We are Clinicians on a Mission
Meet The Staff
Sharon M. Rogone, President & CEO
Sharon was born in California in 1942 that makes her 70 plus years old. She was raised in a suburb of LA, was a tomboy and a bit of a nerd. She was a candy stripper and was planning to be an RN, but instead married right out of high school and started a family two years later and had 3 children. After a divorce she went back to school and got that RN, remarried an amazing guy and now has 5 step kids plus her 3, all together that’s 8 and has 11 grand kids and 4 great grand kids. She was drawn to the NICU and found she love these tiny ill ibabies and saw the need for better products. She started the company with just $3000 and a good idea about 29 years ago to facilitate better outcomes for these sick and premature infants. She worked 3 jobs because of a lack of backing and funds which made it very difficult to grow the business. However, making better products and putting the profits back into the company and risking her nursing retirement and mortgaging her home and with persistence and determination the company has slowly grown. She amazingly wrote most of her 1st Patent but paid for the last 8 words, $800. She now has 8 patents and many trademarks. Sharon and her products were added to the Smithsonian National American History Museum archives in 2008 as an inventor & entrepreneur with her inventions placed in the NICU Medical Products Division. The company and products are internationally and nationally marketed and sold and are well received. She feels like she touches and improves so many little lives for the better with her developmental “Do No Harm” product line.
Philip N. Rogone VP Sales CMO
Philip is the middle child of an Italian family of five. Always an overachiever, Philip excelled in school until the death of his oldest brother in Vietnam. Upon graduation from Damien High School in La Verne, California in 1970 Philip joined the Army and was honorably discharged three years later. The father of five incredible sons Philip took on many jobs from a maintenance man at McDonalds to the manager of the largest toy store in America. He returned to school and became a Respiratory Therapist and then a Physician Assistant. It was during this time that he met and married Sharon Lee. A true partnership from the beginning Philip helped with the growing new company Small Beginnings as they struggled to participate as vendors at a Neonatal Conference. Being very outgoing Philip worked the booth and had forty nurses crowding around to see the new company that focused on the needs of the premature patient.
At the end of 1999 Philip joined Small Beginnings full time. His ability to adapt to the needs of the young company Philip took on jobs cutting material running a forklift and processing orders. Now the CMO of Small Beginnings Inc. and co-inventor of the Bebeonkers Oral and Nasal suction device, Philip is on a worldwide crusade to educate nurses and respiratory therapists on a better way of suctioning infants and neonates without doing harm to them.
Philip penned his first novel and self-published The Gettysburg Ghost…a love story and has sold over 20,000 plus copies to date. He has since written three children’s picture books titled The Princess Frog, The Boy in the Mirror, The Girl in the Mirror, and the first novel in a trilogy The Machine series titled "Resurrection", with the second installment "Insurrection" to be released in 2015.
Kelly Brockelmeyer, COO
Kelly is our go to person!! She is the life blood for us and oversees all aspects of the business. She has many years of office and administrative experience and in 2011 graduated from Victor Valley College with an A.A. in Business Administration. She has been working for Small Beginnings for almost 10 years and started as an order clerk. She was trained by Ken Croteau prior to his passing in 2010 and then by Sharon and Phil Rogone the major owners of Small Beginnings. Kelly has become an important key member of the Small Beginnings team and is a decision maker. Kelly oversees day-to-day business procedures, handles all International orders, and is the direct assistant to the CEO and CMO.
Kelly is married to Chance Brockelmeyer who is an HVAC/Controls technician. She has a teenage daughter and preteen son. Kelly enjoys various physical activities when her free time is not spent chauffeuring her kids to sports or music lessons. She also enjoys an occasional date night with her husband at a comedy club or dinner and a movie.
Please contact Kelly Brockelmeyer for all questions regarding International Sales, purchasing, or new distribution at: kelly@small-beginnings.com or call 800-676-0462
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Wendie Stein, Account Manager
Wendie, has been a part of the Small Beginnings’ family since February 2010, where she started out as the Office Clerk. Then moved up to the Production Manager in charge of the products made on site, and finally, has moved into the Accounts Manager position, which she loves! She says working with everyone here at Small Beginnings has been a wonderful experience! Wendie has completed her studies in Bookkeeping and has 30 units of study at Victor Valley Community College and is working towards her associate degree which includes Bookkeeping & Accounting, Business Administration, and Allied Health.
Wendie was born in 1955 and has lived in California her entire life! She has four grown children, all out on their own and doing well. She now lives in Apple Valley with her furry family. Due to her “empty nest,” she has acquired and/or rescued various animals to total 6, plus her aquarium and a Koi pond that includes turtles. It does not feel like an “empty nest” anymore. She has a passion to “take care” of anything that needs to be taken care of and even cares for the Small Beginnings customers that have monkeys and other exotic pets.
Please contact Wendie for all questions regarding accounts receivable, accounts payable, POs & invoices at wendie@small-beginnings.com or call 800-676-0462
Brandi Casey, Customer Service - within the United States
Is herself the mother of preemie twins so she has seen it all form every aspect. Her twin boys are very talented and have recently graduated from high school with welding and laser cutting techniques for manufacturing.
Please contact our order clerk Brandi at:
customerservice@small-beginnings.com
800-676-0462 or fax orders to 760-948-1916