The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Jessica Young
Rani and I met while helping to found a charter school in Buffalo, where we quickly realized we shared a love for working with children and families. As educators and parents, we wanted to create the kind of safe, welcoming space we wished we had when our own children were younger. Read more>>
Alka Sheladia
I started my healthcare journey working as a nurse on a medical-surgical floor. I learned so much during those years, but I also started noticing something that stayed with me. Read more>>
David Tsai
Teaching and working with children have always held a special place in my heart. Read more>>
Edward Martinez
The Architect of First Impressions and Foundations: The Edward Martinez Story Every great venture is built on two things: recognizing a gap before anyone else does, and having the relentless drive to out-work the room. For Edward Martinez, success wasn’t handed over; it was engineered through a masterclass in grit, high-stakes execution, and an innate understanding of how to build value. Read more>>
Honey Meerzon
My entrepreneurial story started with a strong foundation in finance. I earned my degree in Accountancy from Rutgers University and later earned my Master’s in Taxation from the University of Tulsa. In 2000, I took that education and opened HDN Accounting Group, where I prepared tax returns and worked directly with clients. Read more>>
Chelsey Hoelz
When my son started playing sports, I quickly realized just how expensive photography packages could be. As a single mom with a severe case of the “how hard could it be?” mentality, I decided I would learn to take my own photos so I could get the shots I really wanted without having to pay someone else to do it. Read more>>
Alegra Brianna
Alegra’s passion for fashion began at just seven years old, when her older brother turned to her for outfit advice. That early spark grew into a lifelong pursuit of understanding the relationship between style, confidence, and identity. Read more>>
Vanya Wadhwa
Adventure Paws really started long before there was ever even a business plan. I’ve always felt drawn to animals and gradually ended up gaining years of experience working with and fostering dogs, especially senior (and often ill) Great Pyrenees dogs. Read more>>
Amna Afsheen
My journey has been anything but traditional. I actually began my professional life in aviation, earning a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Technology from the College of Aeronautics in New York and obtaining my FAA Airframe and Powerplant license. While that background taught me discipline, precision, and the importance of continuous learning, my career eventually took me in a completely different direction—into the beauty industry. Read more>>
Tony Falardo
I was born in the Bronx and raised in Yonkers, New York. In 2019, I opened Rascos Pizza in Edgewater, New Jersey. The name honors my father, Richie “Rasco,” so the business has always meant more to me than simply owning a pizzeria. It represents family, sacrifice, and building something that lasts. I didn’t start with a perfect roadmap. Read more>>
Rosemary DeTrolio RMT
Here’s a bit about my journey and the path that led me to the work I do today. I was an elementary school teacher for 32 years, and I truly loved it. Alongside my teaching career, I began exploring Reiki in 1996, embarking on a journey trained by my Reiki master teacher. Read more>>
James DeSalvo
Back in the days after military service, and after entering New York City Technical College in Brooklyn, NY, I started a long career in the printing industry. This was and still is a wide reaching industry covering straight printing, publishing, advertising, packaging, direct mail and so much more. I took to the technical and operational side of the business to start. Read more>>
Paul Lee, MD
My path to Wynd Psychiatry was less a dramatic leap than a gradual realization. After years of practicing outpatient psychiatry, I saw how difficult it could be for people to find care that felt both clinically thoughtful and genuinely personal. Read more>>
Nina Essel
My path to Balanced Kids has really been a combination of my professional experience and my own experience as a parent. I’m a licensed clinical social worker and educator, and I spent more than a decade working in schools supporting children, families, and teachers. Read more>>
Albert E. Cook Jr.
My entrepreneurial story officially began on paper with a small creative business called “Letter It Special by Al.” I created personalized lettering and designs for people, and although it started simply, it was my first official business. Looking back, the foundation of Mr. Kreative was already there: taking an idea, making it personal and turning it into something another person could enjoy. Read more>>
Keahi Williams-Butler
My story starts with my mother. She was my earliest inspiration for many of the things I’ve done. When I was a child, I first knew her as a writer. I’d watch from over her shoulder as she wrote and revised chapters for her book projects. Read more>>
Jimmy Zuniga
Caf Me If You Can started with a simple idea: create a coffee experience that felt fun, personal, and connected to the community. What began as a mobile coffee cart quickly became much more of an experiment in entrepreneurship. We started popping up throughout Hoboken and Jersey City, serving everything from morning commuters to residential communities, private celebrations, and corporate events. Read more>>
Nanci Iovino
I’m an artist first. Animals have always been an important subject in my work and a way for me to express myself. I’m also an artist educator, and for more than 20 years I’ve worked in the local arts community—as an instructor, studio manager, and someone involved in events, exhibitions, and community programming at museums and other arts institutions. Read more>>
Shirley Wallitsch
Originally from Wyoming, hitchhiked to Ny because of my passion for Art. First stop was in Upstate Ny a art Guild were i began to paint, Came in contact with an artist there that lived in Manhattan, asked if I would like to appretiship with her. basically stretching canvases mixing colors cleaning brushes. Read more>>
Jess Glass
My Mom handed me camera when I was 13 and photography has been a part of my identity ever since. I always dreamt of being a photographer, obsessed over it even. I’m not sure why but people have always been my favorite subject to photograph, so I would spend my free time taking photos of friends. Read more>>
Giovanni DiDomenico
Shop Morris County started as an Instagram page on April 1, 2023. That was it. No website, no team, no plan beyond a simple idea that Morris County deserved a place that actually showed off what was here. We started posting the restaurants, the shops, the events, the little spots people drive past every day and never think to stop at. People responded fast. Read more>>
Anthony Coleman
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. I started in 1986 as a computer operator at the university I was attending, and I liked computers enough that I gave up my business minor and went all out into programming. Mind you, at that time regular people did not have computers. If you had one, you were fairly rich. Read more>>
