In the Limelight: Some inspiring women entrepreneurs from Iowa
#WomenEntrepreneurs #IowaBusiness #EmpowerHer #IowaInnovation #WomenInBusiness
Iowa or “The Hawkeye State” is home to a thriving community of women entrepreneurs – with several organizations & initiatives dedicated to supporting their growth and development.
This state, often celebrated for its vast agricultural landscapes and strong rural communities, is also making significant strides in the realm of women-led entrepreneurship. Women entrepreneurs in Iowa are distinguishing themselves with a unique blend of innovation, resilience, and community-mindedness. Over 33% of Iowa’s businesses are owned by women – a figure that surpasses the national average and highlights the state’s supportive environment for female business leaders. This growth isn’t just about numbers; it’s about the impact these women are making on their communities and the state’s economy.
Trailblazing Women: The Rise of Female Entrepreneurs in Iowa
One of the key drivers behind this success is the robust network of organizations and initiatives dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs. Organizations such as The Iowa Women’s Business Center and the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative provide vital resources such as mentorship, funding opportunities & business development training; and these empower women to not only start their own businesses but also to sustain and grow them in competitive markets.
Additionally, Iowa’s unique entrepreneurial landscape, shaped by its rural character and strong agricultural sector, presents distinct opportunities for women entrepreneurs. These factors, combined with the state’s emphasis on STEM education and innovation, have contributed to an impressive 15% annual growth rate in women-led businesses – outpacing national averages.
So, in Iowa, women entrepreneurs are more than business owners; they are leaders, innovators, and changemakers – driving the state’s economy forward with creativity and determination.
Let us take a look at some inspiring women entrepreneurs from Iowa.
> Melissa Fontanini, Founder, Bella Sala Event Center
In 2009, Melissa Fontanini started Bella Sala Event Center in Tiffin, Iowa, and is the largest locally owned venue in the area. Actually, the idea for the event centre emerged during a conversation with her best friend, and the idea quickly moved from blueprints to hosting weddings, receptions, and special occasions.
Today, many years later, she continues to enjoy creating unforgettable moments. Her team’s creativity comes to life in the form of – stunning table settings and bright innovative lighting. Originally from Marion, Iowa, she focused her career on providing exceptional service to Bella Sala’s customers and expanding the venue to become the complete hosting and entertainment package it is today.
Whether you want to hold a larger indoor or outdoor wedding, a banquet, a corporate event, or a fundraiser, or need a smaller space for baby showers, rehearsal dinners, gift openings, or a brunch, this centre has it all. There are many options open – the flexible hall space allows for up to 650 guests and includes the use of all of the grounds, including the waterfall terrace and deluxe suites; or you can rent the Casata, which holds up to 330 people and also gives you exclusive use of the waterfall terrace, patio, and deluxe suites. Finally, there’s smaller, more intimate space, for up to 75 people. So, you have something that caters to different tastes.
> Jacqueline Milian, Owner, Mammitas Coffee
Jacqueline Milian’s shop, Mammitas Coffee, has many offerings – it is a coffee shop, part flower shop, part lunch destination, it’s simply unlike anything else. Initially she had wanted to open up a welcoming shop that infused her Spanish culture into both the menu and atmosphere. The name, Mammita, is an ode to Jacqueline’s grandmother and also to the childhood recipes she remembers and cherishes. At Mammitas Coffee signature drinks include – Horchata and Dule de Leche lattes, and they also have tres leche cake, flan, and conchas as well as a
delicious breakfast and lunch menu you won’t want to miss.
You can also pick up a beautiful flower arrangement to take home. Or, they create arrangements for events, weddings and quinceaneras. To kick off her dream shop, she had help from friends and members of her church, Life Church in Coralville, who helped her by cleaning and donating time, equipment and food to her shop.
So, you can walk in from Monday-Saturday to meet her, and the wonderful Latin flavours she’s carefully bringing to the community – one cup at a time and one bouquet at a time.
> Alicia Valesquez, Owner, “Dotł’izhi”
Born and raised in California, Alicia Valesquez’s personality is multifaceted – it’s Apache, Yaqui, and Spanish!! As an artist and owner of The House of DOTŁ’IZHI, what’s special is that she draws inspiration not just from her ancestors but from all nations. Significantly, her strong passion is – to connect women to culture in a respectful manner through cultural appreciation, and to remind women of their strength, beauty, and worth.
Her shop is named after the western Apache word, “Dotł’izhi” which means turquoise, and represents the three components turquoise and women share: strength, beauty, & worth. She feels her mission is to design pieces that carry a deeper meaning.
She moved to Iowa City when her husband found work there and she decided to open her own shop, which sells beautiful rings, bracelets & necklaces. The jewellery here is very unique and the pieces showcase beadwork, leatherwork, silversmithing, sewing, embroidery, and many other techniques that have been passed down from Alicia’s father and elders in the Native American community.
She is also known for creating bespoke jewellery, and every piece is a limited edition or a one-of-a-kind piece made right in her studio in Iowa City; and it is created to tell a story as unique as the customer. Stones used in the jewellery are responsibly sourced and handpicked by Alicia.
Besides, as luck would have it, the community has given amazing support and that she is very excited to be able to teach others about her culture too.
> Jamie Skinner & Kelly Elliot, Co-founders, Dodge Street Coffeehouse
In Iowa City and across the state Iowa, the name Jamie Skinner is famously associated with the popular Molly’s Cupcakes. Looking at her background, she is an Iowa native who worked at the flagship Molly’s Cupcakes in Chicago from 2010-2012; and then moved back to Iowa and opened Molly’s in downtown Iowa City, which became the brand’s first franchised location.
More than a decade later, she was expanding her Molly’s Cupcake franchise to Des Moines. That’s when she randomly met Kelly Elliott at a children’s birthday party and the idea was born for the coffeehouse that they co-own today. Dodge Street Coffeehouse is a family-friendly cafe that includes – a play corner for kids, drive-thru coffee, and breakfast service. They also have food options from local businesses including Capanna Coffee of North Liberty and Caturra Coffee Roasting Company of Sioux City, The Dandy Lion, Oasis, Trumpet Blossom, and Molly’s Cupcakes. The place has a fresh feel that incorporates wood and hanging plants that provides a wonderful place to have a conversation or work remotely.
As the two women noted at the time, they recognized there was a coffee desert on the north side of Iowa City. They started catering to the on-the-go workforce that drove by the location daily, including employees at Pearson and ACT. They also knew it would be a convenient location to serve any of the thousands of people driving past Iowa City on the interstate day after day.
> Jan Weissmiller & Jane Mead, Co-owners, Prairie Lights
Jan Weissmiller and Jane Mead, being the co-owners of Prairie Lights, have played a significant role in shaping the store’s literary reputation. With its cozy atmosphere and diverse book selection, Prairie Lights has become a beloved gathering spot for book lovers and writers. It’s also worth noting that the store has hosted numerous book readings and workshops, featuring both local and renowned authors.
To see Iowa City as a ‘book lover’s paradise’ – is indeed, an understatement. It’s known worldwide as home to the premier University of Iowa Writers Workshop and the first UNESCO City of Literature in America and the third in the world.
In fact, Prairie Lights has been an icon, since Jim Harris opened its doors in 1978. Today, the store has a coffee house located in the same space that the local literary society met throughout the 1930s. That society hosted authors such as Carl Sandburg, Robert Frost, Sherwood Anderson, Langston Hughes, e e cummings, and others.
The bookstore has continued to play a role in Johnson County’s literary culture. Writers such as Susan Sontag, Gloria Steinem, and Annie Proulx have participated in events at the bookstore. Nobel prize winners have also had events at the store, including Seamus Heaney, Czesław Miłosz, Derek Walcott, Saul Bellow, Toni Morrison, Orhan Pamuk, and John M. Coetzee. Other dignitaries that have visited include – former President Barack Obama who made a surprise visit to the store after a speech in Iowa City on March 25, 2010.
For decades, Prairie Lights has also hosted radio programmes from the store. For 18 years, WSUI broadcast “Live from Prairie Lights” – a series of readings by authors appearing at the store. Among others, actor Mike Farrell, and authors Michael Chabon and Daniel Mason appeared on the programme. The programme stopped airing on Iowa Public Radio in December 2008. Two years later the University of Iowa college radio station KRUI-FM began broadcasting “Live from Prairie Lights,” where the readings continue to stream live. Prairie Lights continues to be a must-see-stop literary destination for tourists.
> Kate Edwards, Founder, Wild Wood Farms
Incidentally, Kate Edwards is known as ‘Farmer Kate’ to all who know her! Besides being someone who owns and operates a farm in Iowa, she has also been at the forefront of the movement – to grow fresh, organic, local foods!!
Tracing her past, she actually went from being an engineer to a farmer. Born and raised in Iowa, she earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering and a master’s in agriculture and bio systems engineering and bio renewable resources and technology from Iowa State University. After graduating, she took a job in engineering in the Twin Cities but her heart just wasn’t in it!
Then she returned to Iowa City – knowing she wanted to be on the land and not behind a desk. She started an organic farm in 2010 from scratch on rented ground with support from mentors, and she named the operation – Wild Wood Farms.
Initially, in the first year, she grew vegetables, was mentored by Susan Jutz–one of the first CSA (Community-Supported Agriculture) farmers in Iowa. She farmed solo for eight years but in 2015, she moved her 150-person CSA operation to a 10-acre farm and started working as Iowa’s Farmland Access Navigator through Renewing the Countryside – an organization that helps new farmers in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin with land access challenges. In 2018,
she got married, taught her husband to drive a tractor in 2019, she and her husband bought their forever farm in rural Solon where they live with their two children.
Her success has garnered her well-earned attention in many local and national publications, like – U.S. News & World Report, Modern Farmer, Farm Aid, and Homegrown Iowa. Today, she runs a successful CSA that feeds many families within the Iowa City area with her vegetable subscription. She follows organic practices and enjoys growing a variety of vegetables. Plus. She also continues to help other women see that they, too, can become farmers and that it is
a career option they can explore.
Incidentally, she loves that her farm is so close to Iowa City – allowing customers to get to know her and see where their food is grown. And her CSA, has become so popular today, that typically it always has a waiting list.
Avtar Madan
Himanshu
Shree Lahiri
