MEET ANN STETTNER CHARLES

Ann Stettner Charles was born in Manhattan, but moved with her parents to an old farm in upstate New York when she was 10 years old. She spent the remainder of her elementary and high school years there and then left to attend Colgate University, where she majored in literature and psychology. She returned to Manhattan after college and like many young people, she pursued a corporate career. After a successful career in Television and Sports Marketing, in 1995 Ann was ready for a lifestyle change. As luck or fate would have it, the sports marketing firm where she was employed was sold and Ann decided to pursue a long-held dream of taking a trip around the world. For eight months she traveled alone through Asia and Africa, stopping for a few weeks in Europe at the end of her trip to visit friends.


Ann Stettner Charles and her daughter Olivia

When she arrived back in New York in 1996, she had a big decision to make. Would she continue on the path of an executive in Sports Marketing or would she go off and try something entrepreneurial? Ann comes from a family of entrepreneurs. Her mother and father gave up careers in Manhattan in the 1970s to move to a farm, so it seemed like a natural thing to do.

It just so happened that Ann's mother, who had started a food company called "Wild Thymes" in the late 1980s, wanted to re-launch her company and add a completely new line of products. She approached Ann about partnering with her to undertake this new direction and to market the new line. They came to the realization that they would be a great team. They are both creative cooks; Ann's mom had the manufacturing experience and Ann had the marketing and sales experience necessary to build the business to the next level.

It was at this crossroads that Ann met her husband-to-be, Neil. Neil encouraged Ann to go into business with her mother. He felt that the only way Ann would have flexibility in her life was if she was an entrepreneur. This was her opportunity to have her own business. She took Neil's advice and with some consulting help from him, they re-launched Wild Thymes.

Together they redefined the company, developed a new look for the label, and introduced an entirely new product line consisting of chutneys, dipping sauces, marinades, vinaigrettes, salad refreshers, and cranberry sauces.

Two years later, in 1999, Ann and Neil (now married) moved to Clinton Hollow and never looked back. Ann runs the marketing side of the business from her home office, including all marketing, sales and PR, website and catalog development, and recipe development. All manufacturing is still done about 1 hour from Clinton under the watchful eye of Ann's mother. With the business up and running, Neil started his own venture, a commercial and residential real estate company, based out of their home. Now he too enjoys the benefits of entrepreneurship.

As a full-time resident of Clinton, Ann has actively contributed to the effort to manage growth in town. In 2005-2006, she helped to spearhead a group of concerned citizens who were uniting to stop a development on Schoolhouse Road. With the limited free time she has, she continues to support efforts to curb unmanaged growth in Clinton. With much on her plate, she also strives to spend quality time with her 3 year old daughter, Olivia, and husband, Neil.

Written by Sarah Stoutenbergh

 

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To meet Ray Bawol click here
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