It’s not hard to see that that we are living in a particularly challenging economic and political environment, and for small businesses in Marin, there have been no shortage of hurdles. Here at 270 Media (the publisher of Marin Magazine), we have felt this as much as any other small business, so were inspired to hold an event to explore how five local leaders have coped, and thrived, over recent difficult years. Nikki N. Wood, 270 Media co-founder, explained: “Like all of you, we’re navigating today’s economic and political landscape. We thought it would be valuable to bring people together — seasoned, successful business leaders — to share their insights and experiences.”
The Navigating Business Through Challenging Economic Times event took place on June 5th at 2330 Marinship Way in Sausalito, with food provided by Corner Bar and Bungalow 44. The panel was moderated by Blair LaCorte, Managing Director of LaCorte Ventures, who has also held executive roles at Texas Pacific Group, Aexojet, Vertical Net, Savvy Technologies, Autodesk, and Sun Microsystems. He is also Vice Chairman of the Buck Institute. He’s been named Innovator of the Year by NASA, and is even an astronaut-in-training with Virgin Galactic.
Le Corte explained that one of his passions is coaching and social groups, through which he came to know the panel, bringing together transformative business leaders to help foster a senes of community. “At the Buck Institute, we’ve studied how community, purpose, and relationships are the top drivers of health span — not just diet or exercise,” he said. “Business thrives the same way: through collaboration.”
In addition, the panel included David Irmer, President and Founder of The Innisfree Companies, Susan Griffin Black, Co-CEO and Co-founder of EO Products, Warren Gendel Co-founder and CEO of Club Evexia, and Urban Carmel, Co-founder of The Carmel Group and former mayor of Mill Valley. Each panelist shared a career highlight and a moment when they faced adversity, how they adapted and what they learned.
Tackling Challenges
A common theme among many of the panelists was how they overcome the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic. They were surprisingly positive about it, with some expressing how adversity helped push them to succeed.
For Susan Griffin Black, COVID seemed like it might actually help her business, as the pandemic provided the opportunity for a pivot to producing hand sanitizer. EO Products had humble beginnings 30 years ago in a garage, where Susan and her partner worked to create safe, healthy products for families. Business thrived during COVID with the move towards hand sanitizer, but when demand plummeted, the company got stuck with excess inventory. Despite these challenges, they never strayed from their motto: “Be makers, not marketers,” and it eventually paid off. A packaging supplier extended $2M in credit, allowing them to not only continue to thrive, but to give back by donating pallets to communities in need. With this they learned the value of relationships, and staying true to your mission, even when scaling.
Panelist Warren Gendel explained how Club Evexia was formed from motivation generated by the challenges of the COVID pandemic. He’s launched four fitness startups, including everything from selling used gym equipment to founding Courage Fitness (a kids’ circuit-training franchise). “When COVID hit, we doubled down on our passion and opened Club Evexia, a social wellness club,” in a vacant building,” Gendel explained. “Today, we have 1,800 members and a waitlist.”
Urban Carmel told of his time as mayor of Mill Valley and how he helped encourage small businesses to thrive. “As a city official, my goal was to make Mill Valley the easiest place to open a business,” he explained. “We streamlined permits, removed parking mandates (a first in Marin County!), and revitalized downtown to compete with Amazon. During COVID, we refinanced city debt at 1.7% interest—freeing up $4M for infrastructure. Volatility creates opportunity.” His advice? “Focus on what you can control.”
Taking the Long View
David Irmer shared insight on his extensive career in real estate. From groundbreaking residential projects to commercial developments, his 60+ year career revolutionized Marin County’s landscape. “As a real estate developer since 1960, my focus has been on staying true to my values while adapting to changing times,” he explained. One of his most definitive moments was his work on the Tiburon Waterfront Project, which would come to shap the town as it is today. “In 1983, the Southern Pacific Railroad approached me about revitalizing a derelict 55-acre site in Tiburon. Despite community pushback (“No more traffic!”), we held town meetings, refined the vision, and won approval by just six votes. Then the 1980s market crashed — but we secured financing through a consortium of smaller lenders. Today, that site is a thriving waterfront community.” His advice: “You can’t control the market, but you can control how you engage your community. Listen, adapt, but never abandon your vision.”
The common thread found with each of these leaders was that they choose to start with their values, not to focus on external chaos.
