Local businesses honored by Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce

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The Santa Barbara area company was started in 1996, and it has been the company’s goal, ever since, to “be a real estate company that gave back to the community,” said company owner Renee Grubb, who accepted the award. She noted Village Properties has donated to schools and eventually started a program called the Teacher’s Fund, which was created to help Santa Barbara County teachers get the tools and materials they need for their classrooms and their students.

Over the years, Village Properties has donated $2 million to Santa Barbara public and private school teachers. In the years recovering from COVID19, Village Properties has also worked with the Chamber of Commerce to provide critical data about the housing market, giving significant help to the community.

The Small Business of the Year award was presented to JR Bookkeeping, which was started in 2012 by sisters Juliana and Natalia Ramirez, who are very passionate about supporting and investing in the community — which they recognize as the reason for their success. They started their business in their living room and now serve Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, celebrating their 10-year anniversary last April.

In the past 10 years, Juliana and Natalia have employed more than 40 individuals, the majority of whom have been women, and several have gone on to start bookkeeping businesses of their own.

JR Bookkeeping enjoys giving back to the community through several local organizations that were instrumental in their success in the early years.

The Entrepreneur of the Year award was given to Kyanna Isaacson, which she says is her greatest achievement. Mrs.