Wolk honors Suisun City business with strong local roots

Names Teams by Design 8th Assembly District' s Small Business of Year

SACRAMENTO– Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis) today honored Teams by Design of Suisun City as her 8th Assembly District’s Small Business of the Year.

Wolk recognized owner Connie Tualla and her husband Ed Tualla, the business’s co-owner, at the California Small Business Day Luncheon in Sacramento.

“I’m proud to honor a company with such strong roots in Solano County,” said Wolk. “The Tualla’s got their start here. They grew by utilizing local resources like the Solano College Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which provides the tools needed to build a business from the ground floor. Teams by Design is truly a home-grown business.”

The couple started the company in 1999, specializing in custom embroidery and silk screening. They ran the business out of their home in Vacaville until December of 2001, when they opened a store at their current location in Suisun City.

“We wanted to have our own retail storefront,” said Connie. “So we worked with a consultant from SBDC, put together a business and finance plan, and made it happen.”

Things are going well, Connie said, adding that the company just signed a nationwide contract and is due to expand next year.

But it was more than the Tualla’s business savvy that caught Assemblywoman Wolk’s attention.

“The Tualla’s have a strong ethic and a strong sense of community,” she said. “They support the Suisun Little League, the local Boy Scouts. They are active in their local chambers of commerce. They are a model local business.”

“The Tuallas are very active in their community,” said Chuck Eason, the Director of Solano College Small Business Development Center, which offers assistance and counseling to small businesses throughout the county. “I’ve worked with them for nearly two years. They are great clients and big supporters of our program, always there to help other entrepreneurs.”

SBDC is located in Fairfield, and also helps business owners manage and expand their businesses, providing additional jobs in the community.