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Success Stories

Janitzio Family Mexican Restaurant opened in 2007 by J. Mercedes and Gloria Guzman.  It is located in beautiful Twin Falls, Idaho and offers a fantastic variety of authentic recipe’s from the state of Michoacán in Mexico.  The restaurant is accentuated with attractive Hispanic cultural décor that brings a vibrant and authentic atmosphere which, combined with the delicious menu options, offer a unique dining experience that welcomes all patrons, including families with young children.

Mercedes and Gloria combine for over thirty years of restaurant ownership and management experience.  With this powerful background, they effectively led their restaurant to impressive success and quickly found themselves in need of a larger building.  Gloria visited her local SBA resource partner the Idaho Small Business Development Center in Twin Falls.  She met with Sherry Bass and immediately began working on a business plan.  The SBDC introduced Mercedes and Gloria to the loan officers at... Read More

Cheesemaking has been a tradition in Blake Manwaring’s family for over 100 years.  Blake took his family tradition to new heights by reopening Manwaring Cheese in Rigby, Idaho in year 2010.  Manwaring cheese is made by hand—offering patrons a taste of old country perfection.

The Manwaring family migrated from England to Ashton, Idaho and with them, came an unrivaled talent for open vat cheesemaking.  It was quite a move for the family of fourteen!  Blake’s father, Basil Manwaring, opened the original family cheese factory in 1955 and it was not long before the Manwarings’ were sharing an appreciation for fine cheese with their small town Idaho neighbors.  Harsh weather eventually drove the Manwaring family out of Ashton, landing them, and the factory, in Rigby, Idaho.  The factory provided for the family, Manwaring Cheese disappeared momentarily but resurfaced in 2010 by Blake Manwaring.

Resurrecting the family craft, Blake Manwaring solved his unexpected,... Read More

After 15 years of working in customer service in the high tech industry for such giants as Apple and Hewlett Packard, Donovan Johns was burned out.  He enjoyed the innovative gadgetry, but the corporate lifestyle left him in search of a change.  So in 2009, when his former in-laws asked if he'd be interested in buying into their successful convenience store business, Johns gave the proposition serious consideration.

"I knew nothing about running a business and although I was intrigued, I was scared to death to make the investment," recalls Johns.

Analytical by nature, Johns started doing his research.  It didn't take long for him to discover SCORE mentors at the Boise District Office of the Small Business Administration.  After five intense sessions and an all-day "Business Fundamentals" class taught by SCORE members, Johns was able to confidently resign from his secure job at HP and commit himself full-time to his new venture.

"The mentoring I received from... Read More

Take a step towards friendship, healing, and fitness with YOGA in the HOOD.  Shannon Wells Femenia has been teaching and studying yoga for over 25 years, and she has been providing the Treasure Valley with a very quaint, intimate yoga practice since 2008.  Shannon’s appreciation for yoga, and her desire to increase the wellness and happiness of others, is apparent in her educational and sensitive approach to instruction.

Shannon built a strong following at her first studio in Sacramento, California in 1997.  She “trail blazed” power-based yoga and spent much of her time mastering various practices.  After the birth of her son, Shannon relocated to Boise, Idaho with her husband.  She started practicing yoga out of her home soon after settling in the charming Hidden Springs community.  YOGA in the HOOD offers a very unique and inviting environment.  As you enter the front door and venture up the stairway, you are visually motivated by a gallery of awesome yoga poses.  At the... Read More

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