Fresno farmer wins help to expand her business
Gena Nonini, owner of a biodynamic farming
operation in Fresno, is one of six California women chosen to receive help in
making their businesses into million-dollar enterprises.
The awards were given at a Women's
Leadership Exchange Conference in Long Beach that drew hundreds of participants
and spotlighted female entrepreneurs.
Each woman will work with a team of business
advisers throughout California and be eligible for a loan of up to $45,000 to
help finance their growth plans from Count-Me-In, a nonprofit organization that
helps foster economic independence for women.
Nonini said she is looking forward to a
year's free coaching from mentor Maria DeLourdes Sobrino, who started a
business in her Southern California kitchen that is thriving, Lu Lu's Desserts.
"Everyone needs to be pushed out of
their box every so often," Nonini said. "It's the only way you
grow."
Nonini said she has not yet decided whether
to seek a loan or how the money could be used.
"Right now, I have a crop I have to get
in," she said. She is busy harvesting table grapes and soon will begin
preparing to make raisins.
Nonini said she learned about the program
from a business coach she met through the California Small Business Roundtable.
Nonini said she had to complete an application process that included submitting
financial statements. Each woman also had to give a four-minute presentation to
a panel of judges, describing how their business started, their target market
and their goals and challenges.
Others chosen at the Long Beach event
included Desalene Jones of Sacramento, owner of Cha Cha's Doggie Day Care;
Bonnie Plotkin, who runs a bail bond company in Huntington Beach; Lenie Ramos
of Manhattan Beach, who owns Little Twig, an all-natural baby products company;
Sharon Shaheed, who teaches alternative piano methods at Piano Play Music
Systems in Sherman Oaks; and Julie Tucker, who heads SmartsCo, an innovative gaming
company in San Francisco.
The reporter can be
reached at dpollock@fresnobee.com
or (559) 441-6364.