Adrian spreads his wings

Adrian Dolatschko, who has supported Digital Operations, Marketing, and Program Management at Santa Cruz Works since the summer of 2019, has announced that he will be departing Santa Cruz Works. Adrian will join Royal Dutch Gazelle, a Pon Holdings Company, as a Digital Marketing Specialist. Gazelle is an electric bicycle company from the Netherlands founded in 1892 that produces over 300,000 bicycles annually. Santa Cruz Works highlighted Gazelle’s Santa Cruz offices in a Flash Tour in February 2021.

In 2019, Adrian was a student looking to learn more about local businesses, explore careers, and expand his professional skills and network. Adrian discovered Santa Cruz Works and came on board as an intern to support Santa Cruz Works with digital marketing. He quickly became an employee and his duties evolved to include program management, event management, CRM, digital operations, and grant management. Adrian has enjoyed learning and applying his skills as well as being involved in Santa Cruz Works projects and events.

A standout project that Adrian worked on was Ride Out the Wave, a volunteer campaign built to support Santa Cruz businesses during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ride Out the Wave initially started as a small project to raise $20,000 but received overwhelming community support and ultimately raised an astounding $500,000. 

Adrian is also proud to have been involved in countless projects such as the Impossible...Possible, supported local manufacturers with consultants and resources from California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC) and collaborated with the SBDC to support local businesses. 

For Adrian, the best part of working with Santa Cruz Works has been the community. 

“Getting to know the Santa Cruz tech community has been incredible: the number of businesses out here, and all the unique individual people that are a part of them. Connecting them has been powerful. I am thankful for the last few years with Santa Cruz Works and Doug Erickson because experiences and mentorship like this become a part of you. You evolve through them. The work for the last few years has been impactful because I’ve been able to help so many others. Giving back to the community has been really special. The Santa Cruz Works team and organization are the perfect vehicle for empowering our community.” Adrian Dolatschko

The entire team at Santa Cruz Works would like to congratulate Adrian on his new role and thank Adrian for his invaluable contributions over the last few years. His impact on Santa Cruz Works has been significant and we know that he will continue to achieve great things in his next role! We wish Adrian a smooth transition and the best of luck on his next chapter.

Welcome Malina!

Speaking of transitions, Santa Cruz Works has announced that Malina Long will be joining the Santa Cruz Works team to provide Business Development support. She brings with her a wealth of business, educational, and community connections from her prior role during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic as the Executive Director of Your Future Is Our Business . Your Future Is Our Business is a Santa Cruz County non-profit with the mission of providing every Santa Cruz County student with opportunities to discover a fulfilling and successful career by connecting them to local businesses and professionals. Malina is excited to work with Santa Cruz Works and to continue to interact with the local business community.

“This has been a difficult year, but I am thrilled to be joining the Santa Cruz Works team. Doug and his team are incredibly knowledgeable and are doing amazing things for our community. I am eager to take on this opportunity to further develop my skills and am looking forward to making an even bigger impact. I am excited to work with and learn from the team, meet new people, as well as continue to support the incredible businesses in our county.” Malina Long

Malina was born in Santa Cruz but grew up in Modesto, CA. After graduating from Modesto High School, she returned to Santa Cruz to attend the University of California, Santa Cruz where she worked with the UCSC Sustainability Office and graduated in 2017. Not long after, she began working as an intern for Your Future Is Our Business and worked her way up to serving as the Executive Director of the organization during the pandemic. Outside of work, Malina enjoys spending her time discovering new places to hike and dine at with her partner Angel. Keep an eye out for more from her!