Success Story: Whiz Kids

Whiz Kids: A Triumph of Innovation in San Luis Obispo

Location: Central Valley | San Luis Obispo County | San Luis Obispo

Business Type: Retail, Toy Store

Small Business Center: Central California SBDC Network

Assistance Received: Training, Consulting

Visit Whiz Kids online

In the picturesque town of San Luis Obispo, California, a small but mighty business named Whiz Kids has become the talk of the town. Founded and led by Lesa Smith, this women-owned business has not only captured the hearts of locals but has also conquered the challenges that came with the digital age.
Whiz Kids started as a boutique store that offered unique and educational toys for children. Lesa, a passionate entrepreneur, envisioned creating a space where parents could find toys that not only entertained but also stimulated their children’s minds.

However, with the onset of the pandemic and the shift towards the digital realm, Lesa realized the need to adapt to the changing landscape. The once-thriving local business faced a new challenge: establishing a strong online presence. Lesa understood that having a website was no longer a luxury but a necessity for sustaining and expanding the business.

Despite the challenges, Lesa approached the transition with determination and an innovative mindset. She invested time in learning about website development, sought advice from industry experts with her local Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Whiz Kids embarked on a digital transformation journey, ensuring that their online presence mirrored the warmth and uniqueness of their physical store.

The website launch marked a turning point for Whiz Kids. Customers, both local and from afar, now had the convenience of browsing and purchasing their favorite toys from the comfort of their homes.

Lesa’s commitment to embracing change and her team’s dedication to delivering exceptional customer experiences have paid off. Whiz Kids not only survived the challenges posed by the digital shift but thrived in the online marketplace.

Updated: 12/14/2023

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Danetta Jackson
Statewide Supplier Diversity Program Manager

As Statewide Supplier Diversity Program Manager within the California Department of General Services (DGS) Procurement Division (PD), Danetta Jackson is a member of the PD executive team focused on developing and implementing statewide strategic objectives, supported by data to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in state contracting. In Jackson’s previous role as the state’s Business Outreach Program Manager for 13 years, she oversaw outreach engagement strategies, external partnerships, communications, state contracting goal compliance, as well as the department’s Small Business Advisory Council. Ms. Jackson has over 30 years of public service.

Jackson is a passionate leader committed to breaking down barriers in state contracting for California’s diverse small business sector and finding ways to create more opportunities for underrepresented, marginalized micro businesses. She has formed strategic collaborations with diverse business organizations throughout the state at the private, local, state, and federal levels and has led other government entities in the development of their respective supplier diversity programs. In September 2021, Jackson was influential in the University of California’s (UC) adoption of their 25 percent diverse business contracting goal and development of their Small Business First Program and certification reciprocity partnership with DGS.

Since Jackson has assumed her leadership role in supplier diversity, she is co-leading the development and implementation of a comprehensive technical assistance and training program to help diverse small and disabled veteran businesses navigate the state’s contracting process specific to procurement and bidding requirements that will launch in the Fall of 2023. In April 2022, she led the implementation of a voluntary supplier diversity data collection in the state’s Cal eProcure system aimed to capture the demographics of state bidders and suppliers that will help inform where outreach and support is needed among various communities.

Jackson serves on various collaborative workgroups, such as the UC Supplier Diversity Advisory Council, Governor’s Minority Small Business Procurement Task Force, California Statewide Coalition on Diversity Initiatives, and the Health in all Policies Task Force. Jackson’s education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from CSU, Sacramento and certificate in their Management and Executive Leadership Programs. Jackson currently serves as a subject matter expert panelist on the Source Diverse Source Local Initiative administered by California Office of the Small Business Advocate.

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Gurbax Sahota
President & Chief Executive Officer,
California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED)

Gurbax Sahota has led the California Association for Local Economic Development (CALED) – California’s largest economic development association – for the last ten years and believes in the importance and need to collaborate and create meaningful partnerships in order to accomplish the goal of creating healthy, wealthy communities. She turns this belief into action by bringing together and leading multiple organizations aligned with the goal of helping businesses thrive in order to create economic opportunity for California’s residents. Gurbax holds senior positions with CALED, the California Academy for Economic Development, and the California Enterprise Development Authority. She uses her commitment to thoughtful leadership and organizational knowledge, as well as collaboration with her 800 economic development member peers throughout California, to support the start, growth and sustainability of private enterprise in California.

Having worked her way up through CALED, Gurbax has either worked on, created, or had a significant role in most of the organization’s successes over the past two decades including the creation of key tools to support economic development in California. Most notably, she:

Originated and implemented the creation of meaningful publications with practitioner-based best practices to support economic development in California, including:
- The Economic Development Recovery and Resiliency Guide
- Growing Thriving Rural Economic Development Corporations
- Primer on California’s New Tax Increment Financing Tools
- California Rural Infrastructure Financing Guide

Led the development & launch of a California-specific Economic Development Certification – the Accredited California Economic Developer Certification (ACE), which includes a focus on entrepreneurship as an economic development strategy.
Fostered the growth of the California Enterprise Development Authority (CEDA) by building and maintaining relationships with strategic business partners to support financing for growing California manufacturers and nonprofits.
Created a strategic and effective approach that has led to multiple legislative successes to support the work local economic developers do to grow the economy.

As CALED’s President & CEO, she is focused on helping communities as they adapt their economic development strategies to stay ahead of the a changing economy as well as on building strategic partnerships to promote the value of economic development. Gurbax believes by creating a stronger voice for economic developers at the state and local level, she can share and champion practical solutions that grow the economy in a way that creates opportunity for all.

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Jason Paguio

Jason Paguio is the President and CEO of the Asian Business Association San Diego and the Asian Business Association Foundation. Jason was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs and by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria to the City of San Diego Small Business Advisory Board and the Asian Pacific Islander Advisory Group. As a recognized leader, Jason brings vision and expertise across a multiplicity of sectors, including development of minority-owned business; establishment and coordination of high-impact multi-agency collaborative efforts; advocacy for the state’s many diverse communities; and first-hand experience as a first-generation Filipino-American.

Since leading the Asian Business Association organizations, Jason has grown them to their largest in more than 30 years, expanding their collective impact through community-based outreach and partnerships while more than tripling its office size to provide a free cultural co-working hub for local Asian and Pacific Islander nonprofits. In 2021, Jason helped to formally designate the Convoy District in Kearny Mesa as the “Pan Asian Cultural and Business Innovation District” in the City of San Diego.

In an historic effort, Jason partnered to establish the Strategic Alliance, comprised of San Diego’s three largest ethnic chambers of commerce: the San Diego County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the County of San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce and Asian Business Association. As the Strategic Alliance, this trio of agencies operate as the Alliance Small Business Development Center (SBDC), focusing on delivering a comprehensive array of services to minority-owned small businesses. Focusing on economic equity for the region’s underserved communities, Jason led his organization through the recent pandemic by assisting thousands of minority-owned small businesses, helping them receive no-cost technical assistance and tens-of-millions of dollars in COVID-19 disaster relief capital.

Jason’s additional civic commitments include the Board of Directors, NTC Foundation (Arts District Liberty Station), LEAD San Diego, San Diego Community Housing Corporation, and serving as a volunteer member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. He is a resident of Coronado and serves on the City of Coronado Mobility Commission.

Jason was twice named “CEO of the Year" by the San Diego Business Journal and the youngest person recognized as one of "San Diego's 500 Most Influential People''.

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Lorraine Salazar

Lorraine Salazar and her brother Karl are 3rd generation partners of Sal’s Mexican Restaurants, “A Valley Tradition Since 1942.” The family business was started by their father Sal who wanted a better life for his family than he could provide working in the fields picking peaches.

From a young age, Lorraine learned the basics—and the hard work—of operating a small business working alongside her father and grandparents preparing her grandmother’s signature recipes in the kitchen, sweeping the floors and working the cook line preparing orders for the restaurant guests.

Her father also taught her to value higher education, something denied to him because he worked in the fields and started Sal’s Place when he was just 17. He encouraged Lorraine to pursue her studies and she graduated from UCLA (Class 1982), expecting to continue on to law school. Her father’s illness and death intervened and she returned to help manage the family business.

Celebrating 80 years in business in 2022, Sal’s employed 150 dedicated team members in three restaurants before the Coronavirus crisis. Lorraine’s son Aaron, and Karl’s two oldest sons, Sal and Roman and daughter Karly, are also active in the business.

Lorraine’s passion for the culinary history of Mexican cuisine led her to pursue yearly travels to various states in Mexico learning to cook the specialty foods of that region from local chefs and home cooks. She is proud to have trained with acclaimed chefs Rick Bayless (Oaxaca, Veracuz, Mexico City); Diane Kennedy (Michoacan); Susana Trilling, (Oaxaca); Patricia Quintana (Mexico City and Puebla); and both Roberto Santibanez and Ricardo Munoz Zurita (Mexico City, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Yucatan, Campeche, Guanajuato and Morelos). Seasonal menu items are inspired by her travels.

Lorraine and Karl are the recipients of the 2017 California Faces of Diversity by the California Restaurant Association. Lorraine was named “California Restaurant Association Fresno Chapter Restaurateur of the Year” in April 2011 and March 2018. The Madera Hispanic Chamber in 1997 named her “Business Woman of the Year.” Sal’s Mexican Restaurants received the 2001 California Small Business Award and is recipient of numerous California Restaurant Association “Best of the Valley” and Fresno Bee “People’s Choice” awards.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Lorraine to The California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley in 2005. She served as co-convener of The Partnership’s Higher Education and Workforce Development Group. Former Fresno Mayor Lee Brand appointed her to his Mayoral Transition Team in 2016 and she served as co-chair of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee. In 2017, she was appointed to serve on the Foundation Board of Governors for California State University, Fresno. She is humbled to be honored as one of the Top 10 Professional Women for 2022 by the Marjoree Mason Center.

Lorraine is a Past Chairperson of the California Restaurant Association (CRA) State Board. She served as past Chairperson of the CRA Political Action Committee and a board member of both the California and Fresno Restaurant Associations for over 20 years. Lorraine served as the 2015 Chairwoman for the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce and as the Chair of the Chamber PAC. As a spokesperson for CRA and the National Federation of Independent Business, Lorraine advocates on behalf of small business concerns in both Sacramento and Washington D.C.

Lorraine’s varied interests include culinary and wine travel, relaxing on any beach, attending concerts, movies, professional sports and especially, enjoying time with her husband Tom, and three grandsons, Ethan, Tyler and Landon.

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Vera Moore

Vera Moore has been an advocate for communities of color and low- and moderate- income communities her entire career. With nearly 15 years of experience in the private and public sectors, Vera is a Senior Vice President in Citi’s Community Investing and Development function. In this role, Vera oversees the West Community Relations team and is responsible for building authentic relationships with key stakeholders and connecting Citi’s people, expertise, resources, products and services to help expand equitable opportunities for all.

Prior to joining Citi, Vera served as the California Community Engagement Market Manager for JPMorgan Chase. Vera had a significant role in the firm’s commitment to invest $75 million in the Bay Area through its AdvancingCities initiative — a five-year, $500 million effort to create greater economic opportunity nationwide.

Vera held several leadership roles at national nonprofit organizations prior to joining the private sector. She served as the Director of the Urban Youth Empowerment Program at the National Urban League where she oversaw a $10 million workforce development, education, and training program for underserved youth and adults living in high-poverty, high-crime communities nationwide. Vera also managed the Consulting and Technical Assistance Division at Seedco, where she provided capacity building services to foundations, government agencies and nonprofit organizations focused on workforce development, asset building and work supports.

A former Manhattan Borough President’s Office Community Planning Fellow, Vera holds a Master’s of Urban Planning from New York University and a Bachelor’s of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2015, Vera completed a competitive fellowship with Coro Leadership New York. She also completed the African American Board Leadership Institute’s Board Leadership Program in 2018 and the Fresno Housing Policy Leadership Academy Program in 2020. Vera is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., on the Coro Northern California Board of Directors, and recently joined Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s Women’s Leadership Council, dedicated to guiding and ensuring the success of aspiring women entrepreneurs in the Bay Area.

For her courageous commitment to nonprofit organizations, Vera has been recognized as a Community Reinvestment Visionary of the Year by ASIAN, Inc., a Powerful Woman of the Bay Area by Black Women Organized for Political Action and the Training Institute for Leadership Enrichment, and a Corporate Leader by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. and the National Urban League. She also joined the San Francisco Business Times - 40 Under 40 Class of 2021.

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Success Story: Whiz Kids

Whiz Kids: A Triumph of Innovation in San Luis Obispo

Lenny Mendonca

Maria S. Salinas

Gurinder S. Ahluwalia