Adaptive Jean Designer Receives Major Grant to Boost Production

By Kelly Rouba

Model and reality TV star, Angela Rockwood in ABL Denim

Jeans Offer Unique Features for Individuals with Mobility and Sensory Issues

LOS ANGELES, CA- ABL Denim recently received $250,000 through Mission Main Street Grants to further production and marketing of its line of premium adaptive jeans for men, women, and children.

“It was quite an honor to be selected as a grant recipient,” said Stephanie Alves, founder and owner of ABL Denim. “The grant has been received. We’ve since been able to provide faster delivery, as I am now able to produce small production runs with factories in Los Angeles that can meet greater demands as we grow.”

Alves was one of 35,000 small business owners who competed for a share of $3 million in grants from Chase. ABL Denim was one of only 12 businesses selected. Winners were also invited to Google’s headquarters in California to participate in a marketing workshop.

Memorial Day: Red, White and Blue Salad

By Robyn Keller

I thought, since Memorial Day was this weekend, I would try to find a recipe that would be great for a picnic, but also follow a patriotic theme. I looked around and found this salad that I thought would be perfect once I added a few ingredients.  It’s a spinach salad with strawberries, blueberries and feta. Can you see where I’m going with the Red, White and Blue? Spinach is a great source of Vitamin C and A,  and it is loaded with flavonoids, which act as antioxidants, protecting the body from free radicals. Plus we are adding strawberries and blueberries, which are also loaded with fiber, potassium, and Vitamin C.  So this salad is not only delicious, it’s GOOD for you!! 

mobileWOMAN Bethany Hoppe's TEDx Nashville Speech

By Bethany Hoppe

One of the items on my “Bucket List” included speaking for a TEDx Event.  That amazing dream came true this past March when I spoke on behalf of women with disabilities at the TEDxNashville Conference, March 22^nd, 2014. 

As a professor of Communication Studies, I guide hundreds of nervous students through the public speaking process every semester.  And even though I have delivered many speeches, conducted workshops, served as a Keynote, and facilitated seminars…the icing on the speaking experience being connected to TED gave me a small dose of what my nervous students go through! 

Journeying through the process, I found that I was changing how I go about speech development that seemed un-natural to me, which ultimately became one of the greatest learning lessons for me to learn while advocating on such a platform.  All competitions tell you to be yourself – whether you’re in a speech debate, pageantry, or running for an office – and it couldn't be more true statement.