From left to right, baristas Emily and Tyanna, owner Rod Dirks, Dirks' wife and co-owner Megan, and barista Katy celebrate the one-year ­anniversary of Essence Coffee Roasters in July 2021.

Rod Dirks had spent the last 18 years of his life – since the age of 15 – working toward fulfilling his dream of owning a coffee shop. After running what he called a hobby coffee roasting business in South Dakota, Dirks and his wife solidified plans in early 2020 to move to Sequim, Wash., to open their first official business, Essence Coffee Roasters, that July.

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Natasha Chilingerian

Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.