Valerie Schafer Franklin is one-half of Walnut Studiolo, a small family business. She graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology (concentration: Native American Linguistics) and a minor in Germanic Studies.
Her eclectic career is tied together by an enduring sense of curiosity and appreciation for culture, which she believes was learned from a lifetime of world travel as a military brat.
In rural western Montana, she curated artifacts and directed a small 501c3 non-profit "friends association" for Garnet Ghost Town, a historic site managed by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). Later, she managed large event series for the 501c6 Missoula Downtown Association at Caras Park.
In Portland Oregon, she grew her career in renewable energy development and project management. Staying with the same company for seven years through the full corporate growth cycle: from family-run Zilkha Renewable Energy --> Goldman Sachs' Horizon Wind Energy --> EDPR NA, a subsidiary of the Portuguese utility and its subsequent IPO and downsizing. In the energy industry, she became a trained Project Management Professional (PMP), loved to create maps using ArcGIS, translated technical jargon into plain language and managed permitting and community engagement during a NIMBY campaign.
During the Great Recession, she joined forces with her husband, Geoff Franklin to grow Walnut Studiolo from a part-time Etsy shop to a full-time family-supporting business. Together, they moved the business to the Oregon Coast in 2016 to build their dream life, creating unique items and forging one-on-one connections with people around the world while living near the beloved Pacific Ocean.
After over 10 years running a family business, Valerie initiated and founded Artisans Cooperative, a modern co-op alternative to Etsy, against great odds following the successful Etsy Strike.
Throughout her career, she has written and edited, for fun and profit. She has written compelling essays and blog posts, personable newsletters, and travel articles for magazines. She has also written highly complex legal permitting applications, political energy briefings, and educational tutorials, including a full-length leathercrafting book for DK Publishing (in 3 months!).
Let's connect: Valerie's LinkTree >>>
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