PROCO360 - "Pro-Business Colorado" podcast

“The largest pickleball age demographic is 24-35.”  Adam Kahn, co-Founder, 3rd Shot Pickleball 

“My advice to anybody: be extremely careful about who you're bringing in.” Landon Mossburg, CEO, Peak Energy

"We are the official sausage of the Colorado Rockies, DU Pioneers, Ball Arena and the Colorado Avalanche.” Melodie Polidori Harris (and Steve Polidori), Polidori Sausage

"We thought: it makes sense – maybe we should keep trying.” Eric Davis, Founder & CEO, Pretred

"I've always wanted to surround myself with entrepreneurs who think differently, do differently.”  Jaime Zawmon, Founder and President, Titan CEO & Titan 100

"If I'd known then what I know now, I think I could have accomplished what I accomplished with a little more EQ.” Dan Caruso, Caruso Ventures & Author of Bandwidth

“I think we were one of the inventors of the breakfast burrito.” Carmen Morales, Founder & Owner, Santiago's Mexican Restaurants

"If this works, we might be able to solve the biggest health epidemic of our generation.”  Sami Inkinen, Founder & CEO, Virta Health 

"This is the time for us to strike while the iron's hot.”  Rick George, Athletic Director, University of Colorado  

"We are doing something that may not have been done before in this country: almost doubling capacity while remaining open.”  Phil Washington, CEO, Denver International Airport 

"We bypass our lawmakers and put our pet issues on the ballot...”  Dave Tabor, host, ProCO360 

"I am a very strong person... If you think that I am done because I lose one business, just wait!”  Dana Rodrigues, Chef and Restaurateur, Carne, Work & Class, Casa Bonita Executive Chef 

"A lot of brands are shipping from a ping-pong table out of their garage...”  Irene Scharmack, CEO, QuickBox 

"Actually, there was a light bulb moment where the combination of chemical reactions to make the whole process occurred to me...”  Laura Lammers, Founder & CEO, Travertine Technologies 

"Even before we had a business, we talked some people into letting us do some catering for them – just on our good word.”  Jeff Kennedy, co-founder, Moe's Original BBQ 

“I reached $17 million before I hired my first employee.”  Leah Garcia, Founder & CEO, Nulastin 

“We fix attitudes all day with better golf swings.”  Joe Assell, CEO, GOLFTEC 

“An automotive company would have hundreds or thousands of people to build an entirely new vehicle – we're doing it with 75.”  Toby Kraus, co-Founder, Lightship RV 

“Changing the trajectory of someone's life is the most contagiously happy thing you can imagine doing.” Helen Young Hayes, Founder & CEO, ActivateWork

“When you empower physicians with those test results you really are playing a pivotal role in the treatment going forward.” Scott Hutton, CEO, Biodesix

“Consumers have the hardest job here – they are carrying the guilt of what to do with the package...”   Ian Jacobson, Eco Products 

“...and those are the times when you go all in... what's portrayed in the media, in TV shows – that's REAL.”   John Nellen, Founder & CEO, Todyl     

“People are willing to ignore security policies in order to gain the productivity benefits (of AI).”   Steven Walchek, CEO & Co-founder, Liminal 

“Owning the stratospheric data layer is where the majority of our revenue will live.”   Andrew Antonio, Co-founder & CEO, Urban Sky   

“Our goal is to flatten the methane curve, and we can actually achieve it.” - Craig Rieker, Co-founder & CTO I had no idea how exciting this episode would become while I was preparing for it. LongPath is the story of a company that emerged from Nobel Prize winning technology developed at NIST and University of Colorado.  You may have never cared about what a “frequency comb” is, and you WILL after listening to how this now little, soon to be big company enabled by a $195 million loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy, can have a massive impact on climate change.  Listen now – and you'll be able to tell your friends, “I've been watching them since this all started!”

“We wanted to change the company from a closure system to a high-performance fit system to change the way athletes perform – and prove it scientifically.” Shawn Neville, CEO, BOA Most guests on ProCO360 cut me some slack.  Not Shawn Neville of BOA, and not even in front of a live audience at BOA's world headquarters.  From the start Shawn showed how determined he is that the world recognize that BOA technology is NOT to replace shoelaces, or even to be a better closure system.  It's a “PERFORMANCE FIT SYSTEM,” period.  If you really want to be intrigued, listen to why BOA is choosing to not maximize profits. Several in attendance at this LIVE event were discussing BOA's strategy around this afterwards – add your comments about this!

“Give someone who wants to work hard a chance and they will give you everything they've got.” Jamie Repenning, CEO, R&R Head Labs

“The default for most manufacturers and retailers before we came along was to destroy returns.” Kristin Langenfeld, Co-founder and CEO, GoodBuy Gear = My expectations were completely wrong entering this episode with Kristin Langenfeld.  I'd expected she would tell me the story of a woman who started selling her own used baby gear, then slowly expanded the activity into a basement enterprise, and so on until it was a real company.  Nope.  And she's out to dominate a market sector with those whom I'd have expected were unlikely partners. 

“I sent them an article, Vangst raises $2.5M from a Tier 1 VC in New York, and people started to not laugh at me as much.”   Karson Humiston, Founder and CEO, Vangst   

“If you love a band that's coming to Red Rocks and you're 21 years old, I'll find a way to give you that time off.”   Tom Luersen, President, CoralTree Hospitality    This episode came together because a longtime friend, Dani Stern, now an executive at CoralTree told me over beers recently that he quit his last job to come to CoralTree.  In fact, that he'd told his prior employer, before taking that job, that if Tom Luersen called, he (Dani) would quit to go work for Tom.  Dani was EMPHATIC that the culture at CoralTree is THAT different, that special.  Of course, I wanted to do this episode!  And during it, I told Tom, “YOU CAN'T SAY IT'S YOUR PEOPLE.”  I thought he'd argue – he didn't.  Have a listen! 

“We're building homes in about 9 days at 20 stations, so every house stays at a station about 4 hours.” Charlie Chupp, Founder and CEO, Fading West This is the second recent episode about a Colorado company building alternatives to traditional single-family homes (see also Studio Shed – Still Leading the ADU Industry).  It's because the lack of attainable housing is such an important issue and Colorado companies are addressing it with innovation and value.  This episode with Charlie Chupp of Fading West describes the problems and challenges, and how applying Charlie's LEAN manufacturing background is effectively driving a fast-evolving industry.  I was fascinated by some surprises about workforce in this episode!

“I EXPLAIN TO CUSTOMERS HOW I WORK, AND THEY TRUST ME.” Fernando Ledezma, Ledezma Concrete This episode is out of my comfort zone – and refreshingly so.  Generally, I'm with high-flying entrepreneurs leading business that have raised tens of millions of dollars and are pursuing hockey stick growth.  Tia and Fernando Ledezma charmed me when they replaced a sidewalk at my house.  They reminded me of my great grandparents who came to the United States with a trade (tailors) and having to learn the language, assimilate, and make their own way.  Ledezma Concrete is a wonderful story of initiative, risk taking and hard work.

“Community engagement is really looking to the future… what do I want my city and community to be and how can I help that happen?” Rob Cohen, Chairman and CEO, IMA Financial

“It's fun to be in a business where you have to decide where to pursue the opportunity.”   Jeremy Nova, co-Founder, Studio Shed    Jeremy was my guest via Zoom during the pandemic.  Sometimes it's fun to circle back with a prior guest to see how they've evolved – either the leader (see this focus in the episode “Starting from Skratch, Maturing as CEO” with Ian MacGregor of Skratch Labs), or the business and market as is the case this time.  I was eager to explore this because after Studio Shed was an early innovator in its space, it was followed by large and notable companies like Tuff Shed and Home Depot that evolved their product lines to compete with Studio Shed.    

“When we started out we weren't thinking big picture – we were just excited to offer something we were passionate about.” Jane Barden, co-Founder, Farm to Summit

“We deploy data and technology to find pockets of opportunity we call Superfans.” Greg Sobiech, Founder & CEO, DELVE

“THE STATE OF COLORADO INCENTIVIZED ME TO MOVE HERE FROM AUSTIN, AND THAT WAS THE VERY BEST DECISION I'VE MADE IN THE HISTORY OF THE COMPANY.” Jonathan Ballesteros, Geyser Systems

“In that year (Covid) we turned down Ellen Oprah and Martha Stewart… because we were so committed to our direct customer.” Jeff Eldridge, Liberty Puzzles

“My #1 job is to run this great company… and (create a brand) that helps me get this message out there that there's a different way to lead a company.” Kerry Siggins, CEO of StoneAge… Author and Speaker I've been skeptical and bewildered as I've watched Kerry Siggins mature as the CEO of StoneAge while simultaneously leaning in to becoming an author and speaker on leadership.  My skepticism comes from wondering how one can seemingly focus on two careers simultaneously and do them both WELL.  A deeper question in my mind was how those she leads feel about their CEO directing so much energy at things not specific to running their company.  I was amazed at how Kerry took these questions head on, and that her answers made sense to me on several levels.  

“This is a once in a generation paradigm shift in computing performance… We're all jockeying to one of the 3-5 winners at the end of the day.” Rob Hays, President & CEO, Atom Computing  

“I would say (to athletes), you know why you get paid?  You've got to be able to bring value and sell products.” Chase Garrett, Founder & CEO, Icon Source “NIL” – Name, Image, and Likeness” – the idea that “amateur” athletes now get paid for helping to products, has upended amateur sports. Chase Garrett, with a background working with prominent athletes and brands, saw this, and created what I've labeled the “Match.com styled marketplace for athletes and brands.”  I was so excited to explore this topic with Chase – what a great conversation!

“We have customers tell us that we've helped them become better chefs.” Janet Johnston, Co-founder, Savory Spice Shops I begin this interview with a bit of a rant about how so many passion-based retailers fail, barely holding on long enough to save their pride after working 80-hour weeks for less than minimum wage.  Savory Spice, now with 30 locations, is a clear exception.  Husband and wife Mike and Janet Johnston share ideas that reveal what made their results different!

“We always had a method to capture demand... we established a waitlist of over 5,000 people.” GG Edwards, Co-founder & CEO Gnara (formerly SheFly) 20% off PROMO CODE below in show notes! Successful startup stories based on an “OMG, what a great idea!” product are always fun.  When I spoke with GG Edwards, it was a day before she was set to announce the expanded branding of what was then called SheFly – a company formed around ONE product.  Something that often makes the sharks on Shark Tank say, “That's a product, not a business.”  So, while GG and I talked about the aha moment and then the process of creating the initial product – and that's inspiring – we also talked about moving from a single product to a broader business, now called Gnara.   Want to try Gnara?  Use Promo Code:  GNARA360 for 20% off!  

“We believe that big boxes stifle innovation because you start chasing volume.” Dustin English, Chief Experience Officer, Voormi I was interested in speaking with Dan English, Founder and CEO of Voormi because I saw a few Voormi  garments in specialty retailers and thought it would be interesting to explore competing against the big name brands.  This interview fascinated me because of the strategy that Dan and his son Dustin laid out.  It's a strategy of innovation and licensing as much as – well, maybe more than – selling products.  You'll hear my surprise and keen interest as this interview goes a direction I hadn't planned.

“I was taken under the wing of one of the most prolific surgeon entrepreneurs of the 20th century.” Dr. James Mault, Founder and CEO, BioIntellisense I've had a little visibility into the world of medical devices.  It's not for the faint of heart (a bit of a pun).  The road is so long, so slow, so arduous, and SO expensive – and potentially impactful and lucrative. I was introduced to Dr. James Mault by my friends at the Colorado Bioscience Association after BioIntelliSense won the award as Bioscience Company of the Year, 2022.  Happy to have Jim in the studio with me – what a great story of a very relatable product that will improve outcomes and reduce costs.

“It's conservation through commerce.  If people didn't like eating bison there wouldn't be 500,000 today.” Bob Dineen, Founder and President, Great Range Bison I like bison burgers.  Just putting that out there.  As much as I like talking with CEOs of unicorn tech companies, speaking with the founder of a bison company that has 40% of the GLOBAL market was pretty fascinating.  As a podcast host, my primary tool is curiosity – and whether you are a meat eater or not, learning about this industry from Bob Dineen – the worldwide leader in his industry – is pretty special.  

“We've got to be the market for mountain bikers… what do WE want to ride?” Chris Conroy, President, Yeti Cycles I like mountain biking and I have a bike that when it was new, was pretty good.  My friends who are serious about mountain biking a) tease me about my bike now, and b) are super jealous that I had the President of Yeti Cycles in the studio with me! HA!  Chris Conroy and the Yeti team are passionate about building bikes for racing.  We talk about that, about differentiating the brand (racing), about marketing – and, I couldn't NOT ask him about e-bikes!  Secret: want to know the truth about whether if there's a connection between YETI bikes and YETI coolers?  

“WHEN YOU'RE SOLVING A VERY CHALLENGING PROBLEM WITH TECHNOLOGY YOU CAN ATTRACT EXCEPTION PEOPLE.” Dax Craig, CEO of Pie Insurance I spent my first year out of college selling life insurance and it was the worst year of my life.  It's not a surprise that as I got ready to prepare for this episode, I wasn't excited.  I had to remind myself, “This is a UNICORN company.  Investors are throwing crazy money at it.”  I used that to motivate myself to dig-in. BIG surprise! Dax Craig is such an engaging CEO.  He admitted that it's not about insurance for him either – it's about the challenge of solving a problem that truly helps small businesspeople start and sustain a business.  Highly encourage listening to this episode – I think you'll lean in the way I did!

“There's more value in learning and team development than in avoiding a mistake.” Ian MacGregor, CEO, Skratch Labs Ian was also my guest for Episode 75 about 2 years ago.  At that time, Ian explained that he'd been an “accidental” CEO.  I wanted to catch up with Ian and see how he was maturing as a leader, as a CEO.  I almost chose this quote to lead with, “We got OBSESSED with the customer experience – being more than just a product,” and instead chose the quote above it because it's more aligned with the theme of “maturing as a CEO.”  Ian is such a great guy – you'll enjoy his candor and the journey of Skratch Labs.

“Engineers joined us because they saw the people already here whom they'd admired, and now could work with and learn from.” Joe Laurienti, CEO, Ursa Major I wanted to learn about rocket engines from a rocket scientist, so of course I was excited to interview Joe Laurienti, founder and CEO of Ursa Major, based in Berthoud, Colorado.  Joe and I had a good time methodically understanding (me asking, Joe explaining) the key features of their rocket engines.  We also explored the relationship between price, reliability, risk and reusability.  Aerospace is a huge and growing industry sector in Colorado and you'll want to listen to this episode of ProCO360!