The LoCo Experience

AJ is a CSU engineering grad who went from working in bars and custom car restoration to a draft engineer to starting a solar company. Understanding that what we were doing yesterday is not going to work tomorrow, AJ takes us through the struggles of starting a business. Make optimal decisions versus quick ones. Planning, streamlining operations, and learning not to hire too soon, along with engag...

Blake Craig is the Co-Founder and Chief Labor Officer at Laborjack, LLC. Probably best understood as the Uber of Labor, Laborjack matches a flexible and ambitious labor force - mostly comprised of college students - with those needing stuff done. Initially conceived to become “The world’s largest moving company! - that doesn’t own any trucks”, Laborjack clients have now found hundreds of ways to e...

In this episode Curt sits down with Cheryl Benedict - owner of MORF Consulting and the author of The Wisdom of Transition, released in January 2020 just as the nation was (unknowingly) preparing for the abrupt transition of Covid lockdowns.  For this work, Cheryl received the Sound Advice Book Award as the Best New Author of 2020.   Throughout her career, Cheryl has helped hundreds and now thousan...

Craig and Molly Secher founded Realities for Children in 1995, which serves the otherwise unmet needs of thousands of abused, neglected, or at-risk youth in Larimer and Weld County, Colorado every year through direct services and emergency grants to over 30 nonprofit partners.   This innovative organization boasts over 250 give-back minded business members (of which LoCo Think Tank is one!) who re...

Jim Rohrer began his career as a young man in the Sears organization, and quickly rose through the ranks as an innovative thinker, new programs leader, and turnaround specialist for underperforming divisions.  Among his accomplishments were helping to turn around the auto services business for the company, and both building out and disposing of 10 regional call centers that supported the catalog....

In this episode of the LoCo Experience podcast, Curt sits down with Jeff Beyle, CEO and Co-Founder of Sticker Control.   Sticker Control makes Industry 4.0 tools accessible to small and medium size companies using RFID-powered analytics and optimization algorithms to drive efficiencies and system integration tools to break down data silos, all backed by AI-powered data preparation tools so our cus...

What I’m thinking after interviewing Ali Davachi, is that this man needs to be a LoCo Facilitator for a future Longmont / Boulder County chapter of LoCo Think Tank.  Stat. It’s the coveted win-win-win-win - 1) Ali would win because he’s working to down-size his role in his company RealWare, is a recent Colorado transplant from “back East” and would love more community connection, and has already c...

In today's episode, I'm joined by Pastors Aaron Santini and Daniel Smith of The Crossing Church in Fort Collins.  The Crossing was planted as a life group of Crossway Chapel in Greeley in the fall of 2009, and officially launched in March of 2010.  This episode details the very entrepreneurial journey of church planting, and shares the life stories of a couple of regular guys who've...

Jeff and Noah are "business neighbors" to LoCo Think Tank, and operate the Time Emporium Escape Rooms in Fort Collins and Loveland.   Jeff acquired Loveland Laser Tag in 2011 after a pair of false starts to his entrepreneurial journey, departing a stable career with Hewlett Packard which had moved him to Northern Colorado from his native Texas.  His experience with software and systems soon led to...

In this episode, Curt enjoys time with Peter Melby, CEO of Greystone Technology, only one week removed from their 20th birthday!  Peter shares important lessons from Greystone's founding and first years in business, and reflects on a business journey that has seen them achieve quarterly revenue growth for 50 straight quarters!   Greystone is unusual for an IT company, first for its' size...

Jacob Leis and his partner Brian Oaks are "a couple of farm kids from Eastern Colorado" who've been involved in political marketing almost since college.  They founded Wintermind Group in January of 2019, after their employer "went a different direction" on an internal project that they'd been working on together.  The partners' theory behind the project became the foundation for th...

Do you know how to grow your business past yourself? Eric Coet, Owner of 44 N and Strategic Practice Leader at Peak Solutions, shares his business strategy knowledge in this LoCo Shorts episode. Sometimes YOU are the greatest block to your success, that’s why identifying ways to grow beyond yourself is critical, even if you are a solopreneur (psst–Eric is!). Eric details his professional journey a...

Brandon Avery is a VP Risk Advisor for IMA Financial Group, heading the Commercial Insurance Division.  Sounds pretty boring, and Brandon would tell you that insurance isn't very exciting overall.  BUT - Brandon's business journey is very exciting!  Brandon formed a partnership in 2013 with Josh Fyhrie and together they built Colorado Insurance Advisors into a regional brand and 10X&apos...

Gavin Kaszynski (ka-shin-ski) and Todd Welter joined me on the LoCo Experience podcast to share their respective business journeys, and especially to discuss the challenges and their suggested fixes for the health insurance industry in America.   Gavin has newly transitioned to the role of CFO for the Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies - at the time of recording he was CFO at Associates in...

In this LoCo Shorts episode Ben West, Owner & Operator at Radial Development Group, shares his journey to creating a company he always wanted to work for. One with flexible work schedules, ample training, and great culture.  Ben shares his motivation to create Radial from his own experience with burnout (and how to prevent it). He also highlights ways to create a great culture that can support the...

Zach Mercurio is the author of The Invisible Leader, Founder of ZM Consulting, and Affiliate Professor for Colorado State University at the Center for Meaning and Purpose.   Zach is an expert on purpose, on purpose.  He's studied it, trained it, studied it more and shared what he's learned abundantly.  He's a Ph. D., further informed by a lot of elbow grease, research, and intention...

Do you remember the moment when you made your passion your business? Ann Baron, Founder of Northern Colorado Community shares her business journey of creating a space for local business owners to convene. Ann’s passion for people, sharing of resources, professional (& personal!) support, and connectivity paved the way for this continually growing multi-city business group. She shares stories of di...

AJ Fountain & JJ Fountain are Band Managers, Songwriters and Bandmates in A Brother's Fountain - a popular "Campfire Folk Music" band based in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as the Founders and Producer / Director / Videographers for Stoked Ember Productions, a Videography company built to stoke the embers of passion-first businesses through video and story production.   The intro and outro...

Katie Straubel is the Founder, Owner, and Queen Bee at Clean Bees, a residential and commercial cleaning service business she founded as a side-business while in college.  Katie left her native Orlando and a career in fine dining to follow her partner Mike back to his native Colorado, attended CSU toward a History degree and found no fine dining jobs to be found.  After subbing for her friend&apos...

The City of Fort Collins Mayoral race features three candidates on the ballot, and April 6, 2021 is Election Day.  LoCo Experience Episode 16 featured current City of Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell, and his endorsed candidate, Molly Skold.  This episode features the other two candidates in the race, Jeni James Arndt and Gerry Horak.   Both of these candidates have a rich history of public service...

Tyler Brooks founded Analytive in 2015 as a digital marketing agency focused on driving meaningful revenue growth for clients through strategic and measurable campaigns and SEO optimization.  This episode takes listeners through an interesting life journey with Tyler as he departs his native Indiana and finds his career footing in video production and digital marketing before founding his own agen...

The ideal client is one you can drink beer and eat pizza with, right? Erik Cox, Owner of Wise Ape Design Marketing, shares his business journey of moving back to Fort Collins after a decade working in creative agencies in San Francisco and Chicago. He decided to bring his years of experience to a place he grew up to help local businesses level up their creative assets and stand out in reaching the...

In this episode, Curt dialogues with City of Fort Collins Mayor Wade Troxell, and his lifelong friend Molly Skold, one of three candidates in the mayoral race to be decided on April 6, 2021.   Curt digs into Wade's journey through academia and business, and more recently, government, and unfolds his underlying principals around economics and creating a great place to live and do business.  A...

Darren Murphy is the Founder and President of PUSH Industries, the manufacturer of the best mountain bike suspension in the world!  PUSH suspension systems are 100% American made, manufactured at their Loveland, Colorado headquarters, and sold through distribution outlets throughout the US, Asia, Australia, and Europe.   In this episode, Curt gets deep with Darren on his life story, digging back t...

Did you set ants on fire with a magnifying glass when you were little? In this Shorts episode with Candyce Edelen, President/CEO at Propel Growth, she shares many elements of business growth through sales and marketing, including the time she realized that finding a niche and walking away from potential clients & industries was the only way to grow her business. She says you should think of your o...