The Conversation: Mark Patterson
Mark Patterson started his Naturally Smart frozen dessert business to fill a hole in the market: his creamy concoction is not only simple and natural, but higher in protein than ice cream so it appeals greatly to the health foodies and exercise set. In just over two years, he has gone from toting pints around in his Mini Cooper to seeing it on the shelves of Whole Foods and thirty-five other locations to now shipping thousands of pints to Bahrain in the Middle East. Somehow, we were able to slow him down for a minute to answer some questions …
The Conversation: Julie Watkins
Julie Watkins is a plant-based powerhouse. While locals may initially recognize her from her on-screen days as a meteorologist with the CBS and FOX affiliate in Jacksonville, the list of her current projects makes it easy to see where she’s funneling her passion these days: Girls Gone Green, No Meat March, Northeast Florida Veg Fest, and VegJax.com all exist thanks to Watkins.
The Conversation: Florence Haridan
At heart, Florence Haridan is a creative marketer. She has worked in branding, design, marketing, e-commerce, and team management throughout her career, for companies large and small. Her current post as Executive Director of Character Counts! in Jacksonville is “her life’s work,” she says on the organization’s website.
The Conversation: Kristin Keen
Four years ago, Kristin Keen started the local faith-based nonprofit Rethreaded. With Rethreaded, Keen was seeking to fight back against the effects of the sex trade industry – prostitution, human trafficking, strip clubs and pornography – on a business-to-business level by creating an organization that provides jobs for women in our area who are seeking to break the cycle and forge ahead in a new chapter of their lives.
The Conversation: Alyssa Key
Alyssa Key launched her fashion label Love Brigade in NYC in 2007, and after much success — including three Brooklyn, NY, retail stores, tons of media attention, and participation in multiple NY Fashion Weeks, Key has set her sights on Jacksonville, “the South’s best kept secret,” as she calls it.
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