So. Colorado Business Forum & Digest || MARCH || 2025

AEROSPACE/DEFENSE

NONPROFIT

ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS

Space Report Highlights Robust Industry, Continued Growth Potential

Nonprofit Leaders Grapple with Uncertainty

Protecting Against Fire with Passive House Design

P. 10

P. 16

P. 31

March 2025 / Vol. 3 No. 3

Environment Dictates Action

Lessons on Fire & Water

Access / Opportunity / Connectivity / Visibility / Insights

$4.95 USA / SOCODIGEST.com

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 3

Publisher’s Letter FOUNDER, COLORADO MEDIA GROUP & EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER, SO. CO. BUSINESS FORUM & DIGEST

Dirk R. Hobbs

dhobbs@coloradomediagroup.com MANAGING EDITOR

Lee Harper

lharper@coloradomediagroup.com SENIOR COPY EDITOR

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info@coloradomediagroup.com CREATIVE DIRECTOR

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ctombaugh@coloradomediagroup.com SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Geraldine Villanueva

gvillanueva@coloradomediagroup.com DIRECTOR OF MEDIA SALES & PARTNERSHIPS

Kerri Blanco

kblanco@coloradomediagroup.com

Jeff Mohrfeld

jmohrfeld@coloradomediagroup.com STUDIO NARRATOR/BUSINESS DIGEST WEEKLY

Rachael Plath

SENIOR WRITERS

Pam Bales, Jeanne Davant & Wayne Heilman STAFF WRITERS

Keri Kahn, Lucy Richardson, Kay Rowe, Lorelei Smillie, Tiffany Underwood & Theresa Woods CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Colorado Springs Utilities, William Craighead, Ph.D., UCCS Economic Forum, Dawn Dawson, Mortgage Solutions Financial, Becca Tonn & Lola Woloch, CEO, SC Women’s Chamber of Commerce SOCODIGEST.COM WEB TEAM

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The So. Co. Business Forum & Digest audio version can be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Podbean, and Google Play. So. Co. Digest is also distributed to the Business Wire and Apple News+.

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Corrections, Questions, or General inquiries for the Editor or Publisher, email: info@coloradomediagroup.com | 719-330-7448 Advertising or Press Release: kblanco@coloradomediagroup.com and/or jmohrfeld@coloradomediagroup.com Offices: 6385 Corporate Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80919 Mail: P.O. Box 13395 Voyager Parkway, Ste 130-PMB #746,Colorado Springs, CO 80921 Copyright © 2025 Colorado Media Group All Rights Reserved.

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re you prepared?

Coloradans know it’s not so much if, but when fire will be a factor in doing business in Colorado. It’s not just a summertime thing either, as evidenced by the Marshall Fire in December 2023 which tore through 6,200 acres in Louisville and Superior, Colorado, leveling 991 structures. While most structures were residential, the $2B in losses included a shopping center, a hotel, restaurants, and numerous other small businesses.

More recently, wildfires in Los Angeles and the Carolinas are stark reminders of how quickly a business can be caught in the crosshairs of one of nature’s most aggressive and destructive forces.

Even if your business is not situated immediately along the wildland/urban interface, fire protection and preparedness should always be a consideration for owners and operators, especially when it comes to data, business continuance, and the livelihoods of employees.

This month’s focus is on the impact of fire in the region. Regrowth, mitigation, fire threat, and some steps you can take now to begin the recovery process, in the event fire does impact your business.

A final congratulations to our 40 members of the Class of 2025’s So. Colorado Business Forum & Digest 40 Under 40! An impressive class of young professionals enjoyed an early morning at COS City Hub with nearly 350 in attendance on February 25th.

Thirty-four (34) industry sectors were represented from Pueblo, Canon City, Trinidad, Monument and Colorado Springs. Individuals were nominated by colleagues and employers who presented each candidate through a vigorous and anonymous rubric consisting of work value and outcomes, community

service, personal and professional development and other numerous other criteria.

A landscape of business and community leaders that intentionally pauses and authentically recognizes the efforts, abilities, innovation, passion and leadership of its young professionals tends to retain those same individuals who will lay the foundation upon which subsequent generations of workforce will build. I encourage you to read through the profiles of those who took the stage and will, one day soon, be fully in charge of our regional economic engine. So Colorado Business Digest 40/40 – 2025.

Nominations for the Class of 2026 will open in September 2025.

Dirk R. Hobbs, Founder & Executive Publisher Colorado Media Group, Inc.

The Business Digest Weekly Top News The Business Digest Monthly Review Business Digest Weekly on AM1460/101.1FM (Twice daily and on Fridays from 3-4PM)

Women's History Month M A RC H 2 0 2 5

4 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Contents / March 2025 HEALTHCARE 8 Memorial Hospital North

Plans $407 Million Expansion

Expected to begin early this year, Memorial Hospital North expansion plans will include kitchen/dining space, parking, 50 beds, four operating rooms, emergency department rooms and space for later growth.

BY JEANNE DAVANT

AEROSPACE/ DEFENSE 10 Space Report Highlights

Robust Industry, Continued Growth Potential Record launches, significant industry investment and global expansion are some of the revelations in the Space Foundation’s latest Space Report.

The achievements detailed indicate a dynamic industry that will continue to expand. Read the specifics here.

BY JEANNE DAVANT

SPORTS ECONOMY 11 Weidner Now Sole Owner of

Switchbacks FC

Weidner Apartment Homes acquired the remaining 40% ownership of the Switchbacks FC just months after the team won the USL championship. The Digest spoke with Greg Cerbana, Weidner’s vice president of public relations and government affairs to learn more about the new owner’s plan for the club.

BY WAYNE HEILMAN

TECHNOLOGY 14 Transforming Technology and Communities As a woman in a male-dominated field, Alethia Software founder Christie Frieg hopes more women will enter the industry. The company excels at connecting disparate data types and sources into unified applications.

Also, prioritizing corporate social responsibility ensures that Alethia’s success translates into meaningful community impact.

BY PAM BALES

ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS

Weidner Apartment Homes are now the sole owners of Colorado Spring's Switchbacks FC. P. 40

18 Collaboration is Key to Future Water Supply As part of a broad system of municipalities as well as environmental, recreational and agricultural groups in the Arkansas River Basin, all groups must work together to efficiently use the limited water supply. Springs Utilities’ long-term plan is a diversified approach of conservation, reuse and efficiency projects to maximize supplies.

BY TRAVAS DEAL

26 Economic Impacts of Wildfires in Colorado In the wake of the wildfires in Los Angeles, The Digest takes a look at how the same crisis affects Southern Colorado each year. Starting with this story of economics, take a look at advice, innovation and reflection on the toll wildfires can take on life in Southern Colorado.

BY LUCY RICHARDSON

27 Colorado Springs Utilities

Works on Fire Mitigation

In California’s deadly Eaton fire, faulty utility equipment has been cited as a possible factor. Colorado Springs Utilities details its approach to fire mitigation in a landscape where vegetation and topography ultimately determine risk.

BY KERI KAHN

29 Create a Roadmap Now to Survive Wildfire Taking the time now to protect your business from wildfire is crucial to the ability to continue business operations once a wildfires hits. Businesses can proactively craft a roadmap that ensures employee safety and minimizes operational disruptions.

BY PAM BALES

CHAMBERS

WORKFORCE

20 Celebrating Women’s History Month

34 Aging in Place Presents

The Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce talks about their focus in March for Women’s History Month. Woloch introduces us to some regional trailblazers who embody leadership, resilience and innovation in industries vital to Southern Colorado.

Colorado is the third-fastest aging state in that nation, with an expected one million-plus residents by 2030. What does the older population mean for industries, like medical supply, home care and medicine? And, of course, there are implications for employees of those industries too. Turn here to read more about how this trend will impact business.

BY LOLA WOLOCH

46 The State of the Region Over the last few weeks, chambers of commerce up and down the Front Range have reviewed their areas’ activities and accomplishments. The Digest has compiled the vital statistics of some of Southern Colorado’s larger centers.

BY THERESA WOODS

ECONOMIC FORUM 22 Lessons for Colorado from California and Texas This month’s column looks at trends of Americans relocating out of California and New York, where economic productivity is high. Many are going to Texas and Florida, where median household income is less and lifespans are shorter. Read on to see where Colorado falls on the spectrum of affordability and lifestyle.

BY DR. WILLIAM CRAIGHEAD

Opportunities

BY JEANNE DAVANT

PEOPLE 38 Professionals on the Rise Get to know some of those people in the region who have made leaps in their careers, or stand out in their current roles. This is where The Digest celebrates the achievements of Southern Colorado’s workforce.

40 City Council Candidates Talk to SoCo Digest

Colorado Springs votes in April on those who will fill City Council seats.

The Digest sent a short survey to all 20 candidates; the compiled and condensed responses of those who replied are here.

C E L E B R AT I N G YO U N G L E A D E R S

Event Photographer: Krys Fakir

Congratulations Class of 2025!

F E BRUARY 25, 2025

6 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Updates Around the Region Statewide

More than a Third of Colorado Households Struggle Financially

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new report that focuses on the financial struggles of many Colorado households found that 37% are not earning enough to take care of their basic needs.

ALICE in Colorado: A Study of Financial Hardship, produced by researchers from United Ways of Colorado and United for ALICE, defines a category called ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.

The researchers used household costs including housing, food, transportation, healthcare, childcare and other necessities to calculate the ALICE Survival Budget, the amount it took to cover the basics in 2022. For a family of four including two adults, one infant and one preschooler, that amount was $88,740 annually, which equates to an hourly wage of $44.37.

For a single adult, the amount was $31,560 annually or $15.78 hourly, and for a single adult 65 or older, it was $35,520 annually or $17.76 hourly.

Of the 37% of households that fell below these levels, 9% were at or below the federal poverty level. The remaining 28% earned too much to qualify for aid or social programs but not enough to cover their necessary costs.

These people are “your local grocery store cashier, food service worker, janitor, waiter or waitress, personal care aide, childcare provider, etc. — those who sustain the foundation of our daily lives,” writes Kate Nowak, executive director of United Way of the Yampa Valley, and they often must make “impossible decisions each month, like choosing between child care or paying rent.”

ALICE households have increased over the past 10 years. The primary reason is that “wages have failed to keep up with inflation and the rising cost of household basics,” the report says. Underemployment — such as people who have had work hours reduced or can’t find full-time employment — and medical debt, which affects one in four ALICE

El Paso

Flighthound App Available to Consumers

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lightHound, profiled in the January Digest, provides a streamlined, efficient solution to ease traveler frustration. FlightHound’s app, which aims to revolutionize air travel experiences, is now available for both Android and iPhone. The product is designed to simplify the claims process for delayed, lost or damaged luggage, and aid travelers experiencing flight disruptions.

With an average of 28,500 mishandled bags annually and new regulations requiring airlines to compensate passengers, the app

allows passengers to file claims, track their status in real-time and receive timely compensation.

The company’s Smart Bag Tag enhances baggage tracking with secure QR code technology. Unlike other trackers, the Smart Bag Tag syncs with flight itineraries, offering real-time geolocation and identity protection for $19.99.

FlightHound is also working with airlines to improve claims efficiency and customer satisfaction. With a team of industry experts, the company aims to build trust between airlines and travelers.

El Paso

households, also are factors.

ALICE households are more prevalent in rural areas like Huerfano County (56% of all households) and Fremont County (53%) than in more urban areas such as El Paso County (34%). In Pueblo County, 47% fell below the threshold.

The report urges policymakers to make data-driven decisions and notes that communities and

businesses benefit when households have sufficient income — less homelessness, lower healthcare costs, improved workplace productivity and more spending.

“Intervention is needed across the board — in business, government, nonprofit and educational institutions — to set the groundwork for a more equitable future,” the report concludes.

El Paso

PteroDynamics Wins Naval Contract

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teroDynamics, an aircraft technology company headquartered in Colorado Springs, received a contract from the U.S. Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division to develop and demonstrate its next-generation Transwing® UAS for maritime critical repair cargo resupply. PteroDynamics was profiled in the January edition of Digest.

The company’s innovative aircraft, which features folding wings for seamless vertical and horizontal flight, aims to transform offshore cargo delivery, emergency response and

infrastructure inspections.

The upcoming P5 Transwing® model is expected to meet defense, commercial and public sector needs as the aerospace industry evolves.

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 7

Updates Around the Region Statewide

SBA Administrator Loeffler Issues Memo on Day One Priorities

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ollowing her confirmation and swearing-in as the 28th Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Kelly Loeffler issued a Day One memo outlining her top priorities for the agency. The memo describes how SBA will become an America First engine for free enterprise.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our nation, driving innovation, job creation, and prosperity – and there’s no stronger advocate for small business than President Trump or myself. But over the last four years, the SBA has burdened entrepreneurs with bureaucracy – with its programs becoming mired in fraud, waste, and abuse,” SBA Administrator Loeffler says. “That changes today. My first priority is rebuilding the SBA into an America First engine for free

enterprise – by empowering small businesses and fueling economic growth.

Loeffler continues, “From day one, we will uphold the highest standards of accountability, performance, and integrity, where taxpayer dollars will be safeguarded, not squandered.

We will streamline operations, drive efficiency, and ensure programs deliver real results. It’s a new day at the SBA, and I’m honored to lead a team that is committed to serving America’s job creators and citizens when disaster strikes.”

The release says the following priorities have been distributed to all SBA staff as the agency prepares to carry out President Trump’s America First agenda and empower small businesses to thrive:

Supporting President Trump’s America First Agenda 1. Promoting “Made in America” with U.S. manufacturing 2. Implementing President Trump’s executive orders 3. Supporting the Department of Government Efficiency 4. Mandating full-time, in-office work for SBA employees 5. Prioritizing workforce optimization Eliminating Wasteful Spending and Cracking Down on Fraud 1. Cracking down on fraud 2. Conducting an agency-wide financial audit 3. Protecting the solvency of loan programs and restoring underwriting standards

El Paso

Recreational Marijuana Sales Will Move Forward in COS

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olorado Springs residents voted on recreational marijuana sales in November 2024, and Ballot Question 300 passed with just over 54% of the vote. Since then, some City Council members have voiced concerns that voters didn’t fully understand what they were voting on due to the ballot language. Led by Dave Donelson, councilors voted 7-2 on Jan. 28 to refer a ballot question to the April 2025 ballot.

The decision to reconsider the vote led to immediate legal challenges. Plaintiff “Waddington” filed a lawsuit against the City Council’s decision, arguing that it was not legal to hold a revote on an issue that voters had already decided.

The District Court initially prohibited the city from placing the question on the April ballot. However, the city filed an emergency appeal to the Colorado Supreme Court to overturn this decision. The Colorado

Supreme Court declined to review the case, leaving the District Court ruling in place, according to court documents dated February 13, 2025.

The District Court ordered the city “to take all actions necessary to ensure that the Referred Ballot Question does not appear on ballots to avoid disenfranchising and confusing the electorate.”

In keeping with the original ballot issue in November, only medical marijuana businesses can apply for recreational licenses. Several dispensaries had already begun applying for those licenses before City Council tried to place a re-vote on the April ballot.

April 14, 2025, is the early deadline for stores that have applied for retail licenses to start selling recreational marijuana. The city says it has already received dozens of applications.

4.

5.

Banning illegal aliens from receiving SBA assistance Restricting hostile foreign nationals from accessing SBA assistance

Empowering Small Businesses 1. Creating a strike force to cut regulation 2. Improving SBA customer service, technology, and cybersecurity 3. Promoting fair competition by returning 8(a) contracting goals to statutory levels 4. Relocating regional offices out of sanctuary cities 5. Ending partisan voter registration activities

El Paso

Vanderhoof Resigns

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im Vanderhoof has resigned as vice president of economic development of the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC after nearly a year of leading the group’s efforts to attract and retain businesses in the Colorado Springs area.

While with the chamber, he was a key part of convincing eight businesses to relocate to or expand in the Colorado Springs area with plans to create nearly 1,000 jobs and spend more than $53 million on facilities and equipment, according to a chamber email. The nonprofit has not announced plans for how it will fill the opening.

Vanderhoof joined the chamber on Feb. 26, 2024, after spending most of the past decade with Enterprise Florida, a statewide public-private partnership that had focused on business development but was dissolved under legislation signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis in May 2023. After leaving Enterprise Florida in 2021, he worked as a consultant for Walt Disney Co. and was director of business attraction for a nonprofit in Lake County, Florida.

8 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Healthcare

Memorial Hospital North Plans $407 Million Expansion

BY JE AN N E DAVANT

Source of Photos: UCHealth

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$407 million expansion of Memorial Hospital North will start in 2026 to enable the hospital to serve more patients in growing north El Paso County and offer more services in the UCHealth system. The new expansion will nearly double the size of the current facility.

“This expansion will enable us to expand our surgical specialties — such as spine and orthopedic surgeries — and offer patients access to nationally recognized specialists throughout UCHealth,” says UCHealth President and CEO Elizabeth B. Concordia.

The additional space also will enable Memorial North to grow its cancer center and add clinical trials and advanced treatments.

The 330,000-square-foot expansion will include a six-story inpatient tower that will add 50 beds to the hospital’s current 140, four

Elizabeth B. Concordia, UCHealth President and CEO. new operating rooms and a sixlevel parking structure in the first phase, which will utilize about 45% of the space. The remaining space will provide room for future growth, including 130 additional beds, bringing the hospital’s capacity to 320 beds, and four more operating rooms for an

eventual total of 18.

The project also will expand kitchen and dining space, add space to the laboratory and provide space for an additional 21 emergency department exam rooms and future expansion of imaging services. The parking garage will provide 979 stalls, and surface parking will be added.

Construction is expected to begin early this year on the parking garage and completion is projected in 2027, according to a news release.

Construction of the tower, which is projected to open to patients in 2029.

Memorial Hospital North opened as a community hospital in 2007.

It became part of the UCHealth system in 2012 and underwent an expansion in late 2018 that enlarged the emergency department and added operating rooms. Another addition in early 2019 houses a birth center, pharmacy and oncology services.

“Memorial Hospital North has

been operating at or near capacity for the past several years,” UCHealth Memorial Hospital President and CEO Lonnie Cramer says. Inpatient admissions increased 31% from FY2019-2024; visits to the emergency department rose 25% and the number of surgeries performed grew 53%.

Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Springs, which opened in 2019, also is located on the 81-acre Memorial North campus at 4050 Briargate Parkway.

Jeanne Davant is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

Save the Dates!

Class of 2026 40 Under 40 Nominations Open OCTO B E R 6 D ECE M B E R 5, 2 02 5

Selection Committee Begins D EC E M B E R 1 5, 2 02 5

Celebration Event FEBR UARY 24 , 2 02 6

www.socodigest.com

10 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Aerospace/Defense

Space Report Highlights Robust Industry, Continued Growth Potential

BY JE AN N E DAVANT

Photo Source: The Space Report Space Foundation

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he Space Foundation’s latest Space Report portrays continuing expansion in the space industry, including record launch attempts for the fourth consecutive year, more nations entering the space arena and significant investment in the industry.

The 250 launch attempts in 2024 — an average of one launch every 34 hours — represented a 16% increase over 2023, which averaged one launch every 39 hours, according to the Q4 2024 report, released Jan. 21. More frequent launches are likely in 2025, the report states, as launch operators implement site improvements and plan the first flights of 24 launch vehicles.

Global expansion of the industry continued in 2024. Ninety nations now have active satellites in orbit. That number includes Senegal and Croatia, that launched their first satellites in 2024.

The S-Network Space Index, which tracks publicly traded companies in the space industry, roared back to a record six-month performance after underperforming in the first half of the year. The index posted a 26.4% gain over the year. Intuitive Machines, which completed testing of its Lunar Terrain Vehicle, had the best performance of companies in the index. For the year, the Houstonbased firm was up 609%, reflecting numerous NASA contracts and the successful landing of its Nova-C class lunar lander, Odysseus, on the moon in February 2024. Intuitive Machines is planning another moon launch and landing this spring.

Space Foundation CEO Heather Pringle says these achievements indicate a dynamic industry that will continue to expand.

“There is promising effort to strengthen governance and sustainability,” Pringle states, and “there is reason to have confidence in the upward trajectory of the space economy.”

Although launches increased in 2024, spacecraft deployments dropped 3% to 2,802.

However, operators moved to heavier satellites, including SpaceX’s Starlink v2 mini, and total mass in orbit increased 40% to 1.9 million kilograms. SpaceX was a primary driver of launch and spacecraft trends in 2024, launching 152 times, deploying almost 2,000 Starlink satellites and test launching the Starship vehicle four times. Military spacecraft deployments increased 86% in 2024 as the Pentagon embraced SpaceX’s Starshield; SpaceX launched more than 100 satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office’s Starshield constellation.

Other key topics covered in the Space Report include: •

•

The need for a more robust education-to-industry pipeline — educators are working with government agencies and space companies to increase STEM interest, engage students in the state industry and forge academic partnerships. Active learning, hands-on experience and internships are being created through partnerships between industry and schools for students who want to join the space workforce.

Tracking objects in space — the U.S. Department of Commerce

•

•

has started trials of its Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) program to track the growing number of objects in orbit and prevent collisions. An initial phase began in September 2024, delivering spaceflight safety services including basic space situational awareness data and space traffic coordination services to a beta group of satellite operators.

Observing the universe — the James Webb Space Telescope continued to create and send detailed images of the universe for its third year in space.

Building on the observations from previous telescopes such as Hubble, researchers use the data to validate or disprove theories on the origins of the universe, supermassive black holes and early star formation.

The telescope, which was launched on Dec. 25, 2021, orbits the sun 1 million miles from Earth.

The role of AI — artificial intelligence is used in applications ranging from initial data processing to running simulations on digital twins, which create virtual replicas

of physical objects, systems or processes. Although AI is bringing value and efficiency to the space industry, issues remain about regulation of AI systems to prevent ethical and cybersecurity risks.

Space Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to unite the space community and accelerate its growth and success.

It has published the Space Report since 2006 to cover the global space ecosystem, space exploration, spending and defense programs, commercial trends, deployments, innovation, workforce development and other key industry indicators.

Jeanne Davant is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

FOR ACCESS

to the full report, visit:

THESPACEREPORT.ORG

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 11

Sports Economy

Weidner Now Sole Owner of Switchbacks Football Club

BY WAYN E HEILMAN

Photo Source: Switchbacks Football Club

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ust months after winning the United Soccer League (USL) championship, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks Football Club is now fully owned by Weidner Apartment Homes, which acquired the remaining 40% of ownership from the founding Ragain family.

Terms were not disclosed, but Weidner said in a Feb. 5 news release that it had extended multiyear contracts for the team’s sporting director, Stephen Hogan; head coach James Chambers; and technical director Allan McCann. Switchbacks President Nick Ragain and brother James Ragain, the team’s executive vice president, will remain with the team as consultants for six months and a board of four Weidner executives will oversee the business.

“Ed [Ragain, Switchbacks founder] told us that now is the time for [his family to make] an exit, coming off winning a championship. It is time (for him) to do something different and cash out with his partner for the past nine years,” says Greg Cerbana, Weidner’s vice president of public relations and government affairs. “We will make sure the franchise doesn’t go anywhere and remains in Colorado Springs for perpetuity.”

Colorado Springs native Dean Weidner, who owns 16 local apartment complexes, had owned 60% of the team since 2020 and bought naming rights to the 8,000-seat Downtown Colorado Springs stadium where the Switchbacks play home games. The Switchbacks won the USL title on Nov. 23 in their home stadium by defeating Rhode Island FC 3-0. The team played all its playoff games last season at home.

The company quickly put its stamp on the team by appointing Brad Estes as president. Estes was president of USL member Louisville City Football Club and National Women’s Soccer League member Racing Louisville Football Club from 2018-2022 after previously serving as a consultant and executive vice president. During his time with Louisville City, the team

won back-to-back USL championships in 2017-2018.

Estes joined the Switchbacks on March 3. A former accountant, Estes is now a business consultant after spending two years as chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Synchrony Health Services, according to his LinkedIn profile.

“There are times when opportunities present themselves that force you to adjust your plan and take decisive action, and this is one of those times,” Cerbana says. “It was a fortuitous meeting for us to get acquainted with Brad and learn of his experience, his passion and his record of success in private business as well as within the league. It didn’t take long to convince us that he is the right person to lead this club, both on and off the field, and build upon the winning tradition that’s been established here in the Springs.”

The Ragain family was awarded a USL franchise in 2013 and the team began play in 2015 in a small stadium adjacent to UCHealth Park in northeast Colorado Springs, but with an eye toward eventually building and playing in a larger downtown stadium. The stadium became part of the City for Champions initiative to use $120.5 million in state tax breaks to build a series of projects that also included the nearby U.S. Olympic and

Paralympic Museum.

Weidner, based in the Seattle area, was started in 1977 with a single apartment complex in Seattle; it has grown to become one of the nation’s largest apartment management companies, with 316 complexes in 13 states and Canada.

“When we buy a new business, we figure out how they operate and what they are doing. Our goal is long-term stability, making sure we understand the business and make it even better,” Cerbana says. “We want to see a good product on the field, support a winner and to create an environment where that is welcoming to all, exciting and where our players are approachable.

This is a $7 million-a-year business, and we hope that it continues to grow.”

Weidner is in early discussions about possibly expanding Weidner Field, which hinges on the team selling out all its games, but no firm plans have been developed yet, Cerbana says. Exponential Impact, an incubator for technology startups, will continue to lease space in the stadium’s northwest corner, but that space eventually will be converted to a restaurant as the company builds out an adjacent apartment complex, Cerbana says.

The Switchbacks plan to start a foundation to give scholarships to help underserved youth play club soccer

but those plans are in early stages, so the number of recipients, amounts and club soccer partners haven’t been determined. The team also wants to put together local events around next year’s World Cup, soccer’s premier championship featuring 48 teams playing in 16 North American cities.

Cerbana says Weidner is not facing any pressure to move the team to a larger market and that league officials attending the championship game told team officials that they want to spread the energy and enthusiasm they saw at the game to other USL markets. The company doesn’t have plans to buy any other professional sports teams, but is on the lookout to acquire a local franchise for a women’s professional soccer team, should one become available.

Wayne Heilman is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

12 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Tourism

Fremont County Entrepreneurs Convert Shipping Containers into Housing

Photo Source: The Industrial Hotel

The Industrial Hotel in Florence is a bed-and-breakfast inn and a model for shipping container construction of low-cost housing.

BY JE AN N E DAVANT

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hen Barna Kasa and Wyatt Reed look at shipping containers, they see living spaces.

The two Fremont County entrepreneurs developed a four-unit property in Florence that showcases how shipping containers can be a foundation for affordable housing.

Their project, The Industrial Hotel, operates as a bed-and-breakfast inn, but it also serves as a model for economically and sustainably converting shipping containers to housing that can be rented at low cost.

Shipping containers are plentiful and cheap, and they provide the basic structure, Kasa says.

“The first unit we built, with plumbing and electrical, the total cost was $30,000,” he says. Prices doubled during the COVID pandemic, but still, at $60,000 in construction costs, a unit could rent for $500 a month, he says.

Kasa and his wife Erin, who also

own Salvage Antiques Vintage Etc., an architectural salvage store in Florence, moved to Cañon City a decade ago.

Reed was operating a store called Unbranded, which sold high-end, handmade shoes and clothing and screen-printed T-shirts.

When Kasa visited the store, they got to talking and hit it off, Kasa says, and Reed started sourcing merchandise from Kasa’s antique store.

But Kasa had more ventures he wanted to explore.

Growing up in a small town in socialist Hungary, “we recycled everything,” he says. “We had no waste.” There, he observed a lot of apartments being built using efficient construction methods and high density because housing was needed.

He thought he could translate some of those ideas to address the need for affordable housing here.

Kasa’s first project was The Rosedale Vintage Mobile Home Park outside Cañon City, a complex of painstakingly restored mobile homes

from the 1950s and 1960s that recreates a vintage charm.

“Everybody said I was crazy when I was doing it,” he says, but the project garnered lots of publicity and attracted short- and long-term renters. It wasn’t a big step from there to shipping containers, which are about the same size as these mobile homes.

Kasa sketched out a design for a shipping container house and shared it with Reed, who also has construction experience. Kasa owned a Florence lot where he was storing construction materials, and the two decided to build a modular house on top of a shipping container. The plan was to use it as a model home that Reed would occupy.

Working through their companies, Kasa’s KDevelopers and Reed’s Fire Age Design, the entrepreneurs developed their plan and won a pitch competition at Emergent Campus in Florence. But even though the project attracted a lot of positive attention, including praise from Gov. Jared Polis’ office, they had

to overcome numerous planning and zoning hurdles and concerns about affordable housing.

“We got tangled up in paperwork,” Reed says. Because of the property’s zoning, the only permissible use of the property that would embrace the concept was a hotel. It took three years to resolve the many issues and get the necessary permits and infrastructure in place.

The first of the units, which are highly energy-efficient and constructed almost entirely of recycled materials, opened in June 2021.

Today at The Industrial, three of the four units are complete and two are being rented as AirB&Bs. The fourth unit is near completion — Reed is working on it when he is available — and there is room for expansion.

The Industrial is listed for sale, but if Kasa and Reed can’t find a buyer, “our best-case scenario is finish up unit three and adding some outdoor seating and patio areas for our guests,” Kasa says. P. 13

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 13

Tourism Reed is supervising construction of another project, BV Basecamp, 16 affordable apartment units constructed of 20 shipping containers in Buena Vista. Reed helped the project’s private developers, Jerry and Tania Champlin, create a design Reed describes as “Ikea meets Uber” — the same concept as The Industrial, but on a larger scale.

They created an intricate and complex stacked design Reed calls “a livable piece of art” to fit the shipping containers onto several small lots. Reed expects to finish the project this spring.

Kasa operates and maintains The Industrial and is expanding his architectural salvage store.

The pair intends to build additional shipping container housing on another 10-acre industrial storage lot Kasa owns in Florence but prohibitive

infrastructure costs have delayed that.

They haven’t given up on their original idea of championing much-needed affordable housing in Colorado.

Smaller developers can lead the way, Reed says, but community leaders and planners need to be more open to innovative housing concepts and make the approval process “still thorough but a little less arduous.”

When the BV Basecamp project is completed, “we plan to bring focus back to affordable manufactured housing built in Florence, as well as a series of courses on container home and general construction,” Kasa says.

Jeanne Davant is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

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14 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Technology

Transforming Technology and Communities

BY PA M BALES

F

ounded by Colorado Springs native Christie Frieg, Alethia is a unique combination of innovation and community spirit in the tech industry. This certified 8(a) business is revolutionizing software development and engineering user-interfaces services, while also making a significant impact on local and global communities.

As a certified 8(a) business, Alethia is uniquely positioned to expedite the acquisition process, swiftly delivering capabilities to warfighters. This designation by the Small Business Administration (SBA) recognizes Alethia as a socially and economically disadvantaged company, giving it a competitive edge in the market.

Frieg’s father, who worked in the software industry, inspired her journey into STEM. As one of the few women in a male-dominated field, she remains hopeful about more women moving into the industry. Alethia actively supports initiatives such as coding bootcamps and workforce

Christie Frieg, Alethia founder. programs to help women develop the skills needed for success in engineering and programming.

“Launching my own company began earlier than I was expecting,” Frieg says, laughing. “But I wanted the flexibility to truly balance my family life with my business life, all while making a difference in my community.”

With a degree in computer science from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Frieg always envisioned starting her own business. Encouraged by her

mentors and driven by a desire for innovation, she took the plunge into the entrepreneurial world. Under her leadership, Alethia has grown to serve multiple customers across the Air Force, Space Force and commercial startups of Colorado Springs. The company celebrated its fifth year in business on Feb. 25, 2025.

Alethia specializes in datacentric, engineering-grade user interfaces and back-end application programming interface (API) development, particularly in the satellite communications and Space Domain Awareness sectors.

The company excels in connecting disparate data types and sources into unified applications, providing users with actionable intelligence.

Alethia’s expertise extends to rapid prototyping, software development and cloud migration, making it a versatile partner for businesses seeking advanced technological solutions.

At the heart of Alethia’s success is Frieg’s ability to integrate her passion for technology with a deep commitment to social responsibility.

The original Alethia was the Greek goddess of Truth.

“The name was important to me because it embodied the spirit of truth, truthfulness and sincerity that I wanted for my customers, vendors and employees. I believe I’m instilling a corporate culture that goes beyond serving our customers,” Frieg says. “We want to bring a positive impact on our local and international community.”

From the start, Alethia has donated a portion of its profits to several nonprofit organizations, according to Frieg.

“Touch of Love International (TOLI) is a wonderful organization that empowers families in impoverished communities through dignified microloans, business training and Christian discipleship,” she explains.

“It is stunning how such a small loan can change one family’s life and then it ripples to the entire community.”

Alethia also partners with Mary’s Home. This long-term residential program provides high-challenge and supportive trauma-informed services to single mothers exiting homelessness in Colorado Springs. P. 15

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Technology

Additionally, Alethia supports Compassion International, an organization dedicated to fighting poverty by sponsoring the neediest and most vulnerable children.

“I sponsored a child through Compassion International when I was a kid myself,” says Frieg.

“Since they are based here in the Springs, it made perfect sense to continue that support through my business.”

These partnerships reflect Alethia’s integrated approach to corporate social responsibility, ensuring that

its business success translates into meaningful community impact. Frieg’s dedication to both technological excellence and social impact has made Alethia a standout in the industry, reflecting her vision of a company where business success and community improvement go hand-in-hand.

Pam Bales is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT: ALETHIASOFTWARESOLUTIONS.COM

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16 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Nonprofit

Nonprofit Leaders Grapple with Uncertainty

BY K E R I K A H N

An Unpredictable Future

After a slower post-COVID job growth rebound than other industries, nonprofits nationwide are now grappling with a new reality. P. 17

Photo Source: Community Partnership for Child Development

A

ccording to the Colorado Nonprofit Association’s 2024 Economic Impact Report, there were 34,251 nonprofits in Colorado that supported 262,000 jobs and made a $25 billion contribution to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The report adds that 32,000 of those jobs, $2 billion in labor income and $3 billion in GDP come from Colorado’s 5th Congressional District, which encompasses Colorado Springs.

By comparison, the state’s civilian space economy (the second largest per capita in the nation) boasted 1,000 aerospace firms with 35,000 workers as of April 2024.

Leaving aside nonprofits as an employer, their impact is felt on a larger scale when including the vulnerable populations kept afloat and, often, off of government assistance programs thanks to the work of those 34,251 organizations.

Regardless of where one falls on the political spectrum, downsizing services would cause a ripple effect that would be catastrophic to the individuals and families served, as well as to employers in other industries, taxpayers and the economy in general.

Community Partnership for Child Development provides early childhood education and family support to low-income families in the Pikes Peak region.

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 17

Cybersecurity Nonprofit On Jan. 27, when the Trump administration called for federal agencies to implement a freeze on a large number of grants, loans and assistance, nonprofits were thrown into chaos with many reporting an inability to access already-awarded grant money.

“The first day of the freeze, we could not get in until that next afternoon going into the next day, but we were able to access it for CPCD,” says Steven Lewis, CEO of Colorado Springs-based Community Partnership for Child Development, which was founded in 1987. “But throughout the country, some of my colleagues that run Head Start programs were not able to get into their funding even when it was uplifted.”

Should federal funding cuts reach Medicaid, there would be a profound impact on the community’s healthcare.

Colorado has 20 Community Health Centers and 247 clinic sites.

These clinics are often the only affordable primary care providers for their 857,000 Coloradan patients, 50% of whom are covered by Medicaid.

Of these 247 sites, 18 are in Colorado Springs, nine are in Pueblo and two are in Cañon City, according to the Colorado Community Health Network (CCHN) website.

“Any cuts to Medicaid would have significant impact on Community Health Centers, 65% of whom are already operating with negative financial margins because of a combination of inflation, rising cost of salaries, the Medicaid unwind and flat federal funding for the past 10 years,” CCHN tells the Digest.

Although a Washington, D.C. federal judge ordered an administrative stay and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) rescinded the related memo, nonprofit leaders grapple with the anxiety of an unclear future — so unclear that very few organizations were interested in speaking to the Digest on the topic.

The Path Forward

For some groups, advocacy is key. In February, Community Health Center staff and patient board members from across the country

gathered in Washington, D.C., for an annual conference, during which they shared how any future cuts to Medicaid — whether in the form of block grants, Federal Medical Assistance Percentage reductions or work requirements — would have disastrous impacts on Coloradans’ medical coverage and Colorado’s GDP. For CPCD, which serves more than 900 children in the Colorado Springs Head Start Program, Lewis says 66% of its funding comes from the federal government. He is in his third year at the helm of the 360-employee organization and says his approach is day by day.

“My leadership style is always that the only thing that’s certain is uncertainty. You’ve got to thrive in chaos and you’ve got to stay focused in the present time, and so you worry about problems as they come along,” Lewis says.

He adds that, unlike many nonprofits, CPCD is fortunate to have a board-directed fund, established some years ago, that has accrued to around $10 million.

He says, “That is what I inherited. …The reality is I still can’t make up 66% in federal funding, but it sure does help.”

For nonprofits struggling with budget management during these unprecedented times, the go-to solution may be a more intense focus on fundraising from individual donors and corporations.

How For-Profit Businesses Can Help

Business owners not already investing in local nonprofits should know that, according to a 2018 Cone/ Porter Novelli Purpose Study, 79% of Americans say they are more loyal to purpose-driven brands. Companies with the means to do so could become nonprofit event sponsors or business partners and, in addition to keeping local charities afloat during hard times, could benefit from improved bottom lines and customer loyalty.

Keri Kahn is a staff writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

18 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Environmental Affairs

Collaboration is Key to Future Water Supply

BY TRAVAS DE AL

Photo Source: Screen from CSU's “Water sharing: a collaboration story” Youtube video.

T

oday, Colorado Springs’ water system can reliably meet a demand of 95,000 acre-feet a year. The city is using an average of about 70,000 acre-feet a year. When a new area is annexed, the utility needs of the annexation become part of Colorado Springs Utilities’ future planning. This can affect the amount of additional water supplies that may be needed to serve an expanded city footprint.

Springs Utilities’ integrated water resource plan considers the water needs of the city over a 50year planning horizon. This plan incorporates factors such as known risks to current supplies, population growth and changes in regulations, among many other factors, to estimate future demand. What Colorado Springs will look like that far out is unknown — that’s for the city’s leaders to determine. Springs Utilities’ role is to be ready to provide utility services to all customers inside city boundaries. P. 19

CSU's innovative water sharing program invests in our region's agricultural economy while providing water for our customers.

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Environmental Affairs It’s estimated that up to 34,000 acre-feet of additional water supplies may be needed to meet forecasted future demand and mitigate risks to the city’s Colorado River Basin supplies.

Contrary to recent claims, those supplies won’t come solely from Springs Utilities’ agricultural water-sharing program in the Lower Arkansas Valley.

The utility’s long-term plan details a diversified approach that also includes additional conservation savings, reuse and efficiency projects and increased reservoir storage. This strategy is designed to maximize the city’s current water supplies while limiting development of additional water supplies in the Arkansas River Basin to the minimum amount needed.

The success of this plan relies heavily on collaboration.

As part of a broader system of municipalities as well as environmental, recreational and agricultural groups in the Arkansas River Basin, it’s imperative that all groups work together to efficiently use a limited water supply to meet competing interests in the basin.

Lower Arkansas River farmers expressed concerns during the Jan. 28 Colorado Springs City Council hearing on the Karman Line annexation. Springs Utilities has dedicated years to gaining a better understanding of the needs of agriculture and local communities in the basin. With the belief that success should be achieved equally, those learnings were translated into a watersharing program that ensures local economies and values are preserved.

Water-sharing partnerships with farmers focus on investments in proven, more efficient irrigation methods that sustain crop productivity and — importantly — tie the remaining water to farms in perpetuity.

•

Springs Utilities learned from past mistakes and listened to what farmers, local ditch boards and local governments

•

•

needed, then worked with them to find ways to implement it. A good example is the Bent County-Colorado Springs Intergovernmental Agreement, which limits the amount of water supply that may be developed in that county.

This agreement limits the total number of irrigated acres that may be dried up and provides up-front and ongoing financial payments to support their community needs.

When water is available for leasing, farmers are prioritized. For example, 20,000 acre-feet of water was leased back to agriculture in 2024.

Springs Utilities participates in a regional water-quality group made up of agricultural and municipal water users throughout the Arkansas River Basin. The group is a collaborative effort to understand complex water-quality problems and identify the most impactful way to improve them.

In April 2024, City Council reaffirmed its commitment to the Arkansas River Basin water principles to preserve water for present and future generations of municipal and agriculture communities, with a strong stance against the city of Aurora exporting water from the basin. Put simply, more is accomplished by working together in the basin, than apart.

Travas Deal is the CEO of Colorado Springs Utilities.

THERE FOR PRACTICALLY EVERY “EUREKA” MOMENT FOR THE PAST 100 YEARS. When you’ve been around for 100 years, you’ve been around for a lot of “eureka!” moments, countless “aha!” moments, and more revelations and realizations than you can remember.

From the joyous celebrations to the quiet reflections, we’ve illuminated the path every step of the way. Our commitment extends beyond merely providing electricity; it’s about being there for the milestones, the challenges and the everyday triumphs that make up a century of shared experiences.

That’s a Century of Service. And that’s worth celebrating.

20 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Chambers

Celebrating Women’s History Month

BY LOL A WOLOCH

MARCH 2025

Women's History Month Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Susan Helms was in the first class of women to be admitted to the U.S. Air Force Academy and was the first military woman in space.

Southern Colorado. Many women laid the groundwork for these WOSBs. In honor of Women’s History Month, I wanted to share the stories of just a few of these extraordinary leaders who called Colorado home, starting with one I’m privileged to

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know personally.

In 1966, my friend Lynda Yaker became a trailblazer in STEM at only 21 years old. Armed with a degree in theoretical mathematics, she was hired to work for TRW Systems Group. The company contracted with NASA and was involved with Gemini and Apollo 11 missions, and played a significant role in the Apollo 13 mission. She helped ensure the mission could be saved despite the crisis following its launch.

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Susan Helms was in the first class of women to be admitted to the U.S. Air Force Academy and was the first military woman in space. She flew on five Space Shuttle missions and conducted the longest spacewalk for a female astronaut (8 hours, 56 minutes). She retired after a 30-year Air Force career, which included serving as the first female commander of both the 14th Air Force, USAF Space Command and Joint Forces Component Command-Space, U.S. Strategic Command.

“Confidence and competency go such a long way, as a currency, especially for women struggling with biases.” — Susan Helms “Penny the Pilot” Hamilton was a dental hygienist and an Army wife before taking up flying. Hamilton has been a general aviation pilot for 23 years, marking her one of a select group of women in her field.

She now dedicates herself to

Photo Source: Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame

M

arch is Women’s History Month, and includes the celebration of International Women’s Day around the globe on March 8.

Living in a major hub for defense and aerospace companies, it’s exciting to witness women-owned small businesses (WOSBs) making substantial headway into collaboration with the Department of Defense (DoD).

In fiscal year 2023, DoD agencies awarded $12.3 billion to WOSBs, accounting for almost 48% of the total contracts awarded to WOSBs (source: govspend.com). Colorado’s aerospace and defense companies secured a record-breaking $23 billion in federal contracts in 2024, positioning our state and region as a leader in innovation and economic impact.

Opportunities are increasing for female leaders and WOSBs to make a difference in the DoD world and contribute to the economic growth in

encouraging women to pursue flying and STEM careers, writing and educating children about aviation. As the director of the Teaching Women to Fly Research Project, Hamilton encourages young women to choose an aviation career.

“My philosophy is to be thankful for each day and to make a positive difference.” — Dr. Penny Hamilton These are just a few examples of how women embody leadership, resilience and innovation in industries that are vital to Southern Colorado’s identity. Each of them contributes to the region’s rich history while making impactful strides. To discover more female leaders in Colorado, visit the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame at www.cogreatwomen.org.

The SCWCC offers many leadership opportunities throughout the year and we celebrate the achievements of women every day. Check out our calendar at www.SCWCC.com for more information about our programs.

Lola Woloch, is the President & CEO of SCWCC.

22 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Economic Forum

Lessons for Colorado from California and Texas

BY DR . BILL CR A I GH E A D

I

n recent years, Americans have been moving out of California and New York and into Texas and Florida. This can be seen in recent Census Bureau estimates of net domestic migration, which show Florida and Texas with the largest inflows and California and New York with the biggest outflows during 2021 to 2024.

Looking at these trends raises questions for Colorado: Are Texas and Florida models to emulate? Are California and New York providing warning signs? The fact that people are voting with their feet — and their moving vans — does tell us something, but we should be careful about what we take from this.

Economic productivity can be proxied with gross domestic production (GDP) per capita;

California and New York are far more productive than Florida and Texas. By median household income, they are also more prosperous.

Floridians and Texans have shorter expected lifespans, are less likely to have health insurance and are more likely to be murdered.

So why would anyone move from prosperous, productive, healthy California to a poorer, more dangerous, less healthy state like Texas?

A point sometimes raised in Texas and Florida’s favor is their lower burden of taxes.

The significance of this may be overstated. Although it is true that Florida and Texas collect considerably less state and local tax revenue per person, the fact that they do not levy personal income taxes means that they rely more

on sales and property taxes, which affects middle- and lower-income families more. The differences in the state and local tax burdens on households in the middle part of the income distribution are smaller.

The more important factor is housing. The Bureau of Economic Analysis provides an index of housing costs, measured relative to a national value of 100. These illustrate how costly housing has become in California, while Texas has managed to stay relatively inexpensive.

Essentially, much of the gains from California’s high productivity have accrued to its landowners.

Supply plays a key role — California and New York are places where it is difficult to add to the housing supply, and both states have seen a relatively low rate of building permits. Note that Florida, despite

a high rate of permitting, has not managed to keep its housing costs as low.

On many of these measures, Colorado is somewhere in-between.

That’s not all bad — although we want to avoid Californian housing costs, in many ways, Coloradoans are better off than Floridians and Texans.

Dr. Bill Craighead is the director of the UCCS Economic Forum.

S AV E T H E D AT E The 29th Annual UCCS Economic Forum will take place Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025.

More details to come!

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 23

Small Business

How Marketing Can Solve Small Business Challenges

BY DAWN DAWSON

I

f you are a small business in Colorado, chances are you face rising costs, stiff competition and shifting consumer behaviors.

Smart marketing can help overcome these challenges.

In a large nutshell, here are the ideas you should consider:

SETTING THE STAGE FOR POWERFUL CONNECTIONS

Meet your consumers where they are.

Are they on social media? If so, which platforms? Or are they more likely to read the church bulletin? Craft your message and content to suit the platform.

Tell your story consistently & loudly.

Across your advertising, make it clear what you stand for and why your product is special and different from your competitors, especially big brands.

Go online.

Let your customers know of changes, including emergencies, immediately.

Embrace community.

Stay active in your community. The more people know about your brand and what you do, the more likely they are to help with crowdfunding and keeping your business active.

Get personal.

Do you remember your regulars? Or has someone come into your business more than once? Reward them with loyalty cards, special offers and even a personalized message during holidays. Make them feel good!

Dawn Dawson is the CEO of Reflections Advertising and the CMO of Mortgage Solutions Financial.

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If you have any questions about your advertising, feel free to contact Dawn at

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24 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Economic Development

Art of Downtown: Creative Industry Integral to Revitalization

BY T H E R ES A WO O DS

Photo Source: Downtown Colorado Springs

D

Photo Source: Downtown Colorado Springs

Creative expression is accessible to all ages and ability levels.

owntown Colorado Springs’ goal to be the “Economic and Cultural Heart of the Region” is dependent on maximizing economic and cultural assets.

Positioning Downtown as a prime location for entrepreneurial activity, makerspaces, artisan manufacturing and other places where new ideas flourish was central to the revitalization plan since the start.

The East End, also known as Eastern Downtown Colorado Springs (EaDoCoS), is a hub for Downtown’s creative industry. Located between the city center and Memorial Park, the East End received 12% of the $705 million in investments made Downtown to date.

Redevelopment of the former Gazette building, Penrose-St. Francis Hospital and Union Printers Home will further energize the East End.

A Flourishing Industry “Downtown is a state-certified Creative District, boasting four times the national average of creative activity and employment,” says Austin Wilson-Bradley, director of Economic Development at Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs.

The Colorado Creative District program, administered by the state’s Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT), certifies communities that economically contribute to the state economy through creativity, culture and the arts. For Downtown Colorado Springs, certified since 2014, the creative economy is a $74 million industry that employs approximately 1,000 people.

An accelerant to this Downtown industry was the formation of Pikes Peak Makerspace, 735 E. Pikes Peak Ave., in 2016. It provides shared equipment and workspace to artisans and makers, empowering early-stage creative entrepreneurs through access to resources. Also encouraging the industry are the galleries and shops throughout Downtown Colorado Springs selling these goods. With

vacancy rates low and rents rising, supportive programs such as PopUp Shops through the Downtown Partnership help growing businesses find footholds and, ultimately, permanent locations.

Artspace, a Minnesota-based nonprofit real estate organization specializing in affordable workshops and housing for creators and entrepreneurs, is opening a $29 million mixed-use, five-story building in 2025.

This combination of 3,000 square feet of commercial and studio space with 51 live/work apartments is expected to accelerate existing arts businesses and attract new creative industry. Utilizing the historic Tim Gill building and new construction, the project broke ground in April 2023 at the corner of Wahsatch Avenue and Costilla Street.

“Approving art space and committing the funds that have been committed are an acknowledgement of the critical need for artists to be dead center downtown in a city,” says Jon Khoury, executive director of Cottonwood Center for the Arts, who was deeply involved in the project.

A robust arts and culture scene depends on a community of artists and artisanal manufacturers, as well as events and festivals, theater productions, museums and concerts.

After record lows in 2020 due to the pandemic, attendance is steadily increasing. The Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts, 190 S. Cascade Ave., is the most-attended cultural institution in Downtown Colorado Springs. Cottonwood Center for the Arts is second.

Redefining Business & Art Established in 1997 to promote the exploration of a creative life, Cottonwood offers performances, programs, workshops, classes and studio space to more than 100,000 annual visitors at 427 E. Colorado Ave. “We believe that every person has a need to express themselves,” Khoury says. “We try to inspire [people] … to discover that within themselves.” P. 25

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 25

Economic Development

BY T H E

Numbers • 27 outdoor events, festivals, parades and runs/races.

• 28 ticketed events at the Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts (60 locally produced, 68 touring).

Fiona apartment building offers convenient transportation, exciting walkable recreation opportunities, and nearby restaurants to residents.

• 40+ venues participating in First Friday Downtown art walks.

Aerial photograph of the Interstate 25 and Fillmore Street interchange in Colorado Springs cira 1964, facing southeast.

Interstate 25 travels diagonally up the photo from the lower left corner and Filmore Street travels along the lower portion of the photo. The interchange is visible below and to the left of center.

Situated near some of the densest new residential development downtown, Khoury identifies Cottonwood as a community asset. “We have a relationship of reciprocity. …

We are an integral part of how people conduct business,” he says. “Because when you can say ‘the Art Center is right there’ and the ‘restaurants are right in this area,’ that all corresponds. People can come here and participate in the arts and then go out to eat, and there’s that reciprocity. We are as important to business as businesses are to us.”

This philosophy, that art and culture are critical to business development and the local economy, made Cottonwood a thriving arts business run solely on its revenues. “I didn’t ask for a dollar in my first 10 years because I wanted to prove that we could make this work,” Khoury says.

The gateway to the East End,

Photograph by Stewart’s Commercial Photographers, © Pikes Peak Library District, 013- A5633

Photograph by Stewart’s Commercial Photographers, © Pikes Peak Library District, 013-A1044

• 44 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places or State Register of Historic Properties

Downtown Colorado Springs photographed on April 18, 1989. Pikes Peak Avenue travels up the center of the photo.

Downtown Colorado Springs is visible just below center in the photo.

Pikes Peak and East Colorado avenues, has already seen the completion of The Plaza at Pikes Peak’s 215 rental units plus amenities, Pikes Peak Lofts’ nine converted loft-style condos, the renovated Eastern Colorado Bank and the transfiguration of 40,000 square feet of historic train depot into a modern office hub for aerospace and defense companies — Catalyst Campus.

“What they do, in terms of incubating new businesses and growing them, we are doing,” Khoury says. “What they’re doing is as artistic as what we’re doing.”

Engineering is art, in Khoury’s view, as much as hairstyling, tattooing, painting and sculpting is art. Another type of artistry, 1350 Distilling and Mash Mechanix Brewing Co., opened businesses across the street.

The intersections at the east end of Pikes Peak Avenue are the epicenter of change sweeping the

district. Fiona, a 321-unit upscale rental property with additional amenities, opened last June.

Nearby, 18,000 square feet were renovated into the chic Night Ramen restaurant, retail space and the modern yet timeless CLAY Venue for events. The parking lots and old buildings rampant in the area are in the crosshairs for similar development.

“When I got to Cottonwood 12½ years ago, there was no power on the east side of the street beyond our parking lot. It was desolate,” Khoury says. “Now… you can see there’s a lot of action here, tons of apartments going up here. I do think that we helped revitalize this neighborhood and showed people what the potential is.”

Theresa Woods is a staff writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

• 886 arts, cultural and special events • 2,142 square feet of murals added to Downtown as part of Art on the Streets and another 2,538 through work commissioned by the Downtown Development Authority • 40+ Art galleries

Arts & Culture AT T R A C T I O N S • AdAmAn Alley • American Numismatic Association Money Museum • Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center at Colorado College • Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum • Cottonwood Center for the Arts • Edith Kinney Gaylord Cornerstone Arts Center • Ed Robson Arena • Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts • U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum • Weidner Field

26 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Environmental Affairs

Economic Impacts of Wildfires in Colorado Southern Colorado’s Regrowth after Waldo Canyon Fire

W

ildfires serve an important purpose in natural forestation cycles: clearing out invasive undergrowth, improving wildlife habitats and stimulating new growth for the natural ecosystem.

Although they can have immensely negative effects on nearby communities, some of these natural growth cycles can be mirrored in the economic impacts left after the fire is contained.

Colorado Springs is no stranger to the tribulations of wildfires. In late June of 2012, the Waldo Canyon fire burned through 18,247 acres of homes, businesses and public lands just four miles northwest of the Springs’ downtown area. That forced 32,000 residents to evacuate from Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Woodland Park and surrounding areas.

The fire was declared 100% contained a couple of weeks later, on July 10. In that short period, two lives were lost, 347 homes were destroyed and more than $110 million in damages were estimated. This projection proved inaccurate when, a year later, the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association released an estimated $453.7 million total for local insurance claims.

Undoubtedly, the Waldo Canyon fire — then declared the most destructive in Colorado history — caused immediate negative impacts on residents and business owners through health issues, revenue decline and property damage. Unfortunately, the economic effects of the fire continued well into the typically lucrative tourist season in the Pikes Peak region.

This area has experienced a steady increase in tourism over the past two decades. The 2012 fire and its aftermath provide an apt case study of how wildfires stoke fear in potential tourists, leading to many trips being postponed or canceled in their wake.

The Colorado Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau had predicted that the 2012 tourist season, which

typically reaches its peak between July and September, would be recordbreaking for the region. The fires drastically changed this outlook.

On July 7, 2012, Jeremy P. Meyer of The Denver Post reported on the immediate consequences felt in Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs. The article notes that local institutions such as America’s Best Value Inn Villa Motel in Manitou Springs faced evacuations as the fires raged in the foothills north of the town, requiring refunds for guests.

During the month after containment, the motel lost 80% of its reservations.

Major tourist attractions like Garden of the Gods were closed during the containment efforts, and attendance remained low thereafter — hovering around 30-40% of typical traffic numbers for that time. Roger Miller, then the chief operating officer for the Manitou Springs Economic Development Council, reported a nearly $2 million loss in revenue, layoffs of 74 employees and many reductions in hours for workers who remained on staff.

According to Longwoods International, a market research consultancy firm specializing in the tourism and travel industry, tax collections for lodging and vehicle rentals were down .45% at the end of 2012.

Although the summer of 2012 took a bleak turn for the local economy, relief funds and community organizations created a promise of regrowth.

The Colorado Enterprise Fund, a nonprofit lending institution based in Denver, offered tourist-dependent small businesses loans of up to $10,000 with a 0% interest rate in the first year and 12% interest after that.

Additional relief loans were available through the Colorado Springs Business Alliance.

Small-business loans may have made local business owners feel more secure in their financial future but, with the fire’s impact on visitor numbers and revenue, hope was hard to find. Luckily, community members banded together to create nonprofit

The Waldo Canyon Fire burning on Courtney Lane in Colorado Springs in 2012.

Photo Credit: Steve Schopper

BY LUCY RICHARDSO N

organizations such as Colorado Springs Together, which followed the city’s Recovery Resource Guide to remove rubble and rebuild homes. With community supports in place, more than 250 houses were built to replace the ones that burned. They were, on average, 13.8% larger than the original structures, according to a 2014 article in The Colorado Springs Gazette.

These rebuilding efforts bolstered the construction and development industries for some time. Federal and state emergency aid contributed to the stabilization of economic stressors resulting from the fire, as well.

Of the roughly $450 million of insurance claims, about $151 million was initially projected to re-enter the El Paso County economy throughout the first few years of reconstruction, according to Tom Zwirlein, an economist and director of the Southern Colorado Economic Forum.

Zwirlein also predicted that these additional dollars would contribute to 760 net new jobs created, according to a report in the Cañon City Daily Record in November 2012.

“Rebuilding will generate about 436 net new jobs, $103 million in new income and $3.9 million in sales and use taxes for local governments over the next five years,” the article reads.

It expands to say that refurbishment efforts will generate an additional 324 jobs, $47.7 million in income and $6.5 million in tax revenues.

Net job growth, supportive grants and community organization made the rebuilding efforts after the Waldo

Canyon fire more promising than initially expected. For the success of these efforts to be sustained, though, the tourism sector needed to recover.

Local business owners feared that the threat of additional fires and literal scorch marks left on Colorado Springs would dissuade out-of-state tourists from traveling to the region.

Thankfully, the beauty of Southern Colorado shone through the burned land.

By 2016, Colorado Springs was setting records for tourist traffic and spending in the region. This, after 12% growth to 23 million in visitor numbers and 14% growth to $2.25 billion in spending, as compared to tourism numbers reported by Longwoods International in 2015.

Since the devastating fires, tourism has continued to be a mainstay in Colorado Springs’ economic development. In 2023, the Pikes Peak region saw 24.8 million visitors and $2.9 billion in visitor spending.

The past 13 years have brought increased awareness and preparation for fire events to El Paso County.

Though the risk of wildfires can never be dismissed, this work brings hope for continued growth in the region’s tourism and development sectors without the same extreme setbacks caused by fire devastation.

Lucy Richardson is a staff writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 27

Environmental Affairs

Colorado Springs Utilities Works on Fire Mitigation

BY KERI KAHN

F

aulty utility equipment has been the source of devastating wildfires and was a possible factor in California’s deadly Eaton fire in January 2025. With Colorado’s fire season upon us, mitigation planning is top of mind for Colorado Springs Utilities.

Springs Utilities already has 70% of its electric distribution system underground because of a voterapproved initiative in the 1970s, which included new developments.

In longer-established neighborhoods, undergrounding would cause significant disruption and out-ofpocket costs for homeowners.

“Those are some of the hidden consequences for retroactively undergrounding,” says Utilities spokesperson Steve Berry, who added undergrounding is not foolproof.

“With an underground transmission or distribution line, you’re more protected from weather, wind and wildlife, but it’s not 100% guaranteed you won’t have challenges.”

For high-priority areas with historical data indicating underground benefits, Berry says it is something Utilities continuously explores.

Proactive shutoffs not a significant consideration Xcel Energy made headlines last April when it conducted a public safety power shutoff to prevent fire from sparking during a severe windstorm. The shutoff was the first of its kind in Colorado and affected 55,000 customers in Boulder, Gilpin, Larimer, Douglas, Broomfield and Jefferson counties. More than 600 miles of lines were visually inspected before power was restored.

“It’s not something we’re really leaning toward because there are so many consequences to doing it,” Berry says. “Really knowing where and when

Photo Credit: Wilderness Forestry, Inc.

Is undergrounding the answer?

Bobcat® Compact Track Loader with Masticating Attachment. The masticator attachment is used to thin trees. The metal teeth removes and mulch trees. to do a proactive shutoff is a bit of a wild card. … The restoration process is lengthy.”

Solutions that make sense for Colorado Springs Berry says it’s important to understand each system presents unique topography, vegetation and wildlife challenges, and that Springs Utilities’ mitigation plan focuses on ongoing vegetation management and system “hardening.”

•

•

The Pikes Peak region has unique vegetation challenges surrounding its electrical infrastructure. In 2025, Springs Utilities will invest $3.2 million as part of its ongoing vegetation management program.

Between 2026 and 2029, Springs

•

Utilities forecasts a $3.5 million annual investment in system-hardening projects such as covered conductors to help protect electric lines from vegetation and wildlife encroachment; possible pole upgrades; testing newer fuse technology to reduce sparking from normal operation; and remote reclosers, which allow the shut-off and isolation of a system’s vulnerable portions during a major weather event.

On-site vegetation management assessments generally take place on a three-year cycle, and electric line patrols are conducted annually. Generally, equipment is on a five-year cycle for inspection, although Berry says inspections are more frequent for higher-risk areas.

Protecting the wildland-urban interface The Waldo Canyon fire illustrated the vulnerabilities of our wildlandurban interface, and Springs Utilities collaborates with the U.S. Forest Service to mitigate fuel loads and reduce wildfire risk. Springs Utilities’ Jennifer Jordan says more than 7,000 acres of treatment took place just last year.

“You’re never going to entirely eliminate the risk of wildfire, but what we can do is work intentionally on reducing catastrophic fire from happening,” she says. “If a fire is sparked, we want to be able to quickly respond, contain it and limit the amount of damage it can do. Through these prescribed forest treatments, we’re able to do that.”

Keri Kahn is a staff writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

28 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Small Business Spotlight

Photo Source: Visit Pueblo

Photo Source: Wings on Wheels

Wings on Wheels Acquires Fuel & Iron Food Hall

BY TIFFANY UNDERWO O D

S

izzling wings and the hum of activity have found a new lease on life at Fuel & Iron Food Hall, thanks to the intervention of Jenn and Bryan Fahrer, owners of the popular Wings on Wheels (WOW) food truck. What began as a small mobile kitchen has transformed into a substantial commitment to Pueblo’s community, culture and cuisine.

The Fahrers began their food truck journey with a modest 12-foot trailer in March 2022, venturing into the industry with no culinary experience.

Leaving their corporate automotive careers behind, they embarked on an adventure that quickly gained traction.

“We weren’t sure what to expect, but once we saw the response, we knew we were onto something,” Jenn Fahrer says.

With their increasing success, WOW replaced the original trailer with a 26-foot model. The expansion allowed them to travel nationwide, participating in major events such as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota and other festivals in Colorado, Arizona, Texas and Indiana.

The Fahrers, along with Jenn’s brother, his wife and their niece, manage the family-run business.

WOW’s journey took a significant turn when they opened a restaurant

kiosk inside Fuel & Iron Food Hall at 400 S. Union Ave. Initially hesitant, the Fahrers reconsidered in November 2024 and decided to become part of what they believed could be a thriving culinary collective.

Located in the historic 1915 Holmes Hardware building, Fuel & Iron was opened in April 2023 by Denver-based developers Nathan Stern and Zach Cytryn. Though the hall brought life back to a long-vacant building, unexpected costs and management challenges led Stern and Cytryn to announce it would close Feb. 8, 2025.

The Fahrers received word of the hall’s imminent shutdown. Faced with the possibility of 30 people losing their jobs and Pueblo losing a key gathering space, they made a decisive move to buy Fuel & Iron and keep it running.

“It wasn’t something we had planned for, but we knew we couldn’t let it go under,” Bryan Fahrer says. “The people of Pueblo deserve this place.”

The Fahrers have officially taken ownership of the food hall, setting in motion plans for rebranding this summer.

As the new owners, the Fahrers have ambitious plans, which include lowering prices, introducing table service and improving the overall dining experience.

“Pricing reflected Denver-based ownership, and that didn’t work for Pueblo,” Jenn says. “We’re focusing on

what makes sense for this community.”

Their commitment to supporting the local economy extends to sourcing ingredients from local vendors and small businesses. Seasonal produce and meats from nearby farms will become staples on the Fuel & Iron menus.

Additionally, the Fahrers plan to open a day café that will serve breakfast sandwiches, coffee and mimosas. Double D’s BBQ also will join the food hall. The Cutting Board will remain at the food hall temporarily before moving to its own brick-andmortar location, a result of the hall’s incubator model.

“We want this to be a place where vendors can start, test the market and grow into their own spaces,” Bryan explains.

Recognizing the importance of community gathering spaces, the Fahrers are curating a lineup of events to draw locals back to Fuel & Iron. Wednesday night trivia, beer bingo and the possibility of gaming tournaments and live music are all in the works.

“We’re creating a space that people want to come back to, not just for the food but for the experience,” Jenn says.

The Fahrers acknowledge there’s a learning curve, but their approach is measured: incremental improvements rather than drastic changes.

“We’re learning as we go, and we

know it takes time,” Bryan says. “But every day, we’re making it a little better.”

The message from the Fahrers is clear: Fuel & Iron Food Hall is here to stay. With strong family involvement, community support and a renewed local focus, they are determined to make the hall a beloved gathering spot once again.

“We’re not just investing in a business, we’re investing in Pueblo,” Jenn says. “We want people to give Fuel & Iron another chance.”

Wings on Wheels had a successful 2024, with Pueblo residents voting it the best food truck in April and their chicken wings taking the title of favorite purveyor in November in the Pueblo Chieftain’s reader poll. With Fuel & Iron under their ownership, the Fahrers’ culinary footprint grows ever larger.

“This is about more than just food,” Bryan says. “It’s about creating something lasting for this community.”

Tiffany Underwood is a staff writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 29

Environmental Affairs

Create a Roadmap Now to Survive Wildfire

BY PA M BALES

W

ildfires pose a significant threat to businesses, particularly in regions like Colorado, which are prone to such natural disasters.

The Waldo Canyon and Black Forest wildfires between 2012 and 2013 were the worst in Colorado Springs’ recent history, destroying more than 800 structures with four fatalities. The Los Angeles fires are more recent testimony.

Taking the time to protect your business for wildfire before, during and after such an event is crucial to being able to continue business operations.

Businesses can proactively craft a roadmap that serves two critical purposes: ensuring the safety of employees and minimizing operational disruptions. Collaborating with local authorities and emergency services is key to creating an effective and comprehensive plan.

Before a Wildfire Assess your business’ specific risk exposure to wildfire. This includes evaluating your location, surrounding environment and any vulnerabilities your building may have.

Take a video of your building, inside and outside, making sure to include important equipment, furnishings, etc.

Back up all important paperwork digitally, then store it off-premises or on an offsite server. Look at your current business insurance coverage: what is covered in the event of a wildfire? Do you need to update your coverage?

Clearly outline the procedures for you and your employees to follow in case of a wildfire. This should include initial response steps, evacuation protocols and processes for securing critical assets such as laptops, phones, etc.

Establish a reliable communication strategy to keep employees informed.

This should detail how you will disseminate information before, during and after a wildfire. Create another communication plan to follow with your customers, suppliers and

other stakeholders.

Map out multiple evacuation routes from your business premises.

Wildfires can change direction quickly, so having alternatives is crucial.

Ensure that evacuation routes are accessible to all employees, including those with disabilities.

Install clear, visible signs directing people to the evacuation area. In times of panic, these signs can guide employees to safety.

Regularly train your staff on the plan. This includes fire-safety training, evacuation drills and first aid.

Develop strategies to maintain or quickly resume critical operations after a wildfire. This could involve remote working setups, backup suppliers or alternate locations.

Regularly review and update your plan to reflect new risks, changes in the business or lessons learned from past experiences.

During a Wildfire If a wildfire approaches, pay close attention to guidance from local officials regarding evacuations. If evacuation is not possible, take the following precautions to protect yourself and your employees: •

Clearly mark your position with anything that may signal rescue workers about your presence, such

• • • •

as articles of clothing or brightcolored material attached outside the building.

Shut off gas meters, pilot lights and propane tanks.

Turn on all lights in the building to increase visibility in heavy smoke.

Close all windows, doors, vents and blinds.

Move to a designated shelter area, such as a basement, storm cellar or interior room on the lowest level of the building.

Colorado Springs Fire Department.

The CSFD will continue to host Town Halls regarding wildfire preparedness and mitigation in the next few months. The first Town Hall took place in February. Check out csfd. coloradosprings.gov/WildfireReady for more information.

Sign up for alerts tailored to your phone’s location at elpasoteller911. org/304/Peak-Alerts. The service supports El Paso and Teller counties, and it’s free.

After a Wildfire Check in with your employees. Find out how they are doing; let them know your next steps for getting the business operational. Ensure the safety of all employees before allowing anyone to re-enter the building. Wear protective clothing and a mask.

Contact your insurance provider as soon as possible to report the damage and start the claims process.

Communicate with your customers and stakeholders about the status of your operations and any potential delays. Start implementing your business continuity plan.

Resources As we enter prime wildfire season in Southern Colorado, stay informed through local channels including the

The Pikes Peak Regional Office of Emergency Management (PPROEM) is responsible for providing mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and coordination for large-scale emergencies and disasters, both natural and human-caused, to residents of El Paso County and Colorado Springs to save lives and prevent property damage. See pproem.com, for more.

Pam Bales is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

30 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Professional Development

Photo Source: The Farm

O’Neil and La Plata Form Joint Venture

BY WAYN E HEILMAN

A

Colorado Springs private equity firm that is a major property owner and a longtime local development firm have formed a new company that will offer development services from vacant ground through managing completed buildings.

The O’Neil Group and La Plata Communities have formed a joint venture called ONE La Plata that will include most of the development operations of La Plata and the real management operations of O’Neil Group, according to a news release from the new company. O’Neil Group and La Plata each own 50% of ONE La Plata, which now employs 28 people that formerly worked for the two partners and will eventually work in one of O’Neil Group’s buildings.

La Plata and O’Neil Group had discussed combining some operations for the past two or three years, but discussions intensified after the Colorado Springs City Council rejected La Plata’s request to annex its 3,200-acre Amara development east of Fountain, La Plata CEO Doug Quimby says.

“Amara was planned to be the next Briargate, though it is smaller than Briargate. Our view is that it (Amara) was ripe for development, and we had plans all laid out. We were finishing with Briargate and The Farm and thought we would roll right into Amara,” Quimby says. “Once the annexation was rejected, we had nothing to do but a few small parcels that were not enough for the company to thrive, so we began exploring other things.”

La Plata is best known for completing development of Briargate, including the Briargate Business Campus, Cordera, Pine Creek, The Farm, the Promenade Shops at Briargate and the Briargate Crossing shopping center.

ONE La Plata will manage La Plata’s remaining properties, which include Amara, parcels in the business campus, a 60-acre parcel called Ovation near Old Ranch Road and Powers Boulevard and a 600-acre development in Grand Junction.

“We saw a chance to create a new company to bring different development skill sets together, which is rare in this community, by

partnering. We saw the chance to partner with them (La Plata) as a great opportunity,” O’Neil Group CEO and founder Kevin O’Neil says. “We are taking one of the best developers who can get property to a pad ready for construction and we can now build out the site and provide management.”

ONE La Plata will be managed by La Plata founders Quimby and Mike Ruebenson, who will be CEO and president, respectively, of the new company, working with O’Neil on the organization’s strategy and long-term direction.

The company will manage more than 1 million square feet of office, industrial and commercial space in the Colorado Springs area and oversee development of more than 2,000 acres of land.

“This isn’t about Norwood [Development Group, the largest local developer]. It gives us bigger scale to compete in the marketplace in general,” Quimby says. “La Plata has been a big master-plan commercial developer. Now we will be a broader real estate development services company, offering property management, engineering services and planning services for ourselves and third parties. We now have all those functions in house.”

O’Neil Group owns more than 1.2 million square feet of commercial buildings that are managed by The Paramount Group, its property management arm that is now part of ONE La Plata, as well as defense contractor ONE Dev, has invested in Colorado Springs data management software company Bluestaq and other companies and operates investment funds that acquire stakes in small defense contractors.

ONE La Plata will manage the real estate for O’Neil Group’s Catalyst Campus for Technology and Innovation, the national security-focused business park on the east edge of downtown Colorado Springs, as well as the 1,900-acre Karman Line development near Schriever Space Force Base and two developments near Falcon, in which O’Neil is a partner. ONE La Plata will not be involved in a 27-story downtown apartment tower O’Neil plans to develop.

Wayne Heilman is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

Finding Success by Prioritizing What Matters Photo Source: Be Encouraged Show with Frank and Lisa

Economic Development

L-R: Brandon Kirk, Lisa Sinnott and Frank Sinclair

BY FR ANK S I NCL AI R & LI S A S I NNOT T

T

he Be Encouraged Show with Frank and Lisa recently featured Brandon Kirk, the owner of the multi-million-dollar Planet Duct, a ductcleaning business.

Brandon shared an unexpected perspective on entrepreneurship. When asked how to achieve success, he emphasized the importance of maintaining a balanced and well-tended personal life. His advice stems from a deeply personal experience.

After being in business for 10 years, he returned home one day to discover that his wife and daughter were gone. This life-altering moment forced him to confront the imbalance in his priorities. Brandon knew he hadn’t been regularly present for his family, but had no idea how bad his home dynamics had become.

Determined to make things right, he committed to counseling and rigorous self-work. Ultimately he was able to restore his family and find even greater success in his career. He became a much more compassionate and empathetic leader as well. Much less prone to anger, Brandon has seen higher retention and engagement among his employees.

Brandon’s story is a powerful reminder: true success begins at home. Personal struggles can lead to profound growth, and focusing on what truly matters allows both your personal relationships and your business to flourish.

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 31

Environmental Affairs

Protecting Against Fire Damage with Passive House Design

BY KERI KAHN

J

© Copyright 2015 Richard Pedranti Architect. www.richardpedranti.com

anuary’s devastating Los Angeles fires set off flashbacks for many long-time residents of Southern Colorado who recall the horrors inflicted by the Waldo Canyon and Black Forest fires in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Although plenty of resources are available for fireproofing existing homes or business buildings, some may find a new trend, called Passive House, well worth the investment.

Passive House is a building design standard born in Germany in the early 1990s. The method creates heavily insulated and airtight buildings with a specialized focus on incorporating ventilation. The resulting structures prioritize occupants’ health and comfort while reducing energy use and carbon emissions. Despite its name, it’s not just for homes. Passive House standards are also applied to churches, schools and office buildings.

The standards have been growing in popularity, but according to The Passive House Network, Colorado has only 16 certified Passive House designers. Lauren Shadid is one of them.

Passive House Makes Structures More Resilient to Fire “The benefit of the air tightness found in Passive House design is that it keeps out pollutants like smoke, pollens and just regular pollution,” says Shadid. “Sometimes, if homes don’t succumb to the actual flames, they can still have a lot of smoke damage, which makes them uninhabitable.”

Smoke damage is what destroyed many homes in the Marshall fire in 2021, which surpassed the Black Forest fire as the most destructive in Colorado’s history.

“It’s something we really have to consider here in Colorado,” she says.

“The Marshall Fire illustrated that you’re not just at risk if you’re in what we call the wildland urban interface.

That was a community that felt a little

bit more suburban. It wasn’t up in the mountains, but the winds just carried the embers and carried the flames very quickly.”

Keeping fire embers out is another way Passive House design can protect a home.

“When you’ve got high winds, those embers can travel for miles and miles,” notes Shadid. “So even if the fire is not right next to your building, you could still be at risk when the embers get sucked up into the home and into the attic, and the house can literally start burning from within.”

Shadid says Passive House features tighter screens and fewer entry points for embers than more traditional construction, which has more attic

vents and vents under the eaves.

Insulation is another key element.

Passive House designs contain wood and all of the framing in something called a thermal envelope. By design, it keeps the home comfortable and energy efficient, but with the added benefit of fire resistance.

Shadid is based in Castle Pines and provides architectural and interior services up and down Colorado’s Front Range and in the mountain communities. Learn more about her services here: laurenshadidarch.com She is also doing her part to add more Passive House standards to her former state of California, where she is redesigning a home lost in the Palisades fire and designing an

addition for a separate client to house a family whose home was lost in the Altadena fire.

“I really love getting to know my clients and helping them create the best possible home for their family,” she says. “I’m a champion for the environment and I care a lot about it, and people’s health and well-being.

That is what I really love about Passive House, that it addresses all of those things and gives people a wonderful home that’s comfortable and healthy and saves them on energy bills.”

Wayne Heilman is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

32 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Aerospace/Defense

Photo Source: Orb Astro

Indian Aerospace Company Chooses Colorado Springs for Expansion

BY WAY NE H E I L MAN

A

n India-based aerospace startup plans to spend $35 million during the next three years to open a satellite assembly, integration and testing plant in Colorado Springs that will employ 61 people, the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce & EDC announced Feb. 10.

Digantara is developing a network of up to 15 small “cube” satellites (4- to 8-inch cubeshaped spacecraft weighing 3.5 to 122 pounds) during the next three years. They will be used to manage growing orbital traffic and avoid collisions among the more than 1 million objects in space.

The announcement was made during a news conference featuring Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade and other local and chamber officials.

“Colorado stands at the heart of the U.S. aerospacedefense ecosystem, making it the perfect base for Digantara.

Here, we aim to collaborate with the U.S. aerospace and defense community locally, advancing global space security through innovation and partnership,” company CEO Anirudh Sharma said at the news conference.

Digantara selected Colorado Springs over Denver, the San Francisco area and locations in North Carolina and Texas.

The company, which now employs 70 people, will open its first U.S. office in the Catalyst Campus for Technology & Innovation Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Tools, Applications and Process (TAP) Lab, becoming the first foreign company at the campus. Digantara plans to eventually build a small manufacturing plant or lease space it will renovate and later expand to match the size of its 100,000-square-foot plant in Bangalore, India.

Sharma said the company began its search for a U.S. location about a year ago because many of its customers

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 33

Aerospace/Defense

We’ve been proudly serving businesses along the Front Range for nearly 50 years. Our team is dedicated to providing professional and personalized legal solutions tailored to your unique needs. Whether you’re a startup or an established corporation, we’re here to

Photo Source: Digantara

support your business journey.

Digantara's SCOT's inaugural mission was aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 mission​last month in Jan. 2025. are U.S. defense agencies and contractors. The chamber began working with Digantara about nine months ago through referrals from state and federal officials.

Digantara launched its first satellite, the Space Camera for Object Tracking (SCOT), last month aboard a SpaceX rocket.

The satellite is designed to track and provide constant monitoring of objects as small as 2 inches in low-Earth orbit. Sharma said the company wants to build “a Google Maps for space” with its small satellites, which cost about $2 million each to manufacture, compared with $30 million for traditional, large satellites.

Sharma founded the company while in college in 2018 as a spinoff of his university satellite team and, in 2023, received $10 million in venture capital funding led by Peak XV Partners, formerly known as Sequoia Capital India.

Digantara, under the code name Project Diamond, has been approved for $1.77 million in

income tax credits and sales/use tax rebates from the Colorado Economic Development Commission, the Colorado Springs City Council and the El Paso County Economic Development Department. The company plans to hire software and systems engineers, business developers, human resources and finance staff with an average annual salary of $82,645.

More than 2,000 aerospace companies operate in Colorado, providing jobs for more than 55,000 people and Digantara’s expansion to Colorado Springs will help the state “continue its leadership in the space domain,” Polis said during the news conference.

Wayne Heilman is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

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34 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Workforce

Aging in Place Presents Opportunities for Businesses and Employment

BY JE AN N E DAVANT

Home Healthcare Home healthcare practitioners at all levels, from certified nursing assistants to registered nurses, are needed now, says Carmen Luttrell, director of nursing at Pikes Peak State College. Home health agencies, the primary employers of home healthcare practitioners, will increase in number and size, she says.

Although PPSC has no specific geriatric program, care of the elderly is incorporated into the college’s nursing programs. Students in the nursing assistant program complete

Photo Source: University of Colorado Colorado Springs

C

olorado often is perceived as a youthful state with lots of young people. Although the 25-to-44-year-old age group is numerically the largest, the 65-and-older segment is the fastestgrowing part of the state’s population, according to the State Demography Office.

In 2023, nearly a million Coloradans were 65 and older, and that number is projected to grow to more than 1.18 million in 2030.

“Colorado is the third-fastest aging state in the U.S.,” says Penny Whitney, a commissioner representing El Paso County on the Colorado Commission on Aging and a member of the Pikes Peak Commission on Aging. “And the fastest-growing population within the 65-plus is the 85-year-olds.”

According to the American Association of Retired People (AARP), 87% of adults 65 and older want to remain in their homes as they grow older.

Products and services for aging in place will be “an increasing economic sector in our region and across the United States,” says Tatiana Bailey, founder and executive director of Data-Driven Economic Strategies.

Home healthcare and home modification businesses already are feeling pressure to keep up, and the opportunities for new and expanded businesses and employment in many other areas are growing.

UCCS students in the JAWS (Jumpstarting Aging Workforce Solutions) program at Bear Creek Senior Living.

30 hours of clinical experience in long-term care, says Ilene Herrera, program coordinator of the nursing assistant program. Students in the nursing program complete 90 hours in a long-term care facility.

“Out of every 10 students, at least four or five are interested in working in the long-term care area or in home health,” Herrera says.

A practical nursing program PPSC is developing will cover topics including the aging process, safe transfer and assistance with activities of daily living, she says.

The demand for physicians and nurse practitioners who specialize in gerontology and smart health-tracking devices also will grow, Bailey says.

“Smart pill dispensers, prescription delivery services, even in-home lab testing — I think all of those are going to increase,” she says.

Home Modifications The high price of living in an independent or assisted living facility, which can cost more than $5,000 a month, is one factor keeping older people in their homes. Home modifications can be less expensive than moving to a retirement community.

According to Aging in Place in the United States and Colorado Springs, a report that Bailey’s company prepared for the Pikes Peak Housing Network, 9 out of 10 older adults live in homes that have not been modified to keep them safe.

Home modification companies have been increasing in number in the past decade, but there is still a huge and growing need for these services, says Phil Stafford, owner of Independent Home Living.

Stafford, who had a career in healthcare and home medical equipment, started making modifications for neighbors and acquaintances in the 1980s after word got around that he had installed

railings in his mother’s home. He continued to do corporate healthcare work after opening Independent Home Living in 2009 and now focuses his energy full time on the home modification business.

“What I do specifically is fall prevention and consulting with homeowners and often their families on aging-in-place solutions,” he says.

His business has grown consistently, mostly through referrals.

Modifications older adults will need range from grab bars and railings to stairlifts, better lighting, ramps and more extensive renovations such as wider hallways, roll-in showers and lower kitchen counters with space below to accommodate seating. P. 35

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 35

Workforce

Career Opportunities Older people who stay in their homes will need personal services such as cleaning out gutters, running errands, cooking and light housekeeping, says Melissa Marts, program development administrator at the Pikes Peak Area Agency on Aging. They will need to find reliable and trustworthy people to perform those chores.

The website care.com can help people who perform these services connect with those who need them.

“My agency is putting together a list of volunteers who will help people with things like snow shoveling and yard work,” Marts says, and there are business opportunities as well.

Families often are overwhelmed when trying to coordinate their elder members’ medical, financial and daily needs, says Kimberly Humphrey, lecturer in Health Sciences at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs BethEl College of Nursing and Health Sciences and senior fitness instructor at the Lane Center for Academic Health Sciences.

Occupational therapists and aging-in-place specialists can make home safety assessments and recommendations for modifications, Humphrey says. She also sees demand growing for subscriptionbased home maintenance businesses.

Other areas that will offer business and employment opportunities include: •

•

Technology Products & Services: Wearable devices such as fall detectors; telemedicine; voice-activated smart-home technology; and affordable digital access and tech support, including instruction on using technology.

Transportation & Mobility Services: Ride-sharing services with wheelchair-accessible

•

•

• •

vehicles; and nonprofits that provide free or low-cost transportation.

Financial & Legal Support: Specialized financial planners; elder law and estate planning services; fraud protection planning; and education to prevent financial abuse and scams.

Meal Services & Grocery Assistance: Subscription-based healthful meal delivery; and personalized grocery shopping services.

Leisure, Travel & Educational Services Workforce & Training Programs

Developing the workforce to support the aging population will require innovative educational programs including JAWS (Jumpstarting Aging Workforce Solutions), a UCCS initiative that introduces young adults to career opportunities in long-term care, including for people aging in place. Humphrey serves as JAWS practicum supervisor. Whitney’s consulting firm, Aponi Partners, developed the proposal that won a $150,000 grant from El Paso County’s American Rescue Plan Act funding to address the county’s long-term care workforce shortage.

“We’ve had over 250 students experience JAWS programming — that translates to over 490 workbased hours where students are actually in long-term care,” Whitney says.

Serving the growing older population at all ages and income levels will require both business support and community efforts, Whitney says.

“On the one end, we’ve got challenges,” she says, “but at the other end, we have a huge opportunity for collaboration, working together and innovation.”

Jeanne Davant is a senior writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

36 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Must Read Through the Storm The Path to Becoming a Resilient Leader

by Jonathan Haidt 174 pages Published on September 19, 2024 $16.99 on Amazon

L

ike a bison charging through a storm, navigating workplace challenges can feel like subzero cold and blistering snow squalls. This book helps inspire readers to harness inner strength and the collective power of team to face any obstacle head-on. Addressing the storms of leadership faced daily, leaders need the tools and insights to overcome them and lead with resilience. The text helps readers understand and tackle the inevitable setbacks in leadership, offering practical solutions and real-world examples to turn failures into valuable lessons.

Learn from Dr. Travis Hearne, a seasoned leader with decades of experience in high-stakes environments, including the Marine Corps, the intelligence community and the corporate world. Dr. Hearne shares his personal stories of resilience, offering a blueprint for how to move through leadership storms in a healthy and effective way.

"Through the Storm" encourages readers to: • Lead with integrity and courage in the face of moral and ethical challenges • Adapt to rapid changes and thrive in uncertain environments • Transform setbacks into building blocks for success • Develop the mindset to face and overcome leadership failures • Navigate the complexities of leading both on-site and remote teams • Build and maintain a strong organizational culture Charging through challenges helps make resilient leaders. The insight in these pages, from leaders who have braved some of the toughest storms, helps readers to prepare for the future and emerge stronger after every challenge. Through engaging stories, actionable advice and powerful lessons, this book can build the skills and confidence to lead with resilience.

Learn the tools to turn adversity into opportunity and confidently lead any team through any challenge. This book equips readers with the knowledge and strategies to do just that, ensuring teams are prepared for whatever comes their way.

“An important, insightful, and compelling read for leaders at every level guiding their organizations through adversity.”

– General (Ret) David Petraeus, Former Commander of Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, Former Director of the CIA, and NYT Bestselling Author

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 37

Workforce

Unlocking Gen Z’s Workforce Potential: Why Young Adults Are Key to Your Talent Strategy

BY BECCA TONN

E

very Help Wanted sign in a window or online job posting bears testament to the ongoing challenges of hiring and retention. However, businesses might be overlooking a promising talent pool hiding in plain sight.

Many adults remember their first real job with nostalgia, whether they worked in fast food, as a camp counselor or answering phones for a local business. Likely it was their first foray into the exciting and intimidating world of adulthood. What better way to see what business is all about, learn “soft” skills and augment one’s résumé?

In recent years, first jobs for young adults (ages 16-24) are likely to be barista, carwash attendant, dog groomer or office assistant, but the same principles apply — each experience helps boost skills and confidence.

The Soft Skills Gap: A Challenge for Gen Z At the start of the pandemic, young adult labor force participation plummeted. While it’s starting to recover, those intervening years could affect their career trajectories for decades to come.

Although they are digital natives and savvy with computers and technology, Generation Z (born between 1997 and 2012) lacks essential soft skills. They skipped a crucial period of social and emotional development due to shutdowns, social distancing and remote learning and/or work, according to Newport Institute.

Having missed out on mentorship from seasoned professionals during formative years, many Gen Z adults feel unprepared for workplace expectations, such as effective communication, conflict management, problem-solving and emotional intelligence.

Not that Generation Z is naïve; on the contrary, they’re fully aware

Investing in Gen Z talent today, companies can help shape a more skilled, confident workforce for the future. of their challenges, and more than half believe that traditional education hasn’t adequately prepared them to join the labor force, according to The Workforce Institute.

Bridging the Gap: How Young Adults Can Succeed Since young adults recognize these gaps, they can actively seek to improve their chances for success in the workplace, according to the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS). With the right guidance from leaders, young adults can learn the necessary soft skills to thrive in the workplace.

For example, employers in Southern Colorado who have offered mentorship and training programs report that Gen Z employees adapt quickly and bring vital energy to their teams.

Locally, the Pikes Peak Business and Education Alliance (a subsidiary of Pikes Peak Workforce Center) works with local school districts and businesses to increase career exploration for high school students through worksite tours, job shadowing, internships and other industry-involved services.

Also, at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center, career navigators meet with students, counselors and educators to increase awareness of no-cost services. We offer work-readiness workshops, résumé reviews, mock interviews, on-the-job training, preapprenticeships and other options to guide young adults to career pathways that will be fulfilling and economically sustainable for them. We also offer the same resources and services to young adults after high school.

How Employers Can Benefit from Hiring Young Adults We know employers continue to struggle with attracting and hiring talent. Even though many Baby Boomers are retiring, young adults are an option to consider.

According to Headspace.org, young adults bring enthusiasm and diverse perspectives that enhance your workplace culture. This can complement the experience of seasoned employees, creating a dynamic work environment.

Any training you provide them can benefit your company immediately and help create loyalty. Plus, their strong

technology skills can help modernize and streamline workplace processes.

In addition, hiring Gen Z is a smart investment, as they are excited to gain experience, grow and contribute to your company’s success.

Get Involved: Upcoming Young Adult Job Fairs Hiring young adults isn’t just a short-term fix – it’s a strategic investment in your company’s future. If you’re ready to hire the next generation of talent, we have four upcoming young adult job fairs throughout the region, from March 11 through March 21. Visit PPWFC.org/ our-job-fairs to reserve your table.

By investing in Gen Z talent today, companies can help shape a more skilled, confident workforce for the future. The benefits are mutual: businesses gain fresh perspectives and digital fluency, while young adults build lifelong career skills.

Becca Tonn is the communications manager for the Pikes Peak Workforce Center.

38 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

People

Professionals on the Rise Southern Colorado’s Workforce Achievements!

Andrea Zepeda has joined the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Museum as chief financial officer. Zepeda, most recently CFO for John 3:16 Mission in Tulsa, holds an MBA in finance from Oklahoma Wesleyan University and a bachelor of science in business Andrea Zepeda management from the University of Phoenix. She began her job on Feb. 10, succeeding Linda Harl, who retired after serving as CFO since 2022.

Mike Steppenbacker has been named Colorado market president and head of Colorado lending at Kirkpatrick Bank. He previously served as director/ vice president of corporate banking at Ent Credit Union for almost 15 years, vice president of business banking at Mike Steppenbacker ANB Bank for more than four years and as a bank examiner in Cleveland, Ohio, for more than four years.

Joe Garcia, Colorado Community College System chancellor, has announced his retirement effective June 30, 2025. Garcia served as Pikes Peak State College president from 2001 to 2006. He later led Colorado State University Pueblo, served as Colorado’s Joe Garcia lieutenant governor and became executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, advocating for college affordability and student success at the state level.

Lindy Dahl has joined Integrity Bank & Trust as its vice president and community development officer. Dahl has more than 13 years of banking experience at banks in Colorado, Illinois and Missouri, along with time at a credit union in Stuttgart, Germany.

Lindy Dahl Her role will include leading the bank’s treasury management initiatives, community outreach and other growth strategies.

Zach Bunney, executive vice president at FirstBank in Colorado Springs, has received the Colorado Bankers Association’s 2025 Bankers of Distinction Award for leadership in commercial lending and dedication to community development. Bunney Zach Bunney joined FirstBank in 2009 and specializes in providing financing to developers, investors and smallbusiness owners. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a graduate degree in banking.

TechWise has appointed Brig. Gen. Kristin Goodwin (Ret.) as chief operations officer. The Colorado Springs-based defense consulting firm continues to expand its global footprint in defense training and systems integration. Goodwin will Brig. Gen. Kristin Goodwin (Ret.) guide TechWise’s operational strategy across defense, space and emerging technology programs, drawing from her experience as chief of staff for Space Operations Command and founder of The Delta-v, a strategic advisory firm.

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 39

People Credit Union Promotes Retail Delivery Team Members Ent Credit Union has promoted three outstanding leaders in its retail delivery team. They are: Mike Grady

Amber Lundy

Mike Grady, now senior VP of retail, is overseeing operations at all 59 service centers in the state. He also supervises business banking, business development and operations administration to enhance service and expansion efforts.

Amber Lundy, now VP of retail delivery, started working for Ent in 2009; her dedication and leadership has propelled her through the ranks ever since.

Kerry Westlund, now VP of retail delivery, has spent more than 27 years in the financial services field.

She began her Ent career in 2021 as a service center manager.

Kerry Westlund

Swigert Award Goes to Polaris Team

Jared Isaacman

Scott Poteet

Sarah Gillis

Anna Menon

Colorado Springs-based Space Foundation has awarded the 2025 John L. “Jack” Swigert Jr. Award for Space Exploration to the Polaris Dawn Mission Team. Mission commander Jared Isaacman, former Air Force pilot Scott Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon spent five days in space in September 2024 and achieved several major milestones. They reached the highest Earth orbit ever flown, with a peak apogee of 1,408.1 kilometers above the planet; completed the

first-ever commercial extravehicular activity (EVA) with SpaceX-designed EVA spacesuits; conducted scientific research designed to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights; and tested laser-based communications in space with Starlink. Gillis and Menon became the first women to carry out such a mission. The award will be presented at the 40th annual Space Symposium, taking place April 7-10 at The Broadmoor.

Hispanic Chamber Adds Members to Board

Cathy Michopoulus

Tania Baxter

The Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has appointed two new members to its Hispanic Chamber and Education Foundation Board. They are Cathy Michopoulus, chief administrative officer at Diversus Health, and Tania Baxter, founder of Baxter Enterprises in Denver. Michopoulus’ experience

includes Health Colorado, where she was the COO and CEO, and San Luis Valley Behavioral Health Group, where she was the CFO. Baxter was COO at Bondadosa, a food justice enterprise, and was senior solutions director and deputy director at The Senior Hub, which provides programs for aging adults.

Professionals on the Rise is The Digest’s special feature to highlight those people in Southern Colorado who are doing big things. Promotions, new hires and outstanding accomplishments should be recognized. Do that here for the standouts in your organization.

Email newsdesk@coloradomediagroup.com with details (up to 40 words) and a photo of the esteemed.

40 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

People

MEET THE CANDIDATES of Colorado Springs City Council Election

T

he Digest emailed following questions to the Colorado Springs City Council candidates appearing on the April 1 ballot.

Candidates are listed by district in ballot order. Responses have been edited for clarity and condensed to fit the available space.

Dave Donelson

Lee Lehmkuhl

1. What is your experience in elective or appointed office?

2. Community involvement?

3. Why are you seeking this office?

4. How should the city address the housing shortage?

5. Homelessness is a substantial problem for downtown businesses.

What strategies should the city use to reduce the number of homeless people?

6. Should additional development happen on infill parcels, annexed land or a combination?

Dave Donelson - District 1 1. District 1 for four years; El Paso County Board of Health, four years; Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Board of Directors, three years; Pikes Peak Region Rural Transportation Authority vice chair, one year; Lodgers and Automobile Rental Tax Committee, three years.

2. Member Special Forces Association 4-24, board member Pikes Peak Firearms Coalition, member Korean War Veterans Association.

3. I have gained tremendous experience and want to bring that to my second term.

4. We need to eliminate costly regulations and work with the Housing & Building Association and others to understand their issues.

5. The city helps with funding the Springs Rescue Mission. If homeless people won’t accept help, our policies should result in them leaving the city.

6. The answer is a combination. We must be careful that we aren’t impacting existing neighborhoods. Annexations should be logical extensions of city boundaries.

Lee Lehmkuhl - District 1 1. Leadership positions through my career in the Air Force and defense industry and on the local and state level in suicide prevention.

2. Lethal Means Safety Work Group, chair; Steering Committee of the Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Suicide Prevention Commission, commissioner for active U.S. military and veterans.

3. I hope to help reestablish a climate of collaboration, while using

data to solve challenges.

4. I want to ensure we build the housing our kids and seniors need.

5. Families deserve to know their neighborhoods and parks are safe; our business owners deserve to operate safely; and people experiencing homelessness deserve dignity.

6. We need to review each project to ensure they don’t jeopardize the safety of existing neighborhoods while monitoring our natural resources.

Frank Chrisinger - District 2 Did not respond.

Tom Bailey

Tom Bailey - District 2 1. Served in the Air Force for 26 years, retiring as a colonel. As a member of the El Paso County Planning Commission (chairman for the past two years), helped develop the El Paso County Master Plan.

2. Volunteered with Parents Challenge and the Career Building Academy.

3. City Council must be able to put aside personal agendas to work together for constituents.

4. Should guide development to locations that are most appropriate

for expansion and construct various housing types.

5. This requires a range of actions at all levels of government partnering with non-governmental organizations. City government’s fundamental purpose is to ensure public safety through robust law enforcement.

6. Well-planned growth through annexation is preferable to allowing others to limit our options for expansion. Many of the problems are exacerbated by unreasonable obstructions to development.

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 41

People

Brandy Williams

Brandy Williams - District 3 1. Former at-large member, Colorado Springs City Council.

2. Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority Citizen Advisory Committee, January 2023-present; Pikes Peak Community College President’s Advisory Council, chair, 2014-2023; Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Transportation Advisory Committee, chair, 2016-2022; Fountain Creek Watershed Flood Control and Greenway District Technical Advisory Committee, chair, 2016-2022; and Colorado Springs Leadership Institute Selection Committee, co-chair, 2013-2016.

3. I am analytical, accountable and approachable, and I will use my experience to lead our citizens.

4. This is a supply-and-demand issue, combined with inflation.

Lobbying for legislation to increase condo construction is necessary. Public/private partnerships will also help.

5. We all need to work together to reduce homelessness, using all of our resources.

6. Each project should be analyzed individually. Our free-market system is controlled by supply and demand, not government regulations.

Maryah Lauer - District 3 Did not respond.

Maryah Lauer

Richard Gillit

Richard Gillit - District 3 1. Chair of the Regional Building Department.

2. Board president of Peak Education; community liaison for Elevate Cheyenne; and D12 District Accountability and Accreditation Committee member.

3. I’m running to ensure our neighborhoods remain safe; our city is affordable for young families and seniors; and that we’re maintaining streets, parks and open spaces.

4. We need to address our affordability crisis so our kids can build equity in starter homes while our parents can retire with a good quality of life. We can protect our water supply and safety while identifying housing opportunities.

5. I want to approach this topic with compassion without compromising safety.

6. We need to evaluate each housing project through its ability to create more housing for families and the impact it will place on city infrastructure, environment and people.

Greg Thornton - District 3 1. and 2. I have no elected experience, but serve on the Parks and Recreation Citizens Advisory Board and the Westside Community Center Working Committee. I previously served on the Trails and Open Space Working Committee.

3. I wish to give back to the community. I don’t agree with recent City Council decisions and feel change is needed.

4. I am pro-development with infill, smart annexation and, if neighborhoods approve, accessory dwelling units. I would continue

downtown housing development, with voters deciding height restriction.

5. Westside CARES does a wonderful job assisting the homeless and I would consult with them, Springs Rescue Mission, etc.

6. My preference is infill. We have issues with water, emergency response times, infrastructure costs, safety and health concerns, so I believe that’s the better path, also preserving the neighborhood’s historical character.

Christopher Metzger - District 3 Did not respond to questions but sent this statement: “I am not a politician. I am a local entertainer, business owner and an outspoken advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights. I am running for City Council because I believe that Colorado Springs is in dire need of real working-class citizens making decisions for our city.”

Christopher Metzgar

Kimberly Gold

Kimberly Gold - District 4 1. Community Development Advisory Committee member and Military Spouse Community Coalition co-chair.

2. President and CEO of the Colorado Springs Black Chamber of Commerce, board member of the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC and of The Independence Center. Graduate of the Governor’s Fellowship, Leadership Pikes Peak and the Colorado Springs Leadership Institute.

3. As a military spouse, I’ve experienced frequent moves, shaping

my passion for ensuring that every resident has a voice.

4. Issues of housing and cost of living have disproportionately impacted District 4. This can be alleviated through smart development.

5. We can compassionately work toward solutions while ensuring that our neighborhoods, parks and businesses are safe places.

6. I prefer densification over annexation, but each project should be evaluated on the facts. It’s imperative to build housing that reduces financial burdens while prioritizing safety and natural resources. P. 42

42 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

People The Digest emailed following questions to the Colorado Springs City Council candidates appearing on the April 1 ballot.

Candidates are listed by district in ballot order. Responses have been edited for clarity and condensed to fit the available space.

Chauncy Johnson

1. What is your experience in elective or appointed office?

2. Community involvement?

3. Why are you seeking this office?

4. How should the city address the housing shortage?

5. Homelessness is a substantial problem for downtown businesses.

What strategies should the city use to reduce the number of homeless people?

6. Should additional development happen on infill parcels, annexed land or a combination?

Sherrea Elliott-Sterling - District 4 1. None.

2. Colorado Springs/El Paso County Drainage Board.

3. I will advocate for stronger community policing, foster sustainable businesses, create job opportunities and improve infrastructure.

4. We must be innovative with zoning and land use, but we must also reduce prices. We must push back against legislation that cuts off opportunities for home ownership, and we must work

with developers to improve our district while honoring our established communities.

5. This City Council is doing well to create legislation that helps local businesses and communities, such as the sit/lie ordinances.

It’s not City Council’s job to create legislation that will increase the burden of taxpayers or the police department. However, more can be done to help struggling families.

6. Both strategies can be used in varying parts of the city. We must remain diligent regarding which strategy is best.

Chauncy Johnson - District 4 1. No experience.

2. Collaborated on Statewide Proposition FF in 2022 in El Paso County to help secure free meals for students. Helped spearhead a coalition to vote against 2A. Legislative aide for State Rep. Marc Snyder, D, HD-18 and as a legislative intern for the chair of the Judiciary Committee at the state level.

3. I want to serve our community while ensuring I bring new perspective about public safety, affordable housing and adequate

transportation.

4. Look at innovative ways to create housing. I would also look at having the city create some revenue stream to help assist lowincome people.

5. The city should create more shelter, or work with local partners.

Start a department that focuses on human services or work with the county in an intergovernmental agreement.

6. I would approach it on a case-by-case basis.

Jeannie Orozco Lir - District 4 Has withdrawn.

Nancy Henjum

Nancy Henjum - District 5 1. I am seeking a second term.

2. Past board chair of Court-Appointed Special Advocates and facilitator of the Illumination Project, fostering dialogue between police officers and residents. Champion for nonprofits including the Council of Neighborhood Organizations, PikeRide, Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region and Palmer Land Conservancy.

3. I want balanced growth that considers neighborhoods, housing, infrastructure, water resources and safety.

4. City Council’s main power is to approve development plans that increase housing.

5. The city just published its 2025 Homelessness Response Action Plan, with input from community stakeholders. Although the city is not a direct provider of housing, we collaborate with nonprofits that help people experiencing homelessness.

6. I favor “balanced growth.” Many city governments have been too restrictive of growth, which can increase prices even more.

Annexations that logically extend the city are worth considering.

Cass R. Melin

Cass R. Melin - District 5 1. Board member, Ridge at Sand Creek Metropolitan District.

2. I am married to a Colorado Springs native and we have five children. We enjoy being involved in our community.

3. It is possible to allow growth without losing what we love. As a former federal contract specialist, I have experience with fiscal responsibility.

4. Give incentives to developers building mixed-use and ensuring housing for low- and middle-income residents. Streamline the

permitting process for small-scale infill developments where infrastructure can support growth.

5. Train police to handle the homeless population, to include mental health and trauma training, creating mandatory connections to services for homeless people and increasing funding for supportive housing.

6. Some areas that are underdeveloped and underutilized would work for infill. There should be mixed-use requirements as well as height restrictions on infill and annexations.

socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 43

People Christopher Burns - District 5 Did not respond.

Jim Miller

Jim Miller - District 6 1. None.

2. I am a father, radio personality, small-business owner and community leader. I love to support nonprofits, churches and my neighbors.

3. I entered the political scene during the 2023 mayoral race. It became evident that those presently serving did not care about the freedoms, rights and safety of those they served.

4. Sustainable growth is possible, but only when the pace of

providing infrastructure outraces the approval of developments. We can reduce property taxes, lower utility costs and reduce spending.

5. The city has provided funding to nonprofits/charities to provide services, yet they are underutilized. We must become tough on crimes these people perpetrate.

6. Longtime residents have witnessed the reduction of infill. Much of the development involves multi-family units, drastically increasing the population in some communities. Any annexation should be brought before those residents.

Aaron D. Schick

Aaron D. Schick - District 6 1. I’ve served as the president of various groups and nonprofit fundraisers, but I contend having little experience is an asset. If elected, I will execute my constituents’ will.

2. Toastmasters Club, Jack Quinn’s Running Club, New Life Downtown, Woodmen Valley Chapel, Colorado Springs Young Professionals and The Gazette’s Empty Stocking Fund.

3. Constituents don’t feel heard about land use, crime prevention, water supply, proper growth and education quality.

4. Corrupt housing manufacturers are likely to blame. A few people shouldn’t get richer at the expense of the middle class.

5. Expanding affordable housing options, outreach programs and supportive services, collaborating with businesses to provide employment and implementing initiatives to prevent homelessness.

6. Each project City Council approves chips away at what makes this town great. We must find a way to balance growth with preserving our expansive qualities.

Roland Rainey, Jr.

Roland Rainey Jr. - District 6 1. Commissioner, 4th Judicial District Nominating Commission.

2. Chair, Pikes Peak Area Council of Government Community Advisory Committee; School Board of Directors, Banning Lewis Academy; former vice president, El Paso County Citizen Outreach Group and of Colorado Springs World Affairs Council.

3. More than 30 years of leading business, military and aerospace organizations. A decorated combat veteran, I’ve managed Department of Defense security assets worth than $6 billion.

4. The free market must supply affordable housing with little government interference. Department of Housing and Urban Development programs help low-income households.

5. We expect our understaffed Police Department to eradicate homelessness, but homeless people just move to another location. I would support a task-force effort from multiple agencies.

6. New buildings in urban areas reduce costs for increased infrastructure and support operations. Constructing buildings to replace empty lots raises land value and reduces blight.

Parth Melpakam - District 6 1. Elected in 2019 and 2023 to School District 11 Board of Education; 2019-2021, D11 School Board treasurer; 2021-present, D11 School Board president. Colorado Springs Urban Renewal Authority commissioner.

2. Leadership roles on D11 Budget Subcommittee, Accreditation Subcommittee and District Accountability Committee.

3. I am an engineer with more than 25 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. I will advocate for a budget focused on providing core essential services and eliminating inefficiencies.

4. Infill development can be cost-effective by utilizing existing infrastructure. I will advocate against costly regulatory hurdles and government overreach.

5. Working with community partners, emphasis should be on job training, housing assistance, life skills development and access to rehabilitation. To ensure safe access to downtown businesses and public buildings, I support the “sit-lie” ordinance.

6. A combination of meticulously reviewed infill and annexations can support market demands.

Parth Melpakam

FOR MORE INFORMATION

on the six District City Council seats and candidates, visit:

CSPD.COLORADOSPRINGS.GOV/VOTERINFO

44 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

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socodigest.com / Vol. 3 No. 3 - March 2025 / 45

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46 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Chambers

State of the Region Round-Up: Economic Forecast is Optimistic for 2025

BY THERESA WOODS

C

ommunities throughout Southern Colorado prepared for 2025 by looking back at 2024.

Using data trends, organizations prepared briefings on the 2025 economic outlook for their community. Here are a few of those.

Carrie Geitner, chair of the El Paso County Board of Commissioners, gave insight into the county’s economic development vision Feb. 6 at the State of the Region address.

The Pikes Peak Promise initiative remains the driving force behind county policy, prioritizing increasing opportunities, addressing the rising cost of living and improving public safety. Rewriting the land-use code, improving efficiency and minimizing costs of county operations and services were identified as projects for 2025.

The county’s infrastructure improvements — roads, stormwater management, wastewater treatment and bridges — illustrate its low-tax, cost-effective government approach that prioritizes high-impact projects. Reducing red tape and repealing or changing laws and regulations in order to offer a more competitive business environment are also priorities.

County economic accomplishments in 2024 are: • Workforce Development served 29,875 job seekers and 18,201 business services; • Economic Development assisted more than 1,375 businesses and community-focused projects; • Assessor addressed 5,000 building permits; and • Human Services supported a quarter of the population.

“The state of our region is strong, and I have never been more optimistic about the future possibilities,” Geitner says, in summary.

Palmer Lake, Monument, Woodmoor, Black Forest Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce The State of the Tri-Lakes Region and Economic Update occurred Feb. 26, hosted by the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development and Visitors Center. This year’s enhanced event delivered economic information for businesses designed to boost their success along with space for networking and partnership building.

The towns of Palmer Lake and Monument credit progress made in 2024 as cornerstones to further success. Interim Monument Town

Photo Source: Pueblo Economic Development Corp

El Paso County Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC

Manager Madeline VanDenHock described it as a transformational year for the community. The Highway 105 and upcoming Jackson Creek Parkway widening projects are both evidence of, and stimulus to, the area’s rapid growth. Monument transitioned to collecting its own sales tax revenues for 2025, an adjustment for both local businesses and the town. Lewis-Palmer School District 38’s new Career and Innovation Campus will open in July of 2025, preparing students for careers in engineering, construction, and manufacturing.

Pueblo County Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce The Pueblo Economic Forum on Jan. 7 featured Dr. Tatiana Bailey, executive director of Data Driven Strategies. Bailey provided an update of local economic activity and what it means.

According to data from the Pueblo Economic Development Corp. (PEDCO) Foundation, Pueblo is bouncing back from a previous economic slowdown.

The value of goods and services produced is rising.

Sales tax receipts and home prices are trending up, while the vacancy rate for office space is trending down. Retail vacancy rates remain steady. However, vacant industrial space is increasing. Job growth in the health and social assistance sectors noticeably outpaces other industries. The top growing industry since 2018 remains transport and warehouse.

“Pueblo is really doing quite well from what we can see for 2023, and I think it’s going to do quite well for 2024, once all those numbers are out, and into 2025,” says Bailey.

Trinidad Trinidad Las Animas County Chamber of Commerce Anchoring Colorado’s Interstate 25 corridor, Trinidad is developing outdoor recreation tourism and strengthening businesses serving both locals and visitors. As a destination for residents in the region, retail and dining growth are strong.

“We’ve got some good stuff happening here,” says Pat Howlett, president of the Trinidad and Las Animas County Chamber of Commerce. “Small is the next big. … If you drive around, you can see the opportunity here.”

The chamber did not hold an event, instead outlining its development plans in an interview.

Building new multi-family housing, attracting digital nomads as residents, hosting conferences and expositions, and developing small scale manufacturing and local small businesses is the strategy to readjust the local economy. Not all plans will be realized in 2025, but their beginnings start now. The forecast is for economic evolution and growth.

The Alamosa County Chamber of Commerce, South Metro Denver Chamber and Castle Rock Chamber were contacted for comment. They did not respond as of press time.

Theresa Woods is a staff writer for the SoCo Business Forum & Digest.

48 / Southern Colorado Business Forum & Digest

Advertiser Index / In Alphabetical Order

March 2025

Thank you to each and every advertiser listed.

Air Force Athletics Altitude Hospitality Group APG: Advanced Printing & Graphics Bank of Colorado Bryan Construction Business Digest Weekly Radio Colorado Springs Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Colorado Springs Utilities COS City Hub

Save the Dates!

Garden of the Gods Resort & Club The Homestead Collective InBank Marquesa Hobbs/Platinum Group

Class of 2026 40 Under 40 Nominations Open O C TO B ER 6 - DE CE MBE R 5, 2 02 5

Minuteman Press NORTH Magazine

Selection Committee Begins D EC EM BE R 15, 2 02 5

Pikes Peak Small Business Development Center Pikes Peak Workforce Center

Celebration Event

Sparks Willson

FEB R U A RY 24, 2 02 6

Southern Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce

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Underline Infrastructure/Colorado Springs United States Golf Association

Factual business journalism for SOCO's thriving business ecosystem. www.socodigest.com

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