The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below.
Aponi Balderas
I started in 2020 getting my esthetics license in Houston, TX. Once school started it really just clicked for me, and I knew I wanted to focus on being a Facialist. I moved back to San Antonio (where I’m originally from) in early 2021, this is when I began establishing clientele and spreading the word that I was newly licensed and ready to touch faces! Read more>>
Alex Gold
I went to UT Austin, Mike went to A&M – we met a crossfit a few years after graduation, got engaged in 2018 – and decided to buy a place together out of the city and get married on our own land. I discovered the idea of a wedding festival and never looked back. Read more>>
Mariajose Garcia
Started back in March 2019 – with a dream of having my own business, a place for kids and families to stop by, have fun while eating a fresh paleta. I wanted to make the experience as joyful as possible. For people to decorate (add toppings) their paleta. Read more>>
Amanda Herrera Abrams
I officially became an entrepreneur in 2011. I’ve built and sold multiple businesses including a cheerleading gym, a notary business, and a marketing company. I also own several real estate properties and a short-term rental business including Airbnb’s and Vrbo’s. Read more>>
Norman Lloyd
Visionaries of Living in Color is a collaborative effort between Visionary Family Counseling Services, owned by Tammy Fisher and Norman Lloyd. Visionary Family Counseling was established in 2005 in the Buda/Kyle area, initially serving as a family and adult counseling agency dedicated to meeting the needs of a rapidly growing community. Read more>>
Jackson Kibby
I started in musical theatre, doing plays and musicals from the time I was 13-17. I fell in love with storytelling through that, it really opened my eyes. Once COVID hit, all the local theatres closed and I was eager to make art, so I bought a camera and made my first short film. Read more>>
Debra Slate
Scott and Debra Slate. Bandera RV Park. We have RVd most of our lives and intended to buy and operate an RV Park when we ‘were older’. The kids grew up and we bought this little gem-in-the-rough of an RV Park along the Medina River, next to the lively town of Bandera, TX ‘The Cowboy Capital of the World’. Read more>>
Chris Simek
I started out in 1991 hanging siding on new homes for piece work pay. After a few years of learning the trade I bought equipment and started my own company. Then I taught myself how to frame homes from a paperback book I purchased from the lumber yard. Read more>>
Leslie Lee
I am a native Texan and my path started early in the holistic world over 25 years ago. I received my first Reiki session at the age of 16 which started my personal healing journey focusing on my mental and emotional health. Read more>>
Derek Downer
Born in Dallas, Texas, in ’89, I grew up on the east side of town near Garland and the old Resistol hat factory. From a young age, I knew I wanted to be an actor. I grew up watching Steve McQueen, Paul Newman, James Dean, and Robert Redford. I loved stories of good overcoming evil, ordinary people beating impossible odds, and moments of pure humanity. Read more>>
Don Frazier
I’ve spent most of my life in higher education. For most of that time I was in Abilene. In 2019, Schreiner University recruited me to Kerrville as part of their strategic plan to be uniquely and intentionally Texan. Together we manifested this as The Texas Center. Our mission is to help people all across the state tell the Texas story. Read more>>
Ali Pyro
Hey y’all, I’m Ali! I was born and raised here in SATX, and I make art and costumes for a living. I started drawing when I was in elementary school and sewing when I was in high school. Read more>>
Art Villarreal
I opened The Music School of Universal City in 2006, while bringing along two other music instructors I had worked with at a national chain music store. After about a year contemplating the idea of setting out on my own to open a private studio, Istarted looking around for some business space. Read more>>
Debra Slate
When we moved to Bandera, TX in 2012 I saw a man driving his team of 4 horses and his covered wagon. I thought to myself ‘I would like to learn how to do that!’. I like to learn about unique activities and food in any area we visit. Read more>>
Raymond Hooks III
I’m a full-time chemical engineer by profession, but over the past few years I’ve built a short-term rental business focused on creating memorable, high-quality guest experiences in Texas. I started with a single property as a way to diversify income and quickly realized the opportunity wasn’t just in owning real estate—it was in how the experience is designed, marketed, and operated. Read more>>
Dominique Garcia
Ever since I was a kid, I have always had a fascination and enthusiasm for fast cars. After high school, my parents encouraged me to go to a technical school called Universal Technical Institute with a specialization in European cars. After graduation, I found myself working at several different dealerships throughout Texas. Read more>>
Amanda Griffin
Twenty years ago, I paddled past this little camp and thought, wow, it would be so cool to own that someday; it is such a special location with the spring on one end and the river along the western boundary. Fast forward to 2020 and my brothers and I bought Arrowhead on the Nueces, an 8 unit resort on the Nueces River. Read more>>
Christin Day
I’ve spent over two decades in the culinary world, working in fine dining kitchens and learning what it means to create something that feels both intentional and memorable. Over time, I found myself drawn less to the formality of traditional dining and more to the feeling—how people gather, connect, and experience a moment together. Blue Thistle was born from that shift. Read more>>
Alexandria Hooks
I’m Dr. Alexandria Hooks, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, and I’m the founder of Hooked on Wellness Consulting, PLLC in San Antonio. After more than 20 years in healthcare, I reached a point where I couldn’t ignore what I was seeing every day: patients who needed time, education, and real partnership—but a system that rewards speed and volume instead of outcomes and relationship. Read more>>
Bo Jenkins
For our family, ABC has always been about family legacy and tradition. I’m actually the third generation here at ABC. My grandfather, Bob Jenkins Sr., started the company in San Antonio as a pest control business. Read more>>
Will & Ruth Sharp
Will and Ruth came from very different career backgrounds. Not only from their Little Treehouse Early Learning Center business, but from each other. Read more>>
Angie Garza
My career in healthcare began as a Certified Nursing Assistant, during a time in my life marked by significant personal responsibility. While raising my three‑year‑old child, I unexpectedly became the primary caregiver for my sister’s six children—an event that occurred just as I entered my LVN program. Although the circumstances were challenging, Read more>>
