Parentclick.com Marks 10th Year
Family-Oriented Website Expands to 14th Community
South Coast entrepreneur Rachael Steidl said she was caring for her twin toddlers and was pregnant a decade ago when she started the website that became Parentclick.com.
She told the story of the online family-oriented resource at her company’s annual networking mixer Monday night at Business First Bank in downtown Santa Barbara before a crowd of about 100 people.
“We just started in Washington, D.C.,” Steidl said prior to her speech. Other communities that have a tailored Parentclick.com include Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Phoenix, Lake Tahoe, Orange County, Las Vegas, Fort Worth, Austin, and Seattle.
Steidl received praise from a few other well-known Santa Barbara moms, including Independent columnist Starshine Roshell, who said she remembered when Steidl would haul her twins into a class the two women took almost 10 years ago.
Steidl said one of the reasons she started what became Parentclick.com was because she found it difficult to find resources, such as classes, summer camps, and family activities, all on one website. So, she gave birth to SBParent.com, which later became Parentclick.com.
Foundation Gets Funds
NAWBO-SB Foundation officials announced this week that thousands of dollars in grants from several South Coast-based companies will pay for student prizes and scholarships.
The announcement came at a news conference at Pascucci Restaurant where owner Laura Knight and several other 2011 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award winners gathered, including Patty DeDominic and Barbara Tzur, to kick off nominations for this year’s honors to be handed out at a May 11 gala dinner.
The NAWBO-SB Foundation is a nonprofit group started by the Santa Barbara chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. The foundation works with the Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Santa Barbara City College to provide student prizes.
Foundation Executive Director Cathy Feldman said Carpinteria-based online instructional company Lynda.com has come onboard as a platinum sponsor by donating $10,000. Montecito Bank & Trust also is a platinum sponsor. Karen Dwyer, foundation public relations chairwoman, said Carpinteria-based Venoco Inc., an oil and gas company, has donated $1,500.
At the awards dinner, eight Santa Barbara County women entrepreneurs will be recognized for their contributions to the community and the economy. Any woman business owner in the county may be nominated. The Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards nomination form is available to download or to fill out online at www.nawbo-sbfoundation.org.
The South Coast Biz Blog is a roundup of the latest business news in the Santa Barbara area and is written by Ray Estrada, who has covered business in the region for numerous publications over the past couple decades. See more at independent.com/biz and wordpress.com/southcoastbizblog.
