Business Digest Radio

Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade - May 2024 Update

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

SherryLynn Boyles, President & CEO - Joint Initiatives

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

Author, Speaker, Brand Consultant, Suzanne Tulien

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

Jeff Crank (R), Candidate for Colorado's 5th Congressional District

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

Nathaniel Shull - City of Fountain Economic Development Commission

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

Sue Smith, Executive Director - Christian P. Anschutz Foundation

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

Pikes Peak Region Small Business Week - April 29-May 3

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

Lonnie Cramer, President & CEO - UCHealth-Southern Colorado Region

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

The Role of Critical Infrastructure: Underline Infrastructure CEO, Robert Thompson

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

How to Get the Most of your Banking Relationship-Matthew Hanson, Market President, Alpine Bank

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