ALFRED POMERLEAU

Alfred was raised on a farm where his family grew the food they ate. This experience gave him a deep appreciation of the connection from earth to table and the taste of fresh naturally grown produce. He has been involved most of his adult life in maintaining his own health through nutrition and lifestyle. Alfred is a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of Oriental Medicine, which adds depth to his commitment for maintaining health through natural means.

WHAT COURSES HAVE YOU TAKEN OR ARE YOU CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN?

I took Mike Kaufman and David Ryal class, “Developing Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs”, in January of 2008. This is where the basic business plan and clarification of the vision for the Ascending Health Juicery happened.

Prior to the Entrepreneur class I took one introductory course in QuickBooks. This was to help me with my bookkeeping for the clinic.

CAN YOU SHARE A FAVORITE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE?

The anecdotes that both Mike and Dave delivered during the class maintained a wonderful sense of personal sharing and also good humor. The classroom hours, even though late at night, whizzed by and when I went home I felt like I learned something and remained excited at the development of the business. Also hearing the plans and entrepreneurial undertakings of the other students was inspiring.

TELL US YOUR “STORY” ABOUT HOW YOU STARTED A BUSINESS. BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS AND TELL US ABOUT YOUR GOALS.

I have always felt that what we do or do not consume on a daily basis is one of the most powerful determinants of health. Fresh press organic juices provides a source of nutrients we can consume daily that is 100% beneficial, has no side effects, and acts as medicine to heal.

Having had the personal experience of drinking juice to correct my own health I decided to prescribe it to my patients. Because they did not have a ready source of the quality of fresh juice, I decided to make it for them, with Deb’s encouragement.

The results with my patients who followed a juice fast were quick and remarkable. Not only did the “disease” clear but other discomforts and ailments also disappeared. With Deb’s encouragement and agreement to partner with me, the Juicery was born! Our desire to lead the community to good health and wellness seemed to provide us with a sound business concept.

WHO IS YOUR ENTREPRENEUR HERO?

I have several:  Yvon Chouinard-Founder of Patagonia, Barack Obama-US President, Ted Turner-Turner Enterprises, Arnold Schwarzenegger-Spectrum Gym & CA’s govenor, Ben & Jerry-Founders of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Roberto Najera-Fonder and owner of Anacapa Concrete, Max Gerson-Gerson Medical Clinics, Steve Jobs-Apple, and Bill Gates-Microsoft.

DEB MONROE

Deb received her degree in the sciences.  After college, life became motherhood and a work out in the adult world, with jobs ranging from Account Executive for a floral company to owning a small landscape and gardening business.  More recently, with her daughter grown, Deb was attracted back to the classroom with an avid interest in accounting.  She now plans her life in ways that will not only allow her to reach financial goals, but also balance:  time needed to slow down, travel and do things she really enjoys.

WHAT COURSES HAVE YOU TAKEN OR ARE YOU CURRENTLY ENROLLED IN?

At SBCC, I have taken Intro to Accounting,  Business Accounting and Managerial Accounting.

CAN YOU SHARE A FAVORITE CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE?

Helping other students is always my favorite classroom experience.

TELL US YOUR “STORY” ABOUT HOW YOU STARTED A BUSINESS. BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR BUSINESS AND TELL US ABOUT YOUR GOALS.

I met Alfred and realized we both shared a strong affinity for very healthy foods.  He introduced me to a fresh, organic juice he was making for himself, and it tasted wonderful and felt amazingly good for the body.  He had already been thinking about how to create a business whereby he could offer this juice to the community.  I was studying accounting and working partly as a bookkeeper at the time. His knowledge of health, my knowledge of record keeping, our mutual love of health food and a shared desire to build something promising for our futures led to the creation of Ascending Health Juicery.  My goal (our goal) is to create a thriving business that serves us, the community and the planet all at the same time.  We both desire this business to grow to a point whereby we do not have to take part all the time in day-to-day operations.

WHO IS YOUR ENTREPRENEUR HERO?

When I think of our business and what I would like it to be, I often think about Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and how they started out.  I also greatly admire the magician–like capabilities of people like Tony Robbins.