Growing up in Argentina, Waldo Cesoni watched his father run a hotel and restaurant business. His Italian immigrant parents instilled a strong sense of hospitality in their son from a young age. “To me, the restaurant is your home. You just welcome your friends and never treat it as a business,” Waldo reflects. He enjoyed…
After a period of personal struggles, Shala Cox discovered the transformative power of fitness to improve both her physical and mental health. A Bay Area native, she wanted to empower her community to build healthy lifestyles. Shala launched YuBalance with her husband Rory in 2014. The gym offers personal training and small group classes using…
Lloyd Lacy Jr. has been cutting hair for about fifty years. His godfather bought the barber shop Lloyd now owns back in 1952. Growing up in the city, Lloyd would often stop by the shop in the Ocean View neighborhood to spend time with his godfather and friends. After graduating from barber college, Lloyd found…
When you walk into Sour Cherry Comics, you’ll likely get a warm welcome from the store’s furry greeter, Benny. The colorful displays of comic books, graphic novels, and toys draw your eye in every direction. Proudly lesbian-owned, the space feels inviting and inclusive. “I didn’t want it to feel like, ‘oh, here’s your little queer…
After Tana Harris completed her service with the National Guard, she wasn’t sure what was next for her in life. When a friend suggested that she look into construction work, she decided to give it a try and fell in love with the industry. In 1988, Tana joined the Local 3 union as an operating…
“Without that loan, I wouldn’t have been able to reach nearly as many university student veterans centers,”
Joel McGill finds himself having some unusual conversations in the airport security line these days. He usually opens with: “Hey, where do you guys get your rubber gloves from?” McWoods Distribution, the company he co-manages with his mentor and father figure, provides a range of everyday products for institutions. “We sell consumables from the mundane…
Courtney Smith’s passion for fusing together art, basketball, and fashion came through at an early age. He started his first sports apparel company when he was just 24 years old. But navigating contracts and licensing for the first time was extremely challenging, and he ended up selling the business. That experience left him feeling burned,…
Ade Dream is a labor of love for husband-and-wife team Pierre and Jenn Davis. They started the business in 2014, a year after their first child was born. Pierre’s sister made some baby accessories for the new parents using traditional African fabric from Pierre’s home country, The Gambia. Jenn constantly received compliments and requests for…
Nicole Middleton is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with her firm, Strategy Squad, which she co-manages with her father, a Certified Public Accountant. The firm focuses on financial planning and investment management, especially for women and people of color. As fiduciary advisors, Strategy Squad is committed to working on behalf of their clients’ best interests, even…
