Colorado College is marking a significant milestone this year as it celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary! Join Interim President, Dr. Manya Whitaker on #BusinessDigestWeekly as she sheds light on the college's array of access programs tailored for students aspiring to attain one of the finest liberal arts degrees in the nation. CC Website: https://coloradocollege.edu  Tune in to discover how Colorado College is strategically positioned within the community to equip the next generation workforce with Liberal Arts, Economics and Business degrees for the region's prominent industry employers in S. Colorado, spanning #Aerospace, #AdvancedManufacturing, and #Cyber sectors. Moreover, learn about CC's ongoing partnerships with major community endeavors such as #CityforChampions, Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs, and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College. Don't miss out! Catch the discussion this Friday at 3PM on 101.1FM or AM1460, stream live on AM1460TheAnswer.com, or listen later on #Spotify, #iHeart, or #Apple podcasts. Search: "Business Digest Radio". Dr. Whitaker also joins me next Monday morning on Business First Look on KKTV 11 News and on KKTV.com

We hear about Crowdstrike, Target, United Airlines, and even UnitedHealth falling prey to cyber attacks in the news all the time.  What we don't hear so much about are the minions of small business owners that also find themselves sideways in a data-breech or outright ransom situation.  This army of cloaked criminals is growing at an astronomical rate and will continue create havoc on those businesses.  Today's hyper-reliance on cyber tools that keep businesses competitive also create exposure for wanting cyber thugs to poach your data, money and in worse case scenarios ones livelihood.  Certified Ethical Hacker, Rodney Gullatte, CEO of Firma IT Solutions, shares some pearls of first and second level steps you can take to reduce instances of cyber threats.  Website: https://FirmaITSS.com

Executive Director, Jill Gaebler explains the organization's mission in fostering innovative and collaborative solutions that advance housing affordability, access, and production in the Pikes Peak Region. Understanding Housing Affordability & Attainability Economically, the more a household has to spend on housing the less money they have to spend on other products and services that contribute to their quality of life and support the entire community. Housing costs typically take precedence over other staples such as food, transportation and medical care. These factors lead to less community prosperity and individual wellness and increase trauma. Ultimately, this downward spiral leads to less stable housing conditions, workforce, families and neighborhoods. From an environmental perspective, a lack of housing ability options pushes our community members to housing further from where they work. This creates congestion on our roads and increased pollution, which damages the environment that the Pikes Peak Region cherishes. Pikes Peak Housing Network is the only nonprofit accomplishing this work in the state of Colorado and we need your support.  Learn more about the Pikes Peak Housing Network here: https://pphousingnetwork.org/

Colorado Springs Community Cultural Collective and Opus Creative Industries founder and CEO, Linda Weise shares how three unique creative workforce programs are making a significant impact in three key areas, all of which have wide-ranging implications for those in 1) the hospitality and 2) early childhood educator and care industries, and a third program for those who are passionate about the 3) creative technologies or media arts industries.  Hear Linda explain how these one-of-a-kind, earn-and-learn programs in partnership with Pikes Peak Workforce Center have put an innovation grant to work for hundreds of area adults who now have an opportunity for formal pre-apprentices with local industry partners helping prepare them for high-standard work opportunities.  Next is a world-class program around early-age child care and education where both working families with young children and those seeking opportunities in early childhood development gain opportunities. The program in part helps allow working members of the family to not have to call off or be late for work due to child-care challenges, and the child benefits from properly programmed, age-appropriate social interaction and engagement for their development, and allows for the development of formalized FFNs or Friends, Family and Neighbors child care programs. Learn more about Opus Creative Industries and how you can participate: https://communityculturalcollective.org/  #JointInitiatives, #PikesPeakWorkforceCenter, #BroadmoorResort, OpusCreativeIndustry, #SherryLynnBoyles, #BrotherLuck, #GoatPatchBrewery, #LindaWeise, #BusinessDigestWeekly, #DirkHobbs, #ColoradoHealthFoundation, #TraciMarques

We're on a bit of a marketing kick lately on Business Digest Weekly. It can be one of the most elusive topics for small business owners who struggle to find a balance between marketing and running the business. Then, what is good marketing? Targeting the right audiences? Using media? How much should I budget? And the list goes on.  Dawn Dawson, local marketing executive and Chief Marketing Officer for Mortgage Solutions Financial, (founded by Roy Clennan), talks about several key ares of marketing that small business owners and operators will want to better understand. In this interview, Dawn discusses the "dos and don'ts" of brand changes, how to vet, screen and hire a marketing team (internal or out-sourced), what your marketing spend should look like per $1M in revenues, and how to buy media and learn from local media reps how to optimize performance when media is purchased.  Enjoy this content-rich discussion that can help your business forward regardless of budget with insights from this highly experienced CMO! See Mortgage Solutions Financial here!  Listen to this podcast on Spotify: Business Digest Radio, iHeart: Business Digest Radio

What do you call a 109-layer pastry?  A delicious treat from Dad's Donuts! From Woodland Park to Hollywood, and back to COS, entrepreneur and partner at Colorado Springs' newest delectable retail spot, Dad's Donuts, James Anderson unpacks how this newest take on the all-American treat has been elevated to a near art form.  The Springs' downtown food options scene has been growing steadily for nearly seven years. Joining restauranteur, Mitch Yellen, James talks about the evolution and mission of this concept store located at 29 E Moreno in downtown Colorado Springs.  Taking the retail food service employment model into a mission to create great customer experiences at every opportunity, learn how this dynamic and visionary team has launched a local sensation. Website: https://dadsdonuts.com/

Small Business support has never been more accessible than in today's world. Most small business owners are excellent at their specific niche or skill. But where does one go when help is needed for required business tasks with which a business owner is not well informed? Financials - Permitting - Real Estate - Marketing - Media - Legal issues, and the list goes on... Today's U.S. Small Business Administration is powerfully equipped to assist small businesses throughout southern Colorado no matter what phase your business is in: early stage, mature, succession planning and no matter what industry.  The best news is, these expert support resources are available to business owners and operators are at no charge to the business. Through each community's Small Business Development Center (the SBA's local outreach and support organizations), business owners can meet with industry experts who can coach leaders on topics they are not familiar with to advance their business.  Listen in as Region VIII Administrator Aikta Marcoulier unpacks the countless ways the SBA is here to help Colorado small businesses.  Website: https://sba.gov

Chromatic Technologies, Inc., or CTI, was founded by Cornell University chemistry student Lyle Small in his dorm in 1993. After a long-shot pitch in 2002 and five long years of R&D later in 2007, Coors' brewery would adopt Small's thermo-chromic technology (temperature sensitive dye), moving the brand to become the second best selling domestic beer in the U.S.    Fast forward to an interaction Small had with a colleague who was demonstrating the dye's propensity to bond to nano particles of gold. While interesting, Small didn't give it much thought until he was happened to catch a 60 Minutes episode on cancer research just a few weeks later. This interaction in the lab, and the news report Small happened to catch on television proved to be a series of unusual, but fateful events.  Small's new cancer research company, Lahjavida (pronounced: la-yah-vē-da) meaning, Gift of Life (combination of Finnish & Portuguese) has developed proprietary technology that combines the dye and gold particles together using a specific chemical linkage that preserves the selective binding characteristics of the dye to cancer cells, providing a delivery system for the gold particles to kill tumor cells.  Listen in and learn more about this exciting new frontier in the fight against cancer. Visit https://www.lahjavida.com/home

Pioneering K-12 Education Leaders in Colorado Springs Prepare to Launch Innovation Tech School - The Colorado Springs School of Technology.  Michael Gaal, Superintendent of Colorado Springs School District 11, Vance Brown, software executive/entrepreneur and co-founder of Exponential Impact, and experienced school principal Nathan Gorsch showcase how a vision for a fresh, new learning track for STEM-oriented students, has become a reality.  This unique learning environment places students in front of top educators who are intimately familiar with the region's tech ecosystem job requirements of a number of high-tech, cyber, and aerospace employers. Listen in as these dynamic leaders  unpack how they have partnered with area influencers like The U.S. Air Force Academy, Space ISAC, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, Exponential Impact, and others have constructed the school into an active academic setting for kids who are interested and excited about the high tech jobs of tomorrow.  Learn more here and register for Fall 2024 semester. https://www.csrockets.org/ At COS School of Technology, OUR MISSION is to create an innovative learning environment where students excel in Space, Cybersecurity, Entrepreneurship, and Ethics, all while embracing character-based education. Our core values, emphasizing ethical leadership and social responsibility, are at the heart of our approach. Recognizing the vital role of humanities in our STEM curriculum, we integrate subjects like history, literature, philosophy, and the arts. This enriches students' understanding of human experiences, ethical dilemmas, and societal contexts. OUR VISION is to cultivate students who merge technical proficiency with ethical values, encouraging them to become pioneers in critical fields. CSST upholds our core principles in a holistic educational approach to unite forward-thinkers prepared to shape the future.

The 42nd Mayor of the City of Colorado Springs Hon. Yemi Mobolade discusses important topics facing his the community and his Administration as of May 2024. Items include: EMS (emergency medical service) - Mayor Mobolade cites unacceptable response times (too high) and the rising costs, then unpacks what the City plans to do about it to ensure national standards for response. The Mayor also discusses child care shortage and how this dynamic impacts service member families, as well as civilian workforce and employers. Mobolade also share the progress on the 1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings project that got underway this month. Also: November ballot item #2C(road work), #housing (availability and affordability), #infrastructure, #economicdevelopment, #publicsafety, and more. To learn more about the Administration's work, utilities, and other matters the City of Colorado Springs it attending to, visit website: https://coloradosprings.gov

President & CEO of Joint Initiatives, SherryLynn Boyles joins Business Digest Weekly to talk about the region's childcare coverage gap for children 5 years of age and younger, and what Pikes Peak Region leaders are doing together to address the problem.  There are nearly 45,000 children five years and younger in El Paso and Teller Counties. Only 16,000 spots exist for quality, certified child care. Of the 29,000 remaining, it is estimated 17,000 spots are need for working families.  The challenge impacts everyone involved: working parents, the children and employers.  Listen in as SherryLynn unpacks how we as a community can meet this economic and early childhood development requirement. Learn more: https://jointinitiatives.org

Marketing vs. Branding Ten's of millions of dollars are spent annually on premature marketing endeavors on the part of small to mid-size businesses that feel the sense of urgency to get to market quickly and start to gain traction with prospective customers.  Speak, author and brand consultant Suzanne Tulien encourages business owners to examine their brand more closely - inside and out - before embarking on expensive marketing campaigns that may miss the mark. Not because the creative wasn't good or that particular medium doesn't work. Although that too may be a factor due to a lack of insight or awareness about how your brand is being experienced or perceived by audiences.  Great branding takes in to account a great many things including customer experience, internal culture, training of employees on your brand's unique position, messaging and experience, and so much more. Listen in to gain a few pearls of wisdom from this talented business coach on how to ready your business for marketing success by first examining your brand from head to toe - inside and out.  For more information or to pick up one of Suzanne's books, go to: https://brandascension.com/

Republican Congressman Doug Lamborn will not be seeking re-election in November to a seat he's held since winning his first bid in 2006 (January 3, 2007) - Colorado's 5th Congressional District. The seat represents the Colorado Springs area.  The announcement of Lamborn's departure from Washington, D.C. gave inspiration to Republican candidate, Jeff Crank who ran against Lamborn in 2006 primary race. Crank now has Lamborn's formal endorsement for the seat.  Jeff discusses his desire and strategy to take on several key points impacting southern Coloradans, including the porous southern border, the U.S. Department of Education, and his support for the economic drivers that have made Colorado Springs the headquarters for Space Comm, Space Force and a number of strong-sectors such as cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and aerospace and defense.   To learn more about Jeff's campaign, and how you can get involved, go to: https://jeffcrankforcongress.com/

City of Fountain Economic Development Commission specialist, Nathaniel (Nate) Schull joins EDC Board chair, Dan Osinski on this week's Business Digest Weekly to explain how the City of Fountain is in the early stages of a renaissance and a great location for manufacturing, distribution and cyber.  Learn about the City's Wayfinding sign plan, and other offerings by the EDC.   The City of Fountain serves as the Commercial Spine as a source of goods and lifestyle services to the greater Fountain Valley market.  Serving a broader population (109,639 pop.) than just the city limits and the ability to offer a bountiful array of sites for market-based business placement potential within the city and greater Valley community.

Sue Smith, originally from Pueblo, Colorado, and current Executive Director of the Christian P. Anschutz Foundation has enjoyed an illustrious career in the public service and volunteer world nearly her entire professional life. She is a champion for veterans and for the American values she sees as universal regardless of political affiliation: Honor, Integrity, and Patriotism She also serves as Secretary of the Board of Directors for the Center for American Values located in Pueblo. The Center for American Values’ organizational mission is based on the need for a national initiative to identify, document, and disseminate information about individuals, groups, and organizations whose character attributes relate directly to the values this great country was founded on. The Center for American Values purpose is to connect with individuals and organizations at all socio-economic levels through our programs including HIP Online Civics Based Education, Portraits of Valor Exhibit, On Values Speaker Series, and American Values Narratives Project.

Dani Bolling, Sr. Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Sales for the COS Chamber & EDC, Paul Myers-Bennett, Vice President of Marketing for the BBB of So. Colorado, and Brandon Eldridge, Executive Director for the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center are collaborating on the most exciting and edifying week for small businesses throughout the region at this year's Pikes Peak Region Small Business Week! April 29-May 3 - Register: https://pikespeaksdbc.org  ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS WEEK Small Business Week kicks off with the Small Business BASH and Awards Celebration on Monday, April 29 followed by three days of impactful workshops designed to educate, celebrate, and champion local small businesses. The week concludes with a networking event on Friday, May 3. Small Business Week of the Pikes Peak Region began more than 16 years ago as a partnership between the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The event took place as a one-day award banquet “Small Business Day” highlighting small businesses within the Pikes Peak Region. In 2012, the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado and the Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center took on full operations of the event and created a weeklong event called “Small Business Week.” Small Business Week in the Pikes Peak Region is the largest Small Business celebration in the State of Colorado (and the US in 2020). Last year the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC rejoined as host and helped create an impactful with a memorable week of events.

Mr. Lonnie Cramer, President & CEO of UCHealth-Southern Colorado Region. Mr. Cramer gives us a glimpse into how region's largest civilian employer, UCHealth is navigating through the labyrinth of declining reimbursement, rising costs and in keeping with the mission of delivering world-class healthcare for southern Coloradans. Cramer also shares insights about UCHealth's new Mobile Stroke Unit now serving southern Colorado, strategic partnerships with the region's military, the role of A.I. and virtual visits, and the systems considerable contribution for those who are un/underinsured.   Highly respected among healthcare executives, physicians, and allied healthcare professionals alike, Lonnie Cramer leads the southern Colorado team with great compassion serving and being served, extraordinary skill, and an eye on delivering world-class care for all Coloradans.  #UCHealth #LonnieCramer #Healthcare #Colorado

Robert Thompson spent 25 years in and around Wall Street as a very successful investment banker.  A fateful humanitarian trip to Haiti for 18 months after the devastating earthquake of 2010 gave Bob a front-row seat in the importance of critical infrastructure and how the absence of it meant life and death in this case, for members of three refugee camps totaling 4,382 people.  This experience led Bob to give up a "perfectly good job" on Wall Street to create what is now, 5-years later, Underline Infrastructure - a technology company. Bob recalls, when critical infrastructure (power, water, etc), breaks down, so too do society norms and the "community" aspect of daily life starts to fray.  Learn what Bob means when he says, "Underline is a technology company committed to delivering the connectivity infrastructure that is necessary for American cities to flourish for the wellbeing and prosperity of this country." Challenges being addressed by Underline:  Communities must have better capacity to touch the information economy (within that: address the social inequity regarding the delivery of proper modern infrastructure to poorer neighborhoods)American cities need newer, more cyber-secure connections from our research facilities and universities Need to modernize other critical infrastructures away from the internet as they are too vulnerable to nefarious players because so much of their operations now rely on internet connectivity and security.Download and listen to this powerful entrepreneur and visionary and what research supports as our pathway forward to isolate and support critical infrastructure in a sustainable way.  UNDERLINE INFRASTRUCTURE WEBSITE

As a business owner, do you even know your banker?  Sure, you put money in and take money out regularly. You probably have a line of credit and the associated cards that go with it. You might have a business loan that you're working to pay down so you can own or expand your business. You might even have some special "products" that a front-line business banker was able to put in place to advance your business in some way.  All that is great, except you might be leaving a lot of the value of a great banking relationship on the table.  Market President for Alpine Bank here in Colorado, Matt Hanson explains how his most successful business clients work with him not just through him, and how together they build stronger business models by leveraging the vast wealth of knowledge, visibility, and resources that Alpine Bank possesses.  ALPINE BANK WEBSITE

Colorado Springs is once again on the international stage hosting more than 12,000 space industry experts and leaders from 40 nations around the world both in-person and via online access. The 39th Space Symposium will begin April 8-11 at the Broadmoor Resort and Cheyenne Mountain Resort with guests staying in 31 hotels within the city. SVP for Strategic and International Affairs, Mr. Steve Eisenhart joins us to unpack the significance and depth of the content and relationships to be experienced by military and government attendees.  Exhibits: 241 standalone exhibits across 153,000 sq. ft. using two exhibit halls. International Space Agencies: 15+ heads of agencies participating Track sessions: 4 concurrent sessions: 1) Space Law; 2) Space Science; 3) Space Investment; 4) Industry Game Changers For those in the community who love all-things space, registration is now open for a special evening: Yuri's Night - Friday, April 7 from 5:30p to 9:00p!  https://spacefoundation.org or https://www.spacesymposium.org/