. Creating solid programs for employees, having a growth mindset, and building people all while protecting our own space as a business owner is the new norm.” As weddings and events take place once again, we can only imagine the business will grow exponentially. The Tipsy Horse staff is planning to step into numerous events each weekend as people relax and feel more confident to travel and spend time with their loved ones and cherished friends. If you have an event that could use a unique mobile bar, with fantastic bartending staff and elevated cocktails, reach Leslie and the team at Tipsy Horse by texting or calling (530) 321-5997 or visiting www.tipsyhorse. com. With no shortage of options, we have no doubt they will be the perfect fit for you! 69

WRITTEN BY TIM MILHORN

Melody Records: Vinyl is the word You can have your compact disc. You can keep your downloads on your smartphone. Cassette tapes went the way of the Walkman. 8 track tapes are groovy to look at. But if you want real clear sound, you gotta spin the vinyl. Melody Records has been Chico’s choice for vinyl since 1979. In its fourth location, Melody Records is seated on the southeast corner of Fourth and Main in Downtown Chico. Original owner Ray Coppock gave some insights into the music trends of vinyl and its recent resurgence in popularity. “Vinyl is the best sound,” said Coppock. “But you still need the right equipment. You’ve got to have a quality turntable, a great amplifier, and a good needle.” While new equipment has been developed and marketed, aficionados of vinyl prefer the vintage models of the 1970’s such as Pioneer and Marantz amps, a Thorens turntable, and a set of JBL or Klipsch speakers. Your records will not sound the same if you play them on a portable suitcase record player like I had when I was 12, playing Cream and Jefferson Airplane. If you wanted Cream or any group from the ‘60’s and beyond, you can find a record in the stacks of wax at Melody Records. If you like classic rock, punk rock, or any rock, there’s a vinyl disc to your liking in the store. Classic rock has 70

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always been a mainstay for sales, but there’s been a definite resurgence the past five years led by younger music listeners. “Young people have brought classic rock sales to the top lately, but hiphop and rap sell consistently,” said Coppock. “During the pandemic, for some reason, poster sales took off. I’m not sure why, but I’ll go with it.” There is a huge selection of posters in Melody Records, and I spent half my time in the store with my eyes looking up at the variety. Many I’d seen in the past, but there are a large quantity of new ones. Coppock said it’s always been hard to find original posters from shows in the past, but posters in excellent condition from top rated bands can bring a hefty price tag. The same is true of albums, but seller beware—your “treasure’s” value depends on many things. First, the vinyl has to be in excellent condition. No scratches, perfect sound quality, and an original release with a low print sequence all add up, but the best record is one still sealed in its plastic sheath that has never been played. Good luck with that. If you’re in the market for some quality vinyl or a unique poster, head on down to Melody Records. After all, there is something cool about taking vinyl out of the cover, placing it on the turntable, and watching the arm gently lay the needle down.

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kate pinsonneault luxe picnic company Kate grew up in a very small Chico. Home to only 30,000 people at the time, there were still orchards everywhere and plenty of room to roam. Hailing from England, her family took every opportunity they could to spend time outdoors, often picnicking in those same orchards, and along the numerous creeks that traverse the town. Understandably, they loved it. “It wasn’t the cold island that we came from. You could be outdoors just about year-round.” Kate remembered, “Those picnics were my fondest early memories.” Fascinated by people and the way they interacted, Kate studied sociology in school, but realized her true calling was in capturing those interactions and fleeting moments in life. She started her own photography business straight out of college to further explore that calling and took a part-time job at Chico Paper Company to make sure she had her rent covered. That part-time job turned into a 20-year long gallery manager career, and as the business grew, she grew with it. “I loved every minute of my work there.” Kate said, “It was exactly what I needed at that point in my life.” As for so many others, the pandemic changed things considerably, and Kate was pushed to consider what she would do next. Over the years that preceded the pandemic, Kate and her chef husband, Matt, had developed a passion for sharing great 72

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food with good friends; it was their favorite way to close an evening or start a weekend. Of course, the pandemic changed that as well, making those personal connections disappear almost entirely. To recapture some of that lost energy and excitement, Kate and her husband enjoyed going on picnics. They would pack a delicious meal, she would design a beautiful spread, and they’d eat outdoors while discovering a new spot in town. It was around that time Kate thought she could do the same for others, helping keep that romantic flame alive and reconnect good friends. With this realization, Luxe Picnic Company was born. She hit the ground running. From concept to completion, it took Kate no time to get her new business started. Between Bidwell Park, their friends’ orchards, and numerous other public favorites around town, there was no shortage of locations for one of Kate’s luxury picnics. She did her research and partnered with Fresh Cove to provide food that was not only healthy and delicious but artistic as well. She then combined their artistry with her own, in set design, to create experiences crafted specifically for each couple. “Everything is included when you book a Luxe Picnic.” Kate said, “We handle everything from set up to take away, and it’s all very curated. Fresh, seasonal food and drinks, seating cushions, low picnic tables,

rugs, blankets, tableware, accessories—it’s all there. I arrive, set everything up, and all our clients need to do is show up, sit down, and experience something magical together. It was important for us to create a space for someone to slow down, turn off their phone, and just enjoy the company. When everything gets crazy, like it has been for all of us this past year, you need to take the time to disconnect. Luxe Picnic Company provides you that opportunity.” In the very near future, Kate plans on launching a number of new luxe offerings including fully-catered movie nights in your own backyard complete with a big screen and projector. She is also setting up partnerships with various businesses around town to provide exclusive venue locations that will provide an entirely different experience than you’d get anywhere else. With picnics starting at just $225 for two people, and the ability to have up to four people for $100 more, creating a work-free magical experience to remember couldn’t be easier. With vegan and vegetarian options also available, everyone can enjoy a Luxe Picnic. To set up your own luxe escape, call Kate directly at (530) 433-4601. You can also view photos of some of Luxe Picnic Company’s most recent picnics on Instagram at @luxepicnicchico and on Facebook at Luxe Picnic Chico.

Ethan's Ranchero Sauce (Served on Avocado Toast)

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium yellow onion sliced thin 2 jalapeños minced 4 cloves garlic chopped 5 pounds Roma tomatoes chopped then oven roasted 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1 teaspoon each Cayenne, Mexican oregano, cumin Salt And pepper to taste Juice from 2 limes

Directions Heat a large pan to medium-high heat and add olive oil Cook the onion and peppers about five minutes to soften Add the garlic, then continue to cook for one more minute while stirring Add cilantro, tomatoes and seasonings, then simmer for 20 minutes Let cool, then pour into a food processor and blend to your desired texture as you incorporate the lime juice Serve atop your favorite breakfast or store for later use

If you'd rather enjoy Ethan's Ranchero Sauce without the kitchen mess, visit Ethan's Eatery at 2275 Myers Street in Oroville, CA. 73

Day, we needed a barback, so I jumped in. I was thinking, I’ll show them how well I can handle it. By noon, we had 350 people at the bar, and they asked me to bartend instead. I worked until 8pm, had some beer cheese and pretzels to hold me over, and proved I was made to be a bartender. I’ve been working behind the bar since!”

Chef lacey riggs & Alyssa arguello There are few places where seamless teamwork is more correlated with success than in the restaurant industry, and leadership plays a huge role in whether or not a team functions as one. At Parkside Tap House, company culture has been an important focus since the day they opened, and thanks to the leadership of individuals like assistant general manager, Alyssa Arguello, and chef Lacey Riggs, it seems the team at Parkside will only become stronger as time goes on. A Le Cordon Bleu graduate, Chef Lacey graduated at the top of her class with honors in 2006. “I honestly thought I would go into teaching.” She said, “I loved what they were doing at Le Cordon Bleu, and thought it would be amazing to help teach future chefs.” One of the requirements to teach at the culinary school was experience in the field, and after searching for the perfect workplace, Chef Lacey found herself in Nevada working at a historic Basque hotel. “The restaurant was constantly busy.” Chef Lacey continued, “All of our customers were blue-collar men who worked in nearby mines and wanted nothing but meat, and the restaurant stocked some of the best meat around. It was a wonderful experience and gave me the opportunity to hone my culinary skills.” 74

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Though teaching at Le Cordon Bleu was her initial goal, her time at the Basque hotel showed there was plenty of room to teach right inside the kitchen. She returned to Chico and worked at Burban Kitchen and Drunken Dumpling before being offered the position of line cook at Parkside. Within her first year, Chef Lacey’s leadership in the kitchen, coupled with her attention to detail, earned her the position of executive chef. “I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity, and I absolutely love my team.” Chef Lacey said, “My line cooks are excited to come to work, experiment, and try new recipes. It’s important for me to inspire and encourage that creativity as it often leads to new dishes that our customers love. We’ve already started revamping menus, and it feels good to know everyone has had a hand in it.” Alyssa found similar opportunities at Parkside. While earning her degree in communication studies, she began working in the restaurant industry and credits much of her success to what she learned in school. When Parkside announced open interviews, she was one of the first to apply and helped open the restaurant as a server. “Parkside didn’t have a bartending position open at the time.” Alyssa said, “So I made sure they knew I was interested if one were to open up. On our first St. Patrick’s

Since that first St. Patrick’s Day, Alyssa has gone on to do much more than work behind the bar. When the position opened, she took over as Parkside’s banquet manager, and when two assistant manager positions opened up, she decided to fill them both, fusing the two jobs into one assistant general manager position that works directly with Parkside’s general manager, Bill Buxton. “Working here has been incredible!” Alyssa said, “Bill has been so supportive, and you develop a lot of confidence in yourself when you know someone like him appreciates your work. He really knows what he’s doing and has been working in the restaurant industry forever. He and I have this dream of just making Parkside bigger and better. We both agree that it starts with our team, and I do whatever I can to show them the same support and encouragement he’s shown me.” The respect certainly goes both ways. “Alyssa is every general manager’s dream.” Bill raved, “She takes my crazy ideas and brings them to life. She doesn’t complain, she just makes it happen. I never have to worry when she’s there, and in this business, that speaks volumes! We were so lucky to find Lacey. She was reserved at first, but took command quickly. When I saw how the staff respected and learned from her, I knew she’d be the future of Parkside.” With a new menu, longer hours, and expansion plans already underway, there’s a good deal Chef Lacey and Alyssa have to be proud of, as they’ve had a hand in bringing it all to fruition. They were both also clear in mentioning how thankful they are to Parkside’s owners for offering them the opportunity to work together and help create something so meaningful. Stop by Parkside Tap House for brunch, lunch, dinner, a cocktail or three, and see what Chef Lacey and Alyssa are doing to make Parkside shine. You can find them at 115 W. 3rd St in Downtown Chico and online at www.ParksideTapHouse.com

Nigella Sativa (No, not that sativa) After professing my ignorance of nigella in the previous two IOM articles, here it is, a basic guide as to the identity and uses of the versatile spice also known as “devil-ina-bush” or “love in a mist.” Primarily, people associate “sativa” with marijuana, however, sativa is a Latin botanical adjective meaning “cultivated.” There are a host of crops incorporating this word into their names: Cucumis sativa (cucumber), Medicago sativa (alfalfa), and nigella sativa (“black cumin” or “black caraway”), for example. A spice in Pakistani and Indian foods, nigella is also called black onion seed. The plant is native to Eastern Europe—Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania, as well as Western Asia, Turkey, Iran, and Iraq. Nigella grows eightto-twelve inches tall, and the flowers are blue and white with five-to-ten petals. The seeds are encapsulated in three-to-seven follicles containing many kernels. Well, the most important question is, “What does nigella taste like?” For such a small seed nigella packs a punch of flavors. Its profile has notes of black pepper, onion, and oregano. People may perceive the taste differently, and while most taste the flavors above, the spice also has a slight nutty flavor. Nigella is a savory spice that pairs well with savory dishes. You’ll often find nigella in dishes that contain fenugreek, mustard seed, fennel seed, and

cumin. In India, nigella is often included in Naan bread and pastries. It can be sprinkled on salads for extra texture and taste, and can be used as you would sesame seeds. Try mixing them in pancakes or scones or sprinkle them on eggs and yoghurt. A popular way to incorporate them at home, is atop breads or bagels prior to baking. Archaeological evidence indicates nigella cultivation dates back three millennia, and seeds have been found in several Egyptian sites including Tutankhamun’s tomb and in a Hittite flask from the second millennium BCE. Numerous references to nigella use have been found in Old World archives, and among the listings is the use of nigella as an ingredient in traditional medicine. While there haven’t been enough studies to scientifically verify the health benefits of nigella, indications are nigella contain antioxidant, immune-boosting, and antiinflammatory properties. It is used in Indian medicine as a stimulant and for bowel complaints. Some research that does exist indicates nigella seeds might be effective against asthma, blood pressure, and certain cancers.

Taproom Hours THURSDAY: 4-8 PM FRIDAY: 4-8 PM SATURDAY: 11 AM-8 PM SUNDAY: 11 AM-5 PM

88O COUNTY ROAD WW PRINCETON, CA 95970 for reservations call: 530-982-2016

You can purchase nigella at local health food stores and through the internet. Just don’t confuse Nigella Sativa with Nigella Lawson, English chef and food writer. That’s a whole other ballgame. 75

realized the jet setting lifestyle would have to come to an end. She left the company in 2016, electing to spend her time caring for her new twins, but as with any entrepreneur, she didn’t stay still for long. Erika’s husband had a business degree in accounting, so the couple bought a tax and accounting practice. Erika helped in the office until the kids were a couple years old, and then began looking for a new business to call her own. When she found Bacio Catering was for sale, she took the opportunity to buy it, and the pandemic hit a short six months after.

erika montanez bacio catering

“I didn’t think it was cool.” Erika laughed in response to my comment, “I didn’t think it was cool at all!” From an outsider’s view, specifically one who loves to travel, the novelty of visiting somewhere new is certainly alluring, but as someone who’s never had to move somewhere, I certainly wasn’t considering the finer points when I referred to the change as “cool.” Indeed, the change was not at all cool for Erika Montañez. Born in Michoacan, Mexico, she moved to Redding at the age of 17 ½; she didn’t speak English, and she didn’t know anyone other than her mother. Though she started with plenty of cards stacked against her, the start of her story in the US only makes her success story that much more impressive.

She enrolled in Shasta College after high school, but with a baby brother and sister at home, she spent her days helping care for them while her mother and stepfather were working. She would clean houses during her free time and used that money to pay for college, taking classes in the evenings and only as many units each semester as she could afford based on the little money she had. When the opportunity to transfer to Chico State presented itself, she transferred her credits and picked up jobs at Enloe and Bacio Catering to fund the remainder of her schooling. In all, it took Erika seven years to earn her bachelor’s degree in business with an option in management information systems, but she worked and paid for every step of it herself.

Erika enrolled in high school, but because of her birthdate, was forced to repeat her junior year. “I entered into ESL (English as a Second Language) classes.” Erika remembered, “There was a big Asian community, but I was the only hispanic person. None of them spoke Spanish, and I couldn’t speak their languages. It was difficult, but it forced me to learn English without any distractions. I had a dictionary, and I knew I had to learn to get by, so I did.”

After college, Erika landed a great job working for an agricultural company involved in the worldwide introduction of new plant varieties. This company introduced patented new plant varieties from the University of Florida and other breeding programs to growers in more than 60 countries. The job allowed Erika to travel all over the world and even learn Portuguese on the company’s dime, to facilitate her work with growers in Brazil.

Things didn’t get much easier for Erika.

When Erika decided to have kids, she

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“Most of our business was catering.” Erika said, “When everything shut down, the catering went with it. We had to pivot and adapt as quickly as possible, and we applied for all of the financial help we could. We managed to keep nearly everyone that wanted to stay on the payroll and moved to greatly expand our takeout options for our customers. We opened a new refrigerated case for cheeses, cured meats, and other similar items. We also set up a corner to offer products from local artisan vendors that really needed the shelf space to stay afloat. We found out early on that many people in Chico thought of Bacio as simply a catering company, but it’s so much more. On top of catering, we offer prepared and fully cooked meals that change each week— just reheat and serve. We also have soups, salads, sandwiches, and more that people can grab during lunch or on their way home from work! Plus, we make everything from scratch and don’t use any preservatives.” To make these offerings even more accessible, Bacio is now also sold at S&S Produce and New Earth Market in Chico. An absolute force of nature, Erika simply can’t be stopped. Not only did she pivot to successfully keep Bacio afloat, but she found enough time to recently open a Farmers Insurance Agency of her own as well. “We couldn’t have made it without the support of our community.” Erika said, “We appreciate everyone coming out and supporting local businesses like ours. It made a world of difference during the pandemic.” If you’re looking for something delicious, whether catered or takeout, stop by Bacio Chico at 1903 Park Avenue or give them a call at (530) 345-7787

“When you build a business that prides itself on customer service and doing whatever we can for our customers, the last thing you ever want to tell someone is no. We decided to make the experience as easy as possible for our staff and customers by just removing anything that might be a temptation in the first place.” The decision worked quite well. During a time when many business owners were forced to police their businesses, the removal of potential issues allowed Michelle and her staff to focus on what mattered most—providing the highest level of service to their customers.

Michelle Power: Bidwell Perk “We never closed, and we managed to maintain our team.” Michelle Power said triumphantly as she sat across from me. “We worked creatively with the schedule to maximize the hours we did have, and we pivoted however we could to work through the changes that were being thrown at us each day. It wasn’t easy, but we made it through.” The conversation speaks to a level of determination and commitment many business owners have been challenged to show throughout the pandemic, and a cautious sense of hope and relief that has begun to emerge over the passing month.

nearly every standard means of operating for profit. “We quickly realized we would have to change everything.” Michelle said, “Once the pandemic started, we limited business interaction to our walk-up window, created a curbside delivery system, and got creative with our patio space, ensuring people had the opportunity to enjoy meals while being socially distanced outside in a completely open-air environment. We started a safe wine and coffee delivery service for our customers, and redefined the business to meet the requirements that were presented.”

This year marks a big milestone for both Bidwell Perk and Michelle—it is the cafe’s 25th anniversary and her 15th year as coowner, alongside her husband Gentry. “For 14 years of our ownership, Bidwell Perk has given to us.” Michelle stated, “This year, we had to give to it.”

Indeed, Michelle did everything possible to remain within the guidelines of each passing mandate, while managing dayto-day operations and trying to keep both her staff and community healthy. Once customers were allowed to walk in once again, Michelle and Gentry removed the furniture from within the cafe and had it stored to ensure there would be no possibility of sitting down. “It was incredibly difficult to say no.” Michelle remembered,

Though the pandemic was hard on most businesses, it was especially difficult on the food service industry, hamstringing

“The community and our customers did so much to support us.” Michelle humbly noted, “It really provided hope during a dark time, and we couldn’t be more thankful for community members like 3Core and Aaron Rodgers who allowed us to shift from survive to thrive over the last six months.” That support has allowed Bidwell Perk to grow in new directions that will help shelter it from any potential situations that may arise in the future. “The funding we received immediately helped us create a more welcoming and comfortable outdoor seating space.” Michelle smiled, “We’ve had so many requests for wine nights and outdoor events, and the funding we’ve received will allow us to operate those types of gatherings safely and continue to celebrate the friendships that exist around us. We can’t wait to reconnect with things we had to abandon last year!” Now that the doors are once again wide open at Bidwell Perk, they’ve launched a new marketplace in support of local artisans who were also hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. As they say, it’s their small way of trying to support fellow small businesses and the community. With 25 years of service to the Chico community, Bidwell Perk is bouncing back beautifully from its pandemic lows, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds for it. Under the thoughtful leadership of owners Michelle and Gentry Power, we can’t imagine it will be anything but fantastic. Whether you’re looking for a delicious meal, energy boost, or just somewhere charming and peaceful to work or relax with a glass of wine, Bidwell Perk is sure to deliver. Visit them from 7am-4pm Monday through Sunday at 664 E. 1st Avenue in Chico.

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By Kevin Dolan Sometimes, I am acutely aware it is far better to muse on ‘what is’ rather than puzzle over ‘what could be.’ Our “Women-inBusiness” issue triggered my mind to focus attention on women, and their business, and wondering just whose business does this actually become? The unfortunate belief that young girls have long dreamed of becoming nurses, teachers, actresses, and a bevy of other possibilities our society so readily can point out as they dismiss an entire gender; pigeonholing them into utter constraint. Societal change now points to glass ceilings rather than glass slippers, unlimited aspirations over expectations. Words like equality, fairness, and opportunity replaced the antiquated utterance of settle, adjust, welcome. What do young girls dream about becoming when visualizing their futures, pondering what is possible? I celebrate Adidas’ twisting of abandoned fate with its flip-flopped “Impossible is Nothing.” To this very day, one undeniable business, women across the globe have selected, remains a paradoxical paradise of examined sorts. After all, how do you go about working without a job? In other words, what is a career when it is not a career? Beckoning the notion to be careful what you wish for. Upon notification of instantaneously becoming qualified for the job is an immediately dedicated and documented amount of time spent fussing and speculating. The end result is your life permanently changed and, whether you want it or not, you’re hired without filling out an application. If accepted, without delay, you become the CEO or CFO, while being responsible for all things related to human resources. In addition, comes the burden and obligation of each and every aspect of anything necessary for the company. There is a stipend without a budget, with the caveat you will not always have the final say in necessary expenditures. No 401K exists, just like no clocking in or out, additionally no sick or vacation days. Both of these, if granted at all, come with the best interest of the company and shareholders first. Further, you assume the role of teacher, preacher, counselor, nurse, shopper, chef, short-ordercook, housekeeper, prognosticator, friend, and enemy. Other necessary parts dutifully accepted. So the paradox is out of the bag, in full view. I am in consideration of the demanding role of a stay-at-home-mom.

I do recognize there are two distinct and different kinds of applicants filling in the plethora of roles and responsibility. Perhaps you have dreamt your whole life, or, you prepared yourself for an aspiring career, and the opportunity came into view. Perhaps you feel saddled by the entirety of something you never saw coming. I, of course, am celebrating and am in awe of the stay-at-home-moms who amaze and astound in their unraveling fashion, actually dominating the already impossibly described position. Like my eldest daughter Sarah. Sylvia Path and Anne Sexton, a pair of acclaimed and contemporary poets, wrote successfully about both of these sides. They shared the struggle and sang the praises of motherhood with different notes, just as clearly as they both died in the most unthinkable manner. Plath wrote a poem, consisting of nine lines, nine syllables in each line, and a title Metaphors, consisting of nine letters. Cleverly revealing the nine months of pregnancy, there appears lines such as “I am a means, a stage…” as in the vessel to contain the embryo and the initial stage of this life. Plath ends with the line “Boarded the train, there is no getting off.” If poetry is a blank check allowing readers to cash it at whatever amount, I leave you with exactly what her exact intention was. Sexton, on the other hand, wrote a book titled Transformations where she retold Grimm’s fairy tales in her own poetic form. Her version of Cinderella ends with, “Cinderella and the prince, they say, lived happily ever after, like two dolls in a museum case, never bothered by diapers or dust, never arguing over the timing of an egg, never telling the same story twice, Never getting a middle-aged spread, their darling smiles pasted on for eternity. that story.” Not the same story I sing its praise, I marvel beyond amazement. Those stories count. I will leave you with this. If you have ever responded with, “Oh, so you're just a stay at home mom?” You would be doing yourself an important societal purpose by dropping the word “just.” For stay-at-home-moms, impossible is nothing. Their stories.

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