Join us to Break Bread | Break Barriers | Break the Silence
Conversation
An ancient Chinese proverb says: “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls and others build windmills.“
As Coronavirus spreads throughout the world, the winds of change are blowing through every aspect of our lives. From our health and safety to our relationships, careers and economic stability, individuals and communities feel insecure. In the face of all of this uncertainty, amazing people are stepping up and getting creative to harness the wind’s power for good.
Join the Shalon community to connect with passionate people who are using their business savvy, entrepreneurial spirit and networks to assess, pivot and make the best out of a challenging situation. They’ll share what drove them to make a change, how they were able to do it and what they expect as we continue to feel the impact of the pandemic on our economy and on our mental and physical well-being.
Come to ask questions, share ideas and to be inspired.
Can't wait to see you there
Recommended Reading & Actions:
Managing (and pivoting) during a crisis | A collection of articles from Insider Pro
Lead Your Business Through the Coronavirus Crisis | Harvard Business Review
19 businesses pivoting in response to COVID-19 | Maddyness (UK)
How Businesses are Pivoting During a Crisis: New Services and Insight | Pursuit Lending
We can all help in our own way:
Stay active in your community during this time by donating your time, your skills or your dollars - here are a just a few organizations with real need:
Schools and Children: Save the Children, Room to Read, and DonorsChoose, No Kid Hungry (feed kids who rely on school lunches)
Vulnerable populations: GiveDirectly, American Jewish World Service, and National Domestic Workers Alliance Coronavirus Care Fund, GoFundMe Coronavirus Relief Fund
High risk communities: Meals on Wheels and World Institute of Disability
Regional Funds:
SF Foundation (Bay Area Region)
All Home (Bay Area Region)
Cal Fund (LA County)
Robinhood relief effort (New York City)
Taking our wine online!
Let’s kick off the evening with a shared toast, led by certified sommelier Nicole Ruiz Hudson.
Shalon is excited to partner with Wine Meats Cheese to bring fabulous wine and spirits directly to your doorstep for our upcoming event. Maybe you're running low on wine or maybe you're eager to try something new. We've got you covered! To compliment Nicole’s talk, we've found a couple Malbecs for you to check out:
Chateau Lagrezette Cru d'Exception Malbec 2015
Discount: $10 | Code: NIBBILINGGYPSY
Michel Torino CUMA Malbec 2018 or any wine you choose!
Discount: Free delivery in SF | Code: SHALON
As Nicole talks through her own professional transformation (and what access to online tasting courses can mean to you,) she’ll educate us on one of the wine world’s most under appreciated pivots - the Malbec Pivot! The reputation and market for this popular variety has changed dramatically over time and we’re going to find out why and how.
Order, pick up or grab a bottle of Malbec before Shalon so that we can open and enjoy sipping and learning together .
Nicole Ruiz Hudson has earned her WSET Diploma and is a Certified Sommelier. She spent 3 years in the tasting department at Wine Spectator in New York and writes for their 8 & $20 recipe pairings series. You can follow her and book virtual tastings, pairing sessions and more on her blogs – NibblingGypsy.com and Sommstable.com .
Our generous experts
Elyse Kaye - Co-Founder SF Pro-Tex; CEO Bloom Bras
Elyse (Lysee) Kaye is the Founder and CEO of Bloom Bras – a line of patented activewear designed to lift vs squish for curvy women. When the pandemic hit, she pivoted and co-founded SF Pro-Tex mobilizing US- Based factories manufacturing PPE for government entities and corporations. Elyse has spent her career leading innovation and marketing teams launching dozens of brands and hundreds of product lines. Recent successes include the turnaround of the Four Paws® Brand for Central Garden & Pet, the launch from ground up of the House of Marley Brand from HoMedics and the expansion of licensed brands for Black & Decker through her product development consultancy, AHA Product Solutions. Elyse holds several dozen patents. Elyse was a contributing author in The Product Manager’s Handbook and gives talks around the globe regarding building a brand, bringing innovation to life and female mentorship. In her freetime, she is a certified fitness teacher and enthusiast.
Sari Blum - The Wandering Portrait Bus
Sari has been a photographer in the Bay Area since arriving in 2012, but has captured life on film since she was young. Her business, Sari Blum Photography was built around live events and weddings, portraits, and brand content creation and she focuses on capturing moments that make up our lives and tell our stories.
In Spring of 2019, Sari created an extension of her business, The Wandering Portrait Bus. This solar powered, mobile portrait studio, housed in a renovated 26 foot transit bus, could travel to any event in any location and provide an inspiring space for unique portraits that are printed and available immediately.
Once COVID19 hit, “normal” business disappeared and it was time to get creative. Sari and her bus, Queenie, have pivoted into socially distant “porchtraits”, traveling around the region to capture individuals and families as we all experience a new normal. Now she is doing something new and different with the bus, and yet something that seemed innate all along.
Joel Appel - Launch Pad Ventures
Joel has been an entrepreneur most of his life. After graduating from Claremont McKenna College and Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Joel worked at Quaker Oats for 8 years. He then founded Orange Glo/OxiClean International with his parents, which they sold 15 years later. Joel then founded Launch Pad Ventures which is invested in companies as Tortle, Base Education, and Rental Kharma. Joel sits on the boards of First Descents and the Hoffman Institute, and is a former Chapter Chair of YPO Colorado Chapter. When COVID19 hit, he helped launch Clean Touch - a sanitizing product that can be used for people and on surfaces. Joel is married to Tiffany Glucksman Appel and has three kids, Zachary, Danielle, and Harry. Joel also loves everything outdoors.