Roots and Resilience

Terry Ward

In this edition of the WBJ, we spotlight the kind of resilience, creativity, and heart that define business ownership in North Central Washington — where history meets hustle and where local success stories are built one relationship at a time.

At Antojitos El Chulo in Brewster, Marcia and Jesus Diaz didn’t wait for a perfect moment or a prime location. They opened a specialty coffee and snack shop in a long-vacant movie theater, betting that their community was ready for something new. Turns out, they were right. With boba tea drawing crowds from as far away as Manson and Chelan, the Diaz family is breathing new life into downtown — not just with drinks, but with vision.

In Leavenworth, Jesus Herrera and Roberto Granados are redefining customer service at Icicle Valley Automotive. Since taking over the shop in 2022, they’ve put in long hours, skipped the shortcuts, and built a reputation based on trust. They fix cars — sure — but they also help people get back on the road, literally and figuratively. Their approach isn’t flashy. It’s honest. And in a field where reputation is everything, that’s what keeps the lot full and the phones ringing.

Meanwhile in Cashmere, the scent of fresh bread and maple-glazed donuts still drifts from Sure to Rise Bakery, where Joel and Debbie Lutton have honored nearly eight decades of tradition while gently making the place their own. They didn’t just inherit recipes — they inherited a relationship with the community. The old-timers still gather every Tuesday. The birthday cakes still carry the names of local kids. And the Bigfoot donut now comes in reverse. That’s progress with a wink, and a warm welcome.

And in this month’s Executive Q&A, we profile Aaron Edwards, CEO of Lake Chelan Health. Edwards represents a new generation of rural hospital leadership — pragmatic, collaborative, and deeply invested in the health of the community. Under his leadership, Lake Chelan Health is adding specialty services, modernizing facilities, and finding innovative ways to recruit and retain talent in a time when rural healthcare faces mounting pressure.

The throughline in each of these stories is the same: Resilience, rooted in place. Whether it’s a bakery, a garage, a hospital, or a startup inside a shuttered theater, success here doesn’t come from flash or funding rounds. It comes from showing up, adapting, and serving your neighbors.

In a time when so much of the national conversation feels distant, distracted, and divided, the businesses in this month’s Wenatchee Business Journal remind us of something quieter — but no less powerful. That what you build, and how you build it, matters. That trust still has value. And that the future of our region doesn’t depend on someone else. It depends on all of us.

Terry Ward is the CEO of Ward Media and publisher of the NCW News, Cashmere Valley Record, Lake Chelan Mirror, The Leavenworth Echo, Quad City Herald, and the Wenatchee Business Journal. He can be reached at terry@ward.media.