Carrie Sass and Anna Sass: Sharing the Stories of Our Community

It just seems like the perfect fit! After years of working in the community, developing relationships, editing and producing publications for clients as well as running a small, successful business dedicated to telling and elevating the stories of their clients, acquiring HERLIFE Magazine just made sense to Carrie Sass and Anna Sass. What a perfect opportunity to add another company to their already busy lives. These two women know it will be challenging, yet so very interesting and so much fun! 

The team of Carrie Sass and Anna Sass didn’t just happen. The story began 15 years ago when Anna, engaged to Carrie’s son, approached Carrie and said, “What do you think about me coming to work for you?” And as they say, the rest is history.  

In 2006, at the beginning of the recession, Carrie and Anna started SASS! Public Relations. In the humble beginnings of the venture, they were simply focused on events and marketing for small businesses. “Throughout the years, we have been blessed to work with many amazing and successful businesses throughout Northern California. For the past 13 years we have called Lincoln Center home,” related Carrie. “The SASS! office is located at 628 Lincoln Center, Stockton. Bright, colorful and a little bit quirky, our office décor and sassy vibe spark happy comments from those who visit. From the brightly painted Little Free Library outside the front door to the eclectic accent walls in the office, SASS! simply radiates just that—sass.”

Carrie and Anna are passionate and committed to building relationships with people throughout the region. “We strive to develop relationships with not only clients, but the community members involved in non-profit organizations, civic leadership and the neighborhoods in which they live,” Carrie shared. “Most every decision we make embraces the gift of relationship. It’s that important to us.” 

Together they are members of more than a dozen civic organizations, serving as board and/or committee members. This doesn’t include the volunteer hours, number of local product gift baskets donated or attendance at fundraising events. They love serving their community and find ways to help wherever they can. 

“Our largest event, the highly popular Record’s Literacy and Book Fair Family Day at the Park, draws upwards of 20,000 people,” Anna affirmed. “Even when Family Day was a virtual event these past two years, the popularity and digital engagement was impressive. We’re thankful for all the sponsors who continually support Family Day, and this year we’re excited to bring it back as a live, in-person event at Weber Point on September 17.” Other notable events include Concours d’ Elegance, a high-end automobile show at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys, and Festa Italiana, which celebrates all things Italian. SASS! also organizes a variety of events for clients, ranging from fundraisers to recognition dinners and golf tournaments.  

When SASS! Public Relations planned their 15th anniversary celebration, the big community celebration had to be sidelined due to COVID. Seeking another way to celebrate, it was Anna who said, “Let’s give back to the community by planning a city-wide distribution of new books for Little Free Libraries, or LFLs.” And they did just that. Carrie and Anna researched where the LFLs were located, purchased over 700 books, put them into bundles and quietly orchestrated distribution throughout the community. These bundles of books were placed in more than 50 LFLs, including those located at Visionary Home Builders Community Centers, as well as distributed to many school libraries through the San Joaquin County Office of Education. 

Carrie and Anna are alike in many ways, yet their personalities are unique and very different from one another, which makes for a perfect blend for their business. Carrie has the creative vision, relishes the details of the atmospherics, and loves connecting and gathering people together. Anna, on the other hand, is extremely organized. “She’s the amazing event planner; she has the gift of hospitality, and she’s detail oriented,” Carrie noted. “I oversee much of the public relations, writing, press releases and publications, while Anna focuses on managing the business and the production of most of the events. We work together on almost every project, with each of us taking the lead on the various aspects for each clients’ needs, so that every detail is covered for the many events we produce.” 

When asked about working with her daughter-in-law, Carrie beamed and replied, “This past year, Anna received the coveted Young Professional Athena Award from the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce. It was my most proud moment in my years of business. She is the most genuine, sincere, hardworking person. There is no way I would have succeeded in business without her. She keeps me grounded.” Anna has a deep commitment to mentoring teenage girls as well as high school students, a trait that, in part, led to the award. Because of her years working with youth, her life is filled with many wonderful relationships. Both in business and her personal life, Anna is a true leader and mentor and is hospitable and compassionate. She and her husband, Aaron, Carrie’s son, reside in Lodi and have two children.

Carrie is one of Stockton’s biggest fans, continuously touting all that is good and wonderful about her community! When not working, Carrie is a passionate gardener, loves relaxing at Shaver Lake and visiting her childhood friends in her hometown of Kingsburg, California. She and her husband, Tim, affectionately known as Sassman, have been married for 44 years. Carrie describes her family as “really, really fun!” In addition to Aaron, they have a daughter, Andi; she and her husband, Nate, have two children and live in Maui, Hawaii. 

Blending HERLIFE Magazine into their already established business is the perfect fit, allowing Carrie and Anna the unique opportunity of sharing the stories of the diverse communities, people and events that make up this beautiful region. They believe it’s all about relationships, and they will continue to build upon that.

Values

SASS! will serve:
• With honesty and integrity
• In a faith-driven manner while creating a family-friendly environment
• And communicate and operate with fairness and respect for all
• Will operate as a team
• Be flexible in operations to ensure desired outcomes
• And dare to be different