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.
Lakyn and Amber Bendle
Funky Flow Jiu Jitsu started long before we ever signed a lease. As two women who share a passion for jiu jitsu, we often talked about one day opening our own academy, and we always imagined it being in downtown Florence. Before Funky Flow officially existed, we started teaching extra classes out of our garage. Read more>>
Renae McGuire
Originally from Virginia, I reside in North Carolina with my husband, Tim and my sweet grey Percheron cross horse, Louie. I attended Averett College for commercial and fine art, but my first career was as a full-time musician/vocalist, traveling as a singer/songwriter/musician for 12 years. Tim and I moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 1992 where we performed as a duo and did some recording. Read more>>
Tradd Hodge
When I was five, I told my mom that I wanted to start a holiday to help children in hospitals. I began this mission by sending out an email to friends and family to collect donations. Our living room was overflowing with toys, dolls, art supplies, and toiletries. We brought all the donations to Shriner’s Children’s Hospital, delivering them individually to each patient. Read more>>
Jillian Gundy
My journey started with a simple desire to create a healthier lifestyle for my family. What began as a search for more natural skincare and home products gradually grew into something much bigger, a focus on living intentionally and raising our children with practical life skills, confidence, and strong family connections. Read more>>
Kassidy Hudgins
Kassidy began her healthcare and wellness career by earning her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Coastal Carolina University. Following graduation, she served as a Wellness Coach at a retirement community, where she developed a passion for helping individuals improve their quality of life through personalized health and wellness support. Read more>>
Maddie Martin
I’ve been with Bay Street Biergarten for the past two years as the Marketing & Events Coordinator, and it’s been an incredible journey. What started as an opportunity to combine my passion for hospitality, marketing, and community engagement has grown into a career that I truly love. Read more>>
Abby Burkholder
Growing up, I always dreamed of working in the entertainment industry, but I didn’t come from a background with connections or a clear roadmap into acting and modeling. For years, it felt like something that lived in my imagination rather than something I could realistically pursue. Much of my early adulthood was spent helping my family. Read more>>
Elizabeth Harvey
Have you ever been told you don’t have a future? That your body was broken and you would not live a full life? That is the beginning of my story — but it is certainly not the end. I love a challenge, and figuring out how to optimize my health has been my life’s pursuit. Read more>>
Ellen Waldrop
Fire Ant Farms, LLC, is a small family farm located on Johns Island, South Carolina and owned by Ellen Waldrop and Anthony Natoli. Since 2017 we have produced high quality produce for our local community following the market gardener style of farming. Read more>>
Mike Hensley
It started a few years ago when we moved our son into college, I started feeling like I wanted to start a food truck, but something just didn’t feel right. We talked and prayed about it for a while and never felt like it was something that we needed to pursue. Read more>>
Jack Nutley
Our bakery was created in the late 1940s when Peter Kikos, a two-time Bronze Star recipient and WWII veteran, and his wife Leila, a Charleston native, decided to take their beautiful wedding cakes from their home kitchen to the commercial market. Read more>>
Kathryn Budig
I’ve been teaching yoga for over 20 years. I was trained by Maty Ezraty and Chuck Miller at Yogaworks in Santa Monica where I taught for 7 years alongside leading retreats, workshops, conferences around the world. I currently own and teach on my online platform Haus of Phoenix. Read more>>
Becky Sheftall
Ever since I was little I always had a deep curiosity for “why” and “how” things worked. I was sick with colds and viruses often as a child, and I was given antibiotics almost monthly without resolution, and I wanted to know why I wasn’t getting better. By middle school, I had taken a deep interest in my health. Read more>>
Mike Ayers
I began my carving career in the mountains of Virginia. I have been carving for 16 years now and I have traveled all over the world to include most of Europe, England, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Tahiti and Canada. I have also competed in competitions all over the United States as well. Many times placing or winning. Read more>>
Kevin Jones
My name is Kevin Jones, owner of Jones Accessories. What started as a small side hustle selling phone accessories has grown into a business built on customer service, affordability, and community support. I started Jones Accessories with a simple goal: provide quality products and phone repair services at prices people could actually afford. Read more>>
Kelsea Ruch
I started in corporate America on the business operations side, working across industries from product development to tech, learning from the leaders I supported along the way. But even early on, I always knew I was meant to build something of my own. Read more>>
Jay Williams
My name is Jay Williams, and I’m a drummer and creative based around the Charlotte area. Music became something much deeper for me during my teenage years when I started serving full-time on my church’s worship team. What started as simply playing drums quickly became a genuine passion and calling. Read more>>
Robin Roach
What began as a creative outlet for my son Bryan, who has Down syndrome and autism, quickly turned into something much bigger than I ever imagined. About six years ago, I started baking more seriously as a way for us to connect, create, and build confidence together. Read more>>
Valencia Henry
My career as a nurse spans several decades with specialties in home health, primary care, hospice, geriatric, heart health, and Veteran disabilities. I have lived in and travelled to numerous states within the US. When I relocated to Myrtle Beach, I wanted to offer accessible primary care to the community that had ‘caring’ and compassion in mind. Read more>>
Sami & Dani Mussman
Sister Sister Deli & Market is still really new — we’re only about six months in — so we’re very much still building this place with our own hands every day. My sister cooks on the line daily, and I handle prep alongside one prep cook, so most of what people are eating is coming from a very small team. Read more>>
Paul & Alina Haddad
Dance has been a part of Alina’s life since she was a little girl. She began training and competing at a young age in ballet, jazz, tap, and other styles, quickly falling in love with both the artistry and discipline of dance. Read more>>
Rizwana .
I didn’t set out to start an organization. I started by asking one question: What happens to a child, especially a girl child when she’s denied the chance to learn? Early in my career, I saw firsthand how lack of education impacts not just one life, but entire families and communities. Read more>>
Tirrell Anderson
Tirrell “Ghost” built the Ghost The Repo Man brand from real-life experience in the recovery and transportation industry, transforming what began as everyday repo work into a recognizable media and community platform. What started with long hours in the field, vehicle recoveries, and learning the business side of repossession evolved into a larger vision centered around entrepreneurship, entertainment, and community engagement. Read more>>
Jamie Viggiano
I’m the owner of Away With Me Travel, LLC, a luxury travel agency based in South Carolina. I’ve been in the travel industry for nearly three decades, and my love for travel really started when I was a child. My mom used to take me to our local library and let me check out travel books and VHS tapes, which definitely ages me a bit! Read more>>
Anternei Jewel Benton
I started my journey in the film industry by stepping out on faith and pursuing a passion I always had for acting and entertainment. Someone saw something in me and gave me great opportunity that I took and mastered it. Read more>>
Courtney Hunt
My grandmother’s journey fueled my desire to “do healthcare better” and become a nurse whom patients and families could trust. Fast forward to today: after 12 years in nursing and just days after my 35th birthday, my story took an unexpected pivot in the form of my grandfather’s unanticipated hospice journey. Read more>>
Shelton Tyler
At the age of 13, my stepfather bought me a lawnmower and a blower and would drop me off from house to house cutting grass. That’s really where my hustle started. As I got older and finally got transportation, I started working at McDonald’s. After a while, I got tired of working a regular job and decided I wanted to build something of my own. Read more>>
Albi Podrizki
Twelve years ago, I walked away from a career in real estate sales after realizing how deeply it conflicted with who I was. Music had been a passion of mine since middle school, and in 2014 I moved to Asheville with the goal of becoming a professional musician. Read more>>
Ellie Kureshi
My journey with photography started 8 years ago. Along with my husband, we decided to open a real estate photography business, Skyline Photography, to help local businesses and realtors with their marketing materials and online presence. The company grew quickly and today is one of the leading real estate photography companies in South Carolina. Read more>>
Robert (Rob) Dorchak
My name is Robert Dorchak Jr., though most people know me as Rob. I was born and raised in South Florida and have always enjoyed working with people. My early career included jobs in hospitality, customer service, and sales, experiences that taught me the value of relationships, communication, and serving others. Read more>>
Nicole Cendrowski
I’ve been exploring the world of craft beer since my early 20s and co-founded Fireforge Crafted Beer, a brewery, taproom and biergarden in downtown Greenville, SC, in 2018 with my husband, business partner (and Fireforge head brewer), Brian. While building a career in marketing communications and business development, I was curious about emerging beer styles, and classic styles from around the world. Read more>>
