Statewide Steering Committee of Small Business Leaders
Don Orange, Chair
Hoesly ECO Auto & Tire, Vancouver
Hoesly ECO Auto & Tire is a small family owned and operated repair business that is “Eco Friendly/Budget Smart Since 1946.”
Ana Castro
Salvadorean Bakery, White Center & Bellevue
Ana opened the Salvadorean Bakery with her sister in 1996. When they started, they didn’t have any employees, just the family. Now they have a full staff. They work hard and are proud to contribute to the local community.
Leanne Clarke
Haleyanne Jewelry, Pike Place Market, Seattle
Leanne Clarke and her husband, Haley Land, have had their business in Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market since 1985. Currently they make and sell ceramic Jewelry. From 1989-1992 they were also co-owners of a grocery store, The Big Organic Crow, which was created with the specific purpose of promoting sustainable agriculture and humane products–one of the first businesses in Seattle to do so. Leanne and her husband try to make their business choices as both consumers and producers reflect their values of community, and of social and environmental responsibility.
Gyan Davies
Gyan’s Ingenious Puppets, Pike Place Market, Seattle
Susan Davis
Rainier Chamber of Commerce, Seattle
Susan Davis has lived in Seattle for almost 25 years. She spent most of her work life as a teacher, interpreter, community organizer and non-profit director. Currently, she is the executive director of the Rainier Valley Chamber of Commerce. Susan is married to Bruce Kochis and between the two of them, they have five children, two granddaughters and a corgi.
Jon deLeeuw
Not A Number Cards & Gifts, Seattle
Jon deLeeuw is co-owner of Not A Number Cards & Gifts, a small gift store located in Wallingford, specializing in fun, wacky items. Their goal is to provide an educational, enlightening, entertaining shopping experience. Jon is committed to working to serving his community and as such currently runs a small business savings cooperative in the Wallingford area called WallingfordSaves.com, and serves as VP for the Wallingford Community Council.
Barry Faught
Broadcast Coffee, Seattle
Barry owns Broadcast Coffee in the Squire Park neighborhood of Seattle. Broadcast Coffee serves organic coffee, tea and food, and believes in doing their part in building a healthy community.
Joe Fugere
Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria, Seattle
Joe, and the entire staff at Tutta Bella, are driven by the desire to provide the definitive Pizza Napoletana experience. “We believe in treating our guests, co-workers and vendors with integrity, respect and love. We have a vision of building a fun, profitable and continuously improving business which has a positive impact on the communities in which we are located.”
Jody Hall
Cupcake Royale, Seattle
Jody started Cupcake Royale in 2003 and has since grown to six locations in Seattle and Bellevue. “Cupcakes with a conscience” is how the Seattle Times described the impact of Jody’s work in the community. Jody’s work with the Main Street Alliance has been featured in MSNBC, NPR, and the Seattle Times, among many other media outlets. From her commitment to using local ingredients to her activism for economic justice, Jody is a leader among socially responsible business owners.
Makini Howell
Plum Bistro, Seattle
The daughter of small business owners, Makini is the owner of Plum Bistro, Seattle’s first Vegan Bistro, located in the heart of Capitol Hill’s Pike Pine Triangle. “I believe in small business. I believe we will be the force that will repair the economy.”
Joshua Huisenga
Chalkbox Creative, Seattle
Chalkbox Creative is a Seattle creative firm helping organizations share their brands with the world. “I believe small business owners are positioned perfectly to push public policy in the right direction. Being regular middle-class citizens while also running businesses, we are the perfect bridge between all-business and all-people. We have roles in each and like it that way.”
Alton McDonald
Caribbean Breeze Grocery, Tacoma
Alton owns a small Caribbean grocery store in Tacoma and dreams of expanding with a kitchen and small café.
Peg Ogle
Peg Ogle Design, Seattle
Peg Ogle has created compelling graphic design for a considerable variety of clients, locally and nationally, from a metal recycling company in Chicago to a small brewery on Whidbey Island. A remarkable variety of work fuels her passion for creativity. Peg’s style is colorfully classical, contemporary and timeless.
Gene Otto
San Francisco Street Bakery, Olympia
Gene Otto and his wife Judi Mendoza have lived in the northwest for over 30 years. The last twenty plus years, they have lived in Olympia, raising two children and working as the owners and operators of The San Francisco Street Bakery. They feel very fortunate to live in Olympia and have a deep love of their community.
Kevin Peck
The Peck Law Firm, PLLC, Seattle
Kevin Peck is a twenty-six year practicing attorney who specializes in the areas of personal injury matters (auto accidents), employment law and criminal defense. His office is a fixture in the Pike Place Market neighborhood where he provides caring, competent, and compassionate representation to clients. Kevin Peck is known as a tenacious advocate on behalf of his clients in City, County, State or Federal Courts. He has handled cases all the way through the United States Supreme Court and is happy to help persons pursue justice at any time.
Rosario Reyes
Las Americas Business Center, Lynnwood
Rosario Reyes, a Peruvian native, migrated to the United States over twenty-five years ago, made Washington State her home and has since dedicated her abundant energy to establishing several business enterprises while focusing on community development. She is the CEO and founder of Las Americas Business Center, which, since 1989 has offered services in accounting and taxes, insurance, business and individual financial counseling, mortgages and real estate. Rosario is also the founder and organizer of the Latino Educational Training Institute (LETI) a non-profit organization sponsored by Latino business owners and professionals to benefit the Latino community. Today, LETI sponsors The Latino Business fair, Spanish language immersion day camps, workshops in financial literacy, women’s empowerment programs concentrating on financial literacy and computer skills, and other various educational programs in partnership with local school districts and non-profits.
Sharon Shaw
Michael Shaw Stained Glass, Pike Place Market, Seattle
Mona Smith
Greater Seattle Business Association, Seattle
Mona is a self-employed Seattle attorney whose practice encompasses business law, real estate law, estate planning, domestic partnerships and entertainment law. She also acts as a mediator and arbitrator. Mona is the President of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA), the largest LGBT and Allied chamber of commerce in the United States. For nearly thirty years, GSBA has been promoting business and leadership development; business and civil rights advocacy and philanthropy through its LGBTA scholarship fund.
Tiffany Turner
Inn at the Discovery Coast and Adrift Hotel, Long Beach
Tiffany and her husband Brady we opened the Inn at the Discovery Coast in their hometown of Long Beach in the fall of 2004 with a goal to create a boutique inn with small intimate rooms, perfect for a two or three day get-away to the beach. They try to capture a simple, modern, coastal feel in each of their rooms, and provide the best amenities possible while keeping rates very affordable. “Small business is the backbone of our economy, and the lifeblood of our communities. We don’t live in a vacuum, and Main Street Alliance of Washington encourages stronger communities by focusing on the needs of small businesses and the communities in which we live. We need to have strong, clear voices to counter the large corporations who aren’t concerned with anything but their own bottom line, and who hold small businesses hostage to push agendas that are good for them but bad for America.”
Janine Vaughn
Revival Lighting, Spokane
Janine is a Spokane native and has remained in the area for 49 years. She studied photography right out of high school and earned a living for seven years as a commercial freelance photographer. After going back to school, she opened Revival Lighting on Main Street in Spokane, a small business that specializes in restoring vintage lights and crafting reproductions. Along with her two business partners, she has been in business for 11 years, employing up to twelve people. Janine has been married for 24 years to a self employed Musician and Vocalist.
Ron Wells
Wells & Company, Spokane
Ron, a North Carolina native, has been building things for as long as he can remember. His first renovation experience took place while he was still in high school when he persuaded his father to buy an old house and restore it. Wells & Company is a unique, Spokane based design-build firm that has gained national recognition for successful renovation of older and historic properties. Ron and Julie Wells founded the firm in 1979 and describe themselves as historic preservationists first, developers second.