Creating Impact Beyond Business
By Terry Ward | CEO & Publisher
Welcome to the May edition of Kitsap Business, where we continue to celebrate the innovative entrepreneurs who make our region a hub of creativity, compassion, and connection.
This month’s featured stories showcase a powerful theme: businesses built not just to succeed financially, but to create meaningful impact in their communities and beyond. From Silverdale to Port Orchard, from Bainbridge Island to Poulsbo, our local entrepreneurs are demonstrating that business can be a force for positive change.
Lisa Stirrett’s journey from home-based artist to global changemaker exemplifies this spirit. Through her nonprofit Creative Warriors, she’s helping women in Burkina Faso build businesses and transform their communities, proving that the entrepreneurial mindset knows no boundaries. Her story reminds us that sometimes our greatest business inspirations come when we ask, “What can I do for others?” rather than “What can I do for myself?”
In Port Orchard, Andreas Zellweger and Barb Alaina Burck have created more than just a grocery store. Good Stuff Grocery embodies their belief that quality food should be accessible to everyone, regardless of income level. Their commitment to building human connection in an increasingly disconnected retail world shows how business can nurture community one conversation at a time.
Drew Fiscus’s Anchor Drink Systems demonstrates that innovation often springs from personal frustration. His magnetic beverage holders—born from a middle-of-the-night inspiration after one too many spilled drinks—shows how local inventors can turn everyday problems into elegant solutions, involving family in the creative process along the way.
Perhaps most inspiring is Sandra Rocha Evanoff’s work with Brasil Comes to You. Her journey from a remote Brazilian village to becoming a Poulsbo-based chef and advocate for food security illustrates how our personal stories can shape business missions that reach far beyond profit margins. By using food as a universal language, she’s building bridges between cultures and fighting hunger locally and globally.
What strikes me about these stories is how each entrepreneur has found ways to infuse their business with deeper purpose. They’re not just selling products or services—they’re creating experiences, building relationships, and addressing real needs in our community and beyond.
As we move further into 2025, Kitsap Business remains committed to highlighting these purpose-driven enterprises that show how business success and social impact can grow together. Because when businesses are built on authentic values and genuine connection, they create ripples that extend far beyond their balance sheets.
Here’s to the entrepreneurs who are using business as a canvas for creating a better world, starting right here in Kitsap County.
Terry Ward
Publisher, Kitsap Business
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