Born and raised in southwestern Colorado, Emily experienced a childhood exposed to various outdoor activities and adventures. She was also actively involved with a family business for much of her high school and college years. She graduated high school in Mancos, CO and then attended Mesa State College (now CMU) in Grand Junction, Colorado and received her Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in business management, minor in human resources.
After graduating, she moved to Arizona and established her roots in the sunshine state, where she dedicated several years to the not-for-profit industry, working for both Childhelp, USA and The Make-A-Wish Foundation. She then found herself working alongside founder & entrepreneur of V’s Barbershop, Jim Valenzuela, and has spent the last twenty years growing the V’s Barbershop Franchise brand into a nationally recognized barbershop and men’s grooming brand with 55 locations across the country. Serving as COO of V’s Barbershop, Emily has utilized her background and passion for small business and entrepreneurship to continue the growth and success of the company, most recently in the e-commerce space and in the cultivation of a V’s product line. Emily serves as Vice President of the Board for The International Salon & Spa Business Network (ISBN) in an effort to further the men’s grooming industry and often works towards legislative change and bringing the grooming industry both education and awareness through this organization.
As native of Colorado, Emily returned to primary living in Colorado in 2014, where she spends the majority of her time raising her son, Rhett, and enjoying the mountains and small-town living. She also loves spending time with her friends and family, supporting her sons’ passion for competitive swim, reading, and she also serves on the Mancos RE-6 school board and is very involved with school activities.
She recently joined the Board of Directors for Mancos United as well, in an effort to continue to support and bring together community members and services in the Mancos community.
