The Heartbeat of Innovation in Sedona

Innovation in Sedona doesn't follow a formula. It happens in gardens, kitchens, workshops, and canyons—growing in soil, sound, and spirit. Our 2025 Innovation Award nominees weren't chosen for their budgets or flashiest technologies. They were chosen because they shift the way we live here.

From local compost pickup that redefines sustainability at home, to a patent-pending battery system that could change transportation; from a violinist whose performances have reconnected Sedona through music, to a global spiritual leader whose retreat bridges East and West; from design-forward hospitality reshaping the traveler's experience, to scientific research deepening how we understand the human mind—these seven innovators form the living spectrum of Sedona's creative evolution.

Welcome to Sedona's Seven: A Spotlight on Innovation.

1. Kathleen Ventura & Brock Delinski – Compost Crowd

Innovation Delivered to Your Door

Sometimes the most powerful innovation is the one you don't have to leave your home for. Compost Crowd, founded by husband-and-wife team Kathleen Ventura and Brock Delinski, transforms kitchen food scraps into fertile soil—delivered back to your doorstep. Their work reimagines how Sedona residents live their values daily, turning waste into nourishment and convenience into sustainability.

Since its launch in 2018, Compost Crowd has built a community-powered composting network that now serves neighborhoods across West Sedona, Village of Oak Creek, Uptown, Forest Highlands, Chapel Area, Kachina Village, Fort Valley, and Flagstaff, with Cottonwood slated for pilot expansion.

To date, their program has diverted nearly 700 tons of organic waste from local landfills, returning vital nutrients to farm soil while reducing harmful emissions. Through their partnership with the City of Sedona, including the pilot of Mill-technology food recycler bins in city buildings and the police department, they've shown how a grassroots idea can scale into municipal collaboration.

For subscriber households, Compost Crowd closes the loop beautifully: each spring, members receive a share of the rich, finished compost—empowering you to grow your own garden with what used to be your kitchen scraps.

Why it matters:

• It brings sustainability into your backyard
• It moves Sedona from individual acts of recycling toward community-level systems change
• It's local, measurable, and growing—a model of applied innovation that affects our daily lives while speaking to global climate challenges

2. Jaime Dugan – Relentless Batteries

Rethinking the Car Battery

Most car batteries are sealed black boxes—when they fail, you replace them. Jaime Dugan's patent-pending design at Relentless Batteries changes that equation entirely.

His modular system contains four interchangeable battery modules that drivers can customize for different conditions—off-roading, daily commuting, extreme weather. When one module fails, you replace just that piece, not the entire unit.

The breakthrough feature: a self-contained jump-start module. Flip a switch (or soon, tap your phone), and you're running—no cables, no roadside assistance.

By allowing owners to maintain and repair their own power source, Relentless challenges the throwaway culture of modern tech. It's innovation with endurance, built by a team who believes the future of transportation should be smarter, cleaner, and in your hands.

Why it matters:

• It combines design, technology, and user experience to solve a universal problem
• While not yet fully deployed in Sedona, its potential reach is national—perhaps global
• It pushes past incremental fixes toward reimagining an essential component of modern transportation

3. Radhika Jen Marie – ChocolaTree Organic Oasis

Innovation Rooted in Reverence

ChocolaTree Organic Oasis is more than a dining destination—it's a living ecosystem modeling what a sustainable food system can look like in practice. This all-vegan, 100% organic restaurant crafts every dish from vibrant, gluten-free, plant-based ingredients—many harvested directly from ChocolaTree's on-site garden and food forest.

Nearly all ingredients are sourced within three states, drastically reducing travel miles and carbon impact. When ingredients must come from farther afield—such as cacao or maca—they are fairly traded and sourced directly from small regenerative farms, maintaining integrity and connection at every step.

From germinating seeds to composting every bit of food waste, founder Radhika Jen Marie and her team honor the full cycle of nourishment. The restaurant uses only natural cleaning products, packages its to-go foods in glass or biodegradable materials, and supports indigenous artisans through its global marketplace—ensuring that each choice reflects reverence for people and planet alike.

Why it matters:

• It bridges food culture and sustainability in a town where visitors come for both wellness and culinary experience
• It demonstrates that innovation doesn't always mean invention—sometimes it means integration of ethics, environment, and guest experience into business DNA
• It proves local pride can sustain high standards without compromise

4. Tyler Carson – Fiddler on the Rock

Music as Cultural Infrastructure

Tyler Carson turned Sedona's red rocks into concert halls. His open-air violin performances began as personal healing and evolved into a cultural phenomenon that draws international audiences while reshaping local arts economics.

Through Fiddler on the Rock, Tyler has transformed landscape into stage, anchoring Sedona's identity as a haven for creative innovation. His work has elevated expectations for artist compensation, event value, and audience engagement—and sparked collaborations with the Sedona Heritage Museum, Sister Cities, Sedona Dance Project, and other cultural partners.

Why it matters:

• It demonstrates how a single artist can reshape expectations for ticket pricing, venue usage, and how local art is valued
• It creates economic impact while building cultural vitality and community healing
• It reminds us that Sedona's innovation isn't only tech or green systems—it lives in live sound, shared space, and the elevation of beauty

5. Ilchi Lee – Sedona Mago Retreat Center

Vision on the Global Stage

New York Times bestselling author and founder of Brain Education, Ilchi Lee has inspired a worldwide movement centered on human potential, mindfulness, and planetary stewardship. For over 30 years, through Sedona Mago Retreat Center, he has cultivated a sanctuary for transformation—a place where people reconnect with nature, rediscover purpose, and learn practices for mental and physical well-being.

His influence extends far beyond Sedona: from establishing wellness and meditation centers across sixteen countries to launching global initiatives promoting peace and mental well-being through education. Through his work, Ilchi Lee has shaped Sedona's reputation as a hub for consciousness, healing, and sustainable living.

Why it matters:

• He frames Sedona not just as a resort destination, but as a center of holistic healing and spiritual awakening
• His work operates at multiple scales: the retreat grounds, the people they touch internationally, and the cluster of local nonprofits and wellness enterprises that grew around them
• He anchors what Sedona aspires to be—globally relevant yet rooted in place

6. Jennifer May and Colleen TeBrake – Ambiente: A Landscape Hotel

Designing a New Relationship with Nature

Sisters Jennifer May and Colleen TeBrake, founders of Two Sister Bosses, created Ambiente: A Landscape Hotel, the first of its kind in North America. Their vision blends luxury with land stewardship, proving that environmental consciousness and elevated experience can coexist beautifully.

Built with minimal disturbance to Sedona's red rock topography, each of Ambiente's 40 glass atriums was designed to reflect the landscape rather than dominate it. Solar panels, water recapture systems, dark-sky compliance, and reclaimed materials make sustainability a cornerstone of the guest experience. Every architectural choice invites guests into harmony with the land, encouraging reflection, reverence, and connection.

Ambiente's national recognition—from Forbes, Travel + Leisure, and Architectural Digest—places Sedona on the map as a destination where design innovation meets environmental ethics.

Why it matters:

• It combines high-end design, local stewardship, and environmental awareness
• It signals that innovation in Sedona isn't just about what you build, but how you build it—in dialogue with the land, community, and future
• It elevates Sedona's lodging sector into a frontier of experiential hospitality—not simply luxury, but purpose-led luxury

7. Julie Lapidus – Autism Evolution

Research with Heart

Julie Lapidus brings groundbreaking work to autism research, where science meets empathy to change the landscape of diagnosis and support. Her research bridges the gap between clinical data and lived experience, exploring how neuroscience, behavioral science, and compassionate methodologies can illuminate the human mind.

Julie's approach reimagines what scientific innovation can be: deeply human, profoundly curious, and dedicated to improving quality of life. Her studies advance not only the research of autism but also the conversation around inclusion, accessibility, and the future of neurodiverse collaboration.

Julie helps position Sedona as an unexpected hub where inquiry and intuition coexist. Her work, including her forthcoming publication, embodies this dimension: blending rigorous study, local leadership, and the personal story of caring deeply about how we support each other.

Why it matters:

• It extends "innovation" beyond what people see or touch, to how people learn, connect, and live together
• It positions Sedona not only as a place of healing and performance but also as a place of inquiry, empathy, and integration
• It reminds us that innovation is not always flashy—sometimes it is a study or a transformation inside people's lives and systems

Innovation in Sedona doesn't shout—it lives and breathes here. It moves through soil and circuitry, through art, hospitality, and healing. It connects the dreamers, builders, and believers who choose to make something meaningful in this place. These seven stories remind us that innovation is not a single spark, but a shared current running through community, creativity, courage, and intention.