The LoCo Experience

In this special Experience episode, guest host and LoCo teammate, Rory Schaar interviews Curt Bear, LoCo Think Tank Founder. This month marks the 7th year of LoCo being in business! Curt looks back on his business journey, from working in banking to starting a food trailer, a season in financial services, and the development of LoCo Think Tank - a peer advisory group model built to help business o...

Rina Jean Bindi is the Founder and CEO of Tipping Point Digital - a Digital Marketing Strategy firm based in Loveland, Colorado.  Tipping point helps their clients be found (and trusted) on the internet by focusing on positive reviews and SEO optimization.  She also serves as a marketing strategist for her sister's company, ZuGo Pet, and hosts the Point Taken Podcast - supporting positive bus...

Seth Silvers is the Founder and CEO of Story On Media & Marketing based in Fort Collins, Colorado, and also the creator of The Small Business Storytellers Podcast, and is preparing to launch a new podcast focused on Authentic Marketing.  Seth and his team develop marketing campaigns and outreach built on storytelling - helping their client's customers see and hear and know the stories that re...

How do you see new opportunities as an entrepreneur? Nick Armstrong, Geek in Chief at WTF Marketing (and lead organizer of Fort Collins Startup Week and Comic-Con) shares his journey of finding countless ways to create something unique to give back to the community. This includes his newest endeavor, running for City Council! In this Shorts episode, get inspired to work beyond your business and fi...

Abbie Stout is the owner/proprietor of the Edwards House Inn, a boutique hotel, conference, and special event center in Old Town Fort Collins, Luz en el Cielo, an Eco-B&B / Hostel in Montezuma, Costa Rica, and Cedar & Sage Mercantile, a sustainable hone products company operated by the Edwards House staff - and she is also a LoCo Think Tank member!   Abbie started her business journey as a school...

John Shaw is the Founder and the Conductor of the Orchestra at DaVinci Sign Systems located in Windsor, Colorado.  DaVinci specializes in the creation of custom sign systems for businesses, communities, schools, churches and organizations of all kinds.  John founded the company in 2004 in Fort Collins, and has over 30 employees on the "E-Team" - everything about them is positive, and they work har...

How do you feed a community during a pandemic? FOCO Cafe's Executive Director, Mallory Garneau, shares her bigs wins and key challenges 2020 brought for their non-profit. Learn about the creative adjustments Mallory and her team put in place to continue feeding the Fort Collins community, all while achieving record-breaking fundraising! FoCo Cafe’s mission is to build community by providing n...

Becky Lauridsen is the Founder of IOME - Guilt Free Self Care.  IOME is a membership organization that provides access to a supportive community in the areas of Mind, Body, and Soul, with plans that include access to discounts with community partners, monthly therapy/coaching session, and monthly small group engagements.   IOME provides the therapy/coaching/small groups, and partners provide an ar...

Historical fiction writer, award-winning author of eight books, and speaker + blogger, Teresa Funke, shares the business life of a creative. Through the trying times of the pandemic, she shares the importance (and how-to) of keeping creativity up while adapting to new business ideas. Teresa talks about the challenges and big opportunities that come with being a solopreneur, including her guiding q...

Greg and Drew Yancey represent the 3rd and 4th generations of leadership of Yancey's Food Service - a family-owned Northern Colorado enterprise that began in 1940 and sold to FSA in 2012.   Greg served as CEO and Drew as Director of Strategy at the time of exit, and Drew stayed on as President of a spin-off enterprise not included in the sale.  Greg currently serves as full-time Grandfather/H...

Turning your craft into a business isn’t always smooth sailing, but as Mitch Holmes, owner of MitchCraft Tiny Homes experienced, build it and they shall come! In this LoCo Shorts episode, Mitch shares with us how he turned his love for minimalism and quality production into a somewhat unplanned, step-by-step successful business journey. Of course, this isn’t without learning some key lessons, so l...

Karen Fournier is the Founder and Owner of Starstream Productions in Loveland, Colorado.  Her entrepreneurial journey began with a volunteer documentary short about a local non-profit, and she has served the non-profit and educational communities for over 13 years, winning several national awards.  She has interviewed over 600 individuals to help draw out stories of impact and learning, from which...

Learn how working for a visionary, like Elon Musk, can prep you for business entrepreneurship! On this LoCo Shorts episode, we dig in deep with Jeremy Lasman, Co-Founder of Star Systems, Conscious Leadership Network, Creator or Mania Comic, and Technologist with SpaceX, to explore his business journey. Jeremy candidly shares the steps from his self-discovery, business creation, technology experien...

Camron Lente founded NG Companies in 2009 at the age of 20, leaving a six-figure oilfield industry job to sort through dumpsters at rig sites looking for recyclable materials to help his clients reduce waste and save money.  After a few years of finding its footing, the company moved into construction and infrastructure focused on the same industry and has now evolved into a service and infrastruc...

How does being a philanthropist relate to being a business owner? In Mel Ulle’s case, owner of Philanthropy Expert, it’s all about having a plan, passion& impact, leaving a legacy, and having the right team (and heart) behind all you do. From politics to the Denver Art Museum, to even a show on the Travel Channel, Mel unpacks her career in entrepreneurship. Listen in as Mel describes more about th...

Mike Gugliotto was a gifted writer since his youth, and attended Colorado State University as a Journalism major.   Constant curiosity and an intrinsic love for people and business carried him to greater and greater responsibilities, culminating as the President and CEO of Pioneer News Group in Seattle, WA - a group with at one point more than 1,000 employees and operations in 24 communities!  Mik...

Think back to March 2020. How did your organization react to the COVID outbreak and shutdown? Nathan Morimitsu, Director Of Operations at H2 Manufacturing Solutions, shares H2’s fast and innovative response to helping businesses and individuals in Colorado remain safe during the pandemic. Through late night ideas, 3D printing, and community collaboration, H2 was able to ship over 1500+ face respir...

Mike Labate and his twin brother Greg started Rocky Mountain Westy in their garage in Fort Collins in 2002, and purchased their first commercial property just before the Great Recession.  A "top-3 most likely headed for bankruptcy" business acquaintance at that time has grown into a cherished friendship, and it was Mike who said something along the lines of "Bear - you should start a think tank" i...

Listen in as Ali Abouzalam shares the details of his founding story behind Bee-Nails. This LoCo Shorts episode uncovers the small steps and connections that truly shape a business from the beginning. Ali also shares not only about his business story, but also how the pandemic, industry changes, MMA, and daily gratitude influence him and his business. Bee-Nails is a Colorado-based lifestyle company...

Aaron Everitt has traveled a distinctive business journey.  From growing up in a locally-famous real estate family to finding his love for business as part of a traveling music group, through stints in the family business in land development and home building, and then starting, building, and eventually abandoning his own entrepreneurial venture - he’s written some interesting chapters.  Aaron sha...

Ever considered taking one of your favorite things and making it a business? That’s what Lauren Storeby and her husband, Shawn, did to share their love of good, healthy food with the community through Snack Attack! Learn about Lauren’s transition from extreme sports clothing production to feeding Fort Collins, CO with specialty sandwiches and brews. This LoCo Shorts episode looks back on Lauren’s...

Lance Cayko (pronounced psycho!) is a founder and partner of F9 Productions, a residential and commercial architecture firm in Longmont, Colorado, founded in 2009.  Lance and his business partner Alex Gore (Al Gore, hah!) have founded and operate multiple enterprises including a development company, construction company, and a popular business podcast called Inside the Firm   Since connecting with...

Has a key moment in your life led you to a passion? Madeline Kent, owner of Sante Health and Wellness shares her health and business journey in this LoCo Shorts episode.  Madeline unfolds her story of nutritional "ah-ha's" along with her drive to help people naturally (and effectively), all while committing to her path of entrepreneurship.  SANTE stands for Scientific Approach to Nutrition Th...

Erik & Kim Whitin are the founders and owners of Tri-State Concrete in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Kim is a member of LoCo Think Tank!  The Whitins moved to and restarted their business in Colorado after the Great Recession, and found themselves living off Stove Prairie Road in the mountains west of Fort Collins when the 2012 fires broke.  Their property was one of the first to be destroyed, and they...

Welcome to the LoCo Experience Podcast! We have many business stories to tell - some long, some short - so we're giving you the audio rundown of what to expect when listening to the LoCo Experience and LoCo Shorts episodes.  This trailer provides a brief background of LoCo's mission to uplift business owners through collaboration, now through storytelling! Subscribe now to get the latest...