Author: finola.annibella@yahoo.com

March Meeting: Ryan Miller with Team Vertice

finola.annibella@yahoo.com

Team Vertice is a senior-led B2B marketing consultancy built by experienced operators who’ve led strategy, built pipeline, and driven revenue inside the walls of startups, scale-ups, and Fortune 50 enterprises.

Collectively, we’ve helped hundreds of B2B brands generate nearly $1BN in trackable revenue—through smart positioning, aligned go-to-market strategies, and marketing systems built for scale. We’ve led in high-growth environments, guided companies through transformation, and partnered with leadership teams to turn marketing from a cost center into a strategic growth function.

We bring the mindset of in-house executives with the flexibility of a consultancy. Whether the challenge is brand clarity, sales and marketing alignment, or scaling demand generation—we show up as embedded partners focused on what matters: driving results.

February Meeting: DJ Summers – Common Sense Institute

finola.annibella@yahoo.com

Presentation Outline

This discussion will examine the Colorado and the Denver metro area as it stands now. Most of the key metrics that defined the Front Range in the mi-2010s are markedly different now in the mid-2020s: demographics, growth rates and key economic indicators among them. The area’s future will depend on how leaders respond.

DJ Summers is Common Sense Institute’s Director of Communications & Research Operations. He oversees CSI fellows and research staff, coordinates with partners, iterates and analyzes projects and breaks down findings for the public, legislators and commercial leaders.

Prior to CSI, DJ attended the University of Utah and Syracuse University. He worked as a journalist, investigator and political researcher across the U.S. from Washington, D.C. to Alaska. DJ has a drive to understand complex truths and make them clear and accessible to the public and its leaders alike.

DJ lives in Denver and is a classically trained pianist. He devotes his spare time to practicing and studying music. When not at the piano bench, he has a regimen of strength training, combat sports and enjoying good Colorado beer.

Common Sense Institute is a non-partisan research organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of Colorado’s economy. CSI is at the forefront of important discussions concerning the future of free enterprise in Colorado and aims to have an impact on the issues that matter most to Coloradans. CSI’s mission is to examine the fiscal impacts of policies, initiatives, and proposed laws so that Coloradans are educated and informed on issues impacting their lives. CSI employs rigorous research techniques and dynamic modeling to evaluate the potential impact of these measures on the Colorado economy and individual opportunity.

 

June Meeting: 2025 Legislative Session, Impacts to Colorado Businesses

finola.annibella@yahoo.com

We are excited to host Dave Davia, CEO of Colorado Concern who will recap the 2025 legislative session and explain how it will impact the Colorado business climate.

Called “a person of action and someone who knows how to build an organization, raise money, take the tough meeting, and make the hard ask,” Dave Davia’s position as CEO and president of Colorado Concern is a fitting role given all that he’s accomplished not only professionally, but also as a charitable, civic, and governmental leader. Dave Davia is a tenacious agent of change.

For nearly 30 years, Davia has served the state of Colorado’s economic viability in a variety of private and public capacities. Most recently, he accepted the invitation to join Colorado Concern as its CEO, leading more than 140 CEOs in a collaborative effort to accelerate a positive, non-partisan business environment for Coloradoans. His sphere of influence includes advocating for practical business solutions and unifying community leaders against tough economic challenges with common-sense answers.

He’s worn the hats of CEO, board chair, member, founder, chief fundraiser, and city councilor, to name a few. A business and finance major from Metropolitan State University, Denver, and a fifth-generation Denver native, Davia brings political savvy to the table that transcends party lines. Ultimately, he believes that a unified government and diverse voices foster the most meaningful change for all Coloradoans.

January Meeting: Eric Lazzari, Civic Center Conservancy

finola.annibella@yahoo.com

The Civic Center Conservancy named Eric Lazzari the Executive Director in November of 2019. 

He joined the Civic Center Conservancy in November 2011, bringing extensive event operations and program management experience to his initial role as Director of Programs and Events. Eric was promoted to Director of Strategic Operations in May of 2018.

Eric is a proud member of the 2020 Class of Leadership Denver. He was also a member of the Downtown Denver Leadership Program’s 2014 class, where he was selected as the winner of the John Parr Leadership Award and elected by his peers as the class trustee.

Prior to joining the Conservancy, Eric served as the Program Operations Manager for USA Swimming in Colorado Springs, developing and managing various programs, clinics and series. He previously served as Director of Special Projects for the Metro Denver Sports Commission, leading event production for the 2008 Frozen Four and coordinating sponsorship development and activation for the CU vs. CSU Rocky Mountain Showdown. He received his bachelor’s degree in Leisure Studies from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and his MBA from the University of Denver.

August Meeting: Hilary Blair, Executive/Leadership Presence

finola.annibella@yahoo.com

Join us as we host Hilary Blair presenting on Executive/Leadership Presence:

  • Discover what Leadership Presence is and what it looks like, to make you and your team work better, boost retention and reduce recruiting costs.
  • Insights and strategies to cultivate an active presence that exudes confidence and authority.
  • Gain tools to shift communication patterns that may sabotage Leadership Presence and Influence.
  • Voice your ideas with confidence and conviction, to be heard above the noise and have influence, to help facilitate reaching the objectives of the company.

Recent Presentations Delivered:

  • Unlocking Success through Interpersonal Communication: The Power of Authentic Presence.
  • Increasing Leadership Presence and Influence through Heart-Based Communication.

Hilary Blair, CEO, CSP, Speaker, Leadership Coach, and Group Facilitator, weaves her professional acting experience into programs for corporate teams and individuals to elevate presence, communication, and connection. She’s certified in Conversational Intelligence™ (CIQ) and CultureTalk and trained in ORSC (Organizational Relationship Systems Coach) and approaches coaching from a wholistic systems perspective.

She holds a BA from Yale University in Psychology and an MFA in Acting from the National Theatre Conservatory.