The LoCo Experience

Louann DeCoursey worked at iconic Fort Collins restaurant Panhandler's Pizza in Fort Collins as a youth, later spent time as a manger and then GM,  and was a major Pans Fan throughout the intervening years of raising a family and building a career in non-profit.  In the summer of 2017, the opportunity to purchase the business came to her radar, and her offer beat out 13 others!  

In the time since, Louann has navigated many twists and turns, from finding a new location to activating pizza pop ups in other communities and creating "half-baked" pies for mail order delivery!  Louann is an idea-machine, with a strong drive and plans to build a series of Panhandlers locations to serve the entire Northern Colorado region in the years ahead.  My sense is she's gonna do it, Pans Fans and everyone should listen in to hear her plans to build an icon into a brand.  

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Jason Rogers is the founder of a Direct Primary Care practice called Starlight Health, based in Fort Collins, Colorado.  DPC represents a change in the business model of medicine, with a membership model providing access to a physician who can take the time to learn about patients and better care for their health.

Jason's journey into medicine began in college, as a negative and challenging turn in his own health eventually created a desire to help others find positive health outcomes.  His engineering mind and his love for people-powered his journey in health care, but he found roles ranging from emergency medicine, pediatrics, surgery, and general practice shared one commonality - no time for patients and too much red tape!  

This episode unfolds and dissects many of the challenges in the health care industry, along with the challenges of starting a new business venture - during the Covid lockdowns and in a city where he knew almost no one - you're gonna learn many things health care and entrepreneurship in this one!  

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Jerri Schmitz is a hero of mine, and an amazing example of putting faith in action to create lasting community change.  Jerri founded The Matthews House in 2005, a non-profit organization that now ranks (per CSU research) as among the most impactful in the state and region.  The Matthews House mission is to Empower youth and families by building trusting relationships and providing resources to disrupt the cycles of poverty and abuse - and they do it well.  They have grown into a leading human services voice in the nation, and have more than 50 staffers doing good in the communities of Larimer County every week.

The Positive Futures Pathway holistic approach created and developed by Jerri and her team doesn't attempt to fix one challenge and send clients on their way.  Instead, they help clients build a foundation for future success by addressing Housing, Well-being, Education, Employment, and Life Skills needs so they can imagine and build sustainable futures for themselves - regardless of the amount of abuse and neglect they've endured.  God loves you, and so does Jerri and so does the team at The Matthews House.

Jerri retired from the Executive Director role in 2019, and is now writing grants, providing support to the leadership team, and traveling the American West with her husband Matt in a 5th Wheel camper.  I was blessed to share some time on her last trip through town, for the podcast and a lovely 4 hour backyard dinner double date with out spouses.  If you know Jerri - likely you already love her - but listen in and love her even more because the who TMH story is unfolded in this episode!  If you don't know Jerri - you should.  

The annual gala fundraiser for The Matthews House is known as Cultivate Hope, and it will be held live and virtually on September 18, 2021.  We're always looking for more sponsor, donors, and attendees!

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Kris Boesch is the CEO and Founder of Choose People and author of Culture Works: How to Create Happiness in the Workplace. Emotional health and intimacy directly correlate to the context and the culture within which your company’s team works. With over 1000 hours of research conducted with the Industrial Organizational Psychology Department at Colorado State University, she created Choose People 360° Culture Audit which literally measures if your employees feel good about coming to work and evaluates the emotional health of your organization.

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Marchel Morningstar is the Owner/Operator of Consolidated Resource in Greeley, Colorado, and L & L Fabrication in Douglas, Wyoming, and he's traveled some wild and crazy roads along the path to building his successful enterprises.  He's been a key employee in a fast-growing supply business, a partner in a pipeline construction venture, and is now the owner of both a comprehensive facility construction and service business, and a fabrication shop that supports the needs of Consolidated Resource and other industry clients.  Lots of lessons for those working to launch or grow a business, especially in the Oil & Gas industry!  

This one is a quick tour of an interesting journey, with plenty of twists and turns and insightful commentary along the way.  Though Marchel has been a LoCo Think Tank member for many months, this was our first time meeting in person - so you'll get a glimpse of some genuine "getting to know" in this episode.  Truly a LoCo Experience.  

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Dr. Jane Brewer is now in her 6th year of owning Precision Chiropractic who focuses on NeuroStructural Correction. Jane believes that this area of the neck is one of the most important things to take care of as it supports your head and the spine that holds everything together. She is a big advocate for taking care of yourself, “depositing health into your bank” as she puts it.

Jane prides herself as being a life-long learner, giving credit to one of her professors that said, “Once you are ripe, you start to rot”. “If you stop learning, you stop growing” is probably the best advice that Jane can give to other small business owners or anyone for that matter. One of the biggest challenges she and other business owners face is “getting out from between your own ears”. “You need a support system that knows what you’re going through, someone that has walked in those shoes”. Finding and leaning on mentors and collaborating with other business owners is key to getting past yourself and understanding yourself.

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Sosamma Samuel-Burnett is the Founder and President of G.L.O.B.A.L. Justice - an NGO based in Loveland, Colorado but impacting organizations and individuals around the world.  G.L.O.B.A.L.'s mission is profound:  To extend Geopolitical Learning Opportunities for Biblical Advocacy & Leadership (G.L.O.B.A.L.) for local, national, and international communities to pursue justice ethically, creatively and collaboratively.  Simply put, they aspire to inspire leaders from every tribe and nation to do justice upon one another, to understand what justice is, where it is lacking, and how to do it well. 

Sosamma has lived a fascinating life, immigrating from her native India to Canada with her family as a young girl, navigating community and racial acceptance as a young lady and teen, and rising to become the #1 graduating high school student in the state of Minnesota - earning scholarships and prestigious internships and roles on her way to and throughout a high-impact career.  After a mid-career period of focusing on her family, Sosamma moved to Loveland, Colorado with her family in 2014 and founded GLOBAL shortly thereafter.  She and her team have grown the organization in scope and impact ever since, and if you want to understand justice at a different level and on a global scale - you'll want to tune in!  

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

AJ is a CSU engineering grad who went from working in bars and custom car restoration to a draft engineer to starting a solar company. Understanding that what we were doing yesterday is not going to work tomorrow, AJ takes us through the struggles of starting a business. Make optimal decisions versus quick ones. Planning, streamlining operations, and learning not to hire too soon, along with engaging employees with the company's plans for growth are all part of their success. Creating a strong company culture is realizing that none of this is worth dying over. They encourage quality and accountability as well as understand and support the "work hard, play hard" philosophy. "We only get one chance to do it right".

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

Blake Craig is the Co-Founder and Chief Labor Officer at Laborjack, LLC. Probably best understood as the Uber of Labor, Laborjack matches a flexible and ambitious labor force - mostly comprised of college students - with those needing stuff done. Initially conceived to become “The world’s largest moving company! - that doesn’t own any trucks”, Laborjack clients have now found hundreds of ways to engage a flexible workforce! Laborjack offers everything from event set-up and tear-down to garage clean-outs to landscaping projects and festival staffing, and many more business clients than initially imagined.

This is a bootstrapped startup story at its best, with an idea birthed as a college side-gig, incubated through several years of a commercial real estate career, and now taking on private investment en route to a Series A down the line.  It’s a story of taking small risks, with a direction in mind, and making the sacrifices necessary to allow an enterprise to grow to a sustainable venture.  Godspeed, good sir! - I’ve learned much from you, and we’ll all be cheering for your strong success!

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain

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

Throughout her career, Cheryl has helped hundreds and now thousands of people navigate transition.  We talk about the process that she followed to write her book, highlight some of the wisdom within, and unfold a life journey full of twists and turns and learning opportunities. 

If you are going through a transition in life or in business, or preparing for one that you know is upcoming, this is a must listen episode. And if you’d like to know a little bit about an author before you buy their book, you are going to love Cheryl!

The LoCo Experience Podcast is sponsored by:  Purpose Driven Wealth Thrivent: Learn more

💡Learn about LoCo Think Tank

 Follow us to see what we're up to:

 Instagram

 LinkedIn

 Facebook

Music By: A Brother's Fountain