FINDING AND OFFERING HEALTH IN TOOELE COUNTY

Over 20 years ago, Melanie Skelton of Tooele faced the battle of her life with cancer. In her struggle to change to a healthier lifestyle, she became aware of herbs and alternative therapies, which proved invaluable to her. After winning her fight with cancer and gaining new appreciation for healthy living, she be-gan seeking ways to help others better support their health and improve their lives. SkinTastic Creations was born in her home. It was there that Melanie became a master herbalist and developed Auminay Naturals, her own product line of herbal-infused skin-care products for a healthier lifestyle.

In 2017, working with the Tooele Valley SBDC, Melanie and her husband Dale opened Melanie’s Health and Nutrition as a two-person operation. It was the first natural remedies and herbal store in Tooele County. Today, Melanie, Dale, and their staff of eight love serving the Tooele Valley community, providing health and wellness classes and manufacturing the Auminay product line. They offer these and other products online and through their brick-and-mortar store, helping to empower people to be healthier.

Reflecting on the long journey that has brought them to this point, Melanie attributes her success to working with the SBDC.

“If it were not for the SBDC, I wouldn’t have a business,” Mel-anie said. “It was the SBDC that taught me the steps I needed to take at each stage of my business and who supported me in tak-ing them. They brought me to the triggering point to seek funding and open my store. The SBDC provided training and introduced me to the Goldman Sach’s 10,000 Businesses Program, where I learned to scale and grow my business even more. It’s Jess at the SBDC who continues to show me how to implement the principles and practices I’m learning today.”