Sedona Business Supporter Spotlight

Ali Hansen and Eben Hartzenberg give back to Sedona.

Ali Hansen and her husband, Eben Hartzenberg have been in Sedona for six and a half years — this time! They lived and worked here from 2010 to 2013, sold their business and moved away. But as many of us find, Sedona and the red rocks kept calling them back. Honoring their hearts, they returned in 2016 and will likely be here for a long time.

“Nature is always calling and we’re outside people. There just is no better place!” Ali says. She and her husband bought back the business they had sold when the left, Bennali’s at Tlaquepaque (Bennali’s is a combination of their names). Being good at their business, they soon found themselves adding Uptown locations: Isn’t She Lovely, Dahling It’s You, Bennali’s on Main, and Sedona Crystal Vortex.

Ali and Eben enrolled each location of their businesses in the Trail Keepers program with pledges of $1000 per year for five years. If you do the math, that is $25,000 that Ali and Eben donate to the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund to help maintain and sustain the Red Rock Trail System. That’s a huge commitment!

“The beauty of Sedona needs to be preserved. We live in a magical place that doesn’t just belong to those of us that are fortunate enough to live here, it belongs to the world. And with that comes the responsibility to manage it by preserving its beauty and keeping our trails safe for all,” Ali says.

Ali is from a small town in Minnesota, and Eben is from South Africa. They met while doing work in Omaha. Ali’s degree is in Environmental Biology with a lot of coursework in Anthropology, Archaeology and Native American Studies. She knew two things: She could do anything she set her mind to, and that she will always have a special connection to the land. After getting married and living in South Africa for six years, she and Eben found their way back to the United States and began exploring different opportunities and locales. Luckily for Sedona and the surrounding trails, they found their way here.

When they're not busy with their businesses, Ali and Eben love spending time in the beautiful Sedona wilderness and staying committed to the outreach and philanthropy programs offered by their church, Christ Lutheran. “We’ve been blessed in our lives. When you have been blessed, it is your obligation to let the blessings flow through you. Becoming part of the Trail Keeper’s program is a way to give back to Sedona. We are happy to make the donations.”

Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund, the Sedona Chamber of Commerce and the city of Sedona would like to thank Ali and Eben for their deep commitment to the land and by donating so generously through the Trail Keepers program of the Red Rock Trail System.