As we close out 2011 and look forward to a bright new year, it’s a good time for a healthy dose of inspiration. And we’re serving it up grandly with stories of women who are contributing every day to the quality of our lives in Coronado.
We’ve rounded up a dynamic group of Coronado women who have made a name for themselves and their fields of endeavor. Some have blazed trails for themselves and others beginning in the 1960s and 1970s, a time when women were paid about 60 cents on the dollar for comparable work by men.
Today, women have markedly closed that gap, and are chipping away at the “glass ceiling.” This October, Virginia Rometty was named the first female CEO at “Big Blue” — IBM. Hillary Clinton is Secretary of State (as was Madeleine Albright). And Germany’s Angela Merkel, the first female chancellor in that country’s history, is taking center stage in addressing the European debt crisis.
Still, only 17 of our 100 U.S. Senators are women, even though women slightly outnumber men (about 50.5 percent to 49.5 percent) of the 312,560,000 people living in the United States. Side note: Sorry to tell you this guys, but by age 85, more than two-thirds of the U.S. population is made up of women. Maybe it’s because, when all is said and done, women are strong.
That’s what we found with these women: a strength of character that knows no bounds. Some of our honorees came to Coronado from the Midwest, with work ethics to prove it. Others turned their backs on the big city lights (and paychecks) of Los Angeles, Chicago or New York City for life in “Mayberry by the Sea.”
The ties that bind these women? All exhibit traits of resilience, all are optimists, and all are happy — maybe the word should be joyful – about their lives.
Without exception, what every one of these women, whom we honor in this issue, brings to their business is passion: passion for their work, passion for serving their clients well and passion for giving back to their community.
So, sit back and turn the pages, and be prepared to be inspired as we present the 2011 Coronado Women Who Mean Business honorees!
Vicki Inghram Realtor®, CRS® CNE® ABR® QSC®
Vicki Inghram draws inspiration from Coronado’s waters.
“This is what I sell,” Vicki says, taking in the channel views from her Coronado Cays patio. “I love where I live, so it’s very easy to sell what I love.”
Vicki has been successfully selling real estate since arriving in Coronado in 2000. She grew up in Silicon Valley in a very large loving family of six kids (including her twin and a foster brother), grandmother, dogs and cats all squeezed into a tiny house.
Her father was an engineer/inventor
and a winning football coach. “My dad was half Japanese, which makes me one quarter Japanese,” Vicki says proudly, then smiles, “My mother was a fun loving beautiful blue-eyed blonde, who would sing and dance and loved to perform! Both my parents were talented and a lot fun to be around. Everything I am, I owe to my parents…and to our Heavenly Father, of course.”
After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, Vicki flew as an international flight attendant for The Flying Tiger line for 15 years and was awarded Civilian Commendations for her service during Desert Storm. She also achieved the level of Sales Director for Mary Kay Cosmetics, winning national awards, including several cars. “I learned a lot from Mary Kay Ash,” says Vicki. “One of them being “God first, family second, career third, and this is the way I live.”
Vicki’s son, Brad Stark, stationed at Ft. Benning, Georgia is undergoing training for selection into the elite Army Green Berets. Vicki and her husband, Rick, a retired 31-year Marine colonel, have 35 nieces and nephews, “so we run an unofficial B&B here,” Vicki laughs. “In fact, our lovely niece, Melody, lives with us. She is a nurse at Rady’s Children’s Hospital and we love having her,” Vicki says proudly.
Describing herself as absolutely committed to making her clients’ future “bigger and brighter than their past,” Vicki ensures that outcome by skillfully crafting an individualized strategic plan of action for every person.
“I begin by asking seven provocative questions and I skillfully listen, because this is about their future life. I dig deep to find out what is the meaning of what is important to them… this process helps clarify their goals and dreams.”
Vicki utilizes her innate creative talents by being an Accredited Home Stager® “I love transforming my clients’ home into the shiny penny of the neighborhood, which is absolutely essential in this market.”
“When I make my clients’ future
bigger and brighter, so is mine. It is a win-win relationship,” says Vicki. “So many of my clients have turned into lifelong friends. And that is such a blessing!”
www.BestofCoronado.com | (619) 204-3400 | Prudential CA Realty| 101 Orange Avenue
Linda Marques, Owner Coronado Yoga & Wellness Center
Linda Marques, surveys the bright clean spacious studio of Coronado Yoga & Wellness Center, with its high ceilings, mirrored walls and bamboo flooring and sighs in contentment. “This is the nicest space, a retreat from our busy world,” she says. “We have been in Coronado 12 years now, in fact we were the first yoga studio to open in Coronado, and this midtown location has been wonderful for us.”
“In this complex world, people don’t have a quiet space… be with themselves and their thoughts,” she says. “Our studio provides that.”
After graduating from USC with a bachelor’s degree in biology and minor in physiology, Linda worked for 15 years in the fitness industry in Los Angeles, teaching and managing, and built a reputation. While seeking out a new home for her fitness clients, she met this “adorable, nice French guy,” and soon was renting space at Jean Pierre Marques’ Health & Fitness Center. Jean Pierre introduced her to yoga and martial arts.
Linda and Jean Pierre’s friendship blossomed into romance; five years later the couple married. In 1989 they were invited to the world-renowned Canyon Ranch in Tucson where, for the next 11 years, Linda served as Fitness Director, responsible for 60 instructors and 400 weekly classes. Jean Pierre was Director of the Spiritual Awareness Dept.
Today, Linda, is a Master Level Kitaido Yoga Instructor, Tai Chi Instructor and Second Degree Black in Karate. She teaches 15 to 20 classes a week along with private lessons. She manages the day to day business, which includes classes in yoga, tai chi, meditation, tai chi, Healthladder Body Sculpting, workshops, teacher training and yoga retreats.
“Our style of yoga can be as challenging or as mild as you want it to be,” Linda explains. “So we have classes for all levels.”
“Our students leave their worries outside the room when they come in. And we teach them to listen to your bodies. The secret to yoga, she says, is that yoga takes the whole person into consideration — mind, body and spirit — which leads to a healthy, more balanced life.
“In yoga, we also reconnect with our breath. We think more clearly, it brings us back to our natural feelings of joy. Our students sleep better and feel better. They are calmer and more peaceful.”
“To this day, after teaching to literally thousands of students over 30 years, the greatest reward I receive as a yoga teacher is to hear from our students that doing yoga has changed their lives and health for the better.”
Coronado Yoga & Wellness Center | 801 Orange Avenue (second floor)
(619) 437-6840 | www.coronadoyoga.com
Natasha Sandrock Arthur Owner, Coronado Island Fitness
Natasha Sandrock Arthur has her sights set on another marathon, this time at the top of the world, the North Pole, to be exact. “We’ll be running in an arctic basin, the whole race is on ice, at temperatures that are as low as minus 20 degrees. It’s brutal. They’ll have us run six mile loops; they warm you up in tents and check your vitals along the way.”
Arthur discovered marathon running in 2002, and found that the intense sport was what she needed to recover from the grief she experienced with the death of her first husband, Michael Sandrock. She has since run 26 marathons, and in 2010, completed her goal to run a marathon on each of the seven continents.
In 2010, Natasha married George Arthur, a retired Naval aviator, in Australia, after running a marathon on the seventh continent. The couple purchased Coronado Island Fitness in August 2010, and spruced up the space (located behind the Brigantine), adding lighting and a waterproof awning to the outdoor exercise area. Of course, Natasha organized a running club, and added new classes, including “QuikFit,” a 30-minute strength and conditioning four-times-a-week regimen that comes free with gym membership. There’s also a Men’s Fusion for guys in the 40-and-up age range, and “Fab Fems” for the ladies.
Natasha’s father was in the Air Force, and she lived in Europe for 20 years before moving to San Diego in 1998. With a certification in human resources management from Chapman University and a certified PHR and CCP, Natasha has worked in the HR field since 1990, and is currently the HR Director with CAVU Consulting, Inc., a defense contractor.
During the holidays, George and Natasha prepare and deliver Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to homeless individuals around Balboa Park. “I regularly encountered homeless people sleeping around the park when I lived in San Diego and ran there regularly,” says Natasha. “They were always very kind, they would even have my back, looking out for me. The homeless are human, and hungry and we’ve got to help.”
Natasha always carries “homeless bags” in her car, with shaving kits, socks, toothbrush and toothpaste, a T-shirt, Pro Bar, sunscreen, and list of resources. Now the Arthurs have also established a 501(C)(3) foundation, the OurGenesis Foundation, to raise money for people who are hungry all over the globe.
“I’m inspired by love,” says Natasha, who says she is grateful that she was able to find love again, “an amazing love really.”
“Everything you do for love will turn out well for all the right reasons. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Coronado Island Fitness | 1331 Orange Avenue (behind the Brigantine).
(619) 435-5500 | www.coronadoislandfitness.com
Mary Ann Berta Owner, La Mer
It was 1970 when Mary Ann Berta and her husband Jim arrived in Coronado with their Midwest family values and work ethic intact in their hip pockets. Jim was in SEAL training at the time and, in ’75 became a SEAL reservist, while working as an ironworker.
Mary Ann discovered the world of retail, beginning by working for one of San Diego’s most popular gift stores, The Gingerbread Cottage. Shortly thereafter, she and Val Willis established The Country Peddler, in La Mesa and brought the gift store concept to Coronado in 1982.
Soon the Hotel del Coronado invited the women to open a shop on their premises and they established a retail niche to appeal to the Del’s well traveled clientele: Ribbons & Roses featured lingerie, Victoriana gift items and selected casual clothing with a light, romantic feel.
With Val headed off to management with the Del, Mary Ann became the sole owner of Ribbons & Roses; eventually she changed the store name to “La Mer,” (the sea) and expanded her clothing and accessory lines.
But one store was not enough for Mary Ann. In 1998 she and partners Casey Aegerter and Jenny Freel established “In Good Taste,” a gourmet gift shop next to Lamb’s Players Theatre in The Spreckels Building.
In 2008, Mary Ann moved La Mer to Orange Avenue, just four doors down from In Good Taste, making it convenient to serve customers at either store. “I scoot back and forth a lot,” says Mary Ann, “And I’m always changing our window displays, which I love, and really believe pulls people in a store.”
Although she says “I never thought I would be in the food business,” ten years ago Mary Ann, Jenny and talented pastry chef Barbara Massey opened Tartine, one of Coronado’s most popular cafés. “I said, “Okay, girls, I’ll be out front but I’m not going back to cook.” Hence, you’ll often find MaryAnn greeting guests in the evening.
Ten years ago Mary Ann’s bustling life almost all came to an abrupt end when she was crossing a street in San Diego and was struck by a car. “I wasn’t expected to make it,” she recalls, her voice catching. “That was such a tough year, because I wanted to do so much and I couldn’t. I couldn’t fly, couldn’t drive, couldn’t have a glass of wine!” She laughs. “It was scary and tough on my family and friends who were so supportive.”
“You just never know, do you?” Mary Ann says. “I’m so thankful every day for what I have.”
La Mer | 1122 Orange Ave. | (619) 435-9270
Debi Boney Owner, Boney’s Bayside Market
Back in 2004, Debi Boney ran into her former landlords, Jim and the late Barbara Darnell, while shopping at Henry’s market in San Diego.
“They started kidding me about opening a market again in their space,” said Debi. “We joked about it, but then I started thinking, ‘maybe that’s not a bad idea …’”
Debi and her former husband, Steve Boney, had operated a natural foods store from 1979 through 1980 on the same site, but it was smaller, didn’t have a meat department and, says Debi, was not successful. “Coronado wasn’t really ready for the concept back then,” she believes.
Debi and Steve opened their first natural foods store in Lakeside in 1975, then a bigger store at College and University. “The Boney’s, including Steve’s father, Henry, had been in the grocery business for years,” Debi said. Today Boney family members own Sprouts and Windmill Farms stores, among others. Even Henry’s markets were originally owned by the Boney family.
Debi recruited her sons, Nick and Ryan, to partner with her in a new Boney’s market in Coronado, and commissioned a feasibility study that confirmed her
suspicions that Coronado was now hungry for a store that offered fresh, wholesome foods, including organic choices.
“I hired an architect, we laid out the store, and I started hiring really good people. First was my produce guy, Roy, and then grocery managers, Paul and Ryan. All three are still with us.”
“We started construction, and Paul and Nick sat down at my dining room table and decided what to put on the grocery shelves.”
Debi Boney, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Point Loma Nazarene and a teaching credential from the University of San Diego, has always had a strong work ethic, whether working with fourth and fifth grade gifted students at Village Elementary or with her staff of 60 at a thriving grocery business. You’ll spot her making sandwiches in Boney’s popular deli in the wee morning hours and ringing up customers in the late afternoon.
“I’m not really there all day,” she confides, laughing. “I sneak out for most of the midday. But that’s the beauty of living and working in Coronado. It’s a five-minute commute!”
Boney’s just acquired the parking lot across the alley from the market, adding 17 spaces to keep up with customer demand. After six years, the store is operating comfortably in the black.
“The store is working,” says Debi. “And when it’s working, it’s fun. It’s fun to see sales grow, to see customers who like the pricing and the value.”
Boney’s Bayside Market | 155 Orange Ave. | (619) 435-0776 | www.baysidemarket.com
Carolyn Crane CCRM, California Certified Residential Manager, Crestmont Property Management, Inc.
Carolyn Crane is the Broker / Owner of Crestmont Property Management in Coronado, providing property / asset management services for homeowners and renters throughout San Diego County.
Carolyn began working in commercial real estate in Newport Beach in the 1980s. “It was the perfect job for a mother with young children,” she remembers. “Commercial leasing is basically a Monday through Friday job, with most of the activity of the day over by mid-afternoon.”
Now, she definitely works weekends! “Prospective renters most often want to see properties on weekends, not during the week,” she says.
For homeowners, Carolyn works to find responsible tenants. Carolyn and her team are always accessible, to handle maintenance and emergency issues through the use of licensed and insured contractors.
Carolyn’s experience in property management began in 1986 when she moved to San Antonio, Texas. Texas real estate was in a horrible down cycle in the late ’80s and early ’90s and many Texans had to move away to find employment, Carolyn said. That left many of her real-estate clients unable to sell their properties, and needing to lease them instead. “They needed a full-service property
manager who they could trust,” Carolyn said. “They asked me to handle their properties for them, and I found I liked it.”
Carolyn moved to Coronado in 1992 and began working with a real-estate firm that handled property management. When Carolyn joined Prudential California Realty as a broker associate in 2008, she formed Crestmont Property Management to continue representing her clients. Her property management office on Isabella is just a half block away from Prudential’s Orange Avenue real estate office.
Carolyn is a member of the Women’s Council of Realtors (WCR), and the Coronado Chamber of Commerce. She is also certified as a Senior Real Estate Specialist (SRES) and Distressed Property Expert (CDPE).
She is an avid reader, particularly on the subjects of history and politics. She is looking forward to volunteering in the 2012 election.
Carolyn enjoys gardening (she’s a member of Bay & Bridge Garden Club) but today her “garden of grandchildren,” ages 4 to 13, is what’s really growing. They’re always eager to visit their grandma (and the beach) in sunny Coronado.
Crestmont Property Management, Inc. | 1003 Isabella Avenue, Suite C
CA DRE #01525201 | (619) 522-0377 or (619) 435-5211 | www.CrestmontRealty.com
Laura Crenshaw Co-Chair, Coronado Flower Show
Maybe it was destined that a girl named Laura Lee Rose would become involved in the world of floral design.
Laura Lee Rose, now Laura Crenshaw, is co-chair for the third year, along with her husband, Rob, of the Coronado Flower Show, the largest and oldest annual event in Coronado. She also is a Master Judge, the highest level of judge, for flower shows and has judged numerous shows throughout San Diego County and up the California coast.
Crenshaw is a fourth-generation Californian who moved to Coronado in 1943 when her father, Hubert Lee ”H.L.” Rose, was an aide for Adm. Charles Buchanan. As a youngster, Laura lived for a time on the North Island base; in 1958 the family built a home on the bay side of First Street.
The seeds for business, artistic pursuits and community involvement are part of Laura’s DNA. After his Navy service, H.L. practiced law in Coronado. He was president of Coronado Rotary, president of the Navy League, and Chairman of the Board at Coronado Hospital. Laura’s mother, Mary Edna, headed the Coronado Arts Ball and was active with the San Diego Watercolor Society.
After graduating from Coronado High School, Laura obtained a bachelor of science in microbiology from the University of Arizona, became a licensed medical technologist, married (and later divorced) and had two daughters. Her career included positions at Sharp Hospital, San Diego Blood Bank, hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area, Scripps Green Hospital and San Diego’s Children’s Hospital, where she managed the entire laboratory. She also supervised the toxicology department for a large drug-testing lab in San Diego.
Along the way, she earned a masters in business from the University of Redlands. And, believing that “women are entitled to more than one career in their lives,” Laura obtained a paralegal degree from University of San Diego and worked several years with the law firm of Callahan, Little & Sullivan.
Laura became involved with the Flower Show, particularly the design section, after joining Crown Garden Club in 1995, and subsequently served as the club’s president and worked in the Flower Show’s design sections. She and Rob, her former high school sweetheart, reconnected late in life and married in 2004.
“Floral design brings me such a joy,” says Laura. “It’s a peaceful, creative wonderful hobby.”
Flowers may be a hobby, but Laura has approached the Flower Show as a business, working year-round with a committee that organizes the show with a business savvy that makes everything, including gate receipts, come up roses.
Coronado Flower Show | P.O. Box 180188, Coronado, CA 92178
(619) 435-1631 | www.CoronadoFlowerShow.org
Cindy Reitmeyer and Alexis Capperelli Owners Coronado Bliss
“People come by just to get a whiff of our salon,” says Alexis Capperelli, co-owner with her mother Cindy Reitmeyer, of Coronado Bliss. “The sense of smell, our olfactory system, is so connected to our memories.”
Now Coronado Bliss is making new memories for this dynamic mother/daughter team and their clients.
“We care deeply about this community,” says Cindy, who with her husband, Bill, purchased a home in Coronado’s Village ten years ago and moved full time in 2006. “As residents, we wanted very much to be a part of Coronado — socially, civically and economically. That meant we needed a business. The question was, what type of business?”
When Alexis graduated from Point Loma Nazarene University in 2009, she realized her first love was cosmetology. “I was always the one who did my girlfriends’ makeup in high school,” she shares. “I think it was my sister’s influence.” Cindy’s older daughter, Stephanie, who lives in Maryland, is a hairstylist who trained at an Aveda Institute.
Cindy and Alexis began exploring Aveda and realized that its mission statement, “we care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society,” resonated with them. They decided to associate with Aveda at its highest level as a full Aveda lifestyle salon.
The salon features a full retail boutique, plus cosmetics, hair styling and body services in a serene environment with blue hues reflecting the surrounding sea. And, like Aveda, Coronado Bliss gives back to its community, donating to more than 15 local charities over its first year.
Now mother and daughter are discovering each other on a whole new level, as business partners. “Lexi has a mind like a steel trap,” says Cindy. “And she’s so good with all the technology.”
Alexis says she’s constantly learning customer service skills from her mother’s natural abilities. “They just don’t teach that stuff in school. Like how to talk with someone over the phone. Or deal with a difficult customer. When a situation arises, I’ll just pause and ask myself, ‘How would my mom handle this?’ And then I’m good to go.”
As the women look ahead to Coronado Bliss’s second year, they have new goals. For Alexis, it’s continued success, and she quotes a verse from Ecclesiastes, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.”
Cindy’s personal goal is to “continue to love unconditionally — my family, community and, yes, even people who aren’t so nice.” She quotes the popular Corinthians’ verse, “And the greatest of these is love.”
Coronado Bliss | 930 Orange Avenue | (619) 435-9294 | www.coronadobliss.com
Jill Hardman Owner, Art & Frames by Wood Gallery
Jill Hardman is the youngest of five daughters raised on a 1,200-acre farm near Columbus, Ohio, where “I could feed a baby lamb, bale hay and rope cattle,” she says proudly.
“My dad had a great theory,” Jill recalls. “He always said that if he could raise his girls with a work ethic, a sense of religion and a good education, there wasn’t anything they couldn’t do.”
She smiles. “I believe that to this day.”
Young Jill began painting and drawing nature scenes with encouragement from her maternal grandmother, who framed some of her art. “She validated me,” says Jill.
Jill majored in art at DePauw University and did graduate work at the Sorbonne in Paris. She arrived in Coronado 37 years ago, soon opening her gallery and framing business.
Art & Frames grew steadily in size and reputation. In 1985, Jill bought the gallery’s two-story building with backyard garden. “It’s over 100 years old and was once a house,” Jill shares. “I think it has special charm.”
Today, Jill has filled her gallery with works by artists from all parts of the world, some who have been with the gallery for over 25 years.
“I have been so blessed to find my passion and make a living at it, too,” Jill says. “Plus, I have absolutely the best staff I’ve had in the history of the gallery.”
Jill has been a pioneer in the art field, and was the only woman founder of the Professional Picture Framers Association (PPFA) of America, where she has received many first-place design awards. Today, PPFA has thousands of members who share ideas, technology and best methods of design and conservation.
Jill gets great satisfaction from restoring clients’ cherished paintings and photographs. The gallery has restored many museum pieces, as well as sentimentally valuable pieces over the last 36 years.
Philanthropy is important to Jill, and she has donated thousands of dollars in art and framing services to charities throughout Coronado, including the Chamber of Commerce, MainStreet and Coronado Hospital Foundation, as well as Paralyzed Veterans of America.
But the charity closest to her heart is the Coronado Schools Foundation, which she has supported since its formation. “Someday, the schools’ fine arts department, through the Foundation, will receive my Coronado home,” says Jill, who for years never mentioned her gift. “But the schools asked me if I would share it in hopes that other people might consider doing the same thing.”
Art & Frames by Wood Gallery |936 Orange Avenue, (619) 435-5212 | www.artcoronado.com
Ruth Ann Fisher Broker, Del Realty
When the Hotel del Coronado called Ruth Ann Fisher in 2008 with the invitation to establish her own real estate company on their property, it was a dream come true, she says.
The Hotel del Coronado needed to have a real-estate broker on-site to handle sales for its new Beach Village, which Ruth Ann’s company, Del Realty, oversees from its two offices at the “Shops at the Del” promenade and at the historic Oxford Building.
But Del Realty also remains an independent real estate company, handling home sales throughout Coronado and beyond.
“It’s an incredible benefit for all my clients to give their properties exposure to more than 400,000 high-end guests who stay at the Del each year,” Ruth Ann says.
Ruth Ann also was recently named Chairman of the Coronado Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, where she assists in formulating and promoting the chamber’s benefits to the city of Coronado and community at large.
Ruth Ann’s community service has also included active involvement with Coronado schools, where she served as president of Village Elementary School’s PATT, on the Coronado Middle School site council and was twice the Silent Auction chair for the annual Coronado Schools Foundation telethon.
Her real-estate career builds upon her years of experience in banking, particularly mortgage and audit appraisals including REO properties and foreclosure activities in Pensacola and Jacksonville, Florida, two cities where her Navy husband, Mike Fisher, now a retired lieutenant commander, was then stationed.
Eventually Mike was transferred to Coronado, and with their two children in school, Ruth Ann entered the real-estate profession in 1999, working with two of the city’s largest real-estate companies.
Ruth Ann surveys the lunch crowd at the Del’s Sheerwater restaurant, and the many hotel guests enjoying the sun on the beach beyond. “These people are on vacation, and they’re happy,” she says. “It’s like Disneyland, except that Coronado is a real place. It’s such an honor to be here.”
At the end of the day, what Ruth Ann enjoys most about the real-estate profession is the interaction she has with her clients. “I have an opportunity to touch people’s lives and have them touch mine,” she says. “And that’s what I take away.”
Del Realty | 1500 Orange Avenue | (619) 437-1888 | www.delrealty.com
Sheryll Jackman ASID, CID, Owner, Seaside Home / President and Director of Design, The Jackman Group
Sheryll Jackman has just returned from yet another trip to High Point, North Carolina, the furnishings capital of the nation, and she is excited to incorporate the new trends and products at Seaside Home, her furnishings specialty store in La Jolla.
Housed in the former Sak’s Fifth Avenue’s flagship store for San Diego County, the new Seaside Home location displays world-renowned furnishings and accessories in lifestyle vignettes that both delight and educate a countywide clientele. Earlier this year, Sheryll consolidated all three Seaside Home stores into the new center, doubling the total square footage.
Now her store is one of three finalists for Furniture Store of the Year, in a competition sponsored by the Accessories Resource Team and Dallas Market Center. Like the Academy Awards, Sheryll notes, it’s an honor to be nominated (but she’s crossing her fingers for the top award.)
Seaside Home is just one outlet for Sheryll’s many talents. In 1976, she and husband Harry Jackman founded The Jackman Group, a Coronado-based multi-disciplinary firm that has designed and built many of Coronado’s most distinctive homes, along with numerous commercial remodels, including the Spreckels Building and La Avenida inn, restaurants and a retail center. Both the Spreckels and the La Avenida projects received the city of Coronado’s highest award for design, the Golden Hibiscus.
A graduate of the Design Institute of San Diego and the College of Appraisers in Placentia, Calif., Sheryll holds a general contractor’s license and real estate brokers license.
She is a past president of the American Society of Interior Designers, San Diego Chapter, and served three years on the association’s National Ethics Committee. She was a founding board member of Coronado MainStreet, and was appointed by the Coronado City Council as one of 12 members of the Business Areas Advisory Committee, a group directed to conceive and promote a master plan for the business areas of Coronado.
Sheryll is the proud mother of four grown children, Brent, Josh, Caylee Pinsonneault and Jori Jackman Fentiman, all of whom have worked with the firm at different points in their lives.
Seaside Home, 1055 Wall Street, La Jolla | (858) 454-0866 | www.seaside-home.com
The Jackman Group, 1001 B Ave. Coronado, (619) 435-7025 | www.thejackmangroup.com
Margaret K. Herring Attorney at Law, Herring & Herring APC
Margaret began working with her father, David Herring, at his law firm in Downtown San Diego in 1989, beginning as a “temporary” receptionist. She never left, and next February marks 23 years of working with her father.
In late 1989, Margaret became the firm’s paralegal, after graduating from paralegal school at the University of San Diego. In 1993, seeking a greater challenge, Margaret enrolled at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She graduated in May 1996, and passed the California Bar exam that summer. Previously an employee, she became partners with her father in 2003, and they moved their practice to Coronado in 2006.
“When I started paralegal school, I had a six-month-old. When I started law school, that baby was 4 ½ years old and again I had a 6-month-old,” she relates. “I have always worked full time and gone to school in the evenings, all with small children at home.” While in law school, she was also a single parent. “I get frustrated when I hear a young woman say that she cannot accomplish things due to this obstacle or that,” Margaret states. Her belief is that anyone can accomplish anything that they set their mind to. “It is up to the individual to make their own path and destiny, and not allow anyone or anything to be their road block to success,” she says.
Margaret’s practice emphasizes estate planning, probate and trust administration, and litigation in those areas, if needed, as well as conservatorship work. While she still has time to assist her father in his real estate and business law practice, she especially enjoys doing conservatorship work as a court-appointed attorney for disabled adults, and often brings her rescue dog, Hazel, along on family visits. “Hazel has an uncanny knack of picking the disabled person out of a crowd and will sit with them the entire visit.”
Another way Margaret gives back to the community is by escorting Pearl Harbor survivors in parades in her Indy 500 Pace Car — a 1969 Chevy Camaro convertible.
Recently she’s discovered running and has completed two San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathons. For her next birthday she has picked out a “destination” marathon in Venice, Italy. “At one point, you run on a pontoon they set up over the Grand Canal. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
Margaret resides in Coronado with her husband, a retired U.S. Navy commander. And those children from her night school days? They are now 19 and 23 and attending college themselves.”
Herring & Herring | 1001 B Avenue, Suite 215 | (619) 437-9175 | www.herringlaw.net
The Koop Group Kathy Koop, Karrie Koop-Gilby, Allison Koop Rice, Realtors
The Koop Group — Kathy Koop and daughters Karrie Koop-Gilby and Allison Koop Rice — is one of the most dynamic real estate teams working on Coronado today.
Kathy Koop, who has been selling real estate in Coronado for three decades, has been consistently listed in the top 1% of all Prudential agents in the nation.
Kathy and her husband of 42 years, Bob, were living in Solana Beach when they first heard about the new Coronado Cays; they moved to Blue Anchor Cay in 1978. At the time, Kathy was a teacher in the Chula Vista School District, but after 11 years, resigned the profession to enter real estate in Coronado.
“Through our experience of living in this wonderful beachfront community with all it has to offer, we believe it is a pleasure and a privilege to sell the American Dream. We are fortunate to work with so many outstanding individuals who move to Coronado. It is fun to help expand this special community.”
With a degree from the University of Colorado Boulder’s Journalism School, Karrie joined her mom in 2002, handling marketing and real estate sales. Allison graduated from the University of Southern California’s Cinema School and jumped on board in 2008.
“It’s absolutely fantastic working with my daughters,” says a beaming Kathy. “I never would have dreamed this.”
Both Karrie and Allison credit their mother with modeling a work ethic that they emulate. Allison notes that her mother comes into the office every day, talking with other agents and finding ways she can support the entire company. Karrie adds, “She’s really patient, caring and takes everyone under her wing.”
And while Kathy is awed by her daughters’ technology skills, Karrie points out that “Kathy was the first agent on the island to have a fax machine. And she and Anthony Furlano were the first agents to have cell phones in their cars.”
Giving back to their community is important to all three women. While donating to many island charities, The Koop Group strongly supports the Coronado Schools Foundation and the annual Christ Church Day School dinner auction. Kathy is a founding board member of Coronado First Bank and was Vice President of the Coronado Association of Realtors.
Born and raised in Coronado, Karrie and Allison use their understanding of the local community to match clients with their specific needs, and like their mother, have a penchant for excellent customer service.
The most important component to their success, says Allison, is that they love what they do and have fun doing it. “We laugh every day,” she says. “That’s so important!”
The Koop Group | Prudential California Realty | 101 Orange Avenue
(619) 435-8722 | www.kathykoop.com
Leslie Crawford Owner, WelcomeToCoronado.com
An insatiable curiosity and passion to share information is what led Leslie to found two web sites, write a book (Coronado, published last year by Arcadia Publishing), and become a Master Gardener.
In 2005, Leslie formed WelcomeToCoronado.com as a visual, useful, easy-to-navigate online resource, which also gave her the opportunity to learn the process of website creation and provide an outlet for her photography. 
WelcomeToCoronado.com now has more than 40,000 unique visitors a month seeking information about hotels, real estate, restaurants, beaches, weddings the U.S. Navy and other aspects of life in Coronado.
In 2008, when her tomato plant produced more than 3,000 tomatoes, it marked the impetus for Leslie’s second website, 3000Tomatoes.com, that covers all things gardening. “I have a devoted following,” she says of the site that Sunset magazine lists as a “favorite gardening blog.”
However, Leslie will probably go down in Coronado history, at least for the year 2011, as the Chicken Lady. Yes, it was Leslie who decided to bring two hens home to lay eggs in a well-kept front-yard pen. Alas, she was reported and made an impassioned and pun-loaded plea to the Coronado City Council on behalf of responsible chicken owners.
“I am aware that I have run a-fowl of the law,” she began. While the verdict to modify the city code to allow chickens waits in the wings, Leslie’s chickens are being tended at a “local safe house.”
“I’ve tried to keep it fun,” Leslie says of her council presentation. “After all, they’re just silly chickens, but I do miss my fresh eggs!”
An advocate for the developmentally disabled, Leslie was instrumental in establishing the first adult day program on Coronado through Employment and Community Options, where several disabled adults now work in clerical and delivery services for community businesses while developing life skills.
Leslie is a member of Crown and Bridge & Bay garden clubs, chaired the Coronado Flower Show for two years, served as president of Coronado Floral Association for three years, and is a member and past president of the Optimist Club of Coronado.
A 45-year resident, Leslie is married to Don Crawford, a Navy SEAL, now retired; the couple have two grown sons. The key to handling all the facets of her life, Leslie says, is to “have fun and have a schedule.” Gardening, walks on the beach, family and friends fill out her days. “I love Coronado, and from that, everything else just evolves,” she says.
Leslie Crawford | (619) 435-0334 | www.welcometocoronado.com
Valerie Willis Director of Retail Operations, The Shops at the Del, Hotel del Coronado
Val Willis has been Director of Retail Operations at Hotel del Coronado for the past 22 years and says “without a doubt joining the hotel was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Val’s job is to conceptualize the “Shops at the Del” and the hotel’s lobby shops and merchandise them with products that will appeal to the Del’s well-traveled and sophisticated guests.
“We want to create an experience that has magic in it,” she says of the Del shopping experience.
By far the most fun is developing new stores, Val says. And that’s where Val’s extensive experience intersects with her ingenuity.
For each store, the process begins with “brainstorming,” with the aid of an entire wall of “visualization panels.” She and her team cut out items from magazines, catalogs (her office files are loaded with them) and other sources, and arrange them into categories on the panels that are the genesis of themed sections.
Her latest project: The Blue Octopus Play Store that will replace the old toy store. “We like to create something that has a sense of place, so for us, that means the water. We came up with this fun little sea creature, the Blue Octopus.”
She remembers 2007 and groans: “We opened seven new stores that year!” One of her favorites was Spreckels Sweets & Treats, which “was a home run.”
“I wanted a black lab, something that kids could associate with. You know, ‘Hey mom, I want to go see that dog in the candy store.’”
Val also taught for six years including middle school, high school and adult school. While raising two young daughters, Val started sewing and making homemade crafts and holding Christmas fairs at her home. Soon she opened her first store, Calico Company, in Mission Hills, featuring handmade goods from about 25 local women and “opening up friendships that have stayed with me to this day.”
One of those good friends is Mary Ann Berta, Val’s former partner at Ribbons & Roses, a retail shop at the hotel, and before that, The Country Peddler gift shops in Coronado and La Mesa.
Val holds a bachelor of science in business from San Diego State College. “I had all kinds of aspirations to conquer the business world when I graduated,” says Val. “That was 1968 when opportunities for women in business were limited.”
Times have certainly changed but Val’s creativity and business savvy have always been limitless.
The Shops at the Del | 1500 Orange Ave. | (619) 435-6161
Amanda McPhail Creative Affairs, Inc.
Amanda McPhail is one of those people “who makes things happen.” She’s been doing that as long as she can remember. Details and organization have always been traits that come to her naturally.
Amanda is only 34 years old, but she’s racked up a solid two decades of experience that come to bear on her highly successful firm, Creative Affairs, Inc.
At age 14, Amanda obtained a work permit that allowed her to hostess at Peohe’s restaurant, and she stayed there until she went to college. And, remember the days of paperboys and papergirls? In the seventh grade Amanda had the largest route in Coronado for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Throughout her college years, Amanda worked at Chameleon Café, Bistro d’Asia, handled bookkeeping at the Coronado Golf Course, assisted wedding planner Helen Walker, worked for Southern Hospitality Catering and worked a stint in the catering conference management department at one of Coronado’s resort hotels. On June 26, 2004, she received her bachelor’s degree in organizational development and behavior and started her own company the same day.
A member of Coronado High School’s class of 1996, Amanda is married to Chris Russell, class of ’94.
In 2007, Creative Affairs expanded when it signed an exclusive contract to market, sell, manage and coordinate all events that take place in “The Ultimate Skybox” at DiamondView Tower. Amanda’s firm operates the 2,500 square-foot rooftop terrace venue with killer views of the San Diego skyline. She’s arranged functions there for the Coronado Chamber of Commerce where she currently serves on the executive board of directors.
Amanda strongly believes in giving back to others. Over the years, she has committed herself to donating her services to various nonprofits. By organizing charitable events, she has helped raise thousands of dollars, which justifies to her that she is in the right place and career.
Incorporated this year as Creative Affairs, Inc., Amanda’s firm handles all types of events — weddings, corporate events, grand openings, product launches, fundraisers, you name it, the firm will make it happen… beautifully.
Creative Affairs, Inc., has grown to a team of “nine amazing women,” as Amanda calls them. “If it weren’t for each and every one of them investing themselves and taking pride in what they do, we would not be who we are and what we are about,” she attests.
Amanda credits the “love and support from so many in Coronado” for helping her become the person she is today and for showing her what a true family is. “I am so grateful,” she says.
Creative Affairs, Inc | (619) 993-0710 | www.CreativeAffairsInc.com
Caroline Murray ASID, Caroline Murray & Associates
Her clients call it “the Caroline factor.”
That’s their way of saying that when Caroline Murray is handling their interior design work, they’re always going to get a look that is new and surprising and somehow exactly right. “I never do the same thing twice,” Caroline says. “My clients are basically paying for my 40 years of expertise.”
Caroline attended art school at San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where she learned lithography, painting, silverwork and weaving. She received a bachelors in fine arts at San Diego State University, then apprenticed with a Coronado interior designer, Wessie Davis, a graduate of the New York School of Interior Design.
“That’s really where I learned it all, with Wessie,” says Caroline. “She exposed me to antique auctions in Los Angeles. We would buy there and provide amazing things to our clients. I learned about wonderful Fortuny fabrics; Mariano Fortuny was a designer at the turn of the century, the 1900s, that is. His designs were printed on long-staple Egyptian cotton. He also invented the pleated silk dress that Mary McFadden does today.
Murray is also a fan of Fortuny light fixtures and has installed them in several clients’ homes.
Today, it’s travel that gives her continuing inspiration in her design work. She spends about five weeks a year in Hong Kong and knows the city and its districts like the back of her hand. She spent two years visiting Shanghai, where she had custom furniture manufactured for one client.
She also loves Venice, Italy, and has discovered a new favorite place: Angkor, Cambodia, where she made a recent trip to study the art and architecture of the region’s huge temple complex.
Caroline has two “don’ts” in her vernacular: “I don’t design for obsolescence, and I don’t follow color trends.” Instead, she introduces her clients to things that are unique, that they would never have thought of. “I want them to have it forever and love it forever.”
Caroline has been a member of Coronado MainStreet’s board of directors for 15 years, arriving at 6 a.m. each year to set up tables and linens for the annual MotorCars event and assisting at the annual garden party. She’s also a member of Coronado Historical Association where she serves on the culinary committee, assisting on all grand opening events for shows and the annual Spreckels Society events.
Oh, and Caroline’s mentor, Wessie? Caroline is happy to report that she’s still living. “She’s 94 and lives in Florida.”
Caroline Murray & Associates | 770 Coronado Avenue | (619) 435-6780
Wendy Sanger McGuire Owner, Ganosh Gourmet
There have been a lot of “firsts” for Wendy McGuire, the owner/operator of Coronado’s first home-delivery service of fresh, local, cooked-from-scratch meals, Ganosh Gourmet.
Wendy’s road to culinary excellence evolved after a series of other “firsts.”
The daughter of Drs. George and Blossom Sanger, Wendy graduated from Coronado High School at age 16, and Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash. at 20, then considered two jobs: flight attendant for Northwest Orient Airlines or department manager for high-end department store Bon Marche. She chose the latter and then kicked herself for passing up the opportunity to travel. “I felt there was something more important in life than nail polish and lingerie,” she reflects. So she enlisted in the Army. “It was partly to give back to my country, partly to learn management skills and, well, a little for the shock value,” she admits.
But her family wasn’t so much shocked as proud. “When I told my grandmother I’d be parachuting at airborne school, she was silent for a moment, then said, “I am so jealous!”
Wendy chose the Army because it was the first U.S. military service to allow women into non-traditional fields, such as artillery. Wendy was among the first four women commissioned in air defense artillery and the first female honors graduate from Army Officer Candidate School at Ft. Benning, Georgia.
She was in the Army and Army Reserves for 31 years, retiring as a colonel at age 53. She also had a parallel civilian career, working in the financial services arenas, earning two masters, one from Boston University in business administration and the other from Army War College in strategic studies, and serving as the first planned giving officer for the Bishop’s School in La Jolla.
In 2008, she went on her second combat deployment, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom
“So I’m sitting over in Kuwait where our food was cooked in the U.S., frozen and sent over. I found a Crockpot, and my mom and daughters started sending over ethnic spices and I would make all these Crockpot
creations; soldiers starting hovering around. It was a high point of the day for them.
“And I realized how food made this huge difference in people’s lives. When we talk about comfort food, it’s really true! Food surrounds all the momentous occasions in our lives, a baby being born, a wedding, a memorial service…”
Wendy retired as a colonel in 2009 and knew what her next venture would be: she would make nutritious and delicious meals, and share them with her Coronado community.
Welcome to Ganosh Gourmet, where McGuire is busy “Turning Hunger into Happiness.”
Ganosh Gourmet | (619) 823-4701 | www.ganoshgourmet.com
Carrie O’Brien Real Estate Broker, Flagship Properties
Carrie O’Brien can tell you a thing or two about homebuilding. And football.
She and husband John O’Brien own Flagship Properties, a premier Coronado homebuilder whose signature look has come to epitomize what consumers want in a Coronado home: Great rooms with kitchens that flow into entertainment areas, outdoor space and porches to enjoy Coronado’s great year-round weather, and lots of light. There’s also a distinct nautical flair about most Flagship homes, many of which bear a handsome brass nameplate.
Carrie’s father, Bill McColl, was a former NFL player, who played eight years for the Chicago Bears while he attended the University of Chicago Medical School, later serving as a medical missionary to Korea. One of Carrie’s brothers played seven years for the San Francisco 49ers while he went to Stanford Medical School and her oldest brother played a year for the Washington Redskins. Both brothers played for Stanford and “We probably went to football games every weekend,” Carrie recalls.
Carrie, too, is a Stanford alum. She also holds an MBA from UCLA and a Masters in psychology from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena.
The O’Brien’s children are graduates of Coronado High School, where they played lacrosse. “John’s East Coast influence,” Carrie explains. Carrie’s son is a student at Stanford while her daughter attends Wheaton College.
Carrie’s background includes corporate and merchant lending with Security Pacific Bank and 10 years of running an events company in which she organized numerous high-ticket events and fundraisers “including lots of dinner auctions,” she recalls.
She is a past president of the board of UCSD Cancer Center and has served on the boards of Starlight Theatre, Patrons of the Prado, which raises funds for Balboa Park and the Coronado Real Estate Association. She now serves on Coronado Historical Association’s board.
Carrie handles all sales and marketing activities of Flagship Properties and its construction arm, Flagg, Inc., and works with buyers and sellers of residential real estate in Coronado and surrounding areas including Point Loma and La Jolla.
Her inspiration in life comes from “my family, my faith and being involved in the community,” Carrie says. She looks back and laughs as she remembers how it came to pass that she became part of the Coronado community.
“When John asked me to marry him, he also asked if I’d be willing to live in Coronado,” she recalls. “It was sort of all in the same breath.”
Flagship Properties | 1014 Ninth Street |(619) 847-FLAG (3524) | www.coronadoresorthomes.com
Melanie Parks Owner, Wag’N Tails
Wag’N Tails is Coronado’s go-to place for what store owner Melanie Parks calls “our four-legged customers and their keepers.”
They are often greeted by Moses, a Great Dane-Weimaraner mix rescue dog, or Cookie Monster, a poodle-schnauzer who Melanie rescued through PAWS of Coronado. 
Melanie first walked through the doors at Wag’N Tails as a customer, accompanied by Mahalo, her 185-pound Great Dane. “He loved going to Dog Beach in Coronado,” she remembers fondly of the dog she rescued while living in Oregon. “I needed a washtub he could fit in.”
“I fell in love with the store and casually mentioned to owners Scott and Heather Grimes that if they ever wanted to sell, I’d be interested,” she recalls. Timing is so important in life, Melanie muses. “It wasn’t long before they said ‘Yes, let’s do it.’”
Melanie, who admits she had “absolutely no retail experience,” had a vision on how she would build on what Scott and Heather had created. She would bring in the best quality pet products that went “beyond boutique” and sell them at a fair price. She would educate people on health and wellness for their pets, and introduce the best nutrition products available.
As a former space planner with 29 years experience, Melanie knew how to design the space to make it inviting and attractive. “And my corporate experience taught me the importance of customer service,” she notes.
Each and every customer is greeted promptly and always thanked for coming by Wag’N Tails staff of six. “We want them to be happy when they leave,” Melanie says. “It’s all about building relationships.”
The customers are the best part of the business, Melanie has found. “We share their joy when a new friend comes into their lives, and we’ve grieved over the loss of their pets.”
Wag’N Tails supports many rescue groups, including PAWS of Coronado, the Baja Animal Sanctuary and PAWS of San Diego North County, which has a novel program, Melanie says. “It’s kind of a Meals on Wheels for pets whose owners are facing financial or medical difficulties.”
“I feel so fortunate,” Melanie says of her eight years with Wag’N Tails. “The pet industry is a $50 billion industry, one of the fastest growing, even in this economy.
“More and more couples are not having children so pets are becoming their children,” she says. “And more and more empty nesters are turning to a warm, furry living buddy to fill that empty space.”
Wag’N Tails | 945 Orange Avenue | (619) 435-3513 | www.wagntailscoronado.com
Suzanne Popp, DDS Advanced Cosmetic and General Dentistry
Back in 1989 on a relatively “warm” Wisconsin day, with the thermometer topping 36 degrees, Suzanne Popp, DDS, a graduate of Marquette University’s esteemed dental school, decided it was time to pack up and follow the sun to California.
She discovered Coronado, where she bought Dr. Drazek’s practice just behind Union Bank. “I can’t believe it’s been 21 years,” says Suzanne.
It’s been a jam-packed two decades for Dr. Popp, who prides herself on offering cutting-edge technology and is always looking for new efficiencies that will provide her clients with the best outcomes in cosmetic and general dentistry. Recently she returned to performing implant dentistry including the surgical aspect of it.
Suzanne, who joined Rotary Club of Coronado shortly after her arrival, served as the first female president of the club in 1999. Through Rotary, she organized two international grants for computers to schools in Uganda and Swaziland, and personally visited those schools to supervise their installation. “In Swaziland, those 31 computers meant that those children, many who had lost parents to AIDS, would have a leg up on getting a job when they graduated,” she said. She has also worked with Rotarian’s to aid in projects in MissionVale in South Africa.
Suzanne has also hosted participants in two Group Study Exchanges, organized Oktoberfests, and served as Rotary liaison for both Coronado middle-school and high-school students.
Suzanne’s daughter, Natalie Bailey, is following in her mom’s footsteps at Marquette where she’s enrolled in the pre-dental scholars program.
Son George Bailey is a senior at Coronado High School and is looking into engineering schools and plays varsity lacrosse.
Suzanne enjoys traveling the world, comparing and contrasting religions, cultures, food and people. She’s been to India, the United Arab Emirates, Burma, Bali, Japan, South America, Belize, Costa Rica, Egypt, Morocco, all through Europe, Jordan, the Maldives and just returned from Thailand.
But for all her travels, she says there isn’t another paradise that compares to home. “We just have it all here,” she says. “It’s so wonderful coming over the bridge and seeing Coronado.”
Advanced Cosmetic & General Dentistry | 1010 Eighth Street
(619) 435-4444 | www.DrPopp.com
Katherine Farley & Kristy Pierre Owners Root 75 Flowers and Home
They’ve been best friends since fourth grade at Coronado’s old Central Elementary School.
Now that friendship has blossomed into a full-time business for Katherine Lohlein Farley and Kristy Pierre: Root 75 Flowers and Home is a breath of fresh air on Orange Avenue (aka Highway 75; get it?). Root 75 provides beautiful arrangements for weddings and other special events, as well as distinctive floral arrangements.
Throughout high school, Katherine and Kristy were active in student government and served as class officers. And almost as a precursor for their special-event work today, the duo planned proms, homecoming celebrations, Fourth of July fundraisers and one memorable class project: making smoothies at the IB Sandcastle Days. “That was the worst,” Katherine groans.
Kristy earned a bachelors in finance from San Diego State University and married her high school sweetheart, Andre Pierre. She worked for the Coronado Brigantine for ten years and, after graduation from SDSU, for Union Bank in San Diego and La Jolla. When Noah, 5, and Lucy, 2, arrived, Kristy returned full-time to the homefront.
Meanwhile, Katherine earned a degree in humanities and art history from the University of Colorado in Boulder. After repeated visits to The New Leaf floral shop in Chicago, Katherine gladly traded in her advertising desk job for a pair of floral scissors. In Chicago, she met and married Brendan Farley and the couple soon moved to New York City, where Katherine was head designer and shop manager for Renny & Reed, one of the city’s most respected floral and event-planning companies. After three years in the Big Apple, the Farleys decided Coronado was where they wanted to settle and raise a family; they now have 2-year-old Wren.
In short order, Katherine and Kristy were working together again, providing florals for weddings and special events. As their reputation spread, so did their need to expand their home-based business into a retail space. No problem: two supportive husbands made it happen: Andre, the second-generation owner of Island Carpets, and Brendan, now shop foreman at Lamb’s Players Theater, remodeled the carpet store into one bay, providing Root 75 its own bay. “We have a nice synergy going between the two businesses,” says Kristy.
“Kristy and I are really well balanced,” said Katherine. “She’s so good with the business end, but she’s really great with flowers, too.”
Kristy returns the compliment: “Katherine has taught me so much about design. I couldn’t have had a better teacher.”
Root 75 | 845 Orange Avenue | (619) 435-6060 | www.root75.com
Jamie Signorino DDS, MSD Coronado Orthodontics
From a very young age, Jamie Signorino knew she wanted to go into dentistry.
Jamie was in eighth grade when she began her “training” in the dental field. Guided by a wonderful dentist, as well as her cousin who was a dental assistant, Jamie worked weekends and summers as a dental assistant through her high school and college years.
She did her undergraduate work at UCLA and credits Dr. Patrick Turley, the former head of UCLA’s orthodontics department, as her inspiration for entering the field. After seeing some of his phenomenal work with trauma patients, she knew that orthodontics had the ability to change people’s lives, and in some cases, to give them back their lives.
“Orthodontics is different than dentistry because you actually get to change the way someone looks,” Dr. Signorino says. “You can actually move the bones, change the shape of the lips. It’s amazing what can be done.”
Dr. Signorino received her DDS and MSD from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1995 and 1997 respectively. Upon graduation, she moved to La Jolla where she purchased an existing practice. Two years later, she served as president of the San Diego Academy of Orthodontists, an organization of more than 100 members who meet for lectures on continuing education units.
She loves the effect orthodontics has on changing a person’s self-confidence. “It’s fantastic to see the change in someone who doesn’t smile and hates their teeth blossom into someone who is always smiling,” she says. She loves removing her patients’ braces to reveal the final results.
With half of her patient base hailing from Coronado, Dr. Signorino established a Coronado office in 2010. She spends two or more days a week in each office.
Dr. Signorino’s husband works for NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in Silicon Valley. “I’m going to be speaking to a class of kindergartners about dental care shortly. But as soon as those kids hear that my husband works for NASA, they’ll only want to hear about all the space stuff. Happens every time!” she says good-naturedly.
Dr. Signorino knows all about kids: she’s the mother of five between the ages of 3 and 15. She says her family has a short-term goal of moving to Coronado. “We love the community, the people and the schools. We already spend so much time here, at the beach, the skate park, and my daughter likes to kayak in the bay.”
And she has one final thought when she surveys her brood of growing kidlets: “I’m really glad I’m an orthodontist!”
Coronado Orthodontics | 1001 B Avenue, Suite 112 |
(619) 522-6345 | www.CoronadoOrthodontics.com
