perpetual motion by dale hemmila rhonda jones Rhonda Jones may not be in perpetual motion, but if you blink you might miss her as she whizzes by. She works full-time in Corporate America, is the owner of a second business, and is the new owner of two St. Clair County yoga studios. Top that all off with a husband and family and you have one very busy woman. About her busy life she said: “I always have to be doing something.” It’s because of that drive, her business success and her commitment to giving back to her community that she has been named <strong>Blue</strong> <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Woman</strong> Entrepreneur of the Year. Her professional career includes more than 20 years as a sales team leader for Detroit Chemical and Paper Supply Company, which provides sanitation and cleaning supplies to various industries. In 2010 she opened her own business called Wellness by Prevention, which provides infection control equipment to long-term care facilities. Then in 2015 she opened Happy Dog Yoga Studio in Port Huron and a few months later a companion facility in St. Clair. “Rhonda is a fiercely hard worker and entrepreneur,” said her nominator Suzi Straffon. “We all say ‘If you want something done, get Rhonda to do it.’ Sheer grit and determination are the reasons for Rhonda’s success.” It was determination that led her to open Happy Dog Yoga Studio, the first dedicated facility of its kind in St. Clair County. “That yoga studio came about because we hadn’t had a yoga studio here and I got tired of travelling to other studios,” Jones said. “I came home one day and said if someone doesn’t open a studio, I am and shortly after that we signed the lease for the space.” Located on Krafft Road in Port Huron, the original Happy Dog Studio has been successful from the beginning. “The response has been incredible,” she said. “We opened with one teacher and now we have 14 teachers and the client base keeps growing.” Not only is the studio itself unique but so is the way she manages its cash flow. Jones said she didn’t open the studio to make money but instead to have a place for her and other Yoga enthusiasts to go. So any funds the studio makes are recycled back into the community. She has made donations to the Angels of Hope Foundation, which provides financial assistance and programs to children and parents with minor children battling cancer, anywhere in Michigan. She also supports Stiggys Dogs, which rescues and trains shelter dogs to be service dogs for military veterans living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or Traumatic Brain Injury. In addition, Special Dreams Farm in St. Clair, a working farm for adults with developmental disabilities and Mid-City Nutrition soup kitchen in Port Huron are among other non-profits supported. Recently, Jones and her daughters, Georgia and Hannah, reached beyond Michigan to volunteer and donate athletic equipment and clothes to the Barrio Planta Project in Nicaragua, which supports the children and youth in the city of San Juan del Sur with free supplementary schooling and activities. Their volunteer endeavors were all funded by Happy Dog’s summerlong beach yoga program. “It was a life changing trip and we plan to do it again,” she said. “To go down there and step out of our norm and work with those kids—life changing.” So while some people may sit on the sidelines of life, Rhoda Jones has been motivated to do what she can, where she can, when she can as a business person, entrepreneur and humanitarian. “I just want to try everything,” she said. “I tell my girls you have the opportunity to do anything and you only live once so why not give everything a try.” 10 SPRING <strong>2017</strong> <strong>Blue</strong><strong>Water</strong><strong>Woman</strong>.com
SPRING <strong>2017</strong> <strong>Blue</strong><strong>Water</strong><strong>Woman</strong>.com 11