Business Digest Radio

Dr. Garrison Ortiz, CFO & VP Operations, Colorado State University-Pueblo

Garrison Ortiz, Ph.D. and chief financial officer for Colorado State University-Pueblo (CSU-Pueblo) joins host, Dirk Hobbs on this edition of Business Digest Weekly. 
 
Dr. Ortiz discusses economic development and opportunity in Pueblo County from a myriad of perspectives: Pueblo-native, former County Commissioner, higher education executive, business owner, economic development board member, family man, and community leader. 
 
Garrison's rich knowledge of the community how the Steel City of the West has emerged as one of Colorado's most compelling markets for investment, new employer attraction and expansion, and emerging sectors, including technology and cyber. He also shares some of how CSU-Pueblo is planning for the additional acreage owned by the university just south of campus is shaping up. 
 
The community is experiencing a renaissance in many areas of downtown and of course is capitalizing on the attraction of its renowned River Walk. Pueblo County also presents vast opportunity for AI and other data warehouses with its ample water resources, land availability and a inter-agency collaboration to make permitting and other approvals more streamlined for investors, businesses, and employers. 
 
The University is also working closely with PEDCO and with employers to continue to create workforce readiness for new tech and cyber jobs,  renewable energy, long-rail, tourism, construction, and for would-be AI companies who take advantage of Pueblo's financial incentives, mild climate and expanding housing availability. 
 
Learn more about CSU Pueblo and their Pueblo Development Project during this interview and by going to their website. 
 
CSU-Pueblo web site: https://csupueblo.edu  | Brought to you by, Colorado Media Group, 45th U.S. Senior Open, Higginbotham, and Colorado Springs Orthopaedic Group | csog.net

Director of Golf, Russ Miller | U.S. Senior Open 2025 this June at the Broadmoor Resort

The Broadmoor Resort's Director of Golf, Russ Miller joins host Dirk Hobbs for a fun and insightful conversation about this year's U.S. Senior Open being hosted at the world-renowned destination. Enjoy learning about what it takes to prepare for one of the USGA's events, some of the conversations and experiences of The Broadmoor staff, and what life is like for the players and their families that week at the resort.
 
2025's event marks the fourth time the U.S. Senior Open has been hosted her in Colorado Springs and it is one of the region's great events scheduled this summer. 2025 U.S. Senior Open Championship June 25-29, 2025 The Broadmoor Golf Club is proud to host the 45th U.S. Senior Open Championship from June 25-29, 2025.
 
All-time, this will be the ninth USGA championship and the third U.S. Senior Open contested at our legendary resort. The East Course is nestled on the southern edge of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of more than 6,300 feet. Designed by Donald Ross and opened for play in 1918, it is now a combination of holes from Ross' original layout and holes designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. in 1952.
 
TIX: https://www.broadmoor.com/usso2025

Michael Pepper, Managing Director – Investments

Michael Pepper, Managing Director - Investments at Virtuent Wealth Management Group joins host Dirk Hobbs to discuss the current economic landscape and some considerations for how investors can stay focused on the ultimate goals of the investor and how to view volatility. 
About Mick
Mick has served as a Financial Advisor since 2004, and transitioned his practice to Wells Fargo Advisors in 2008. Prior to his financial services industry career, he was the Senior Manager of Program Support at Verizon for 15 years. Mick is currently a member of the Investments and Wealth Institute.
Mick grew up in Colorado Springs, CO and currently lives in Monument, CO.
Website: https://www.virtuentwmg.com/team.htm 

Tyler Johnston, Sr. Partner, Vida HR | Vida Benefits: Tip for outsourcing HR

Did you know?  Colorado ranks #2 behind California for being the most onerous for employers in regards to compliance and requirements to employ, legislative burden, and yet, our business economy is chugging along nicely. So what does that tell you? Employers want to be here, but they will not keep coming if we keep piling on the requirements for employment.
Tyler Johnston, Sr. Partner and VP of Sales for Vida HR and Vida Benefits offerings pearls of experience into the realm of human resource outsourcing. Serving businesses in nearly every vertical, Vida HR helps small to midsize employers to navigate the complex landscape of human resources and all our current at-will state (Colorado) requires. Tyler helps listeners with the dos and don'ts and the formal processes required to properly create compensation plans, onboarding, training, payroll, compliance, retention, off-board employees, and so much more...
Learn about the efforts to change legislation in Colorado from an "at-will" state to a fixed term employment agreement state that would be cost-prohibitive and to detriment of employers who would otherwise like to explore investment and/or expansion in the state's business ecosystems.
Learn about this unique Colorado Companies which has been on of Colorado Companies to Watch and how they can serve your organization for a fraction of the cost of in-house HR.
Website: https://www.vidahr.com

What Sectors Are Hiring in S. Colorado? Pikes Peak Workforce Center CEO Traci Marques Explains

Aside from the "big three" - aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and cyber, there are several industry  sectors in southeast Colorado that continue to show signs of hiring for Q2, 2025: 
Healthcare
Tourism & Hospitality (seasonal jobs)
Tech and Deep Tech
The Trades
General carpentry
Electricians
Plumbers
Earth moving
Traci also discusses something called an LER - Learned Education Record. These are the skills we learn along the way that are transferable from one industry to another. 
Learn more about these topics and far more at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center website: https://ppwfc.org/ 

Family-owned WireNut Home Services Helps Homeowners Keep their Infrastructure up to Par

Host Dirk Hobbs meets up with founder Trent Urban and his son, Gavin Urban to showcase one of the region's top Home Services businesses, WireNut on this week's TrueNORTH and The So. Colorado Business Digest. 
Learn the origins of the company as a family business that is this year, celebrating it's 20th anniversary. Keeping our home's core mechanical systems in tip top shape can help avoid costly repairs downstream and even keep our home values up when resale time comes around. 
Looking for an opportunity? Hear about their desire to develop a locally based workforce in Pueblo. 
Website: https://thewirenut.com/ 

Brett Wyss, President & CEO of Integrity Bank & Trust

Colorado Springs banking executive Brett Wyss discusses the rise of Integrity Bank from the early 2000s through the 2008 recession, covid and post-covid markets, and other hallmark seasons in the Colorado economy. 
Brett explains the wisdom and disciplines gained through the more difficult seasons of banking and how those lessons shaped his leadership and keeping Integrity Bank strong for their customers regardless of external influences. 
Wyss also shares some of his perspectives on the current economic climate, as well as the next 12-18 months for interest rates, the housing market, and more. 
Website: https://www.integritybankandtrust.com/ 

David Handy & Strings Kozisek Founder of FlightHound - The end of lost baggage

About FLIGHTHOUND
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to provide innovative technologies, information and services that improve the quality and reliability of airline travel. In the event that something goes wrong, FlightHound will offer support for travelers, airlines and other parties involved to reach a fair and cost-effective resolution.
PASSENGERS
FlightHound will provide airline passengers with an efficient, transparent disruption claims process and improve their overall travel experience.  Providing immediate accurate delay compensation options will reduce financial consequences for passengers.
AIRLINES
FlightHound will provide airlines with real-time, quantifiable visibility to disruption analytics. Our claims submission process will give airlines immediate access to real-time actionable analytics.  This “service forward” strategy will bolster corporate responsibility, improve customer satisfaction and mitigate disruption impacts.
PARTNERS
FlightHound will provide online travel agencies(OTAs) disruption claim services creating additional revenue opportunities. Partnering with FlightHound will be highly advantageous to growing their customer base and offerings.
 
https://flighthound.app/about-us

Natalie Myers, CEO & Brian Kilmartin, MD - El Paso County Medical Society

A deep dive into several Colorado House Bills that are in this legislative session. Several of which have an impact on the physicians and health practices as explained from the lens of Legislative Action leaders from the El Paso County Medical Society, Dr. Brian Kilmartin and CEO, Natalie Myers. 
Website: https://epcms.org 

Rick Beaton, Ph.D., and AnneMarie Artzen, Ph.D. - Motis OneAI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) as we know of it today is here and touches nearly every aspect of our lives in some way, shape or form.
But AI is not new when you look back at the tools we've used over the past half century. However, the kind of AI we talk about today does have far wider reaching implications than the "problem solving" and automation AI of the past. 
Enter Motis OneAI - led by Dr. Rick Beaton and Dr. AnneMarie Artzen. Motis OneAI is a Strategy Consulting firm specializing in Human-Centered Change Solutions for workforce efficiency.
​We work with senior leaders to leverage the Power of AI, while integrating their Business, Technology, and Human Systems to improve productivity and optimize performance.
This rich conversation will provide powerful insights into how organizations can prepare themselves for the intended and unintended consequences and change dynamics associated with the the installation of various artificial intelligence tools.  
Motis OneAI. Experts in Business & People.
Website: https://www.motisone.ai/