BV`SSg]c\UOZc[\WQ][PW\SVO`R e]`YPcaW\SaaaOddgO\RU]]R bW[W\Ub]Q`SObS U`]eW\UPcaW\SaaSa 0g:SS/\\S0ZOQYSRWb]` 4SObc`S 4OaVW]\4]`eO`R “We’re really happy with how it’s going,” says Jen. “Owning your own business is a lot of hard work. It’s all the time. But it’s also very rewarding. You can directly see the results of your efforts. Earlier in the year a store in Aspen called to tell me that Hunter Dixon is their number-one seller. You start to realize that you’re doing something legitimate.” While her partner handles the designs, Jen takes care of the business side. They have interns and sales representatives to help now that they are in so many stores, but the first year, Jen pounded the pavement introducing the line to store buyers. About to launch their fourth collection for fall 2008, Jen’s days are spent fabric forecasting, keeping the books, supervising sales people, managing credits, overseeing quality at the Manhattan factory that produces the clothing, and networking with press contacts. Jen’s hard work and resourcefulness have helped the young company get noticed. “Right now, we can’t afford to spend $50,000 a year for a press agent, so we have to leverage our contacts and be creative,” says Jen. “We’re excited by the amount of press we’ve gotten.” “Hunter is a fabulous designer and our quality is amazing,” says Jen. “I love the clothes and really believe in what we’re doing. To continue to succeed, we have to stay focused on our vision, keep moving forward, and deliver the best product and the best customer service that we can.” To find out more about Hunter Dixon and locate a retailer near you, visit www.hunterdixon.com. ' A3:4AB/@B3@A A little more than two years ago, Jen Dixon ’95 was living in New York, working in advertising sales, and thinking about heading back to business school when an opportunity arose that has given her the kind of education you just can’t replicate in a classroom. She and roommate Hunter Lingle, who was a designer for Vineyard Vines, decided to start a woman’s clothing line featuring flirty, flattering, high-quality garments that feel as good as they look. Thus, the Hunter Dixon label was born. The brand, which has been featured in magazines like Lucky, Elle, In Style, and Harper’s Bazaar, and promoted by style expert Jenn Falik, can be found in more than 75 specialty shops in 19 states. They have also tapped into a niche that is finding success despite a lackluster retail market. The next step for Hunter Dixon is to break into department stores, which typically want to see a line several times before buying it. They’ve had second looks from Bloomingdale’s and Barneys and feel confident from the positive feedback that it’s just a matter of time before Hunter Dixon is available to a wider audience. 4SObc`S 4`SaVAbO`b ! A3:4AB/@B3@A Not many people can claim that a meal is what got them where they are today. Zach Goodyear ’97 can. While on his honeymoon with wife Laura a few years ago, they ate at the world-renowned French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley. The meal was so exquisite, that when Zach returned to Charlotte he immediately quit his job as manager at Cantina 1511 and enrolled in the newly opened Charlotte branch of Johnson & Wales University. “Since high school and throughout college I’ve worked in restaurants doing everything from waiting and busing tables to bartending and managing,” explains Zach. “But I didn’t have food knowledge. I wanted to know more about why food cooks the way it does, the science of the food.” At Johnson & Wales, Zach met chef Mark Hibbs and together they decided to create a restaurant dedicated to fresh, local, organic food. Ratcliffe on the Green opened in January 2007 in what was once the historic Ratcliffe flower shop on Tryon Street. A “farm to fork” restaurant, Ratcliffe on the Green features only the freshest in-season ingredients, purchased from local growers. In fact says Zach, they don’t even have a walk-in freezer. “Everything that comes in the back door is out the front door in less than 48 hours. The only thing we freeze is our homemade ice cream and sorbet.” Despite the fact that only about six percent of startups make it, the future for Ratcliffe on the Green looks promising. “We’ve found a niche that the city is ready to embrace,” says Zach. “Also we’ve had a lot of support from the Charlotte Slow Food Group and gotten a lot of positive publicity early on.” For instance, Alice Waters, the godmother of cooking with organic, sustainable ingredients, held a dinner event at Ratcliffe on the Green during her Charlotte tour last summer. Charlotte Magazine and the Charlotte Observer have covered the restaurant’s slow food philosophy. Currently, Ratcliffe on the Green is featured in the July issue of Southern Living magazine in a story about Charlotte’s progressive food movement. Zach admits that he is a fairly recent convert to the idea of sustainability. “If you asked me about organic and local food 10 years ago, I couldn’t have cared less,” he says. “But after going through culinary school, developing this niche, working with the farmers, and experiencing slow food, I’ve come to really believe in this movement.” Earlier this year, Zach spent three months in New Zealand learning about organic farming. While he handles the day-to-day operations of Ratcliffe on the Green, he is also involved in development. Future endeavors for Zach and his partner Mark Hibbs include opening a fast food organic restaurant and operating their own farm to support the restaurants. To learn more about Ratcliffe on the Green, visit www.ratcliffeonthegreen.com. 4]`bVS2]Ua For the past three years, Sally Harrell Conner ’98 has combined her love of dogs, artistic talent, and business savvy to successfully operate a pet tag business that features handmade, custom tags. Now living in Durham, North Carolina, with husband Bryan Conner ’94, Sally started the business while living in Southern California, home of the pampered pet. 4SObc`S Throughout college, with her furry pals Jackson and Bear in tow, Sally honed her jewelry making and metal smith skills while simultaneously making pet tags just for fun for friends and family. She is passionate about animals and strongly supports dog rescue. By the time she graduated and joined Bryan in Southern California, Sally decided that a career creating pet tags was an ideal way to combine her interests. calling and persistence. She also got a Web site up and running, and promoted herself in magazines that cater to dog lovers. Though the tags are all handmade, Sally offers standard sizes, metals, and typefaces to ease the ordering process. Her retail partners take the orders, then Sally creates the custom tags at her home studio in Durham. She ships the finished product directly to her customers. She’ll also take truly custom-design orders. For instance, for one customer Sally etched the dog’s portrait on the tag. At first Sally thought she would be able to run a jewelry making business, as well, but creating pet tags keeps her busy full-time. “I came into the business at a good time. For some people pets are like children and they are willing to pay the money to have a high-quality, custom tag. I have a lot of repeat customers and I like working with people who enjoy and appreciate what I do.” “I really love making the tags, and the material is less expensive than jewelry, so it was a good way to start,” she explains. “My goal when I started was not to create a huge business. My attitude was ‘I have a product that I think people will like and I enjoy making, so let’s see what happens.’” Being a one-woman operation can be trying. But Sally also has strong organizational and business skills, which help her to keep the business operating smoothly. “Some day I might be ready to hire others, but for now I’m taking it one day at a time.” A key to Sally’s success was marketing her product to California boutiques, which required old-fashioned cold To find out more about Sally’s work or to purchase pet tags, visit www.sallyharrell.net. ! A3:4AB/@B3@A “I always knew I wanted to have my own business,” says Sally, “but I didn’t know it would be making pet tags.” Artistic as a child, Sally tended to consider her creativity a hobby. She earned an art history degree at UNCChapel Hill, then decided to pursue an architecture degree at Savannah College of Art and Design. After one semester she decided architecture wasn’t her passion, but an introductory class in metals and jewelry launched her in a new direction.