Melody Biringer knows retail. A skilled entrepreneur, Melody started her career at age 18 by masterfully marketing her family’s berries into more than 50 gourmet food products. Her work made Biringer Farm a household name, and prompted Melody to open a retail shop in Seattle’s Pike Street Market that she owned for 15 years. Melody dreams big and she knows that you do too. Today she makes it her mission to help aspiring business owners realize their dreams. Melody brought the nationally renowned Ladies Who Launch to three cites, and is a leader of the group’s popular incubator sessions that promote entrepreneurship as a lifestyle. Melody is also the founder Startup Junkie, an entrepreneurial education and services company providing women with the tools and know-how needed to help their businesses soar. As the author and publisher of the popular CRAVE guidebooks, Melody has built strong relationships with retailers throughout the Northwest. She knows who’s-who and what’s-what in the industry. Melody believes in passionately supporting locally owned businesses and knows that those independent retailers add depth and character to our communities. Melody’s skills and business endeavors has earned her accolades in places like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Lucky magazine, and The Puget Sound Business Journal’s coveted “40 Under 40” list.

Ericka brings a diverse array of event planning, marketing and promotional experience to each Crave Party in Portland to ensure success for the local boutiques and designers that she partners with. As a special event expert specializing in connecting like minded individuals, Ericka launched Social Enterprises, Inc. in 1997 - an events planning and promotions business created to raise funds for Bay Area charities. She used her passion for events and expertise in driving revenue to help local nonprofits raise money through special events for important charity programs. Ericka gains her best experience from the "internet boom" in San Francisco driving revenue and marketing programs for companies like AOL/Oxygen Media, Doubleclick, SmartPlanet (Ziff Davis University) and CNET Networks. She has done extensive volunteer work planning events as a Board Member for the Seattle Direct Marketing Association, the American Marketing Association/Portland, San Francisco Women on the Web and the American Cancer Society/San Francisco. She now resides in Portland and is a "mama-praneur" with two daughters under the age of 2 that keep her running.