April Meeting – Wendy Wadas, Supply Chain

April Meeting – Wendy Wadas, Supply Chain

Supply Chain Disruptions – When will it end and why can’t things get back to “normal”?

Join the conversation that has been top of everyone’s mind and every earnings call over the last 3+ years – Supply Chain

All businesses, services and consumers are impacted by supply chains and this discussion will cover what the current state of supply chain is and discuss key contributors that continue to plague our global supply chains. 

Wendy will bring insights from her practitioner days as well as from her current role at Gartner where she is an Executive Partner working with Executives on their key challenges and priorities.

To get the conversation started, it is good to level set on what the definition of Supply Chain is:

A supply chain is a connected system of organizations, activities, information and resources designed to source, produce and move goods from origination to a final destination—typically from a supplier to an end customer. There are 5 primary processes that make up the supply chain: Plan, Source, Make, Deliver and Return.

Sounds easy enough, right? If yes, why are things so broken and is there light at the end of the tunnel?

March Meeting – Belinda Alford, Value Builder

Belinda has a heart for small business owners.  She’s been one herself for many years and understands the excitement, challenges and stresses that come with managing a team, working with contractors, technology challenges from creating custom SaaS, taking care of client needs and ensuring everything runs smoothly.

She’s also dealt with the dark side of business when it comes to dealing with hackers, fraud and having to make the hard decision to shut down a business.

She has experience working with those in the real estate, mortgage, trades, marketing and wellness industries.

Ultimately, Belinda knows that the pride and joy of entrepreneurship is something that is stirred within the soul … it’s more than a passion, it’s a purpose, and for some, their calling.

Belinda is a Certified Value Builder Advisor and Integrative Business Coach with Poindexter Business Systems.  Today she’s going to be sharing about the 8 Factors that Drive Company Value.

February Meeting – Back to the Workplace Panel Discussion

The post-pandemic office looks dramatically different than it used to.  Space is different.  So the way we use the space is different.  And the office dynamics have also changed.  What do these changes mean?  What should owners be aware of?  What should worker be thinking about?  How do employers navigate it all?

These 3 members will discuss this important topic at our February breakfast meeting:

Lisa Smith, PuzzleHR

Mike Butler, Office Interiors

Tanner Mason, Benchmark Commercial

January Meeting – Charles Fred, Strategy for Growth

Charles Fred is an American Entrepreneur and Researcher.  Best known for a body of work to positively influence the success of small businesses.  He has inspired a movement to help entrepreneurs create conditions for a sustainable growth, and through this effort, to stimulate thousands of new jobs.  

In 2014, Charles Fred and his daughter, Jamee, co-founded TrueSpace, a firm that helps entrepreneurs move from the startup phase to the middle market.  In February of 2020, TrueSpace, in partnership with the Gallup Organization, announced the release of a multi-year research effort detailing the operating conditions that must be present for a small business to consistently reach the middle market.

Over his nearly 40-year career, Charles has founded and led three companies into the middle market generating over $220 million in enterprise value.  He is a long-time resident of Colorado, an elite masters distance runner, outdoor enthusiast and cancer survivor.  He and Julie, his wife, dedicate much of their time with their family, mentoring young people and entrepreneurs, and giving back to the community. 

Presentation Overview:

Join the conversation that began at Gallup’s Great Hall in Washington D.C. and published in the New York Time, Inc. and Forbes.

The research includes data from 2,500 business owners gathered by TrueSpace and Gallup to investigate the operating conditions that foster sustainable growth among post-startup companies.

The study builds on the results of a four-year ethnographic analysis by TrueSpace, which were used to develop a conceptual framework of five operating conditions associated with sustainable business growth. Gallup and TrueSpace used the framework to develop a quantitative instrument — called the Five Conditions Assessment — on which the current results are based.

Charles Fred, CEO of TrueSpace, will present the findings of the research and the significant implications for entrepreneurs and investors.

December Meeting – Members Only Engagement & Mimosas

December Meeting – Members Only Engagement & Mimosas

For December, we will start by hearing our Presidential candidates’ short speeches, then our much-anticipated members only engagement exercises will begin!  Each table will be competing for the most points by guessing which clues belong to which members.  Festive mimosas will be available, because, well, Tanner wanted it that way.  We look forward to seeing you all there and continuing the holiday cheer!   

November Meeting – Denver Santa Claus Shop, Bring a Toy!

Kylee Glaser is the Senior Director of Inspirato and has a unique blend of experience in the design and acquisition of high-end experiential travel programs for Inspirato. Under her leadership, Inspirato established itself as a top experiential travel provider giving unrivaled access to world-renowned sporting events such as the Master’s Golf Tournament, Ryder Cup, Wimbledon, and NCAA Final Four. Along with the customization and contracting of luxury cruise charters and yachts, private safaris, private entertainment events, culinary weekends, and more.

Kylee fosters many social responsibility initiatives for Inspirato, including Board Member and Secretary of the Colorado Open Golf Foundation, Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, and President of the Denver Santa Claus Shop. A Colorado Historic charity, the Denver Santa Claus Shop (DSCS) is a nonprofit that collects and gives families the opportunity to shop for free toys each December. A non-denominational, all-volunteer-run organization, DSCS’s mission is A Toy for Every Girl & Boy”. Kylee Glaser holds a B.S in Sports Management and Business from the University of Kansas.

Danny Lindau (pictured just above) will join Kylee to speak about the history of the toy initiative. He is the Director, Principal of The Colorado Group – a premier commercial real estate company for the Front Range for over 42 years.

September Meeting – Tom Tudor, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Tom Tudor has been a distinguished speaker for twenty-five years, presenting a moving and informative narration of our nation’s most hallowed ground: Arlington National Cemetery.  Mr. Tudor, speaking to hundreds of organizations and institutions nationwide, is an authority on the history of ‘Arlington’ and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is visited by over four million people annually.  His comprehensive and compelling power-point presentation recently aired on C-SPAN  American History Television and he was a featured speaker at the National World War II Museum for Memorial Day 2016.  His presentation is one you don’t want to miss. 

Mr. Tudor served as a sentinel, then relief commander, at Arlington’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from February 1969 to Memorial Day of 1970.  He is the past President of the Society of the Honor Guard – Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and is a Member of the Board. 

Mr. Tudor has been a business entrepreneur for over three decades; is a five term Rotary International Club President, is a graduate of the University of Iowa and is a member of the Theodore Roosevelt High School Alumni Hall of Fame, Des Moines, Iowa.  He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with his wife, and is the proud father of two daughters.

Consider Mr. Tudor to make a profound contribution to the success of your next event.  Your attendees will leave standing taller with pride, honor and dignity for embracing the history of our nation’s ‘Arlington’ and the Tomb of the Unknowns.

August Meeting – John Garrett, Attracting and Retaining Engaged Talent

What’s Your “And”?: Create Unique Cultures that Attract and Retain Engaged Talent

Talent is at a premium, so organizations need to differentiate themselves more than ever before. The future professional doesn’t define expertise simply in college degrees and certifications. They have passions outside of work that enhance their ability to develop stronger levels of trust with colleagues and customers. Through hilarious stories and extensive research, this keynote encourages organizations to uncover their people’s passions in order to increase the lifetime value of every employee.

John Garrett — thought provoker, catalyst for change, and award-winning author — is on a mission to create better workplaces. What the two-time Emmy nominee may do best is champion the human side of professionals, consulting with organizations to develop more productive cultures while shining a light on their people’s rich lives outside of work. Delivering inspiring keynotes about his research and recording over 500 podcast episodes of What’s Your “And”? landed him on Accounting Today’s list of the top 100 most influential people in the profession.

John received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a letterman jacket as a trombone player in the marching band. He went on to pass the CPA exam and received his certified public accountant certificate while working at PwC and performing stand-up comedy as a hobby.

Since then, he’s been on stage over 2,000 times and tracks from his debut album, Outside the Box, can be heard on several channels on SiriusXM Satellite Radio and Pandora. He’s also been on The Bob & Tom Show, featured in the New York Times, opened for Louie Anderson at resort casinos, opened for the band Train, and has been invited to perform at several comedy festivals.

John currently lives in Denver and enjoys watching college football, going to concerts, and eating cookie dough ice cream — especially at the same time.

June Meeting – Brandon Lloyd, CareerWise

At our June Breakfast Meeting Brandon Lloyd, Business Development Manager & Apprenticeship Ambassador at CareerWise Colorado, will cover these topics:

CLOSING THE GAP

Today, the burden of educating the newest members of the workforce falls directly on our schools. But businesses are having difficulty finding employees with the appropriate competencies to effectively fill skilled positions. Modern youth apprenticeship addresses the problem by helping businesses have a hand in shaping their young talent and providing the education system with an applied-learning environment for its students.

AN OPTIONS MULTIPLIER

For students, youth apprenticeship is an options multiplier. Apprenticeship can be a powerful enhancement to their education or a fast-track to a middle-class career, or both.

Apprenticeship is not a diversion from higher education—it’s a rigorous education option that combines theoretical learning with practical learning that focuses career and education objectives. It can also be a direct path to high-paying, in-demand jobs in Business Operations, Financial Services, Advanced Manufacturing, Information Technology and Healthcare.

Any student—regardless of future plans—can benefit from apprenticeship.

A student can start as an apprentice and end with a Ph.D., or apprenticeship can train a student to step directly into a bookkeeper position so they can go on to be a CFO. It’s a model of education that reveals multiple options to career and higher education.

LEARNING FROM THE SWISS

CareerWise looks to the Swiss apprenticeship system for inspiration and has borrowed elements of that model to adapt in Colorado. In Switzerland there are more than 230 approved apprenticeship occupations, and 40 percent of all companies participate in the program. In that environment, 70 percent of Swiss students choose apprenticeships and 30 percent of them stay with their training company or return after college. In fact, many of the world’s largest companies are run by CEOs that started out as an apprentice. It’s that kind of endless possibility we’re building in Colorado with CareerWise—apprentices that start in high school and end with college or career success.